Flix Blog-a-thon: Double Feature Theater

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A few weeks ago, my blog pal Marc from Go, See Talk invited a bunch of us to participate in this fun blog-a-thon called “Double Feature Theater”.

The idea here is that we all get to imagine ourselves as bona fide Theater owners. As such we set up our schedule for a week’s worth of Double Features Monday-Saturday, with a Triple Feature on Sunday. The criteria is completely up to you to pair the movies be it actors, directors, a common theme, original/remake, you name it. Start your post beginning what you’d show on Monday, a sentence or two of why or how they’re related and so on for the rest of your fictitious week.

Truthfully, I rarely go see two movies back to back. The only time I’ve actually seen a Double Feature in a theater was when I was 15 with my mother and one of my brothers on New Year’s Eve (it was the last time I went to the movies with my mother as she passed away six months later). The movies? Tango & Cash and Showdown in Little Tokyo! Yes, my mom was pretty cool indeed 😀 I still smile every time I remember that, I actually don’t recall much from either films, but the experience of going to see them with my mom will always be dear to my heart.

With that in mind, I’m going with a bit of nostalgia them for most of my Double Feature Cinema week. Ready? Here we go…

MONDAY – Comedy


Well, what else could beat the Monday blues but a pair of side-splitting comedies! If you haven’t seen The Gods Must be Crazy yet, then you’re in for a treat! I picked this one as a movie that always makes me laugh meme last year, and once you see the trailer you’ll know why. Top Secret is one of my all time guilty pleasure, this spoof of WII spy movies is a brainless, riotous fun in the vein of Naked Gun and Hot Shots. Val Kilmer is a hoot as a rock ‘n roll singer getting caught in a Resistance scheme, oh and Omar Sharif also had a silly cameo!
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TUESDAY – Action

Ok, with work piling up and workload mounting, why not get some release by watching some bombastic shoot-em-up? Both Die Hard and Face/Off have some awesome villains (both Hans Gruber & Castor Troy get a mention on my bad boys list), plus the full-on action with quotable one liners make these two fun to watch back to back.
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WEDNESDAY – Science Fiction


These two are considered the top of this genre for good reason. I had recently re-watched The Matrix on Blu-ray and it still delivered that ‘whoa’ moment. The thought-provoking ‘what is reality?’ premise as well as the kick-ass action sequences set the bar for sci-fi action movies since. As for Jurassic Park, it’s definitely in my top 3 favorite Spielberg movies. I can never forget the moment the chopper descended on the island with John Williams’ iconic theme song in the background. I still get goosebumps when John Hammond says with utmost glee, “Welcome to Jurassic Park.”
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THURSDAY – Crime Thriller


It might be a bit heavy to watch two of the most intense crime thrillers on the same night. But if you can handle Heat and L.A. Confidential combo, I think it would be one helluva time at the movies! The ensemble cast & performances are top notch here, and so are the plot twists and turns that will get you talking about ’em all over again. I think these two films are the best work from director Michael Mann and Curtis Hanson, respectively.
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FRIDAY – Romance


Ahhh… Friday is here. Why not take your dates to see a little… ok, a lot of romance 😀 Both Moulin Rouge! and Somewhere in Time are both period dramas that takes place just a couple of decades apart, both are hopelessly romantic, even if they’re a bit on the dismal side. But hey, you’ve got some wonderful music and gorgeous people falling head over heels in love to keep you spellbound for a few hours, what’s not to love?
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SATURDAY – Period Dramas


It wouldn’t be a complete week in my theater without some mesmerizing period dramas. It’s no surprise I adore Sense & Sensibility. It’s one of the movies I love with a passion and one that has a bunch of memorable rain scenes. Throw in the best crop of British cast, including one of my all time favorite Alan Rickman, naturally it’s one that I would always recommend.
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The second feature, The Age of Innocence takes all that pent-up passion up a few notches, courtesy of Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer’s explosive chemistry. The unrequited love story is heartbreaking, and never has the display of unbridled desire coupled with intense anguish be more bewitching to watch. As if that wasn’t enough, you can also marvel at the gorgeous cinematography, oh and the stunning opening sequence.
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TRIPLE FEATURE SUNDAY – Superhero movies

Well, after all that romantic stuff, do you think I gonna let my geeky side go by the wayside? Not a chance! 😀 So for the Triple Feature Sunday, I’ll be featuring three of my favorite superhero movies! Trust me, it’s really hard to narrow it down to just 3. I was going to include the first Superman movie which I think is still the best of the franchise, but I decided to go with Bryan Singer’s X-Men and Chris Nolan’s Batman Begins instead. For the third feature, I figure it might be interesting to combine both the Marvel and DC superhero movies with a film that deconstructs the whole superhero mythology altogether: Unbreakable. I admire M. Night Shyamalan’s original concept, an impressively poignant and nuanced film that delves deep into the basic notion of good vs. evil.
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Well, I hope you enjoy what I’ve got playing on my theater for the week. Which day(s) would you be stopping by?

52 thoughts on “Flix Blog-a-thon: Double Feature Theater”

  1. Movie Remnants

    I would love to come to a theater like yours! I’ll be there Monday and Wednesday and…I liked all the categories you had actually. I liked the way you grouped them and wish there was a real theater like that by me.

    Reply

    1. Hi MR, welcome to FC! You’re so welcome in my theater any day, glad you like the categories. I don’t usually do the double movie viewing thing, but I’ll make an exception with these 😀

      Reply

  2. Sign me up for a week pass!!

    I even am up for the squishy nights, would get me points with m’lady!!

    Great Job as always Ruth. I never got around to it. Such a sucky blogger 🙂

    Reply

    1. Wahoo! Yes, you get plenty of bonus points for going on Friday & Saturday 😀

      No biggie, Custard, I’ll be interested to read yours when you do get around to it. Thanks for stopping by, matey!

      Reply

      1. I’d be VERY surprised if you don’t come around on Thursday 😉 I actually was gonna put Gladiator that day, but I figure that’d be overly indulgent, ahah.

        Reply

  5. So if I were to buy tickets for Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday…could I get some sort of bulk discount?

    Great selections for certain – I’d happily spend the week at your theatre.

    You *should* try to track down double features more often. I haven’t seen one in a few years but they can be a lot of fun! The last one I caught was actually a showing of KILL BILL vol’s 1 & 2 back-to-back.

    Reply

    1. Absolutely, Hatter, I’d even throw in some popcorn and drinks as well 😀

      Wow, a whole week? I’m honored!

      Hey, that’s not a bad idea to show a movie + its sequel together like Kill Bill. I actually have only seen Vol. 1, haven’t got around to the second one yet.

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    1. Thanks Luv, Somewhere in Time surprisingly holds up quite well. Definitely a must see for all fans of romantic dramas (or time travel sub-genre for that matter).

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  7. Hi, Ruth and company:

    I’m with iluv. Excellent choices!

    I especially like your choice of ‘Top Secret’ in the realm of comedies. One of Val Kilmer’s best roles. It’s not ‘Airplane!’, but it’s loaded with clever writing and more subtle sight gags.

    Even though I’m not a huge fan of Romances. ‘Somewhere In Time’ fills the bill nicely. As does the often overlooked ‘Kate & Leopold’.

    Reply

    1. Hi Jack, glad to hear someone has seen Top Secret!! It’s a nostalgia one for me as my brothers and I used to watch that together and we always laughed so hard. It’s not as popular as Airplane! of course but definitely worth a watch. It’s amazing how skinny Val Kilmer was in that film!

      Oh Kate & Leopold is a good one too, would’ve been nice to go with Somewhere in Time as both deal w/ time travel.

      Reply

    1. Hi Michael, you should do this blogathon, too, I’d love to see your picks. You can even assign which exact cinema you wanted to buy in your area 😀

      Reply

  9. How cool Ruth…some i have not seen but from i know of them, they’ll go together well.

    There is a movie theatre for sale about 5 minutes from my house & this is exactly what would do with it if I had the $ to buy it.

    the last double feature i heard about & almost went to was Harry Potter 7.1 & 7.2, but it would have been $40 total for me & my hubby so we passed.

    Reply

    1. Hi Paula! Oh yeah, if I had the funds I’d love to own my own theater and invite all my friends to watch their favorites 😀 I actually knew someone through TCFF last year who owned a theater south of the Cities, but he’s since sold it and became a film producer instead.

      Oy, that is expensive, $40 bucks for a night at the movies is a bit steep.

      As for your last comment, yay, I’d be happy to keep you company 😀

      Reply

  10. Yea I never see two movies back to back ever, let alone 3 in a row. It’s completely pointless IMO unless you are watching a series like Lord of the Rings where there is continuity from movie to movie. It would be like eating McDonalds and then going to Burger King 😉

    Reply

    1. Ha..ha.. I hear ya Castor, I probably won’t do it in real life unless I REALLY love the movies but generally I can only watch one a day in the cinema. It’s not quite the same as ordering two different fast food back to back though, now THAT doesn’t make any sense 😀

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  11. Tango & Showdown back to back! Coolest mom in the world! The last time I did a back to back was “Dick Tracy” followed by “Gremlins 2” Great list and thanks for showing the love to one of Kilmer’s best comedies!

    Reply

  12. Pingback: “Double Feature Theater” Blog-A-Thon | GO, SEE, TALK!

  13. Wow, those are some great choices. If you were running your theater near me I would attend most days, except the period dramas day as that really isn’t my thing.

    Still haven’t watched The Gods Must Be Crazy, even though I have the DVD (part 2 as well). I guess it’s time to finally give these a watch!

    Reply

    1. Hi Nostra, hey you’ll come over 6 out of 7 days, yay!! I hope you enjoy TGMBC, I love that one so much, one of the best comedies ever IMO. Let me know what you think once you see it.

      Reply

      1. I will let you know once I’ve seen it as I still haven’t watched it after having it owned it for years. My girlfriend loved it when she saw it when she was younger and told me to have a look. Have to see it soon!

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  16. Ted S.

    I’ve been to a double feature showing before, I don’t think I can sit through two films in a row. It was tough sitting through each of The Lord of The Rings films but those were great. I’ll probably check out action Tuesday since I’m an action film fanatic/expert.

    Reply
      1. Ted S.

        Also, I’ll stop by on Sunday for the superhero flicks, not sure if I can sit through all three films though, especially if the last film is Unbreakable. I really like the movie but the very slow pacing might put me to sleep after two action packed films. Ha ha.

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  18. i found your selections to be most odd, definitely an unexpected list. although if i were a regular around here it might have been expected.

    batman begins over the dark knight? perhaps top secret should be a secret guilty pleasure? :p its hard to believe val kilmer used to look like that.

    Reply

    1. Welcome Toby, thanks for checking out my post. Well yes, I do prefer Batman Begins over The Dark Knight actually, though both are excellent work from Nolan. And who says we can’t have our guilty pleasure movies playing in our own theater? In fact, I think it’d be fun to watch a whole week’s worth full of those 😀

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  19. Wow. Really? Batman begins feels like such a simple movie when I’ve gone back to it after dark knight.

    Guily pleasure cinema? You’ve hit on something here. A new blogathon perhaps? I may have to unleash all the movies I’m slightly ashamed of liking either way!

    Reply

    1. Perhaps, but BB is an origin story, so I think the ‘simpler’ plot actually works. One could argue TDK is a better, more compelling film, but I find BB to be more enjoyable to watch and it’s actually more about the hero instead of the villain.

      As for guilty pleasure cinema, yeah that’s always a fun topic to cover. I partnered with a friend of mine not too long ago to do this post: https://flixchatter.net/2011/04/07/the-flix-list-a-dozen-rotten-movies-we-secretly-adore/

      Reply

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