Double Feature Theater!

Oh my gosh, so you guys probably all know by now that I'm a big fan of double features. I post about them fairly regularly and I started the "Pair This Movie With" feature in my reviews for exactly this reason. Well the ever-enterprising Marc over at Go, See, Talk has come up with a fantastic blogathon premise: Devise your own week of double features, with a triple feature on the last day. It is a challenge as well as a delight for me to comply! Check out everyone's posts assembled here.

I did my best to feature a variety of films from different genres, countries, and tastes so that they're something for everyone. Each night has a different theme. Keep in mind that this is My Theater, meaning the seats are ever so comfortable, there's a wide snack selection (including pizza), beer and hard cider are available to those over 21, and there's a fantastic poster gallery in a side room to peruse on your down time. Welcome!

Monday: Strange Days (1995) and Brazil (1985)
Let's start things off with dystopian bang! Admittedly, both of these films are on the long side, but they're both so interesting and entertaining that I figure no one will mind as long as I leave a decent break in between to grab a bite. These varying visions of the future both look at urban decay and technological advancement, but Bigelow's Strange Days sees more action-packed, racially-motivated developments while Gilliam's 1984-inspired Brazil is dreamier and sharp-witted. They're both holiday movies, too, and both will look amazing on the big screen.

Tuesday: Gymkata (1985) and Double Team (1997)
Next I'll liven things up with a so-bad-it's-good action movie night! Grab a beer (grab several beers) and enjoy two ridiculously nonsensical, world-tripping films. Gymkata's got the fake martial arts, funny hats, and 80's Cold War paranoia while Double Team has Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dennis Rodmann AND Mickey Rourke! It'll be like 4 hours of high kicks and weird hair! What more do you need to know? I will likely invent some drinking games for the evening.

Wednesday: Pontypool (2008) and Thirst (2009)
Ok it's Foreign Horror night with two of my favorites. Pontypool (totally foreign- it's Canadian!) is a fantastic, innovative take on the zombie genre with a smart script and minimalist setting. And because you knew I'd get Park Chan-wook in here somewhere, I'm offering up the mind-blowingly good Thirst, with Song Kang-ho playing a priest who is turned into a vampire. So much awesomeness ensues. And as you can see, they both have incredible poster art. Swoon.

Thursday: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension and The American Astronaut (2001)
This might be my favorite night, mostly because these are two films I would love to see in a theater. I link these films by their completely nonsensical and mysterious universes, musical scenes, affable leading men, and total weirdness. Oh, and science-fiction, duh. One's got inter-dimensional travel and faux-Jamaican aliens, the other's got black-and-white planet hopping and impromptu sing-a-longs. They are both great. Also: Jeff Goldblum in a cowboy suit. This will be an amazing night. Bring your bubblewrap goggles and/or cowboy hats.

Friday: Tekkon Kinkreet (2006) and A Town Called Panic (2009)
Now it's time for an Experimental Animation night! Hurray! These are both off the beaten path a bit and totally worth it. Tekkon Kinkreet is a gorgeous anime that is the first to be directed by a non-Japanese person. It's adventurous and a little bit fantastical and somewhat dark, but very very enjoyable and pretty. The Belgian stop-motion comedy A Town Called Panic will end the night on a fabulously silly note, and I guarantee you've seen nothing else like it. There will be many shouts of "COWBOY! INDIAN!" for this one. And I'll make it end with a real dance party since the credits song is so good. You will all do the twist and you will like it.

Saturday: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and A Film With Me In It (2008)
I was sorry I didn't fit more classics in here, but if I have to pick one it may as well be the inimitable Arsenic and Old Lace. Cary Grant is so great as the flustered theater critic convinced he'll go mad like the rest of his homicidal family. Next comes a similarly black comedy that's fairly new, and a bit darker. Both take place almost entirely in one building, which I love, and both have pretty high body counts. Plus one's got Dylan Moran! And the other has Teddy Roosevelt, sort of! Guess which is which!

Sunday: Romy & Michele's High School Reunion (1997), Clueless (1995), and Kamikaze Girls (2004)
I'm gonna end things on a fun note with three lady-centric comedies I love! I figure I'll reel 'em in first with eye-searing fashions and a goofy musical number, keep 'em for Amy Heckerling's whatever-centric masterpiece, and then hold 'em for a Japanese comedy they might not know, but will surely dig! Of course it was important to me to have a nice lady-fueled day, and hopefully everyone will end the week on a high note with these funny women.

There you have it! Won't it be awesome? Doesn't someone out there want to give me oodles of money so I can open and run my own theater (plus art gallery)? Well?