What dream double-feature would you program to re-open theaters?
Our Saturday Free-For-All is dreaming of a return to that shared space
You didn’t think I’d forget about the Saturday Free-For-All, did you?
I may have been a little late wrapping up the plus-sized Friday Spotlight for this week, but that’s always a paid subscribers’ feature, while the Saturday Free-For-All is for everyone. They’re very different things.
Last week, you guys had some great memories to share about your time going to drive-in theaters, and I appreciate that. It’s clear that the drive-in is a very different thing than the regular theater, and the memories people have of their experiences are clearly part of a different culture.
I had a plan for my birthday to put together a piece that will instead be launching as part of the Monday Read this week, and I’ve got to finish putting that piece together so it’s ready for you. In the meantime, I’m curious… if you could program any theatrical double-feature for your first time back in theaters after all of this is over, what would the double-feature be?
No cheating. No tricky triple-features. You’ve got two movies. You want to celebrate this return to this shared space, and you want to really share something special with the audience that shows up. Hit me with the two titles and the reason why.
For me, it would be The Road Warrior and Duck Soup, and I think I’d do them in that order. One is about community somehow finding a way to survive in the face of overwhelming darkness, and the other is the single most absurd movie about the ways in which we seem determined to destroy ourselves. I want to cheer with a crowd again as we watch real people do amazing things for our entertainment, and I want to feel those waves of laughter roll around a room as we find ourselves helpless in the face of such profound silliness.
Drop your own double-feature in the comments below, and as always, be civil and let’s have some fun.
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Image courtesy of Warner Bros
My impossible dream double feature would be the original cuts of The Magnificent Ambersons and Touch of Evil.
My realistic dream double feature would be Alien and Aliens in 70mm with six-track magnetic Dolby Stereo soundtracks, preferably at the Village or Bruin in Westwood.
My dream double feature is an idea I would love to do some day:
Jojo Rabbit and Baby Driver.
Two tonally different movies by two highly creative directors, I’ve felt like they would complement each other nicely with the song and dance ending of Jojo Rabbit segueing nicely into the start of Baby Driver.
Honestly, I get chills thinking about it.