Another Thursday has rolled around and it has come to my realisation that the themes are becoming trickier as the year goes on. It’s not because the topics are difficult, it’s that I don’t want to repeat movies but it’s hard not to, when you want to praise the good ones over and over again. So it’s with a heavy heart that I blast out not 3 but 6 good movies in this one, recommending quite many of my favourites all at once!
1. STUCK IN LOVE (2012) & THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN (2016)
I’m a sucker for teen comedies and movies, plus, I do entertain myself with the young adult novel every now and then. But recent years have been lacking when it comes to teen movies and so with a heavy heart, I recommend two really good ones and one of them pretty much the only decent teen movie from last year. Stuck in Love, which was a surprise to me, since I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought, and The Edge of Seventeen, which got a lot of praise but was a little lacking in terms of character building. But still, two movies that are really good, both feature female characters who feel misunderstood, and my picks for a more serious teen movie double feature marathon.
2. DRINKING BUDDIES (2013) & YOUNG ADULT (2011)
Moving on from teenagers into adult life, these two indie-feel-movies were both my immediate favourites when I saw them. Probably because both movies feature not so perfect characters, flawed grown ups, stuck in their lives due to certain problems. Both movies feature great female leads, Drinking Buddies has Olivia Wilde delivering a great stripped back role, and Charlize Theron, in Young Adult, shines as she always does, even while portraying a character who is far from a shining star. Also, both movies sort of portray alcohol as a separate character. So, if you’re looking for something heavy and serious, go ahead, watch these back to back.
3. SE7EN (1995) & MYSTIC RIVER (2003)
Well, things got a lot more serious and a lot more emotional with my last double feature recommendation, where I recommend movies focusing on murder mysteries. Se7en is no surprise in this list because I’ve praised it and Fincher multiple times, but Mystic River shouldn’t come as a surprise either really. Filled with tension, emotions, and featuring two very manly men, Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, portraying weakness at its best, these two movies, watched together, will crush you… but in a good way.
THIS SERIES IS CREATED BY WANDERING THROUGH THE SHELVES
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Interesting pairings! Se7en and Mystic River is not something I would think of but they are both such excellent, atmospheric thrillers. It’s been a while since I saw one in genre that was good, hopefully The Snowman delivers
These are interesting combinations that I would not have thought of . Nice post!
I haven’t seen your first pair, though I’ll be watching The Edge of Seventeen in the next few days, I hope. Really like your other two pairs. I never thought about Drinking Buddies in relation to Young Adult, but it’s absolutely perfect. Same goes for Se7en and Mystic River. Nice work!
Like the combos even if I didn’t love all the films that I’ve seen. I’ve only seen Stuck in Love, I love Greg Kinnear but thought the film was only okay, and Young Adult, sad but Charlize rocked her role, of your first two. I’ll have to check those other out. Se7en was good though I can’t say I ultimately enjoyed it. There was nothing wrong with Mystic River but it never engaged me either, some excellent acting however.
I went for two from three different genres that had a linking characteristic.
Filmmaker Double Feature
Bride of Frankenstein (1931) Scientist Victor Frankenstein having survived the assault of the original film is forced by the evil Dr. Pretorius to assemble a mate for his monster. Using an electrical storm to bring the creature to life (an iconic looking Elsa Lanchester) he starts a chain of events that lead to much tragedy when it turns out the bride isn’t having any of the monster. Quintessential horror film that with the first set a prototype for many years and started a trend that made its studio, Universal a mint churning out pale imitations of other creature features.
Paired with:
Gods and Monsters (1998)-James Whale (Ian McKellan), esteemed director of Frankenstein and many others, is living a wealthy genteel retirement in California tended to by his faithful housekeeper Hanna (Lynn Redgrave). Lonely and unbeknownst to most ill with a condition that causes a slow diminishment of his faculties he strikes up a friendship with his handsome gardener, ex-Marine Clay Boone (Brendan Fraser). As they share stories Whale recalls making The Bride of Frankenstein among other things as his thoughts scattered and re-form. Deliberately paced but with brilliant acting, both McKellan and Redgrave were Oscar nominated.
War Double Feature
So Proudly We Hail (1943)-In December 1941 a group of Army nurses lead by Lt. Janet “Davey” Davidson (Claudette Colbert) and including Lts. Joan O’Doul (Paulette Goddard) and Olivia D’Arcy (Veronica Lake) are headed to Hawaii for their tour of duty but plans change radically when Pearl Harbor is bombed and they are diverted to the battle sieged island of Bataan. Once there they are confronted almost hourly with bombardments, attacks and masses of wounded calling for enormous sacrifice and resolve. Strong drama headed by three great stars with Veronica being a standout as a bitter woman hell-bent on revenge.
Paired with:
Bataan (1943)-Looking at the male side of the same battle. The Japanese have just invaded the Philippines and the US Army in hopes of holding them back assigns a group of 13 under the direction of Sgt. Bill Dane (Robert Taylor) to destroy a key bridge and prevent its rebuilding. Tense and grim with an excellent cast including Thomas Mitchell, Robert Walker and Desi Arnaz.
Drive-In Double Feature
The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)-A group of scientists on an expedition for fossils in the Amazon stumble upon the previously unknown Creature from the Black Lagoon on their journey. Not having the sense to leave well enough alone they capture the mysterious gill man but he breaks free returning later to take the beautiful Kay (Julie Adams) for his own. The surprisingly hunky and scantily clad remaining scientists (Richards Denning & Richard Carlson) take off in pursuit. A mix of suspense and hilarity ensues.
Paired with:
The Thing from Another World (1951)-Stationed in the Arctic a team of scientists along with a crew from the US Air Force find a crashed spacecraft in the ice as well as the frozen body of the presumed pilot. Again not having the sense to leave well enough alone they extract the body from the ice and then pay a heavy price when it thaws out and becomes THE THING!! Though he’s unrecognizable under the makeup the Thing is played by James Arness before his decades long career on TV’s Gunsmoke.
I absolutely love Young Adult, and I sadly missed Drinking Buddies…need to make a point to see that one!
Seven with Mystic River is interesting as they don’t match up thematically, apart from the who-dun-it aspect. Even so, both great dramas with great leading performances. Young Adult I regret not seeing. I have seen Drinking Buddies and can imagine a good connection. Not a fan of Drinking Buddies at all though despite its great cast. I just don’t dig Swanberg’s style at all. I LOVED The Edge of Seventeen so anything that goes with it I should see.
I still haven’t seen Mystic River. I’ll make up for that soon.
I have only seen the last 2 and that is a good pairing that I never would have thought of. Both are such good films and difficult to watch