Posted Sep 12th 2008 7:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Action, Sports, Home Entertainment, Trailers and Clips, Friday Night Double Feature
Long ago, before the problems with drugs and fights at strip clubs, Jean Claude Van Damme ripped himself out of the fighting world, oiled up his flesh, and became America's Muscles from Brussels. At first, the process was slow and simple -- breaking into the world of film as "Gay Karate Man" in
Monaco Forever, being a background performer in
Rue barbare, and then getting some uncredited English work as a spectator in that 1984 classic,
Breakin'.
But then came
No Retreat, No Surrender, where he played a Russian baddie opposite
General Hospital and Guiding Light star Kurt McKinney, and the rest was history. He did all he could do in the action realm -- kickboxing revenge, jail, video game flicks, soldier, and even cracking walnuts with his butt.
These days, he's whipped up an insane amount of positive buzz with
JCVD and reinvigorated his career. But it all had to start somewhere. As a well-oiled, good-guy ode to that sexy, muscled Belgian, I give you:
Bloodsport and
Kickboxer.
*Note: In the interest of good matches, I'm leaving off my all-time favorite Van Damme flick, Cyborg, to get its love another day. Gibson will have his moment to shine!Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: The Muscle From Brussels
Posted Sep 5th 2008 6:15PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Comedy, Home Entertainment, Trailers and Clips, Friday Night Double Feature
When you live in downtown Toronto, you quickly become accustomed to the people calendar -- when the streets will be silent, and when they'll be buzzing. It starts when school lets out -- young kids hit the playgrounds while the college kids head home and free up the late-night sidewalks. Every third person is now a tourist, stopping every few feet for pictures or to look at a map. On the weekends, the city often becomes a ghost town, as hordes head up north to cottages. But then it's back to school, often marked by the eager new engineers running around the city painted purple.
And just a few days later, they're joined by slick stars and a million press badges as the Toronto International Film Festival gears up. The stars are out, as are the press, the movie lovers, and the eager onlookers. Teeny boppers buzz like packs of bees around the Four Seasons and other Yorkville haunts for a peek at someone famous. It's movies and fans everywhere.
But reviews don't give you a taste of the city, nor do quick glimpses in films like
Chicago and
Urban Legend. You can see it retro-style with SCTV, but that city is in the past. The best way to get a taste of Toronto without being here is through Canadian filmmaker Don McKellar. Between the films he's directed and those he's acted in, you can get many tastes of this town, from exotic women to last nights on Earth. In honor of the fest, and of the wonderful T-Dot, I offer you:
Childstar and
Monkey Warfare.
Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: That Lovely City Called Toronto
Posted Aug 29th 2008 9:03PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Trailers and Clips, Friday Night Double Feature
Buddy films. They're an interesting breed of cinema. Instead of finding success in a niche, they appeal to the masses. With buddy flicks, you're served a variety of time periods, races, genres, laughs, and scenarios. If one doesn't appeal, the next is sure to come -- all tapping into the goodness of friendship and camaraderie.
And snuggled nicely into that sector of cinema are the buddy cops. They've made the careers of a few big stars, like Mel Gibson and Eddie Murphy. But I don't want to give you something quite so obvious as
Beverly Hills Cop or
Leathal Weapon. Since this is all due to my recent purchase of
Hot Fuzz, I give you that plus an ol' '80s classic --
Running Scared.
Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Buddy Cops
Posted Aug 22nd 2008 8:03PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Action, Drama, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Friday Night Double Feature
I have a confession to make. I used to be a rabid fangirl of Quentin Tarantino -- so much so that I went all sorts of nuts when introduced to my first college poster sale. My poor roommate ... she had to deal with one half of a room adorned with posters of John Travolta, Tim Roth, Samuel L. Jackson, and more. My guns and bad guys were balanced by her posters of funky black and white photos and art prints.
It wasn't that I was a huge fan of ultra-violent films; I just couldn't get enough of a film laden with insanely catchy conversations and even catchier music. I especially loved Pumpkin, and Honey Bunny. So, in honor of bad girls and guys who love each other while wreaking havoc on the world, I give you two Tarantino flicks from 1994 --
Pulp Fiction and
Natural Born Killers. (Well, to be fair -- he disowned the latter, but he's still a part of it.)
This is Tarantino we're talking about, so these clips might not be suitable for wee young things and work environments.Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Pumpkins and Honeybunnies
Posted Aug 15th 2008 9:31PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Comedy, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Friday Night Double Feature
This is the perfect time for a road trip -- the sun is high in the sky, the weather is warm, and the roads are clear. But alas, the responsibilities of adulthood and busy scheduling don't always make the open road a viable option. Luckily, however, there's always the movies -- a million different cinematic road adventures to explore.
For this double feature, I'm giving you a little taste of the '90s and then a little taste of the '80s. One is a feature that helped start the careers of two notable actors, and spawned a terrible copy-cat film with Tom Green. The other made soft, warm pillows seem like more than just a wonderfully relaxing safe haven. Sit back and enjoy
Overnight Delivery and
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Road Trippin'
Posted Aug 8th 2008 8:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Action, Drama, Sports, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Friday Night Double Feature
I discovered Eric Roberts through
Nobody's Fool. He played Riley, a stage technician who falls for the wacky but lovable Cassie (Rosanna Arquette). It's one of those flawed movies that's perfectly enjoyable when watched with the comfortable eyes of nostalgia -- it's not the greatest feat of filmmaking by far, but it's a movie of memories and awkward '80s charm. Watching that, Mr. Roberts became my movie hero.
Yesterday, the world belonged to sister Julia, and today it belongs to daughter Emma, but for some of us, it's always been Eric's world. Over the many years of acting, he's amassed controversy, critical feats, and brow-raising stinkers, bringing us a long selection of roles that should always stay on the radar. Tonight, I want to give you a taste of his accomplishments, as well as a little bit of heroics, because these days, he's like the wonderful Christopher Walken -- mostly pigeon-holed into the tough, meanie, or jerky roles. Without further ado, I give you:
The Pope of Greenwich Village and
The Best of the Best.
Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Dedicated to Papa Roberts
Posted Aug 1st 2008 8:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Classics, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Trailers and Clips, Friday Night Double Feature
While creepy monsters can send chills straight to the spine, there's nothing quite as thrilling as the perfectly simple fright. Thanks to the master Alfred Hitchcock, as well as a number of other filmmakers over the years, we've been showered in an array of scenarios so believable that every shadow becomes eerie, and every noise, threatening. They're the scares that could happen to any one of us on an unlucky day; they are the dangers that await us when we're alone and in the dark.
For tonight's double feature, I wanted to go old school with chills that go back to the '50s and '60s, centered on New York's Greenwich Village. These films might be decades old, but they hold premises that make them worthy, unforgettable classics. Without further ado, I give you:
Rear Window and
Wait Until Dark.
Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Alone in the Dark in Greenwich Village
Posted Jul 18th 2008 8:03PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Music & Musicals, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Friday Night Double Feature
Right off the bat, I must say: While I love music in film, I don't like most of the musicals out there. Try as I might, most just inspire me to daydream through the musical numbers. But those that capture me, I adore. I never get tired of the rapid wordplay from
Pirates of Penzance. I love most of the music in
Moulin Rouge -- especially the inclusions of Lamb's "Gorecki." If it's done right, I'm a fan forever (
Evil Dead: The Musical).
Surprisingly enough, there are two films that came out in the last year that I really dug, even though they really didn't hit the mark with fans. They came, they danced, they crooned, and they fell flat. I sat down to watch both of these expecting disappointment, and in one case, I was digging it from the first minute, and the other, I just couldn't stop giggling. In a very brief journey back in time, I give you:
Across the Universe and
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Underrated Music Movies
Posted Jul 11th 2008 7:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Romance, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Trailers and Clips, Friday Night Double Feature
These days, genre has been boiled down into such simplistic forms that it becomes a buzz-worthy feat when a film manages to pull off more than just a basic premise. A superhero film becomes wow-worthy if time was taken to perfect the story and actors. A comedy becomes rare if it includes a lot of smarts with the slapstick. A romance becomes one of a kind if its characters don't fit into the almost-always-used conventions.
This latter one is a true sore spot of mine. For the most part, romance and relationships have been boiled down to such ridiculous stereotypes that all romcoms sound ridiculous and anything with romance gets the "chick flick" badge. But romance isn't all that stereotypes would have you believe. It's not all clutzy or irrational women, fashion, game playing, and vast gender divides. Sometimes, the romance is even infused with smarts, success, and tangible connection. In praise of my favorite romances, I give you:
Before Sunrise and
Before Sunset.
Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: When Romance is Done Right
Posted Jul 4th 2008 8:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Drama, Horror, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Friday Night Double Feature
It would be easy to offer you appropriately themed movies for the Fourth of July. There is, of course,
Independence Day, plus flicks like
Yankee Doodle Dandy, or on a more serious note,
Born of the Fourth of July. But what's the fun in that? You could come up with those yourself. I could be snarky and offer only British fare, which is actually very tempting, but I have something else in mind: Independence-themed chills.
The two films for this double feature are not centered specifically on the Fourth of July, but the date is important to both stories -- whether it's the tale of tourists and teeth, or parades and creepiness. Do you see where I'm headed? For this double feature, in honor of the Fourth of July, I give you:
Jaws and
Cape Fear.
Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Frights for the Fourth
Posted Jun 27th 2008 9:03PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Trailers and Clips, Friday Night Double Feature
.erutaef elbuod thgin yadirF s'lacitameniC ot emocleW*
Whether it's grown men in bunny suits or the addictive giggle of Melissa McCarthy, this week's double feature is all about alternate realities. While I'm not the biggest fan of many science fiction elements, I'm a sucker for a good story about worlds that are just a little bit off. When an eerie twist is mixed into scenes showcasing the life and environment we're all familiar with, a film changes from something we can guess into an intriguing puzzle to figure out, or endlessly argue about. (And it does so without traveling to unrecognizable, fantastical new turf.)
Tonight, we've got a film that really should get more play, plus one beloved cult classic. I give you:
The Nines and
Donnie Darko.
*Included at the request of a nerd friend of mine.Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Alternate Realities
Posted Jun 20th 2008 8:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Friday Night Double Feature
No more teachers! No more books! No more teachers' dirty looks! When the teacher rings the bell, drop your books and run like hell!It's the anthem of June, as classes wind down and summer begins. When there's two full months free of school, it's easy to forget the looming dark cloud that is September ... unless you're a lucky college grad (or a high school student not heading off to further your education).
There's a definite twist that happens over those four years, as school falls into a memory. High school grad movies are full of exacerbated partying, getting your last hoorahs, and last chances at childhood love. After college, however, the tone changes a little bit. There's work, the towering pressures from the adults around you, and the bad choices you make in the name of lust and love. The two films for this double feature are almost 30 years apart, but both are classics, known for their stars, music, and adult angst. I give you:
The Graduate and
Reality Bites.
Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Life, Love, and College Graduation
Posted Jun 13th 2008 8:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Comedy, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Trailers and Clips, Friday Night Double Feature
This week, I have had the fortune of working from a cottage, surrounded by trees, birds, and a large and peaceful lake (as well as insidious horse flies, determined mosquitoes, and about 50 million caterpillars). In between the work and the sun, I've mused about cottages and movies. There's not many cottage-based films out there -- at least not ones that are about the actual experience, rather than something about a scary killer, or maybe a campfire ghost story.
But there
are a lot of camping movies. You have color wars, swimsuits, canoes, trees, and all of that big nature-on-the-water stuff. I wanted to include
Poison Ivy tonight, the awesome TV-movie camp fest that stars Michael J. Fox and Nancy McKeon, a counselor and camp nurse who team up with the kids to face off against Adam Baldwin's evil Ike Dimick. However, I can't find so much as a trailer for that.
So instead, whip up some smores and check out an old classic and newer gem --
Meatballs and
Happy Campers.
Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Happy Camping
Posted Jun 6th 2008 9:04PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Gay & Lesbian, Romance, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Friday Night Double Feature
It's June, which means the countdown is on until the cute little rugrats and tempestuous teens get released from school to wreak havoc in the home and on the streets. That means that there is not much time left to make use of the long nights of studying, the friendly sleepovers, and the hours at school. In some places, school's already out, and the mayhem has already begun!
So, tonight's double feature is all about getting a night of sweet silence and cinematic sexiness with your partner of choice. There will be no
Mulholland Drive, because a few moments of supreme sexiness don't make up for the overall feel. Instead, this is about movies that have more than one saucy scene, and should get you in the mood for post-film shenanigans. Obviously, it's pretty much impossible to pick the best of, because there are so very many good examples --
Bliss, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Nine 1/2 Weeks, The Story of O, Basic Instinct, Dangerous Liaisons, Crash, Like Water for Chocolate...
But I'm going to go with a little bit of bondage, and a little bit of literature. I give you:
Secretary and
Henry & June.
And this is your obvious warning: What follows has sexual and adult content and language.
Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Getting Sexy Before School Lets Out
Next Page >
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Since Fox has refused to reveal virtually any plot details about this summer's 
