Watching Films As Double Bills

Drax1

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As a consumer of many films a year, I sometimes get to watch a couple in an evening, back to back.

I normally pick the second film's genre, depending on how the first film's viewing went. It's quite often that I enjoy something the polar opposite to what I've just seen.
Case in point - most recently I watched Spielberg's 'Always' (very poor slushy romance) followed 'Requiem For A Dream' (hard hitting addiction drama)
Previous to that it was 'The Force Awakens' (nuff said) followed by 'Kajaki' (brutal, gritty war film).
The exceptions to this tend to be 'Empire Strikes Back', which I almost always feel the need to revisit 'Jedi afterwards, and the 'Lord of the Rings' films, which I have to rewatch in the correct order.

It's probably because I miss the days where it was commonplace at the cinema, and I got to attend screenings like this -

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So how do you guys do things?

Is the order of films carefully chosen in advance?

Does the first film influence your choice of the second?

What have you done most this most recently with?

If it's a franchise movie, are you likely to watch the next part immediately afterwards?

Do you watch a film's predecessor, immediately before a cinema visit to see the new instalment?

Do people still go to see double bills at the cinema, or did you ever?

Would you/do you ever double bill an original with a remake?

Does anyone even get time for this anymore?!
 
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If i do a double.

First movie if earlier in the evening tend to be an Animation (Toy Story etc) 2nd whatever i feel like on the day.
If later in the night it tend to be any movie i feel like on the day,and a horror movie later.

:)
 
I'm currently working my way through the Hitchcock Collection and Rathbone Holmes Collection so yesterday I watched The Man who New Too Much followed by The Voice of Terror. Tonight it's Vertigo and The Secret Weopon.
 
Do people still go to see double bills at the cinema, or did you ever?
Id say the vast majority of films I have seen at the cinema have been double bills.
Generally I use to go a few times to the local flea pit which changed the bill 3-4 times a week Monday and Tues were horror/sci-fi film nights showing B films and Friday and Sat action adventure. I saw Dr No on a double bill with FRWL which the latter I previously seen on a double bill with a strange teaming of Hound of the Baskervilles which a fried of my mother took her two lads and me.
I even had a triple bill at a small cinema that had 4 screens in the first one saw The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and The Time Machine, then went in an other Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed. Peter Cushing, Rod Taylor, Veronica Carlson and Caroline Munro 2 favorite actors and 2 exquisite ladies, not bad and yes I paid for both screens. Still very sweet on >Veronica< a lovely lovely person/lady.
I cant remember many double bills at home I watched a double bill of Fantastic Four and FF and Rise of the Silver Surfer as it came in a double pack.
 
I saw many double bills at the cinema. One film I remember with fondness as I wasn't expecting to enjoy it, is Freebie and the Bean (1974) with James Caan and Alan Arkin. It was on with (I think) Dirty Harry. Have always fancied watching again but don't think its available over here.
 
I saw many double bills at the cinema. One film I remember with fondness as I wasn't expecting to enjoy it, is Freebie and the Bean (1974) with James Caan and Alan Arkin. It was on with (I think) Dirty Harry. Have always fancied watching again but don't think its available over here.
That reminds me I missed Dirty Harry first time round at the towns big screens and got to see it with Magnum Force at a more local one that screened films that had done the rounds although later when the towns big screen cinemas closed it got all the new films. I remember thinking they were showing the Jeff Wayne War of the Worlds and when I go there the poster was of the 50s one with Gene Barry but Raiders of the Lost Ark was on which had only come out that week. So went to that and was very pleasantly surprised.
 
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Oddest choice for a double bill choice I remember going to back in the 80's was a terribly unfunny Gene Wilder "comedy" called Hanky Panky teamed with Mad Max 2.

My house was only up the street from my local fleapit and I seriously considered going home and coming back when Max was about to start but the usherette said I wouldn't be able to get back in:(
 
Oddest choice for a double bill choice I remember going to back in the 80's was a terribly unfunny Gene Wilder "comedy" called Hanky Panky teamed with Mad Max 2.

Strangest double bill I went to was "Chato's Land" starring Charles Bronson which was preceded by "Percy" starring Hywel Bennett:eek:
 
The Star Wars/Empire double felt like particularly good value for money, I mean two of the best films EVER for the price of any ordinary rubbish. It even came with a teaser for Jedi, no footage, just some stills, but enough to start me dreaming of the next Summer.
 
Do you watch a film's predecessor, immediately before a cinema visit to see the new instalment?

Only ever done that with the superb Lord of the Rings. Also my local was showing FOTR, TT the two nights before ROTK. Cinema was virtually empty the first two nights and packed on the third. I felt like my domain had been invaded..grrr:)

Also done the opposite, watched MI: Rogue Nation then the other four in reverse order. Really enjoyed them, much more than Bond. Never have been a big fan of Tom Cruise though he has done some good stuff. Don't know why but I enjoy his films:confused:
 
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Not something I do now , or as often as I would like to. Back in the VHS days we would all gather round for a horror double or triple bill. Every now and then we do a double bill but they are nothing fancy , being mainly Director or genre specific. Sundays when we have the time for a double bill are reserved for the classics , be that some good old fashioned Westerns , Ealing comedy etc.
 
The Star Wars/Empire double felt like particularly good value for money, I mean two of the best films EVER for the price of any ordinary rubbish. It even came with a teaser for Jedi, no footage, just some stills, but enough to start me dreaming of the next Summer.
Despite having seen A New Hope, Empire, Jedi (AND the New Hope/Empire double bill) numerous times, when this triple bill rolled around, I honestly thought at the time, that life doesn't get any better than this! It must have been the 'Once-In-A Lifetime Spectacular tag that did it...

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I can just hear my Mum's comments at the time - " Why on earth would you want to spend an entire day at the cinema in the school holidays?!"
Good times people!:):):)
 
That reminds me I missed Dirty Harry first time round at the towns big screens and got to see it with Magnum Force at a more local one that screened films that had done the rounds although later when the towns big screen cinemas closed it got all the new films.
upload_2016-6-3_22-39-54.png
:smashin:
 
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I was lucky enough to have a job after school at the time of the Star Wars/Empire double, therefore able to fund the three showings I went to in the one week myself, avoiding the potential exorcism my Dad would have suggested if I'd asked him for the money to go :D

He never understood why anyone wanted to see a film even once.
 
I saw loads of double bills back in the day. One memorable one was Jaws 2 and Conquest of Earth (3 Galactica 1980 episodes joined together badly) just a bizarre combination. Another that stands out was one of the Spider-Man 'movies' and Zorro The Gay Blade!
 
I saw these together albeit not in Wallasey there was some sort of ad in the middle something like dare you watch both films. The Haunted Palace is still remembered to this day and on different disc but cant say I see Monster of Terror (aka in the states Die Monster Die) has got the same recognition. Staring Boris Karloff and Nick Adams who died a few years later age 36:eek:

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Both films based on HP Lovecraft story's albeit Palace is credited to Poe, it stared Vincent Price Lon Chaney Jr and Debra Paget and at 32 looking at her stunning best, it was her last film and still alive today 82.


MoT.jpg
 
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Given that the two have absolutely nothing to do with one another story wise, I remember finding this an odd pairing -

 
I was only talking about the Halloween II last night and my first dog who was extremely bright, was un-settled during the hot tub scene and was saying to my mate
when and why would a hot tub have a setting that would go to scalding and he mentioned would sauner's have danger setting
 
There were lots of strange pairings in the 70s/80s, but this has to be one of the most 'out there' ones. I love both films, but not together thanks. I wonder if it found much of an audience... -

 
Given that the two have absolutely nothing to do with one another story wise, I remember finding this an odd pairing -


They are both Halloween films though. Somebody thought they'd go well together to pull in an audience. I remember seeing the remake of Nosferatu with the cartoon Wizards. Chalk and cheese. No thought there whatsoever.

Bri
 
This is a great thread :thumbsup:
 
Another pretty daft one was Warren Beatty's Shampoo with one of the Confessions Of soft porn films. I think it must have been Pop Performer as Robin Askwith's drummer gets mistaken for Mick Jagger. There was a line about him coming out of retirement. That in a film made some 40 years ago. The "drummer" Mick Jagger is still working today.

Bri
 
They are both Halloween films though. Somebody thought they'd go well together to pull in an audience. I remember seeing the remake of Nosferatu with the cartoon Wizards. Chalk and cheese. No thought there whatsoever.

Bri
What about this one then? ;)

 
Another pretty daft one was Warren Beatty's Shampoo with one of the Confessions Of soft porn films. I think it must have been Pop Performer as Robin Askwith's drummer gets mistaken for Mick Jagger. There was a line about him coming out of retirement. That in a film made some 40 years ago. The "drummer" Mick Jagger is still working today.

Bri
Yes, I remember a lot of the soft porn stuff getting a double bill with the regular stuff. As you say the 'Confessions' movies, and I seem to remember the Emmanuelle films often getting paired with horror films.
There was a little two screen cinema near me called the Cinecentre, and this sort of double bill happened so often, it was difficult to tell if it was a porn theatre, or mainstream cinema.
Either way, I was too young at the time to appreciate what was on offer...
 

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