Sleeper Double Features
©
Just in time for summer! It's too hot to go outside for anything so you decide it's time for a "Video Night" at home and are itching to watch a couple of movies back to back. But the local video store's recommendations for a double-feature range from extremely uncreative ("Yo, how about Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2, man?") to overly cute (Poseidon Adventure and Titanic?). Sound familiar? Well, here are some two-fers that work because they explore similar themes and/or settings, but stand out on their own so you won't have to worry about overkill.
Character Studies, Indie Style
Judy Berlin and Getting to Know You
Judy Berlin feels like The Last Picture Show if it were updated with Jewish Long Islanders. You can almost feel the humidity. Set in a New Jersey suburb during a surreal eclipse which darkens everything, Eric Mendelsohn's film stars Edie Falco (The Sopranos) as the title character, a wannabe actress, full of life and optimism (and chatter), who forms a counterpoint to the main character, the sad, cynical David -- returning to his hometown after a failed excursion to California. Made all the more touching by the presence of the late Madeline Kahn in her last film role. Lovingly filmed in black and white, and featuring an excellent cast, this sad and funny indie film isn't for those with short attention spans, but memorable for others. Drawn from the stories of Joyce Carol Oates, Getting is a powerfully perceptive little film with big heart and eyes. Set in an upstate New York bus station, the story centers on a teenage girl (Welcome to the Dollhouse's Heather Matarazzo, excellent) and her college-bound brother, as they wait for separate buses. An encounter with the mysterious Jimmy (Michael Weston), whose stories about people in the station encourage the girl to spill her own family's dysfunctional story, forms the core of this ensemble piece. Simple, yet complex, everything films with budgets ten times the size never reach. Also features Bebe Neuwirth as Matarazzo's screwed-up mother.
Feeling OK in the UK
East is East and Beautiful People
Two serio-comic films from Britain with the perspective of outsiders trying to fit in (or not fit in). East is East focuses on the experiences of a Pakistani family struggling with the world around them, and even more often, with each other. Featuring the always wonderful Om Puri as the rigid father who insists on marrying his boys off into arranged marriages - but this is the early 70's and the kids have other ideas. Often painfully funny, and then quite often painful, but always real. Beautiful People is a puzzle of interlocking characters, seemingly disconnected or tangentially related short stories that slowly but surely link up and pay off. Made by a Bosnian expatriate and set in London, the darkly comic story focuses on various Brits and immigrants who try to find their way in an often cruel city. Full of life and often sad and funny simultaneously, this takes a little while to get into, but give it time - you'll be richly rewarded.
Character Studies, Indie Style
Judy Berlin and Getting to Know You
Judy Berlin feels like The Last Picture Show if it were updated with Jewish Long Islanders. You can almost feel the humidity. Set in a New Jersey suburb during a surreal eclipse which darkens everything, Eric Mendelsohn's film stars Edie Falco (The Sopranos) as the title character, a wannabe actress, full of life and optimism (and chatter), who forms a counterpoint to the main character, the sad, cynical David -- returning to his hometown after a failed excursion to California. Made all the more touching by the presence of the late Madeline Kahn in her last film role. Lovingly filmed in black and white, and featuring an excellent cast, this sad and funny indie film isn't for those with short attention spans, but memorable for others. Drawn from the stories of Joyce Carol Oates, Getting is a powerfully perceptive little film with big heart and eyes. Set in an upstate New York bus station, the story centers on a teenage girl (Welcome to the Dollhouse's Heather Matarazzo, excellent) and her college-bound brother, as they wait for separate buses. An encounter with the mysterious Jimmy (Michael Weston), whose stories about people in the station encourage the girl to spill her own family's dysfunctional story, forms the core of this ensemble piece. Simple, yet complex, everything films with budgets ten times the size never reach. Also features Bebe Neuwirth as Matarazzo's screwed-up mother.
Feeling OK in the UK
East is East and Beautiful People
Two serio-comic films from Britain with the perspective of outsiders trying to fit in (or not fit in). East is East focuses on the experiences of a Pakistani family struggling with the world around them, and even more often, with each other. Featuring the always wonderful Om Puri as the rigid father who insists on marrying his boys off into arranged marriages - but this is the early 70's and the kids have other ideas. Often painfully funny, and then quite often painful, but always real. Beautiful People is a puzzle of interlocking characters, seemingly disconnected or tangentially related short stories that slowly but surely link up and pay off. Made by a Bosnian expatriate and set in London, the darkly comic story focuses on various Brits and immigrants who try to find their way in an often cruel city. Full of life and often sad and funny simultaneously, this takes a little while to get into, but give it time - you'll be richly rewarded.
The copyright of the article Sleeper Double Features
in Video Guide is owned by
. Permission to republish Sleeper Double Features
in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to 's Video Guide topic, please visit the Discussions page.