Drive-in Double Features Part Four
Drive-In Double Features #4
Drive-in season is still in full swing. Run to your Kitchen Snack Bar for some ice cold beverages, maybe a piping hot slice of pizza or a pit cooked B-B-Q sandwich, and of course, popcorn and candy or delicious ice cream. The show is about to begin! (Remember, I’m just putting two movies together for the double features, there is no double feature option on Hoopla.)
Bizarre-O Brain-Twister Double Feature Show
The Void (2017) & John Dies at the End (2012) on Hoopla
Both The Void and John Dies at the End have appeared on previous lists before, but I can’t recommend both of these wacky films enough. I think both are under-appreciated. In The Void, Lovecraft-type creatures run rampant in a small town hospital. In John Dies at the End, watch out for the Soy Sauce, as it may open into an entirely different dimension. It is based on the book by David Wong, available from HMCPL. Click here to place the book, John Dies at the End on hold.
Computers and Machines Run Amuck
Westworld (1973) & Colossus,The Forbin Project (1970) on Hoopla
Writer/director Michael Crichton delivers an enormous amusement park where the wealthy go to live out their wildest fantasies. The action in Westworld revolves around a Disney-like western town where the robots go mad and turn on the guests. Before Skynet was a thing, Colossus, The Forbin Project predicted an A.I. defense system that would seize nuclear weapons and turn on man. It is a chilling, tense nightmarish thriller.
Fantastic Fantasy Show
The Magic Sword (1962) & Dragon Crusaders (2011) on Hoopla
The Magic Sword is an adventure that the poster proclaims, “The story of the bold adventurer who held a fantastic sword…and faced the most fearsome black magic that ever gripped the screen!” That was probably true in 1962, so check your high expectations before you settle into this charming little drive-in flick. “Here Be Stop-Motion Dragons.” In Dragon Crusaders the Knights Templar are cursed and turn into creatures, and fight a wizard to break the curse.
Epic Action Adventures
Centurion (2010) & Black Death (2011) on Hoopla
You better hold on to something, because the minute Centurion starts you are thrust into the non-stop action as our hero fights in battle after battle. It is directed by genre master Neil Marshall. Black Death follows and warrior Ulric is tasked to find a rumored land where the plague cannot reach.
The Big Documentary Show
Alfred Hitchcock: Master of Suspense (1995) & The Sci-Fi Boys(2006) on Hoopla
Alfred Hitchcock: Master of Suspense is a glimpse into the life of the man who gave us such movies as Psycho, The Birds and Strangers on a Train, among many others. (Hoopla offers a number of Hitchcock thrillers and system wide HMCPL offers many of the suspense master’s finest films.) The Sci-Fi Boys is a loving look at how special effects have evolved over the decades. This is the ultimate “monster kid” documentary. With Ray Bradbury, Ray Harryhausen, George Lucas, John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and more.
Robots Go Nutzoid!
Robot Overlords (2015) & The Killer Robots! Crash & Burn (2016) on Hoopla
After rogue robots overtake earth, rebels fight for freedom against their Robot Overlords. Somehow, Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson ended up in this one. Robot mercenaries are sent to another planet to communicate with an alien race in The Killer Robots! Crash & Burn. From multi-talented Producer/Writer/Director/Editor/Musician/Production Designer/Costume Designer/Make-up Artist/Sound Editor/Special Effects Artist/Visual Effects Artist/Cameraman/Animator/Star Sam Gaffin.
Good Mermaids Gone Bad Double Feature
Mermaid Isle (2019) & Killer Mermaid (2014) on Hoopla
Four young people incur the wrath of an evil mermaid in a haunted lake in Mermaid Isle. Then, two friends on vacation discover the underwater lair of a killer mermaid in…Killer Mermaid. These two movies pack more mermaid thrills and chills into three hours than any other mermaid double feature out there. (Snack suggestions for this double feature: Mrs. Paul’s Xtra Crispy Fish Sticks, Goldfish Crackers and those gummy Swedish Fish.)
The Dark Chuckles/Black Humor Show
Art School Confidential (2006) & Snowman’s Land (2012) on Hoopla
In Art School Confidential, our young hero Jerome goes to a New York art school, falls in with the “Artsy Types,” and competes for fame and recognition. Oh, yeah, and there is a killer on the loose. Snowman’s Land is a German film about a hired assassin who messes up a job then takes what seems to be an easier gig protecting a crime boss, only to find himself in an inescapable nightmare. (It is in German with English subtitles.)
Insanity from Animation Nation
The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009) and Infinite Santa 8000 (2013)
Rob Zombie delivers a delirious monster/action/horror ‘toon definitely not for kids with The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, about a wrestler turned secret agent. Infinite Santa 8000 offers more animated lunacy in a world gone mad where Santa does what he has to do to survive. Really, I’m being super serious here…these are not for kids! Let them watch Disney, or the Care Bears or something. I have no idea what kids watch these days. Does that cartoon about the really smart dog, Mr. Peabody, and his boy Sherman still come on? If it does, the kids can watch that. That’s safe. Or Bugs Bunny…no, maybe not Bugs Bunny…but maybe My Little Pony or Speed Buggy or Jabber Jaws or The Herculoids. Just don’t let them watch these.
Bio-Pics Double Feature
A Street Cat Named Bob (2017) & Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2003)
First up is A Street Cat Named Bob, where recovering drug addict James Bowen’s life changes after finding a stray cat. It is based on the international bestselling. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is the wacky “is it true or not” story of Chuck Barris and how the former Gong Show host was recruited by the government to become a contract killer. Sam Rockwell delivers a great performance and co-star George Clooney directed.
For more recommendations, check out the new podcast I’m doing with Michelle, Two Librarians Walk into a Shelf, where we talk about more books and movies worth checking out. The first episode, “Things that scare us” can be found here. https://anchor.fm/hmcpl/episodes/Episode-1---Books-and-Movies-that-Scare...
I hope you’re enjoying the wide variety of materials made available through Hoopla. If you visit the library for additional materials, we continue to add new titles to our DVD/Bluray collection when we are able. Titles recently added to our collection at the Madison branch include:
Action/Fantasy:
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972) – Labyrinth (1986) – Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985- Mad Max 3) – The Road Warrior (1982- Mad Max 2- combo DVD and Bluray) – Romancing the Stone (1984) – Scarface (1983- with Al Pacino) - You Know My Name (1999- with Sam Elliott) – Young Guns (1988)
Classics:
The Brass Bottle (1964- with Barbra Eden) – Houseboat (1958) – How Sweet It Is! (1968) – Niagara (1953- with Marilyn Monroe)
Comedies:
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) – Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991) - Can’t Hardly Wait (1998) – Idiocracy (2006) - Madea Goes to Jail (2006) – Paradise (2013) – Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion (1997) - Sixteen Candles (1984) – Super Troopers (2001) - Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017) – Waiting (2005) – War of the Roses (1989) – Weird Science (1985)
Drama/Mystery:
All the Right Moves (1983 with Tom Cruise) – Dances with Wolves (1990) – The Last of Shelia (1973) - Leave No Trace (2018) - Manhunter (1986- first film with Hannibal Lecter) - The Outsiders (1983) - Serena (2014- with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence) – Soul Food (1997) – Steel Magnolias (1989) – Two-Minute Warning (1976- with Charlton Heston)
Science Fiction/Horror:
The Craft (1996) – Stephen King’s The Dead Zone (1983) – Event Horizon (1997) – Gremlins (1984) – Gremlins 2 : The Next Batch (1990) – Hannibal (2001) – Hannibal Rising (2007) - House at the End of the Street (2012- with Jennifer Lawrence) – Practical Magic (1998) - Psycho II (1983)/Psycho III (1986)/Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990)- This 2-Disc/3-movie set counts as one check-out) – The Puppet Masters (1994- based on the novel by Robert A. Heinlein) – Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Stargate Ark of Truth (2008) – Stargate Continuum (2008) – Star Wars (1977) – Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) and the 2-Disc 4 Movie Marathon: Post-Apocalyptic Collection. Includes: Children of Men (2006), Doomsday (2008), Skyline (2010) and Waterworld (1995). (This 2-Disc/4-movie set counts as one check-out.)
Any of these movies can be put on hold and picked up at any branch within the HMCPL system. Go to www.hmcpl.org for more information or to search our catalog for more titles.