Inaugural Weekend Movie Marathon!
Inaugural Weekend Movie Marathon!
aka a list of really good movies (and where to watch them)
Picture this: A small, independent movie theater. It’s gorgeous inside– plush interiors, dim lighting, long, rich velvet curtains draped on every wall. It even has those double-wide reclining seats that feel like couches.
The whole place smells like hot, buttered popcorn and soft pretzels. You grab yourself a large Diet Coke and a box of Reese’s Pieces and take your seat for the best movie marathon of your freaking life.
I own this theater– and tonight is the start of a weekend-long film festival of some of my favorite pictures.
Night One is all about Documentaries– not your typical, boring, “there’s a substitute teacher for class today so we’re watching a movie” documentary. No– these are fun ones. Crazy stories told in surprising ways with big twists and turns.
Then for Night Two we’re calling it “Spooky Silly Sexy”-- it’s basically exactly what it sounds like. All the features that night are a little goofy, very glamorous and have an overall ooky spooky theme– no outright Horror Flicks (have to save those for my Halloween Marathon!).
Without further ado– here are the showings!
Night One
Finders Keepers
(2015) dir. Bryan Carberry, J. Clay Tweel
Stream on: Tubi, Pluto Tv, the Roku Channel
We’re starting off the weekend with a bang. Finders Keepers has been one of my favorite documentaries for a while. The gist of the plot is: a North Carolina man purchases a storage unit at an auction. Inside this storage unit is an old, rusted grill. Inside this grill, is a mummified human foot.
This North Carolina man then does the obvious: sets up a roadside attraction for nosy gawkers to pay to see the foot.
Only one thing stands between him and success– The man who the foot belongs to.
Hilarity ensues.
Crazy Love
(2007) dir. Dan Klores, Fisher Stevens
Stream on: Youtube, Amazon Prime
If you love gasping while watching a movie– then this one's for you.
The story follows the typical dynamic of an older, married man pursuing a young, beautiful woman. They date for a bit, then once she catches wind that he’s lying about leaving his wife, she breaks up with him.
Here’s where we take a left turn. Heartbroken by the fact he is no longer able to lead this poor young girl on– he hires someone to throw lye in her face. Permanently disfiguring her.
There are more gasp-worthy twists and turns after this. It’s a must watch.
Louis Theroux- My Scientology Movie
(2016) dir. John Dower
Stream on: Youtube, Pluto Tv, Hulu, Amazon Prime
I watched this for the first time recently. I am a huge Louis Theroux fan but was hesitant about starting this one because the poster art was so ugly.
I know they say “don’t judge a documentary by its cover”– but every time I saw this strange, watercolor horror-show while flipping through streaming services, I just kept scrolling.
But it is SO worth the watch!! My Scientology Movie is an incredibly unique take on the Scientology cult (which has been documented by media ad nauseam).
It is very similar in structure to Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal. Louis Theroux, after discovering that the Scientology cult will not allow him the usual degree of access he is accustomed to in his specials, decides to navigate the story under the guise of filming a movie about Scientology.
He partners with a former member to cast the parts of Tom Cruise and David Miscavige. Through these auditions and the subsequent rehearsals, this former member (who was once a 30-year devotee and leader of rule enforcement in the cult) is forced to reveal incredibly intimate and emotional aspects of his experience inside Scientology.
We are painted a complete and realistic picture of life inside– beyond the salaciousness and ridiculousness that mainstream media typically focuses on.
You’re left feeling overwhelmed by how frighteningly easy it is for people to fall into a cult–and how easily a cult member could be someone as “rational” as you.
Night Two
Lair of the White Worm
(1988) dir. Ken Russell
Stream on: Tubi, Vudu, Youtube, Amazon Prime
Campy, Spooky, Sexy and a little bit Silly. Lair of the White Worm is the perfect movie to kick off Night Two.
It’s got a young Hugh Grant and Peter Capaldi– and an incredibly dressed Amanda Donohoe.
This movie is definitely for the fashion lovers. Take a peek at these looks she pulls:
The plot is a little light. I won’t lie. It’s centered around this archaeologist (Capaldi) who finds a large, weird skull on a farm in England. He deduces that the skull belongs to the D’Ampton Worm– a mythical beast that was thought to have been killed generations ago by the great, great, great x10 grandfather of Hugh Grant’s character. Peripherally, there is also Lady Sylvia (played by Donohoe), who is this mysterious and wealthy tempress luring men to her manor– never to be seen again.
After hearing about the skull, she takes an interest in our main cast of characters, hinting that the vicious D'Ampton Worm may still live.
Super fun time at the theatre– I expect rip roaring laughter during this showing.
Death Becomes Her
(1992) dir. Robert Zemeckis
Stream on: Amazon Prime, Youtube
Death Becomes Her is a classic. Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rosselini– real industry heavyweights at their best here.
Meryl Streep is an aging actress who steals Goldie Hawn’s husband (Willis). This heartbreak drives her mad and sends her to a psych ward. Years later, she recovers looking better (and younger!) than ever.
We find that the cause of this rejuvenation is a magical elixir which grants immortality to its drinker. Meryl Streep hunts down this elixir and takes it herself– only to discover that there is a price to immortality.
Besides the hilarious dialogue, stunning visuals and compelling plot– Death Becomes Her confronts the terrifying relationship between a woman’s success in society and her beauty.
The movie is light and fun– but the undercurrent of desperation felt by these women is played very seriously. It is one of the first films I’ve watched that gave credence to the fright a woman feels when she sees herself losing power in society.
It’s a must-watch.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
(1992) dir. Francis Ford Coppola
Stream on: Pluto, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the greatest fucking movie on the planet.
Francis Ford Coppola released Godfather III, then they gave him a multi-million dollar studio budget to make an Art Film– and we are all better off for it.
The set, the costumes, the lighting– everything is designed with an incredible attention to detail and a fantastical grandness that you don’t often see in cinema.
The performances are dedicated and wonderful (except for Keanu Reeves’ British accent– but we won’t hate him for that).
It stars Gary Oldman as Count Dracula, Winona Ryder as Mina Harker, Anthony Hopkins as Professor Abraham Van Helsing, and Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker (with a cameo from Monica Bellucci as a sexy vampire).
The plot is just the story of Dracula– done with the ferocity and ambition Coppola is known for from movies like Apocalypse Now and the Godfather trilogy.
I watch this movie any time I see it– on streaming, on a plane, on cable at my parent’s house. It’s a movie for all seasons.
Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu
(TBD) dir. Robert Eggers
Stream on: My dreams, My fantasies, My hopes, My wishes
Now, this one’s a little bit of a tease. It technically doesn’t exist yet– but has been in the works since 2015 and is my most highly anticipated release.
Eggers is a cult favorite because of (literally) his entire filmography. The VVitch, The Lighthouse, The Northman– They are all hits and will most likely inspire a movie marathon of their own.
His work is powerful– always equipped with a thundering atmosphere and almost caustic commitment to historical accuracy. Eggers typically has a dark, cerebral and haunting tone to his films, which leads me to believe he could work wonders with material like Nosferatu.
He’s actually tackled Nosferatu before– albeit in a stage production early in his career. So, he’s already taken a deep dive into the narrative and has had the chance to let the proverbial “wheels turn” creatively on how to stand the story on its feet.
Needless to say, I’m anxiously awaiting its release. Watch this space for a review!
Well that’s the end of our inaugural Weekend Movie Marathon. Hope you had fun. Make sure to take your trash with you as you leave– don’t be a jerk to the ushers.
We hope you come back real soon!