Monday, March 26, 2012

'Hunger Games,' 'The Raid,' And More: Double Feature Friday!

If one movie is never enough for you and you're looking for a flick to get you in the mood for this week's new release, Double Feature Friday is here to help. Every week we break down the new releases and pair them with older movies that you should catch before heading out to the theater. Or just skip the new movie and check out the classic we recommend.

"The Hunger Games" & "Hunger"
For a movie called "The Hunger Games," you don't see too much starvation. "Hunger," on the other hand, features Michael Fassbender wasting away before your eyes. As the original "Michael Fassbender's penis" movie, "Hunger" kick-started the career of the most wanted man in Hollywood. In the movie, he stars as an Irish nationalist imprisoned in the UK who leads his fellow-inmates on a hunger strike. It has the same pension for civil disobedience as the adventures of Katniss and Peeta, but with the added realism of a rail-thin Fassbender, which begs the question: does Liam Hemsworth really look like he could use a burger?

"The Raid: Redemption" & "Assault On Precinct 13"
When money flowing through the Indonesian film industry started to dry up, Gareth Evans had to find a way to make his second martial arts film on a tighter budget. His solution was a single-set action flick that wouldn't have to waste money traveling to different locations. Some of the inspiration for the apartment complex in "The Raid: Redemption" came from John Carpenter's cult classic "Assault On Precinct 13" from 1976. After avenging the death of his young daughter (who's death occurs graphically on screen), a man incurs the wrath of a street gang, when he seeks refuge in a soon-to-be defunct police station. The action of Carpenter's original comes nowhere close to Evans' movie in kinetic energy, but "Assault On Precinct 13" stands the test of time as a great throwback to the classic western plotline.

"The Deep Blue Sea" & "The Constant Gardner"
Why isn't Rachel Weisz in more movies? If you need a quick reminder of how awesome of an actress she is, check out "The Constant Gardner" again before heading out to see "The Deep Blue Sea." The movie that won Weisz the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress back in 2005 was the result of many awesome forces coming together to make a modern classic. Directed by "City of God" director Fernando Meirelles, "The Constant Gardner" boasts an all-too rare lead performance from Ralph Fiennes and is based on a book by "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" author John le Carr�. Despite that impressive set up, Weisz owns the show and proves that we need much more from Mrs. James Bond.

Also, it goes without saying that you should be watching the mutated shark version of "Deep Blue Sea" regularly.

"Brake" & "Lifeboat"
Only a handful of films have tried to pull off the "contained to one, small location" gimmick, but Alfred Hitchcock mastered the art long before Stephen Dorff found himself locked in the trunk of a car. After a German U-boat sinks a ship in the Atlantic, the survivors of the wreckage fight for their lives on a tiny lifeboat. Things get a little more complicated when they pull a crewmember from the German sub out of the water. "Lifeboat" is full of classic Hitchcock suspense and shows that the master knows best.

What are you watching this weekend? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

Tags Alfred Hitchcock, assault on precinct 13, brake, Double Feature Friday, hunger, Rachel Weisz, the constant gardener, the deep blue sea, The Hunger Games, the raid redemption

Christina Milian Christina Ricci Chyler Leigh Ciara Cindy Crawford Cindy Taylor Cinthia Moura

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