The Double Feature Weekly Wrap-Up, 8/19/12

Welcome to this week's edition of  the Double Feature Weekly Wrap-up! This is coming in late this week so I'm going to have to make this shorter than usual. More really superb movies this week - I hope I do them justice with my double feature picks. Here are my self-imposed rules taken from my first edition:

1. No pairing of sequels. Obviously Watching Iron Man 2 with Iron Man would  be a good double feature, but that's so obvious I don't think it should count. Same with pairing it with another film in the Avengers series.
2. No pairing remakes with originals. Yes, it's tempting to pair the new Arthur with the original, but again that's too obvious.
3. No pairings with the same director or lead actor unless a REALLY persuasive case can be made.

So, without further ado, here's my double-feature pairings for the week:

• Man on the Train - Johnny Hallyday came to my attention in the spectacular film Vengenace, which was about as close to a perfect movie as one can hope for. In Man on the Train, Hallyday captured the weary, reluctant criminal better than nearly anyone - he's a wonderful actor. It reminded me very much of Leon: The Professional, where Jean Reno delivered a similarly toned performance in another wonderful film.
• African Cats - This nature documentary was a distilled version of the show Big Cat Diary, of which I am a huge fan. I believe it was even shot in the same place. It's a must see for nature documentary lover, as is Planet Earth: The Complete Series , the double feature series with which I would pair this film.
• Pariah - This coming-of-age sexual identity film was good but not great - it felt rather surface-level to me. It's a shame as I was really interested in the subject matter and thought the acting was quite good. Pair this with Latter Days, a similar film also dealing with sexual identity in the face of a religious family.
• Puncture - Chris Evans was just wonderful in this legal thriller based on actual events. This film was taut and really well paced and written - wuite good. Pair it with Travolta's A Civil Action  , another legal drama based on real events of the same tenor and feel.
• A Girl Walks Into a Bar - I really wanted to like this a lot as I'm a big fan of Guitterez's previous films. They all have a very particular feel to them that I've not felt with any other filmmaker. This was good, but Guitterez' previous film Women in Trouble is much better and will give you a true impression of this style.
  Kimjongilia - This is a powerful and unflinching look at North Korea - it's almost painful to watch. This absolutely must be paired with A State of Mind, another strong documentary about the strange culture of this country.

Happy movie watching!