Hollywood Popular Artists

May 25th 2012, 18:05

This week in theaters, Tommy Lee Jones gets a little help from Josh Brolin, letting him do most of the Tommy Lee Jones-ing in "Men In Black 3," and Wes Anderson unveils his ode to Wes Anderson with "Moonrise Kingdom." If you're looking for wonderful cinematic pairings then look no further than Double Feature Friday!

"Men In Black 3" & "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada"
Tommy Lee Jones doesn't like a lot of things. I doubt he likes making "Men In Black" movies. He probably doesn't like you very much, but he does like making westerns. TLJ even directed his very own western in 2005 with "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada." Very much in the vein of a novel by Jones' favorite writer, Cormac McCarthy, "Three Burials" follows Pete Perkins, a rancher, who must fulfill a promise he made to his former employee Melquiades. When a border patrol agent kills old Mel, Pete kidnaps the agent (played by Barry Pepper) and forces him to come along on his journey to bury his friend in Mexico. The film received some minor praise in 2005 but went largely unseen.

"Moonrise Kingdom" & "Breathless"
There are few better examples of a Wes Anderson-esque film than the Wes Anderson-directed "Moonrise Kingdom." The Texan auteur's latest film unapologetically wears his signature style on its sleeve, making for probably the clearest example of the look and feel of a Wes Anderson movie. Like many stylists from his era, Anderson's look comes from a hodge-podge of cinematic influences, the most significant of which is probably the French New Wave of the 1960s. If this is a period you're unfamiliar with, the best entry point would be Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless," the era's best known film. The iconic film features Jean-Paul Belmundo and Jean Seberg as a crook and his lover as they spend a few lazy days together on the run.

"Chernobyl Diaries" & "Paranormal Activity"
Each and every ad for the "Chernobyl Diaries" boasts "From Producer of 'Paranormal Activity' Oren Peli." It's a credit that has been thrown around often since the filmmaker burst onto the scene with the original demonic found footage film, but "director Oren Peli" is something we do not see anymore. Peli has been working on his "Paranormal" follow-up "Area 51" for what seems like ages with no release date in sight, so in the meantime, go back and watch "Paranormal Activity," if you can with the original ending. It's more tragic than the one suggested by Steven Spielberg and would have stopped the series' current arc dead in its tracks.

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

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.

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