spiritual sequels/double bills [split topic]

[spamwangler]

stop me if this sort of things been done before recently - i dont spend as much time as i should over in movies,

the robotic enforcment operative thread got me thinking about spiritual sequels - films which, while not directly sequelious to a franchise, feel that some sort of essential nugget of its spirit has been carried across,

a bit like how The Matrix feels like a sequel to Ghost in the Shell, and then Ghost in the Shell 2 feels like the real spiritual sequel too. (im sure the directors have talked about this being the case at some point)

maybe you could even carry that continuity a bit further, something like

Blade Runner - 1982
Ghost in the Shell - 1995
The Matrix - 1999
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - 2004
Paprika - 2006
inception - 2010

i feel you could watch those films as if they were one loosley connected franchise, and they would have more themeatic continuity and connection than any of the real sequels to those films

i feel that Robocop and Tokyo Gore Police make for a good film and spiritual sequel, Takashi Miike manages to take the weirdness and the brutality and the strangeness of Verhoven's world and accelerates it and makes feel like a real sequel, rather than like a re-hashing, which is what robocop 2 feels to me (that said, robocop is so fucking ace, a rehashing of that is no bad thing)

someone else suggested the new dredd film as a great follow up to robocop also, which is a good shout

can anybody think of any other sets of films that feel like they are spiritual sequels, or simply ones that make great double bills? im aware that this lumping together of films is totally subjective, but feels like it could be a fun way to draw lines though films.

two films ive thought would maybe not make great sequels, but would be a great double bill would be Fight Club and Tokyo Fist. both films looking at masculinity, violence and impotence from interesting angles, and are quite complimentary i feel

right, your turn: i want to hear your possible spiritual sequels and double bills like

[mothman]

None But The Brave (1965) and Beach Red (1967). Both are WW2 films, set in the Pacific theatre, but filmed with a very 60s antiwar perspective. And directed by actors - Frank Sinatra and Cornel Wilde respectively. The latter film is perhaps more overtly antiwar and hippyish; in fact, you could maybe add on Kelly's Heroes (1969) for a full-on anachronistically groovy war trilogy.

[spamwangler]

been meaning to watch kellys heroes at some point- sounds like a hell of a ww2 night in!

[mothman]

To somebody my age, the notion of never having seen Kelly's Heroes is mindboggling. It was on TV all the time in my youth - but then it was barely 15 years old when I saw it; now, it's nearly 50. It was on last Christmas, too, on Channel 5 I think. Donald Sutherland's finest role, and I'll fight to defend that. Though his character Sgt. Oddball wouldn't approve, so let's just say I'll drink wine, eat cheese and catch some rays to defend that.

[greenman]

The Matrix really though was more just an anti authority/believe in yourself hero story with a love interest, not IMHO on a similar level intellectually  to Blade Runner of the Ghost in the Shell films, the second of which especially does I'd agree feel very Blade Runnerish indeed, arguably moreso than the recent sequel.

For CaB favourites The Big Lewboski always seemed like it had a lot of Withnail and I to it with the drama flipped 180.

[shh]

Nuts in May -> Sightseers

[spamwangler]

The Matrix really though was more just an anti authority/believe in yourself hero story with a love interest, not IMHO on a similar level intellectually  to Blade Runner of the Ghost in the Shell films, the second of which especially does I'd agree feel very Blade Runnerish indeed, arguably moreso than the recent sequel.

yea i think i agree with you on that. The matrix's link to GITS i feel is more of an aesthetic one
i love the idea of withnail and i being a nightmare version of the big lebowski

[St_Eddie]

I personally choose to believe that not only does Blade Runner take place within the Alien universe (which is a a fairly common association to make) but that so does Outland.  A lot of the same creative talent were involved in the production of both films and they really do feel a part of the same universe.

Nuts in May -> Sightseers

Yes, good call.

[Osmium]

Takashi Miike

Yoshihiro Nishimura. Miike did have a crack at doing RoboCop with Full Metal Yakuza though.

[spamwangler]

Yoshihiro Nishimura. Miike did have a crack at doing RoboCop with Full Metal Yakuza though.

ah bugger - got my directors mixed up!

[spamwangler]

 Full Metal Yakuza looks good fun tho!

[Glebe]

Blade Runner - 1982
Ghost in the Shell - 1995
The Matrix - 1999
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - 2004
Paprika - 2006
inception - 2010

What about Akira?

[greenman]

You have all those anime films that end up with mans hubris causing a giant apocalyptic event, Akira, Castle in the Sky, Metropolis, Princess Mononoke.

[spamwangler]

What about Akira?

Yea they could definatley fit in there - or maybe as greenman says we could have a disintegrating apocalyptic person tree to hang them on, Akira, tetsuo, Lucy (they don't have to necciceraly be any good!)

[zomgmouse]

I remember watching RoboCop as a double bill followed by Army of Darkness and thinking it was a nice kind of prosthetic limbs double.

[St_Eddie]

I remember watching RoboCop as a double bill followed by Army of Darkness and thinking it was a nice kind of prosthetic limbs double.

You could always add The Fugitive to that list and make it a triple feature.

[bgmnts]

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Snatch.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Speaking of Army of Darkness: Evil Dead 2 and Braindead Seem like a no-brainer.

For CaB favourites The Big Lewboski always seemed like it had a lot of Withnail and I to it with the drama flipped 180.

You could add Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to make it a triple bill. Watch Withnail, then Fear and Loathing, then Lebowski and you can see the hippie dream turn sour, before mellowing out.

[Gregory Torso]

I think Fargo would go well with Kumiko The Treasure Hunter.

[Sebastian Cobb]

For CaB favourites The Big Lewboski always seemed like it had a lot of Withnail and I to it with the drama flipped 180.

The Big Lebowski is the spiritual successor to The Long Goodbye .

[zomgmouse]

Last Year at Marienbad and Carnival of Souls always seemed to me to share something quite special. Fucking amazing films, the both of them, but apart from that, they're both:
- black and white
- organ score
- deliberately ambiguous narrative
- released within a year of each other

[Sebastian Cobb]

Last Year at Marienbad and Carnival of Souls always seemed to me to share something quite special. Fucking amazing films, the both of them, but apart from that, they're both:
- black and white
- organ score
- deliberately ambiguous narrative
- released within a year of each other

I watched Night Tide the other night and thought it had a lot in common with Carnival of Souls, especially the scenes under the pier.

[zomgmouse]

I watched Night Tide the other night and thought it had a lot in common with Carnival of Souls, especially the scenes under the pier.

Ooh, not heard of this but I quite liked Auntie Roo so I'll pop this on my list. Thanks v much!

[Sebastian Cobb]

Ooh, not heard of this but I quite liked Auntie Roo so I'll pop this on my list. Thanks v much!

To be honest I didn't enjoy it all that much; it was part of a mubi season on films that were thought missing and have been a mission to restore (Shanty Tramp was another one - that's just a daft pulp film but much more entertaining). It looks like it was made before Carnival of Souls* but there are bits that seem similar, I'm sure film/writing wise they've not met though. It seems to be one of Dennis Hoppers first roles, he's really wooden in it despite being the lead. There's a nice gothic/noir vibe cinematography wise. It's probably worth a go if you can get your hands on it though.

*that I caught a few years ago when a local cinema was still boasting 35mm screenings of cult films. I thought it was amazing and unintentionally funny in some places but it was a crap screening - cropped to letterbox and popped in and out of focus.

[zomgmouse]

It sounds like one of those oddities I'd probably seek out just to see it out of curiosity but could be worth a shot!

[itsfredtitmus]

I watched Night Tide the other night and thought it had a lot in common with Carnival of Souls, especially the scenes under the pier.

I always see Messiah of Evil brought up in that lineage haven't seen it yet

[itsfredtitmus]

The Reckoning > Get Carter > Radio On

[itsfredtitmus]

Amarcord > Local Hero (x Whisky Galore) > My Life as a Dog > Leolo - Northern Exposure 

[itsfredtitmus]

That Sinking Feeling > Palookaville > Bottle Rocket

[zomgmouse]

Nights of Cabiria > Happy-Go-Lucky