Double Bill Chill

This week we cover the much-derided Paul Verhoeven classic, "Showgirls." Masterpiece? Shit? Masterpiece of shit? We cover this film from its early conception as an idea on Joe Eszterhas' dirty cocktail napkin to its resurgence as a camp classic. After we cover the plot, its characters, and their strange motivations, we each pair the film with another for a pair of double bills for y...

This week we cover one of Jake's favorite films, "Starship Troopers." We discuss the complicated road to being seen as satire, and the collaboration between Paul Verhoeven and FX guru, Phil Tippet. After we discuss the background we get into the plot of the film including everyone's favorite co-ed shower scene. Finally, we end the episode with a pair of double bills for your vi...

Our season kicks off with three films by Paul Verhoeven, and part one is "Total Recall!" We love Arnold, and we discuss his early interest in the role as well as the long path for the writers to get this film made. After we discuss the development and production of the film, we dive headfirst into the plot covering all of our favorite parts. Lastly, we each pair "Total Recall"...

We watched em all! The Oscars happened tonight and we watched the hell out of them. We now have a post-mortem on the show and discuss the winners and losers. At the end, we give a little tease for our upcoming season premiering April 2024.  Thank you so much for listening! Support us at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DoubleBillChill Created by Spike Alkire & Jake Kelley Theme Song by Breck...

This week we try to help you win your Oscar pool by going through each category and picking who we think has the best shots at winning. We finish the episode with our rankings of all 10 of the best picture nominations. Thank you so much for listening! Support us at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DoubleBillChill Created by Spike Alkire & Jake Kelley Theme Song by Breck McGough Follow us on...

This week, we cover Jonathan Glazer's disturbing look at the routine of evil, "The Zone of Interest." First, we cover the history of the film and book by Martin Amis. Then, we spend some time gushing over what we liked about this film and how much it disturbed us. Finally, we each pair this film with another for a pair of double bills.  Thank you so much for listening! Support us at...

This week we cover all 5 of the Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts and pair them each with another film for a total of 10 double bills! We cover the background and production of all five shorts as well as a deep dive on the plots. Finally, we each give our favorites to win the category.  -Pachyderm by Stéphanie Clément -War is Over! by Dave Mullins -Our Uniform by Yegane Moghaddam -Letter to a Pig by...

This week we discuss Kaouther Ben Hania's experimental documentary, "Four Daughters." We do a deep dive on this special film with Kaouther Ben Hania's career and development of this project, as well as a brief history of Tunisia and her 2011 evolution. Once we cover the background, we each pair the film with another for a pair of double bills.  Thank you so much for listening!...

This week we are covering Justine Triet's courtroom procedural, "Anatomy of a Fall." We discuss everything from the initial script to how exactly they got that dog to do that. Then, we dive head first into the plot of the film and discuss the nature of truth. Finally, we each pair the film with another for a pair of double bills.  Thank you so much for listening! Support us at Patre...

This week we discuss Yorgos Lanthimos' Best Picture nominated film "Poor Things." First, we discuss the book and the film's long path to production. Then, we dive into the film and gush over a film we both loved. Finally, we each pair the film with another for a set of double bills!  Thank you so much for listening! Support us at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DoubleBillChi...

We continue our 2024 Oscar coverage this week with Christopher Nolan's historical biopic, "Oppenheimer." We open the episode with our general thoughts on Nolan, then dive right into the history of the atomic bomb in America. Then, we discuss the various aspects of the production and break down the plot of the film. Finally, we each pair the film with another for a couple of double b...

This week we begin our coverage of the 2024 Oscars with Martin Scorsese's newest film, "Killers of the Flower Moon." We cover the history within the film as well as the long road to the film's production. At the end, we each pair the film with another for a pair of double bills.  Thank you so much for listening! Support us at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DoubleBillChill C...

Spike and Jake react to the 2024 Oscar nominations and plan out the rest of the season.  Thank you so much for listening! Support us at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DoubleBillChill Created by Spike Alkire & Jake Kelley Theme Song by Breck McGough Follow us on Instagram: @DoubleBillChill Letterboxd: FartsDomino44

We are beginning our Oscars 2024 season with a throwback, Frank Capra's romantic comedy, "It Happened One Night." In this episode, we discuss the making of the screwball classic and its troubled production with Claudette Colbert & Clark Gable. We also discuss the plot and whether or not this indeed is the first "Screwball Comedy." Finally, we each pair this film with a...

This week we are ending the year with our look back at season 10. Each of us rank the season, and discuss all the movies covered in Double Bill Chill's tenth season. Enjoy! Thank you so much for listening! Support us at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DoubleBillChill Created by Spike Alkire & Jake Kelley Theme Song by Breck McGough Follow us on Instagram: @DoubleBillChill Letterboxd: F...

Merry Christmas everybody! This week, we cover Lewis Jackson's cult Christmas horror, "Christmas Evil" (aka "You Better Watch Out").  We discuss the making of the film, and the star, Brandon Maggart (Fiona Apple's dad). We then get into the strange plot of this film, and end the episode with a couple of double bills for Christmas.  Thank you so much for listening! Sup...

This week we cover Frank Capra's holiday classic, "It's a Wonderful Life." We discuss the making of the film from the short story, and the different iterations of the story over time. We also do some Jimmy Stewart impressions and discuss the best character of the film, Nick the bartender. After we discuss the film, we each pair the film with another for a pair of double bills. ...

This week we cover a new favorite film for Jake, Todd Haynes' "Carol." We discuss everything that makes this film magical from its Super 16mm film cinematography to the book by Patricia Highsmith. We also give a lot of airtime to the incredible performances by Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara. After we discuss the film at length, we each pair "Carol" with another film for...

This week we cover Curtis Hanson's ode to 50s-era Hollywood with "L.A. Confidential." We discuss the scandal of hiring two hardly known Australians in the lead roles as well as the long path to getting this film made. We then unravel the mysteries of "L.A. Confidential" by going through the plot of the film. Finally, we each pair the film with another for a pair of delight...

This week we are leaving the classic Noirs behind for a 21st century Neo-Noir by Rian Johnson, "Brick." We begin the episode by discussing the background on Johnson's first feature film and the years-long attempt to get the film made at all. We then dive head first into the twisty plot and mostly explain it. Finally, we each pair "Brick" with another film for a pair of Dou...

This week, we cover Nicholas Ray's noir masterpiece, "In a Lonely Place." We discuss the production of the film with the recently separated Ray & Gloria Grahame, and Bogey's production company. We also discuss the themes and plot of the film. Finally, we each pair the film with another for a couple of fantastic double bills! Thank you so much for listening! Support us at Pa...

This week we cover one of the sexiest films ever made, "Gilda." We discuss the subtext of the film, which borders on full-on text. We also discuss the making of the film,  its haphazard preparations, and the behind-the-scenes drama that informed the script. We, then, look at the various scenes we loved with a walkthrough of the plot. Finally, we each pair the film with another for a doub...

Noir-vember begins with what Paul Schrader once called, "Film Noir's Epitaph." A strange place to start, sure, but this is one of the best noirs there is. We discuss Orson Welles' return to Hollywood and the familiar story of a troubled post-production. We also discuss the various cuts and the various stories about the film's production. After we discuss the history, we be...

Have you ever heard two guys talk about "Ernest Scared Stupid" for over two hours?  Buckle up, booger lips, it's Jim Varney time! In this episode, we discuss the behind-the-scenes information on John R Cherry III's family Halloween classic.  After we go over the creation of the film, we have a discussion on the things we liked and especially the things we didn't like about...

This week, we cover "The Wicker Man" with our composer and Wicker fan Breck McGough. We cover a lot in this episode, including the quick production, the question of authorship, and a free-wheeling discussion of the various themes within Robin Hardy's 1973 masterpiece. After we discuss the film, all three of us pair "The Wicker Man" with another film for a total of 3 double...