Michelangelo Antonioni directs Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau and Monica Vitti in this Italian arthouse flick where a couple consider infidelity over a long sleepless night.

More empty glamour and hollow nihilism. Feels the least effective of the trilogy. The acting is sound – it is all about death and fucking again, ain’t it?

6

Perfect Double Bill: L’Avventura (1960)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

John Lounsbery and Wolfgang Reitherman direct Sterling Holloway, John Fiedler and Junius Matthews in this Walt Disney cartoon collecting three adventures from The Hundred Acre Woods.

A bit too insipid for adults. Cute enough to sell toys. Pooh is a dickhead. Not enough Eyeore.

5

Perfect Double Bill: The Tigger Movie (2000)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Adam Wingard directs Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci and Wendy Glenn in this home invasion horror movie where a rich family is stalked by masked killers and a very capable final girl emerges amongst them.

I think the slow drip ‘eat the rich’ satire and the long ramp up before any carnage starts puts some people off. When You’re Next builds up a head of steam though it really delivers. OTT kills, iconic menaces, simple tension and a fantastic genre lead in Sharni Vinson. When she starts laying out X-rated Home Alone traps and taking mutherfuckas down with gusto you quickly realise in a parallel universe she could be the unhinged psycho everyone else needs to save themselves from. Very rewatchable.

7

Perfect Double Bill: The Guest (2014)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Jacques Demy directs Catherine Deneuve, George Chakiris and Françoise Dorléac in this French musical about two sisters who plan to leave their hometown for Paris on the weekend a carnival arrives in town.

Obviously doesn’t have the bittersweet emotional heft of The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg but proves a lot more of a lark. The various men orbiting sisters Delphine and Solange are a bit meh… but then a dubbed yet glorious Gene Kelly turns up in an ice cream pink polo shirt and I was fully invested. The narrative carousel has the ideal partners occupy a small space (a town square) yet never spend any meaningful time together over the eventful weekend. This leaves plenty of room for primary coloured song and dance. It is a truly happy film… wistful, vibrant and with a serial killer subplot. Even the dialogue scenes are done in rhyming couplets. Cute and camp pleasures abound.

9

Perfect Double Bill: The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg (1964)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Matt Ruskin directs Keira Knightley, Carrie Coon and Alessandro Nivola in this true crime story told from them perspective of Loretta McLaughlin, the reporter who broke the serial killer story for the Boston Record American.

My, oh my! Somebody has watched Zodiac. Solid.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Zodiac (2007)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Bobby Farrelly directs Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson and Kevin Iannucci in this sports comedy where a hot tempered basketball coach is ordered to perform community service… training a team of intellectually disadvantaged players.

Sweet little movie that does exactly what it says on the tin. Could it be funnier, grittier, less predictable… sure! Sweet Dee is MVP.

5

Perfect Double Bill: The Ringer (2005)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Ti West directs Mia Goth, David Corenswet and Tandi Wright in this gothic horror prequel to X, set decades earlier.

An electric central performance motors Pearl. Part Dorothy Gale, part Tracey Flick, all Norman Bates – Mia Goth should have been up for an Oscar for this level of sweetly deranged commitment. The movie itself is a pschobiddy flick’s flashback sequence writ large. Horny, deranged but only occasionally gory. This is all about mood and showcasing the deterioration of our eponymous character. It isn’t as pure or as satisfying as X (a more straightforward love letter to the slasher) but the scrappy ambition of it is very seductive.

7

Perfect Double Bill: MaXXXine (2024)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Norman Jewison directs Cher, Nicolas Cage and Danny Aiello in this romantic comedy about a New York family of Italian-American’s led astray by the big full moon.

John Patrick Shanley’s script is a witty treat. A gorgeous, warm hug of a movie with enough salt and truth to make you feel that your heartstrings aren’t being yanked by a mercenary endeavour. A nice early full fat Cage performance really stokes the fire.

7

Perfect Double Bill: Mermaids (1990)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Gary Fleder directs John Cusack, Rachel Weisz and Gene Hackman in this courtroom thriller where various parties try to tamper with a jury from without and within.

One of the best ensembles of the new millennium take on Grisham’s sturdiest airport novel. And the results are slick… even if they rarely threaten to reach the status of a classic. After a strong start setting up all the conspirators, the plot kinda fizzles into a series of face offs, break-ins and foot chases. And that’s fine for a Saturday night but the red meat of the novel is in the jury room… the 12 get lost in the mix by the third act as you really want to keep your eyes on old warhorses Hackman and Hoffman as they preen and grimace.

7

Perfect Double Bill: The Chamber (1996)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Darren Aronofsky directs Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink and Hong Chau in this drama about a dying, obese, housebound man trying to connect with his teen daughter.

Natalie got a lot more out of this than me. I think we both appreciated Fraser’s performance and it was nice to see a sweet dude win the Best Actor Oscar this year. But the movie itself suffers from a few gargantuan bug bears of mine… filmed play, too gloomy in terms of lighting, hard to square moments of levity, spoof worthy grand standing. See also: Women Talking.

4

Perfect Double Bill: Pi (1998)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/