Remembering a brief moment in the early ’90s that produced two films about sexually fluid love triangles starring Baldwin brothers and Twin Peaks cast members.
Back when I was a projectionist at the University of Georgia's on-campus theater, I remember vividly a preview screening we held for THREESOME and the collective "uuuuuugggggh" response to the two men completing the love triangle. Lara Flynn Boyle was definitely a crucial "buffer" for an audience that, theoretically, should have been more forward-thinking than the average crowd. It's a good sign of where we're at as a culture that a studio can spend $50 million on CHALLENGERS, which is far more brazen in its bisexuality, and not have to worry quite so much about recoil.
Had a similar feeling while watching All of Us Strangers - despite Andrew Scott's somewhat ambivalent answer to his Claire Foy mom, things have changed quite a bit, and for the better for the LGBTQ folks. A long time coming.
I am constantly amazed at you guys finding these linkable movies. Josh Charles actually looks like a college student in that picture, which is something because he's always seemed older to me than he actually is (not because he looks old, but he just has a mature, sophisticated face).
We got a throwback to the dueling movie peak of the late-90s this year with Immaculate and The First Omen!
I was convinced before I clicked that Two Girls and a Guy with RDJ would be here, but now I realize that was 3 years later and not really the same thing. Interesting movie though, at least in my (obviously dysfunctional) memory.
Oh right, Two Girls and a Guy! Keith was asking about other movies from that time, but TGAAG feels like another era, perhaps because it was independent and could push the envelope a bit more. Then again, contending with the dodgy sexual politics of that film along with the litany of #MeToo horrors attached to James Toback would be a HUGE can of worms.
Who do we think is the most famous post Peaks actor/actress? I suppose it's Kyle MacLachlan tho he was perhaps also most famous going in so, kind of a cheat. Outside of him, is it Amick (whom I unconditionally love)?
How deep in the cast list are we able to go, and are we weighting season 1 over season 2? Heather Graham probably has everybody beat, if we count her sudden promotion to the main cast.
Oh, duh - yeah Graham and Billy Zane are of course also pretty famous. I think they were also already relatively famous when they were in and were kind of 'guest star/revive interest' folks to some extent but good call, I wasn't thinking of them.
Also, I fully think it's Sheryl Lee who most deserved an amazing career but then didn't get one. With her, IIRC after Fire Walk With Me, which she (very understandably) found incredibly grueling (and which famously tanked, probably also adding to the baggage), she mostly backed off of acting with only occassional work. She's in John Carpenter's Vampire$ (with a Baldwin!), probably not a wonderful experience I'll guess.
She's wonderful in a small role in Winter's Bone but mostly retired to teach acting and then was called back up to do The Return where, she's better than ever. I don't think she has much interest in keeping after it (unlike Fenn, who def did and is good but kinda limited in range).
I thought of Sheryl Lee after posting, and you're probably right. She's great in both Fire Walk with Me and The Return.
When I rewatched the original series, though, Fenn stuck out as far better than I remembered. (I mean, I remembered thinking Audrey was hot back in the '90s, but I was not up on the nuances of Fenn's performance.) And she feels like someone who got pigeonholed as a softcore star when she could've worked some great roles within her range. (That said, she also falls victim to the "hot actresses have a career expiration date" trend that's always been a fundamental part of Hollywood. Definitely didn't get enough of a career to even start building something more sustaining.)
Back when I was a projectionist at the University of Georgia's on-campus theater, I remember vividly a preview screening we held for THREESOME and the collective "uuuuuugggggh" response to the two men completing the love triangle. Lara Flynn Boyle was definitely a crucial "buffer" for an audience that, theoretically, should have been more forward-thinking than the average crowd. It's a good sign of where we're at as a culture that a studio can spend $50 million on CHALLENGERS, which is far more brazen in its bisexuality, and not have to worry quite so much about recoil.
Had a similar feeling while watching All of Us Strangers - despite Andrew Scott's somewhat ambivalent answer to his Claire Foy mom, things have changed quite a bit, and for the better for the LGBTQ folks. A long time coming.
I am constantly amazed at you guys finding these linkable movies. Josh Charles actually looks like a college student in that picture, which is something because he's always seemed older to me than he actually is (not because he looks old, but he just has a mature, sophisticated face).
"Sexual Exploration in the Age of Flannel Shirts" needs to be the title of a really niche history book.
We got a throwback to the dueling movie peak of the late-90s this year with Immaculate and The First Omen!
I was convinced before I clicked that Two Girls and a Guy with RDJ would be here, but now I realize that was 3 years later and not really the same thing. Interesting movie though, at least in my (obviously dysfunctional) memory.
Oh right, Two Girls and a Guy! Keith was asking about other movies from that time, but TGAAG feels like another era, perhaps because it was independent and could push the envelope a bit more. Then again, contending with the dodgy sexual politics of that film along with the litany of #MeToo horrors attached to James Toback would be a HUGE can of worms.
Yikes, I forgot that was Toback. I'll go back to not thinking about that one for another couple decades haha
Also Sting and Infested!
I just learned about THREESOME from playing box office game. Timely content.
Of all the Twin Peaks cast members, I'd argue Sherilyn Fenn was the most tragically underused in her career afterwards. She should've been huge.
I would not have guessed it was Madchen Amick who was playing the long game.
Who do we think is the most famous post Peaks actor/actress? I suppose it's Kyle MacLachlan tho he was perhaps also most famous going in so, kind of a cheat. Outside of him, is it Amick (whom I unconditionally love)?
How deep in the cast list are we able to go, and are we weighting season 1 over season 2? Heather Graham probably has everybody beat, if we count her sudden promotion to the main cast.
Oh, duh - yeah Graham and Billy Zane are of course also pretty famous. I think they were also already relatively famous when they were in and were kind of 'guest star/revive interest' folks to some extent but good call, I wasn't thinking of them.
Also, I fully think it's Sheryl Lee who most deserved an amazing career but then didn't get one. With her, IIRC after Fire Walk With Me, which she (very understandably) found incredibly grueling (and which famously tanked, probably also adding to the baggage), she mostly backed off of acting with only occassional work. She's in John Carpenter's Vampire$ (with a Baldwin!), probably not a wonderful experience I'll guess.
She's wonderful in a small role in Winter's Bone but mostly retired to teach acting and then was called back up to do The Return where, she's better than ever. I don't think she has much interest in keeping after it (unlike Fenn, who def did and is good but kinda limited in range).
I thought of Sheryl Lee after posting, and you're probably right. She's great in both Fire Walk with Me and The Return.
When I rewatched the original series, though, Fenn stuck out as far better than I remembered. (I mean, I remembered thinking Audrey was hot back in the '90s, but I was not up on the nuances of Fenn's performance.) And she feels like someone who got pigeonholed as a softcore star when she could've worked some great roles within her range. (That said, she also falls victim to the "hot actresses have a career expiration date" trend that's always been a fundamental part of Hollywood. Definitely didn't get enough of a career to even start building something more sustaining.)
I'd (kind of) heard of THREE OF HEARTS, but never heard of, or don't remember THREESOME at all.
As this feature developed, I did NOT think that the one starring Stephen Baldwin would be the winner of the head-to-head comparison.
Love these kinds of posts, guys. I haven't seen either but I must admit to having seen Cop And A Half in the theater (at age 12).
Personal trivia: COP AND A HALF was the very first movie I ever reviewed. Student paper. Panned it, alas.