3. "Safety Not Guaranteed" and "Super 8"
Why "Safety"? Safety Not Guaranteed is a 2012 independent film that rests on a truly out of left field premise: a trio of journalists looking for a human-interest story respond to a classified ad from a man seeking a companion to travel back in time with him. Featuring the great Aubrey Plaza and New Girl's Jake Johnson, Safety is a story that deftly balances it's required indie film charms with humor, understated and relatable performances and a central question that's surprisingly both touching and engaging.
Why "Super 8"? Super 8 is J.J. Abrams' love letter to the movies he grew up on - movies like E.T., Stand By Me, Jaws, and Indiana Jones. That being the case, it certainly doesn't hurt that one of the producers for this film is Steven Spielberg himself. Like other movies on this list, it might not look like much at face value. Back when it hit theaters, trailers pitched it as yet another big secret monster movie - but more than anything, Super 8 is a coming of age story, closer in tone to Stand By Me than Godzilla or Abrams' own Cloverfield.
Why Double Up? Both of these films teach us that the world we think we know so well might not be quite as familiar, or as simple, as we might hope. Their stories are quite different, but their messages ring truly similar.