Maniac (2012)
The film: A remake of the exploitation classic puts the viewer in the uncomfortable position of watching Frank (Elijah Wood) carry out a murder spree from a first-person perspective.
The film theyre watching: Frank takes Anna (Nora Ernezeder) to the cinema to see The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari, a German Expressionist movie about a sleepwalking killer. Is it a warning? An attempt on Franks part to figure out his killer instinct? Either way, it doesnt save either Anna or Frank from their fate.
The Notebook (2004)
The film: A romantic mega-weepie based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name.
The film theyre watching: Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) go to the cinema on their first date, where they see Lil Abner, a Buster Keaton movie also known as Trouble Chaser. Its a comedy about a guy who agrees to marry two different women; might have to squint a bit to see any parallels there.
Vampires Kiss (1989)
The film: Driven literary agent Peter (Nicholas Cage) gets bitten by a vampire (maybe) and spirals into madness.
The film hes watching: Nosferatu serves as inspiration for Peters deluded antics. And it couldve been worse he could have modelled himself after a Twilight vamp.
Donnie Darko (2001)
The film: Richard Kellys weird and wonderful story of time travel and teenage angst kickstarted Jake Gyllenhaals career.
The film theyre watching: Donnie (Gyllenhaal) takes Gretchen (Jenna Malone) to see a double bill of The Evil Dead and The Last Temptation Of Christ at their local cinema. She sleeps through most of the movies; he misses them because hes talking to his invisible friend (and then because hes ducked out for a quick bit of arson).
Scream 2 (1997)
The film: The inevitable follow up to Wes Craven's original post-modern slasher, Scream 2 takes aim at horror sequels which means a higher body count and way more elaborate death scenes.
The film theyre watching: Maureen (Jada Pinkett) and Steve (Omar Epps) go to see Stab, the fictional movie-within-a-movie based on the events of Scream. Interestingly, as the Scream franchise goes on, so does Stab by Scream 4, the Stab franchise has racked up six sequels.
500 Days Of Summer (2009)
The film: A sort of anti-romance romance, 500 Days Of Summer recounts Toms (Joseph Gordon Levitt) memories of his failed relationship with Summer (Zooey Deschanel).
The film theyre watching: Seeing The Graduate together turns out to be a catalyst for Tom and Summers breakup. Which just goes to show that having the same taste in films is an important part of a healthy relationship.
The Omega Man (1971)
The film: Robert Neville (Charlton Heston) becomes the last man on Earth in this loose adaptation of Richard Mathesons I Am Legend.
The film hes watching: Without much else to fill his time, Neville goes to a dilapidated cinema to watch Woodstock over and over, until he can quote along with the dialogue. As he puts it, bitterly, they sure dont make pictures like that any more.
Son Of Rambow (2007)
The film: Will (Bill Milner) is forbidden from watching films or TV so when he finally gets to see a movie, he becomes obsessed, and starts making his own movies with the school bully.
The film theyre watching: No points for guessing this one: the movie that catches Wills interest is First Blood.
Whiplash (2014)
The film: A stomach-churning story about the relationship between dedicated music student Andrew (Miles Teller) and his terrifying teacher (J.K. Simmons).
The film theyre watching: Andrew and his dad watch a few movies together, including '50s crime thriller Rififi. Oddly, the snacks might be more significant than their choice of movie: Andrew picks around the chocolate raisins his dad puts into his popcorn rather than complain and he briefly dates the girl who works on the concessions stand.
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
The film: A movie-obsessed child makes friends with a cinema projectionist and learns about life, love, and censorship in the process.
The films theyre watching: Where do you even start with this one? Movies shown in the Cinema Paradiso include Anna, Chains, Bellissima, Bitter Rice, and In The Name Of The Law.
