Michael Douglas has won Academy Awards for both producing (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and acting (Wall Street). He also received the George Eastman Award for his career achievements in 2015. But in the 1980s and ‘90s, he was known almost exclusively for his characters’ bad decisions. Whether having an affair with a work colleague, having an affair with a murder suspect, or pushing away everyone in his life so he has no one to trust, Douglas characters are often in crisis, but they are crises he has created for himself. As part of our 75th anniversary celebration of highlighting each of our George Award winners, enjoy watching Douglas work out of situations he has no business being in!
Dates and Titles:
September 19: Fatal Attraction (Adrian Lyne, US 1987, 119 min., 35mm)
September 26: Basic Instinct (Paul Verhoeven, US/France 1992, 127 min., 35mm)
October 3: The Game (David Fincher, US 1997, 129 min., 35mm)
Events in this Series
Fatal Attraction (35mm)
Michael Douglas’s Bad Day The psychological thriller that made Glenn Close a household name centers on marital infidelity with dangerous consequences. Michael Douglas plays Dan Gallagher, a successful lawyer who has a weekend affair with an intriguing woman named Alex (Glenn Close) while his family is out of town.
Basic Instinct (35mm)
Michael Douglas’s Bad Day Scripted by Joe Eszterhas (Jagged Edge) and starring Michael Douglas, Verhoeven’s glossy pulp shocker stands as the ne plus ultra of the ’80s/’90s erotic thriller. It was also one of the most controversial — and successful — Hollywood movies of the 1990s.