FRAME RATE: Predator (1987)

Commandos in the jungle? Check.
Sci-Fi terror? Check.
Not one, but two future state governors in the cast? Check and check.

John McTiernan's 1987 explosive action film, Predator, was his first big studio movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger was relatively inexperienced, and so were the two brothers who wrote the script. But somehow, this movie pulls off a delicate balancing act that no one has quite been able to since, and it has always been one of our very favorite 80s films. 

Join Dan, Patrick, and Jaime as we explore just what makes this blockbuster so special.

GET TO THA CHOPPA!!!

Demons, Witches, & the Dark: A FRAME RATE Halloween Special (2020)

Welcome to our first Halloween Special! Jaime and Dan discuss some of their favorite scary movies, including The Exorcist (1973), Hereditary (2018), and more! So light some candles, turn the lights down, and join us while we explore the darker side of film.

FRAME RATE: About Time (2013)

In an unusual twist, today's Frame Rate is a romantic comedy...that involves time travel! 

This film was suggested by our good friend (and Patron) Peter from the Midwest. Join Peter, Patrick, and Dan as they talk about this surprisingly unique and thoughtfully sentimental drama about love, family, and the inexorable passage of time.

FRAME RATE: Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

In this episode, Patrick and Jaime discuss the importance of James Dean's last film, its implications in society when it released, and how it sits with us today. Rebel Without a Cause is the last film Dean would make before he was tragically killed in a car accident on September 30th, 1955.

FRAME RATE: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

There's not much that hasn't been said about David Lean's epic, 7 Academy Award-Winning film: Lawrence of Arabia (1962). The desert scenery, the incredible cinematography and editing, the casting and acting, the score...it's just breathtaking.

Patrick and Dan spent many hours researching the real history behind the script, and the groundbreaking work the crew put into shooting the film. We hope you enjoy this episode, it's almost as long as the film itself!

*NOTE: We watched the 222 minute "Director's Cut", restored in 1988 and re-released in HD in 2012, available streaming and on blu-ray. We recommend watching it on the biggest screen possible.

SHOW NOTES:

If you would like to dive deeper into the history of WWI and the making of the film, here are some helpful resources:

Dan Carlin's extensive podcast series on WWI (check out his whole library!)
https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-50-55-blueprint-for-armageddon-series/

Friendly Fire (excellent war movie podcast, Dan's favorite)
https://maximumfun.org/episodes/friendly-fire/ep-116-lawrence-of-arabia-1962/

BBC: In Our Time
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000c0b0

BBC World Service: The Forum
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csvsfx

Based on a True Story podcast
https://www.basedonatruestorypodcast.com/49-lawrence-arabia/

Seven Pillars of Wisdom on Audible
https://www.audible.com/pd/Seven-Pillars-of-Wisdom-Audiobook/B008ROT5GQ

FRAME RATE: I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

Returning to the director's chair, writer/director Charlie Kaufman takes us on a terrifying, beautiful, and mysterious ride in 2020's I'm Thinking of Ending Things. Is it a fantasy? Is it a horror film? Can we make sense of its ending? Join Patrick, Micah, Jaime, and Dan as we recount our experience and our varied interpretations of this fascinating film.

FRAME RATE: Ladyhawke (1985)

One of Richard Donner's classic 80s movies, Ladyhawke (1985) struggled at the box office but was later beloved by fans of fantasy; with a sprinkle of old folklore and a touch (read: A LOT) of 80s synth soundtrack, there certainly is a lot here for everyone in this eclectic mix of adventure and romance. Join Jaime and Dan as they uncover an old favorite.

Frame Rate Presents: The Last of Us Part 2 (2020)

SPOILER ALERT: This episode includes spoilers, some of which are integral to the plot of the game.

Great stories transport us into them. We become those characters, and feel what they feel. Sometimes, those stories take us places we do not want to go, and make us do things we do not want to do. They can even make us look at our own lives and our own relationships in a different light. The Last of Us Part 2 is that kind of story.

We feel the love, the sorrow, the hate, and the vengeance that drives these characters and their decision-making, and we especially feel the irrevocable consequences of those decisions.

Join Patrick, Micah, Dan, and their guests Erica and Drew, as they discuss one of the most monumental achievements of the year: 2020's The Last of Us Part 2.

FRAME RATE: Prisoners (2013)

Denis Villeneuve's U.S. film debut, 2013's Prisoners, does not shy away from the dark material the director had exposed audiences to in his previous films. Exploring the extremes of mental anguish, Prisoners brings us into intimate contact with two families who are being torn apart by crisis: the disappearance of their two young girls. At once a police procedural and mysterious thriller, this film presents us with a psychological examination of our own moral boundaries, and asks: “How far are you willing to go for the people you love most?”

FRAME RATE: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

One of Stanley Kubrick's most beloved and challenging films, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) blew the doors off the science-fiction film genre, and changed it forever. The year before Neil Armstrong would set foot on the moon, audiences were exposed to this mind-blowing and epic ride that has influenced space and science-fiction films ever since.

Join Patrick, Jaime, and Dan for a deep-dive into one of our very favorites, we really enjoyed discussing this one.

FRAME RATE: Moonlight (2016)

Powerful yet sensitive, Moonlight (2016) is a unique coming-of-age story that portrays a man's conflict with identity, sexuality, loneliness, and self-discovery. This three-part drama follows the story of Chiron, a young boy growing up in Miami under arduous circumstances including bullying, violence, drug addiction and poverty. As he becomes older, other characters come in and out of his life, and it is through these interactions that we see Chiron begin to develop his own understanding of a world that is both harsh and beautiful–exhilarating and terrifying–and callously indifferent.

Through deliberate choices in score and cinematography, we are fully immersed in this world. Barry Jenkins' (screenplay/directing) and Tarell Alvin McCraney's (playwright) beautiful, intimate story brought us together in a way we haven't seen a film do in a long time. Join Jaime, Patrick, and Dan as we discuss this artistic masterpiece.

FRAME RATE: The Elephant Man (1980)

In 1980, David Lynch, widely known for his avant-garde cinema aesthetic, briefly changed course and released one of the best pictures of the 20th Century. The Elephant Man, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir John Hurt, and Anne Bancroft, took critics and audiences by storm with its depiction of John Merrick, a real man who lived and breathed in turn-of-the-century England.

Jaime and special guest Mark Deckard dive into The Elephant Man, and all of the questions surrounding his story.

FRAME RATE: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2017)

When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse dropped in late 2018, it promptly redefined a LOT of things for a LOT of people. On its face, it checked all the boxes for something that could’ve flown under the radar: an animated family film about a superhero’s origin story, from a studio with … mixed, to put it mildly … success with the Spider-Man intellectual property.

So why didn’t it fly under the radar? Because Spider-Verse is, from the very first frame to the very final one, complete magic. Not only did it win the Academy Award in its category, it won against a Pixar film—the first time a non-Disney/Pixar film won Best Animated Feature in nearly a decade. By the time it left theaters in 2019, it was on nearly every major critics’ top ten list—and many outlets placed it among the very best films of its decade.

In this installment of Frame Rate, Dan and Patrick talk about some of the (seemingly infinite) threads with which Into the Spider-Verse spins its magic.

FRAME RATE: Dune (1984)

In this episode of our Patreon exclusive show, Jaime and Patrick discuss David Lynch's divisive yet visually arresting film: Dune. 

Released in 1984, Dune was the culmination of years of struggle to bring Frank Herbert's seminal novel to the big screen. Notable attempts include the now storied Jodorowsky version which fell apart during pre-production.

FRAME RATE: First Man (2018)

Damien Chazelle's fourth film, First Man, was undeniably one of 2018's best. The VFX team won the Oscar for their unparalleled work in bringing the Earth and the Moon to life with stunning realism and breathtaking photography. Based on James Hansen's biography, the film takes us beyond the Gemini and Apollo programs' achievements and moves inward, to an intimate portrayal of Armstrong's personal life and family struggles.

Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy's performances are as haunting as they are beautiful, and the quiet, atmospheric style of their portrayal has left us with a film that is certainly one of the best of the decade.

Join Dan, Jaime, and Patrick in our discussion of what we love (and what we don't love) about this incredible cinematic masterpiece.

FRAME RATE: There Will Be Blood (2007)

Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood (2007) was the rare film that immediately established itself as a classic upon its initial theatrical release. Anchored by an Oscar-winning performance from Daniel Day-Lewis, an experimentally riveting score by Jonny Greenwood, and Robert Elswit’s jaw-dropping cinematography, There Will Be Blood set a new standard in what 21st-century Hollywood was capable of producing.

In this episode of Frame Rate, the guys discuss this darkly wonderful film’s place in cinema history—and its place in their hearts, as well.

FRAME RATE: Inception (2010)

In Christopher Nolan's 2010 blockbuster, Inception, themes we are familiar with from science fiction are explored in a unique and visually-stunning way. 

Winner of four Oscars, with a star-studded cast and incredible performances, as well as one of Hanz Zimmer's best scores (in Dan's opinion), this film asks of us the BIG questions: what is the nature of our reality? Can what we dream be real? If you had unlimited time with your loved ones, what would you build? What would you explore?

Wildly-successful, this film has something for everyone; but while it's easy to watch it as a heist/Bond sci-fi-action movie, that's just scratching the surface.

Join Dan, Patrick, and Jaime as they take a deep dive into one of their favorite films.

FRAME RATE: The Invisible Man (2020)

With a stunning performance by Elisabeth Moss and brilliantly nuanced direction and writing by Leigh Whannell, The Invisible Man was one of 2020’s first breakout hits—even though its box office was severely impacted by the evolving coronavirus pandemic.

In this installment of Frame Rate, Jaime and Patrick discuss The Invisible Man's themes, ideas, techniques, and context within contemporary horror/thriller filmmaking.

FRAME RATE: Predestination (2014)

In this mind-bending and, at times, confusing film, The Spierig brothers explore time travel and its resulting paradoxes in a way that we have never really seen before. 

Based on the 1959 short story By Robert A. Heinlein, All You Zombies, 2014's Predestination is a beautifully-shot and constructed story about a temporal agent who is trying to stop a terrorist attack set to happen in one possible timeline. 

In a journey full of twists and turns, Jaime and Dan discuss the wild ride that is this film, with its unique look at a transgender character, his journey to find himself, secure his future, and discover his origins.

SHIT SHOW: Alien vs. Predator (2004) Roundtable

Welcome back to Shit Show, Marines! In this, our second episode, we're revisiting AvP with an expanded roster of panelists. Among the topics covered: Is this thing better than Prometheus? Do facehuggers look cooler or dumber in Matrix-style "bullet time?" What the hell happened to Machiko?

A quick note: in keeping with our "shitty" theme, we aren't editing these at all. What you are hearing is the actual conversation in real time. The connection will drop. We will call each other the wrong names. There may or may not be an audible burp in the background.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. :)