Frames and Fools: Film, Filmmakers, and Foolishness

It’s been awhile but we couldn’t let spooky season come and go without finding something spooky to watch. Somehow neither of us had seen Danny Boyle’s ‘28 Days Later’ (2007), so we strapped in and watched a movie about deserted city streets, a world gone quiet, and a quickly spreading virus. Yeesh. Luckily, it’s quite a compelling movie, shot very purposely on the same DV video tape we both grew up making movies with in the early 2000’s. The effect is eerie, creating a lo-fi, grungy atmosphere that promises blood and bloodshot eyes around every corner. Somehow the movies still relishes in the joyful, peaceful moments where humans get to enjoy their humanity again…at least until other humans who have seemingly lost theirs threaten that peace. It’s a good one. Happy Halloween, y’all.

Thwip thwip, New Yorkers, it’s your friendly neighborhood hype machine. How much of a movie do you consume before even stepping foot in the theater? In the case of 2014’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’, we gleefully gobbled up as much of Gwen, the Goblin, and the Garfield as we could in the year leading up to the movie’s release; so much so that we felt like we’d seen the new spidey flick in its entirety through countless trailers, tv spots, and photo spreads. Expectations are a powerful thing, and we learned a valuable lesson in 2014 about how to manage those expectations as well as the temptation to ‘prewatch’ a blockbuster based on a beloved property. Given seven years to age, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ didn’t exactly get much better than the overcrowded and overdramatic initial experience, but we’ve got more Spider-Men and more space to reflect on what could have been a superb movie with a few more drafts and a lot less studio mandates. Shocking how often that seems to be the case with these massive movies. Get it? Shocking? Because Electro? Up up and away, Webb…

Peaches, peaches, the magical fruit. ‘James and the Giant Peach’ is dark and delightful, warm and wonderful. You’ll learn the value of found family and have the shit scared out of you by a rhino the size of a storm front. Other takeaway lessons: eat the radioactive wriggling rotini the spooky magic man offers you because only good things can come of that; listen to the sad orphan kid because he’s got some pretty good ideas; maybe don’t kill the spider you find in your bedroom because she’s actually super cool and is essential to your adventure across the Atlantic. The ever-excellent Chad Hatter joins us for a particularly significant childhood favorite and brings the background knowledge that really gives this episode that special feature flair. Just peachy.

Floop. Thumb Thumbs. Fooglies. ‘Spy Kids’ is nothing if not bonkers and utterly memorable. It’s certainly a Robert Rodriguez joint, with all the flair, eyebrow arching, and action to satisfy all but the most demanding of filmgoers. The story and characters have heart, the gadgets were the height of coolness as a young viewer, and the solid Latin roots set this movie apart from other kid’s movie in the same time period. Like any good children’s media there are some truly horrifying images that could be considered baby’s intro to body horror, and the vagueness of the secret agencies lends the story a timeless quality other movies don’t have (lookin at you, Agent Cody Banks). This is the movie that led countless kids to want to be spies when they grew up, only to find that the fantasy was much more exciting and colorful than reality. Maybe that’s just Henri speaking from experience. Strap on your Machete BuddyPack and join us on this wild ride.

Adolescence. It’s the harrowing period of time where everything is sweaty and stressful, awkward and anxious, chaotic and changing. ‘Agent Cody Banks’ dives into this dangerous mission with a lot of intentions. It’s difficult to encapsulate the preteen and teen years in a way that feels honest and accurate because everybody’s experience was different and often embarrassing at (most) times. In the case of Cody Banks, the filmmakers opted to zero in on the hormones and horniness…to mixed results. It’s a slick flick, an expensive competitor to the more heartfelt ’Spy Kids’, and ultimately a movie that only holds up if you grew up watching it in the early 2000’s where everything somehow got away with being this over-the-top misogynistic and stereotypical. All of this is said from experience and with love, as Dylan did indeed grow up watching this one while Henri did not. It’s a wild ride, a early millennium kid’s classic, and a fascinating time capsule. Did you want ice with your drink?

What if you wrote a nifty little story and a deranged movie studio executive stole it to make a blockbuster? What if ‘Big Fat Liar’ could essentially be used to describe you and your out-of-control fibbing? It’s almost like a parable about the value of honesty! Maybe the villain could be named Wolf and the figurative shepherd boy figuratively crying wolf could be named Shepherd. You know, symbolism. But in ‘Big Fat Liar’ (2002), the shepherd boy dyes the wolf blue instead of actually dying. There’s also some rewiring of brakes and windshield wipers, some superglue, and a town full of adults willing to put their careers on the line to torment a powerful asshole. Also the Wolf has a soft spot for a stuffed toy monkey. It’s a bonkers trip from the turn of the millennium that’s held up pretty well. Turns out Paul Giamatti absolutely losing it never goes out of style.

Surprise! Your grandma is not only Julie Andrews but is also royalty. ‘Princess Diaries’ (2001) is a staple of the early 2000’s as well as being the film that launched Anne Hathaway to stardom. Henri watched the DVD countless times as a kid and Dylan hadn’t ever seen it, so we kicked off a mini-run of childhood favorite movies with this San Francisco-set gem. It’s a goofy, heartfelt ride that holds up surprisingly well for a Disney princess movie from twenty years ago. It’s a good teen movie, a good princess movie, a classic makeover movie, and it’s also probably the reason so many kids in their twenties wear Doc Martens to this day. Take a trip with us to San Francisco by way of Genovia.

Gird your loins! A stellar cast makes ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ (2006) a slick and stylish watch. Everybody has had a terrible and over-demanding boss at some point, but Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) probably takes the cake. Watching this in 2021 brings up some questions for the fashion industry about its impact on the health and sanity of people both in and outside its exacting and exclusive ranks. The infamous ‘cerulean blue’ monologue speaks to the massive influence a few select people can have on the culture, but what about the positive influence that the many could have right back? We love to see Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, and Anne Hathaway navigating the cold corridors of Runway magazine, but for ‘2 Devils 2 Prada’ (2022) we’d love to see some solidarity and a bit more mutual respect. A million girls may kill for this job, but should they? All that being said, this movie is and has been a blast to watch for years. That’s all...

Thirty, flirty, and thriving! ‘13 Going On 30’ (2004) joins the long list of body swap/magical realism movies like ‘Freaky Friday’ and ‘Big’ that we can’t seem to get enough of. This movie adds time travel and wishing dust to zap our main character from her 1987 self to her 2004 life and body. Hilarity ensues. Jennifer Garner is electric as the transported teen, and Mark Ruffalo charms as always. It’s a fun, feel-good movie about longing for an escape from everyday life, and we kinda wish we had some wishing dust right now. It probably wouldn’t go towards skipping our twenties, but we’d love to be flirty and thriving...

‘It Happened One Night’ in 1934: one of the earliest romantic comedies, a forerunner of the screwball style, and one of only three major Oscar’s sweeps. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert Star in this bus opera that follows an heiress and a journalist as they outrun private detectives and the substantial reward for her safe return. It’s a romp, it’s a classic, and it feels rather familiar since it’s been referenced and reworked countless times since its release. Clark Gable’s character provided the inspiration for Bugs Bunny later in the decade, which is pretty neat. Hit the road with us.