Frames and Fools: Film, Filmmakers, and Foolishness

At long last we return to the Twilight Saga (2008-2012) with our fearless guide Kate. After spending an episode (and another bonus episode) discussing the first, we watched the next four films in a delighted, wine-fueled gorge, kicking off our fascination with vampire stories. Months later we reworked our way through the fantastically mixed bag that is the Twilight saga. These films are an endless source of fascination for us and are also the perfect excuse to hang out with Kate for a few hours, mercilessly but lovingly picking apart the choices made in the making of this much-maligned series. Join us for a two-part Twilight extravaganza, our journey back to Forks, and a merry examination of the films that launched a thousand fanfics. You better hold on tight, spider monkey.

‘Hail, Caesar!’ (2016) wasn’t what we expected when we asked our buddy Tyler to join us on the show. We knew we’d like to talk about a Coen Brothers movie (Tyler and Henri watched every single one in a movie marathon that took several weeks), but their shiny ‘love letter to Hollywood’ isn’t the first that springs to most peoples’ minds when they think about Joel and Ethan’s impressive body of work. Some didn’t know what to think about the movie when it came out, us included. But what initially felt like a loosely strung-together sequence of vignettes leading to nothing becomes, under closer inspection, a carefully constructed sendup of cinema as church, ruthless and reactive business, and “balm for the ache of a toiling mankind”, as the narrator puts it. Unsurprisingly, the brothers did it again, giving us a sunny day-in-the-life that is silly and cynical, savvy and smiling, and ultimately more human than the fantasy it portrays so deftly.

No soundscape, no format, no rules. Where are your heroes now? Henri and Dylan get together to follow up on a juicy hot take from the hallowed hermit himself, Alan Moore. Everyone and their mother has weighed in on the impact of superheroes (and the many superhero films dominating cinema in the 21st century) but has anyone gotten this candid? Has anyone been brave enough to wander into the inevitable tangents about Star Wars, derailing the conversation while also tying it back to the idea of fandoms and obsession? Has anyone been bold enough to examine the dissonance created by characters created for children being squeezed into adult films attempting to violently illustrate deep truths about society? Wait, basically everyone has taken their shot at this? Shit. Uh, well...hmm. We probably say at least a couple things that sound vaguely original, is that enough to justify the amount of time we spend examining pop culture in today’s world? Anyway, Batman...

By now it’s probably apparent that we dig vampire stories, and ‘Let The Right One In’ (2008) from Sweden has got to be in our top five. It’s a chilly little tale about two kids, one of whom has been a kid for a very long time. The other is relentlessly bullied at school and could use a friend. Throw in a few neighborhood murders and you’ve got a real tense situation. This movie was remade a couple years later and the exercise of comparing the two was really fun. Both films are remarkable in their own ways, but the Scandinavian essence in ‘Let The Right One In’ helps it to be a truly unique vampire story. You have to invite them in.

And now for something (kinda) different: we watched ‘Slither‘ (2006) and jumped right into a conversation about horror, comedy, horror comedy, and the fun of getting that elusive tone just right. The movie may have flopped, but it showcases a lot of thought and intention that we love to highlight. Pull up a chair and grab your grenades for ‘Slither‘.

Remakes are tricky. ‘Let Me In’ (2010) does something most remakes can’t: hew incredibly close to the original while completely changing the tone and approach. It’s a fascinating exercise to watch two films that were made around the same time and speculate about the choices made, especially when the property crosses cultures. Matt Reeves directed this American remake of the Swedish ‘Let The Right One In’ (2008) and went with a more conventional horror vibe but also chose to focus the story almost entirely on the two young leads, lending the whole movie a twisted fairy tale atmosphere. In our next episode we discuss the original film, itself an adaptation of a bestselling novel. Why did we watch the remake first? Because they’re both fantastic and we like to live dangerously. Almost as dangerously as befriending the local vampire.

In search of peace and solace, Dylan and Henri make their way deep into the most peaceful place they can think of: the local library. There they indulge in one of life’s great joys: a badass and instantly memorable movie trailer, in this case, a trailer for ‘Possessor’. There’s just one thing they forgot: headphones. And there’s only one thing in the world librarians can’t abide more than disorganization: outside voices inside. As the conversation turns to Black Mirror, it becomes increasingly difficult for our heroes to contain themselves...

‘A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night’ (2014) is one hell of a title for one hell of a debut feature film. That evocative title perfectly sets up this moody, beautiful Iranian vampire western featuring, among other things, Persian James Dean, the coolest classic car you’ll see all week, deliciously shot black and white compositions, and one of the most unique vampires set to film. This movie wears its influences on its black and white striped sleeve and we think Nosferatu himself would be proud of the work that went into making such an incredible piece of cinema. We’re gushing, yes, but you will be too after getting bitten by this movie.

Spin the disco ball in Episode 35.

Name your top three Thanksgiving horror movies. If ‘Blood Rage’ (1987) isn’t one, please tell us about more Thanksgiving horror movies because ‘Thankskilling’ shouldn’t be in the top three of anything. ‘Blood Rage’, aka ‘Slasher’ aka ‘Nightmare At Shadow Woods’ aka ‘The Creepy Twin’ (okay, we made the last one up. But the other names actually are real names this movie has also gone by) is a simple tale of murder and mayhem. A twin commits creepy twin child murder, ten years pass, and a twin commits creepy twin college murder but way more this time. Not much else to it but—wait a sec, was that Sam Raimi’s brother? Yes. Yes it was. The haircuts are wild, the slashing is wilder. Hold onto your beers for dear life, there’s a creepy twin on the loose.

Good luck getting the lullaby from ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006) out of your head, good luck trying to not shed a tear while watching the movie, and good luck trying to not fall completely in love with this masterpiece of a story. Guillermo Del Toro really outdid himself writing and directing the now classic blend of historical fiction and fairy tale, and we had a fantastic time watching it—Dylan for the first time and Henri for the 15th(?). We do many things in this episode: gush over the production design and every other aspect of this movie; ask “at what point do stories for children become a hindrances for adults?”; and attempt to tackle our thorniest challenge yet: who the fuck is Pan?!