Frank Film Club with Maisie Williams

It’s Winona season and we’re BACK with a special episode recorded in the company of a delightful audience in London. Yes it’s time we released to the world… our thoughts on the monumental and enduringly relevant film that cemented Winona Ryder as a star. HEATHERS!

Released in 1989 and considered a flop, it’s become what we see as the original mean girl movie. In this episode we explore serious themes of mass hysteria, teen suicide…. and the unserious themes of mystery pâté. We discuss the teenage boys who seemed destined for great things but turn out to be predictable and mean (Christian Slater’s character). Maisie, a diehard Winona stan, explains why Ryder famously made a career-threatening move to join this controversial movie.

Thanks to you dear listeners for choosing this film for us and thanks to the sweetest audience we could’ve asked for at London Podcast Festival <3

TW: this episode does touch on topics including suicide so listen with care.

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Ending the season on a magical high chosen by the listeners. The more we get into this episode the more magic we realise The Parent Trap (1998) is. After we’ve addressed the ridiculous trauma of it all (erm…the terrible parenting decisions!), we get to the good stuff; the nostalgic joy of this film, its legacy and the fact it introduced to the world, Lindsay Lohan and director and co-writer Nancy Meyers.

Wait until you hear about the other actors that were considered before Lindsay. We discuss the sheer brilliance of 11-year-old Lohan and the complicated layers of acting she pulled off during what must’ve been a long, taxing shoot. We look at how exactly they created the illusion of twins back in the 90s, both on set and in post-production. Oh, and we take a long hard look at ourselves after realising the character of Meredith Blake is only 26 years old. HOW?

Tune in for some reminiscing, some making-of trivia and a gritty realistic 2024 Parent Trap remake that we cook up.

A full transcript of this episode can be found here.

Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

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For film club this week we’re watching Polite Society, last year’s British martial artsaction comedy film from debut feature filmmaker Nida Manzoor. 

The setup sees Ria, a London-based Pakistani Muslim girl who dreams of becoming one of Britain’s top stuntwomen. But it;s about so much more than that. It’s genre hopping, it’s a rewarding British comedy, it’s giving Kick Ass, and you know what, it’s different to the other sh*t you see in the cinemas. The film inspires us to reflect on meeting your heroes, co-dependant sisterly relationships and family who are dubious of your dreams. 

We agree it has the coolest stunt scenes of recent years, the perfect synergy between the choreography and camerawork being helped by the fact the cinematographer herself has a black belt in karate (OBSESSED). Maisie opens up about her experience filming stunts for Game of Thrones, the stamina and prep needed to make them look convincing, and we discuss the perseverance of stunt people in general.

We cover clever sound design, budget and the 10 year journey of getting the film made. Plus, our confusion/disappointment that it’s had such a small global impact. When it gets onto streamers - we hope you all stream the **** out of it. We think you’ll love it.

A full transcript of this episode can be found here.

Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

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Mean Girls meets Scream? This week we passionately and lovingly rant about the cult classic, Jennifers Body (2009). Turns out back in 2009, the film industry execs, aka the boys, ruined Diablo Cody’s masterpiece. Fresh off the heels of her hit Juno, screenplay writer Cody was given free rein to create her dream horror comedy starring Megan Fox, the actress born to play the title role. The film flopped thanks to the sexist marketing targeting the wrong audience, jeopardising Megan and Diablo’s careers. Obviously we’re furious.

We discuss the brilliance of the writing that firmly cements this in the high school film canon. We analyse how relatable the friends-by-default setup is and the joy of seeing toxic friendship depicted on screen. We love the Labrador puppy vs black cat energy of the Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox duo. We compare our favourite lines and discuss the films legacy. It’s been a Maisie pick this week > enjoy the rewatch and tune in to our chat 💕

A full transcript of this episode can be found here.

Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

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We lure the amazing Mia McKenna-Bruce to our studio to discuss our fave film of last year: How To Have Sex. She stars as the central character of Tara in this stunning film exploring sexual consent, female friendship, toxic friendship, and self discovery. Mia gives us the scoop on filming those party scenes, drunk acting tips and regressing 10 years for this role.

We reflect on the weighty themes of the film. Unsurprisingly we can all identify with the experiences of the central character and it’s powerful to see the feelings of young, and yes drunk, girls, be validated onscreen. We respect how the young male characters aren’t depicted as monsters and agree how this makes the film all the more impactful. We agree that the incredible authenticity of this film is a testament to not only the writing, but also its thorough research and lengthy casting process.

Maisie and Mia compare working with intimacy coordinators on set, to previous uncomfortable jobs when the role didn’t exist. And finally, we hear about Mia’s wildly different upcoming role after winning her BAFTA.

How To Have Sex (2023) is the debut feature from talented writer/director Molly Manning Walker. Consider us obsessed.

A full transcript of this episode can be found here.

Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

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Wear an extra pair of socks because this film will knock them right off. This week we discuss Femme, the Neo-noir thriller and debut feature from directing duo Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping. 

In Femme, we see Jules targeted in a horrific homophobic attack, destroying his life and career. Some time after that, he encounters one of his attackers in a gay sauna and wants revenge.

We discuss the inspiring journey of this film getting made, from short to feature, plus a whole new cast, with the support of Agile films. You go Agile films! We discuss the simply astounding performances from Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay. We give serious props to the shoestring budget, the unbelievable 3 week actor prep time, and the quality of the scriptwriting. 

TW: this film features a lot of sexual violence. 

Femme (2023) is available to stream on Netflix.

A full transcript of this episode can be found here.

Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

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This week we watch Maestro, a film where Bradley Cooper convincingly ages before your eyes across four decades. We address his biographical film about American conductor Leonard Bernstein. In this episode, we learn a lot about Cooper’s career and directing techniques. We finally learn what a conductor actually does. We discuss whether the apparent 6 years of prep goes unnoticed as far as the performances are concerned. And we recoil in horror at Carey Mulligans lack of ageing.

Maestro (2023) follows Leonard Bernstein as he begins a tumultuous relationship with actress Felicia Montealegre, upturning both of their lives. It stars Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman. It is available to stream on Netflix.

A full transcript of this episode can be found here.

Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

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This week we watch The Holdovers to finally see what all the awards fuss was all about. A film that has so much heart, it follows Paul Giamatti as an unlikeable teacher at a boarding school who is forced to chaperone a handful of students with nowhere to go over Christmas. Convincingly set in the 70s, the film was committed right down to the old school trailer. None of us expected to connect with it as much as we did, but we were won over by the people - from character actor Paul Giamatti in a role so different from the Paul from our childhoods, to newcomer Dominic Sessa. Let’s just say we had a very excited Casting Director in the room for this recording.

The Holdovers (2023) is an American Christmas comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson. 

A full transcript of this episode can be found here.

Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

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Talking about Jonathan Glazer’s Auschwitz-set film The Zone of Interest this week was both really hard and in many ways very easy. Easy because it’s a masterclass in sound design and unusual cinematography choices. Obviously film students should be studying this for years to come. But this is no easy watch - it's a film that leaves you questioning humanity and resonates harder now than ever. We discuss the effect the film had on us, how Glazer pulled it off and the incredible reception its had. 

The Zone of Interest (2023) was directed by Jonathan Glazer and stars Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller.

A full transcript of this episode can be found here.

Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

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For two of us, this film was deeply inspiring. For one of us, this film was simply not it. Nyad is a 2023 American biographical sports drama about swimmer Diana Nyad’s attempts to swim from Cuba to Florida, starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster. In this episode we address the controversy of the athlete’s cheating and conclude that people need to GET A LIFE. We give serious props to the filmmakers who are legends in the world of sports documentary. But despite their credentials, we question some of their filmmaking choices. Is it too cheesy? Letterboxd hate it, Rotten Tomatoes love it. We’re the same - it’s a hung jury. 

Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

A full transcript of this episode can be found here.

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