FRAME RATE: The Secret of NIMH (1982)

In 1979, famous Disney animator Don Bluth left Disney to form his own studio. Their first project, released in 1982, was The Secret of NIMH. Layered with magic, mystery, and beautiful old-school animation, this incredible adventure follows a brave little mouse who is trying to save her son from a deadly disease.

This is one of our childhood favorites, and it brings back such great memories! Whether it's your first viewing, or a nostalgic flashback, join Jaime, Dan, and Patrick as we discuss this wonderful animated film.

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FRAME RATE: It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

All of us face struggles in life, and this year has been an exceptional burden on people all over the world.

The holiday season of 2020 seems like the right time to be reminded of some important things: that your life matters, that if you treat people with kindness it will be reflected back to you, and that "All you can take with you is that which you've given away". Join Dan, Jaime, and Patrick as they discuss one of their very favorites: Frank Capra's 1946 classic It's a Wonderful Life.

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FRAME RATE: Strange Days (1995)

Kathryn Bigelow directing, James Cameron writing, a great cast...what could go wrong?

Join Dan, Patrick, Jaime, and special guest and patron Mike Denis as we discuss this pre-Y2K film that has...a lot going on.

From Blade Runner influences to specially-designed cameras, let's go back to 1995 and see what Strange Days predicted about 1999. (Please excuse us for the poor audio-quality at times. We have upgraded some of our equipment and are still optimizing the sound.)

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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!!!

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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.

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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 Presents: The Last of Us Part 2 (2020)

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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