Rules of the Frame

This week we're finally joining the family to discuss the first entry in the Fast and the Furious franchise and its similarities to Point Break!

Three things we love: adventure, Spielberg, and Zemeckis! This week we're discussing Michael Douglas's passion project Romancing the Stone, and trying to figure out if its director just copied his mentor's classic hero, or if this stands alone from Indiana Jones.

In case you missed it, last year the boys celebrated 5 years!!! So we did a little recap episode, reminiscing on favorite movies and EPS and digging into the history of the show. We also wanted to say thanks to you the listeners and to all the wonderful guests who have appeared on the show!
Link to episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0hzb02NEMnKE4wFk5RN1AA?si=ZmsZp7dkR66hrIiS-lRSIQ

It's our 100th episode, so of course we have to cover our namesake: The Rules of the Game! We bring the whole gang back together to talk about one of Jean Renoir's many masterpieces and reminisce a bit about previous episodes.
#100

This week we're turning to the weird and cyclical history of the Western and Samurai genre. We're setting our sights on one of the greats with A Fistful of Dollars! Do you think that because a legal battle was fought, this film is a rip off of Yojimbo?

Back from the dead! Or at least just a long break. We're glad to be back and talking about the weirdest film we've covered yet with
Link to new episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/70EibKGf4e85gD43gOMRNZ?si=V6bua2SDSU6qhr3NiWCgjw

You've probably noticed that we haven't posted a new episode in a while. That does not mean that Rules of the Frame is dead or dying. We are just in a new stage where Connor is now an adjunct teaching film at a university. While we are super excited for this, it also means that he has a lot less time now to edit, research, and the like.

We will continue to release new episodes, they just might be more sporadic. We'd hate for a drop in quality and that is why we've decided to go this route rather than just churn them out. Thank you so much for all your support and inquiries!

Much of Burton's style is derived from German Expressionism and Universal Horror films, so what better way to pay homage than to recreate one of the films that influenced him the most.

This week we're taking a turn to a slightly more cheerful film: Tim Burton's Frankenweenie. It is well known that Burton has a love for gothic stop motion animation, and this is his most recent iteration. We'll discuss his style, the effectiveness of the film and the interesting evolution of animation.

This week we're looking at Todd Phillips' Joker and trying to figure out what the purpose of the style and setting are. It may be a new side of Gotham and the character, but is it necessary or even effective?

We're so excited to bring on the final member of Suite 25, Thatcher Radler, for this week's episode! Thatcher brings his love of Scorsese films to help scrutinize Todd Phillips' Joker and determine what was the point?

We had a blast recording with the wonderful Dillon Worthington. We're so glad he brought this film to our attention and basically created this series!

This week we're turning to one of the two Ridley Scott films of 2021: The Last Duel. It may have bombed at the box office, but it's actually a fascinating return to form for Scott, but how does it compare to Rashomon??

JJ Abrams was first noticed by Spielberg when he submitted a film to a local festival as a kid. He was then contacted by Spielberg's agent who asked him to help restore some of his early films along with Matt Reeves. Abrams didn't meet Spielberg until years later, but he still remembered the work he did for him.

We're starting off our Retelling or Rip-Off series with Super 8 and its inspiration E.T.! Does this film capture the feel of Spielberg's fantastical early films? Does it rely on nostalgia or chart its own course through retelling the 80's fable? Listen in to hear our thoughts.

If you want to know more about the insane story behind this film, then you need to read Greg Sestero's: The Disaster Artist. Hearing the first hand account of what it's like to be best friends with Tommy Wiseau and the genesis of the film is a wild ride and might even shift your view of Tommy...

Nothing is conventional with The Room, but the advertising especially so. Wiseau decided to put the film in a theater for two weeks to make it eligible for an Oscar, commercials for it would play at 2AM, and he kept a billboard ad in LA for 6 years. The number listed on the sign was his direct landline, to which he would say he's looking forward to seeing you at the movie.

Hoo boy, is this a stacked episode. We decided to go all out and bring on the boys for this one. We brought back Connor Gooderl, and welcomed newcomers like Daniel Loganbill, Zach Koym, and Tim Scebold. Nothing can bring you together(or tear you apart,) like a bad movie!

We may be finished with our Top 5 of the 2000's series, but that just means it's boooonus episode time! Our pick for the worst film of the 2000's is Tommy Wiseau's The Room. This is a wild and off-kilter episode, so strap in, take some NyQuil, and doze off to the sweet sounds of chaos!

Not only is Erick Frost a connoisseur of films, but he is also the front man for the band RORRE. They are absolutely incredible and you should check out their new album Beautiful Streams.
Link to their music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6gsvIJo92mTXuqhdrO31hW?si=H1SU6IHrQEquHmrVrmi5mQ&utm_source=copy-link

The film character of Daniel Plainview is a combination of himself and James Arnold Ross from the book. PTA said that he based the character off of historical figure Edward L. Doheny, of which the James Arnold Ross character of the books was also based off.

We are so honored to have on the one and only Erick Frost to talk about There Will Be Blood! Erick is a true renaissance man. He's the front man of RORRE, photographer extraordinaire, and director of multiple Switchfoot music videos. Listen in to hear his thoughts on anamorphic lenses, slow westerns, and PTA!

Making convincing oil proved to be an interesting challenge for this film. In order to follow environmental laws while filming, they used chocolate syrup that is found in McDonald's milkshakes to mimic the crude substance.

There Will Be Blood is loosely based on Upton Sinclair's epic novel: Oil! PTA discovered the book in a store in London and was captivated by it and started writing a screenplay with elements taken from the first 150 pages.