Frames and Fools: Film, Filmmakers, and Foolishness Skål Media

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.


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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…


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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.


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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.


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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?


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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 a*****e. 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.


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