Frame Related #1: Sea of Mad Ballerinas
Welcome to the first edition of our new occasional newsletter.
It’s the spooky season, so we’ll naturally have lots of horror-themed reviews for you this October. Conall McManus has already written about Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre for us, while Lance Li tackled new body horror hit The Substance recently, and Cian McGrath looked back at Shaun of the Dead for its 20th anniversary…
Follow us on Medium for more to come, but for now…
“I wanted to turn attention to Dan Perrin’s recent retrospective of Sea of Love, a neo-noir thriller from 1989 starring Al Pacino. It’s Dan’s first piece of Frame Rated and he does an excellent job communicating the reasons the film is an underrated gem, frequently lost in conversation whenever Pacino’s amazing career is being evaluated. I’m sure many people haven't even heard of it amidst talk of The Godfather (1972) and Scarface (1983), so Dan’s article is a great way to get a taste of what it’s all about.” — Dan Owen
“The John Wick franchise is over — right? Or at least dormant after four amazing instalments. So now we’re in the era of prequels and spin-offs. Prime Video’s recent 1970s-set miniseries, The Continental, passed by without causing much of a stir, but here comes a more enticing prospect: Ballerina. Ana De Armas is the female Keanu Reeves for another high-octane, action-packed adventure set in this heightened world of deadly assassins.
The worrying thing is Ballerina has been delayed for over a year, with John Wick honcho Chad Stahelski flown in to help strengthen the action alongside director Len Wiseman (Underworld). But maybe that’s also a sign they’re taking the time to get this right. And with Keanu Reeves and other John Wick characters seemingly involved, plus de Armas getting to showcase her unexpected prowess with guns in No Time to Die (2021) once again, I have my fingers crossed this is going to hit the target.” — Dan Owen.
“If you have £100 burning a hole in your pocket, you may want to consider Warner Bros.’s new “Mad Max 5-Film Collection” on 4K Ultra HD, although the existing “Mad Max Anthology” costs less than half that on 4K, so you’re paying over £50 just for them now including Furiosa. Eek!
The packaging is also a lot cooler, but maybe this one’s just for completists and those wanting to support George Miller’s desire to finish his Mad Max saga with a sixth film. Lovely package nonetheless.” — Dan Owen.
Until next time…
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