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MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (2016)
Midnight Special is the kind of film that drip-feeds information rather than dole out exposition. The film starts with two men acting shiftily in a motel room, while the news anchor on TV tells us that one of them is wanted by the police. The other man’s history will remain a mystery for much longer.…
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THE AMERICANS, 4.4 – ‘Chloramphenicol’
I’ll admit that I was initially reluctant when asked to cover The Americans for Frame Rated. It’s not that I’m not a big fan of the show—I’ve been hooked since the pilot’s incredible Fleetwood Mac-scored opening sequence, and it’s never let me down. My hesitation had more to do with why I love the show, which has little…
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THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER’S WAR (2016)
Snow White and the Huntsman was the kind of film that was perfectly enjoyable in the moment, but you forgot about almost as soon as the credits roll. A dark-fantasy adapting the classic Grimm fairy tale, Snow White boasted beautiful visuals and a scene-stealing turn from Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen, but it was…
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BETTER CALL SAUL, 2.8 – ‘Fifi’
We’re hurtling towards the season finale now, but things remain surprisingly sedate in the world of Better Call Saul. I’ve heard grumblings from people that season 2’s been a disappointment, but I wouldn’t go that far. It’s just understandably tougher to turn the life of a crooked lawyer into gripping spectacle, and the writers are…
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THE SOUND BARRIER (1952)
Although The Sound Barrier manages to excitedly capture the thrill and majesty of flying a plane above the clouds at high speed, the film is even more successful as a fractious family drama spanning many years. Writer Terence Rattigan did have input from professional pilots, but it’s clear that his interest lies with the characters…
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AGENT CARTER – Season Two
One of the most appealing aspects of Marvel’s interconnected live-action universe is how their output spans a range of genres. If we were just watching an endless parade of superhero stories it could be frustrating, but the studio have proffered crazy sci-fi adventures, a heist flick, a gritty crime thriller, a psychological drama, and Agent…
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TANGERINE (2015)
The greatest accomplishment of a film like Tangerine is making the audience empathise with the characters on screen, despite telling a story set in a reality very alien to most of us. Entirely filmed on an iPhones 5s, starring a couple of talented newcomers with great chemistry, writer-director Sean Baker has crafted a perfect example…
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APRIL 2016: The Best of Film & TV
Easter’s over and the days are getting longer, so I’ve selected some of the most notable television shows and films debuting in April 2016. If you think there’s anything missing, please mention in the comments below.
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THE AMERICANS, 4.3 – ‘Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow’
Is there any show as strong at narrative misdirection as The Americans? Four seasons in, the show’s strategy of slowly building tension over multiple episodes, only to suddenly upend the narrative apple cart, should be more predictable… and yet it still works. It’s not even that the show relies on out-of-left-field plot twists—the turn this week’s…
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VINYL, 1.7 – ‘The King and I’
Stop the clocks, because, for the second week in a row, I enjoyed an episode of Vinyl. “The King and I” was a tightly-scripted and entertaining hour of television that was also surprisingly funny at times—something of a first for this series. All kudos to this week’s writer, David Matthews, who expertly juggled some very…
