Frank & Lola (2016)

[The Great Owl]

I'm trying to drum up more interest for this fine movie that flew under the radar last year, since it was one of my top five films of 2016.

Frank & Lola

Synopsis: A seductive and intense noir romance for our times, Frank & Lola is the story of two people locked in a battle of passion and obsession. When talented chef Frank meets aspiring fashion designer Lola, he is instantly and violently in love. As the secrets of Lola's dark past are revealed, the lovers are drawn into a web of sex, jealousy and revenge. With outstanding performances from Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots, Frank & Lola is a haunting examination of love, obsession and domination that weaves a twisted yet irresistible spell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgVwXbz1YmI

Here is my own review of Frank & Lola from a couple of months ago...

Frank & Lola premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and several critics have compared it to classic film noir cinema. Since film noir is my favorite movie genre, my decision to check out this neo-noir at the theater down the street today was an easy one. Michael Shannon (Take Shelter, Man of Steel) plays Frank, a short-tempered and taciturn chef who is working high-end restaurants in Las Vegas when he falls in love with Lola, an aspiring fashion designer played by the remarkably beautiful Imogen Poots (Green Room, Fright Night, Roadies television series). Frank's insecurities about the age gap in their relationship come to a head when Lola reveals that she cheated on him and that she was sexually abused while she was living in France. When Frank travels to Paris to audition for a prestigious chef position, he investigates Lola's past and risks danger by tracking down her ex-lover, who is portrayed with an uneasy menace by Michael Nyqvist (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). This movie throws a few unpredictable and disturbing curveballs, but the dark aspects of the story come not from the violence, but from the notion that we can often never really know the people who walk into our lives. I was reminded several times of the 1950 Humphrey Bogart film noir, In a Lonely Place, mainly because Michael Shannon's volatile screen presence is similar to that of Bogart's. Imogen Poots, in turn, makes for quite a femme fatale. Frank & Lola is not for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed how it plays out in a quietly unnerving way.

[jh901]

Will rent. Like the two leads and Poots is easy on the eyes! Hard to believe this film would breach top 50 for 2016 though.

[javi92]

Ordered from DD. Figure I'll give it a shot, despite the tepid reviews.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by javi92

Ordered from DD. Figure I'll give it a shot, despite the tepid reviews.

There's a vast disconnect between what audiences expect to happen in this film and what actually happens. I can understand why the masses didn't warm up to it, but I enthusiastically recommend it to those who are schooled in film noir.

I think that Michael Shannon does his best work yet in this film, and he's done great work in recent movies across the board.

[Tone blare]

I didn't like this at all. No chemistry between the two leads and so I didn't care at all what they were going through which isn't that interesting anyway. Shannon is good but it's been established. He's always gonna give a good performance but for me he's not so incredible that it saved the movie. Bad script, boring directing. I thought it was a disappointment.

[Trace17]

I'm going to check it out. I hadn't heard of it until I saw it in the release calendar but it sounds like something I might enjoy.

[MifuneFan]

Very interested in checking it out. I like the look of the film, very dark and moody.

[The Great Owl]

Frank & Lola showed up at my doorstep from Amazon Prime yesterday. I'm looking forward to revisiting this fine neo-noir.

For all of you slipcovery people, this release sports a fine slipcover.

[AaronJ]

Looks good. I love that cast.

[wormraper]

mediocre movie. had great potential up until the 3rd act where it really fell apart.

[tehthomas]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Frank & Lola showed up at my doorstep from Amazon Prime yesterday. I'm looking forward to revisiting this fine neo-noir.

For all of you slipcovery people, this release sports a fine slipcover.

So here's the thing, based on the some of the screen shots from the bluray.com review from today and learning that this is a neo-noir has me interested, but it seems from the bluray cover that this is some sort of romance movie. I don't think they marketed it right.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by tehthomas

So here's the thing, based on the some of the screen shots from the bluray.com review from today and learning that this is a neo-noir has me interested, but it seems from the bluray cover that this is some sort of romance movie. I don't think they marketed it right.

Not quite a romance movie. Much darker than that.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by tehthomas

So here's the thing, based on the some of the screen shots from the bluray.com review from today and learning that this is a neo-noir has me interested, but it seems from the bluray cover that this is some sort of romance movie. I don't think they marketed it right.

Yeah I also would've thought it's some quirky indie romcom, but the Love Betrayal yada yada in between them kinda ruins it.

[GxyExpress999]

[agentalbert]

Is this a BD-50 or BD-25? The bluray.com summary shows BD25, but the scan of the rear artwork shows BD50 on the back. I guess with short run time, no special features and only one audio track, a BD25 is probably all that is needed, even with a healthy encode.

[cheez avenger]

Good little movie. I saw it a couple of years ago on DVD - checked out from my public library.

[MooneyRara]

Originally Posted by agentalbert

Is this a BD-50 or BD-25? The bluray.com summary shows BD25, but the scan of the rear artwork shows BD50 on the back. I guess with short run time, no special features and only one audio track, a BD25 is probably all that is needed, even with a healthy encode.

It's a BD-50. The listing was incorrect. I fixed it. Thanks for pointing it out.