Backstabbing for Beginners is a political thriller starring Theo James who plays Michael Sullivan, the son of a late U.S. diplomat who gets a job at the U.N. He's an idealist who wants to help people, before he meets Pasha (portrayed by Ben Kingsley), a vulgar realist who heads the oil for food program. Pasha takes Michael under his wing, but is he blurring ethical lines with the way he runs things? Based off the book "Backstabbing for Beginners: My Crash Course in International Diplomacy" by Michael Soussan, the A24 rocks crew discusses the movie and the early aughts when they were also idealist young lads. Caution: movie spoilers.

Intro- 0:00 to 4:12.

Film Discussion- 4:12 to 53:45.

Film Ratings and Outro- 53:45 to End.

Next five A24 Films we're reviewing-

65. First Reformed.

66. How to Talk to Girls at Parties.

67. Hereditary.

68. Woman Walks Ahead.

69. Eighth Grade.

On this A24 Vibe discussion: Cole, Eric, and Kevin delve into the 1997 sci-fi action cult classic "Starship Troopers" starring Casper Van Diem, Denise Richards, Michael Ironside, Dina Meyer, and Neil Patrick Harris. When Starship Troopers came out, it was received as a piece of pro-military fascist propaganda, even though director Paul Verhoeven insisted it was a satire. Nonetheless, critics panned it, and it barely broke even on its high budget. The A24 rocks crew discuss whether the satire still hits home 27 years later. Caution: movie spoilers.

Intro- 0:00 to 3:00.

Film Discussion- 3:00 to 48:39.

Film Ratings- 48:39 to End.

For other media from the A24 Rocks crew, check out Eric's YouTube docuseries "Tales of the Great Lakes" and his most recent episode on the tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o0zaEsPvcw&t=289s&ab_channel=FirelakeMedia

Lean On Pete is a 2018 A24 film about a Portland boy named Charley (portrayed by Charlie Plummer) with a wholesome scumbag dad (portrayed by Travis Fimmel), who gets a job at the local horse racing track after he meets a man named Del (portrayed by Steve Buscemi). Charley quickly becomes enamored by one of Del's racehorses named "Lean On Pete." When tragedy strikes Charley, his ties to Lean On Pete only grow deeper, which drives a wedge between him and Del who sees Lean On Pete as just a racehorse. Also starring Chloe Sevigny, Lean On Pete is one of the highest rated critical films of the 2018 year of A24. What will the A24 rocks crew think of it? Caution: movie spoilers.

Intro- 0 to 3:35.

Film Discussion- 3:35 to 1:15:50.

Film Ratings and Outro- 1:15:50 to End.

Next five A24 films we review-

64. Backstabbing for Beginners.

65. First Reformed.

66. How to Talk to Girls at Parties.

67. Hereditary.

68. Woman Walks Ahead.

On this A24 Vibe Discussion, co-host Eric Kiska talks with filmmakers Blake and Blaine Childress who recently co-wrote/co-directed a short film called "Bongo The Elephant" that they're submitting to film festivals. For their short film, they responsibly used artificial intelligence to curate an idea for a character designer. Eric and the Childress Brothers discuss the future of A.I. in film, and what it will be like for filmmakers as this technology advances. Eric also talks to them about the process of making "Bongo the Elephant," and what it's like to be an indie filmmaker.

Check out their YouTube channel to see other short films they've produced: https://www.youtube.com/@that1filmmaker.

Also, check out Eric's YouTube channel to watch the first episode of his new docuseries Tales of the Great Lakes: https://www.youtube.com/@FirelakeMedia.

The A24 rocks crew begins their fifth season of A24 vibe discussions talking about the 2024 Netflix mini-series sensation "Baby Reindeer." They delve into what makes Baby Reindeer unique from other portrayals of stalking in media, and debate the tough questions that viewers have proposed after receiving the mini-series. They also discuss the origin story of Richard Gadd's black comedy. Caution: spoilers.

Intro- 0:00 to 3:48.

Baby Reindeer Discussion- 3:48 to 56:56.

Outro- 56:56 to End.

The A24 Rocks crew kicks off the 2018 year of review's with the first film A24 distributed in 2018, and that is: The Vanishing of Sidney Hall starring Logan Lerman, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, and Michelle Monaghan. This film is about a writer named Sidney Hall and follows three different points of his life: before he released his first book, directly after he released he first book, and several years later when he's seemingly vanished from public life and an alleged detective is trying to find him. Caution: movie spoilers.

Intro- 0 to 3:10.

Film Discussion- 3:10 to 58:41.

Film Ratings and Outro- 58:41 to End.

Next five A24 films we're reviewing:

62. The Last Movie Star.

63. Leon on Pete.

64. Backstabbing for Beginners.

65. First Reformed.

66. How to Talk to Girls at Parties.

The A24 Rocks crew has finished watching and reviewing every film from the 2017 year of A24 and is now tasked with giving out the golden coveted Oscar Isaac awards. They'll be picking from 7 categories including: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted). What film will take home the most Oscar Isaac's this year? Lady Bird? Good Time? The Killing of a Sacred Deer? The Florida Project? Listen in to find out. Caution: movie spoilers.

Intro- 0:00 to 4:19.

Was 2017 better than 2016 for A24?- 4:20 to 7:42.

Nominees and Winners- 7:42 to 1:15:04.

Outro: 1:15:04 to End.

Programming Note: A24 On The Rocks will be taking a two month break to realign our Chakra's and will be back in June 2024.