Praise be the blessed waters listeners, welcome to our First Reformed Christian Minecraft server. On this Holy day, we preach our reverence to Paul Schrader and Ethan Hawke for imbibing us with A24's 65th film: First Reformed. Reverend Toller has strayed from the path, temptations and demons manifest in many forms, but let he not stray long: for he is saved. At the First Reformed and Abundant Life Church, they've created a mighty fortress, and the A24 Rocks crew invites you to partake in the blood of our savior. Caution: movie spoilers.

Intro- 0:00 to 4:34.

Film Discussion- 4:34 to 1:21:20.

Film Ratings and Outro- 1:21:20 to End.

Next five A24 films we review:

66. How to Talk to Girls at Parties.

67. Hereditary.

68. Woman Walks Ahead.

69. Eighth Grade.

70. Hot Summer Nights.

If you enjoyed this podcast, check out co-host Eric's YouTube series "Tales of the Great Lakes" on his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNyRcy1AYBRRK0d6avOm3_g

On this A24 vibe discussion, the A24 Rocks crew delves into Yorgos Lanthimos' most recent cinematic odyssey: Kinds of Kindness. In Lanthimos' most star-studded cast to date, this film stars: Jesse Plemons, Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Hong Chau, and Margaret Qualley. Kinds of Kindness is a "triptych fable" featuring three different absurdly tragic stories. These film reviewers discuss each fable before giving their thoughts on if this film is as good as Lanthimos' A24 gems. Caution: movie spoilers.

Intro- 0:00 to 3:26.

Film Discussion- 3:26 to 49:57.

Film Ratings and Outro- 49:57 to End.

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.