21. Slow West (2015) Film Review
Slow West was a 2015 A24 Western film written and directed by punk rock star John Maclean. Taking place in 1870 Colorado, young Jay Cavandish (played by Kodi Smit-Mcphee) treks into the wild wild west with help from a bounty hunter named Silas (played by Michael Fassbender) to find an unrequited love from his homeland of Scotland. On the way, he encounters all the dangers and thrills of the anarchy of the Rocky Mountains. The A24 Rocks gang discusses the screenwriting, directing, and costume design of the film while also debating who they would've been if they had lived in the U.S. in 1870. Slow West was critically-acclaimed and even won an award at the Sundance Film Festival, but does this outlaw gang of film reviewers agree with the critics? Tune in to find out. Caution: movie spoilers.
28 Sep 20221h 11min
20. Ex Machina (2015) Film Review
The A24 Rocks gang reviews its 20th film, and perhaps one of the best A24 films of all time: Ex Machina. Directed and written by Alex Garland (director of Men and Annihilation), this academy award-winning Science Fiction flick is about a programmer named Caleb (played by Domhnall Gleeson) who works for a Google-reminiscent company called Bluebook. Caleb wins a raffle to meet Bluebook CEO Nathan Bateman (played by Oscar Isaac). After traveling to Nathan’s desolate island home and signing a "boiler-plate N.D.A." Caleb finds out that Nathan has brought him in to do a Turing Test on an artificially intelligent robot (played by Alicia Vikander). These film nuts invite special guest Kurt Facknitz to review the film with them and debate artificial intelligence. Specifically: what is the future of it? Have we already crossed a line with LaMDA? Will it be a good development for humanity or a bad development? Plus, Blaize discusses his relationship with his vacuum. Caution: movie spoilers.
21 Sep 20221h 22min
19. Cut Bank (2015) Film Review
In Cut Bank, Montana (supposedly the coldest town in the country), Dwayne McLaren (played by Liam Hemsworth) is sick of small town life and devises a money making scheme with local mailman Georgie Wits (played by Bruce Dern) to earn a quick buck and get out of town. Dwayne quickly finds out that getting away with this scheme won't be all that easy. Guest-starring Billy Bob Thornton, John Malkovich, Teresa Palmer, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Oliver Platt: this star-studded cast is the makeup of Cut Bank. Shot in Edmonton, Alberta, this film apparently took nearly two years to finish. How did ivy league director Matt Shakman and writer Roberto Patino do in creating this neo-Western? Listen in to find out. Caution: movie spoilers.
14 Sep 20221h 5min
18. While We're Young (2015) Film Review
In the second A24 film of 2015, actors Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts are Josh and Cornelia, a young 40s couple with no children dealing with aging and a stagnant professional. Josh, a documentary filmmaker that hasn't released a film in years, meets Jamie (performed by Adam Driver) and Darby (performed by Amanda Seyfried) at a class he's teaching. When Josh and Cornelia get dinner with Jamie and Darby, they realize that the inspiration and invigoration they once had in their youth has left them. Set in New York City, the two couples depict Gen X New York and Millennial New York. Will these newfound friendships lead Josh and Cornelia to breaking out of the stagnation they've felt in recent years? Listen in as these A24 film-buffs discuss and review the themes of While We're Young, written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Noah Baumbach. Caution: movie spoilers.
7 Sep 20221h 18min
17. Son of a Gun (2015) Film Review
The first film distributed by A24 in 2015 was Son of a Gun starring Brenton Thwaites, Ewan McGregor, and Alicia Vikander. Directed and written by Julius Avery, this Australian crime-drama follows JR, a recently imprisoned 19 year old kid. JR meets Brendan through a mutual love of chess. Brendan, a hardened criminal and bank robber, offers his protection in exchange for help when JR gets out of prison. With violent prison-mates looming, JR agrees to Brendan's offer and we venture into the underbelly of an Australian criminal enterprise. Will these A24 nerds enjoy this contribution to Australian cinema as much as they enjoyed The Rover? Listen to find out. Caution: movie spoilers.
31 Aug 20221h 1min
Interview with Brandon Johnston from The Martini Shot, A24 2013-2014 Year's in Review
In this special episode these A24 nerds talk to Brandon Johnston from The Martini Shot, a fellow film reviewer and mixologist who makes unique cocktails for every film he reviews. Brandon shows them how to make a "sex on the farm," inspired by the A24 film X and the cocktail "sex on the beach." Now that every film from 2013-2014 is reviewed: these cinephiles give their favorite film and least favorite film from those two years and discuss what film they would've rated differently. There is also a rehashing of the Spring Breakers debate which proved to be the most polarizing movie of the first two years of A24. Programming note: A24 On The Rocks will be taking a 1 month break and will be back on August 31st, 2022. Where to find The Martini Shot: https://martinishot.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMEwxOQLzn0z26_yQbZjxQw https://twitter.com/MartiniShotBlog https://www.instagram.com/themartinishotblog/ https://www.facebook.com/TheMartiniShotBlog https://letterboxd.com/TheMartiniShot/ https://www.tiktok.com/@themartinishot?lang=en
27 Juli 202255min
16. A Most Violent Year (2014) Film Review
It's 1981 New York City and Ronald Reagan (the actor) is President, you own a heating-oil business and your oil trucks keep getting robbed... what do you do? This film may have the answer. Starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year is a period crime-drama that explores the inner workings of the oil industry in the early 80s. The film centers around Abel, an immigrant and business owner who wants to achieve the American Dream, but at what cost? Is the American Dream all a mirage? Written and directed by J.C. Chandor and co-starring Albert Brooks, these A24 nerds delve deep into the last A24 film of 2014. Caution: movie spoilers.
20 Juli 20221h 2min
15. The Captive (2014) Film Review
In this suspense-thriller starring Ryan Reynolds and Rosario Dawson, The Captive focuses on a dad and mom whose daughter has been abducted by a pedophile ring. Eight years after the abduction, a police unit tasked with taking down pedophile rings have found a clue that proves she is still alive. But will the family and the cops overcome a wealthy and powerful group of child sex traffickers? These A24 nerds discuss the film, plus much more, such as an appearance from Bugs Bunny and Mozart. Caution: movie spoilers.
13 Juli 20221h 8min
