104. Val (2021) Film Review | A24 on the Rocks

In this 2021 Mike Mills film (director of 20th Century Women), Joaquin Phoenix plays a radio journalist named Johnny who is tasked with looking after his nephew Jesse (portrayed by Woody Norman) due to his sister Viv (portrayed by Gabby Hoffman) taking care of her bipolar husband who is having a manic episode. Jesse quickly breaks boundaries with Johnny and tries to get him out of his shell, while also showing him how to see the world through the ears of a child. The A24 Rocks crew loved 20th Century Women, what will they think of C'mon C'mon? Caution: movie spoilers.Buy us a coffee- https://buymeacoffee.com/moviemindmeltIntro- 0:00 to 3:10.Film Discussion- 3:10 to 55:39.Film Ratings/Outro- 55:39 to End.

On the second ever Movie Mind Melt, these film reviewers attempt to blind rank the top 16 films from the 1960s. It was the decade of counter-culture, the transition from Old Hollywood to New Hollywood, a dead president, and an out of control military industrial complex. Ray invites on an old friend who used to be a movie usher with him in Paul, and it creates a group of four people with widely different opinions on what should be in the top four. How will they ever come to a consensus?Eric will be coming out with a documentary on October 4th called "The Power of the Newspaper: Detroit in the 1960s." Check out the trailer here and don't forget to subscribe to the Firelake Media YouTube channel to watch the film when it drops: https://youtu.be/-P8rUB-2h6A?si=aMUmNpiN4-HRHwu-.Buy us a coffee- https://buymeacoffee.com/moviemindmeltIntro- 0:00 to 2:38.What defined 1960s cinema?- 2:38 to 6:40.Blind Ranking Rules- 6:40 to 8:50.Our Top 16 Films from the 1960s- 8:50 to 1:30:45.Honorable Mentions/Outro- 1:30:45 to End.

This week the A24 Rocks crew reviews the first sequel that A24 ever distributed in The Souvenir Part II. Written and directed by Joanna Hogg, The Souvenir Part II picks up where The Souvenir left off, with Julie reeling from the death of her boyfriend Anthony after he overdosed. Julie is still in film school, though, and quickly decides to turn her pain into art. She doesn't exactly have a plan for her film, though, choosing to improvise the project. What will these film reviewers think of this Criterion Collection pick? Caution: movie spoilers.Buy us a coffee- https://buymeacoffee.com/moviemindmelt.Programming note- there are only 5 A24 films left on our docket for A24 on the Rocks, before we do the 2021 A24 Oscars, and then review Movie Mind Melt films full time in the new year.Intro- 0:00 to 2:40.Film Discussion- 2:40 to 1:07:06.Film Ratings- 1:07:06 to End.

In the inaugural episode of Movie Mind Melt, these film reviewers tackle a movie that literally features heavy maze motifs. Prisoners is a 2013 film directed by Denis Villeneuve, and starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gylenhaal, Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, and Maria Bello. It's about two families whose children are abducted and a detective running through mazes to find them. When a suspect named Alex Jones gets released, Keller (played by Hugh Jackman) abducts him, and decides to torture him to get answers. Some cinephiles nowadays seem to believe that this film contains more than what's on the surface. Kevin, Eric, and Ray discuss. Caution: movie spoilers.https://buymeacoffee.com/moviemindmeltIntro- 0:00 to 2:36.Film Discussion- 2:36 to 1:24:05.Film Ratings/Outro- 1:24:05 to End.

Hey there it’s Eric. You may have noticed we’ve changed our name from A24 on the Rocks. As we’ve discussed in a previous announcement, due to A24 investing in AI and taking billions in venture capital money, we’re changing the idea of our podcast so we’re not a walking billboard for A24. We now introduce you to: Movie Mind Melt, a podcast that reviews films that ask deep and perplexing questions and/or movies that make you say “wtf did I just watch” as soon as the credits roll. Our first film review will be this Wednesday and will be “Prisoners” starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gylenhaal.We only have a couple more A24 on the Rocks films left to review in the 2021 year of A24 and we’ll still be doing our 2021 A24 Oscars before we make the complete shift to this podcast idea in the new year. We will also keep up our back catalog forever, so you can always go back and listen to our old reviews. We just thought we might as well get people used to the new brand and podcast idea, and we hope it’s still in the same vein of our old podcast, as we will specifically be focusing on mid-budget to low-budget films that may contain some kind of mind fuckery and call for discussion and dissection. So welcome to our Movie Mind Melt era everyone. Thank you for listening.

The A24 Rocks crew delves into the Icelandic folk horror film (with a little bit of handball) Lamb. Starring Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Lamb is about a couple named Maria and Ingvar living in rural Iceland with a flock of sheep. Come summer, one of the sheep births a creature of curiosity: a half-human, half-lamb. The situation becomes more tense when Maria and Ingvar's brother Petur arrives at their cabin, to discover that his brother and sister-in-law are raising the half-human, half-lamb themselves. Caution: movie spoilers.Buy us a coffee- https://buymeacoffee.com/a24otr. Intro- 0:00 to 2:10.Film Discussion- 2:10 to 1:01:45.Film Ratings- 1:01:45 to End.

On the last ever A24 vibe discussion (big announcement coming in two weeks), these film reviewers invite on Steven Spielberg super fan Josh Keemig from Keemig Movie Reviews (https://www.instagram.com/keemig.movie.reviews/) to blind rank the top 16 Steven Spielberg films of all time. What Spielberg films will round out the bottom of the list? Will these movie critics choose a blockbuster, or one of Spielberg's more emotionally poignant films to top the list? How many Indiana Jones films will be on here? Will Firelight make the list? Many questions to be answered, and we'd love to hear your own list in the comments.https://buymeacoffee.com/a24otrIntro- 0:00 to 2:01.Is Spielberg the GOAT?- 2:01 to 12:31.Blind Ranking Rules- 12:31 to 13:57.Our Top 16 Steven Spielberg Films- 13:57 to 1:53:43.Outro- 1:53:43 to End.

As Dan and Becky are on vacation, the original cast of A24 Rocks comes back to review one of the most beloved A24 films of all time in The Green Knight. Directed by David Lowery, and starring Dev Patel, The Green Knight is about a nephew of King Arthur playing a Christmas game with a fantasy creature called The Green Knight. The Green Knight challenges someone in King Arthur's court to give him a blow, and in return, the Green Knight will give them blow back to them next Christmas. Gawain answers this challenge by chopping off his head. And as next Christmas approaches, Gawain sets off on an arduous journey to complete the Christmas game and find the courage to receive what he gave the Green Knight. Caution: movie spoilers.Buy us a coffee- https://buymeacoffee.com/a24otrIntro- 0:00 to 2:44.Film Discussion- 2:44 to 1:32:52.Film Review/Outro- 1:32:52 to End.

Zodiac is a 2007 film directed by David Fincher and starring Jake Gylenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo. It covers the infamous Zodiac killings in the late 60s and early 70s in the Bay Area, and how a cartoonist named Robert Graysmith became obsessed with the case, and eventually wrote a book about it. The A24 Rocks crew discusses the messages this film sent about media frenzies, conspiracy rabbit holes, and why the Zodiac killer was never caught. Zodiac, if you're still out there, feel free to post a decipherable code on our social media. Caution: movie spoilers. Buy us a coffee- https://buymeacoffee.com/a24otrIntro- 0:00 to 3:03.Film Discussion- 3:03 to 1:10:01.Film Ratings/Outro- 1:10:01 to End.

Val is a documentary about the Top Gun and Batman star, and late Hollywood heartthrob Val Kilmer. Many knew him from his blockbuster films, but didn't know the more personal aspects of his life, and his struggle with throat cancer. The A24 Rocks crew reviews this autobiographical documentary, and the host sparks some heated debate: was this a poignant autobiography or did it whitewash the more troublesome aspects of Val Kilmer's life? Caution: movie spoilers. Buy us a coffee- https://buymeacoffee.com/a24otr. Intro- 0:00 to 2:18.Film Discussion- 2:18 to 1:17:13.Film Ratings/Outro- 1:17:13 to End.