72. A Prayer Before Dawn (2018) Film Review

We kick off 2025 with the grandest award show in modern cinema: The A24 Oscars! As the A24 rocks crew finished watching the 2018 year of A24, they will now give out the golden coveted Oscar Isaac awards to the best writers, directors, actors/actresses, and films of the 2018 year of A24. They've also added an extra category from previous years, that is similar to a razzy, and that is "the worst film of the year." The formula is simple: each critic has a vote, and the film/actor/actress/writer with the most votes takes home a life-sized statuette of Oscar Isaac. The A24 rocks crew finishes up with a mailbag. Intro- 0:00 to 3:44. Award Explanations, 2018 year vs 2017- 3:44 to 11:17. Award Nominees & Winners- 11:17 to 1:05:52. Outro & Mailbag- 1:05:52 to End. Programming note- we will be taking a break to reset and refresh our movie reviewing minds. We will be back in march to start reviewing the 2019 year of A24, a year that includes The Lighthouse. Thank you for listening everyone, in the meanwhile, check out Eric's YouTube channel where he shares YouTube documentaries of Great Lakes folklore and history: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5bF8V4mnCps52XOR0tN0Lf__7uBuMj-k.

Christmas is next week, so the A24 Rocks crew decided to put aside the dark horrors about generational trauma, or the Thai prison dramas, or coming-of-age tales about anxious/depressed eighth grader's, or the thrillers about alcoholic pastors on a path of righteousness. Just to put you in that Christmas mood: they decided to discuss the most beloved (but maybe debated) Christmas action film of all time in Die Hard. John McClane vs Hans Gruber, Bruce Willis starring alongside Alan Rickman, is this the best action film of all time? Caution: movie spoilers.  Programming note: we will be taking a break for Christmas next week, and will be back on New Year's Day with the 2018 A24 Oscars. See you in 2025!

In Jonah Hill's directorial debut, he tackles the world of 90s skateboarding in southern California. Sunny Suljic plays a young boy growing up in Los Angeles, with an abusive older brother (portrayed by Lucas Hedges), and a single mom (portrayed by Katherine Waterston). He soon finds a clique of skateboarders at his local neighborhood skate shop, and all he knows is that he needs to learn how to skateboard, and join the community. The A24 rocks crew invites on 90s skateboarder and NIN super-fan Kyle Kanon to discuss the film's realism. Caution: movie spoilers. Intro- 0:00 to 3:58. Film Discussion- 3:58 to 1:24:35. Film Rating and Outro- 1:24:35 to End.

Due to Robert Eggers' new film "Nosferatu" coming out on Christmas this month, the A24 Rocks crew decided to review his 2022 Nordic epic "The Northman" for this A24 Vibe Discussion. Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nicole Kidman: The Northman is a take on the Old Norse tale "Amleth" that Shakespeare turned into Hamlet. What will these film reviewers think of Robert Eggers' third film after directing two of the most acclaimed A24 films in the film studio's history? Caution: movie spoilers. Intro- 0:00 to 5:01. Film Discussion- 5:01 to 57:52. Film Rating and Outro- 57:52 to End.

The Children Act is a 2018 film, based on a Ian McEwan book, about a judge named Fiona Maye (portrayed by Emma Thompson) presiding over a case where the family are Jehovah's Witnesses and are refusing a blood transfusion for their son (portrayed by Fionn Whitehead). She must decide whether the parents religious wishes for their son to not have a life-saving blood transfusion should be respected, or decide to force the kid to have the blood transfusion. Meanwhile, at home, her husband (portrayed by Stanley Tucci) decides to have an affair. Caution: movie spoilers. Intro- 0:00 to 2:12. Film Discussion- 2:12 to 54:02. Film Rating- 54:02 to End. Only 1 more film until the 2018 A24 Oscars: 75. Mid90s

On this A24 vibe discussion, the A24 Rocks crew blind ranks the top 12 cult classics in film history. How does a blind ranking work? A random number generator will generate a number 1-12 and each podcaster will pick their favorite film at that position, then that number will be gone after it is picked. For example: maybe Kevin will pick The Boondock Saints (this isn't the actual pick) at number 12, that film and number will be off the board, then a random number generator might put Kelley at 6. Each podcaster picks their favorite cult classic at the position they're given, until a top 12 is chosen. And, each podcaster has a veto. Intro- 0:00 to 2:34. What is a blind ranking- 2:34 to 11:10. Our Top 12 Cult Classics- 11:10 to 1:07:18. Honorable Mentions and Outro- 1:07:18 to End.

Slice is a 2018 horror-comedy film about the town of Kingfisher: a city where supernatural beings live hand-in-hand with humans. The residents of Kingfisher are alarmed when pizza delivery drivers from Perfect Pizza Base are murdered. Astrid (portrayed by Zazie Beetz), and investigative journalist Sadie Sheridan (portrayed by Rae Gray) are on the case, where it's suspected a local werewolf named Dax Lycander (portrayed by Chance the Rapper) is the murderer. Their curiosity leads them to a citywide conspiracy of corruption and the occult. Caution: movie spoilers. Intro- 0:00 to 3:36. Film Discussion- 3:36 to 48:54. Film Ratings and Outro- 48:54 to End. Only 1 more A24 film till the 2018 A24 Oscars- 74. Mid90s.

Due to the 2024 election tomorrow, the A24 Rocks crew is discussing one of the most prescient films of the last 20 years: Children of Men, and they're releasing the episode two days early. Many film lovers say Children of Men predicted the rise of nativism and anti-immigrant sentiment in western society. Placed in 2027, it follows a world of mass infertility, where the last baby was born 18 years ago. Our main character, Theo (portrayed by Clive Owen), is an ex-activist turned bureaucrat who gets dragged back into the world of activism by his ex-partner Julian (portrayed by Julianne Moore). What will the A24 Rocks crew think of this dystopian sci-fi classic and how it relates to the election tomorrow? Caution: movie spoilers. Intro- 0:00 to 3:36. Film Discussion- 3:36 to 1:21:37. Film Ratings and Outro- 1:21:37 to End.

The A24 Rocks gang travels to a place they've never been before in their cinematic journeys: a Thai prison with British boxer Billy Moore. Based on a true story, A Prayer Before Dawn is about an addict/boxer named Billy Moore (portrayed by Joe Cole) who gets arrested in Thailand and thrown in one of the most infamous prisons in the world: Klong Prem. Soon enough, Moore is placed in a cell with a Thai gang that is not too friendly, this leads him to learn Muay Thai to fight for his life. Caution: movie spoilers. Intro- 0:00 to 2:20. Film Discussion- 2:20 to 50:38. Film Ratings- 50:38 to End. Next three A24 films until the 2018 A24 Oscars: 73. Slice. 74. The Children Act. 75. Mid90s.

On this special Halloween A24 vibe discussion, the A24 Rocks crew invites on horror lover Dean Cooper AKA MidlifeInCrisis (https://www.instagram.com/midlifeincrisis/) to discuss the 1985 Horror Sci-Fi film "Re-Animator" starring Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, and Barbara Crampton. Based off a H.P. Lovecraft novelette, Re-Animator is about a mad scientist named Herbert West who may have concocted a serum to bring people back from the dead. But the question is: how much of their humanity is left when they awake? Caution: movie spoilers. Intro- 0:00 to 2:05. Film Discussion: 2:05 to 45:44. Film Ratings and Outro- 45:44 to End.