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

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.

On this week's A24 Vibe Discussion, the A24 Rocks crew goes back to the 2010 Darren Aronofsky film Black Swan. Natalie Portman won an Academy Award for her role as Nina in this psychological-horror movie about a ballerina who wins the prima ballerina role in the Tchaikovsky ballet Swan Lake. Nina is groomed and taken advantage of by her teacher Thomas (portrayed by Vincent Cassel), while she has hallucinations and anxieties, especially about a new ballerina named Lily (portrayed by Mila Kunis) who transferred from a different company. How has Black Swan aged 16 years later, and where does this land amongst the body horror films these film reviewers have reviewed? Caution: movie spoilers.Buy us a coffee- https://buymeacoffee.com/a24otr.Intro- 0:00 to 1:29.Film Discussion- 1:29 to 1:00:14.Film Ratings/Outro- 1:00:14 to End.

Based on a 148 tweet thread (that is partially based on a true story), Zola is a film about a Detroit stripper named Zola (portrayed by Taylour Paige) who meets a woman named Stefani (portrayed by Riley Keough) and decides to take a road trip down to Florida to dance in a club down south. Things quickly go awry when Zola realizes X (portrayed by Colman Domingo), the man driving the car, has other intentions in mind. The A24 Rocks crew discusses one of the first films to be made from a viral internet story. Also of interest: Zola was almost made by James Franco before his sexual misconduct allegations surfaced, and Janicza Bravo took over the production. Caution: movie spoilers.Buy us a coffee- https://buymeacoffee.com/a24otr.Intro- 0:00 to 2:15.Film Discussion- 2:15 to 1:06:43.Film Ratings/Outro- 1:06:43 to End.

Tommy likey, Tommy want a top 20 90s comedy blind ranking! This is what happens when five dude's get together and try to blind rank their favorite 90s comedies. It's chaotic, it's slapstick, it disregards cinematic taste, and it creates debates about if Fargo belongs on the list. How many Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, and Jim Carrey movies can they fit on here? It is a true race to the bottom, and the whiskey train is taking them there. Buy us a coffee- https://buymeacoffee.com/a24otrIntro- 0:00 to 3:35.Is Fargo a Comedy? - 3:35 to 6:47.Blind Ranking Rules- 6:47 to 8:26.Blind Ranking the Top 90s Comedies- 8:26 to 1:45:13.Honorable Mentions- 1:45:13 to End.