A24 On The Rocks – Details, episodes & analysis

On this late night double feature podcast show, the A24 Rocks crew delves into spooky season with maybe the greatest horror musical of all time: The Rocky Horror Picture Show. They welcome on Colleen Wood for this review, an actress who has been in several Rocky Horror shadow-casts. They also discuss what the film means to the LGBTQ+ community and how it provided a safe space to many queer people in the mid 1970s. Caution: movie spoilers.

Intro- 0:00 to 2:08.

Film Discussion- 2:08 to 49:55.

Film Ratings and Outro- 49:55 to Ending.

The A24 Rocks crew has finally reached another A24 favorite: Bo Burnham's coming-of-age dramedy "Eighth Grade" starring Elsie Fisher and Josh Hamilton. Eighth Grade is about a shy eighth grader named Kayla who enjoys making YouTube video's, while yearning to break out of her shell to her classmates, who have voted her the quietest kid in their grade. All the while, Kayla has a single dad named Mark, who is trying to navigate fatherhood in the digital age. What will the A24 Rocks crew think of Bo Burnham's feature film directorial debut?

Intro- 0:00 to 2:46.

Film Discussion- 2:46 to 1:19:49.

Film Ratings and Outro- 1:19:49 to End.

Next five A24 films:

70. Hot Summer Nights.

71. Never Goin' Back.

72. A Prayer Before Dawn.

73. Slice.

74. The Children Act.

Check out co-host Eric's YouTube docuseries Tales of the Great Lakes: https://www.youtube.com/@FirelakeMedia

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.

In their journey to review every single A24 film in chronological order, these movie-buffs review A24's third film: the 2013 cult classic Spring Breakers directed by Harmony Korine. They break down everything from how the film has aged, the soundtrack, the director's intent, and the choice to cast Disney stars in an explicit and divisive film. As Alien (played by James Franco) would say: SPRING BREAK FOREVER. Caution: movie spoilers.

The second A24 film ever distributed was Ginger & Rosa, a coming of age drama starring Elle Fanning about a British girl dealing with family trauma and existential dread during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Written and directed by Sally Potter, these A24 fans discuss how Potter used a historical event to explore growing up in a dysfunctional family with a friend who is starting to float in another direction. They debate how jazz and poetic cinematography was used to achieve this point. Will Ginger & Rosa grade better on the A24 scale than the disaster that was A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III? Tune in to find out. Caution: movie spoilers. 

In the first episode of A24 On the Rocks, these cinephiles begin their journey of reviewing every single A24 film in chronological order. The first movie? A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, starring Charlie Sheen and directed by Roman Coppola. We discuss Charlie Sheen's pop culture relevancy in 2012 and his fall from grace, on top of reviewing the movie and giving our letter grade. Caution: movie spoilers. 

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.