BIRD PROTOCOL

Hey friends! This week we’re doing Otis’ birthday pick! We take it back to the 70s and New Hollywood and one of the greatest directors of all time… Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation”. This is the first time we dive deep into a classic film and it’s a banger of an episode. This movie is sick. Everything about this pod is excellent. There’s so much to talk about and we do our best to cover it all.

As per usual… We break down the film and all the things we love about it. We gush about the technical aspects of the film, the storytelling, the directing… all of it. Gene Hackman kills it in this movie, too. There’s a reason why Coppola is so damn important to cinema and considered a master of filmmaking (and lots of it is visible in this flick). Even though we’ve both seen this film a few times… We actually come to some new revelations about it and blow our own minds. We also talk about the cultural relevance of the film and the synchronicity of its release with the Watergate scandal. We break down the plot twist, how well done it is and why it works. We talk about Coppola and the film’s influence, the history of the film getting made, the film’s themes such as surveillance, privacy, and paranoia. We dive deep into Harry Caul and how insanely weird and tragic he is as a character. We also manage to talk about the science fiction aspects of this film, New Hollywood, UFOs, privacy in the internet age, and a whole lot more. I don’t want to spoil this one… just listen to the dang podcast.

It’s a good one.

Oh... Just so you know... We’re finally hitting True Detective (Season 1) next week but it doesn’t really matter because time is a flat circle, right?

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G-g-g-g-g-G-G-G-g-g-g-G UNIIIIIIIIT!!!! The boys are back this week talking about one of the most underrated rap groups and the king of early aughts rap music… 50 Cent. We love the unit and we love 50’s music so this one was a lot of fun.

In this episode, we chop it up about the history of the group, their impact, the power of 50’s melodic flow, and his larger-than-life character. We talk about how 50 Cent’s Wikipedia has one of the hardest opening lines we’ve ever read and discuss 50’s career and storied past (including his autobiographic film). We do a deep dive into his first three albums and reminisce on his amazing run in the 2000s. We also go over the various beefs 50 has been involved in (even within the unit itself), 50’s tendency to go at any and every one of his peers, the ultimate downfall of the group, and we muse on what we’d like to hear from them all going forward. We talk about Otis’ fit selection from his mid-200s rapper phase and his Yao Ming jersey outfit, compare and contrast each of the members of G-Unit, talk about the surprising rappers who nearly made it into the Unit, and ask some hard questions like who of the group (aside from 50) is the best lyricist and rapper?

We included a lil’ treat for y’all in this episode too. Enjoy a radio play written by Otis Morris! It's definitely not to be taken too seriously. Otis Morris and BIRD PROTOCOL present "The Unit"! 50 and the G-Unit square off against the mad king Kanye and his five infinity plaques. Who will emerge victorious and restore balance to the streets? Tune in to find out.

Also, we mentioned the community discord in this episode and said we would drop a link but the invites only last for a certain amount of time so If you want to get hip to the Cemetery Sound community, send one of us a message on Twitter or Instagram and we’ll share an invite link with you.

Next week? We’re covering a classic flick and taking a trip back. It’s Otis’ birthday pick and definitely a good one.

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Sharpen your blade, hit the hot springs, and calm your mind with a haiku by the river. Tonight, we’re going all out against an invading Mongol horde in hopes of saving our island, avenging our fallen brothers, and bringing honour to our clan. That’s right, this week the boys are talking Playstation’s samurai epic, “Ghost Of Tsushima”.

We are beyond stoked to dive into this and talk about what we love about this game. We give a general rundown of “Ghost”, its accolades and discuss how amazing it is. We try not to spoil the story but gush about what it does really well, it’s very few misses and the amazing world Sucker Punch has created. Though “Ghost” doesn’t necessarily invent anything new in the gaming world, it perfects a style that we’ve already seen time and time again by merging so many different aspects in very cool and innovative ways. Plus, it is absolutely gorgeous to look at, fun to play, and has a kick-ass story. Let’s go.

We also rant about video game reviews (and critics in general) and why they’re kind of dumb (especially in the case of video games), other sword and shield open-world video games, PALMREADER’s fox encounter, the upcoming Ghost Of Tsushima movie, the uncertain future of filmmaking in the age of the video game, video game storytelling, and a bunch of other things.

If you haven’t checked this game out already, hopefully, this episode inspires you to pick it up and give it a try. It is definitely worth it.

Next week? Well, We don’t want to spoil it but if you’re a fan of 2000s hip-hop, you’re gonna love it. The streets need this one.

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Much like one of the beloved heroes in this week’s movie… We’re back from the dead! AGAIN?! Yes. We’re back, totally electric, wearing skin-tight black super suits and now on available Spotify and Anchor and all them podcast streaming sites. Yessir… the boys are in the big leagues now.

This week we’re talking something fresh to kick off our second season. This week… they said the age of heroes would never come again. Well, guess what Diana… It did. Grow up.

Of course, we’re talking about 2021’s “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” (also known as The Snyder Cut). The heavily speculated upon, internet meme-ified, bemoaned and cheered on original vision of Justice League put together by the film’s original director Zack Snyder and finally released on HBO Max. The theatrical cut was reworked and reshot by Joss Whedon and kinda sucked. This one? Pretty dang good. Buckle up. This is a long-ass podcast for a long-ass movie and our first socially distanced recording session, done totally online. In this episode, we run through the movie and talk about what we dig and what we don’t. We also discuss the history of this film and Snyder’s tenure in the DCEU, talk shit about Crave’s streaming issues, Zack Snyder’s insane slo-mo tendencies, superhero PTSD, the high and low CGI moments, the many plot holes and why they don’t really matter in the end because it’s a movie about meta-humans and a resurrected alien humanoid fighting another alien with a weird name who wants to use some boxes to destroy the world. We also talk about how this movie does right by the characters that were shafted in the theatrical cut and how Ben Affleck’s Batman, The Flash, and Cyborg are infinitely better in this cut.

We also complain about studio interference and the bad choices WB keeps making in regards to the DCEU, Rikishi’s ass, and some other nonsense. This is a long movie with a lot of stuff to cover so we gloss over some stuff… but this is a great episode. We had a lot of fun. Happy to be back.

Next week? We’re diving into the world of video games.

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Yo! We're back from the cottage! This was supposed to come out before we left but we never got around to it. So here it is... 

This week we're talking about the mind-bending show "Westworld"... an HBO television series about some androids in the wild west (actually a theme park) and their gaining sentience and starting an android revolution against the humans that have consistently raped and murdered them (also the show has samurai androids, robot tigers, a giant thinking techno-ball and cyberpunk Jesse Pinkman). It is somewhat serendipitous cause we watched the first season at my cottage two years ago together so it's cool that we're coming back to it just before we head up again. Time is a flat circle. Much like the previous whole series episode that we did (we did one on the "Hannibal" series a month or so ago that you should check out), this episode finds us ranting and rambling about all three seasons and the series as a whole. We spend time comparing the seasons against one another, exploring the themes of the show (sentience, humanity, free will, slavery, consciousness, etc.), revisiting our favourite moments, exploring the narrative choices and the use of various timelines with the show, and talk about what we would choose as our own "Westworld". 

Also, we talk about the future of VR, ask ourselves what we would like to do and if we could be evil in Westworld, and the current state of television. This show is awesome. Full of amazing acting, wild violence, really good cinematography, science fiction themes and inventive storytelling. The cast is unreal. Everything about this show rules. Even the not-so-great third season is still really good. If you haven't seen it, go watch it on Crave. Or buy the seasons. It's worth it. Next week? A surprise. 

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Ayo! What's good homies?! We're sorry that we missed a week!! We've been busy building our empire but we're back now and doing a crazy sick movie this week. We're talking about what is possibly the best war film of the past 10 years... definitely in the Top 5 war films of all time and a masterpiece of cinema... Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk". 

Unanimously praised. Incredible to watch. A heater, for sure. This movie is a cinephile's dream. It rules for so many reasons. The cast, cinematography, direction, storytelling, narrative... wheeewww. We kinda go off on a lot of these topics in the podcast so I'm not gonna go on and on here. Just listen. It's a good one. We also chop it up and ramble about the tone of the movie, Nolan's impeccable filmography and batting average, the actual historic event at Dunkirk during WWII, the crazy editing, why it should have won the Oscar and why The Shape Of Water kinda sucks, good war movies and bad movie names, magician movies, Sicario (and why for some reason they gave the second one such a horrible name), Tenet and a bunch of other random stuff including the FBI watchlist Matt accidentally (probably) got on. As we do. 

Also, we might be recording a possible watch along when we go to my cottage and that could be REAL fun for everyone. More info soon. 

Next week we're finally doing the West World TV show. The whole series. We love that show so it's gonna be a long, long episode. 

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Yo! It's another episode of BP! Today is PALMREADER's birthday so make sure to say "Happy Birthday" to the dude before you listen to this episode. This week we're talking about David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's 2010 movie about the weird, somewhat insufferable, insensitive genius boy turned evil social media mogul Mark "the ZUCC" Zuckerberg and the creation of that site where your aunt posts anti-vax memes and argues about essential oils and Justin Trudeau, "The Social Network". 

In this pod, we share our favourite scenes/actors, our personal opinions on what we each feel are the better aspects of the film, discuss how many great movies came out in 2010 and why PALMREADER thinks it's one of the best movies of the 2010s. We gush about the soundtrack (done by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) and the technical aspects of Fincher's direction, discuss our disagreement on Sorkin's writing and dialogue style, ponder how the film relates to current cultural ideas about social media, and how this dramatic retelling of the birth of Facebook kinda hints at how bad it was really going to get. We then go on a rant about why social media kinda sucks now, how it is negatively affecting the masses and youth, why ZUCC sucks in real life but why this movie rules as a character study and so much more. 

We also talk about Fincher's body of work and directorial style and Aaron Sorkin's writing styles. Surprisingly, people DON'T walk and talk in this movie. PSA: PALMREADER forgot his pop filter at his house like a big dumb guy so apologies for the quality this week and any unwanted pops.

Next week... we hit the beach with Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk" and probably talk about how Tom Hardy always talks weirdly or has his face covered in movies. 

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My friends... Dinner is served. 

This week we're talking about Bryan Fuller's ghoulish, hella freaky and hauntingly beautiful TV series about an FBI profiler and his psychologist/serial killer/cannibal friend, "Hannibal". It is easily of the better horror/thriller TV shows of the past decade and it's a real shame it only lasted for three seasons. "But for real, boys", you may ask, "how many times can they send other serial killers to kill one another?" Well... At least a few more (we hope). Some recent good news for fans of the series - not only is "Hannibal" currently streaming in full on Netflix, they recently bought the rights to the show! So maybe we will get to see the story continue. Fingers crossed. We both really love this show, the source material, and all the other iterations of this character so we do a deep dive chat about all of that. 

This time around we cover the whole series so it is a bit different. We get into all the gory, glorious, visually stunning and mind-blowing stuff this show has to offer. We gush about Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter's creepy, weird and wild relationship (is it truly "crazy in love?") as well as spend some time elaborating on some of our favourite scenes, story arcs, and characters. We ramble about the other versions of the character and different adaptations of Harris' books, asking "which one is better?" We also blow our own minds pondering how this show was ever on NBC considering the content of the show. 

Next week, we're gonna chat about Facebook, the ZUCC and one of the best films of the 2010s... David Fincher's so-good-it's-kinda-insane-that-it-is-about-Facebook film, "The Social Network". Nah for real, it's crazy dope. 

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Ayo! This week is a bit of a doozy but it's worth the listen. We're on here talking about one of our favourite rap groups... the uncompromising, politically charged, insanely skilled and always entertaining Run The Jewels. This is a long episode and quite the journey. Prepare your mind for a wave of nonsense. 

In this pod, we talk about the history of the group, summarize and chat about the unique stylings of both Killer Mike and El-P, rank their albums and which of the songs we love from each of them, and share some of our favourite verses from RTJ4 and beyond. Somewhere in here, we talk about PALMREADER's pineapple coconut water, have a lively discussion on RTJ's political nature and credibility as individual artists. We also go on a tirade about how politics, celebrity, and conspiracy have become intertwined to form a white noise meant to drown out real societal and political issues that are prevalent today and how that way of thinking undercuts the very real and very shitty actions of really evil people. At one point we ponder the question of if Tom Hanks is really a captain in the secret celebrity democrat cabal of unspeakable evil. 

We also talk about credibility, earnestness, and respect for the culture that is necessary to be an outsider in hip-hop (being an African-American art form) both today and throughout history. Finally, we have a nice talk about why we find the way RTJ uses rap as a platform to discuss their political perspective, especially as educated artists and active social activists, refreshing and why the two MCs mix so well. There's a couple of rants in here. We had a very intense day on the day that we recorded. It gets a little weird but always ends with a laugh. 

Thanks for listening. Anyways... We love RTJ. Jewel Runners forever. 

Next week, we're talking about the incredible, chilling, visually stunning, wildly violent TV show "Hannibal" with our guy Mads Mikkelsen. Let's get to it. 

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Wanna join a cult? Ok. Maybe get possessed, absolutely smash your head off of a desk and become the vessel for one of the Luciferian lords of Hell? Cool. How about cutting the head off a pigeon and carrying it around for a while? Nice. How about a seance? Check. Expecting a happy ending? Not likely. 

This week we're talking about a masterclass horror film and a modern classic, Ari Aster's dark and unsettling "Hereditary". Buckle up. We get so excited that there's probably a couple of sections where we just swear loudly back and forth. This one has it all... demons, tension, ghosts, Toni Collete losing her mind, hilarious text messages, the best teen party scene I've seen on screen in a while, a decapitated little girl and a dad who just married the wrong family and ends up spontaneously combusting... Oh and a bunch of weird naked Satanic cultists. Yeah. It's a doozy. This pod we get into it a bit. 

We discuss the types of horror in film, why this film is basically flawless in our opinions, the use of lore without heavy-handed storytelling, the direction and use of set pieces, how Ari Aster and "Hereditary" asks us to be active in our viewing (as opposed to passive, expository viewing) and a whole lot more. Honestly, this film rules for so many reasons and we could've done a lot more. Plus, it's a tense, dark, miserable, uncomfortable, and truly scary watch. Thanks Ari! 

Next week we're taking a swing at some of our favourite modern hip-hop, the dynamic duo that is El-P and Killer Mike. That's right... we're talking Run The Jewels. 

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