BIRD PROTOCOL

Your favourite Bird Boys are back from a brief hiatus while our lives kinda fell apart (much like the human society in the wake of the Simian Flu) and we’re ready to rock! We’re FINALLY kicking off our “Apes Month” and easing into the world of Planet Of The Apes with our review of the recently released “Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes”. We’re taking it slow before we dive into the reboot trilogy and Caesar’s rise and fall. Nonetheless, we thoroughly enjoyed returning to the world of the Apes and had a great time watching this movie. It’s a solid flick but it is not without faults. We have some nits to pick and thoughts to share so be warned… there are some spoilers in this episode.

Directed by Wes Ball and starring Kevin Durand, Owen Teague, Freya Allen, Peter Macon, William H. Macy, and more, “Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes” picks up three hundred years after the death of Caesar and reintroduces us to the world of the Apes which has now splintered into various tribes and differing ways of life. Right from the jump, we should say that the world of this movie is awesome and the CGI and visuals are top-notch. This movie especially shines in the first two thirds where the new world is being explored. We're introduced to Noa, our new protagonist, his tribe of bird lovers, and the militaristic forces of the evil Proximus Caesar pretty quickly. From there, we are off on a rescue/liberation mission and follow Noa as he attempts to save his family while learning some things about the history of humans and apes along the way. This all culminates in a big showdown with Proximus and his warriors inside a big underground bunker and an ending that sets up the future of the franchise, for better or for worse.

In this episode, we get into what we loved about the movie, our theatre experience, returning to the Ape world, the visual effects, our favourite characters including Noa and the excellently portrayed Raka, initiating the Bird Protocol, warrior apes on horses, and more. We also share some of the things we didn’t like including the human aspect of this film and why it falls flat, the issues with the story and certain choices in storytelling, and the ending being a rehashing of certain ideas already present in the franchise. This movie isn’t without flaws, as we said, but we can put all that aside because what works in this film is REALLY good and it makes us want to see more of the Planet Of The Apes. Because this is a soft launch for “Apes Month”, we also chat a bit about various other things including the state of going to the cinema and the box office, modern CGI and SFX, reboots being done right, the previous Apes movies, and more. We end things out with some discussion of Vince Staples’ new album “Dark Times”, Otis talks about watching films from his collection that he hasn’t seen before, PALMREADER has been rewatching “The Last Kingdom” for comfort, and some other ramblings.

Join us next week for “Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes”!

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What’s good, homies? This week we’re joined by comedian and podcaster Alex Dewitt to talk about a movie we all love, 2007’s “Superbad”! This seminal piece of millennial coming-of-age comedy and one of the last great examples of a bygone R-rated sense of humour was written by Canadian filmmakers/actors Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg (who started writing it as teenagers), produced by Judd Apatow, and directed by Greg Mottola. It starts a pitch-perfect cast including Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Seth Rogan, Bill Hader, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Emma (Emily?) Stone. It’s raunchy, quick-witted, insanely quotable, over the top… but also reflective of reality, grounded, honest, and quite emotional once you peel the layers back.

We talk about our first experiences with the movie, why we love this movie, the critical response to the film, the fantastic performances, the incredible comedic writing, and how it perfectly captures something intangible about being a teen in the aughts. It also feels VERY Canadian for a film set in California and we explore why that is. We also discuss the breakout performances by many of the cast members, how they nail the “actual teenager” look and vibe, and explore some of the best scenes and gags. Then, we turn to the end of the film to discuss metaphorically “landing the plane” and the emotional themes of the film that really round it out.

We also discuss how this film has aged and the legacy of “Superbad”, the film's self-awareness, how getting older changes your perspective on which parts of the film are funnier, and how every scene is packed to the brim with comedy that deserves multiple watches. This is one of the big ones from our teenage years and has a special place in our hearts. It was an excellent conversation about a great pick and we’re so glad Alex could join us. Thanks for being on the pod, dude! We’ll be back next week (hopefully) for the start of Apes Month.

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What’s good, homies?! We’re here with another BIRD PROTOCOL watch-along! This week, we revisited a great (albeit insanely dark) crime film from one of Canada’s best. Join us as we watch David Cronenberg’s 2007 Russian mob flick “Eastern Promises” starring Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, and Armin Mueller-Stahl. Just a heads up, this movie is rated R and covers a variety of heavy themes, violent situations, and dark topics. We wanted to give you the heads-up now… but if you know Cronenberg, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Also, apologies for the audio… we had some technical issues. Nonetheless, we're ready to enter the dark world of the Russian mob and get our stars. Let's get to it.

In this episode, we watch the movie and discuss Viggo looking hard in nice suits, the Russian mob, tattoos, scary but kind mob patriarchs, naked bath house brawls, putting a cigarette out on your tongue being the ultimate alpha move, “throat gestures”, mainlining vodka, parties that we definitely wouldn’t want to go to, babies being transported in Adidas bags, and a whole lot more. This movie is excellent. Tense, dark, violent, complex, and full of excellent performances… Cronenberg knows how to do it. For maximum insanity, pair it with “A History Of Violence” to double up on Cronenberg and Mortensen’s turn to crime film. We ramble and rant and rave our way through the movie and do what we do best.

So… now that we’re done with that. Did you like the movie? What do you think about Cronenberg as a filmmaker? Let us know! We’ll be back next week with a guest to talk about “Superbad” and then we’ll be launching into Apes Month! Go see “Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes”!

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Reporting live, it’s the Bird Boys with another international Lazy Bird for your headtops! PALMREADER is in Pennsylvania and Otis is back home but we got together to talk about what’s been going on in our lives and the bubbling war between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. There has been lots of rapping and the escalation has been awesome. We start with Otis sharing that he has been watching some weird movies and PALMREADER talks about taking a vacation in PA. We also find out that we’re in the Top 50 of podcasts in an unlikely place. Shout out to the listeners in Angola, too. We have no idea what’s going on but we appreciate you listening. Speaking of Africa… Otis shares a story about an email he received about a country club and we wonder what it could mean for him.

Then, PALMREADER breaks down a documentary that he watched called “Tell Me Who I Am” on Netflix. We get a little spoiler-heavy here so skip this part if you don’t want to be spoiled. It is a truly insane and unsettling story. This leads to a conversation about “Dogtooth” those films and documentaries that make you feel disgusting. Then, PALMREADER shares how he is astonished by the friendliness of the people in the USA and the boys unpack the state of Ontario and why everyone is kinda closed off. This leads to us agreeing that people need to touch some grass. See some nature. Spend some time with family and friends. PALMREADER then talks about starting his next album and what the vibe will be and Otis gives an update on his comedy shows and gigging. 

From there on, it’s time for the beef. The rest of the episode is us discussing Drake’s “Push Ups” and the “Taylor Made Freestyle” and Kendrick’s responses “euphoria” and “6:16 in LA”. We discuss the misunderstanding around AI as a term and the difference between generative AI and AI editing programs. Is it hypocritical of people to be mad about Drake using the artist’s voices while Kendrick used the same type of program to deepfake other people’s faces on his own in a video? We aren’t sure but we think it was the wrong move by Drake. We break down some of our favourite lines and which songs we feel are stronger. The disrespect and spite is real. This is the Royal Rumble for rap fans and it’s heating up. Will the escalation continue as clinically as it has so far? Whoever wins, this has been great for hip-hop. We then guess where the battle might go from where we were at the time… little did we know it would go there so soon. We recorded this before Drake’s “Family Matters” and Kendrick’s following three-piece response dropped. I'm sure we will talk about those (and whatever else drops) next week.

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We’re back after two weeks off to bring you a fresh review of Alex Garland’s recently released dystopian military thriller “Civil War” and share our Alex Garland power rankings. First, though, we explain our absence and recount the technical difficulties that led us to this point. Then, we discuss the string of bad luck that has recently plagued PALMREADER leading to his recent tangle with some big bad birds (but excellent parents) on the road while Otis recounts a story of watching a goose fly into a wall.

After that, it’s time to talk about “Civil War”. To nobody’s surprise, we both love it. We unpack everything we love about this movie and discuss the critical and audience responses. “Civil War” is a high-tension look at a modern-day American civil war set in a not-too-distant future and it left a lasting impression on us both. The movie grabs your attention and keeps you on the edge of your seat almost immediately while smartly exploring some big ideas about war, journalism, and politics. All the while, Garland does so without purposely being too political. It’s impressively shot and extremely well executed (especially in today’s political climate). Not only is this movie heady and thoughtful, but it also has some sequences that make your skin crawl and shots that will leave you scratching your head saying, “How the hell did he do that?”. The awesome cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, and Jesse Plemons in a truly bone-chilling bit part. Some people have a problem with the lack of connection to modern politics and to that we say… YOU MISSED THE POINT. It’s not about the why. It’s about how truly unfathomably horrible war is, no matter where it takes place, and the value (and struggle) of wartime journalists. By setting this fictional war at home, the film forces the viewer to reckon with the atrocities and horrors of war without the ability to create a mental distance between what's happening on the screen and their reality. It's a genius move, really.

We then get to our power rankings of Garland’s filmography. This week, we amended the rules to include some of the films Garland has written or secretly directed. Due to his smaller filmography, we expected this to go pretty smoothly. Surprisingly, there were some differing opinions but eventually, we found a middle ground that we could agree on. Do you agree with how we ranked his films? Let us know! 

Finally, we have a short discussion on the state of hip-hop and the ongoing beef between Drake and seemingly everyone else. “Push Ups” is a great record but we’re not sold on the use of AI voice effects by Drake in his second diss. Is everyone ganging up on the Canadian send the message they hoped for or does it play in Drake's favour? Also, where’s the response, Kendrick? And why did J. Cole go and do THAT? Will we ever get a Rick Ross and Drake collar project? How much of this Avengers-level event in rap has been manufactured? Whatever the case, stop trolling on IG and rap… everyone. Let’s be clear, we don’t ever want to see anyone get hurt over rap songs or for this to spill into the real world but we are happy to hear the bars.

See you next week!

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To celebrate another successful trip around the sun for Otis, we’re talking about an all-around BANGER of a movie from writer and director Quentin Tarantino and his birthday pick, “Inglourious Basterds”! It is Tarantino's 6th film and was a passion project of his that started way back in the 90s. After nearly a decade of writing, "Inglourious Basterds" was finally released in 2009 and became a massive hit, was critically praised, received plenty of awards and accolades, and has aged incredibly well since. It’s the pitch-perfect blend of Tarantino’s style and attitude with technical and filmmaking prowess. The performances are incredible. The dialogue humour is sharp. The violence is explosive. The pacing and editing are on point. It’s a masterpiece. This is the second time we’re talking about Tarantino and, boy, does this film go hard.

Set in Nazi-occupied France during an alternate history version of the Second World War, “Inglourious Basterds” follows two intertwined plots to assassinate the Nazi high command, end the war, and exact glorious revenge. One is led by Lt. Aldo Raine and his team of Basterds who are waging a guerrilla war against the Nazis and the other by a Jewish escapee, Shosanna, now posing as a cinema owner. With a stacked cast that includes Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, BJ Novak, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger, Mélanie Laurent, and more… this movie will knock your socks off. The performances, specifically from Waltz, Fassbender, and Pitt, are mesmerizing (Waltz won the Oscar for this role) but the whole thing is sublime from top to bottom. It’s the perfect marriage of cinema, technique, and auteurist vision.

In this episode, we break down the plot of the film, share why we love it, explore the film’s production and storied history, gush over some of the truly iconic scenes, unpack how this film subverts the expectations of war movies, talk about how this movie pays homage to so many other genres and filmmakers, and more. Plus, discussion on the negative critical responses to this and other Tarantino films, some amazing casting “what ifs”, and a look at Tarantino as a filmmaker. More specifically, we marvel at his expansive knowledge of cinema, his unwillingness to compromise on his vision and having fun with his movies, and discuss how these factors influence his filmmaking style. This was a good one. Tap in with your Bird Boys this weekend and don’t forget to bring the scalps. Happy Birthday, Otis!

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What’s good, homies! Happy Easter to those who celebrate! This week, we’re doing something new on BIRD PROTOCOL and we’re stoked about it. Every few months, we’ll be releasing a themed playlist filled with topical bangers for everyone to enjoy. For the inaugural playlist, we thought we’d curate a collection of excellent pop-punk tracks for you to enjoy as the weather gets warmer and life gets a little more sunny. So, without further ado, we’re proud to present the first of our quarterly playlist episodes and BIRD PROTOCOL’s Pop-Punk Spring Break playlist.

In this episode, we break down our song choices and explain why we picked them including tracks from The Wonder Years, Toys That Kill, Gob, Blink 182, Seaway, Lagwagon, Turnover, Alkaline Trio, The Story So Far, and more. Sad songs, happy songs, drinking songs, love songs… everything! This playlist has a bit of everything and it BANGS. We've already tested it in the car and it is certified. So, whether you listen to the pod then listen to the playlist or listen to the playlist then revisit the pod, you're gonna love it. We hope this will introduce you to new tunes and bands, rekindle your love with some forgotten gems, and be a great playlist for your springtime bonfires and house parties. You can find the links to the playlist on Apple Music and Spotify at the bottom of this description.

Also in this episode, Otis goes non-verbal off the weed in an unlikely place, PALMREADER rewatched “The Lord Of The Rings” and they still go insanely hard, “The King” on Netflix is a massive sleeper hit, “Magnolia” vs. “Punch Drunk Love” and the experience of seeing “Magnolia” in the theatre, Phillip Seymour Hoffman screaming into a phone at Adam Sandler, and more random ramblings.

Listen to BIRD PROTOCOL’s Pop-Punk Spring Break here:

https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/bird-protocols-pop-punk-spring-break/pl.u-kv9lbXlsWgep2k

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/659GXYWvKGwnbDUOUMpMgU?si=c6240210e3294140

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We’re back from a little break to talk about one of our favourite rappers currently working and someone who is a cornerstone of our friendship… Vince Staples! We’re taking it back and starting from his reluctant beginnings with his early mixtapes to his collaborations and rise to his consistently incredible albums to the present day with “The Vince Staples Show” recently released on Netflix. He’s a wicked MC, a smart lyricist, a vanguard of modern West Coast gangster rap, an avant-garde and experimental album-focused artist, funny as hell, and smart as a whip… which are reasons why we love Vince Staples. Plus, he ain’t never ran from nothing but the police. How could you not love him?

In this episode, we share how we came to know Vince Staples and unpack his excellent discography album by album. All of which are critically praised and all-around excellent. Even the ones we didn’t quite get at the time of their release bang. With age and experience comes hindsight and we admit that we may not have seen the vision at the time but, for us, his projects are aging like fine wine. We talk about his collaborators, his peers, and the producers he works with like Kenny Beats, No I.D., and Clams Casino. We share some of the critical responses to his albums, all of which ended up on Top Album lists for their respective years, and explore his creative vision for each of his releases. He is a bonafide album artist who explores new sounds, fusions, and ideas while staying true to his voice with every release. Throughout the episode, we share our favourite songs and albums while relating them to our many years of friendship. Wholesome. It’s all about giving flowers to our boy Vinnie Stapes.

Also in this episode, We clock in as haters for a hot minute because  PALMREADER hates the new “Road House” and, no, he won’t be hearing any arguments. We also discuss how Connor McGregor is a trash actor and all-around buster (per Otis). Plus, some reminiscing on OFWGKTA and other music from high school as well as a couple of other semi-random tangents including a request that everyone watch Vince Staples interviews, podcasts, and his show on Netflix because he is one of the funniest and smartest artists out there. His Twitter heyday was incredible to witness. Squabble up.

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It’s time to get lazy with your favourite Bird Boys! This week, we keep it low-key and update everyone on what we’ve been watching, playing, and listening to. Firstly, though, we send out a message of respect for the late, great Akira Toriyama, mangaka and creator of “Dragon Ball”. A man who influenced a huge portion of millennials and helped popularize anime in North America. Pour one out for a real one. We then turn to Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part One” since we both watched it in preparation for the sequel. We talk about the “Dune” franchise and books while PALMREADER tries to make sense of some of the plot points for Otis. We then share our expectations for the sequel and praise Villeneuve as a filmmaker. Very tight.

After that, we chat about what we’ve watched, listened to, and played. Otis gives his thoughts on Brandon Cronenberg’s “Possessor” and “Infinity Pool” which are both excellent. He also shares that he was surprised by Roku’s Weird Al movie “Weird”. We both also discuss the truly mid-level action-horror vampire flick “Last Voyage Of The Demeter” and praise Vince Staple’s excellent new show on Netflix. Following the theme of mid-level Sunday afternoon movies, PALMREADER talks a bit about Netflix’s Canadian Sci-fi series “Code 8”. Then, he shares his thoughts on Adam Sandler’s recent alien space therapy film “Spaceman”, Guy Ritchie’s promising “The Gentlemen” series, the true crime series “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal”, and the excellent “Masters Of The Air” on Apple TV.

As far as music goes, we both praise ScHoolboy Q’s dynamic new album “Blue Lips”, discuss the merits of Idles’ “TANGK”, and unpack That Mexican OT’s new project “Texas Technician”. PALMREADER suggests a new heavy band called DEALER and the boys share their opinions about the new Knocked Loose single. Otis shares his thoughts on the loud snare and we both praise the guitar work and vocals. As with all Lazy Bird episodes, there are more ramblings and stories to be heard but we kept it relatively short this week. So, kick back and join us for another peek behind the curtain of our minds before we take a weekend off.

We’ll be back later in March! Have a safe and happy St. Patrick’s Day if you celebrate.

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Alright, friends, we’ve finally reached the end of our four-part series on the John Wick franchise. It’s time to climb those steps and prepare for our duel at sunrise. This week, we’re talking about the final and longest film in the franchise (for now), “John Wick: Chapter 4”. When we kicked this series off, there was some hesitation about taking four whole episodes to talk about Mr. Wick. Was there enough there to keep it interesting? Well, we’re happy to say that those thoughts were unfounded. Honestly? We could have kept going. They are that good. This series might be the greatest action series of all time. If not the greatest, this is - at a minimum - one of the most important action franchises of the last twenty years and has redefined everything about the genre through choreography, attention to detail, writing, and a true willingness to get crazy with it. The fourth film doesn’t disappoint and we’re here to break it down and talk about our favourite scenes, characters, action sequences, and more.

In this episode, we talk about what works and what doesn’t (surprisingly little) with the fourth John Wick movie. This includes conversations about the length and the original runtime, the expansion of the world and the use of setting, the dragon’s breath shotgun sequence, the editing and sequencing, what might have been left out when it was cut down from 225 minutes to its current runtime, the returning cast, the narrative depth given to Winston and the excellent new characters including Donnie Yen’s Caine, Shamier Anderson’s Mr. Nobody, and Bill Skarsgard’s Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont, the final three action sequences in Paris being an all-time hall of fame action movie run, Japanese bow kills being gnarly, dogs running across car roofs, Scott Adkins doing windmill kicks in a fat suit, and a whole lot more. Otis thinks this might be the greatest action movie ever and the best of the Wick films. PALMREADER isn’t so sure but admits that it could be some form of recency bias on his part. They both agree that it seriously rules, though.

Later, we break down the film's plot and talk about what makes this one different from the rest of the series. We spend some time talking about Donnie Yen and unpack how important the character Caine is to the elevation of this film. We marvel at the little details, share some behind-the-scenes trivia, get excited about the various insane kills and weaponry, break down the final duel, and expose you to various other instances of gushing about John Wick. Lots of ‘em.

At some point, we talk about the ending and potential storylines for the fifth film, try to rank the films and unpack why this series is so important to the action genre. This proves to be a bit more difficult than expected because these films keep getting better and it comes down to fractions of a point when comparing them. We praise director Chad Stahelski and the whole cast and crew for making something incredibly action-packed, funny, smartly crafted, well executed, and a franchise that consistently improves with every film. It’s insane. Can they do it again? We will have to wait and see. This was so much fun and we’re so glad we did it. We’ll be back next week with a Lazy Bird to catch you up on everything we’ve been watching, playing, and listening to. Be seeing you, John.

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