BIRD PROTOCOL

We’re thinking we’re back… for another round of “Wick Month” and the third film in the John Wick series! But, before we get into that, the boys have a few bones to pick about "True Detective: Night Country" and the discourse around it (seriously, everybody, put down your phones and stop tweeting… including the people involved in the show). There were things that we liked about "Night Country" but, sadly, there was a lot more that we didn’t. We talk about both what was done right and what went wrong, using the well-meaning themes and messages of the show as armour against criticism and why that’s bad, people going full smooth brain mode online and the insanely rabid discourse around the show, the death of nuanced discussion (again lol), and more. The show left us lacking… but it wasn’t necessarily the ideas found therein that bummed us out. It was the execution of those ideas and choices in production and storytelling. Otis thinks it should have been a movie and PALMREADER thinks it needed two more episodes. They share their thoughts about why they feel that way and touch on the divisive ending. Do we really need a season 5? It doesn’t matter, we’re getting one. Buckle up.

Then, it’s back to the world of assassins and the High Table! This movie is TIGHT. It is so much fun, so well made, and gnarly as all hell. “John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum”, released in 2019 and directed again by Chad Stahelski, keeps the momentum going and builds upon everything that made “Chapter 2” so great while introducing the audience to the wider world, new characters, more action, and insane use of weaponry. The film picks up moments after our titular hero is labeled “Excommunicate” and is now facing off against the entire world of assassins. Otis remarks how similar this movie is to a video game and shares why doing it that way works so well in the context of the action genre, this story, and just in general. We break down all the levels, all the boss fights, most of the crazy kills and action sequences, and just gush over how much fun these movies are to watch. Talk about reinventing the wheel! Wick uses a horse as a weapon! Hell yeah. Animal on human violence!

We also give some background on the film, share some fun trivia about the filming and training, discuss Halle Berry’s dogs and how awesome they are, praise the shotgun sequence and final fights, and unpack the sneaky precision and care with which these films are made. There is a surprising amount of depth and care that goes into each of these movies which makes them insanely rewatchable. Plus, they just keep getting better? Truly wild stuff. We ask, is this the best action franchise ever and does it have the most “hell yeah” moments per capita? Probably. We also talk about the great new cast members and their performances, specifically Halle Berry as “Sofia”, Asia Kate Dillon as “The Adjudicator”, and Mark Dacascos as “Zero”. We praise the series’ show-not-tell style of exposition and the use of new locations to build out the lore surrounding Wick and his fellow assassins. We give Keanu Reeves his flowers and marvel at him being almost 60, hitting his stride, reinventing himself, being a genuinely good dude, and still doing it big. Honestly, we kind of just gush about this movie for an hour and a half. Can you blame us? It rips.

We’ll be back next week with the final film of the series. It’s time to bring the hurting the High Table. See you then!

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Welcome to another episode of BIRD PROTOCOL, a podcast where we just keep leveling up, expanding our lore, and toppling untouchable crime syndicates on a quest for revenge much like the titular character of the movies we’ve been watching. This week, we look back on an excellent sequel and the second film in the “John Wick” series directed by Chad Stahelski, “John Wick: Chapter 2”. Make no mistake, this movie absolutely rips. Maybe even more than the first one. We discuss early on in the episode just how hard it is going to be to rank these movies at the end of this series because they all kinda go crazy. There’s a lot of general Wick talk but we try to keep it related to this film as we have two more movies to cover. So, join us as we break down what we love about this iteration of Wick and unpack the many, many dope aspects of the film including the plot, sick montages, world-building, pencils, fight choreography, Common, and more.

Released in 2017, this sequel sees John pulled further back into the world of assassins due to an unbreakable vow he made to complete his “impossible task” but, instead of taking the fight to the Russians (who briefly make an appearance), he’s now facing off against the smarmy sister-killing head of the Italian Camorra crime family and his mute bodyguard along with a handful of other rogues and assassins including a vengeful bodyguard named Cassian and a lady with a violin. There’s a shootout in a busy subway station, a shootout in an underground tunnel, some house of mirrors beatdowns, one of the sickest final scenes in an action movie ever made, and John uses his car to murder a few dudes. We also get to see John travel to Italy and get a fun montage while he buys a new suit and samples some “wine”. While there, someone asks if he’s there to kill the Pope. It’s hilarious. As with the first film, there’s lots of highly choreographed violence, humour, and a surprising number of people moonlighting as contract killers who all seem to be content chilling (until they are activated via cellphone). Where are the police? We don’t know. Plus, we’re introduced to the idea that most of the homeless people in New York work for Larry Fishburne as secret assassins. A+ world building. We’re not joking. This is good stuff.

In this episode, we break down the film’s plot, share our thoughts about what makes it great, discuss the merits of finding filmmakers who actually care about what they’re making and why that almost always translates to something amazing, unpack what this film and the “John Wick” series does so well, and so much more. This movie does something super smart with how it sets up payoffs and uses callbacks which becomes a continued motif across the whole series. We spend a while talking about why it is such a smart move. Plus, we share some insane things we learned about the film like how Keanu Reeves is really him. It’s a fun episode about a movie that we both love. Tap in with us or you’ll be marked as excommunicado. We’ll be back next week with Chapter 3!

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We’re back with a special episode of BIRD PROTOCOL to kick off our four-part series on the John Wick franchise... or as we like to call it, “Wick Month”! Since we’ve already spoken about the inaugural John Wick film (which was also our first episode ever), we wanted to do something special to revisit it. So, welcome to the first ever “watch-along” episode! That's right, we sat down together and watched "John Wick" in real-time and talked our talk. For the best listening experience, you'll need to have a copy of "John Wick" to watch along with us so this episode does require a bit of involvement on your part. If that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, you can always wait until next week when we cover “John Wick: Chapter 2”. With that being said, f you feel like going on a cinematic adventure with your favourite Bird Boys, join us this week as we riff on what’s happening on the screen in front of us and talk about the random stuff that pops into our heads as John goes Baba Yaga on the Russian mob. Sounds like fun? Go ahead and pull up “John Wick”, press play when we count you in, and join us for a BIRD PROTOCOL first. It’s time to go Wick mode.

As we watch the film this week, we discuss and riff on what we’re seeing on the screen (which is why you should be watching along with us) and share a myriad of random thoughts and silly discussions including Russian overconfidence, Alfie Allen being a weird lil' guy and Lilly Allen’s brother, the emotional power of killing a dog on screen, Tucker Carlson interviewing Putin, biblical levels of physical punishment, Willem Dafoe doing Acting with a capital A, bad planning and decisions on the part of movie villains, poison damage, laughing at bad priests getting popped in movies, and more. We had the pleasure of watching the film together and recording in the same room for the first time in years and now you can share in that feeling too.

As with any first attempt at something new on the pod, there are some technical and audio hiccups, but… overall? It's a good hang. We love this movie and had so much fun doing this. There will definitely be more of this type of episode in the future. What do you want to watch with us? Let us know.

We end things out with a few recommendations and random conversation as the credits roll including “Masters Of The Air” being tight and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” on Amazon is making PALMREADER ask “Is Donald Glover poised to be the next big leading man?” Also, Otis has been watching David Lynch movies, we decide in real time that we should do “What We Do In The Shadows” come this spooky season, PALMREADER has some new music coming and it’s not what you expect, and more. We’ll be back next week with a regular ol’ episode.

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It’s time for the final part of our year-end roundup and for us to look back on 2023 with some openness, vulnerability, and honesty. Yeah… this one was a bit of therapy for us. In this episode, we talk candidly about how we’ve grown as a podcast and as people over the last three years but acknowledge that this past year was filled with some major changes and challenges. With the pandemic in the rear-view and life seemingly more normal, we had some real-life stuff to tackle. So, before we dive right into 2024 with a hopeful spirit, join us as we look back on one heck of a year. It’s the 2023 Lazy Bird Report.

This week, we share our wings (highs), cages (lows), and eggs (hopes) for 2024. Last year was a challenging year for many reasons. From returning to normalcy to regaining our creativity and our passions to making a conscious effort at changing our lives for the better to dealing with major mental and physical health problems to feeling lonely and isolated to being proud of all we accomplished… we’ve done it all. It was a year of consistent growth, challenge, and change. But smooth seas never made skilled sailors. We’re proud of each other and everything we’ve done with the podcast and in our personal lives. It was all about consistency and willingness to evolve. As PALMREADER says, “Growing up is glowing up.”

We’re going to keep it short and sweet here, much like this week’s episode, but we wanted to say a sincere thank you to everyone who has rocked with us individually as creatives and as a duo here on the pod. Thanks to all the guests who joined us and everyone who pressed play. Thank you for your patience as we dealt with the various challenges we've faced throughout the year. We’re truly excited for 2024 and can’t wait to get it started next week with a BIRD PROTOCOL first - the “John Wick” watch-along. Get ready, friends.

We appreciate everyone who has joined us on this crazy ride so far. Onward and upward! Excelsior!

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What’s good, homies? As promised, we’re back for round two of The 2023 Bird Report and this week we’re talking movies and TV. Last year was the first year that the movies felt back in a big way and there was a wide variety of good stuff to watch. As previously stated, these are not our definitive best-of lists… although Otis did use his Letterboxd list… instead, they are a collection of the movies that we really liked and think that you should check out. Did we miss anything? Let us know!

In this episode, we talk about “Oppenheimer”, “Killers Of The Flower Moon”, “The Killer”, “Society Of The Snow”, “The Iron Claw”, “The Holdovers”, “BlackBerry’, “John Wick: Chapter 4”, “Anatomy Of A Fall”, “Godzilla Minus One”, “Saltburn”, “No On Will Save You”, “Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves”, “Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse”, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”, “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3”, and many more. We also chat about some of the stuff we have yet to see in full (or at all) and share some honourable mentions.

We then shift our focus to our favourite TV shows. This year also offered a wide selection of bangers to watch on that front. We talk about “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off”, “Succession”, “Barry”, “Loki”, “The Last Of Us”, “The Fall Of The House Of Usher”, “BEEF”, “The Bear”, “How To With John Wilson”, “I Think You Should Leave”, “The Eric Andre Show”, “Cunk On Earth”, “Shrinking”, and more.

As expected, this episode is long, so we decided to take it easy next week with a Lazy Bird to cover our wings, cages, and eggs from 2023 and share an update on stuff we’ve been playing, listening to, and watching in 2024. We also decide mid-episode to have another themed month in February… so get ready for John Wick Month! We’re going to be doing our first watch-along and revisiting the first “John Wick” movie to kick things off and then diving deep into all the sequels.

See ya next Sunday!

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Ayo! Welcome to 2024 and Happy New Year from your favourite Bird Boys! We’re kicking off the new year with part one of our 2023 Bird Report and sharing some of our favourite releases from the past twelve months. This is by no means a definitive or objective “best of” list. Instead, we curated a selection of music releases and video games that we thought were dope and are giving you the goods! So, join us as we look back on 2023... a year full of really good stuff!

In this episode, we chat about Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist’s “Voir Dire”, END’s “The Sin Of Human Frailty”, Olivia Rodrigo’s “GUTS”, boygenius' “the record”, Larry June and The Alchemist’s “The Great Escape”, Killer Mike’s “Michael”, the Better Lovers “God Made Me An Animal" EP, Jesus Piece’s “…So Unknown”, Rory’s “I Thought It’d Be Different”, Blink-182’s “ONE MORE TIME…”, Chase & Status’ “2 RUFF, Vol. 1”, Danny Brown’s “Quaranta” and his collaborative project with JPEGMAFIA “Scaring The Hoes Vol. 1”, That Mexican OT’s “Lonestar Luchadore”, Fall Out Boy’s “So Much (For) Stardust”, The Acacia Strain’s “Step Into The Light”, YellowStrap’s “tentacle”, Dave and Central Cee's “Split Decision” EP, Kaytranada and Aminé’s “‘Kaytraminé”, Noah Floersch’s “Noah”, SPY’s “Satisfaction”, and so much more. 

We also talk about some of the games that we’ve played and enjoyed (although we didn’t get to hit all the games that we really should have because it's been a busy year). These include “Metroid Prime”, “Resident Evil 4”, “Baldur’s Gate 3”, the definitive version of “Cyberpunk 2077 2.0” and the “Phantom Liberty” DLC, “Hogwarts Legacy”, “Spider-Man 2”, “Dead Space”, “Armored Core 6: Fires Of The Rubicon”, and more. We also acknowledge a bunch of games that we haven’t played yet but we know are probably pretty sick. We will get to them soon, we promise.

We’ll be back next week with our picks from film and television as well as a recap of the past year including our wins, losses, and goals for 2024.

See y’all in a week!

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Hello, friends! It’s Christmas Eve… can you believe it? This year has just flown by. Merry Christmas! Why not curl up after a few spiked eggnogs with a nice, low-key episode of BIRD PROTOCOL to end the day? Sounds like a good pan. We were supposed to do an episode on a holiday-themed movie but, in planning it, we realized that we don’t really like most Christmas movies. We also didn’t want to cheap out and do a movie that takes place at Christmas (there is a distinction, folks, and it is important) or muscle our way through something we didn't love. Plus, we’re both so exhausted from the holiday rush that taking it easy seemed like the right move. So, for the last time this year, join us as we drag our way across the finish line with some ranting and rambling about whatever is on our minds, what we’ve been doing, and what we’ve been watching/playing/listening to.

We kick things off by lamenting the Christmas season and how expensive everything is in our country, roast our premier’s idiotic holiday video urging people to buy gingerbread houses (which suck anyways), Otis shares a recap from his “Roast Of Christmas” comedy show, and the boys talk about the frustrations of buying Secret Santa gifts and the perils of Christmas shopping in general.  Plus, Otis wants to fire heavy weaponry and PALMREADER wants to flee the country. Can you tell that we’re running out of holiday cheer? Sheesh.

We then decide to pivot into some positivity and discuss our passing of another major podcasting milestone and thank everyone for rocking with us this past year. In doing so, PALRMEADER explains why the Cemetery Sound SoundCloud is gone and we talk a bit about the future. From there, we talk about PALMREADER’s newly semi-released album “STRANGER DAYS” and all the positive feedback he has been getting, Otis shares some kind words and his review, and PALMREADER dives a bit deeper into the process of making "STRANGER DAYS". This includes some insight into his production choices, the use of outside producers, his writing, the recurring themes and niche references across the album, and how "STRANGER DAYS" came to be.

Then we talk about what we’ve been watching and playing, which is a short list due to how busy we’ve been, and discuss good and bad movies that aren't rewatchable and the Christmas movies we like. This also winds up being a very short list and we realize in real time that we’re glad we didn’t decide to half-ass a holiday movie this year. Then PALMREADER shares a story about how his own mistake with his smartwatch became his salvation. Talk about failing upwards!

We won’t be back until January for our Bird Report, so have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year. Thanks for listening!

CHECK OUT "STRANGER DAYS" HERE:

https://plmrdr.bandcamp.com/album/stranger-days

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What’s good, homies? Welcome to another loosely-themed episode of BIRD PROTOCOL! This week, we rant and rave about our favourite giant scaly thermonuclear lizard and discuss his 37-movie franchise (soon to be 38). It’s time to talk about the one, the only - Godzilla. Why? Well, we love the big guy… Do we really need another reason? Sheesh. But, in reality, we just saw the fantastic new Godzilla movie “Godzilla Minus One” and it was so good that we decided that we had to talk about it. So, strap in because we’re going Kaiju mode once again!

In this episode, we share our thoughts on Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus One” and unpack what makes it so damn good without getting too heavy into spoiler territory. It’s a naval movie, a character melodrama, a poignant look at post-war Japan’s mental state, a great prequel, and a wicked monster movie. Not only is it good, it also showcases some truly amazing visual effects and cinematography, was made on an insanely small budget (that they have quadrupled in box office already), and has been getting rave reviews across the board. It smartly references the themes and ideas of the original film while giving a new spin on Godzilla that really did it for us. It, in many ways, is the other side of the “Shin Godzilla” coin and makes us even more excited to see what is next in the current Reiwa era of Godzilla films. We loved it. You should see it. It goes very hard.

This leads to a conversation about long-standing franchises in general, studio interference, audiences not being able to like two things at once, evolving an IP with respect, Toho, English subtitles, and the Godzilla franchise itself. We also talk about our love for Gareth Edwards' 2014 “Godzilla” even if we realize that some of it didn’t work, the MonsterVerse films and why we think “King Of The Monsters” is better than “Godzilla Vs. Kong”, “Shin Godzilla” being an absolute banger, the awesomeness of Ishirō Honda’s 1954 original film, and way more. There are so many movies to cover that we couldn’t be bothered to rank them but we do give some suggestions for people who are new to the franchise and reminisce on some of our favourites. Plus, some updates on PALMREADER’s health, his new album, and Otis went Christmas shopping! Yay!

Once again, go see “Godzilla Minus One”. It rules.

See you next weekend for our holiday episode and the last episode of 2023!

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Ayo! This week, we’re talking about one of our favourite darkly comedic crime films and one of the best directors/screenwriters working today… Martin McDonagh’s debut feature film “In Bruges”! Join us as we explore the picturesque backdrop of Bruges, Belgium, serving as the setting for this critically acclaimed movie and as we unpack the intriguing and hilarious storyline of two hitmen, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), navigating the medieval streets of Bruges while grappling with their morality, judgment, and redemption. Not only is this film well made and superbly acted by leads Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes… it’s funny as hell and the writing is clinical. From the film's seemingly endless supply of witty dialogue to its unexpected twists, we'll dissect the elements that make "In Bruges" a unique cinematic experience and an almost unbelievably excellent debut feature film. 

We cover the plot of the film, talk a bit about McDonagh (and his brother’s) films and career, discuss the excellent pacing and writing, praise the performances, unpack the critical response and legacy of this film, and share some of the stuff that we thought really worked. This movie is equal parts subversive commentary on British crime film, absurdist dark humour, and thoughtful musings on deeper themes. It just works. We also talk about the character chemistry and performances that anchor the film from Farrell, Gleeson, and the magnetic and hilarious Fiennes as Harry… including the hilarious and iconic “inanimate object” line and why we love it.

This movie is truly great so we keep it pretty brisk this week. If you haven’t seen it, go watch “In Bruges” and come back to this episode as we do spoil some of the narrative surprises that make this film so much fun. Also, heads up, due to the nature of the genre and the themes/situations presented in the film itself, we cover some heavy topics throughout this episode. So, press play and let's embark on a journey through the cobblestone lanes, fairytale views, sudden violence, and hidden alcoves of this darkly comedic masterpiece and have some fun.

See you next weekend!

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What’s good, homies? We’re back after a brief time away from podding with another journey into our thoughts and semi-interesting personal lives. That’s right, baby! It’s time for another Lazy Bird episode! We wanted to take it easy this week before the Holiday Season kicks off and our upcoming 2023 Bird Report. So, join us as we discuss a variety of things we’ve been watching, playing, and listening to along with some updates on what we’ve been doing lately!

This week’s episode includes a variety of conversations including PALMREADER recounting his time in Pennsylvania for American Thanksgiving and what it’s been like getting a cold for the first time in a year. Then, Otis opens up about the recent passing of his family dog Buddy and the support he received from his coworkers. We also unpack some wild stories from Otis’ recent comedy shows and explore his comedic identity which leads to a wholesome moment of friendship, celebration, and support for one another and our accomplishments this year including Otis’ return to comedy and PALMREADER’s improved health and weight loss. PALMREDER gives some advice for people who want to make a change and Otis makes an inappropriate comparison… Hilarity and more wholesomeness ensue. Then we reminisce about having Portuguese and Newfie friends growing up and how wild their holiday parties were.

After some more rambling, we get to our reviews and recommendations for the week. This week, we talk about some good stuff including “Spider-Man 2” on PS5, “Anatomy Of A Fall“, “House Of Cards”, Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers”, the Australian horror film “Talk To Me”, the short review of Scorsese’s “Killers Of The Flower Moon”, the new animated show “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off”, “Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters” and the Kurt/Wyatt duality, and more. Plus, we talk about Danny Brown’s new album “Quaranta”, UK DnB duo Chase & Status, the Meek Mill and Rick Ross collaborative album “Too Good To Be True”, Metro Boomin’s symphonic performance, and the new instrumental flute album from Andre 3000.

To close things out, we share some updates on what we’ve been working on… the new PALMREADER album, Otis’ next comedy shows, and what we’ve got planned to end the year.

See you next weekend!

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