There once was a fragile dream that was BIRD PROTOCOL and, much like the wayward son of a fallen Roman hero, we’re here to fulfill our destiny and bring the podcast back to the people. It is time for another Lazy Bird episode on some of the stuff we’ve been watching and listening to over the past few weeks. We’re also here to share our thoughts on Sir Ridley Scott's most recent release, “Gladiator II”.
We kick things off with a discussion of some of the man-made horrors and atrocities Otis has been reading about and marvel at the evil of the world. Wow. Depressing. Then, it’s time to talk about another empire about to come apart at the seams that has allowed evil and corruption to run unchecked (not the United States, btw). Sir Ridley Scott has taken us back to Rome to continue a story that started with his universally beloved film “Gladiator” nearly 25 years ago. Was it as good as the first? No but that’s ok. Was it entertaining? Oh, hell yeah. You bet your ass it is. “Gladiator II” is an exciting and fun legacy sequel from an octogenarian filmmaker who is obviously still cooking with heat and delivers exactly what we hoped it would. What's not to love here? The film boasts some awesome action sequences and excellent performances from a stacked cast including Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, and more. It’s full of Roman freaks, political plots, gladiators, animals and people going beast mode, and a monkey gets elected to the role of Emperor’s consul. Join us as we give some thoughts on the film, the critical response, the performances, and share some nitpicks of our own. Hail, Dundus!
We then move to another recent release, Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX” album, and share our reactions to the surprise drop. Both of us think it’s good since what is considered average for Kendrick is much higher than it is for many other artists… but is it great? We aren’t sure. Coming from an artist who has been so outstandingly and consistently excellent for so long, we wonder if this album could be a bit of a misstep. We both attempt to put some context to the album within K. Dot’s discography, his current moment in hip hop, and share what we enjoyed and what we thought fell short. Will this album grow on us? Only time will tell.
Lastly, Otis has some bones to pick with “Deadpool & Wolverine” and laments the state of superhero movies (shocking, I know). This time, though, it comes from a place of respect and admiration for the high points of the genre. Otis explains why he feels like Deadpool completely disregards what makes those movies good. PALMREADER has seen it twice and has some similar, though less vitriolic, thoughts. Can you really build a good film and legacy on dick jokes, swearing, and spoon-fed nostalgia? Hmm. Points were made. During our discussion, we compare and contrast the film with other recent tentpole projects that we absolutely loved like “The Penguin”, “Dune Part 2”, and other films in the Marvel canon.
That’s all for today! See you next week!
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