Episode 132: Civil War & The Alex Garland Power Rankings

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! INITIATE BIRD PROTOCOL! Follow us on Instagram! Instagram: @palmreadr @otismorrisdude