A Shock Jock Sci-Fi Experience

Bruce Von Stiers

From Petey Greene way back in 1966 until now, with Howard Stern, shock jocks have been offending and entertaining for a couple of generations.

A new film takes the shock jock world and gives a bit of a twist. The title of the film is First Time Caller. It is a sci-fi film. But not with aliens. It deals with the earth and what could happen in the near future.

Brent Ziff is an internet shock jock. He has a ton of listeners. His tag line is “living Brent Free in your head.” He is rude, callous, and irreverent; the key ingredients for being a popular shock jock.

One night, Brent takes a call. This is from a guy who has been a long-time listener to Brent's show. But he is a “first time caller.” Hence the title of the film.

The caller's name is Leo Short. Brent immediately gives him the nickname “Shorty”. But Shorty doesn't want to argue with Brent or give some whacked out opinion on something. He is trying to warn Brent, and others, of a catastrophic event that is about to happen.

It seems that Shorty, through some kind of strange phenomenon, is actually in sync with the movements of the earth. He has sensed that there is going to be a tsunami that will engulf Seattle. Brent's not buying any of this. Until it happens.

The remainder of the film is about how Brent is trying to cope with what is happening. And through disbelief, callousness and ultimately panic, the film moves Brent from hotshot shock jock to someone who might become a leader of man.

Abe Goldfarb plays Brent. He's voiced over a hundred episodes of Pokeman and leant his voice to several other animation projects along with a few video games.

Brian Silliman was the voice of Leo “Shorty” Short. A character actor, he has been in episodes of several television shows and feature films.

While the audience hears the various callers who interact with Brent, he is the only one onscreen through most of the film. There are two scenes where other people appear, but you really don't get to see who they are.

The film was directed by J.D. Brynn and Abe Goldfarb. The screenplay was written by Mac Rogers. He also wrote the screenplay for the films The Horror at Gallery Kay and Loveseat. Brynn, also known as James Darling, has directed a couple of short films and was an editor for several feature films.

The film was produced by Patrick Terry. Several other people served as either Executive Producers or Consulting Producers. These people included Nikki Stier Justice, Jordanna Williams and Luke Taylor.

The music for the film was composed and performed by Redacted Heart. The cinematographer was Kevin Chiu. His previous credits include several short films and a few music videos.

The production companies involved in the film were Buffalo 8, Gideon Media and Cinedata .

First Time Caller is based on a podcast from Gideon Media called The Earth Moves. The podcast also stars Goldfarb and Silliman in their respective roles.

It seems that Brent has a thing for camgirls. One of the scenes has him checking out the camgirl website for Daisy Chainz. She is played by someone who calls herself Rosebud, who starred in The Horror at Gallery Kay. Somewhat later in the film, several other camgirls are shown on a laptop screen as Brent is trying to access information from other parts of the country.

Greg Proops was the voice of Brainiac, one of the callers into Brent's show. Other actors whose voices are heard in the film included Kiran Deol, Ashlie Atkinson, Alex Brightman, Sean Williams, Dave Gilbert, T.J. Mannix, Justin Fair and Ophira Eisenberg.

The film has already received numerous awards from film festivals. It won the Grand Jury Prize and Best Directors from the 2022 Seattle Film Festival, Best Actor from the Vancouver Independent Film Festival and was an Opening Night Feature for the 2023 Bowery Film Festival.

We have all heard the arguments, both pros and cons, for global warming and climate change. There are definite signs that we, as humans, are damaging the earth. But to what extent? And what would happen if the earth suddenly rebelled? What if the pieces and parts of what make up the earth become more fluid and cause devastation for humans? That is pretty much the premise for the film. How these events unfold and what Brett does regarding them is the crux of the moral dilemma of the film.

First Time Caller has been touted as a kind of dark comedy. But it is as much a psychological drama as it is a comedy sci-fi film. It has a lot of comedic moments, as was intended, but for me, it had more of a dramatic feel. The events that take place in the background in the film are maybe not probable, but entirely possible. And that is scary as hell.

I would recommend First Time Caller for not only the comedic moments, but the drama that plays out between Brent and Shorty as they interact. And the fact that what transpires away from Brent's microphone could one day really happen.

First Time Caller will be available on VOD, including Prime and Vudu on January 12, 2024.

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