The Pod and the Pendulum

It's a Wonderful Orgy! Or is it? For our annual Xmas bonus show, Nichole has chosen the final film from the maestro himself, the elusive, unknowable Stanley Kubrick. Starring the Hollywood couple at the time Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, this exhausting, 400 day shoot was marketed as an erotic thriller, but instead explored the darker, richer themes of repressed longing & desire, and the deeply ingrained but hidden insecurities of a certain kind of successful male. So gather a cup of eggnog and unwrap one of our finest episodes to date.

This week we are taking a break but posting a little Christmas treat for all our listeners. We've opened up our patreon vault and are gifting you with this episode we recorded shortly after the release of one of if not the best not only horror movie but straight up movie of the year Ryan Koogler's Sinners . Brian and I joined forces for a quick discussion of our initial thoughts of the film as well as give our recommendation for other vampire movies fans should check out after devouring this one. Thank you once again to all our listeners for making this a fantastic year and if you're so inclined please consider becoming a patron by going to patreon.com/podandthependulum today

This week Mike and Devaughn are joined by guest Alex Pagliuca to rate the nine films in the Predator franchise. From alien worlds to the deepest jungles, through different historical periods, this series has taken us everywhere, now we're taking a few minutes to line it all up.

Mike and Brian are on hand to discuss the latest entry in the Predator series, BADLANDS. We both had a lot of fun with this one, and wondered about the influence another franchise from a galaxy far, far away had on this one. Add in the tie-ins to the Alien universe, and we were in scifi heaven.

Mike and Stephen are joined by special guest Hope to talk about the secret Predator animated movie that dropped earlier this year, that just maybe might be be the best Predator movie you see this year.

Mike, Devaughn, & special guest Kinnell watch AVP: Requiem, so you don't have to. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds. Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum .

This week on the pod, what happens when you take two of the most iconic movie monsters and throw them in a long-awaited battle royale where the fate of mankind hangs in the balance? You get a pulpy B-movie that doesn’t quite live up to what could have been but is fun all the same from director Paul WS Anderson. While the end result of AVP is no doubt a little underwhelming, it’s still a fun sci-fi horror mashup, and it exemplifies the kind of movie that made spending Saturday afternoons hungover on the couch while flipping through cable channels a first class recreation activity. Twenty plus years later can we at least admit that a solid cast of characters you’ll forget about immediately, and a commitment to mostly shoot practical effects means AVP gets more right than wrong?

After a few weeks of one-off shows, and a well-deserved week off, we're back in franchise land. This week we're covering PREY, the streaming Hulu hit that revitalized the Predator franchise after a series of commercial and artistic disappointments.

Trick or Treat listeners as we have a very special bonus episode for you this Halloween. Mike, Stephen, & Nichole have brought our own bag of goodies as we talk about this year's latest entry in the long running horror anthology franchise V/H/S. While it seems hard to believe, this is the first time the Shudder / Bloody Disgusting coproduction has focused exclusively on the Halloween theme. Does it work? Hell yes it does as the five segments and wraparound represent some of the best work yet. From the creepy weirdness of "Coochie Coochie Coo" to the satanic panic inspired Kid Prints, and the goofy romp of Home Haunting, this one really captures what makes the holiday a blast.

This week we have special cooking, and we get to push back talking about AVP: Requiem another week! Double Win! Our own diabolical Devaughn Taylor has set up a draft where your crew picks five of their favorite franchise follow ups. Since it can't be that easy, there are rules! Only one franchise can be represented. We can steal a pick from another host, or we can wipe the whole slate clean. There are trivia challenges. It's surprise picks, threats of bodily harm, lots of cursing, way too personal confessions and overall pure chaos, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Your players are Devaughn, Mike, Stephen, and Brian.

For this week's episode we have a very special bonus for all of our listeners. With it being the scary season and with Halloween right around the corner we know that hardcore genre fans and seasonal drop ins alike are gearing up to watch as many horror movies as possible. Maybe you're getting ready for an all-nighter at your local theater as they do their yearly marathons. Maybe you're throwing an annual Halloween bash and you want to have a line up of scary favorites for all of your guests. Or maybe you just want to curl up on a cool fall evening under the blankets with that big old tub of popcorn and something nice and hot to drink while watching a bunch of horror movies on your own. no matter what your crew has a number of marathons that we planned out each featuring our own special theme. Brian has a quartet of meta-horror titles for you to enjoy. Devaughn doubled up on his themes featuring horror from around the world along with creature classics. Stephen is so over Halloween that his choices feature holiday horror that have nothing to do with the 31st of October. Mike has a foursome of frightful anthologies to set the mood for those with shorter attention spans. Finally, Ariel has also doubled up, with a slew of movies that take place on Halloween night that aren’t part of the Halloween franchise, and also double as haunted attractions. How did we do, comment on our Spotify page, or send us a note, and if you have your own movie marathons planned, we want to hear about them.

This week Mike is joined by guest Alex Pagliuca to talk about what went wrong with 2018's THE PREDATOR. From behind the scenes controversies including extensive reshoots, to the questionable casting of a sex offender (and then hiding that info from the cast) this one seemed doomed from the start, despite writer / director Shane Black coming off a bit of a hit streak. We're here to break it all down, from the dodgy CGI to the unfortunate depiction of autism. Plus, what would have been different if HAL Holbrook had been cast in the lead as opposed to Boyd?

After the disappointing reception of the Alien vs Predator movies (a concept so simple, only a Hollywood studio could screw it up) it was time to take the Predator back to the basics. The result is a fairly fun B-monster movie that mirrors a lot of the beats of 1987's Predator, while moving the action off planet. Mike, Stephen, and Brian are on hand to talk about what goes right while also scratching our heads over whoever thought "Adrian Brody, action star" could be a real thing.

Proving he is not too old for this shit (and we're not above mixing up our movie puns) Mike is back this week with guest Alex Pagliuca to talk about how the Predator fares in a different kind of jungle: the asphalt jungle. Turns out this oft-neglected sequel has more going on for it than expected at first blush. While it doesn't reach the action/horror/sci-fi heights of the original, it still features a stellar cast and practical effects while giving us the first tease of an eventual showdown with the Xenomorphs. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds. Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum .

This week, we ain't got time to bleed.... because we're too busy breaking down one of the most iconic action/sci-fi/horror movies of all time, PREDATOR. Starring the one and only charisma machine Arnold Schwarzeneggar, who himself is surrounded by the manliest of men in Carl Weathers, Jesse The Body Ventura, Bill Duke (among others) this remains a just as vital nearly 4 decades later. Mike, Stephen & Devaughn are on hand to talk how this came to life, why the Predator remains so iconic, why it lives on in the memes and how John McTiernan put himself on the Mt. Rushmore of "dad cinema."

Mike and Brian take one last look back at the summer of George, and deliver our crew's rankings of the six Romero films alongside the two remakes.

The Title says it all! This week we're celebrating our 300th episode with a supersized countdown of the best horror movies of the century so far. It's an all hands on deck episode and as a bonus, we welcome back former cost Lindsay Traves as a special guest! In order to come up with such a momentous list, not only did we all weigh in, but a special thanks goes out to Joe Lipsett, Sarah Stubbs, Kinnell, Richard Newby, Kat Hughes, Alex Pagicula, Mae Shultz, Rocco Thompson, Jay Krieger, Tori Potenza, Zoe Rose Smith, Amber T, & Garrett McDowell for taking part. Special Thanks to our listeners, from those who have been wit us since day one, to anyone who is hopping on for the first time today. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds. Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to ⁠www.podandthependulum.com⁠ to check it out. If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at ⁠patreon.com/podandthependulum⁠ .

This week we tackle one of the best remembered remakes of the 2000s with the directing debut of a young Zac Snyder as he teams up with writer James Gunn for the remake of Dawn of the Dead. Mike Ariel and Devaughn break down what makes this one so fondly remembered as it manages to update the George A Romero classic but puts its own style and signature on this new movie with an emphasis on action over horror at times. Along with 28 Days Later it sparked the Great “should Zombies run?” debate. Stacked with a fantastic cast and some exhilarating moments and will always be in our hearts for the introduction of the zombie baby.

This week Mike and Ariel are joined by Tucker (Disenfranchised podcast) to talk about the often maligned official remake of NOTLD, penned by Romero himself, with special effects guru Tom Savini stepping into the director's chair. Stacked with a cast of horror royalty, and building on more than two decades of modern horror (which the original film helped kickstart), this one deserves the critical reappraisal it has received since its underwhelming release. We talk the updated themes, what worked and where we thought it disappointed at time. This remake does what far too many don't as it manages to honor the spirit of the original while managing to do its own thing and even surprise the audience more than a few times.

The Summer of George hits the dog days of august with a dog of a movie. Romero's last film ever, and the final film in the original Living Dead canon lacks the creative spark of his original trilogy, and is marred even further by shoddy effects, stock characters, and wooden performances. While there's not much to recommend here, Mike, Devaughn and Stephen do their best to keep it entertaining.

This week Mike, Stephen & Devaughn go back to the beginning with George A Romero's Diary of the Dead. A reboot of sorts of the Living Dead series, Diary finds Romero dabbling in the found footage with mixed results. Clunk performances, unlikable characters and a reliance on CGI mar a solid social commentary on the emerging online media, which is a message that still resonates today.

Mike and Brian are joined again by guest Sarah J Miles to talk George Romero's return to the subgenre he created after a two decade absence with 2005's Land of the Dead . Working with a larger budget and a recognizable cast, Romero increased the scale and scope of his vision with another timely parable of a corrupt world where the walking dead aren't the worst thing humanity had to overcome.

In this episode of The Pod and the Pendulum, host Mike Snoonian and Brian Kieper welcome film blogger Sarah Miles on to delve into the 1985 horror classic Day of the Dead. They explore the film's production challenges, Romero's directorial choices, and Tom Savini's finest work in creating the best looking zombies ever on screen. We discuss the film's lackluster initial reception, and the reappraisal it's earned over the years as a thoughtful critique on the Reagan years, military expansion, and the breakdown of community. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds. Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum .

When there's no more room in Hell, it's tome to podcast. The Summer of George continues as Mike is joined by Brian and Nichole to talk about what many consider the greatest zombie movie of all time, George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. We explore its significance in the zombie genre and its cultural commentary on consumerism and societal issues, along with the long road to getting it made. We also talk about why there are so many dan versions of this movie and analyze the portrayal of disability, gender dynamics, and consumerism within the film, while also discussing the impact of Romero's legacy in the horror genre. Pack a lunch folks, it's a big one. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds. Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum .

We proclaim this The Summer of George (Romero)! Your favorite horror podcast crew are barricading themselves in the basement in order to break down all six films in Romero's Living Dead series, as well as the 1990 NOTLD remake, and 2004 Dawn remake (which we're sure will be a very chill affair, with no one getting mad about it online). Mike, Brian, & Stephen are on hand to talk about what is widely considered the birth of both the modern horror movie, and the zombie subgenre itself. While we focus on the way Night hit like a meteor with unsuspecting audiences (including little kids!) on its release, we also explore how the major themes of Night remail relevant today. From the generational clash that's just as dangerous as the dead outside, along with the political overtones as the country became entrenched in Vietnam, to Romero's own circuitous path to becoming the godfater of the zombie subgenre, we explore it all in today's breakdown of NOTLD. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds. Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum with more than 100 hours of bonus content and growing.