The Pod and the Pendulum

THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR

This week we hit the midpoint in our PURGE journey, we look back at Election Year, a film that tries to warn about the dangers the marriage of evangelical Christianity, right wing ideology, and white supremacy represent under the guise of a giant, dumb action movie where a lot of people get shot and a lot of shit blows up real good. Mike, Ari and Nichole try to walk that fine line here and let me tell you, this might be the only podcast that presents evidence on just how poorly Frank Grillo's bodyguard character would do in say, the movie The Bodyguard. Nichole tells us why DC interns might make her purge short list. We debate the politics of the NFFA and whether Senator Roan is naïve in thinking she could change hearts and minds of her opponents. 

THE PURGE: ANARCHY

This week we're getting down to the street level when we look at The Purge: Anarchy. Mike and Jessica talk about how this film expands on the premise and the promise of the first movie while asking big picture questions about classism and what it would mean to be poor during a purge event. It's not all gloom and academia though as we talk about the B-movie roots and action / horror hijinks that goes down in this fun little thriller that gifted the world an all-timer performance from Frank Grillo. So once again, sharpen the machete, grab a few extra clips of ammo and put on your creepiest Halloween mask because its time to go purging. 

THE PURGE

This week we are sharpening our blades, loading up on shotgun shells and going hunting for the one percenters. We’re starting our dive into THE PURGE with the 2013 action / horror title of the same name. Frequent contributors Stephen and Ariel join Mike to talk about the rise of Blumhouse studios, and how The Purge became their second hit franchise after the Paranormal Activity movies. Were these movies secretly written by Nostradamus? What about the political climate we live in now mirrors the world we see in The Purge? What do we think about the choice to center the movie around one percenters rather than the real target of purge events? Also, what was the real life historical tradition that inspired the Purge movies? Plus, what would an actual purge event do to wreck the economy? All this, plus what crimes are your hosts guilty of, and what would be our weapon of choice if we took part in a purge ourselves.

PHANTASM RAVAGER

It's time to put another series to bed. This week we talk 2016's PHANTASM: RAVAGER, a movie that had a wild, near two decade gap from its previous installment. We dive into the winding travels it took to get this made: from its origins as a comic book, to a near reboot via New Line Cinema, to the almost webseries Reggie's Rales to its eventual debut at Fantastic Fest. Mike is joined by Rachel Reeves and Ari Powers Schaub to talk the Tall Man's final outing, why this feels more like a fan film than Phantasm film, some confusing timeline issues, whether folks continue to work with Don Coscarelli because he's a great guy or secretly gives of cult leader vibes and has a stack of boy scouts buried in his basement, and where we'd like to from here (hint: give the people "Flantasm" you cowards. 

PHANTASM IV: OBLIVION

This week we're joined by Andrew Fabry from the dead letter movie podcast to talk the 4th and what many thought would be the final entry in the Phantasm series with 1998's oblivion. Working with limited funds comparable to the first movie, Don Coscarelli was able to deliver something memorable for the fans by dipping into the past. We discuss how oblivion incorporates unseen footage from the original Phantasm to create something poignant despite its direct to video status. At the same time, we can’t help but notice the seams coming off this one a little bit. The backstory behind this one coming to life may be more interesting than the movie itself, and we detail the journey it took, from having an Academy Award winner nearly bringing his vision to the series, to silver orb-bikini clad women luring potential investors in to pitch meetings.

SCREAM VI Trailer Breakdown

Having some fun with this one as we breakdown today's trailer for SCREAM VI. We talk about a lot: which characters might not be safe, what exactly is this "shrine" and how it will play into the action, why does Kirby look like she was CGI'd into the move like Jeff Garlin in The Goldbergs, what does Aflred Hitchcock's AI Chatbot think about Jimmy Stewart's wang, and so much more with Mike, Stephen and Jessica. 

PHANTASM III: LORD OF THE DEAD

After the action / horror direction Phantasm 2 veered towards, "Lord of the Dead" feels like a return to the nightmarish atmosphere of the first one. This one reunites the original performers as well, as Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornberry return to the Phantasm fold. We discuss their return along with the addition of fan favorites Rocky and Tim. We're joined by Ari Hellraiser of Ghouls magazine for Phantasm III. 

EVIL DEAD RISE TRAILER REACTION

Mike, Jessica and Nichole weigh in with their thoughts on the Evil Dead Rise trailer in anticipation of the new movie. 

PHANTASM 2

The Ball is Back and so are with this week's episode on the action/horror romp PHANTASM 2. We talk about this over the top follow up to the 1979 fever dream that goes big. Featuring Reggie Bannister as the everyman action star that is every bit as smooth with the ladies as he is deadly with a flamethrower, this one encapsulates late 80's horror to perfection. Featuring another sinister turn from Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man, it's laden with fantastic special effects, monster design and gore, and it features not one but three deadly orbs this time around. Mike and Rachel are joined by Andrew Fabry from the Dead Letter Movie Podcast for a spirited discussion that is definitely not a dream. 

ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE

Every time someone downloads this episode, an angel gets its wings. 

 

For the Christmas holiday we have a special bonus for listeners. Mike and Brian break down one of their favorite holiday films, Frank Capra's Its A Wonderful Life. From its humble beginnings as a Christmas card, to it flopping so hard it shuttered the production company and ended Capra's career as a commercial filmmaker, this had a long and winding road to enjoying its beloved status. We talk about why its message about community building and treating others with dignity still resonates today. We break down the many moments that make us laugh, move us to tears or hit a bit harder as we get older ourselves. It's a different tact for us for sure, but we hope you enjoy this bonus show. 

 

link to the Vox article from Emily St James we quote from near the end of the show