The Pod and the Pendulum

V/H/S 94

ALL HAIL RAATMA! This week Mike and Rachel talk about the return of the V/H/S series after more than a half a decade absence with V/H/S '94. Conceived and created during the COVID restrictions, the entry features the first two segments directed by women and breathes some new life and ideas into the found footage anthology series after the disappointment of Viral. Fans seemed to think so, as it set streaming records on its new home of Shudder during it's release in 2021. Which segments hold up, and which ones feel maybe like relics from the previous era? We're here to talk about all that and more as  rat gods, zombies, VHS death cults, killer cyborg abominations, and wannabe nazis are all on the table this time.  around. 

V/H/S VIRAL

This week Mike and Ariel are on hand to take a look at the third installment of the found footage, anthology series V/H/S VIRAL. Considered by most fans to be the worst of the series, your co-hosts are hard to disagree at the jumbled, ugly-looking mess that is Viral. While we can offer kudos at the attempt at delivering a theme (the shorts are all concerned with their protagonists achieving internet fame and glory) only three films in and the series seems far removed from its intentions of replicating the glory days of analog rights captured on video cassette. It doesn't help that the segments themselves are pretty tepid, nonsensical and just plain ugly to look at. 

V/H/S 2

This week we're talking more found footage anthology goodness with V/H/S 2. Like any anthology series, there are ups and downs, but this one has what might be the fan favorite of the series with  Safe Haven. Plus, Mike and Ariel nearly trade blows over The Undertaker's place in wrestling history. 

V/H/S

This week we start a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of a franchise where found footage and anthologies are smashed together into one horrific format. Mike, Rachel, Stephen and special guest Tucker (Disenfranchised podcast) talk about of of the grimiest series we've covered to date as we tackle  V/H/S/. Now six entries (and two spinoffs) deep, this started out as a showcase for some of horror's up-and-coming directors to show their stuff in short form. The first entry alone features Ti West (X, Pearl, Maxxxine), Adam Wingard (Godzilla vs Kong), David Bruckner (Hellraiser), and Radio Silence (Scream VI, Abigail). The results can be uneven, but when they work V/H/S can be a hell of a lot of fun. Also, is this the most dirtbag of all the franchises? We discuss. 

BLADE: TRINITY

We close out the Blade series with a wild one. Mike and Devaughn talk about a movie that has more going on behind the scenes than in front of the camera. We take our time to discuss and maybe even debunk the stories of improper behavior of series star Wesley Snipes on the set of Trinity, his animosity towards writer/director David S Goyer and costars Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel, how Patton Oswalt's off the cuff remarks became accepted truth, and Snipes legitimate frustrations as both an executive producer who felt ignored and the franchise star who felt the series being taken away from him. There's also a whole ass move it discuss, and, well it's not great. Yet it's not as bad as people who have you believe. With a stacked cast, including indie darling Parker Posey having the time of her life, decent action set pieces and sweaty one liners delivered by Mr. Reynolds, this one has more going on for it than we remembered, despite the presence of one of cinema's weakest portrayals of Dracula. We also speculate on the future of the series, and ask with everything being so up in the air, "Why not Snipes?" 

Blade 2

This week Mike, Devaughn & Steven are back to talk about BLADE II and the return of everyone's favorite vampire killer. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, it might be the perfect mix of horror and comic book heroics and offered the Spanish auteur his first bonafide hit in the United States. Our trio of hosts break down the troubled path the future Oscar winner traveled to land the movie, and how his encyclopedic knowledge of comic book lore and monsters helped elevate the second Blade during a time when X-Men and Spider-Man movies began raising expectations for what comic book movies could be. We talk about A LOT here, including what might be the worst piece of film criticism ever to enter the public sphere via Ain't It Cool News, why Blade is the asexual hero for our times, the continued bromance between Blade and Whistler, just how early 00s this movie is (if you know, you know) and marvel (no pun intended) at the massive step up in the action set pieces. So strap in, grab a stake, load up on some garlic and settle down for another supersized episode. 

BLADE (part 2)

We're back with the second half of our talk about 1998's BLADE. Jay Kreiger from the Genre Haze podcast is back with Mike and Devaughn to talk all things Daywalker. We talk about why Wesley Snipes was such an inspired choice to play the character and how he made it his own. On the other hand, the hero is only as good as the villain they go up against, and Stephen Dorff absolutely eats as Blade's adversary Deacon Frost. Wouldn't it have been great to keep Deacon around for a some sequels and buck the comic book movie trend of killing of the bad guy? Plus, we talk the Blade/Whistler chemistry, and how this hints at where actions movies will go in just a year when The Matrix hits the screen and goes even further with blending genres. It's time for some superheroics, so strap on your shades and best black trench coat, because it's all about BLADE. 

BLADE (part one)

It's bedtime for suckheads in the first part of our double episode on 1998's horror and superhero hybrid, BLADE. Wesley Snipes steps into a role he seemed born to play as the vampire killing "Daywalker" in an R-rated romp that owed just as much to martial arts and gun-fu films as it did comics. The end result was a smart, violent, over the top bloody thrill ride that was world's ahead of the campy histrionics that marked so much of the superhero fare that made its way into theaters at the time. The global success of BLADE made it possible to bring the X-Men to the silver screen just two years later and Sam Raimi's genre defining Spider-Man two years after that. 

 

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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. 

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This episode Mike, Devaughn and guest Jay Krieger (from the Genre Haze podcast) breakdown the publication history of Marvel's premier vampire slayer, and discuss the vastly different state superhero films were in during the late 90s compared to the present day. Plus, we talk the early days of Marvel Studios and their attempts to crawl out of bankruptcy and get their comic book heroes off the funny book pages and onto the big screen. 

A "Shoot The Shit" What We're All Watching Five Year Anniversary Celebration & Extravaganza

This week we mark five years of bringing you the Pod and the Pendulum by having a fun little roundtable discussion. Mike, Brian, Devaughn and Stephen got together to talk for awhile about what has caught their fancy as of late, as well as to reflect on some of their favorite moments on the show these past dew years and to throw out some pitches for franchises to cover in the future. Since t just wouldn't be an episode without an unhinged rant of some sort, this time around Mike offers the sort of  full-throated defense of the critically lambasted Jerry Seinfeld vehicle UNFROSTED that it left his cohosts feeling more than a little uncomfortable, and Mike doing some self-reflection that maybe it's time to get himself back into therapy for a short spell. In all seriousness, thank you to each and every one of our listeners these past five years. We couldn't do the show without you (well technically we could, but what would be the point?)

We'll be back next week with a new franchise (BLADE) but until then...

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.

RANKING THE PARANORMAL ACTIVITY SERIES

It's time to put this franchise to bed, and what better way to do that thank to put it all in order? Mike, Rachel, Ariel and Devaughn are on hand to rank the Paranormal Activity series from the dregs to the top tier. Will Devaughn be our chaos agent again when it comes to rankings? Will there be a surprise pick at the top? Will Ghost Dimension get knee capped like Micah at a feminist book club? Tune in and find out!