The Pod and the Pendulum Mike Snoonian

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. 
 
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 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. 

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.

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! 

The episode brings a riveting discussion about the final installment of the Paranormal Activity series, its backstory, the impact of COVID-19 on its production, and Ariel's passion for the "found footage" format. The hosts also share intriguing behind-the-scenes insights, including the studio's unique priority list for permissible movie content. After six movies and diminishing returns, it was time for a change of scenery, and that's what Next of Kin delivers, as the action shifts to Amish country, leaving Toby, Katie, and Kristie behind. We talk the new location, the new mystery, the odd choice to dump this straight to streaming, and whether you can really call this a "found footage movie"-did they try something different or just fail at sticking to the format? 
 

Get ready to enter the frightening world of the Paranormal Activity series with your favorite horror hosts. In this  episode, we dissect the supposed final movie, 'The Ghost Dimension,' along with an analysis of the film's corporate maneuverings, & 3D technology use. We provide a brutally honest review of the film's reception, plot twists, and the unusual combination of high-end 3D technology within a found footage movie.
We discuss shifting trends in the film industry, with a focus on the transition of the cinematic experience from traditional theaters to various on-demand video services. The episode delves into the complexities of this transition, questioning whether subscription models devalue movies.
We evaluate the intricacies of found footage sequences and explore strategic watching orders, the significance of key characters, and parallels in the series. From the dynamics of seemingly ordinary families to thrilling confrontations with demons, we leave no stone unturned. The impact of potential timeline re-evaluations, role of witches, and transformations of central characters are all scrutinized.
 

This week we talk about the time the Paranormal Activity series took a deliberate turn away from focusing on wealthy, white, upper middle class families and turned toward the Latino communities of Los Angeles. Writer / director Christopher Landon called The Marked Ones more of a “cousin” of the previous four films rather than a true sequel, and perhaps making that diversion allowed or something looser and unbound by the formula that had gotten stale by the previous entry. The Marked Ones shifts the focus directly onto witchcraft and possession horror while being far less about a haunted house where things that go bump in the night. It also gives us much more of a communal feel, introduces more comedic undertones and offers up three of the better protagonists in Jesse, Hector, and Marisol. 
 
It’s too bad they couldn’t stick the landing and introduced some really silly things like time travel. Goddammit.  
 
All this, plus Mike and Devaughn talk about the dumbest stunts we’ve ever pulled, Cousin Oliver and the Brady Bunch, going all “Mercked Ones” for a few glorious moments, and Mike’s wife sleep-singing when she has nightmares. 
 
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.