Pop Break Today

Senior Writer Aaron Sarnecky and Senior TV Columnist Josh Sarnecky are here to talk about Gravity for its 10th anniversary.

Gravity is a space thriller film directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who co-wrote the film with his son Jonás Cuarón. It opened in theaters on October 4, 2013.

In the film, astronauts Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) must find a way home after a collision with a satellite leaves them stranded and unable to reach Mission Control (Ed Harris).

Gravity was a box office hit, grossing $723 million on an estimated $100 million budget. It was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress. Its wins include Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Cinematography.

Aaron and Josh talk about the movie’s plot, performances, effects, and use of 3D. They also discuss the film’s scientific accuracy and the companion short film Aningaaq.

For another space movie, you can listen to Josh and Aaron’s podcast on 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Gravity is available on Prime Video and Apple TV

All Elite Wrestling’s Tony Khan met with the media to discuss the company’s upcoming PPV WrestleDream which airs on Sunday, October 1st live from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA. On the call, Tony Khan discusses Jade Cargill signing with WWE, Debunking the rumors of him buying New Japan Pro Wrestling, MJF as a babyface, and more!

NXT’s Shawn Michaels met with the media to discuss the company’s upcoming PPV No Mercy which airs on Saturday, September 30th live from the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, CA.  On the call, Shawn Michaels discusses Jade Cargill's signing with WWE, the improvement of Tiffany Stratton, CM Punk possibly going to NXT, and more!

Welcome to “Not Couple Goals” where co-hosts Allie Nelson and Tyler McCarthy do a deep dive into a different ridiculous romantic thriller from the vantage point of their long-term relationship.

Allie, a TV writer/producer and actress, has an affinity for romantic thrillers, the more salacious the better. Tyler, an entertainment reporter and critic, often finds himself drawn in despite his better judgment. Join them as they explore all the ways it’s possible to love too hard… like WAY too hard.

In this episode, Allie is sadly absent so Tyler tackles the 1995 movie “Embrace of the Vampire” with the help of two very special married guests, comedian/writer Jessica Sager and writer Mike Hollan! Join them as they break down this movie’s many, many, many plot holes, the fact that it is a softcore porn film (literally) and debate if unattractiveness or stupidity is the biggest sin of the titular vampire. We’ll be the first to say it, we missed Allie dearly on this one because it was a very, very silly movie that she would have loved!

Special thanks to Mallory Johns for the introduction music.

To see more of our hosts, check out Tyler’s writing at USA Insider, SYFY and NBC Insider. Find Allie’s work at Parade and Business Insider!

And don't forget to follow us on social media —

Allie: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok

Tyler: Twitter

Not Couple Goals: Instagram and Twitter

There’s arguably no superhero in existence that has been reimagined, redefined, or reinterpreted more than Batman.  No matter how many times he’s been rebooted, audiences are always willing to come back to Gotham City’s greatest defender.  With so much Bat content out there, there’s plenty to dissect, analyze, and of course, rank!  This podcast is dedicated to a surgical evaluation of Batman’s history, with a focus on ranking several topics in the world of Batman, among other classic Bat themes and characters.

Join host Daniel Cohen, Pop Break’s former Film Editor and Resident Bat-Maven, as he brings on several guests every month to share his passion for the one and only Dark Knight.  From Adam West to Robert Pattinson, no bat stone will be left unturned.  Bottom-line: If you’re a Batman fan, this is required listening.

Podcast Editor Alex Marcus joins Daniel once again, as the crew returns to the animated realm to review 2018’s anime, Batman Ninja.  As this is an anime movie, we threw up the signal and called upon a couple experts – the cohosts of the Anime x Pop Podcast, Josh Sarnecky (also co-host of the Anniversary Brothers Podcast), and Amanda Rivas (also frequent co-host and guest on the Socially Distanced podcast).

Josh and Amanda lend their expertise to tell us how this fares as an anime movie, as Daniel and Alex have no idea what’s going on.  Aside from that, we delve into how well this movie utilizes the world of Batman, specifically its villains, the visual style, and go off on a Robin tangent – why can’t Batman movies get Robin right! Join us for this second trip into the animated world, as Daniel just wants this to be better than Batman: The Doom that Came to Gotham (did he get his wish?), and listen to Alex wax poetically on the comedic chops of one Alfred Pennyworth.

Is the Batman anime experiment worth a recommendation…LISTEN RIGHT HERE TO FIND OUT!

Welcome to “Not Couple Goals” where co-hosts Allie Nelson and Tyler McCarthy do a deep dive into a different ridiculous romantic thriller from the vantage point of their long-term relationship.

Allie, a TV writer/producer and actress, has an affinity for romantic thrillers, the more salacious the better. Tyler, an entertainment reporter and critic, often finds himself drawn in despite his better judgment. Join them as they explore all the ways it’s possible to love too hard… like WAY too hard.

In this episode, Allie and Tyler take on the 2019 movie “Secret Obsession” starring Brenda Song, Mike Vogel and Dennis Haysbert. Tag along as they discuss how this movie’s plot was spoiled by the mere sight of the poster, the horrible police work on display throughout and (weirdly) whether they would leave each other for Channing Tatum (who is not connected to this movie in any way). Was this a film a missed opportunity or just a stinker? Listen and find out! 

Special thanks to Mallory Johns for the introduction music.

To see more of our hosts, check out Tyler’s writing at USA Insider, SYFY and NBC Insider. Find Allie’s work at Parade and Business Insider!

And don't forget to follow us on social media —

Allie: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok

Tyler: Twitter

Not Couple Goals: Instagram and Twitter

Welcome to “Pop Break Goes to Washington” where host Allison Lips is joined by a special guest to discuss the historical significance and impact of a political film. Allison and her guests discuss how politics is portrayed in each film. While this podcast focuses on the American political system, it does make a few forays outside of the United States. 

For our second episode, Allison and Justin Mancini from the Podwork Angels: The Rush Hour, a podcast dedicated to the rock band Rush, explore the themes in Dave. Justin is co-host of Cinema Joes, a film podcast which is now on hiatus. You can find his writing on film at his website, thecinemaverick.com, and on Letterboxd @TheCineMaverick.

As for Dave, the movie held its own at the year-end box office, finishing 13th, in a year with Jurassic Park, The Fugitive, and Mrs. Doubtfire. However, it tends to get lost in a year with those monster blockbusters and Schindler’s List winning tons of awards.

Join Allison and Aaron as they debate whether this Ivan Reitman film holds up today and deserves to be reconsidered.

Welcome to a special edition of Pop Break's pro wrestling podcast. 

Pop Break's editor-in-chief Bill Bodkin is joined by the site's longtime wrestling editor Murjani Rawls to discuss the past two historic weeks in the world of pro wrestling.

First, they discuss the merger of WWE and Endeavor, the parent company of UFC. They talk about Vince McMahon's role within the new company and his place in wrestling history, the mainstream appeal of WWE, the role of Triple H going forward, will Stephanie McMahon ever return plus the potential future for UFC fighters in WWE and the merger's impact on talent acquisitions and releases.

The conversation shifts to All Elite Wrestling and their historic Wembley Stadium show -- All In. They discuss whether the show was a turning point for the company as well as the company's future in international markets. They deep dive into the AEW/CM Punk drama and how The Second City Saints' departure might be the best for AEW's business ... and WWE's? They also talk about Bryan Danielson's role in AEW and how Tony Khan has all the tools to turn the tide for the company.

Hello and welcome to Bill vs the MCU! Each month your hosts⁠ Pop Break Podcasts Editor Alex Marcus⁠ and⁠ Pop Break Editor in Chief Bill Bodkin⁠ take another step into the wider Marvel Multiverse, with reviews and interviews on the film and television series that may be drawn upon as the MCU dives deeper and deeper into its Multiverse Saga.

In this episode, we will be giving a brief rundown of some of the pivotal events from Agents of SHIELD S3 before jumping into an in depth discussion of S4E1-8, aka the Ghost Rider arc, where Daisy, Coulson, and the gang become acquainted with the Spirit of Vengeance, currently inhabiting host Robbie Reyes, as they battle science ghosts.

To help us become better acquainted with the classic Marvel Comics character of Ghost Rider, we are excited to welcome onto the pod the host of the Superhero Cinephiles podcast and a lifelong Ghost Rider fan, Perry Constantine.

We also breakdown all the Disney Plus Marvel TV release calendar news in this month’s Miss Minutes Marvel Memo, where he and Bill try to cram in a month’s of MCU headlines in five minutes!

Don’t forget to come back next month when they’ll be reviewing Agents of SHIELD S4E09-16, aka LMD!

Agents of SHIELD S1-7 are available to stream on ⁠Disney+⁠.

Senior Writer Aaron Sarnecky and Senior TV Columnist Josh Sarnecky are back for another movie retrospective. This month they’re talking about Blade for its 25th anniversary.

Blade is a superhero film directed by Stephen Norrington and written by David S. Goyer, the latter of whom The Pop Break interviewed at NYCC. Based on the Marvel Comics character created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, the movie opened in theaters on August 21, 1998.

The film follows Blade (Wesley Snipes), a half-vampire who hunts the secret society of vampires. His friends include his mentor Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) and hematologist Dr. Karen Jenson (N’Bushe Wright). The three work together to prevent the vampire Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) from awakening an ancient blood god.

Blade received mixed reviews from critics but was popular with audiences, grossing $131.2 million on a $45 million budget. It spawned two sequels and is slated for a reboot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Aaron and Josh talk about the movie’s elements, including its plot, characters, action, and effects. They also touch on the comic book movie landscape in 1998 and the film’s legacy today.

For another comic book movie, you can listen to Aaron and Josh’s Man of Steel podcast with Batman By The Numbers host Daniel Cohen.

Blade is streaming on Max.