It's the holidays on Popcorn Eschaton! On this episode, Scott and John discuss two adaptations of Charles Dickins's 1843 novella 'A Christmas Carol:' Richard Donner's 'Scrooged' and The Jim Henson Company's 'The Muppet Christmas Carol'! They get into how each film tackles the text's spiritual and social commentary, as well as why The Muppets, and public media in general, are essential in today's media environment.

Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)

Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)

Song clip at the end is "Marley & Marley" written by Paul Williams and performed Jerry Nelson and Dave Goelz, available on 'The Muppet Christmas Carol' soundtrack

It's another Zebras in Eschaton crossover as we discuss another Jim Jarmusch classic! Scott, Marcus, and John explore the samurai, hip-hop, and literary influences that make up Jarmusch's film genre bouillabaisse that is 'Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai,' as well as how our perception of a film, and how culture at large perceives it, can change over time.

Marcus Pinn's writing can be found at http://www.pinnlandempire.com/

Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)

Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)

Song at the end is "Samurai Theme" by RZA, available on the 'Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai' film score (but NOT the soundtrack, confusingly!)

Scott and John are joined once again by the brilliant Marcus Pinn as they discuss the new Yorgos Lanthimos 'Bugonia'! They get into where the film stacks among Lanthimos's impressive filmography, the stunning performances, what this film has to say about the systems running the planet, and why none of us found this particular bleak satire... very funny.

Marcus Pinn's writing can be found at http://www.pinnlandempire.com/

Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)

Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)

Song at the end is "Mastermind" by Deltron 3030, available on the album 'Deltron 3030' from 75 Ark

It's another Popcorn in America crossover as the brilliant Marcus Pinn joins Scott and John to discuss Ari Aster's 2025 dark pandemic satire, 'Eddington.' They get into the hypocrisy the film points out, the film's political stance (or lack thereof), and how Aster capture's this present, paranoid moment.

Marcus Pinn's writing can be found at http://www.pinnlandempire.com/

Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)

Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)

Song sample at the end is "These Days" by The Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Jackson Browne

Returning guest and friend of the pod Noah joins Scott and John to discuss the 1967 classic 'Cool Hand Luke' (hey, a 1967 film for our 67th episode! Serendipitous!). They get into Luke as a Christ figure, how the film demonstrates the dehumanizing control prisons have on prisoners, and the role religion plays in prison life.

In the midst of autumn, we're all in the mood to celebrate the Fall Classic and America's pastime! And on Popcorn Eschaton, that also means interrogating worker exploitation! Scott and John discuss John Sayles's 1988 adaptation of the Eliot Asinof book 'Eight Men Out,' using it as a springboard to talk about gambling in sports, why we love sports movies, and how sports can be great unifiers.

Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)

Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)

Song at the end is "Harry Caray performing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Oh no! Using a Chicago Cubs icon as a tag to a movie about the Chicago White Sox! Sacrilege!

The brilliant Jon Laubinger joins Scott and John to discuss an unlikely pairing of films that deal with animal cruelty and the question of sentience: James Gunns's 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' and Robert Bresson's 'Au hasard Balthazar'! They dive into the disturbing imagery in both films and how each filmmaker uses animals to help us find empathy with our fellow humans.

Song clip at the end is from Warren Zevon's "Monkey Wash Donkey Rinse," available on Zevon's 'Mutineer' album and his 'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Anthology.'

Scott and I return to the world of animation and Studio Ghibli! What a treat! We take a look at the exceptional and underrated film from director Hayao Miyazaki, 'Porco Rosso'! We discuss fascism, survivor's guilt, and the pleasure of allowing a story to remain ambiguous.

Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)

Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)

Song at the end is "Fio ~ Seventeen" by Joe Hishaishi, available on the album 'Porco Rosso' original score

It's time to exalt kindness! On this Popcorn Eschaton, Scott and John discuss the most recent cinematic iteration of Superman. They explore James Gunn's perspective on the Man of Tomorrow, the impeccable cast, and how Superman has been a politically aware character since his creation in 1938! Also: a lot of comics talk.

Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)

Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)

Song at the end is "The Max Fleischer Cartoon" by Randy Miller and Orchestra, available on the album 'Superman: The Ultimate Collection.'

The fantastic Carmelita Valdez McKoy returns to Popcorn Eschaton to discuss a pair of films about addiction: Ermanno Olmi's 'The Legend of the Holy Drinker' and Louis Malle's 'The Fire Within.' Carmelita, Scott, and John explore how these films deal with addiction, the possibilities of treatment, and if joy is possible even while experiencing despair. These are depressing movies so it was wonderful to have such a thoughtful guest guide us through this challenging topic!

Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)

Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)

Clip at the end is from "Heavy Drinker" by Spiritus Mortis, available on the album 'The God Behind the God,' released by Firebox Records