Zebras In America

By Zebras In AmericaTV & Film

Zebras In America episodes

March 06, 2025 Popcorn Eschaton 51 - 'Bound for Glory'
"This Land is Your Land" is an anthem to community and the rights all humans have to the earth they walk on, but what truths are there for us in the life of the song's composer, the legendary Woody Guthrie? On this Popcorn Eschaton, Scott and John continue on the Hal Ashby train as they explore the 1976 sprawling biopic (of a kind), 'Bound for Glory'!
Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)
Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)
Music at the end is a sample from Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings' cover of "This Land is Your Land," available on the album 'Naturally,' released by Daptone Records.
52 min
February 20, 2025 Popcorn Eschaton 50 - 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' and 'Being There'
It's the 50th Popcorn Eschaton! For this special occasion, Scott and John pick their respective favorite movies and reflect on how they came to start this spiritually cinematic journey. John's pick for his favorite is 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,' and they discuss how fun it is to see Nazis getting punched and how wholesome it is to watch a father and son embrace each other with love. Scott's pick is Hal Ashby's "Being There,' a beautifully shot, humanist satire that looks at politics and white/wealth privilege in America.
(Although this conversation is a lot of fun, we do discuss some heavy topics, in the films themselves, in the lives of the filmmakers, and in the current state of the world. These topics include self-harm and suicide, the Holocaust, and discrimination against trans people)
Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)
Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)
Music at the end is an arrangement of Richard Strauss's "Also sprach Zarathustra" by Eumir Deodato, available on the B
1 hr 5 min
February 06, 2025 Popcorn Eschaton 49 - 'Blue Velvet'
Because we at Popcorn Eschaton love the immortal spirit of David Lynch so very much, we just wanted to talk about him some more! Let us journey to a small town out of time, the liminal suburbia that is the Lumberton of 'Blue Velvet'! We are joined by the brilliant Elana Levin (of Graphic Policy) to discuss voyeurism, Roy Orbison, and how the film intersects with both feminine archetypes and feminism!
Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)
Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)
Elana's podcast, Graphic Policy Radio, can be found at:
https://graphicpolicy.com/radio/
"In Dreams" clip is by Roy Orbison, originally released in 1963 on the album of the same name by Monument Records.
1 hr 24 min
January 23, 2025 Popcorn Eschaton 48 - 'Dune' and 'The Straight Story'
With the passing of the one-and-only David Lynch, Scott, John, and Marcus wanted to explore two of the director's films that are least discussed in cinema circles: 'Dune' and 'The Straight Story.' One extravagent, overstuffed, and finished outside of Lynch's control, the other deeply personal, human, and compassionate. They explore how the films reflect what they love about Lynch's work, what they engage with in these films specificually, and also how these works stand out among Lynch's filmography.
Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)
Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)
Marcus Pinn's film writing can be found at: http://www.pinnlandempire.com/
Song clip at the end is from "Crysknife," by Sandrider, available here: https://sandrider.bandcamp.com/album/sandrider
1 hr 14 min
January 08, 2025 Popcorn Eschaton 47 - Bruno Dumont's Joan of Arc Musical Duology
Scott and John are joined once again by the brilliant Marcus Pinn as they discuss one of Marcus's favorite filmmakers: Bruno Dumont! They focus on Dumont's pair of musicals about 15th Century saint and martyr Joan of Arc, the anachronistic music choices, and what Joan's tribulations have to say about religious and governmental hypocrisy throughout history.
Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)
Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)
Marcus Pinn's film writing can be found at: http://www.pinnlandempire.com/
Song at the end is an excerpt from "Joan of Arc" by The Melvins, available on 'Houdini.' (1993, Atlantic Records).
1 hr 6 min
December 12, 2024 Popcorn Eschaton 46 - 'Léon Morin, Priest' and 'The Prisoner'
It's priests taking on authoritarianism on Popcorn Eschaton! Scott and John take a look at two different perspectives of Catholic priests having their faith tested by unjust persecution and how those priests respond to that repression. First, they discuss the Jean-Pierre Melville classic 'Léon Morin, Priest' and what it has to say about faith, as well as our shared responsibility to those in need. Then they focus on the 1955 adaption of the Bridget Boland play 'The Prisoner,' how it challenges us to examine our own values, and how the priests in both films confront their own challenges.
Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/)
Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com/)
49 min
November 22, 2024 Popcorn Eschaton 45 - 'Rumble Fish' and 'Bram Stoker's Dracula'
It's a Francis Ford Coppola double feature on Popcorn Eschaton! Scott and John each discuss their respective personal favorite Coppola movies, 'Rumble Fish' and 'Bram Stoker's Dracula'! They talk about why these atypical picks are important to their cinematic development, how these films appeal to their respective tastes, and how they address both class and spirituality.
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 a sample from "Oceans of Time" by Green Lung, taken from the album 'This Heathen Land' (https://greenlung.bandcamp.com/album/this-heathen-land)
1 hr 3 min
November 07, 2024 Popcorn Eschaton 44 - 'The Shawshank Redemption'
On this Popcorn Eschaton, Scott and John are joined by prison reform professional Noah Barth. to discuss the modern classic 'The Shawshank Redemption.' They examine the film's take on the prison system as an institution, hope, and the relationship between platonic soulmates. Noah brought a great deal of wisdom and insight to the discussion and helped us use the film as a springboard to talk about one of the most difficult topics in our nation's history.
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 a sample from "Escape From the Prison Planet" by Clutch.
1 hr 18 min
October 25, 2024 Popcorn Eschaton 43 - 'Lady In The Water'
It's time for Scott and John to take a dive into M. Night Shyamalan's 2006 fantasy 'Lady in the Water,' the much-maligned fairytale of community and redemption. They discuss how the film has its heart in the right place but is also extremely messy, how Shyamalan could benefit from more active collaborators in his filmmaking, and the parallels the film has with Bantu Kongo cosmology. Also: John is introduced to a hip-hop classic from 1992!
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 a sample from "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" by Pete Rock & CL Smooth.
46 min
October 11, 2024 Popcorn Eschaton 42 - 'Prince Of Darkness'
It's spooky season, so Scott and John are diving into John Carpenter's underappreciated, philosophical, theological, and science-obsessed horror movie, 'Prince of Darkness'! They discuss Carpenter's brilliant music, the big questions the movie asks, and opening the box of quantum mechanics to get at Schrödinger's Cat, even if it means we also open a jar of Evil Goo!
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 a sample from "Hell Breaks Loose," available on the 'Prince of Darkness' Soundtrack.
48 min