EYES WIDE SHUT

It's a Wonderful Orgy! Or is it? For our annual Xmas bonus show, Nichole has chosen the final film from the maestro himself, the elusive, unknowable Stanley Kubrick. Starring the Hollywood couple at the time Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, this exhausting, 400 day shoot was marketed as an erotic thriller, but instead explored the darker, richer themes of repressed longing & desire, and the deeply ingrained but hidden insecurities of a certain kind of successful male. So gather a cup of eggnog and unwrap one of our finest episodes to date.

This week we are taking a break but posting a little Christmas treat for all our listeners. We've opened up our patreon vault and are gifting you with this episode we recorded shortly after the release of one of if not the best not only horror movie but straight up movie of the year Ryan Koogler's Sinners. Brian and I joined forces for a quick discussion of our initial thoughts of the film as well as give our recommendation for other vampire movies fans should check out after devouring this one. Thank you once again to all our listeners for making this a fantastic year and if you're so inclined please consider becoming a patron by going to patreon.com/podandthependulum today

This week Mike and Devaughn are joined by guest Alex Pagliuca to rate the nine films in the Predator franchise. From alien worlds to the deepest jungles, through different historical periods, this series has taken us everywhere, now we're taking a few minutes to line it all up.

Mike and Brian are on hand to discuss the latest entry in the Predator series, BADLANDS. We both had a lot of fun with this one, and wondered about the influence another franchise from a galaxy far, far away had on this one. Add in the tie-ins to the Alien universe, and we were in scifi heaven.

Mike and Stephen are joined by special guest Hope to talk about the secret Predator animated movie that dropped earlier this year, that just maybe might be be the best Predator movie you see this year.

Mike, Devaughn, & special guest Kinnell watch AVP: Requiem, so you don't have to. 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 week on the pod, what happens when you take two of the most iconic movie monsters and throw them in a long-awaited battle royale where the fate of mankind hangs in the balance? You get a pulpy B-movie that doesn’t quite live up to what could have been but is fun all the same from director Paul WS Anderson. While the end result of AVP is no doubt a little underwhelming, it’s still a fun sci-fi horror mashup, and it exemplifies the kind of movie that made spending Saturday afternoons hungover on the couch while flipping through cable channels a first class recreation activity. Twenty plus years later can we at least admit that a solid cast of characters you’ll forget about immediately, and a commitment to mostly shoot practical effects means AVP gets more right than wrong?

After a few weeks of one-off shows, and a well-deserved week off, we're back in franchise land. This week we're covering PREY, the streaming Hulu hit that revitalized the Predator franchise after a series of commercial and artistic disappointments.

Trick or Treat listeners as we have a very special bonus episode for you this Halloween. Mike, Stephen, & Nichole have brought our own bag of goodies as we talk about this year's latest entry in the long running horror anthology franchise V/H/S. While it seems hard to believe, this is the first time the Shudder / Bloody Disgusting coproduction has focused exclusively on the Halloween theme. Does it work? Hell yes it does as the five segments and wraparound represent some of the best work yet. From the creepy weirdness of "Coochie Coochie Coo" to the satanic panic inspired Kid Prints, and the goofy romp of Home Haunting, this one really captures what makes the holiday a blast.

This week we have special cooking, and we get to push back talking about AVP: Requiem another week! Double Win!Our own diabolical Devaughn Taylor has set up a draft where your crew picks five of their favorite franchise follow ups. Since it can't be that easy, there are rules! Only one franchise can be represented. We can steal a pick from another host, or we can wipe the whole slate clean. There are trivia challenges. It's surprise picks, threats of bodily harm, lots of cursing, way too personal confessions and overall pure chaos, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Your players are Devaughn, Mike, Stephen, and Brian.