Zebras In America

john doe by Zebras In America

'RoboCop' is one of the most talked about movies for the last 40 years, so Scott and John open up their trusty Eschaton Toolkit (compassion, Franz Fanon, Buddhism, worker exploitation, Christ allegories) to hopefully bring a unique perspective to Paul Verhoeven and Company's legendary film. Blood squibs and redlining in the same podcast! It is possible! Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.i...

A conversation with Guy Maddin by Zebras In America

After a discussion on the potential role of AI in art and other aspects of modern life, Scott and John dig into the new Boots Riley film 'I Love Boosters,' worker organizing, and attempting to understand the current cinematic marketplace. 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 en...

For another Zebras in Eschaton crossover, Marcus Pinn is very patient as Scott and John uncork their numerous frustrations with Josh Safdie's 'Marty Supreme.' They discuss the nihilistic nature of the film's plot and characterization, the ugly tropes it indulges in, and why it fails to engage us emotionally even when compared to other films with main characters who commit repulsive acts. See 'I Lo...

On this episode, Scott and John take a look at the Jerry Schatzberg film 'Reunion.' They discuss the quiet power of its story of friendship during the rise of Nazism in Germany, why the film isn't currently accessible, and the insight it has on millennia-old questions concerning the Problem of Evil. As is right and proper, they also discuss the X-Men. Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.ins...

It's another Zebras in Eschaton crossover as Scott and John welcome the brilliant Marcus Pinn to discuss the Steven Soderbergh version of the Stanisław Lem novel 'Solaris'! They get into how it compares with the Andrei Tarkovsky original, why this version remains underrated, and how to define a "cult movie!" Marcus Pinn's film writing can be found at http://www.pinnlandempire.com/ Logo designed by...

The Popcorn Eschaton Boys return to legendary Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky with one of Scott's favorite films, 'Stalker'! They discuss the deeply personal nature to Tarkovsky's work, the joy of art that challenges us, and the bleak but beautiful visual and auditory aesthetic in 'Stalker.' Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/) Theme music is "Sun Blood" by...

Popcorn Eschaton is joined by the wonderful Becky D'Anna to discuss one of her favorite films, the Albert Brooks comedy of the afterlife, 'Defending Your Life'! They discuss the creative voice of Albert Brooks, how the film finds humor in death, as well as how it depicts lifting the fog of fear from your life to achieve true intimacy. Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.s...

The Zebra boys are back with the excellent Darko The Super find his music at https://darkothesuper.bandcamp.com/ He is the best dude. Expect more Zebras this year

The Popcorn Eschaton Boys achieve the podcasting dream of talking about Guillermo del Toro (and comics) for over an hour! They've done so before and they will again! They discuss the 2004 superhero classic of Nazi-crushing and self-actualization, 'Hellboy,' as well as its sequel of anti-colonial anti-heroes and the sanctity and beauty of hidden worlds, 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'! Logo designed...

It's a French Foreign Legion, arthouse/grindhouse double feature on Popcorn Eschaton! Scott and John discuss the Jean-Claude Van Damme classic 'Lionheart' and pair it with Claire Denis's mesmerizing 1999 film 'Beau Travail.' They get into how each film shows the exploitation of male bodies, their sense of place, and how they depict morality. Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com...

Scott and John continue their excursion into nihilism on film, but this time coming from an anti-consumerist, comedic perspective. It's aliens, time travel, punk rock, and not paying for sushi as Popcorn Eschaton enters the realm of Alex Cox's 'Repo Man'! Logo designed by Jesse Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/just.shelve.it/) Theme music is "Sun Blood" by Oxeneers (https://oxeneers1.bandcamp.com...

Scott and John planned on making this a double feature with Alex Cox's 'Repo Man,' but the conversation went in so many fruitful directions, it will have to wait for another episode! For this podcast, they discuss S. Craig Zahler's 2018 action thriller 'Dragged Across Concrete,' its toxic politics, and its nihilist worldview. Along the way, Scott and John talk about the state of the world, Jesus,...

We are back! forever? We never left. Thank you for understanding. We love you.

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 m...

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 ht...

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:/...

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 Ar...

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...

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...

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://oxene...

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/) Them...

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 wonderfu...