Pop and Schlock: Recent Episodes
Jacob King x Meredith Nudo
The Pop & Schlock Podcast, an exercise in absurdity brought to you in which we tear into a piece of pop culture dreck and try to make sense of why someone thought it would be a good idea to subject it to the world at large. From old cult classics to modern garbage, nothing is safe or sacred.
Jake and Meredith are joined by long-time friend of the show Science Expert Ryan Terry to discuss the absolutely gonzo horror film Barbarian now streaming on HBO Max. Content warning for descriptions of bodily dismemberment, rape, torture, and foul language. Listener discretion is advised.
We are too lazy to double check but this is probably the first time we've covered an entire trilogy over the course of the podcast's run and that's pretty cool. Join us as we look at the befuddling decisions made in this franchise capper and discuss the enduring legacy of Michael Myers in Halloween Ends.
We have such sights to show you! Join us as we examine the 2022 reboot of Hellraiser directed by David Brucker (The Night House) now streaming on Hulu. This episode is dedicated to the memory of our friend and horror aficionado Vincent Kukua.
Open the door, get on the floor, everyone's talkin' dinosaurs! Join us as we jump in and examine Jurassic World: Dominion, a film that dares to ask the important questions like "doesn't this dinosaur movie have enough locusts?" Be sure to follow us on Instagram & Twitter @PopSchlockPod and check out our new Patreon page. Enjoy!
We've worked out the kinks and we're back on our recording schedule-- this week we finally get around to examining the Predator prequel PREY starring Amber Midthunder, now streaming on Hulu!
Jake, Meredith and special guest Tori sit down to discuss the latest film release from Jordan Peele, an otherworldly experience that you have to see to believe!
We have returned! Jake and Meredith are back to discuss one of their favorite shows of the year, OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH! Set sail as we discuss myth versus reality, the importance of organic ensemble casting, and much more!
Jump in with uis as we take a look at Guillermo Del Toro's adaptation of Nightmare Alley, now streaming on HBOMax!
We spring into 2022 with an in-depth examination of Joel Coen's staging of The Tragedy of Macbeth starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. Apologies for our collective congestion. The weather in Houston has precipitated sinus trouble that no antihistamine in existence can properly manage.
Meredith hates westerns so this should go swimmingly. Listen as we go into acting choices and the effectiveness of genre blending. Also anime us involved. Enjoy!
Evil podcasts tonight! Join us as we take a look at Halloween Kills and discuss how far into a horror franchise you can get before you're really just beating a dead horse. Enjoy!
Spice up your life! This week we are joined by Science (fiction) expert Ryan Terry and Jake's wife Tori as we take a closer look at all things Dune! Does Villenueve's new adaptation do a better job than the 1984 David Lynch version? Do the worms look more like a vageen or a cat's butthole? We ask all the important questions!
Good morning, y'all! This week we dive into the Criterion Collection to examine the debut film from Guillermo Del Toro and talk about the malleability of vampire lore, director trademarks, and much much more. Enjoy!
"Whenever Aleister isn't on screen, the audience should always be asking 'Hey, Where's Aleister?'"
We haven't hit on the "schlock" side of our namesake for a while so we decided to remedy that. This week on the show, we sit down to discuss a film that may as well have been lab grown to be discussed on this show as we examine Psycho Goreman.
It may seem like we're stuck in an unending time loop here at Pop and Schlock but that simply is not the case. This week we're discussing Palm Springs starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti as they attempt to navigate a recursive existence in the desert at a wedding even more uncomfortable than the last one Jake officiated. Discourse and tangents abound. enjoy! Marked as explicit for a few random F-Bombs
This week we take a frank look at the concepts of grief, mourning, and loss as we do a deep dive into the Nicolas Cage film that everybody and their mother wanted us to cover-- Pig; directed by Michael Sarnoski and co-starring Alex Wolff and Adam Arkin. Enjoy!
Is it possible that the universe conjured up a movie that was built from the ground up to fit precisely in the wheelhouse of both of our hosts? Apparently so, as we discuss Malignant, the new film by James Wan that has been dividing audiences sharply since its debut! Join us as we discuss why this film WORKS despite not being aligned very much with the modern American horror zeitgeist!
Blessings upon us as we discuss the latest film featuring the patron saint of Pop and Schlock-- Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
Join us as we discuss the Netflix original featuring a supporting class boasting Woody Harrelson and Jun Kunimura. Topics of discussion include cultural sensitivity in the depiction of Japan as a setting, the importance of physicality in building a believable action performance, appropriate placement of CGI, and more. We also get a post-storm update on Meredith's carnivorous plants, so that's cool.
Enjoy!
We have returned! And we decided to exercise our Lit major tendencies by analyzing A24's The Green Knight, an adaptation of the 14th century romantic poem. Follow along as we try to avoid making too many Monty Python references and try to be as tactful as we can regarding medieval sex acts. Fun for the whole family!
Marked Explicit for sexual references and some vulgar language
We're gonna try this again! Once more with feeling! Jacob King (@jacobkinghtx) and Meredith Nudo (@MeredithNudo) come back to a reloaded Pop and Schlock Podcast because...hell, why not at this point, right? This is a teaser episode where Jake breaks down what to expect and sets the stage for a new season of the show.
We're joined by Ryan Terry and Jesse Garson to discuss the latest from Jordan Peele. Enjoy!
This is a weird one, y'all. Not the movie, just the episode as a whole. You can thank Conner and Ned for that.
It's the last Marvel release before we get to Endgame and you know we had to cover it. Join us as we take a look at Captain Marvel starring Brie Larson and examine what it means for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
On this episode we're joined by Texas indie wrestler Keith Blalock and returning guest Steph Collier to discuss Fighting With My Family.Enjoy!
We return tp the world of vikings and dragons as we take a look at the third entry in Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon series.
Not sure what to make of Alita: Battle Angel? Neither do we, really. But at least we're gonna try to figure it out. Enjoy!
Nobody expected the first one to be any good let alone get a sequel and yet here we are, discussing The Lego Movie 2!
Comedy is a tradition that stretches back to the beginning of time. Jump in on this episode where we take a look at some classic comedy of ages past.
The studio gets a little chaotic as we examine one of the most polar-izing Netflix original films to hit the platform yet; Jonas Akerlund's POLAR starring Mads Mikkelson and Vanessa Hudgens.
Get off our lawn and listen to this episode about Clint Eastwood's The Mule, a film so confounding that we got a good six seconds of dead air out of it! Enjoy!
Things get a little more political than usual when we sit down to discuss Adam McKay's VICE starring Christian Bale and Amy Adams. Who would have thought discussing one of the most controversial figures in American politics could lead to rage shouting?
It has been called one of the biggest bombs of 2018 and one of the worst efforts of Robert Zemeckis’ career, but is WELCOME TO MARWEN really that much of a train wreck? Join us as we take a deep dive into the film starring Steve Carrell, Leslie Mann, Merritt Wever and more on an all new episode of Pop and Schlock LIVE!
Darling it's bettah, down where it's whettah take it from me! We ring in the new year by taking a look at Jason Momoa's Aquaman! We're joined via skype by Chicago funny-type person Ben Hebert as we run down one of the most perplexing mainstream blockbusters in recent memory!
We made it through 2018 and now it's time to talk about some of the stuff we may have missed among other miscellaneous meanderings. Join us!
We are joined once again by good friend of the show Isaiah Broussard to discuss the mind-bendingly amazing animated film, Spider-Man: into the Spider-Verse.Enjoy!
We didn't get to cover it while it was in theaters but we've got some time on our hands at the end of the year so we have decided to jump back and examine the documentary chronicling the legacy of Fred Rogers; Won't You Be My Neighbor. We are joined via Skype by Melissa Girimonte of The Televixen to examine why Mr. Rogers had such a lasting impact on society and why this film is so important.
Join us as we look at Disney's latest animated sequel and discuss if it really did, in fact, break the internet or if it was some sort of in-universe hyperbole or something.
This week we are joined in studio by comedian Brian Kondrach to take a look at Steve McQueen's heist thriller WIDOWS starring Viola Davis and Liam Neeson.
A little late too late for Halloween (or not) we sit down to talk OVERLORD with ComingSoon.Net and Matinee Heroes critic Alan Cerny. Does this not-Cloverfield film from the J.J. Abrams machine hold up to close scrutiny? Let's find out!
We will (we will) rock you with our discussion of Bohemian Rhapsody. Does the film live up to the magnetic legacy left behind by Freddie Mercury? Listen now to find out!
A day late but short zero dollars, Pop and Schlock looks at Halloween 2018! We are joined by local performers Amanda Pierson and Britni B as well as illustrator and designer Vincent Kukua to talk about the latest installment of the Michael Myers saga and do a little deep dive into the world of slasher genre tropes. Enjoy!
This week, an adorable child comes on to help us talk about Hotel Transylvania 3. Why is it that this film franchise doesn't seem to feel the love of other animated series? We want to find out. Enjoy!
This week we take an analytical look at the latest from Drew Goddard starring Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Cynthia Erivo, and Dakota Johnson. We are joined in studio by comic writer Milton Lawson and comedy performer Paul Gallegos.
Travel back to the forgotten era of the nineties as we dive into Sony Pictures presentation of Venom starring Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, and Riz Ahmed!
We are joined by a pair of guests to do a deep dive on the film Searching starring John Cho.
This week Jake’s wife joins us in studio to talk about A Simple Favor starring Blake Lively and (Jake’s perennial crush) Anna Kendrick in a film by Paul Feig. How does it go? Listen to find out!
Sometimes a franchise just won't die. We're in studio with Brian Kondrach and Ryan Terry to discuss the fourth entry in The Predator series and somehow it goes about as well as you would expect.
t’s been one of the most buzzed-about films of the year and this week we’re talking about it On Pop and Schlock LIVE. Crazy Rich Asians starring Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan and more gets the rundown on this week's Pop and Schlock LIVE with guest Oriana Chen.
Who would have thought that a vulgar film noir comedy with puppets wouldn't set the box office on fire? This week we have Jack and Sasha from the Houston Puppetry Guild on the show to discuss The Happytime Murders!
It's a Comicpalooza sequel with participants from the Problematic Media panel coming back to do an update about why thinking critically about what we consume in media is so very important!
Look, this one is mostly a tangent about a movie we think that needs to get made called "Toilet Shark." It's an episode that is supposed to be about THE MEG, but things get a little out of hand. Totally worth it though.
Oh bother! Disney has adapted another one of their beloved properties into live action so we're here to talk ALL about it!
This week we sit down to discuss the ins and outs of the latest entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise with special guest Craig Price from MATINEE HEROES and Ryan Terry from knowing about science. What's the deal with Tom Cruise? What are the tropes of spycraft in film and why do we keep going back to that well? Why can't Meredith enjoy any films that aren't Babe? Find out this week on Pop and Schlock LIVE!
This week on the show we are going take a serious look at representation as it pertains to disability in media. We’ve invited experts on the subject to come and talk about what steps forward still need to be made and what significant strides have already been made in recent years.
He is the highest paid actor in Hollywood today. His films open with bigger box office receipts than his biceps. He is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and this week Pop and Schlock LIVE is talking about his latest film, SKYSCRAPER!
Hear the buzz! On this week’s episode we talk Ant-Man and the Wasp ! How does the film measure up in the shadow of Infinity War? We’re joined by our new ampersand Isaiah Broussard and Honey Moonpie to talk Marvel’s latest blockbuster.
This week on P&SL we welcome back station manager Don Freeman as well as the hosts of Pot and Plot to discuss the second season of GLOW on Netflix. Prepare for massive amounts of references to professional wrestling inside jokes!
Where is our super suit? We sit down to talk about the highly anticipated sequel to Brad Bird's The Incredibles and discuss the very nature of sequels themselves!
There’s no honor among thieves! This week we sat down with local writer Caryn Fulda of Midnight Lair to discuss the female-driven expansion of the Ocean’s franchise. Do these ladies take the premise to the bank? Or do they all belong in movie jail? Listen to find out!
We’re back! This week we’re talking about the film adaptation of Joe Kelly’s masterpiece graphic novel I Kill Giants starring Madison Wolfe, Zoe Saldana, and Imogen Poots. Big thanks to Cris Skelton for joining us in the studio once again.
This week we have assembled a collection of comedians, writers, and straight up nerds to discuss SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY. Was it a colossal misfire or is everyone just talking out of the backside of their own Wookiee? Listen to find out!
X gon’ give it to ya’. This week we are in studio to discuss Deadpool 2! Why is Shatterstar so sexy? Why is Vanessa not an actual character? Why can’t Josh Brolin just be everything all the time? Find out as we sit down with Brenda Valdivia of the Mockingbird Podcast network and only drop oneaccidental f-bomb. Enjoy!
Animation is not a genre, it is a medium. There are myriad ways to explore that particular medium whether it be through traditional hand-drawn techniques to modern evolution in digital and rendered technology.
So what makes animation so versatile? We’ve assembled a rogue’s gallery of guests to discuss the field and learn a little bit about what makes animation so damn great.
It's the biggest pop culture event of 2018 so of course we had to cover it. Enjoy our roundtable discussion of the film that changed the box office game forever.
Wanna hear us try to categorically explain comedy as if it were some sort of scientific principle? This is the episode for you! We sat down with comedian Patrick Simmons to talk about Super Troopers 2 and debate the punchability factor of Rob Lowe's face.
Enjoy!
This week we welcome Brian Kondrach (@BrianMakesJokes) into the studio to talk about Dwayne Johnson's latest film in which he dons indestructible khakis and is surrounded by things blowing up. Fun times. Enjoy!
This week Meredith returns from what was supposed to be a one-way trip to the sun to discuss A Quiet Place; written, directed, and starring John Krasinski with Emily Blunt, the film is one of the most talked about new horror films of the year, seemingly catching everyone by surprise.
What did we think? Listen and find out!
Last week Meredith picked a whole bouquet of oopsie-daises and the episode was lost. This week, Jake returns to rectify the situation and get the show back on track. Meredith has been loaded into a cannon and shot into the sun. There's a song about it. We're not joking.
KPFT personality Don Freeman drops by to help talk about storytelling choices leading into this week's WrestleMania XXXIV, and Jake still isn't completely over how mean people were to Rian Johnson over that whole Star Wars thing...
This week on the show we sat down to discuss Cory Finley's directorial debut Thoroughbreds starring Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor Joy. It is also notably the final film of the late Anton Yelchin. We found the film to be masterfully crafted with only minor points to quibble over. The episode is largely a discussion of why the murderous sociopath is such a popular film trope and a treatise on why a well crafted script is the starting point for any great film.
Ava DuVernay's adaptation of Madeline L'Engle's seminal classic A Wrinkle in Time is in theaters now. Jake and Meredith sit down to discuss where the film soars and where the film sinks and what that means for the future of DuVernay, who has proven herself to be one of the most interesting directors working today.
This week on Pop and Schlock LIVE, Jake and Meredith sit down to discuss Duncan Jones' MUTE now streaming on Netflix. The film stars Alexander Skarsgard, Paul Rudd and Not Luke Wilson.
The film is not perfect, which makes for some good discussion. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Annihilation is pretty much Jake's cup of tea. Nevermind the fact that Jake doesn't like tea. Meredith is more ambivalent. This episode deals with some of the themes and arguments brought up in the Black Mirror episode and ponders whether internal narratives can be translated to a filmed medium. Also they fancast Jake into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fun all around.
Black Panther is one of the best films of the year so obviously this is one of our best episodes of the year. We brought on local Houston artists and Black Panther enthusiasts Isaiah Broussard and Stephen Patrick Kelly to talk about what made the film work, why it was so special, and somehow work in a tangent about why the X-Men don't work when Spider-Man is also around.
Isaiah Broussard is an independent cartoonist from Houston, Texas. His work, “Crackers & White Wine” was named Houston’s best political webcomic by Houston Press. He also creates the comic all-ages comedy/horror comic “Transyltown” and is the illustrator of the wacky superhero/adventure comic “Help Wanted!” and the manga/anime inspired “Fight School High School”. He is currently crafting an afro-futurist sci-fi short story called “The Funktastic Adventure.”
Stephen Patrick Kelly is an artist and creator from Houston, TX. He is responsible for the webcomics Shane Longshadow is Hungry and Man Up, Kid! He describes himself as "Black, Bearded, and Dependable."
Jake likes sci-fi. Meredith likes sci-fi. They don't like it when people try to dismiss things that are sci-fi for being sci-fi. A discussion on the versatility of the genre, fan entitlement, conventions, tropes, and why Speed Racer is the pinnacle of cinematic achievement ensue.
Sci-fi is like orange juice; some people like a little pulp. The recent surprise release of Julius Onah's The Cloverfield Paradox became a major talking point on the web this week and we sat down to talk about why the backlash seemed so severe. We get into the nature of science fiction and also the way distribution models for film are wildly evolving and what we can expect to see in the coming years when it comes to streaming.
This week we sit down to discuss representation in media. How important is accuracy? Does it distract from indigenous stories if filtered through a Caucasian lens? Is it okay to make fun of Irish people? Listen to find out!
Greetings and salutations! This week we sat down to talk about Jack Black's The Polka King, now streaming on Netflix. Is it better to judge a film based on its merit or how well it serves the history it is adapting? Should Jake have just given up on credibility and done morning radio instead of whatever nonsense this is? Why did ska go away?
Listen to find out!
his week we sat down to talk about the film Proud Mary and why diversity in media is such an important concept. We also discuss the merits of workmanship in delivering upon expectations when walking into a film, and Jake manages to turn everything into a discussion about The Last Jedi.(Not really, but sorta.)
Hola amigos! This is the very first episode of Pop and Schlock LIVE on KPFT. Their website can be a little hard to navigate and find new shows so I wanted to ensure that our fans have a chance to listen to the broadcast.
We want to again thank Don Freeman and everyone at KPFT for giving us this platform. We hope to continue to grow and improve as time goes on.
From the depths of the archives comes the famed KPFT Pilot Episode! In this one we discuss Bright, the Netflix original supernatural cop thriller starring Will Smith and Joel Edgarton!