Fan favorite guest Branson Reese (Swan Boy, Rude Tales of Magic) returns for another insane new take on a classic film property. This time his sights are set on one of pop culture's most radioactive franchises, GHOSTBUSTERS, which no one has ever made a fool of themselves trying to relaunch before! How does Branson suggest recapturing the magic of the original while avoiding the pitfalls of the underwhelming 1989 followup, the disproportionately hated 2016 remake, or the creatively bankrupt legacy sequels of the 2020s?PLUS: The trailer for Dalton's upcoming scripted pitch, LOS ALAMOS!Our sponsors this week: Return to Blacktail Harbor by Rogue Centaur: Roguecentaur.Itch.Io/Blacktail Ritual Deck RPG: PlusOneExp.com Dim Stars: DimStarsBook.comAnd as always you can check out our store at shop.thepoduniverse.com or support us on Patreon at Patreon.com/DylanAndDalton.CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Intro 00:06:26 - Let's Talk Ghostbusters 00:23:01 - The Leprechaun Bit 00:27:13 - Back to Ghostbusters 00:41:28 - SPONSORS: Return to Blacktail Harbor & Ritual Deck 00:44:31 - Branson's Pitch for Ghostbusters 01:33:11 - SPONSOR: Dim Stars by Brian P. Rubin 01:36:01 - Los Alamos trailer 01:39:11 - Acknowledgements and Coming Attractions
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Last Flight of the Stone Hammer, Part Two
It's the (hopefully) thrilling conclusion of Dylan's space sci-fi drama, Last Flight of the Stone Hammer! Will the Ley-to and Eridai find a way to survive this cosmic calamity? And what will this mean for our Pod Universe going forward?PLUS: Check out Dalton's newest single, a refreshed and rearranged "Some Dark Magik," at the end of this episode.THIS WEEK'S SPONSORS:Vampirocene by merritt k. - When viral pop star Janie Mack "comes out" as a vampire, most people think it's just a play for attention. But when she launches a new movement to stop climate change, people start listening... - merrittk.itch.io/vampiroceneReturn to Blacktail Harbor by Rogue Centaur - A single-player murder mystery journaling game, where you play as a guest investigating the mysterious events surrounding the wedding and try to stay alive. - Roguecentaur.Itch.Io/BlacktailThe Frankencast by Mad Scientist Anthony Bowman - If you’re missing Frankenstein after the conclusion of the Dark Universe, the Frankencast has been watching a discussing Frankenstein movies for over 200 episodes.And as always you can check out our merch on shop.thepoduniverse.com or support us directly on Patreon. https://Patreon.com/DylanAndDaltonCHAPTERS00:00:00 - Discussion00:09:56 - Previously On00:14:37 - Act Two Part Two00:25:09 - Ad Break 100:26:02 - Ad Break 200:27:13 - Discussion00:38:34 - Act Three01:00:05 - Ad Break 301:00:44 - Mid-Credits Scene01:02:41 - Discussion01:22:59 - “Some Dark Magik”
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Last Flight of the Stone Hammer, Part One
In the far reaches of space, two civilizations are locked in an endless conflict. The Eridai’s reckless industry cost the Ley-to their homeworld. The Ley-to’s quest for vengeance has consumed their entire culture, and there’s no end in sight. But when a twist of fate brings their starships to a halt, two opposing crews will have to bring their long conflict to a conclusion — one way or another.It’s Dylan’s first solo pitch for The Pod Universe, and he’s jumping directly into his favorite sci-fi subgenre: the Space Opera! It’s Battlestar Galactica meets Pirates of the Caribbean, but is that going to mean anything to Dalton — who, improbably, has no interest in either? Tune in to find out!OUR SPONSORS The DC3cast, a weekly podcast about DC Comics that recently celebrated its 500th episode! dc3cast.comDim Stars: A Novel of Outer-Space Shenanigans by Brian P. Rubin - dimstarsbook.comRPG Zine Club, a subscription service for artisan tabletop games - rpgzine.club/zineuniverseCheck out our new MERCH STORE, shop.thepoduniverse.comAnd as always you can join our Patreon at Patreon.com/DylanAndDaltonTIMESTAMPS00:00:00 - Cold Open 00:09:59 - Discussion 00:15:24 - Fan Predictions 00:26:40 - Lore Recap 00:32:04 - Act One 01:01:11 - Discussion 01:12:47 - Act Two Part One 01:32:39 - Discussion
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The Happening w/Josh Gondelman
CONTENT WARNING: This episode is about "The Happening," a film in which a toxin compels people to kill themselves in a variety of weird and novel ways. If you are sensitive to the topic of suicide or self-harm, this might not be for you.Emmy-winning writer and comedian Josh Gondelman visits the Pod Universe to re-examine M. Night Shyamalan's disastrous disaster movie, "The Happening." What makes this potentially poignant thriller so disappointing, and how would Josh do it differently if he could remake it after the COVID-19 outbreak?Also, should Ted from the movie "Ted" be involved? (No. No he shouldn't. We're trying to make a serious movie over here.)OUR SPONSORS: Dim Stars: A Novel of Outer-Space Shenanigans PV Guide BloodboundSign up for our Patreon!CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Introducing our guest 00:11:30 - Let's talk about The Happening (2008) 00:55:32 - Sponsor: Dim Stars 00:56:43 - Josh's pitch 01:44:54 - Sponsor: PV Guide 01:46:04 - Trailer: Last Flight of the Stone Hammer 01:49:38 - Sponsor: Bloodbound 01:50:34 - What's coming up?
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Pod People, Part Two
It's the thrilling conclusion to the sci-fi thriller that kicks off our entire shared universe of imaginary sci-fi movies! What's the secret of Alterr, the shadowy tech corporation that seems to be replacing people with clones? What does their plan have to do with a failed quantum computing experiment? And, most importantly of all, where do we go from here?Featuring Sarah Norcross as the voice of Stephanie.SPONSORSOrder your copy of Dim Stars: A Novel of Outer-Space Shenanigans from Amazon, or from your favorite bookseller. Check out Dimstarsbook.com for more information.Check out DC3cast, your exhaustive guide to DC Comics, at DC3cast.com or searching on your podcatcher of choice. Ditch the algorithm with PV Guide, featuring recommendations, reviews, and interviews from former Polygon senior curation editor Pete Volk. Find it at pvguide.ghost.ioAnd of course you can join our Patreon at Patreon.com/DylanAndDalton for access to our bonus podcast, Discord server, and other fun perks!CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Intros 00:04:22 - Our Story So Far... 00:09:12 - Act Two, continued 00:28:10 - Discussion 00:37:34 - Sponsors: Dim Stars, DC3Cast 00:39:21 - Act Three 01:15:37 - Sponsor: PV Guide 01:16:56 - Mid-Credits Scene 01:18:42 - Discussion 01:29:15 - Post-Credits Scene 01:31:41 - Unpacking that Post-Credits Scene! 01:35:07 - Patron Acknowledgements
Writers Dalton Deschain and Dylan Roth first joined together to create Are You Afraid of the Dark Universe? a podcast in which they pitched new installments of the canceled Dark Universe of monster movies. After completing their 30-part saga, they’ve set out to do something new - an all-original cinematic universe of imaginary movies, written, workshopped, and performed on all podcatchers and YouTube.
To listen from the beginning of Are You Afraid of the Dark Universe, start with THE MUMMY from October 2022. To jump onboard for The Pod Universe, start with WELCOME TO THE POD UNIVERSE, from September 2025.
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