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PODCAST

The Midnight Myth Podcast

Derek Jones and Laurel Hostak

Derek & Laurel dish on myths, history, pop culture and more as they explore universal themes in storytelling. From Game of Thrones and Harry Potter to the Marvel Universe and Star Wars, we"ve been making pop culture sound smart since 2017.

tv & film film history

All Episodes

01:12:23

Episode 124: Doomsday Clock | Watchmen (2009),...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/10/20

Who watches the Watchmen? We did! This week on the Midnight Myth, we’re jumping down the massive rabbit hole that is Zack Snyder’s 2009 adaptation of the iconic graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. We analyze some of the film’s most fascinating and disturbed characters from a psychological and philosophical perspective, trying to learn what makes the Watchmen tick. It’s a landscape of real and imagined gods, human and institutional monsters. In the context of alternate history, we discuss

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00:50:06

Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 16: Stranger...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/10/18

Welcome to the Midnight Myth Time Machine! This episode was originally published in 2017. Man, it sure feels good when movies and tv remind me of my youth. What’s that called again? Nostalgia. Listen as Derek and Laurel deconstruct nostalgia as a story mechanic. To uncover how it can be utilized effectively, Derek and Laurel focus on the Netflix original series, Stranger Things and look at episode 5, The Flea and the Acrobat. We also explore the weaponization of nostalgia, which can be a

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00:57:04

Episode 123: Timey Wimey | Doctor Who's Weeping...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/10/13

Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink. Good luck. On this, the illustrious day of the anniversary of Derek & Laurel’s marriage, we’re going back to the story universe that brought us together in the first place: the BBC’s Doctor Who. In a new episode format, we’ll turn our unblinking eye to the occurrences of a particular Doctor Who monster: the Weeping Angels. First appearing in

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00:57:52

Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 15: The Holy...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/10/10

Welcome to the Midnight Myth Time Machine! This episode originally aired in May of 2017. Our first foray into Arthurian and Grail Legend comes to you by way of Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade. We talk about the famed cup of Christ and its role in stories through the millennia as a driving force and a rarely achieved plot device. Support us at www.patreon.com/midnightmyth Check out our new merch store for Midnight Myth, Boomerangerang, and Wheel of Ka tees and totes! Learn more, view sources and

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01:04:45

Episode 122: Let's Get Nuts | Batman (1989),...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/10/06

You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight? As the pop culture conversation surrounds Todd Phillips' Joker, we're going back to the iconic portrayal by Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman. We'll discuss the film's philosophy of justice, Batman's enduring legacy, and the movie's parallels to Victor Hugo's gothic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Learn more about our upcoming Star Wars Funko Pop Giveaway(!) and subscribe to our partners the Pop Venture Family on YouTube. Support us at

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01:01:42

Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 14: Cha-Ching |...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/10/04

Welcome to the Midnight Myth Time Machine! This episode originally aired in May 2017. Do you know what’s better than watching the Incredible Hulk smash aliens and robots? Listening to Derek and Laurel talk about it! Seriously, we talk about the emergence of the comic book movie genre, in all of its glory, splendor, wonder, and pitfalls. We discuss the point where art meets commercialism, and how the influence of big capitalist money alters the direction of art. To achieve this, we take a time

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01:07:43

Episode 121: Farcical Aquatic Ceremony | Monty Python...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/09/29

Let us ride… to… CAMELOT! That’s right, listeners, we’re heading back to the Middle Ages and the time of King Arthur, his knights of the Round Table, the golden age of chivalry and virtue… on second thought, let’s not go to Camelot. It is a silly place. This week, we investigate the best, most accurate cinematic adaptation of the Arthurian Legend, Monty Python & the Holy Grail. From the origins of the legend to the history of the rivalry between England and France, we’ll explore the ways in

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01:07:43

(Bonus) The Wheel of Ka: Episode Eight, Wolves of the...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/09/28

Fellow travelers on the path of the Beam, The Wheel of Ka featuring Derek and Steve is back at it again, discussing Stephen King’s epic Dark Tower book series. This month, our Ka-Tet talks about the first half of Book V: Wolves of the Calla. What does Calla Bryn Sturgis represents? What is happening with this black magic orb called “Back 13?” Who is Pere Callahan? Once a generation, the Wolves come on top of grey horses in green hoods and cloaks, stealing one of every twin born in the Calla. The

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01:00:16

Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 13: The Clock Is...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/09/27

Welcome to the Midnight Myth Time Machine. This episode originally aired in April 2017. It’s bigger on the inside… What is? The TARDIS! By that, we mean Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Ya know, the blue box that the Doctor travels in? If you haven’t figured it out yet, this episode introduces Derek & Laurel’s analysis of Doctor Who. We zoom in on Series 2 ,Episode 5 (of the David Tennant era) “The Girl In The Fireplace”— one of the hidden gems in a legacy of amazing TV sci-fi. This episode

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01:12:48

Episode 120: I Am a Golden God | Almost Famous,...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/09/22

In the second part of a mini-series on stories concerned with popular music, this episode takes on the award-winning Cameron Crowe film Almost Famous (2000). The rock and roll odyssey about a teenage rock journalist touring with Stillwater, a mid-level band struggling with its own success in the harsh face of stardom, engages with questions about gender, hedonism, and virtue. We’ll dig into the history of rock and roll, the development of “cool,” and the concept of the muse—from Greek mythology to

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00:55:06

Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 12: Zoo Me |...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/09/20

Welcome to the Midnight Myth Time Machine! This early episode originally aired in April of 2017. So don’t you hate it when you just want to eat some pie with your grandma and a giant wolf jerk eats you? Yeah, it’s the worst. Join us as we talk about anthropomorphic animals from ancient fables to fairy tales to modernity. We talk about the boy who cried “WOOOOOOOLF,” Red Riding Hood and Disney’s Zootopia, and ask ourselves why these stories endure—and what they can teach us along the way. Support us

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01:09:54

Episode 119: Too Many Notes | Amadeus, Classical...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/09/15

Do you believe in it? A fire which never dies, burning forever? In this week’s episode, we discuss the Oscar-winning 1984 film Amadeus, directed by Milos Forman and adapted from the stage play by Sir Peter Shaffer. The highly fictionalized account of the entwined lives of Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart reframes an ancient conflict, makes myths of its subjects, and sparks a flame of inspiration through music. We’ll explore the historical context of Austria-Hungary in the 18th century,

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00:48:01

Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 11: Don't...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/09/13

It’s the Midnight Myth Time Machine! This episode originally aired in April 2017. I am a computer circuit that thinks, therefore, I am? Listen to Derek and Laurel discuss the long science fiction tradition of artificial intelligence, and the history of the fictional robot. Baked into these narratives is the question of human consciousness. Intuitively, we all know we are conscious, right? But how do we define it, and can we create it in our technology? All these questions and more will be (kinda)

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01:08:30

Episode 118: Bringing Skeksi Back | The Dark Crystal,...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/09/08

Another world. Another time. In the age of wonder… Join us this week for a discussion of the 1982 Jim Henson film The Dark Crystal. Hot on the heels of Netflix’s release of a prequel series (Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance), we’ll explore the richly textured world of the original film, the creatures that inhabit Thra, and the mysteries of the crystal itself. We’ll share some background on the ancient art of puppetry, and how he unification of puppet and puppeteer communicates the philosophy of the

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00:51:09

Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 10: Punk Rock...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/09/06

Welcome to the Midnight Myth Time Machine! We’re republishing our back catalog to make our older episodes widely available. This episode originally aired in 2017. Derek and Laurel are back at it again, inspired by the FX series “The People vs OJ Simpson.” They contextualize justice as a story, one that evolves through time and cultural relativity. Beginning in Ancient Greece, where mythology and justice merged as one, Derek and Laurel follow the thread to Marvel Studio’s Captain America: Civil

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00:55:55

(Bonus) The Wheel of Ka: Episode Seven, The Wind...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/09/02

Nearly a decade after Stephen King concluded the Dark Tower, he went back to Roland and his Ka-Tet and wrote The Wind Through the Keyhole. Chronologically, the book takes place in between Dark Tower books 4 and 5, where Roland finds himself and his band of travelers taking shelter amid the dangerous freezing storm called the Starkblast. Stephen King plays with meta narrative as the story of The Wind Through the Keyhole is Roland telling a story about young Roland telling a story. From shape shifting

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01:10:14

Episode 117: Ruthless | The Handmaid's Tale Season 3,...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/09/01

CW: sexual violence, war, genocide Spoilers for season 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu As season 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale comes to a close, we’re left with burning questions about the nature of humanity and the repetition of history. Are human beings selfish and inclined only to protect their own power? Or are they capable of remarkable acts of selflessness? What separates those who oppress others from those who rise and fight oppression? We look to the examples of recent history—specifically to

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01:01:14

Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 9B: Take This...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/08/30

It’s the Midnight Myth Time Machine—our back catalog is headed to podcast platforms near you. This episode, which originally aired in March of 2017, is the second half to our first discussion of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings universe. Where in the previous episode we focused on world-building through the various races of Middle Earth, here we explore the mythological precedent for magic rings and rings of power. Support us at www.patreon.com/midnightmyth Check out our new merch store for Midnight

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00:49:31

Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 9A: Spears Shall...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/08/21

It's the Midnight Myth Time Machine! We're publishing our back catalog week by week to make older episodes available to all listeners. Episode 9A debuted in March of 2017. And given unto Derek and Laurel was a podcast of power, forged in the concrete of South Philadelphia, and in it, they poured their nerdiness, love of mythology and story telling! Listen this week as we scratch the surface of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, as we examine the structure, history, and lore behind the modern world’s

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00:55:12

Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 8: Destiny's...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2019/08/14

It's the Midnight Myth Time Machine! We're publishing our older episodes to make them available to all listeners. Episode 8 originally aired in March of 2017. Ever wonder if your choices are your own or if you are caught in the web of destiny? Listen to Derek and Laurel break down stories that deal with prophecy, fate, and free will and the evolution of narrative relationships to fate. We look at Oedipus in the ancient world, Macbeth in the Renaissance, and the Boy Who Lived in the modern day—all

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288 results

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