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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

01:03:43

Episode 167: Pandemonium | Hereditary (2018), Greek...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/10/11

Warning: Major spoilers for Hereditary (2018) in this podcast! Don’t let us ruin this movie for you! The second installment of our spooky Halloween episode series swerves into tragic horror with Ari Aster’s 2018 directorial debut, Hereditary. An exquisite genre piece that unfolds into unexpected and deeply unsettling revelations, Hereditary may share even more in common with Greek tragedy than with its modern horror cousins like The Exorcist, The Shining, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby. We’ll discuss

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01:09:17

Episode 166: Really Bad Eggs | Pirates of the...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/10/04

Yo-ho, a pirate’s life for me! Join us upon the high seas this week as we discuss perhaps the best film adaptation of a theme park ride, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Why do pirates hold such a sway over our romantic imagination? Is the image of pirates we think of in any way close to the historical reality? We’ll discuss the relatively short period of time known as the “Golden Age of Piracy” and how handful of sources have created an indelible archetype. But this isn’t

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01:14:01

Episode 165 | Past, Present & Fiction | Little Women...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/09/27

Who could have imagined the impact that a simple story of domestic struggles and joys would have on the world? After more than seven film adaptations, numerous televisions adaptations, and countless versions for the stage, a new generation got its Little Women in 2019 with Greta Gerwig’s bold interpretation of the March Sisters’ story. In this episode, we’ll discuss the legacy of Little Women and how this latest film version honors the life of author Louise May Alcott while infusing the story with a

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01:00:24

Episode 164: Will-o-the-Wisp | Pixar's Brave (2012),...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/09/20

If you could change your fate, would you? Step back with us into the misty Scottish Highlands through Pixar’s 2012 fairy tale Brave. Pixar’s first woman-led feature may look like a traditional fairy tale at first, but through clever meditations on destiny, free will, and community, it rings with truths that are incredibly modern. How do we restore women’s voices in patriarchal systems? How do we balance our desire to create our own destiny with our responsibilities to family and community? In this

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01:13:24

Episode 163: Spartan Spirit | 300 (2006), Greek...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/09/13

Spartans! What is your profession? As we continue exploring historical fiction, this week’s episode is a deep dive into Zack Snyder’s 2006 adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300. Based on the historical Battle of Thermopylae, in which 300 Spartan soldiers laid down their lives against a massive force of the Persian army, 300 is in some ways a surprisingly accurate—and often problematic—presentation of the distant past. We’ll discuss what really (probably, maybe) happened at the Hot Gates

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01:11:49

(BONUS) The Wheel of Ka: Salem's Lot

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/09/01

All things, even the Beams, serve the Tower. Did you think this podcast would be any different? Derek and Steve have started the Wheel of Ka over, in a way. This bonus episode has your Ka-Tet returned, this time reading the wonderful Stephen King novel, Salem’s Lot. After Derek and Steve completed The Dark Tower read through, we recognized that our journey through King’s writings has only begun. While both of your hosts love The Dark Tower, there is and will be, so much more to King’s story world

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01:16:30

Episode 162: The World Was Wide Enough | Hamilton,...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/08/30

Who lives, who dies, who tells your story… The question of “who tells your story” echoes throughout the Broadway sensation Hamilton: An American Musical, a blockbuster portrayal of a forgotten figure in American history. This week on the Midnight Myth, we dive deep into Lin-Manuel Miranda’s powerful piece of theatrical Americana in a surprise second investigation into the roles and responsibilities of historical fiction. We’ll go back to the big daddy of historical dramas, William Shakespeare, to

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01:15:04

Episode 161: FREEDOM! | Braveheart, Historical...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/08/23

They may take our lives, but they can never take… our podcast! This week on the Midnight Myth, come with us to a distant land and a distant past, when a cruel pagan ruled England, and a kilt-wearing, face-painted band of untrained rebels beat back those tyrannical invaders. A time when princesses traveled to enemy territory to negotiate with war leaders, only to fall in love with a larger-than-life national hero… Wait a second. That doesn’t sound right. Yes, friends, we’re tackling the 1995 megahit

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01:11:56

Episode 160: You're Gonna Need a Bigger Podcast |...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/08/16

What threatening shadows lie within the deep? For millennia, mankind has wrestled with the mysteries and perils of our oceans. With 80% of the world’s oceans still uncharted, it’s easy to understand why we tell stories about monsters lurking beneath the surface. Today, we’re discussing the ultimate modern realization of those fears—Stephen Spielberg’s 1975 classic Jaws. We’ll look back to the ancient world and the mythological sea monsters we once believed plagued our waters. How far have we really

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01:06:09

Episode 159: Science Fiction/Quintuple Feature |...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/08/09

After five weeks of discussing iconic science fiction films and television—2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Rick & Morty Season 4—we’re back with a no-holds-barred discussion of the connecting themes and striking variation within the genre. Starting with a (very) brief history of sci-fi, from its ancient roots to its flourishing in the 19th and 20th Centuries, we try to arrive at a satisfying definition of the science fiction genre

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00:53:47

Episode 158: The Fifth Wall | Rick & Morty Season 4,...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/08/02

After an eventful couple of weeks, we’re back in the studio with the conclusion of our mini episode series on science fiction film and television. This week, we’re getting schwifty with insights from Season 4 of Adult Swim’s Rick & Morty. Through the particular lens of Season Four, Episode Six: Never-Ricking Morty (you know, the one with the Story Train), we’ll explore what it means to be postmodern sci-fi. We’ll discuss Dan Harmon’s signature “Story Circle”—an adaptation of Joseph Campbell’s

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01:00:37

Episode 157: Rage Against the Machine | Terminator 2:...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/07/19

We’re back. In the fourth installment of our science fiction mini-series, we’re taking on another iconic sequel (and finally succumbing to the lure of James Cameron) by covering 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The sci-fi-action-blockbuster that spawned some of cinema’s most quotable moments also deals in massive questions of human responsibility, technology, destiny, and compassion. We’ll discuss Sarah Connor as an analog of Cassandra, the cursed prophetess of Troy, and the film’s parallels to a

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01:00:19

Episode 156: The Kobayashi Maru | Star Trek: The...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/07/12

“Do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold? It is very cold in space.” That’s right, friends, for the first time in our three years of podcasting, we are heading where no man has gone before and taking on the beloved Star Trek franchise with a deep dive into 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Considered the best of the Star Trek films, The Wrath of Khan is simply dripping with literary references, from the works of William Shakespeare and the King

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00:56:33

Episode 155: Kane's Son | Alien (1979), Greek...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/07/05

As we continue careening through the vacuum of space in our mini-series on sci-fi classics, we’re picked up by the commercial ship the Nostromo. A strange creature lurks on board… This week, we’re discussing Ridley Scott’s 1979 horror/science fiction mashup ALIEN. We’ll explore the ancient themes that resonate from Greek mythology into this modern masterpiece, and we’ll discuss how the persistent mind-body problem suffuses this intensely visceral film. A movie that masterfully tackles questions of

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01:09:06

Episode 154: Starchild | 2001: A Space Odyssey,...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/06/28

Open the pod bay doors and join us beyond the infinite as we dive deep into Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. In this first part of a mini-series on sci-fi in movies and television, we’re starting with what many consider the greatest science fiction film ever made (and we don’t disagree). We’ll explore some of the myriad readings of this ambiguous and powerful piece of visual storytelling, discuss themes of evolution and progress, and offer some insights into the

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00:58:45

(BONUS) The Wheel of Ka: Coda

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/06/18

Just when you thought the Wheel of Ka was over, and after 7 books of re-reads and discussion about Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, Derek and Steve return with the coda. We sat and reflected on the time, and gunslinger-esque dedication it took to complete our side project, and realized we had just one more episode of the Path of the Beam. In an interview style bonus, Derek asks Steve several questions about the books, what connects them, their strengths, their weaknesses, and debate like two old stars

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01:03:03

Episode 153: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | The Wizard...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/06/14

I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. Skip with us down the Yellow Brick Road in this long-overdue discussion of the 1939 MGM classic The Wizard of Oz. As the concluding subject of our five-part series on nostalgic films, we’ll explore the template Wizard sets out for the other films in our series—Back to the Future, Hook, Beetlejuice, and E.T. Why is The Wizard of Oz so baked into the collective unconscious? Does it earn a place among Classical mythology and folklore? Can it be read as a

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01:15:46

(BONUS) Norse Myths, Tolkien & More with Author...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/06/10

In a very special Midnight Myth Bonus, we sat down with Joshua Gillingham, author of The Gatewatch, an epic troll-hunting adventure inspired by the Norse Myths and the Icelandic Sagas. For an hour+, we nerd out about all things Norse: from common misconceptions about the Era of Viking to Loki’s most outrageous antics to the evolution of trolls and dwarves throughout time. We also get the opportunity to discuss how profoundly the Norse myths and Icelandic Sagas influenced the work of J.R.R. Tolkien,

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00:02:28

Podcast Blackout

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/06/07

Trayvon Martin Tamir Rice Michael Brown Eric Garner Sandra Bland Freddie Gray Alton Sterling Philando Castile Botham Jean Atatiana Jefferson Ahmaud Arbery Doug Lewis Breonna Taylor George Floyd Tony McDade David McAtee This list is missing so many names, so many victims of police violence and hate crimes. The Midnight Myth stands with the victims and protestors of racial injustice and state-sanctioned violence. We invite our listeners, friends, and fellow podcasters to join in solidarity, and to

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00:59:43

Episode 152: Phone Home | E.T., Greek Mythology &...

The Midnight Myth Podcast ·

2020/05/31

There’s a bald spot in the forest—and something has landed there. Follow the trail of Reese’s Pieces to join us as we discuss one of the most beloved films of the 1980s: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. We’ll look to Greek mythology to understand the psychic connection between Elliot and “the goblin,” and we’ll compare Spielberg’s masterpiece to his other reworking of Peter Pan, Hook. Plus a discussion of the major themes of E.T.: empathy and homesickness, and how these themes are expressed without the

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288 results

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