Sloths are cute. I mean, they are really really cute. Do yourself a favor, and google cute sloth videos. This brings us to this weeks episode where the 90s classic “Jurassic Park” is discussed. We are re-imagining the blockbuster classic as an intellectual treatise on the role humanity has on biological systems, as we grapple with manmade climate change. Derek & Laurel trace the evolution of the age-old conflict between man and nature, exploring Jurassic Park’s modern man vs. nature narrative (and its parallels to Mary Shelley’s classic story, Frankenstein). The debate is palpable, and reminds us of the many false actors in today’s turbulent climate change discourse. But don’t let it bum you out, cause there will always be sloths on the internet. At least, I hope.
Midnight Myth Time Machine| Episode 17: This Is The Girl
Welcome to the Midnight Myth Time Machine! This episode originally aired in May 2017.
If you’re easing back into the world of “Twin Peaks” like we are, you’re ripe for a discussion of David Lynch’s 2001 masterpiece, “Mulholland Drive.” You might not realize just how much the two have in common. Spoilers abound as we take a trip down a lost highway, exploring some of Lynch’s major artistic themes and motifs as he develops as a filmmaker. Using Lynch as our blueprint, we make a case for the universal artist as an evolving thing, a person who wrestles with themes over time, allowing those themes to mature. Like our buddy Shakespeare.
Episode 16: The Memory Game
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 manipulative tool in storytelling and in politics. Watch out for Midnight Myth boomerangs, because this episode will having you flying past the moon with lovable creatures in your bike basket before you know it!
Episode 15: The Holy Grail and Other MacGuffins
The Ancient, Medieval, and Modern world collide as we start with the Holy Grail, what it was, why it mattered, and end up talking about Indian Jones. We explore how the west fetishized relics and the political implications of museums. We also dive into the concept of a MacGuffin— objects in a story that seem to matter but only serve to get the characters from one phase of a story to another.
Episode 14: Cha-Ching
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 machine and travel back to the Middle Ages, The Renaissance, and Victorian England. We attempt to understand modern artistic decisions through the prism of Medieval Patronage, and how this applies to our (well at least’s Derek’s) favorite movie (film if you went to film school) genre, the comic book— as well as Hollywood at large, the nonprofit arts sector, and politics today. Buckle up.
Episode 13: The Clock Is Broken
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 traces time’s arrow, thermodynamics and the mythology of Greek demi-gods. Listen as we live, learn, and love with the Doctor and Madame De Pompadour.
Episode 12: Zoo Me
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.
Episode 11: Don't Disconnect Me, Brah
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) answered in this week’s podcast, “Don’t Disconnect Me Brah!” Stories explored will include 2001: A Space Odyssey, R.U.R., Asimov’s I, Robot, and others…
