Podcast
The Pop Break
Hosted by Alex Marcus · EN
The Pop Break is a collection of podcasts executive produced by Pop Break Director Alex Marcus, featuring the very best conversations about television, film, music, anime, wrestling, and more!
This includes weekly pods like Roses & Rejections on Wednesdays, providing coverage of the best of reality dating, as well as new episodes of monthly podcasts like The Anniversary Bros, TV Break, Not Couple Goals, Blerd Watchers, Anime x Pop, Batman By The Numbers, & Bill vs. The MCU every Monday and Friday!
66episodes
Episodes
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The Anniversary Brothers: Aliens 40th Anniversary
2d ago01:11:59Tap to summarizeAaron and Josh Sarnecky are here to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Aliens.Aliens is a sci-fi action film directed by James Cameron. It is the sequel to 1979’s Alien. Cameron developed the story with David Giler and Walter Hill and wrote the screenplay. It opened in theaters on July 18, 1986.In the film, a salvage crew finds Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in stasis 57 years after events of the first movie. Though the higher-ups at the Weyland-Yutani Corporation initially dismiss her story about the deadly xenomorph, one of the representatives, Carter Burke (Paul Reiser), asks Ripley to help rescue colonists on the moon where she first encountered the alien.Joining them is a group of space marines. Notable marines include Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn), Private Hudson (Bill Paxton) and Private Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein). Also part of the crew is an android, Bishop (Lance Henriksen). The only survivor they find is a girl called Newt (Carrie Henn). Xenomorphs have overrun the colony.Aliens opened to positive reviews, though it was too intense for some critics’ liking. It is now considered a classic, just as good as the original, if not better. It was the seventh highest-grossing film at the U.S. box office and made approximately $183 million worldwide. Aliens was nominated at the Oscars for Best Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Sound. The film won Best Visual Effects (like the first film) and Best Sound Effects Editing. Weaver’s nomination broke the mold for science fiction roles, often passed up for recognition. Aaron had seen Aliens before, but Josh had not. Aaron talks about his first time watching it before the Josh shares his opinion. They talk about the plot, characters, the effects, and parts they thought didn’t hold up. They also discuss its place in the Alien franchise and James Cameron’s filmography.You can also listen to Aaron and Josh’s podcast with Editor-in-Chief Bill Bodkin on James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Aliens is available to rent on Prime Video
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Roses & Rejections: Love Island S8 Week 5 + Drag Race All Stars Check In
6d ago01:30:30Tap to summarizeYour reality TV besties have arrived! Michelle Chapman and Mostly Nitpicking’s DJ Chapman are dishing on all the drama, delusion, and occasionally genuine emotion from your favorite dating and competition shows. Love is Blind? Covered. RuPaul's Drag Race? Absolutely. The entire Bachelor franchise and whatever Netflix dropped this week? Honey, they watched it so you don't have to — but honestly, you should watch it too.This week Michelle and DJ return to discuss the latest batch of Love Island USA episodes. With only a week left they discuss who they think the most compatible couples are and who actually has a shot at winning. They wrap up with an update on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars and who their favorite queens are now that we're in the semi-finals.
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TV Break: July 2026 - Reviews of The Bear, House of the Dragon, Widow's Bay, X-Men '97, Not Suitable For Work + Explaining Comcast's NBCUniversal Spinoff
1w ago01:38:41Tap to summarizeWelcome to TV Break, where Pop Break’s Director of Podcasting Alex Marcus is joined by editor-in-chief Bill Bodkin, and TV Columnist Josh Sarnecky to talk about the happenings in television.Here’s the format of the show:The Best Thing I Saw on TV Last Month – Alex, Bill, & Josh talk about a show/episode/event they liked from the last month including Prime Video’s Spider-Noir, HBO Max’s House of the Dragon and My Adventures with Superman, AppleTV’s Widow’s Bay and Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, and Disney Plus’s The Bear, Not Suitable For Work, and X-Men ‘97. Newsbreak – This month, they are discussing the news that Comcast plans to spinoff NBCUniversal into a stand alone media corporation, potentially as a first step in a larger media merger.Streaming Wars – Alex, Bill, & Josh each selected their top streamer of the month. Josh opted for Peacock on the strength of Love Island, as well as their being the exclusive streaming home of Super Mario Galaxy and Spanish Language World Cup coverage. Alex went all in on Tubi after it’s parent company Fox purchased the to digital TV distributor and a key Tubi rival in the FAST market, Roku. Meanwhile, Bill handed it to Disney Plus after the historically high NBA Finals ratings, new season drops from The Bear and X-Men ‘97, and becoming the exclusive home of Hoppers and Avatar: Fire & Ash!New Series Spotlight – This month Alex, Bill, and Josh discuss HBO’s Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, a new series from Barack and Michelle Obama and Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David that attempts to answer the question, would the 90 historical kids cartoon Hysteria be better if it starred Larry David.
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Roses & Rejections: Love Island S8 Week 4 with Allie Nelson
2w ago01:26:09Tap to summarizeYour reality TV besties have arrived! Michelle Chapman and Mostly Nitpicking’s DJ Chapman are dishing on all the drama, delusion, and occasionally genuine emotion from your favorite dating and competition shows. Love is Blind? Covered. RuPaul's Drag Race? Absolutely. The entire Bachelor franchise and whatever Netflix dropped this week? Honey, they watched it so you don't have to — but honestly, you should watch it too.This week DJ and Allie return to talk about the latest week of Love Island USA. They discuss all of the drama with movie night and what it means for some couples going forward. They discuss how the men could do a better job of learning to take some L's. Finally, they discuss whether or not it is fair to make people sit on a cake."
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Bill vs. The MCU: MCU Phase 6 Part 2 - Wonder Man, Daredevil S2, The Punisher: One Last Kill
2w ago02:29:44Tap to summarizeHello and welcome to Bill vs the MCU! Each month your hosts Pop Break Podcasting Director Alex Marcus and Pop Break Editor in Chief Bill Bodkin are taking another step into the wider Marvel Multiverse as the MCU dives deeper into their Multiverse Saga.Bill & Alex spent all of 2022 rewatching the first four phases of the MCU, and, in the years since, they have covered the first four seasons of Agents of SHIELD, the entire Netflix Defenders Saga, Fox’s X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Daredevil films, the Blade trilogy, a few Punisher films, Ang Lee’s Hulk, and, most recently, Marvel’s Modern Animation line up of shows.This month, Alex & Bill kick things off with a quick check in on Spider-Noir, the new Spider-Man live action MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video series starring Nicolas Cage as Ben “The Spider” Reilly. Then, they finally make it back to the MCU after nearly a year away, as they give their thoughts on the latest entries into Marvel’s Phase 6: Wonder Man, Daredevil: Born Again S2, and The Punisher: One Last Kill.Come back next month for their grand finale of this season of Bill vs. The MCU as the Marvel returns to the big screen with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, in theaters everywhere July 31st, 2026!
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The Pop Break Presents: Hot Movie Summer 2026
2w ago01:58:52Tap to summarizeThis year, The Pop Break is excited to bring you some very special programming during those extra long months when your favorite Pop Break podcasters are taking a rest. Pop Break staffer and host of the Media/Lit Podcast Randy Allain is your master of ceremonies as we take some creative journeys down the corridors of popular culture. This month, we gather to celebrate a jam-packed summer movie slate with a couple of cinephile podcasting duos. So far, horror has reigned supreme at the box office, so Hannah Ayars and Matt Hanna of Horror Hour With the Hannas are here to help us unlock the blood, gore, and chilling existential mystery of the summer. It’s also a big summer for Hollywood’s top power couple, so we had to invite the hosts of It’s Tom-plicated: A Tom Holland Podcast: Pop Break Podcast director Alex Marcus, and Manish Mathur!Join us as we decide what was hot, what was not, and what we anticipate from the rest of the cinematic summer.
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Batman By The Numbers: Ultimate DC Female Superhero Draft
3w ago02:30:48Tap to summarizeThere’s arguably no superhero in existence that has been reimagined, redefined, or reinterpreted more than Batman. No matter how many times he’s been rebooted, audiences are always willing to come back to Gotham City’s greatest defender. With so much Bat content out there, there’s plenty to dissect, analyze, and of course, rank! This podcast is dedicated to a surgical evaluation of Batman’s history, with a focus on ranking several topics in the world of Batman, among other classic Bat themes and characters.Join hosts Daniel Cohen, Pop Break’s former Film Editor, and Kris Ingersoll, co-host of the Media/Lit podcast, as they bring on several guests every month to share their passion for the one and only Dark Knight. From Adam West to Robert Pattinson, no bat stone will be left unturned. Bottom-line: If you’re a Batman fan, this is required listening.In honor of the new DC Universe’s upcoming second movie, Supergirl, we are honoring all the great DC female superheroes, and what better way to do that than with a draft!Joining Kris and Daniel this month, we have several Draft and Batman by the Numbers Alumni! Once again, Alex Marcus, Podcasting Director of the Pop Break, is back again, as are both hosts of the Anime x Pop Podcast, Josh Sarnecky (also co-host of the Anniversary Brothers Podcast), and Amanda Rivas (also co-host of the Socially Distanced Podcast).Also making their return, it’s Perry Constantine of the Superhero Cinephiles Podcast, and Derrick McDuff (of the Underrated and Midnight Film Society Podcasts), who last joined us last year for our Definitive Superman Draft!Per usual, the categories for this draft will span multiple media, and all will be discussed at the beginning of the podcast! If you’re a fan of these great DC Female Superhero (and Villian) characters, this draft is simply a must listen!
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Roses & Rejections: Love Island S8 Week 3 with Allie Nelson
3w ago01:21:20Tap to summarizeYour reality TV besties have arrived! Michelle Chapman and Mostly Nitpicking’s DJ Chapman are dishing on all the drama, delusion, and occasionally genuine emotion from your favorite dating and competition shows. Love is Blind? Covered. RuPaul's Drag Race? Absolutely. The entire Bachelor franchise and whatever Netflix dropped this week? Honey, they watched it so you don't have to — but honestly, you should watch it too.Your favorite pod trio returns as Allie Nelson from Not Couple Goals joins Michelle and DJ to discuss the latest week of Love Island USA episodes. They discuss Sol and Gabe's unfair exit and what it reveals about the current islanders. They then deep-dive into Casa Amor and how this season differs from recent ones in how the show has shaken up the couples.
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Podelay: Guero, 2005
4w ago01:44:14Tap to summarizeThis is Podelay, a podcast dedicated to alternative rock pioneer Beck Hansen! After completing their Pod of Doom series, Randy Allain (Media/Lit) and Justin Mancini (TheCineMaverick.com) are back to take on a whole new genre. Our resident music podcasters are joined by Kris Ingersoll of Batman by the Numbers and the Media/Lit podcast, and this time, Randy steps into the host chair so that Justin can discover something new.In the eighth episode, Justin, Kris, and Randy are joined by Doug Lief of Nostalgia Arcanum and Playing by Ear as they get back to Beck’s wide-ranging, eclectic rhythms. They offer thoughts on the religious connotations of scarecrows, stadium anthems that may (or may not) wear out their welcome, and the versatile voicework of one Christina Ricci. And as always, they recommend other artists for your listening pleasure.In every episode, each host will spotlight the following:· Where It’s At: a track they really like.· It’s A Loser, Baby: a track they don’t.· Sing It Again: a favorite lyric.· Such A Beautiful Way: a favorite musical moment.Join them as they travel to a destination a little up the road from the conversations and the pods you know. Please join us for the show that poses one simple question: I’m a podcast, baby, so why don’t you stream me?Host Picks: Where It’s At (A Song We Think Is Underrated or Just Really Like)Doug – Rental CarJustin – MissingKris – Qué Onda GueroRandy – Go It Alone It’s a Loser, Baby (A Song We Don’t Like So Much)Doug – Broken DrumJustin – E-Pro (qualified)Kris – Missing (qualified)Randy – Rental Car (qualified) Sing It Again (A Favorite Lyric)Doug – E-ProJustin – ScarecrowKris – Emergency ExitRandy – Hell Yes Such a Beautiful Way (A Favorite Musical Moment)Doug – Earthquake WeatherJustin – Earthquake WeatherKris – Earthquake WeatherRandy – Black Tambourine Other Artists We’ve Been Listening To:Doug – The Who, Led Zeppelin, The War on Drugs, The National, ShearwaterJustin – Jonny GreenwoodKris – Jimmy Eat WorldRandy – Harry Styles
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Roses & Rejections: Roses & Rejections: Love Island S8 Week 2 + Drag Race All Stars Update
4w ago00:54:30Tap to summarizeYour reality TV besties have arrived! Michelle Chapman and Mostly Nitpicking’s DJ Chapman are dishing on all the drama, delusion, and occasionally genuine emotion from your favorite dating and competition shows. Love is Blind? Covered. RuPaul's Drag Race? Absolutely. The entire Bachelor franchise and whatever Netflix dropped this week? Honey, they watched it so you don't have to — but honestly, you should watch it too.This week Michelle and DJ discuss the second week of Love Island USA. They cover all of the re-couplings and which couplings they think will stick. They wrap up with catching everyone up with Ru Paul's Drag Race All Stars.
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