Pods Against Tomorrow: Reinvestigating Film Noir
Abehugh Productions
Pods Against Tomorrow reinvestigates the noir genre one film at a time. Join our hosts, Hugh Manon and Abe Doubleday-Bush, along with a rotating guest — our "Ace in the Hole" — as they delve into an analysis of classic, neo-, and pastiche film noirs. Each episode explores the timeless themes that shaped the film noir genre and changed American pop culture forever.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 26, 2025 • 1h 29min
Blade Runner (1982) with Ian Capozzoli
Pods Against Tomorrow reinvestigates the noir genre one film at a time. Join our hosts, Hugh Manon and Abe Doubleday-Bush, along with a rotating guest — our "Ace in the Hole" — as they delve into an analysis of classic, neo-, and pastiche film noirs. Each episode explores the timeless themes that shaped the film noir genre and changed American pop culture forever.This week's Ace in the Hole is Ian Capozzoli, who works in Communications at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, plays loosehead prop for the Worcester Men's Rugby team, frequents the used DVD bins at his local entertainment stores, and has never once been accused of being a synthetic life form. Ian joins us to discuss Ridley Scott's cyberpunk masterpiece (and its many versions), BLADE RUNNER.Theme music by so.lxis.Follow Pods Against Tomorrow on social media:InstagramTwitterLetterboxdSoundcloudemail: PodsAgainstTmrw@Gmail.com
Aug 8, 2025 • 1h 20min
Bait (1954) with Sasha Kohan
Pods Against Tomorrow reinvestigates the noir genre one film at a time. Join our hosts, Hugh Manon and Abe Doubleday-Bush, along with a rotating guest — our "Ace in the Hole" — as they delve into an analysis of classic, neo-, and pastiche film noirs. Each episode explores the timeless themes that shaped the film noir genre and changed American pop culture forever.This week's Ace in the Hole is Sasha Kohan, a Clark and USC alum who held the Roger Ebert Fellowship for Film Criticism in 2017. Sasha joins us to discuss Hugo Haas' low-budget, fetishistic gold-rush bizarre noir, BAIT (1954).Theme music by so.lxis.Follow Pods Against Tomorrow on social media:InstagramTwitterLetterboxdSoundcloudemail: PodsAgainstTmrw@Gmail.com
Jul 21, 2025 • 1h 25min
After Dark, My Sweet (1990) with Ron Brooks
Pods Against Tomorrow reinvestigates the noir genre one film at a time. Join our hosts, Hugh Manon and Abe Doubleday-Bush, along with a rotating guest — our "Ace in the Hole" — as they delve into an analysis of classic, neo-, and pastiche film noirs. Each episode explores the timeless themes that shaped the film noir genre and changed American pop culture forever.This week's Ace in the Hole is Ron Brooks, an Associate Professor of Writing Studies at Montclair State University in New Jersey. He writes about food, banjos, pinball, or whatever happens to grab his obsessions at the time. Ron joins us to discuss James Foley's oppressively sunny, alcohol soaked neo-noir, AFTER DARK, MY SWEET.Theme music by so.lxis.Follow Pods Against Tomorrow on social media:InstagramTwitterLetterboxdSoundcloudemail: PodsAgainstTmrw@Gmail.com
Jun 22, 2025 • 1h 34min
The Prowler (1951) with Michael Gray
Pods Against Tomorrow reinvestigates the noir genre one film at a time. Join our hosts, Hugh Manon and Abe Doubleday-Bush, along with a rotating guest — our "Ace in the Hole" — as they delve into an analysis of classic, neo-, and pastiche film noirs. Each episode explores the timeless themes that shaped the film noir genre and changed American pop culture forever.This week's Ace in the Hole is Michael Gray, host of the Žižek and So On Podcast. Michael joins us to discuss Joseph Losey and Dalton Trumbo's down-and-dirty cult noir, THE PROWLER.Theme music by so.lxis.Follow Pods Against Tomorrow on social media:InstagramTwitterLetterboxdSoundcloudemail: PodsAgainstTmrw@Gmail.com
Jun 4, 2025 • 1h 21min
The Unholy Three (1925) with James Hazelden
Pods Against Tomorrow reinvestigates the noir genre one film at a time. Join our hosts, Hugh Manon and Abe Doubleday-Bush, along with a rotating guest — our "Ace in the Hole" — as they delve into an analysis of classic, neo-, and pastiche films noir. Each episode explores the timeless themes that shaped the film noir genre and changed American pop culture forever.This week's Ace in the Hole is James Hazelden, an award-winning playwright, musician, director, performer, podcaster, and man about town. James joins us to discuss Tod Browning's classic silent proto-noir, THE UNHOLY THREE.
May 22, 2025 • 1h 30min
Phantom Lady (1944) with Daniel Cho
Pods Against Tomorrow reinvestigates the noir genre one film at a time. Join our hosts, Hugh Manon and Abe Doubleday-Bush, along with a rotating guest — our "Ace in the Hole" — as they delve into an analysis of classic, neo-, and pastiche films noir. Each episode explores the timeless themes that shaped the film noir genre and changed American pop culture forever.This week's Ace in the Hole is Daniel Cho, professor of education at Otterbein University in Columbus Ohio, and one of the hosts of the 2025 LACK conference. Daniel joins us to discuss Robert Siodmak's 1944 acid jazz "anti-noir", PHANTOM LADY.
May 7, 2025 • 1h 29min
Mystery Road (2013) with Alice Bellette
Pods Against Tomorrow reinvestigates the noir genre one film at a time. Join our hosts, Hugh Manon and Abe Doubleday-Bush, along with a rotating guest — our "Ace in the Hole" — as they delve into an analysis of classic, neo-, and pastiche films noir. Each episode explores the timeless themes that shaped the film noir genre and changed American pop culture forever.This week's Ace in the Hole is Alice Bellette, a writer, researcher, and Palawa descendent based in Naarm, Australia. Alice has a PhD in Australian literature focused on Aboriginal women’s writing, and she is currently undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Melbourne. She joins us to discuss Ivan Sen’s slow-burn neo-western procedural noir, Mystery Road.
Apr 22, 2025 • 1h 20min
No Escape (1953) with Soren Sorensen
Pods Against Tomorrow reinvestigates the noir genre one film at a time. Join our hosts, Hugh Manon and Abe Doubleday-Bush, along with a rotating guest — our "Ace in the Hole" — as they delve into an analysis of classic, neo-, and pastiche film noirs. Each episode explores the timeless themes that shaped the film noir genre and changed American pop culture forever.This week's Ace in the Hole is returning guest Soren Sorensen, a documentary filmmaker and Screen Studies program director at Clark University. Soren's most recent film is OMAR SOSA'S 88 WELL-TUNED DRUMS, which is available to rent or purchase on Amazon! Soren, the first member of the Pods Against Tomorrow 4-Timers Club, joins us to discuss frequent Hitchcock collaborator Charles Bennett's B-movie noir, the 1953 film NO ESCAPE.
Apr 9, 2025 • 1h 22min
Love is Colder than Death (1969) with Kyle Fleishfresser
Pods Against Tomorrow reinvestigates the noir genre one film at a time. Join our hosts, Hugh Manon and Abe Doubleday-Bush, along with a rotating guest — our "Ace in the Hole" — as they delve into an analysis of classic, neo-, and pastiche film noirs. Each episode explores the timeless themes that shaped the film noir genre and changed American pop culture forever.This week's Ace in the Hole is Kyle Fleischfresser, a bartender restaurateur, co-owner of the Hutch on Avondale in Oklahoma City. Kyle joins us to discuss Rainer Werner Fassbinder's debut feature, a punk-rock German take on (takedown of?) the French New Wave, LOVE IS COLDER THAN DEATH (1969).Theme music by so.lxis.Follow Pods Against Tomorrow on social media:InstagramTwitterLetterboxdSoundcloudemail: PodsAgainstTmrw@Gmail.com
Mar 26, 2025 • 1h 26min
Nixon (1995) with Max Hooley
Pods Against Tomorrow reinvestigates the noir genre one film at a time. Join our hosts, Hugh Manon and Abe Doubleday-Bush, along with a rotating guest — our "Ace in the Hole" — as they delve into an analysis of classic, neo-, and pastiche film noirs. Each episode explores the timeless themes that shaped the film noir genre and changed American pop culture forever.This week's Ace in the Hole is Max Hooley, a Clark graduate in Psychology and Screen Studies, and holder of a JD from New England Law in Boston. He joins us to discuss how America’s most paranoid presidency mirrored the shadowy moral ambiguity of the genre in Oliver Stone's NIXON (1995).Theme music by so.lxis.Follow Pods Against Tomorrow on social media:InstagramTwitterLetterboxdSoundcloudemail: PodsAgainstTmrw@Gmail.com
