We discuss Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days (1995) to explore its chillingly relevant themes of police brutality, surveillance, and AI-created fake memories. Drawing parallels to our real world — from the L.A. riots to Midjourney — we ask why this dystopian sci‑fi noir feels more relevant and unsettling than ever and how its ideas connect to today’s anxieties about over-policing, propaganda, and the way AI technology may soon reshape both our private memories and public histories. *This episode contains spoilers for Strange Days.* Read Jess Kroll's film reviews HERE. Contact the podcast HERE.

(This podcast was formerly titled THIS IS THE END: POP CULTURE & COLLAPSE.)

Well, it's been... a while. In this, the first new episode in over two years, I share a bit of the personal story behind why this podcast has been dormant for so long and how it relates to what I call "personal collapse." But just as with societal collapse, personal collapses don't necessarily have to be a permanent end state. I also share why I've decided to give the show a new title. Going forward it will no longer be called "This is the End: Pop Culture & Collapse." The new title is "Strange Days, Here We Come: Pop Culture, Dystopia & Collapse," and a slightly broader focus to include discussions of dystopian stories in addition to collapse-related ones. But don't worry, there will still be plenty of collapse-related material. :) Even if you are not interested in, or familiar with, concepts surrounding societal collapse, if you are a caregiver or know someone who is, you might find this episode interesting as it goes into how the individualized burdens of caregiving can result in a "personal collapse." A shoutout to the r/CaregiverSupport subreddit on Reddit. They know what I am talking about. https://www.reddit.com/r/CaregiverSupport/ Here's to new beginnings. Strange days, here we come.

(Note: This episode was originally released under the old podcast title "This is the End: Pop Culture & Collapse." As of July 2025 the show is now titled, "Strange Days, Here We Come: Pop Culture, Dystopia & Collapse.") NOTE: This episode was recorded in Dec. of 2022 but I've only gotten around to editing it now. Since then I've become much better acquainted with ChatGPT and so, yes, I know its name (whereas at the time of this recording I still didn't).

LINKS:

• Jess Kroll's film reviews https://www.popmythology.com/author/jmskroll/
• Jess Kroll author page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jesskrollauthor
• 'The One' series by Jess Kroll (as J. Manoa) https://amzn.to/3DaKuuJ
• 'The Werewolf Council' series by Jess Kroll (as J. Manoa) https://amzn.to/3Xz1u63

• 'Land of Smiles' by Jess Kroll https://amzn.to/3JlRIjk

LIST OF FILMS (and spoiler time stamps)

-----------------------------------

WALL-E

5:08 - 5:53 (possible minor spoiler)

8:44 - 9:07 spoiler

13:23 - 13:36 spoiler

15:13 - 15:36 spoiler

17:42 - 18:32 spoiler

DON’T LOOK UP

22:50 - 23:05

26:55 - 27:02 (possible minor spoiler)

29:44 - 29:54 (possible minor spoiler)

30:34 - 31:10 spoiler

32:37 - 36:23 (possible minor spoilers)

37:09 - 38:47 spoiler

40:07 - 41:13 spoiler

44:14 - 45:03 spoiler

46:12 - 48:02 spoiler

53:50 - 54:10 spoiler

1:02:45 - 1:03:00 (possible minor spoiler)

THE ROAD

56:43 - 56:53 spoiler

59:25 - 1:03:03 spoiler

MENACE II SOCIETY

No Spoilers

THE GRAPES OF WRATH

No Spoilers

(Note: This episode was originally released under the old podcast title "This is the End: Pop Culture & Collapse." As of July 2025 the show is now titled, "Strange Days, Here We Come: Pop Culture, Dystopia & Collapse.")

PopMythology.com film critic and novelist Jess Kroll joins me to have a conversation about 10 different movies that depict collapse in some way. In this episode, Part 1, we discuss the first five.

Scroll all the way down below to see the titles of the films discussed and during which timestamped moments that spoilers or semi-spoilers of these films are mentioned.

LINKS:

• Jess Kroll's film reviews https://www.popmythology.com/author/jmskroll/
• Jess Kroll author page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jesskrollauthor
• 'The One' series by Jess Kroll (as J. Manoa) https://amzn.to/3DaKuuJ
• 'The Werewolf Council' series by Jess Kroll (as J. Manoa) https://amzn.to/3Xz1u63 'Land of Smiles' by Jess Kroll https://amzn.to/3JlRIjk

LIST OF FILMS (and spoiler demarcations)

----------------------------------- DONBASS (7:32 - 16:42) • No spoilers

THREADS (16:57 -28:02) • Spoiler 21:45 - 22:05 • Spoiler 23:36 - 24:18 • Spoiler 26:49 - 27:14

CONTAGION (28:02 - 44:13) • Spoiler 32:38 - 34:16 • Spoiler 35:23 - 35:45 • Spoiler 38:48 - 41:15 • Spoiler 41:29 - 42:23 • Spoiler 42:34 - 44:13

CHILDREN OF MEN (44:13 - 1:01:05) • Spoiler 51:40 - 52:14 • Spoiler 52:35 - 54:23 • Spoiler 55:21 - 55:46 • Spoiler 56:25 - 57:54 • Spoiler 58:17 - 1:00:14

IDIOCRACY (1:01:05 - 1:16:12) • Spoiler 1:04:40 - 1:05:34 • Spoiler 1:11:23 - 1:12:14

(Note: This episode was originally released under the old podcast title "This is the End: Pop Culture & Collapse." As of July 2025 the show is now titled, "Strange Days, Here We Come: Pop Culture, Dystopia & Collapse.")

In this episode, I interview political commentator, former congressional candidate, and now regenerative farmer Haven Scott McVarish, author of LAST CHANCE TO SAVE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY. Haven talks about his favorite novel, STARK by Ben Elton, a dystopian comedy thriller about how corporations and the wealthy cause a global ecological collapse. Haven also discusses the novel's themes in relation to his own book about the current, ongoing collapse of U.S. democracy. We talk about how to save our imperiled democracy as well as what ordinary people can start doing now to prepare for collapse via local community building and restorative agriculture.

LINKS:

• Last Chance to Save American Democracy by Haven Scott McVarish https://amzn.to/3eqPxxB
• Stark by Ben Elton https://amzn.to/3wY6dD2
• 5 Journeys (Haven Scott McVarish's non-profit organization) https://www.5journeys.org/

(Note: This episode was originally released under the old podcast title "This is the End: Pop Culture & Collapse." As of July 2025 the show is now titled, "Strange Days, Here We Come: Pop Culture, Dystopia & Collapse.")

This is a longer version of a talk I recently gave at San Diego Comic Con 2022 as part of a panel on Marvel's street-level characters (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, etc.) moderated by Dr. Scott Jordan as part of the Comics Arts Conference. Thank you to Dr. Jordan for inviting me onto the panel and to Dr. Shelly Clevenger, my guest from the last episode, who was the speaker originally slated to talk about the Punisher on the panel but was not able to attend. Also a warm thank you to Dr. Michael Kersulov whose encouraging words after the panel resulted in adapting my talk into a podcast episode. NOTE: This episode contains quotations from fictional works that contain some NSFW language—specifically two instances of the F word.

• Born #1-4 (2003) by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson
• The Punisher MAX #1-60 (2004) by Garth Ennis and various artists
• The Punisher: The End #1 (2004) by Garth Ennis and Richard Corben

• The Punisher Max: Complete Collection Vol. 1 https://amzn.to/3zgINsP
• The Punisher Max: Complete Collection Vol. 2 https://amzn.to/3ScJHz2
• The Punisher Max: Complete Collection Vol. 3 https://amzn.to/3OH2yiT
• The Punisher Max: Complete Collection Vol. 4 https://amzn.to/3vnIdbo

(Note: This episode was originally released under the old podcast title "This is the End: Pop Culture & Collapse." As of July 2025 the show is now titled, "Strange Days, Here We Come: Pop Culture, Dystopia & Collapse.")

We're joined by Dr. Shelly Clevenger, professor of criminology and victim studies, and chair of the Department of Victim Studies at Sam Houston State University, to discuss BITCH PLANET, the feminist dystopian comic book by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine DeLandro, published by Image Comics. Dr. Clevenger, who is also a gender scholar, discusses crime and criminal justice through the lens of gender and gender identity and answers the question of what all of it has to do with the idea of "collapse." Among the topics covered include Roe vs. Wade, the Texas ban of abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial, a shocking historical government program to arrest and imprison women suspected of having STDs without due process, and many other issues affecting women - especially working class women, women of color, queer women, and trans women - in an age of increasing dystopia.

***NO SPOILERS for Bitch Planet***

LINKS

• Dr. Shelly Clevenger faculty page

https://www.shsu.edu/~icc_www/_inc/dir.php?mode=view&item=467

• Department of Victim Studies page at Sam Houston State University

http://catalog.shsu.edu/graduate-and-professional/college-departments/criminal-justice/victim-studies/

• Dr. Shelly Clevenger on Twitter

https://twitter.com/drclevenger

Gendering Criminology by Shelly Clevenger and Jordana N. Navarro

https://amzn.to/3Qpi3y8

Bitch Planet, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine DeLandro

https://amzn.to/3QoXlyr

Enjoying the podcast? Please give us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It really helps!!!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-the-end-pop-culture-collapse/id1593793050

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(Note: This episode was originally released under the old podcast title "This is the End: Pop Culture & Collapse." As of July 2025 the show is now titled, "Strange Days, Here We Come: Pop Culture, Dystopia & Collapse.")

In this episode, I interview Jim Carey, host of ‘The Left is Dead,’ a podcast about news, politics, and culture from a leftist lens. We discuss one of Jim’s favorite works of fiction, the novel LES MISERABLES by Victor Hugo, and its relevance to the societal and political turmoil we see today.

Jim talks about how the U.S. has basically become an entire nation of Javerts—moral absolutists obsessed with control and punishment—and how a lack of class consciousness, revolutionary zeal, and a broad coalition with the working class prevents our ability to find real solutions to the biggest problems of our day. He also talks about the moral and political lessons that can be taken away from LES MISERABLES, particularly from the characters of Valjean, Fantine, Marius, and the young revolutionaries whose uprising becomes a failure we can learn from.

We also compare the novel and its socio-political objectives with adaptations of it in pop culture such as the Broadway musical and various film and TV adaptations. I spend a fair amount of time praising the PBS miniseries version and ragging on the Broadway musical for failing to cultivate a more meaningful level of class consciousness among its viewers.

The Left is Dead

https://leftisdead.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLeftIsDead

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheLeftisDead1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leftisdead/

Outro music by Benny Martin Piano

https://bennymartin.com.au/ licensed under a Creative Commons License

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bennymartinpianist

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ-yPr5SzsB0WHeKcwVONyQ

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bennymartinmusic/