Gobbledygeek

As 2016 begins, it is more apparent than ever that Americans are badly in need of enlightenment. Paul and AJ have chosen the form of the Enlightener, and he is none other than everyone's favorite wacky British neighbor, Wesley "Wezzo" Mead. Wezzo enlightens the boys' American ears with talk of how his own country has fallen apart following last summer's Labour election, the documentary series I'll Have What Phil's Having, how he simply could not endure The Revenant, and Don Hertzfeldt's short film World of Tomorrow. Plus, AJ's dying!   Next: Hitchcock Month begins with The Daily Dot writer Aja Romano joining the boys to discuss 1943's Shadow of a Doubt and 1951's Strangers on a Train.

Don your dead general's coat and strap on those snowshoes; for the Gobbledygeek season 7 premiere, we're taking the last stage to Red Rock for a discussion of Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. Bringing Paul and AJ up to a Somewhat Disgruntled Four are Wanna Cook? author Ensley F. Guffey and A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis. Ensley, a bonafide historian, teaches us how Tarantino plays with historical symbolism; while Joe, a die-hard Tarantino fan, tells us of the religiosity of his Hateful Eight 70mm experience. The gang also discusses the film's handling of race and misogyny, how Tarantino borrows from The Thing, whether or not the film is a convincing mystery, and more. Plus, the boys pay tribute to the icons 2016 has already stolen from us.   Next: break out your scones, guv'nor. It's time once more for the delightfully British Wesley "Wezzo" Mead to make his journey across the pond.

For the season finale of Gobbledygeek, Paul and AJ turn to a little-seen, rarely discussed art film: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Joining them are Kenn Edwards of So Let's Get to the Point, Broken Magic author and The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor Eric Sipple, and Star Wars superfan Andrew Allen, scum and villains all. The Force Awakens is strong with nostalgia for the original films, a fact which sits better with some of our panel than others. The gang discusses why the movie leans heavily on the past, whether or not the series is capable of looking forward, the film's place in the established Skywalker mythos, and how it has the exact opposite problem of George Lucas' efforts.   Next: we're on winter break before returning in roughly three weeks' time with a look at Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight; Eric Sipple and A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis bring us up to a Somewhat Disgruntled Four. In the meantime, thank you for a great 2015 and have yourself some happy holidays.

When the world was new, and dreams had not yet receded from the waking day...Paul and AJ had begun reading Jeff Smith's cartoonish magnum opus Bone. Well, it hasn't been quite that long, but the boys have been analyzing Bone all year long for 2015's Four-Color Flashback series, and their journey has finally come to an end. After admitting frustration with the endless infodumps and constant mythological revelations in the latter half of the series, they have a lot of hopes for Vol. IX: Crown of Horns. Does Smith deliver on these hopes? Does the series work better when viewed on a macro level? Does the ending fit with what has come before? Should you recommend Bone to friends looking to get into comics? My tinglin' scalp says the answers are all here.   Next: for our final episode this year, So Let's Get to the Point's Kenn Edwards, The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor Eric Sipple, and Star Wars fanatic Andrew Allen join Paul and AJ for a discussion of the obscure arthouse film Star Wars: Episode VII - The For

The lost and lonely are looking for a place to belong. Powerful men are looking to keep their darkest secrets hidden. Robert Downey, Jr. isn't looking at all, and that's why he peed on the corpse. It must be Christmas in L.A., Shane Black style. For this year's Twisted Christmas entry, Paul and AJ are joined by So Lets Get to the Point's Kenn Edwards to rap about the 2005 noir comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. The boys debate the merits of Shane Black's self-aware style, including whether or not it's too glib to handle some of the heavier turns the plot takes. Also under discussion: Have we lost RDJ to the Marvel machine? Does the movie have weird ideas about women? And what is it about Shane Black and Christmas anyway?   Next: the time has come for the final Bone. Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast joins us for our last Four-Color Flashback installment this year, discussing Bone: Vol IX - Crown of Horns by Jeff Smith.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a filmmaker named George Lucas accidentally created a pop culture empire. Over the years, the Star Wars saga has gotten away from the man who conceived them, both figuratively and literally; the prequel trilogy is a classic example of an artist's reach exceeding their grasp, and Disney is now making a new series without his involvement. Kenn Edwards of So Let's Get to the Point and Star Wars zealot Andrew Allen join Paul and AJ for a wide-ranging discussion of Lucas' saga, what it means to them, and what it's really about, plus an artistic (and political) re-evaluation of Lucas himself.   Next: nothing says Christmas like Shane Black and pissing on a corpse, so ho ho ho, Kenn is back for this year's Twisted Christmas entry: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Why talk about a mega-blockbuster sure to be seen by every casual movie fan in the planet when you can talk about a Sam Raimi deep cut from a quarter-century ago? In belated celebration of the 25th anniversary of Raimi's first superhero movie, 1990's Liam Neeson-starring Darkman, Paul and AJ take the fucking elephant, getting down and dirty with the film's idiosyncrasies. Including the question: what draws AJ to those idiosyncrasies, and what keeps Paul at arm's length? The boys discuss auteurism, artifice, a superhero's moral code, and much more.   Next: a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Kenn Edwards and Andrew Allen join us to discuss the Star Wars saga.

Penultimate installments are tricky. They need to deliver on longstanding character arcs and plot threads while at the same time ensuring everything is in place for the finale just so. As tricky a balance as the one between life and death, one might say. Is it possible that Paul, AJ, and The Debatable Podcast's Greg Sahadachny manage that balance with the penultimate installment of their Four-Color Flashback series discussing Jeff Smith's Bone better than Smith himself does with Vol. VIII: Treasure Hunters? Maybe so. The boys discuss their weariness of the series' ever-expanding mythology and continuous infodumps, while debating whether or not anything of note actually occurs in this volume. They try and say some kind things, too. Plus, even more boning with a discussion of the Kurt Russell Western Bone Tomahawk.   Next: Paul and AJ throw a belated celebration for the 25th anniversary of Sam Raimi's first superhero film, Darkman.

This week, Paul and AJ enter into their very first three-way with none other than Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast and All the Pieces Matter. That's right, it's a veritable ménage à geek, as the gang undergoes a tri-part Geek Challenge featuring as much paranoia as they could cram into one podcast. In reverse chronological order, we've got Guy Hamilton's 1985 cult movie (does this thing have a cult?) Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, wherein Fred Ward and a regrettably racist Joel Ward try to take out a secret government weapon; 1977's Black Sunday, a John Frankenheimer would-be blockbuster wherein Robert Shaw's Mossad agent tries to stop Bruce Dern before he kills 80,000 Americans at the Super Bowl; and lastly, Alan J. Pakula's 1974 conspiracy thriller classic The Parallax View, which features Warren Beatty uncovering a cynical government plot. Lots of distrust, misdirection, and bloodshed here. Or as we like to call it, just another episode of Gobbledygeek.   Next: Greg Sahadachny is back for the

There's a starman waiting in the sky, and his name is Mark Watney. Back in February, we talked a whole bunch (some would argue too much) about the Red Planet's greatest botanist when we hosted a Gobbledy-Book Club discussion of Andy Weir's The Martian. Now, Paul and AJ have reconvened the Book Club--Wanna Cook? author Ensley F. Guffey, So Let's Get to the Point's Kenn Edwards, and the all-around amazing Hallie Prime--to tackle Ridley Scott's star-studded film adaptation. Is there a certain amount of character-building shorthand a filmmaker can accomplish by casting familiar faces? Is the film really the story of a band of precocious potato plants? Does Matt Damon have the chops to be stranded all by his lonesome? And most contentiously...does the science hold up? All this and more, plus what pop culture the gang is excited for.   Next: The Debatable Podcast's Greg Sahadachny joins us for our very first Geek Challenge three-way. The movies the boys have challenged each other to this time are Remo Williams: The

It's the final episode of Gobbledyween 2015, kids, so bust out your Ouija--remember, it's Wee-JUH, not Wee-JEE--boards and prepare to get possessed by 1986's Witchboard. Joining Paul and AJ is first-time guest and hardcore horror fan Aundria; all three of them are baffled by this film, its intentions, and its extensive use of magic as metaphor. Some questions to which they seek answers: Can an atheist believe in spirits? Would ghosts fail a spelling test? Are Jim and Brandon, the estranged best friends at the heart of the movie, secretly knocking sneakers? They probably put more thought into those questions than anyone involved in the making of Witchboard.   Next: the Gobbledy-Book Club reconvenes to discuss Ridley Scott's film adaptation of The Martian. Returning to the show are So Let's Get to the Point's Kenn Edwards, Wanna Cook? co-author Ensley F. Guffey, and the all-around amazing Hallie Prime.

The guest host with the most, Nowheresville and A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis, joins Paul and AJ to continue Gobbledyween 2015 with a discussion of Tim Burton's 1988 classic Beetlejuice. The three heathens agree that the movie is great--it's wacky, it's funny, it's morbid--but when they stop and think about it, they have some questions. As brilliant as Michael Keaton is, would the film work better without its titular character? Is it two different movies squished together? What the hell happened to Burton? Of course, there's also a little "Day-O," a little Lydia, and a little bafflement over the fact that a Beetlejuice 2 is in development.   Next: Gobbledyween comes to a close as friend of the show Aundria summons up Witchboard.

If it's in a word or it's in a look, you can't get rid of...Gobbledyween. Why would you want to? Especially when Paul and AJ are joined by such enlightening guests as K. Dale Koontz and Ensley F. Guffey, authors of Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad. Dale and Ensley help the boys crack open Jennifer Kent's feature debut The Babadook, which has been called one of the most terrifying films ever made. The gang discusses the expectations that kind of praise sets up, how Kent uses the horror genre to explore depression and grief, the incredible acting of Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman, and, uh, Tarkovsky for some reason.   Next: Joseph Lewis, Joseph Lewis, Joseph Lewis! There, now the Nowheresville and A/V writer-director is on hand to liven up Gobbledyween with talk of Tim Burton's 1988 classic Beetlejuice.

Fall is in the air, leaves are on the ground, blood is on the silver screen. Welcome to Gobbledyween 2015, ladies and germs. Here to help kick off this year's frightening festivities is none other than Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast and All the Pieces Matter. With nary a pair of sunglasses around, Paul and AJ are helpless but to obey Mr. Sahadachny's command to watch John Carpenter's 1988 cult classic They Live. One could question whether or not it qualifies as a horror movie, but Carpenter is undoubtedly a maestro of the genre, so let's settle on "horror-adjacent," shall we? Paul and AJ are on the fence about the movie's abrupt shift from quiet conspiracy thriller to goofy '80s action movie, while Greg tries to convince them it's all one and the same. The gang discusses that legendary brawl between "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Keith David, They Live's stature in the Carpenter canon, and why otherwise good horror movies like It Follows and The House of the Devil can't help but feel a little hollow when t

Great darkness falls across our podcast. May Paul, AJ, and Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast and All the Pieces Matter be equal to the burden as they continue their year-long Four-Color Flashback series on Jeff Smith's Bone. This time, the gang turns to Vol. VII: Ghost Circles; if they thought everything happened last volume, even more everything happens this volume. Which begs the question: how much is too much? How many mythology infodumps before the series threatens to crumble beneath their weight? The gang discusses how the extensive exposition fits into Smith's otherwise impeccable structure, how this cute lil' comedy is handling its transition to dramatic fantasy epic, and--oh yes--the return of young Bartleby.   Next: it's that time of year, ghouls and boils. Gobbledyween 2015 kicks off with a return appearance by Greg to discuss John Carpenter's cult classic They Live.

This week on Gobbledygeek, there's been a rage reversal: Paul, the Enormous Green Rage Monster of the podcast, is unusually calm and placid; meanwhile, AJ is filled with anger, much of it directed toward the fast food chain Wendy's. What are a couple geeks to do? Find something, anything to distract them from this cosmic imbalance, such as Paul's recent trip to Disney World and brief return to the zoo that made him famous; Ryan Adams' melancholy cover version of Taylor Swift's 1989; and AJ's adventures at his local arthouse (featuring Phoenix, The End of the Tour, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, and Eraserhead), for which he is roundly mocked.   Next: our year-long Four-Color Flashback series on Jeff Smith's Bone continues with Vol. VII: Ghost Circles. As always, we are joined by Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast.

Gobbledyween comes early with the one-two zombie punch (right through some poor lady's skull) of Peter Jackson's 1992 gorefest Dead Alive AKA Braindead, one of several gonzo films which made the New Zealander perhaps the least likely contender to ever helm The Lord of the Rings; and 1984's cult classic Night of the Comet, wherein the world ends and the burden of society is placed upon two teen sisters and their new pal Hector. In true Geek Challenge fashion, Paul and AJ find themselves baffled by these selections. Paul swims through Dead Alive's rivers of fake blood, while AJ finds himself stranded in Night of the Comet's nearly zombie-free desert. Will our heroes find common ground and come to understand one another? Never.     Next: death is but a door. Time is but a window. We'll be back.

Once and future Koko the Showfucker (and, one supposes, veteran pop culture writer/editor) Jason Tabrys is once again spreading his distinct brand of cheer to Gobbledygeek like so much plague. When he's not hawking Jason Juice, M. Tabrys talks with Paul and AJ about fall TV, including accusations of Muppety ignorance; the Dear Fat People video and whether or not YouTube flashes-in-the-pan like it are worth spending our precious outrage on; and what the preponderance of fan theories means, if it means anything at all. But it's mostly Jason Juice.     Next: the Geek Challenge rises from the dead. Paul must watch Peter Jackson's 1992 gorefest Dead Alive, while AJ must endure the 1984 post-apocalyptic teen movie Night of the Comet.

Paul, AJ, and special guest Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast are each a small concentrated bit of dream carried along in the currents of Jeff Smith's Bone, which they return to once more in another Four-Color Flashback installment. This time, the gang enters Vol. VI: Old Man's Cave, in which...well, in which everything happens. Questions that have hung over the series from the first volume are finally answered, new wrinkles in the established mythology are revealed, and the main narrative appears to reach its climax. And yet three volumes remain on our journey. Plus, Paul discusses the documentary The Wolfpack, while AJ and Greg appear to resolve their feud before they get around to yelling at each other over Turbo Kid.     Next: oh God, it's Jason Tabrys.

Our favorite Britisher, Wesley "Wezzo" Mead, makes his return to Gobbledygeek, appearing twice in one year for the first time. What does he have to say in his alluring hick accent? Lots about politics (they have elections over there too!), the cinema (he watched four whole movies the day we recorded this, including Paper Towns and Vacation!), and the sorry state of TV on DVD (it is ceasing to exist!). Paul and AJ once again have their knickers charmed off by everyone's favorite Trowbridge-ian, even if he is telling them about something called Pinky Malinky.     Next: Greg Sahadachny is back for more of Jeff Smith's Bone, this time discussing Vol. VI: Old Man's Cave.