Gobbledygeek

This week, Paul and AJ are joined by Joanna Gaskell and Rob Hunt of the fantasy-based web series Standard Action. Joanna and Rob discuss filming in the mud and rain of Vancouver, writing a part for yourself, and how to finance an indie project, all before turning the tables on the boys. Plus, AJ gets excited for the Oscars and gee, Paul really hates George Lucas.   Next: Tarantino Month kicks off with a look at the man's first feature, Reservoir Dogs.

The first surprise of 2012 is The Grey, the Liam Neeson survival film whose trailers could be politely described as Taken, Only by Wolves. However, such is not the case, and Paul and AJ discuss the movie's meditative reflections on life, death, and the human will to survive. And, yes, the movie's depiction of wolves as supernatural beasts...and whether or not any wolfpunching occurs. Plus, AJ details his remedy for illness (it involves a bad Nicolas Cage movie) and Paul talks about Kevin Smith's new reality show Comic Book Men.   Next: The boys interview Joanna Gaskell of the web series Standard Action.

It's almost Valentine's Day, so grab your best guy/gal and settle down for the latest episode of Gobbledygeek, in which the boys discuss how marriage is presented in pop culture. It's really hard to find a pop marriage that isn't fundamentally fucked-up in one way or another, but Paul and AJ do their best. You've got everyone from Firefly's Wash and Zoe to The Honeymooners' Ralph and Alice, and then going to the dark side, even Breaking Bad's Walt and Skyler. Plus...Paul and AJ get engaged????   Next: the boys tackle Neeson v. Wolves, aka The Grey.

Spring is about to get sprung (thanks for ruining that, Sir Mix-a-Lot), so Paul and AJ list 20 movies that might be worth your attention in February, March, and April. The films range from charming Japanese anime The Secret World of Arrietty to the very serious Albanian-language The Forgiveness of Blood; to the wacky high seas adventures of The Pirates! Band of Misfits to the Willem Dafoe/Sam Neill Tasmanian tiger (or is it wolf?) movie The Hunter. In between, you'll find films sappy, thrilling, terrifying, and hilarious. Hopefully. Also, the seeds for a future episode are nefariously planted, and: The Cabin in the Woods is finally coming out!   Next: Just in time for the chocolates and flowers and obnoxious greeting cards of Valentine’s Day, marriage in pop culture.

It's 2012. The world is probably coming to a fiery end soon. So where is our flying car? And while we're at it, are there going to be lightsabers? Or clones? Or hoverboards? Or any number of things that science fiction and pop culture have promised us? Paul and AJ ruminate on these questions of the future, discussing whether or not some of these goals are attainable or even desirable. And heads up: shit gets kinda bleak.   Next week: Our 2012 Spring Movie Preview!

Your worst nightmares have been realized: Paul and AJ are back with another season of Gobbledygeek! To kick things off, the boys discuss two films released late last year. Though they are both very different, they're both about damaged women: Young Adult, the very un-Juno-like reteaming of Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody, starring Charlize Theron as a self-obsessed YA author; and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, David Fincher's adaptation of the first book in Stieg Larsson's blockbuster Millennium series, starring Rooney Mara as fierce hacker/investigator Lisbeth Salander. They clash over Young Adult's polarizing conclusion, and come together in defense of Mara's Salander who has not been softened or overly sexualized, thank you very much.   Next: the future, according to pop culture.

Holy chafing podcasts, Gobblers! The boys wrap up their second season by (what else?) talking. A lot. It’s the Gobbledygeek 2011 Year-End Review, which basically means Paul and AJ go on and on about the stuff that they loved (and hated) in geeky pop culture for the past twelve months. And they bicker a little bit. And there may be name calling at one point. But no formal charges have been filed, so all-in-all a great way to end our sophomore year. No blood, no foul.   Next: Some well-deserved time off. For you guys, that is. For the boys it’s nothing but work, work, work to get ready for the all-new, all-different Gobbledygeek Season Three, premiering January 21st, 2012!  

For this holiday season, the boys rewind to their respective childhoods and visit a cherished classic: Joe Dante's Gremlins. It's not your usual holiday fare, unless your usual holiday fare involves murder, isanity, and chaos. They discuss whether or not the film actually holds up to the harsh light of adulthood, whether those damn rules make any sense, and just how high the author of the film's novelization was. AJ reviews We Need to Talk About Kevin, Paul gripes about The Defenders #1, and then we get around to Nathan's snarky Formspring question of the week.   Next: the Gobbledygeek season 2 finale is our year-end round-up of everything we loved (and hated) in 2011.

If there's anything we learned from A Charlie Brown Christmas, it's that Christmas has become far too commercialized and that the true spirit of Christmas isn't in the gifts that you receive. So, going entirely against that lesson from our childhoods, we've concocted the second annual Gobbledygeek Gift Guide! We'll clue you into everything you should buy for that nerd in your life, be they into movies (The Tree of Life! Hanna!), music (Nirvana! Pink Floyd!), games (Arkham City! Skyrim!), or more. We also leaven all the cynical buying and spending with genuine, heartfelt appreciations of the movies We Bought a Zoo, Hugo, and The Muppets, plus some Formspring questions and an e-mail.   Next: We continue our Christmas celebration with a discussion of Gremlins. Because who doesn't like to think of Phoebe Cates' dad getting stuck in the chimney when they're putting up the tree?

Leaves changing color? Check. Days getting shorter? Check. The bitter taste of your college sports team getting its butt kicked? Double check. So what else could you possibly need? How about the second annual Gobbledygeek Thanksgiving Special?! Much more restrained this year than in our freshman effort, but we still managed to blackmail a couple of guests into stopping by to help us be all thankful and shit. Nathan and Kevin make their long-awaited returns to the Gobblecave to say nice things about the stuff they're thankful for...and to mock us, your beloved Gobbledyhosts. It's a holiday tradition! Next: No show next week, as we will all be stuffing our faces with food and being passive-aggressive with our families. Good times! We'll return, bloated but rested, December 2nd with the latest Gobbledygift Guide.

Turkey Day's early this year! Universes collide, worlds explode, and galaxies collapse as Paul and AJ actually meet face-to-face for the first time ever for GobbleCon 2011! As such, this is the one for the faithful: the boys don't take on any outside topics, just report from the front lines about all the places they've visited, all the food they've eaten, and all the Rock Band they've played. To be fair, there's also a joint review of Andrew Niccol's In Time. It's mostly about food, though. Next: the second annual Gobbledygeek Thanksgiving, which may or may not include some special guests.

This week, the boys get their Bat on, discussing the new video game Batman: Arkham City and the new animated film Batman: Year One. Does Arkham City improve on Arkham Asylum? Does Kevin Conroy have the greatest batvoice ever? Is Year One a faithful adaptation of Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli's classic comic book? Does Bryan Cranston make for a great Jim Gordon? These questions, and many more, are answered in the affirmative. Plus, a reader e-mail and some Formspring questions, including what may be the last "oeuvre" question ever.   Next: Paul and AJ meet up for GobbleCon 2011!

For the final week of Gobbledyween, Paul revisits Event Horizon for the first time since theaters and AJ watches it for the very first time. Also probably the last. You see, it's not very good. Unlike The Evil Dead, The Thing, and Dawn of the Dead, this one's not so much a classic, but the boys still mine some discussion and humor from it. They also ponder the philosophical query: do you need clothes? As always, there are some Formspring questions to round things out.   Next: it's a Bat-travaganza as we tackle Batman: Arkham City and the new Batman: Year One animated film.

When there is no more room in hell, the Gobbledygeeks will walk the earth. And while we're here, we shall discuss George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead! That's right, zombiefolk, it's Gobbledyween week three, so we're turning our rotting, shambling corpses upon one of the original undead classics. Part consumerism satire and part gory munchfest, the film set a high bar for zombie films that not many of them have been able to shuffle up to. After we discuss the film and go off on some bizarre tangents, we talk about the Walking Dead season 2 premiere and answer some off-the-wall Formspring questions.   Next: for the final week of Gobbledyween 2011, we will discuss Event Horizon, a movie that Paul has not seen since it was in theaters and one AJ has never seen. Good times!

The second installment of Gobbledyween 2011, John Carpenter's The Thing, gets discussed just as its new prequel/remake is hitting theaters. The boys discuss the film's paranoia, claustrophobia, and intensity, as well as why Paul considers it possibly the greatest horror film ever made. Also mentioned are the film's initially poor reception and Christian Nyby/Howard Hawks' original The Thing from Another World. Plus: Paul talks concerts, AJ talks Moneyball, and they both review 50/50.   Next: Gobbledyween week three rolls along with a discussion of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead.

We were made to be ruled by this Avengers trailer! The boys review the preview in the first-ever Gobbledyspecial. Explosions! Sparring superheroes! Robert Downey Jr. reciting Joss Whedon dialogue! Avengers Assemble? More like AWESOME Assemble! Am I right?

This week, we get sad AND silly. First, the boys say goodbye to Apple founder and tech visionary Steve Jobs. Then, to keep anyone from taking them too seriously they kick off this year’s Gobbledygeek Halloween (Gobbledy’ween?) Film Festival with a ribald discussion of the Sam Raimi classic The Evil Dead. Also: AJ reviews the Wasikowska/Fassbender interpretation of Jane Eyre; Paul hints at what you can probably expect from the  review of the Ethan Gilsdorf book Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks he’s bound to do someday; and a slew of Formspring questions.   Next: John Carpenter’s The Thing

This week, Paul and AJ discuss Ernest Cline's new book Ready Player One, which may as well be the geek manifesto of 2011. Dystopian future, an evil corporation, an immersive virtual world, 80's pop culture references out the wazoo...yeah, it pretty much covers all the bases. AJ also offers his opinion of Drive to counter Paul's, and reviews the indie film Terri.   Next: We kick off our month-long horror-palooza with a discussion of The Evil Dead.

It’s a veritable cornucopia of conversation as Paul and AJ let it roll with another fast-and-loose episode. Netflix’s questionable new business strategy is discussed (tweets are read aloud!), some of the new/returning fall TV shows are subject to the boys’ discerning gaze (planking is dissed!), R.E.M.’s break-up is mourned (Michael Stipe’s penis!), and more. Paul offers up his review of Drive, while AJ raves about Girls’ new album Father, Son, Holy Ghost. If you like your Gobbledygeek served raw and rambly, this one’s for you! Whatever that means. Forget I said anything.   Next: Ernest Cline’s new geek bible, Ready Player One!

Welcome, boys and girls, to another off-the-cuff, scriptless episode. After a little bit of getting’ to know you banter, the boys randomly decide to talk about why we geeks are so drawn to works of fantasy and science-fiction. They also say some words about the latest wave of DC Comic’s New 52, AJ shares his thoughts on the films Our Idiot Brother and Horrible Bosses, and Paul waxes rhapsodic on Another Earth. But of course what we all care about here are the boys thoughts on the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #1 (hint: they dig it), and Ultimate Spider-Man #1, which includes them mocking the %#$& out of “valued reader” Jimmy Champane and “formally happy Marvel true believer” Douglas Maxfield. Good times.