biopic

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Listen to the Gobbledygeek Season 14 Premiere – “In Like a Lion”

Gobbledygeek episode 491, “In Like a Lion,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

We’re back, baby! After a longer than expected hiatus, Gobbledygeek has returned for season 14. That’s right, we’re up to 14 seasons of Paul and Arlo babbling on about any manner of nonsense–which they continue to do in this freestyle season premiere. 2023 has come in like a lion and is likely to go out like one, so we find our boys licking their wounds, recounting the real-life horrors that delayed their return to the mic, and generally complaining about everything. Including pop culture! Lest you forget that’s what they’re here for, Paul and Arlo sauté some thoughts on the mushroom apocalypse of HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation; rave about the movies they’ve caught up with, like The Fabelmans, RRR, and Aftersun; and decide to get high-brow by reading books that don’t have any pictures. Plus, a pitch for the inevitable Gobbledygeek TV series.

NEXT: okay, but we really like books that do have pictures in them. This year’s Four-Color Flashback series kicks off with Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo’s We Only Find Them When They’re Dead.

MUSIC

  • “At Last” by Etta James, At Last! (1960)
  • “This Will Be Our Year” by The Zombies, Odessey and Oracle (1968)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 488 – “Weird: The Al Yankovic story (feat. Kenn Edwards)”

Evan Rachel Wood and Daniel Radcliffe in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022), directed by Eric Appel

Gobbledygeek episode 488, “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Now that rock star biopics have peaked with Elvis, what else can the genre do but get Weird? Dare to be stupid with Paul, Arlo, and Alex Jonestown Massacre guitarist Kenn Edwards as they discuss Weird: The Al Yankovic story. Everyone’s favorite accordionist parodies Oscar bait bologna to tell a fact-free version of his own life story, starring obvious choice Daniel Radcliffe. The gang recounts their history with “Weird” Al, dives into the film’s loving homage to early alt-comedy, and can’t help but wonder what Madonna thinks of it all.

NEXT: I’m dreaming of a Geek Challenge featuring the holy jolly classic White Christmas and the yuletide wet dream Eyes Wide Shut.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:38  –  Intro / Guest / Theater Trauma
  • 00:15:37  –  A brief history of our heroes histories with “Weird Al”
  • 00:34:35  –  Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
  • 01:41:00  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

  • The Alex Jonestown Massacre on Spotify

MUSIC

  • “The Weird Al Show Theme” by “Weird Al” Yankovic, Running with Scissors (1999)
  • “Now You Know” by “Weird Al” Yankovic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 480 – “Elvis”

Tom Hanks and Austin Butler in Elvis (2022), directed by Baz Luhrmann

Gobbledygeek episode 480, “Elvis,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

From Tupelo to Memphis, from Hollywood to Vegas, Elvis Presley conquered America–and now, telling his story, an Australian filmmaker has conquered the biopic. The operatic, maximalist, subtlety-eschewing Baz Luhrmann returns to the screen with Elvis, delivering the glitzy, excessive tribute this mythical/kitsch-ical icon deserves. Paul and Arlo share their personal connections to Elvis, rave about Austin Butler’s transformation into the King, discuss how the film’s portrayal of Elvis’ racial and sexual impact stack up to the real deal, and behold Tom Hanks’ embodiment of Satan. Here comes Sandy Claws! 

NEXT: when the last streaming podcast deletes, our job will be finished. Eric Sipple joins us to discuss Netflix’s adaptation of The Sandman.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:21  –  Intro
  • 00:03:08  –  Our histories with The King
  • 00:29:48  –  Elvis
  • 01:54:05  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Hound Dog” by Big Mama Thornton, Hound Dog: The Peacock Recordings (1992)
  • “Steamroller Blues” by Elvis Presley, Walk a Mile in My Shoes (1995)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 464 – “West Side Story (2021)”

Ariana DeBose and David Alvarez in West Side Story (2021), directed by Steven Spielberg

Gobbledygeek episode 464, “West Side Story (2021),” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Somethin’s comin’, somethin’ good: this week, Paul and Arlo pirouette through a discussion of Steven Spielberg’s new take on West Side Story, nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars. Is it a spoiler to say they love it? The boys discuss how Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner’s changes enrich the text, why choreographer Justin Peck’s bold choice to discard Jerome Robbins’ iconic choreography was the right move, what it means for the Sharks to be played by Latinx actors, and the joy of watching Spielberg treat every musical number like his and Janusz Kaminski’s playground. Plus, Taco Bell sends Arlo spiraling into an existential crisis, and the boys chat about this year’s other Best Picture nominees.

NEXT: Si Spurrier and Jeff Stokely’s Six-Gun Gorilla is locked and loaded for this month’s Four-Color Flashback.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:53  –  Intro
  • 00:06:39  –  Interminable Oscars Discussion
  • 00:37:43  –  A Look Back to Episode 402
  • 00:47:04  –  West Side Story (2021)
  • 02:14:52  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Something’s Coming” by Ansel Elgort, West Side Story (2021 Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2021)
  • “Somewhere” by Rita Moreno, West Side Story (2021 Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2021)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 429 – “Geek Challenge: Wolf vs. The Insider”

Left: Christopher Plummer in Wolf (1994), directed by Mike Nichols / Right: Christopher Plummer in The Insider (1999), directed by Michael Mann

Gobbledygeek episode 429, “Geek Challenge: Wolf vs. The Insider,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

In honor of the late Christopher Plummer, Paul and Arlo host a Geek Challenge with two films featuring one of Canada’s greatest. First, Paul has Arlo watch Mike Nichols’ 1994 horror (?) film Wolf, starring Jack Nicholson as a middle-aged book editor who finds the beast inside courtesy of a wolf bite (with a five-minute cameo from a scenery-chewing Plummer). Then, Arlo makes Paul watch Michael Mann’s 1999 ripped-from-the-headlines thriller The Insider, with Russell Crowe as a scientist taking on Big Tobacco, Al Pacino as the journalist trying to tell his story, and Plummer doing one hell of a job as Mike Wallace. Plus, Paul tries to get Arlo to watch Craig McCracken’s new animated series Kid Cosmic.

NEXT: the boys sharpen their fangs on a Four-Color Flashback discussion of the first two volumes of Scott Snyder, Stephen King, and Rafael Albuquerque’s American Vampire.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:55  –  Intro / Kid Cosmic
  • 00:10:29  –  Wolf
  • 00:55:45  –  The Insider
  • 01:49:45  –  Pointless tangent about the term “bucket list” (We’re sorry.)
  • 01:52:54  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “Wolf Like Me” by TV On The Radio, Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)
  • “Iguazu” by Gustavo Santoalalla, Ronroco (1998)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 332, “The Greatest Showman: The Noblest Art (feat. Nate Curtiss)”

Gobbledygeek episode 332, “The Greatest Showman: The Noblest Art (feat. Nate Curtiss),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Come one, come all to The Greatest Showman, Michael Gracey’s musical retelling (or is that reshaping?) of the life of circus impresario P.T. Barnum. Paul and Arlo are joined by first-time guest Nate Curtiss, whose obsession with the film rivals Paul’s well-documented mania. The gang discusses the film’s message of tolerance and inclusion, why it’s a better musical than La La Land, and if it’s a problem that the filmmakers have refashioned Barnum as a beacon of progressivism. Plus, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back (did they ever leave?), which is making some fans unhappy (aren’t they always?); and The Cloverfield Paradox was a surprise post-Super Bowl release on Netflix.

Next: last year’s Four-Color Flashback finally comes to a close, as Kenn Edwards joins us to discuss Y: The Last Man – Vol. 10: Whys and Wherefores.

(Show notes for “The Noblest Art.”)

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 329, “Black Mirror: Shattered Reflections (feat. Sarah Kosheff)”

Gobbledygeek episode 329, “Black Mirror: Shattered Reflections (feat. Sarah Kosheff),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are through the tweeting glass. First-time guest Sarah Kosheff joins Paul and Arlo to discuss Charlie Brooker’s sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror in general, and the new fourth season in particular. The gang discusses how the series explores the intersection of technology and society, if the “what if phones but too much” line of criticism is reductive, if the idea of a Black Mirror “shared universe” is in any way appealing, and more. Plus, Paul meets The Greatest Showman, Arlo and Sarah marvel at The Shape of Water, and Arlo finally puts Paul in his mouth.

Next: famed Briton Wesley “Wezzo” Mead stops by once again to discuss Chris Carter’s seminal sci-fi series The X-Files. This time, the gang will discuss season 7.

(Show notes for “Shattered Reflections.”)

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 248, “Rage Reversal”

anger

Gobbledygeek episode 248, “Rage Reversal,” is available for listening or download right here, and on iTunes here.

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.

(Show notes for “Rage Reversal.”)

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 243, “Straight Outta Wattles”

straightouttacompton

Gobbledygeek episode 243, “Straight Outta Wattles,” is available for listening or download right here, and on iTunes here.

Comin’ straight from the underground, this week Paul and AJ discuss the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. Yes, the two whitest podcasters you know deliver their take on the film’s authenticity, its sad relevance, where it falls on the biopic spectrum, and the bizarre fact that Ice Cube offspring O’Shea Jackson Jr. is playing Ice Cube. Here’s hoping it’s less awkward than that time they jammed to “Accidental Racist.”

Next: that charming Brit, Wesley “Wezzo” Mead, is back for another round of charming Brit-ness.

(Show notes for “Straight Outta Wattles.”)

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 227, “You’ll Believe a Man Can Fly (feat. Kenn Edwards & Joseph Lewis)”

windkingdom

Gobbledygeek episode 227, “You’ll Believe a Man Can Fly (feat. Kenn Edwards & Joseph Lewis),” is available for listening or download right here, and on iTunes here.

Our month-long celebration of Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki reaches its bittersweet conclusion with a look at Miyazaki’s purported final film, 2013’s The Wind Rises; and Mami Sunada’s documentary about its making, The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness. Joining Paul and AJ for their final descent into the world of Studio Ghibli is Smoke Gets in Your Ears: A Mad Men Podcast co-hosts Kenn Edwards and Joseph Lewis. The gang discusses the parallels between Miyazaki and The Wind Rises‘ aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, Miyazaki’s surprisingly fatalistic outlook on life, and–naturally–the grand folly of art. Plus, Joe makes an exciting announcement!

Next: leaping from one Disney-distributed universe to another, Paul and AJ enter The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

(Show notes for “You’ll Believe a Man Can Fly.”)