Listen to Episode 477 – “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”

Benedict Cumberbatch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), directed by Sam Raimi

Gobbledygeek episode 476, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Paul and Arlo are going slightly mad. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the MCU’s latest trip through the titular multiverse, fracturing and reshaping reality to meet the franchise’s corporate needs. If that sounds a little unenthused, well, what can we say? The boys didn’t love this one. Paul, ever the optimist, discusses why the MCU’s depiction of sorcery continues to be one of its greatest assets. Arlo, ever the cynic, expresses appreciation of Sam Raimi’s trademark flourishes before lamenting that they’re all recycled riffs. Along the way, they discuss the film’s odd function as a WandaVision sequel, whether punching star-shaped holes in the universe is good goofy or bad goofy, those weird fucking kids, and more.

NEXT: more madness.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:34  –  Awkward Intro
  • 00:03:33  –  Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Spoiler-free)
  • 00:21:15  –  SPOILERS!!!
  • 01:50:40  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “I’m Going Slightly Mad” by Queen, Innuendo (1991)
  • “X-Men Theme” by Florian Haack, X-Men Theme (Single) (2018)

GOBBLEDYCARES

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 474 – “MCUTV: Moon Knight (feat. Michael Holland)”

Oscar Isaac in Moon Knight (2022), created by Jeremy Slater

Gobbledygeek episode 474, “MCUTV: Moon Knight (feat. Michael Holland),,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Travelers of the night, welcome to Paul and Arlo’s latest MCUTV discussion. They join hands once again with Hollywood wonder boy Michael Holland, and together they summon Moon Knight. Oscar Isaac joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Marc Spector, the human avatar of Egyptian god Khonshu, and…well, is he Marc Spector? Is he Steven Grant? Or is he someone else entirely? The gang discusses how the show tackles Marc’s dissociative identity disorder, the killer costume design, how the series pushes the MCU’s boundaries, and more.

NEXT: on a new Geek Challenge, we are The One who is Everything Everywhere All at Once.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:01:17  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:11:00  –  Moon Knight
  • 01:36:40  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “A Man Without Love” by Engelbert Humperdinck, A Man Without Love (1968)
  • “Nights in White Satin” by The Moody Blues, Days of Future Passed (1967)

GOBBLEDYCARES

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 444 – “Loki (feat. Michael Holland)”

Sophia Di Martino and Tom Hiddleston in ‘Loki’ (2021), directed by Kate Herron

Gobbledygeek episode 444, “Loki (feat. Michael Holland),” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Gobbledygeek’s very own MCU TV brain trust reconvenes somewhere in the multiverse, as post-production supervisor to the stars Michael Holland joins Paul and Arlo to discuss Michael Waldron and Kate Herron’s Loki. The gang untangles the kooky timeline shenanigans, falls in love with the incestuous narcissism at the heart of the Loki/Sylvie relationship, find themselves wowed by Owen Wilson, and ponders where the show’s timey-wimey finale leaves the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus, Arlo likes Blade Runner now, and there’s some Space Jam: A New Legacy trash talk.

NEXT: the MCU returns to the big screen with Cate Shortland’s Black Widow.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:42  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:17:50  –  Main Topic
  • 01:56:30  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Fly Like An Eagle” by Steve Miller Band, Fly Like An Eagle (1976)
  • “Very Full” by Tom Hiddleston, Loki: Vol. 1 (Episodes 1-3) (Original Soundtrack) (2021)

GOBBLEDYCARES

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 437 – “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (feat. Michael Holland)”

Anthony Mackie in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), created by Malcolm Spellman

Gobbledygeek episode 437, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (feat. Michael Holland),” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Paul, Arlo, and returning guest Michael Holland aren’t in Westview anymore. For its second TV series, the Marvel Cinematic Universe returns to more conventional superheroics. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the Captain America sequel we’ve been waiting for, filled with stellar action sequences, resonant character work, and a twisty-turny plot. The gang debates how well that last element works, but one thing they can all agree on: director Kari Skogland and head writer Malcolm Spellman do their cast justice, bringing depths to Sam and Bucky we haven’t gotten to see on the big screen. Other topics of discussion include just how relatable the Flag Smashers are, Madripoor’s splashy MCU debut, Sharon Carter’s heel turn, and how Wyatt Russell makes an insufferable character sufferable.

NEXT: he’s not exactly a falcon, but he is a weird little bird-boy. For the first Four-Color Flashback discussing manga, Paul and Arlo take a look at Inio Asano’s Goodnight Punpun: Vol. 1.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:44  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:05:05  –  Main Topic
  • 02:05:00  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Trouble Man” by Marvin Gaye, Trouble Man (Soundtrack) (1972)
  • “Fly Like an Eagle” by Steve Miller Band, Fly Like an Eagle (1976)

GOBBLEDYCARES

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 431 – “WandaVision (feat. Michael Holland)”

Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany in ‘WandaVision’ (2021), created by Jac Schaeffer

Gobbledygeek episode 431, “WandaVision (feat. Michael Holland),” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming. After two long years in the Marvel Cinematic Universe desert, since Avengers: Endgame and its postscript Spider-Man: Far from Home, Marvel’s mightiest are back on the air. For the first MCU series on Disney Plus, we have WandaVision, a TV show that is very much about TV shows and what the medium means to us. The comfy-cozy sitcom rhythm of the show, as Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany’s Vision make-believe they’re on the sets of The Dick Van Dyke Show or Family Ties, is interrupted by unsettling reminders of where we left these characters. Wanda was grieving–because Vision was dead. What’s going on here? Don’t change that channel, because Paul, Arlo, and special guest Michael Holland–currently post-production supervisor on The Afterparty–discuss how showrunner Jac Schaeffer and director Matt Shakman channel grief, capture the nostalgic spirit of old TV, weaponize fan expectations, and more.

NEXT: we’ll be back, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:50  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:05:53  –  WandaVision
  • 01:51:39  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “A Newlywed Couple” by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, WandaVision (2021)
  • “Agatha All Along (feat. Kathryn Hahn)” by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, WandaVision (2021)

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 409 – “Hamilton (feat. Sarah Kosheff)

Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos, and Lin-Manuel Miranda in ‘Hamilton’ (2020), directed by Thomas Kail.

Gobbledygeek episode 409, “Hamilton (feat. Sarah Kosheff),” is available for listening or download right here and on Apple Podcasts here.

2020 may be an absolute shitshow, but thanks to Disney+, we can all be in the living room where it happens: the filmed performance of Hamilton, recorded in 2016 with the original Broadway cast, is now available to stream. Paul and Arlo may have talked about Hamilton, oh, once or twice or 18 times since its debut five years ago, but luckily über-fan Sarah Kosheff is on hand to help them find new things to say. Arlo talks about getting to see an actual production of Hamilton for the first time, Paul relays the time he was sprayed with Groff sauce, the gang discusses the up-close nuance of the troupe’s acting, and they address some of the political and cultural criticisms of the show.

Next: we get all dolled up for a Geek Challenge featuring Puppet Master and Seed of Chucky.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 02:15:20

  • 00:00:18  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:01:34  –  Main Topic
  • 02:09:40  –  Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

  • “Alexander Hamilton” by Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2015)
  • “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” by Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2015)

THE LINKS

 

Listen to the Gobbledygeek Season 11 Premiere – “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (feat. Eric Sipple)”

Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver in J.J. Abrams’ ‘Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.’

Gobbledygeek episode 394, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (feat. Eric Sipple),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

The geeks speak! Gobbledygeek has been resurrected via cloning or Force magic or some shit, and to kick off season 11, Broken Magic author and The Deli Counter of Justice co-creator Eric Sipple has lightspeed-skipped on over to discuss Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. After adoring The Last Jedi, the gang approached this supposed final film in the Skywalker Saga with heavy amounts of skepticism–well-earned, depending on who you ask. They discuss the mystical, magical malarkey behind Palpatine’s return; how director J.J. Abrams and writer Chris Terrio are uniquely suited to not deliver a satisfying conclusion; the oodles of fan service; what the film’s final scene means for the legacy of Star Wars; and more. Plus, they talk about The Baby Yoda Show AKA The Mandalorian.

Next: it is January 29, 2020. Paul and Arlo are discussing Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen for a Four-Color Flashback. I am tired of this world; these people.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 02:35:50

  • 00:00:00  – Intro
  • 00:02:35  – The Mandalorian
  • 00:28:52  – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
  • 02:31:20  – Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

  • “Fanfare and Prologue” by John Williams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2019)
  • “Finale” by John Williams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2019)

THE LINKS

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 383 – “Salty Spiders”

Gobbledygeek episode 383, “Salty Spiders,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

The Amazon is burning and all anyone cares about is Spider-Man. Yay! Welcome to another exciting episode of Gobbledygeek! After nixing a fash-bashing Geek Challenge because Paul absolutely could not sit through three hours of The Sound of Music, he and Arlo decide to freestyle it and, well, all is not well! The world’s on fire, the government is imploding, and Spider-Man might not get to be an Avenger anymore! As for that last one, the boys have deeply conflicted feelings about their love for the character and the Marvel movies with their disdain for Disney the Evil Empire. Plus, Arlo still won’t watch all the things Paul says he should watch, and Marc Maron chimes in.

Next: for even more lighthearted family fun, the boys have asked their The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor Eric Sipple to join them for a discussion of Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, extremely depressing yet extremely essential, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale.

(Show notes for “Salty Spiders.”)

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 380 – “Portion Sizes”

Gobbledygeek episode 380, “Portion Sizes,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Paul cannot get his fridge under control because these damn restaurants keep serving him so much damn food. He and Arlo discuss the uniquely American problem of ever-expanding portion sizes, stopping at the Cheesecake Factory before taking a detour into canine conundrums, parental pondering, and nostalgic nightmares. You’ll never look at a Heffalump the same way. Featuring a cameo from Fatty Liver & The Teething Puppies!

Next: the Gobbledygeeks in the place to be, gettin’ busy with Hip Hop Family Tree.

(Show notes for “Portion Sizes.”)

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 378 – “The Dog Ate My Sleep”

He only looks innocent.

Gobbledygeek episode 378, “The Dog Ate My Sleep,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

We’re tired. So tired. That’s what you want to hear when you’re about to fire up a podcast, right? You are reading this, aren’t you? Buried among such illuminating subjects as the coffee Arlo’s drinking, Paul’s underhanded behind-the-scenes manipulations, and the boys’ general unprofessionalism, there is indeed some pop culture palaver and parley. The boys are digging HBO’s troubled teens drama Euphoria despite being approximately 400 years too old to say things like “that’s a mood”; Arlo is losing faith in The Handmaid’s Tale; Paul remembers Yesterday; and they both are in awe of Toy Story 4 being so much more than a cynical cash-grab.

Next: Toby Maguire now vanquished, Jake Gyllenhaal finally makes his way into a Spider-Man movie, donning a fishbowl for Spider-Man: Far From Home.

(Show notes for “The Dog Ate My Sleep.”)