April 2, 2023 by arlowiley

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 494, “Geek Challenge: Alice vs. Labyrinth”

Top: *Alice* (1988), directed by Švankmajer / Bottom: Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie *Labyrinth* (1986), directed by Jim Henson

Gobbledygeek episode 494, “Geek Challenge: Alice vs. Labyrinth,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

You remind me of the pod…the pod with the geeks. Paul and Arlo fall down the rabbit hole of another Geek Challenge, this time pitting Jim Henson’s 1986 cult classic Labyrinth against Jan Švankmajer’s 1988 headtrip Alice. Henson’s film finds Jennifer Connelly dancing with David Bowie and a variety of Muppets as she attempts to rescue her baby brother, while Švankmajer’s finds Kristýna Kohoutová assailed by a variety of bizarre stop-motion creations and a taxidermied rabbit. It should be obvious who picked which movie. Topics of discussion include codpieces, sellouts, practical effects, and weird sex, among others.

NEXT: Paul and Arlo ride through The Last of Us’ post-apocalypse with the inestimable Dale Guffey and Ensley F. Guffey

BREAKDOWN

00:00:52 – Intro / Reminiscence on Vomit
00:42:07 – Alice
01:19:20 – Labyrinth
02:11:50 – Outro / Next

MUSIC

“Magic Dance” by David Bowie, Labyrinth (Original Soundtrack) (1986)
“Alice” by Sisters of Mercy (1982)

GOBBLEDYCARES

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter
Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org
Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
- US (877) 565-8860
- Canada (877) 330-6366
National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org
Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

December 13, 2022 by arlowiley

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 489 – “Geek Challenge: White Christmas vs. Eyes Wide Shut”

Top: Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Vera-Ellen, and many more in *White Christmas* (1954), directed by Michael Curtiz / Bottom: Tom Cruise and many, many more in *Eyes Wide Shut* (1999), directed by Stanley Kubrick

Gobbledygeek episode 489, “Geek Challenge: White Christmas vs. Eyes Wide Shut,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Hang your stockings by the chimney, roast some chestnuts on that open fire, and prepare yourself for a very special Twisted Christmas installment. Our annual yuletide derangement has morphed into a Geek Challenge, featuring two obviously similar films: Paul has challenged Arlo to Michael Curtiz’s holly jolly classic White Christmas (1954), and in turn Arlo has thrust upon Paul Stanley Kubrick’s festive psychosexual nightmare Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Paul has some harsh words for Kubrick’s orgy, Arlo cringes at old-timey patriotism, and both of our boys come away filled with a little less Christmas cheer. Oh, and who is Danny Kaye again?

NEXT: for our season finale, we become real boys for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:52 – Intro / Paul and Arlo’s Holiday Spirit
00:11:15 – Eyes Wide Shut
01:12:40 – White Christmas
02:02:00 – Outro / Next

MUSIC

“Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” by Chris Isaak, Forever Blue (1995)
“Masked Ball (1999 Extended Mix)” by Jocelyn Pook, Flood (1999)
“Musica ricercata, II (Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale)” by Dominic Harlan, Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
“The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing” by Danny Kaye, Selections from Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” (1954)

GOBBLEDYCARES

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter
Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org
Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
US (877) 565-8860
Canada (877) 330-6366
National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org
Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

April 17, 2022 by arlowiley

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 468 – “Geek Challenge: Lady Bird vs. Ladyhawke”

Top: Saoirse Ronan in *Lady Bird* (2017), directed by Greta Gerwig
Bottom: Rutger Hauer, his lover, and their horse in *Ladyhawke* (1985), directed by Richard Donner

Gobbledygeek episode 468, “Geek Challenge: Lady Bird vs. Ladyhawke,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

It’s Ladies’ Night on Gobbledygeek! By which we mean we’ve got a Geek Challenge featuring Richard Donner’s 1985 medieval fantasy epic Ladyhawke and Greta Gerwig’s 2017 millennial coming-of-age tale Lady Bird. What do these two films have in common? They’re both about transformation, of course! In Lady Bird, Saoirse Ronan transforms into a young woman ready to take on the big city; in Ladyhawke, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer quite literally transform into a wolf and a hawk, respectively. Paul struggles with passive aggressive family drama, Arlo is annoyed by Matthew Broderick, and they both remember what it was like to be 15.

NEXT: this month’s Four-Color Flashback contemplates mortality with a dive into Ram V and Filipe Andrade’s The Many Deaths of Laila Starr.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:45 – Intro
00:10:54 – Lady Bird
01:04:04 – Ladyhawke
01:57:04 – Outro / Next

MUSIC

“Main Title” by Andrew Powell & Philharmonia Orchestra, Ladyhawke (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1985)
“Crash Into Me” by Dave Matthews Band, Crash (1996)

GOBBLEDYCARES

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org
Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
- US (877) 565-8860
- Canada (877) 330-6366
National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org
Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

July 25, 2021 by arlowiley

Listen to Episode 442 – “Geek Challenge: Sunset Blvd. vs. My Favorite Year”

Top: William Holden and Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder’s ‘Sunset Blvd.’ (1950) / Bottom: Peter O’Toole and Mark Linn-Baker in Richard Benjamin’s ‘Final Year’ (1982)

Gobbledygeek episode 442, “Geek Challenge: Sunset Blvd. vs. My Favorite Year,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

For Norma Desmond, the pictures got small when words stole her mystique; for Alan Swann, it was when his drunken antics got him downgraded to the boob tube. They’re both stand-ins for larger-than-life stars past their prime, Norma in Billy Wilder’s scathing Sunset Blvd. (1950) and Alan in Richard Benjamin’s cozy My Favorite Year (1982). In our latest Geek Challenge, Paul and Arlo discuss these fallen idols and how their respective movies take much different approaches to a mentor/mentee relationship. The boys break down the ways in which both films echo real-life Hollywood legends; praise Gloria Swanson’s arch turn as Norma and Peter O’Toole’s thinly veiled take on Errol Flynn; pine for dead monkey funerals; and wonder what things would be like if Jessica Harper ruled the mob.

NEXT: on this month’s Four-Color Flashback, we conclude the post-apocalyptic adventures of Gus and Jeppard in Deluxe Editions 2 and 3 of Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:40 – Intro / Guest
00:06:28 – Sunset Blvd.
00:52:15 – My Favorite Year
01:28:56 – Outro / Next

MUSIC

“Mama Said Knock You Out” by LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out (1990)
“Celluloid Heroes” by The Kinks, Everybody’s in Show-Biz (1972)

GOBBLEDYCARES

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

March 8, 2021 by arlowiley

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

Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

February 7, 2021 by arlowiley

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 426 – “Geek Challenge: Hawk the Slayer vs. The Adventures of Robin Hood”

Top: Bernard Bresslaw, John Terry, Patricia Quinn, Ray Charleson, and W. Morgan Sheppard in *Hawk the Slayer* (1980), directed by Terry Marcel / Bottom: Herbert Mundin, Errol Flynn, and Alan Hale, Sr. in *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938), directed by Michael Curtiz

Gobbledygeek episode 426, “Geek Challenge: Hawk the Slayer vs. The Adventures of Robin Hood,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Ah, merry old England. A land of many fine tales as well as some pretty crummy ones. This week, Paul and Arlo explore both sides of English mythmaking in a Geek Challenge that hearkens back to the Middle Ages; i.e., the 1930s and 1980s. First up is a movie Paul has been trying to get Arlo to watch literally as long as they’ve been podcasting: Terry Marcel’s 1980 sword-and-sorcery epic (?) Hawk the Slayer, featuring John Terry and Jack Palance as improbable brothers warring over the power of the Mind Sword. In return, Arlo has Paul watch Michael Curtiz’s 1938 classic The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn as the screen’s most iconic Robin. The boys discuss Hawk as Paul’s Rosetta stone; Robin Hood as one of those movies you just sort of absorb by osmosis; gloriously cheesy synth scores; Daffy Duck becoming a friar; and more. Plus, Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men!

NEXT: to celebrate the career of the late, great Christopher Plummer, we’re doing another Geek Challenge featuring Wolf and The Insider.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:30 – Fade In / Intro
00:06:34 – Hawk the Slayer
00:52:10 – The Adventures of Robin Hood
01:24:37 – Outro / Next

MUSIC

“Hawk the Slayer” by Harry Robertson, Hawk the Slayer (Original Soundtrack) (1980)
“Duel, Victory and Epilogue” by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

GOBBLEDYCARES

Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

November 27, 2020 by arlowiley

Listen to the Gobbledygeek Season 11 Finale – “Geek Challenge: Thunderheart vs. Dead Man”

Top: Graham Greene and Val Kilmer in *Thunderheart* (1992), directed by Michael Apted / Bottom: Johnny Depp and Gary Farmer in *Dead Man* (1995), directed by Jim Jarmusch

Gobbledygeek episode 423, “Geek Challenge: Thunderheart vs. Dead Man,” is available for listening or download right here and on Apple Podcasts here.

Because our mascot is a turkey, and because we generally frown upon genocide, Paul and Arlo are spending Thanksgiving weekend discussing films with ties to Native American culture. For this Geek Challenge, Paul urges Arlo to watch Michael Apted’s 1992 conspiracy thriller Thunderheart, starring Val Kilmer as an FBI agent who grows to embrace his Sioux heritage. In turn, Arlo makes Paul watch Jim Jarmusch’s 1995 psychedelic Western Dead Man, wherein Johnny Depp’s iteration of William Blake takes an offbeat journey to the next life. The boys address the major caveat of both films starring white men, as well as their own lily whiteness; determine that Graham Greene and Gary Farmer walk away with their respective movies; and discuss how both films explore spiritual death and rebirth. With a bonus discussion of Apted’s documentary Incident at Oglala!

NEXT: Arlo’s having a baby. We’re going on hiatus with hopes of returning in mid-to-late January. We wish everyone a happy and, more importantly, safe holiday season. We love you.

BREAKDOWN

00:01:00 – Intro / Guest
00:07:15 – Thunderheart
01:08:16 – Dead Man
02:09:36 – Outro / Next

MUSIC

“Grafitti Man” by John Trudell, A.K.A. Grafitti Man (1986)
“NDN Kars” by Keith Secola, Circle (1992)

GOBBLEDYCARES

Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/

September 30, 2020 by arlowiley

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 416 – “Geek Challenge: Zorro, the Gay Blade vs. The Double Life of Veronique”

Top: George Hamilton in Peter Medak’s ‘Zorro, the Gay Blade’ (1981).
Bottom: Irène Jacob in Krzysztof Kieslowski’s ‘The Double Life of Veronique’ (1991).

Gobbledygeek episode 416, “Geek Challenge: Zorro, the Gay Blade vs. The Double Life of Veronique,” is available for listening or download right here and on Apple Podcasts here.

If you’re seeing double–do not adjust your set. Paul and Arlo, podcasting’s own dynamic duo, have done a Geek Challenge involving dos doppelganger dramas. Well, drama might be a strong word for such a picture as Peter Medak’s 1981 spoof Zorro, the Gay Blade, starring George Hamilton as Don Diego Vega and his brother Ramon Vega, who are charged with taking up their father’s mantle of El Zorro. That’s Paul’s challenge to Arlo, of course–and Paul’s challenge to himself (listen and find out!) is Krzysztof Kieslowski’s 1991 film The Double Life of Veronique, a mysterious and possibly supernatural film featuring Irène Jacob as Polish singer Weronika and French music teacher Veronique, who share an indefinable connection. Get ready to swash some buckles and contemplate some existences!

NEXT: after a week off, it’s that time again. Leaves are on the ground and blood is on the screen. It’s time for Gobbledyween. Greg Sahadachny joins us to discuss The Autopsy of Jane Doe.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:32 – Intro / Guest
00:07:20 – Zorro, The Gay Blade
00:57:25 – The Double Life of Veronique
01:58:41 – Outro / Next

MUSIC

“It Takes Two” by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, It Takes Two (1988)
“I Think I’m a Clone Now” by Weird Al Yankovic, Even Worse (1988)

GOBBLEDYCARES

Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

August 9, 2020 by arlowiley

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 410 – “Geek Challenge: Puppet Master vs. Seed of Chucky”

Top: ‘Puppet Master’ (1989), directed by David Schmoeller
Bottom: Jennifer Tilly in ‘Seed of Chucky’ (2004), directed by Don Mancini

Gobbledygeek episode 410, “Geek Challenge: Puppet Master vs. Seed of Chucky,” is available for listening or download right here and on Apple Podcasts here.

They’ll tear you a new puppet hole, bitch! The worlds of Charles Band and Don Mancini collide in a pre-Gobbledyween Geek Challenge. Paul sends Arlo a psychic alert letting him know to watch 1989’s Puppet Master, the first of producer Band’s direct-to-VHS Full Moon Features and the source of approximately one trillion sequels. In turn, Arlo goes meta and has a doll voiced by him call Paul while the real Arlo is tied to a bed behind him, commanding Paul to watch 2004’s Seed of Chucky. Paul recounts the joy of watching Full Moon Features in his 20s, Arlo launches a full-throated defense of Mancini’s vision, and they are both just completely miserable. Plus, the boys have nothing but nice things to say about Taylor Swift’s Folklore.

Next: we’re off, then we’re not.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:49:34

00:00:25 – Intro / Banter
00:16:56 – Puppet Master
01:03:15 – Seed of Chucky
01:45:00 – Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

“Master of Puppets” by Metallica, Master of Puppets (1986)
“Doll Parts” by Hole, Live Through This (1994)

THE LINKS

“How ‘Child’s Play’ Became The Funniest, Most Reliably Surprising, And Queerest Slasher Series” by Louis Peitzman, BuzzFeed
“Queer Underworld: SEED OF CHUCKY (2004)” by Leigh Monson, Birth.Movies.Death.
“Why Seed of Chucky holds a special place in my heart” by Sam Mauro, Little White Lies
“Seed of Chucky” by Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com
“We Watched and Ranked Every Single ‘Puppet Master’ Film” by Daniel Kurland, Bloody Disgusting

February 8, 2019 by arlowiley

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 364 – “Bedknobs and Broomsticks / Chicago: We Both Reached for the Broom”

Gobbledygeek episode 364, “Bedknobs and Broomsticks / Chicago: We Both Reached for the Broom,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

This week finds Paul and Arlo being a coupla ding-dong daddies as another musical Geek Challenge is summoned from a mail-order spellbook. First, Paul challenges Arlo to Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Robert Stevenson’s 1971 follow-up to Mary Poppins. Then, Arlo forces Paul to endure Rob Marshall’s 2002 Best Picture winner Chicago. Witchcraft and murder…this one’s got it all. The boys discuss Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ unlikely connection to The Island of Dr. Moreau, whether or not Chicago deserves its reputation as one of the weakest Best Picture champs, and why Paul refuses to pay Rent.