October 8, 2021 by arlowiley

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 451 – “Gobbledyween: The House of the Devil (feat. Greg Sahadachny)”

Joceline Donahue in *The House of the Devil* (2009), directed by Ti West

Gobbledygeek episode 451, “Gobbledyween: The House of the Devil (feat. Greg Sahadachny),” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Leaves are on the ground. Blood is on the screen. It’s time for Gobbledyween. Our beloved, bloody tradition returns for another fiendish film fest featuring only the finest (?) of the horror genre. Greg Sahadachny, once and future host of The Debatable Podcast, helps Paul and Arlo kick off Gobbledyween 2021 by giving them a ride to The House of the Devil. Ti West’s 2009 breakthrough was a seminal moment in the indie horror boom of the last decade-plus. The question now, so many years removed, is if that moment was worth having. The gang discusses how this film’s slow burn played in the context of the torture porn era; its expert aping of the ‘80s aesthetic so near and dear to Paul’s heart; the strong performances from Joceline Donahue, Greta Gerwig, and Tom Noonan; and whether West’s loving homage is anything more than a reminder of better films.

NEXT: we’re checking out of this house, as we hitch a ride with A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis through the mind of Clive Barker. We’ll be discussing the director’s cut of his 1990 cult classic Nightbreed.

BREAKDOWN

00:01:06 – Intro / Guest
00:08:44 – The House of the Devil
01:36:00 – Outro / Next

MUSIC

“The Number of the Beast” by Iron Maiden, The Number of the Beast (1982)
“One Things Leads to Another” by The Fixx, Reach the Beach (1983)

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/

October 7, 2020 by arlowiley

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 417 – “Gobbledyween: The Autopsy of Jane Doe (feat. Greg Sahadachny)”

Brian Cox, Olwen Kelly, and Emile Hirsch in André Øvredal’s ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ (2016).

Gobbledygeek episode 417, “Gobbledyween: The Autopsy of Jane Doe (feat. Greg Sahadachny),” is available for listening or download right here and on Apple Podcasts here.

Leaves are on the ground. Blood is on the screen. It’s time for Gobbledyween.

Take a break from the horror of the real world to join Paul and Arlo for that most venerated of Gobbledygeek traditions, the month-long horror movie marathon known as Gobbledyween. To kick things off for 2020, our pal Greg Sahadachny takes a break from the usual goofy stuff we stick him with (like the very goofy The Stuff) to go legit with his own personal selection: André Øvredal’s 2016 procedural chiller The Autopsy of Jane Doe. The gang takes a scalpel to the film, discussing how Øvredal gets the most out of his “bottle episode” morgue setting; Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch’s strong performances as a father-son coroner duo; how the film avoids fetishizing Olwen Kelly’s nude body; and why nihilism in horror films can feel so satisfying.

NEXT: grab(oid) onto your butts, Uproxx editor Jason Tabrys joins us to talk Tremors.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:50 – Intro / Guest
00:08:00 – The Autopsy of Jane Doe
01:26:06 – Outro / Next

MUSIC

“Open Up Your Heart (and Let the Sunshine In)” by Frente!, Saturday Morning Cartoons’ Greatest Hits (1995)
“Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures) [From the American Tribal Love Rock Musical “Hair”]” by The 5th Dimension, The Age of Aquarius (1969)

March 4, 2020 by arlowiley

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 396 – “FCF Bonus: HBO’s Watchmen (feat. Greg Sahadachny)”

Regina King in HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ (2019).

Gobbledygeek episode 396, “FCF Bonus: HBO’s Watchmen (feat. Greg Sahadachny),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

No one, especially not Alan Moore, ever really wanted a Watchmen sequel. Which is exactly why handing the reins to Damon Lindelof, who has a history of disorienting and upsetting expectations, is a stroke of genius. Last year’s HBO series, spearheaded by Lindelof, is a bold, startling continuation of Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel masterpiece–so of course, after talking about the book, Paul, Arlo, and reformed podcaster Greg Sahadachny had to discuss the TV show. The gang talks about the ways in which Lindelof subverts and pays tribute to Moore and Gibbons’ work; how Lindelof built a writers’ room with people who were not like him; the show’s provocative exploration of race and authority; whether or not the show sticks the landing; and much, much more.

Next: due to one scheduling kerfuffle after another, we’ve got another Four-Color Flashback for you! Paul and Arlo will discuss Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston’s Black Hammer.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 02:32:50

00:00:30 – Intro
00:05:40 – Sturgill Simpson’s A Good Look’n Tour
00:28:28 – Watchmen
02:28:25 – Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

“Turtles All the Way Down” by Sturgill Simpson, Turtles All the Way Down (2014)
“Best Clockmaker On Mars” by Sturgill Simpson, Sound & Fury (2019)

THE LINKS

“The Case for Reparations” by Ta-Nahesi Coates, The Atlantic
“Watchmen Gave Us All the Answers” by Kathryn VanArendonk, Variety
“HBO’s Watchmen Captures the Spirit of the Graphic Novel Better Than Anything Else” by Princess Weekes, The Mary Sue
“The Real Black History Hidden Within HBO’s Watchmen” by Karama Horne, SyFy Wire
“The Incendiary Aims of HBO’s Watchmen” by Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker
“Stephen Williams goes behind the scenes of the emotionally devastating and technically dazzling ‘This Extraordinary Being.’” by Joanna Robinson, Vanity Fair
“How ‘Watchmen’ Pulled Off One of the Best TV Seasons of the Decade” by Adam B. Vary, Variety
“Olivia Hooker, one of the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, dies at 103” by Deneen L. Brown, Los Angeles Times
“Following Watchmen, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Added to Oklahoma Curriculum” by Adreon Patterson, CBR
PETEYPEDIA
The Official Watchmen Podcast – website – iTunes

October 27, 2018 by arlowiley

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ 356, “Gobbledyween: Creepshow (feat. Greg Sahadachny)”

Gobbledygeek episode 356, “Gobbledyween: Creepshow (feat. Greg Sahadachny),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Gobbledyween returns! Again! Greg Sahadachny, once and future host of The Debatable Podcast, returns! Again! To close out our truncated season of horror happenings, Paul, Arlo, and Greg flip ahead to George A. Romero and Stephen King’s kooky 1982 splash page Creepshow. Indebted to old EC horror comics, Creepshow has become a cult classic in its own right, as silly and lowbrow as it is reverent and artful. The gang discusses why the meeting of these two horror masters may not be what you would expect; the underrated craft of Romero’s filmmaking; how tough it is to view Leslie Nielsen as anything other than the Naked Gun guy these days; and Ted Danson’s head in a tank. Plus, Paul travels to the fantastical world of Hilda; Arlo checks into The Haunting of Hill House; and forgive us, Carpenter, for we have synth-ed.

Next: the show blows up.

(Show notes for “Gobbledyween: Creepshow.”)

August 11, 2017 by Arlo J. Wiley

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 322, “There Will Be Greggles (feat. Greg Sahadachny)”

Gobbledygeek episode 322, “There Will Be Greggles (feat. Greg Sahadachny),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Come and listen to my story about a guy named Dan; a poor prospector, a self-made man. And then one day, to California he drew, and up from the ground come a-bubblin’ crude. Blood, that is. Capitalist blood. For the third in our Ten Years Later series (we’re in the market for a snappier name), Paul and Arlo turn to Paul Thomas Anderson’s study of American monster/oilman Daniel Plainview, There Will Be Blood. Joining them is The Debatable Podcast’s Greg Sahadachny, who makes his triumphant return to Gobbledygeek after nearly two years. The boys discuss how the film explores the intersection between religion and capitalism; whether or not Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano give into overacting; if Daniel Plainview could be considered a villain; and how the “I drink your milkshake!” scene holds up after a decade of memeification.

Next: we’ve abducted Wesley “Wezzo” Mead once again to discuss Chris Carter’s seminal sci-fi series The X-Files. This time, we investigate the L.A.-bound season 6.

(Show notes for “There Will Be Greggles.”)

November 22, 2015 by Arlo J. Wiley

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 256, “Bone: Vol. VIII – Treasure Hunters (feat. Greg Sahadachny)”

Art from ‘Bone: Vol. VIII – Treasure Hunters’ by Jeff Smith and Steve Hamaker.

Gobbledygeek episode 256, “Bone: Vol VIII – Treasure Hunters (feat. Greg Sahadachny),” is available for listening or download right here, and on iTunes here.

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.

(Show notes for “Bone: Vol. VIII – Treasure Hunters.”)

November 11, 2015 by Arlo J. Wiley

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 255, “Political Paranoia and Yellowface (feat. Greg Sahadachny)”

Gobbledygeek episode 255, “Political Paranoia and Yellowface (feat. Greg Sahadachny),” is available for listening or download right here, and on iTunes here.

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 Grey 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 penultimate installment in our Four-Color Flashback series on Jeff Smith’s Bone. This time, the boys tackle Vol. VIII: Treasure Hunters.

(Show notes for “Political Paranoia and Yellowface.”)

October 7, 2015 by Arlo J. Wiley

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 250, “LISTEN TO PODCASTS (feat. Greg Sahadachny)”

Gobbledygeek episode 250, “LISTEN TO PODCASTS (feat. Greg Sahadachny),” is available for listening or download right here, and on iTunes here.

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 trying to ape the style originated by Carpenter and other filmmakers of his generation.

Next: there’s nothing adjacent about The Babadook; it’s full-on 21st century terror. Wanna Cook? authors K. Dale Koontz and Ensley F. Guffey drop by to chat about Jennifer Kent’s acclaimed debut.

(Show notes for “LISTEN TO PODCASTS.”)

September 30, 2015 by Arlo J. Wiley

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 249, “Bone: Vol. VII – Ghost Circles (feat. Greg Sahadachny)”

Art from ‘Bone: Vol. VII – Ghost Circles’ by Jeff Smith and Steve Hamaker.

Gobbledygeek episode 249, “Bone: Vol. VII – Ghost Circles (feat. Greg Sahadachny),” is available for listening or download right here, and on iTunes here.

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.

(Show notes for “Bone: Vol. VII – Ghost Circles.”)

September 2, 2015 by Arlo J. Wiley

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 245, “Bone: Vol. VI – Old Man’s Cave (feat. Greg Sahadachny)”

Art from ‘Bone: Vol. VI – Old Man’s Cave’ by Jeff Smith and Steve Hamaker.

Gobbledygeek episode 245, “Bone: Vol. VI – Old Man’s Cave (feat. Greg Sahadachny),” is available for listening or download right here, and on iTunes here.

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.

(Show notes for “Bone: Vol. VI – Old Man’s Cave.”)