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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 508 – “That Was Then: Sideways”

Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church in Sideways (2004), directed by Alexander Payne

Gobbledygeek episode 508, “That Was Then: Sideways,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

As they say, don’t drink and podcast, but here Paul and Arlo are talking about 2004’s Sideways for another round of That Was Then. Alexander Payne’s acclaimed dramedy follows alcoholic wine connoisseur Miles as he takes his bonehead best buddy Jack on a road trip through Santa Barbara the week before Jack’s due to get hitched. It is the Fox Searchlight movie, and the boys discuss what that means, how the performances bring forth certain emotional notes in the script’s body, and why somebody could come away from a first viewing not understanding 20 years’ worth of hype. Plus, Arlo goes into uncomfortable detail about his middle school career.

NEXT: enough old movies, let’s talk old(-ish) comics! This month’s Four-Color Flashback sees Eric Sipple joining Paul and Arlo for Si Spurrier and Dylan Burnett’s Weavers.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:45  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:29:46  –  Main Topic
  • 01:35:36  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” by Billy Joel, The Stranger (1977)
  • “A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell, Blue (1971)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 507 – “That Was Then: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three”

Walter Matthau in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), directed by Joseph Sargent

Gobbledygeek episode 507, “That Was Then: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

We’re speeding away at breakneck speed with another installment of our That Was Then series. This time Paul and Arlo are witnesses to The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, a 1974 subway heist thriller that is exactly what it says on the tin. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! But our boys do struggle to find much to say, choosing to highlight David Shire’s jazz-funk score and Owen Roizman’s gritty cinematography while mostly being puzzled by the script’s wasted potential. It’s a fun Noo Yawk movie, and that’s okay, folks! 

NEXT: NO FUCKING MERLOT! That’s right, it’s another That Was Then, this time focusing on Alexander Payne’s 2004 buddy dramedy Sideways.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:30  –  Intro / The Year That Was 1974
  • 00:21:38  –  The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
  • 01:20:30  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “Sure Shot” by Beastie Boys, Ill Communication (1994)
  • “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne, Blizzard of Ozz (1980)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 506 – “That Was Then: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (feat. Michael Holland)”

Nino Castelnuovo & Catherine Deneuve in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), directed by Jacques Demy

Gobbledygeek episode 506, “That Was Then: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (feat. Michael Holland),” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

For the next installment in our That Was Then series, Paul and Arlo cast their minds back to 1964–a year that predates both of them, though the era’s Beatlemania might as well be Arlo’s spiritual birthplace. This time, they’re popping paisley parasols for Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, a sung-through opera told in the style of a Hollywood musical with some of the most stunning colors you’ll ever see. Hollywood extraordinaire and From Out of the Past host Michael Holland is on hand to help the boys discuss how the film defies romantic conventions while adhering to them, the magic of Jean Rabier’s camerawork, the way Demy uses color to convey feeling, and why the film deserves to be mentioned alongside classics of the French New Wave.

NEXT: it’s a mystery, gang!

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:33  –  Intro / Guest / The Year 1964
  • 00:21:00  –  The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
  • 01:28:00  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Le Parapluies De Cherbourg” by Michel Legrand
  • “Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z)” by Rihanna, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 505 – That Was Then: Ghostbusters

Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson in Ghostbusters (1984), directed by Ivan Reitman

Gobbledygeek episode 505, “That Was Then: Ghostbusters,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Who ya gonna call? Gobbledygeek! For the first installment of our That Was Then series, taking a look back at movies celebrating anniversaries in 2024, Paul and Arlo take residence at Spook Central for 1984’s Ghostbusters. Turning a frightful 40 this year, Ivan Reitman’s classic comedy began as a high-concept riff on the “slobs v. snobs” template made popular by Animal House before becoming an inescapable pop cultural juggernaut. The boys discuss the thoughtfulness of Reitman’s direction in tandem with the great László Kovács’ photography, the perfectly structured script by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, how much of Pete Venkman is just Bill Murray, and why the right-wing backlash to the 2016 remake is ironic in light of the original’s sketchy politics.

NEXT: a little of this, a little of that.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:48  –  Intro / The Year That Was 1984
  • 00:18:19  –  Ghostbusters (1984)
  • 01:36:29  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr., Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1984)
  • “Cleanin’ Up the Town” by The Busboys, Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1984)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 503 – Twisted Christmas: Black Christmas vs. A Christmas Story

Gobbledygeek episode 503, “Twisted Christmas: Black Christmas vs. A Christmas Story,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

You’ll slash your eye out, Kidder! To close out our truncated season, it’s a Twisted Christmas double feature, as Paul and Arlo explore both of Canadian auteur Bob Clark’s yuletide classics: 1974’s proto-slasher Black Christmas and the 1983 staple A Christmas Story. The boys separately find each of these movies to be deeply annoying…but who couldn’t stand which one?! Just kidding, Paul’s not that into the horror movie and Arlo can’t stand the cutesy nostalgic one. We have a brand, and we’re sticking to it. Plus, our favorite movies and TV shows of 2023.

NEXT: Merry Christmas and happy New Year! We’ll potentially be back in January potentially with a guest and potentially discussing a movie. So much potential for 2024, can’t wait to squander all of it!

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:49  –  Intro
  • 00:09:03  –  Black Christmas
  • 00:57:31  –  A Christmas Story
  • 01:49:06  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “Call Me” by Blondie, American Gigolo (1980)
  • “BB Gun” by Roger Alan Wade, All Likkered Up (2005)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 502 – Blue Eye Samurai

Mizu (voiced by Maya Erskine) in Blue Eye Samurai (2023), created by Michael Green and Amber Noizumi

Gobbledygeek episode 502, “Blue Eye Samurai,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

What is there for a young, mixed-race woman to do in feudal Japan? Reject all traces of her femininity, assume the masculine identity of a ronin, and seek revenge on any of the four white men in the whole country who could potentially be her father. Is Mizu a demonic half-breed, an enlightened warrior, or something else altogether? Created by Michael Green and Amber Noizumi, Blue Eye Samurai charts Mizu’s journey of self-discovery and bloodlust, and Paul and Arlo are along for the ride. The boys discuss the show’s brilliant fight choreography, each character’s attempt to break free of their constraints, the tremendous voice performances of Maya Erskine and Brenda Song, and that Metallica cover. Plus, Arlo pays homage to big bald daddy Godzilla.

NEXT: ho ho no! It’s a Bob Clark double feature on the finale of our truncated season 14, as Twisted Christmas rears its festive face once more. Black Christmas and A Christmas Story are basically the same movie, right?

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:55  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:30:10  –  Blue Eye Samurai
  • 02:00:12  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Emi Meyer, Blue Eye Samurai (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series) (2023)
  • “Pale Blue Eyes” by The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground (1969)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 500 – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (feat. Eric Sipple)

Spider-Woman (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson

Gobbledygeek episode 500, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (feat. Eric Sipple),” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

500 episodes! Can you believe it? What incredibly special way will we choose to commemorate this event??? By, well, just having a regular episode discussing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with our good friend Eric Sipple. At one point this past summer, we weren’t sure another episode was ever going to happen, so this seems like a fitting celebration. The boys rave about Across the Spider-Verse’s layered meanings, innovative animation, strong emotion, and how much more fun and exciting the movie is than the comics are these days.

NEXT: who even knows, man.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:55  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:07:05  –  Shout out to Levi Williams!
  • 00:13:28  –  Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
  • 02:29:18  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers, Sunshine On Leith (1988)
  • “Spiderwebs” by No Doubt, Tragic Kingdom (1995)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 499 – “Geek Challenge: Xanadu vs. Mulholland Drive”

Top: Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980), directed by Robert Greenwald / Bottom: Naomi Watts and Laura Haring in Mulholland Drive (2001), directed by David Lynch

Gobbledygeek episode 499, “Geek Challenge: Xanadu vs. Mulholland Drive,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

You have to believe Gobbledygeek is magic. Or at the very least, that Paul and Arlo will revel in cinematic magic on the latest Geek Challenge. Robert Greenwald’s infamous 1980 flop Xanadu is paired with David Lynch’s acclaimed 2001 masterpiece Mulholland Drive for a fantastical discussion of filmic fantasy. The boys argue that Xanadu should not be seen as a failure, interpret Mulholland Drive‘s many cryptic symbols, bask in the radiance of Olivia Newton-John, and laud Naomi Watts’ raw emotion. Plus, our bodies continue to deteriorate.

NEXT: five hundo.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:39  –  Intro
  • 00:15:49  –  Xanadu
  • 01:04:15  –  Mulholland Drive
  • 01:57:26  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “Magic” by Olivia Newton-John, Xanadu (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1980)
  • “Llorando” by Rebekah Del Rio, All My Life – Toda Me Vida (2003)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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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

LINKS

MUSIC

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

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 493 – “RRR”

Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. in RRR (2022), directed by S.S. Rajamouli

Gobbledygeek episode 493, “RRR,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Time to rise, roar, and revolt as Paul and Arlo engage in some extreme piggybacking with S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR. This alt-history epic is the rare Indian film to make a splash in the Western world, and our boys approach it as only two ignorant white guys can: with almost no knowledge of Indian culture or film! Nevertheless, they are in love with the movie, which reimagines Indian revolutionary figures Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju as superheroes who can outrun tigers, shoot a British bastard from a mile away, and stop motorcycles with their bare hands. The boys praise stars N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, admire Rajamouli’s craft, and weep in awe at the insane shit happening in every single scene. Plus, there’s a trailer for The Flash and Arlo has finally gone back to reading old Superman comics.

NEXT: TBD.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:44  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:18:04  –  Main Topic
  • 02:03:24  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Dosti” by Amit Trivedi, RRR (Original Soundtrack) (2022)
  • “Naacho Naacho” by Vishal Mishra & Rahul Sipligunj, RRR (Original Soundtrack) (2022)

GOBBLEDYCARES