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)

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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

LINKS

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)

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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)

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 487 – “Reservation Dogs: Season 2”

Lane Factor, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, and Paulina Alexis in Reservation Dogs: Season 2 (2022), created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi

Gobbledygeek episode 487, “Reservation Dogs: Season 2,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Aho, podcast listeners! To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, Paul and Arlo check in on the latest season of Reservation Dogs, possibly the best show on TV. It would be hard to top Rez Dog’s freshman year, a revelatory season filled with joy, pain, and a whole bunch of shitasses. Yet that’s exactly what Sterlin Harjo and his collaborators have done, deepening the themes of loss and community that made the first season so resonant. The boys rave about the show’s core cast–Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor, and Paulina Alexis—while lauding Harjo’s ability to shine an even brighter light on supporting players like Zahn McClarnon, Jana Schmieding, and Lily Gladstone. Skoden.

NEXT: Alex Jonestown Massacre guitarist Kenn Edwards is back and ready to get Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:34  –  Intro
  • 00:08:00  –  Reservation Dogs: Season 2
  • 01:42:03  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Going to California” by Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
  • “I Still Believe (Great Design)” by Tim Cappello, The Lost Boys (1987)

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 485 – “The Blair Witch Project”

Rei Hance in The Blair Witch Project (1999), directed by Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez

Gobbledygeek episode 485, “The Blair Witch Project,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

We all get lost, every now and then. Most of us don’t get quite as lost as the three film students at the center of The Blair Witch Project, a massive hit in 1999 whose reputation among the average moviegoer has also taken a massive hit. If you ask Arlo, though, it’s one of the greatest horror films ever made–and he tells Paul exactly why, as they celebrate the second and final week of this year’s abbreviated Gobbledyween. The boys discuss the incredibly convincing performances, why the characters being so annoying makes the movie so believable, how the found footage genre has expanded in the years since, and just how easy it is to get lost in America.

NEXT: why are you standing in the corner, Paul?

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:32  –  Intro
  • 00:02:34  –  The Blair Witch Project
  • 01:39:11  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Gilligan’s Island” by Television’s Greatest Hits Band, Television’s Greatest Hits: Classic TV Theme Songs (2021)
  • “Out of the Woods” by Taylor Swift, 1989 (2014)

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 484 – “Midnight Mass (feat. Joseph Lewis)”

Hamish Linklater and Samantha Sloyan in Midnight Mass (2021), directed by Mike Flanagan

Gobbledygeek episode 484, “Midnight Mass (feat. Joseph Lewis),” 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 a (very late) Gobbledyween! Gobbledygeek’s annual horror-thon returns for an abbreviated run, kicking things off with Mike Flanagan’s 2021 Netflix miniseries Midnight Mass. What at first seems like a riff on ‘Salem’s Lot–a vampire ingratiates himself into a tiny coastal community–becomes a soaring exploration of addiction, faith, and death. Joining Paul and Arlo to discuss the series is original Gobbler Joseph Lewis. Together, the Three Heathens rave about the central performances from Hamish Linklater, Zach Gilford, and Kate Siegel; dissect the show’s “bad miracle” vibe and how it relates to their own spiritual journey; and poke a little good-natured fun at the many, many monologues.

NEXT: we’ve got one more in store for you, as Paul and Arlo pop a tape into their camcorders for 1999’s The Blair Witch Project.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:50  –  Intro / Guest / Banter
  • 00:23:13  –  Midnight Mass
  • 02:27:36  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “And the Grass Won’t Pay No Mind” by Neil Diamond, Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show (1969)
  • “Nearer My God to Thee” by The Newton Brothers, Midnight Mass (Soundtrack) (2021)

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 481 – “Netflix’s The Sandman, Season 1 (feat. Eric Sipple)”

Tom Sturridge in The Sandman (2022), created by Neil Gaiman

Gobbledygeek episode 481, “Netflix’s The Sandman, Season 1,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

No, this isn’t a dream (or even a nightmare): The Sandman, the iconic Vertigo comic book series created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith, and Mike Dringenberg, has finally been adapted for television. Paul, Arlo, and The Deli Counter of Justice co-creator Eric Sipple are all huge fans of the comics, and they use their familiarity with the Dreaming to dive deep into the first season of the Netflix TV show. The gang discusses the show’s mostly spot-on casting, whether it captures Morpheus as well as Roderick Burgess did, how the filmmakers modernize some of the books’ more outdated elements, and so very much more. Plus, a mini-review of Prey, the new Predator film directed by Dan Trachtenberg and starring Amber Midthunder.

NEXT: sing a song of oblivion with Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici’s Oblivion Song on a new Four-Color Flashback.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:32  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:02:31  –  Prey mini-review
  • 00:26:28  –  The Sandman, Season 1
  • 02:35:00  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “In Sleep” by Lissie, When I’m Alone: The Piano Retrospective (2019)
  • “Cotton Candy Land” by Elvis Presley, It Happened At the World’s Fair (Original Soundtrack) (1963)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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 476 – “FCF: Die (feat. Eric Sipple)”

Art from Die (2018-21) by Stephanie Hans

Gobbledygeek episode 476, “FCF: Die (feat. Eric Sipple),” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

For this month’s Four-Color Flashback, Paul and Arlo roll the Die to discuss Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans’ dark tale of a group of one-time RPG nerds getting sucked into the world of the game. Gillen has described the book as “goth Jumanji,” and there’s some truth to that–these characters feel everything, hard. Luckily, so do we, and so does special guest Eric Sipple, author of Mimesis and co-creator of The Deli Counter of Justice. The gang discusses how Die takes apart and rebuilds typical D&D classes, its commentary on the entire history of gaming, why Ash is so important to Eric, and much more.

NEXT: by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, it’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness!

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:32  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:05:46  –  Our histories with RPGs
  • 00:14:56  –  Die
  • 02:44:20  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Tumbling Dice” by The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main St. (1972)
  • “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” by Kate Bush, Hounds of Love (1985)

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 473 – “Dick’s on the Brain”

Gobbledygeek episode 473, “Dick’s on the Brain,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

It’s a freestyle episode, boys and girls! You know what that means: the Dragon’s Milk is flowing, the tangents are plentiful, and Paul and Arlo just can’t get enough Dick’s. Now, now, get your mind out of the gutter–we’re talking Dick’s, the iconic Seattle burger chain. In addition to chowing down on their favorite regional burgers (Arlo shouts out Akron’s very own Swenson’s), the boys are very much on their bullshit throughout. Arlo recounts the entire A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Paul experiences Stranger Things with a fella named Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Arlo gets progressively more inebriated.

NEXT: welcome, travelers of the night, to another MCUTV installment with Hollywood wonder boy Michael Holland. This time, we’re discussing Moon Knight.

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Posse on Broadway” by Sir Mix-a-Lot, Swass (1988)
  • “Who Let the Dogs Out (As Made Famous by Baha Men)” by Karaoke DJ, Karaoke Hit Music the 00’s Vol. 2 – Instrumental Sing Alongs From the 2000’s (2010)
  • “Are You Ready for Freddy” by Fat Boys, Coming Back Hard Again (1988)

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