taika waititi

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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)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 479 – “Sad & Weird”

Gobbledygeek episode 479, “Sad & Weird,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

For another freestyle, Paul and Arlo are getting weird. As in “Weird Al” Yankovic, whom Arlo recently saw with their good buddy Kenn Edwards. Arlo recounts the concert moment he’d been waiting for all his life, then Paul discusses the joys and frustrations of the first-ever virtual Slayage conference. Plus, brief ruminations on Nope, Thor: Love and Thunder, and The Rehearsal; and we remember our friend Chelsea Hawk.

NEXT: TBD.

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “We Would Be Building” by John Fahey, Days Have Gone By, Vol. 6 (1967)
  • “Lame Claim to Fame” by “Weird Al” Yankovic, Mandatory Fun (2014)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 466 – “Our Flag Means Death”

Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby in Our Flag Means Death (2022), created by David Jenkins

Gobbledygeek episode 466, “Our Flag Means Death,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! Paul and Arlo set sail for a discussion of David Jenkins’ pirate rom-com Our Flag Means Death. The new HBO Max series, a very loose telling of the history between Stede “The Gentleman Pirate” Bonnet and Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, begins as a silly romp very much in the vein of executive producer/star Taika Waititi’s other work. And then…well, it becomes something very much more, depicting a number of queer romances in positive, affirming fashion. The boys discuss this shouldn’t-be-shocking-in-2022 level of representation, the chemistry between Rhys Darby and Waititi, how closely (or not) the show follows the historical record, the series’ moral of not accepting that the way things are is the way they have to be, and more. Plus, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, Arlo is reading old Superman comics!

NEXT: reply hazy, try again.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:47  –  Intro / Banter
  • 00:18:30  –  Our Flag Means Death
  • 01:36:26  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Perfect Day” by Lou Reed, Transformer (1972)
  • “Miles from Nowhere” by Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman (1970)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 455 – “Reservation Dogs (feat. Nikki Stafford)”

Paulina Alexis, Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, and Lane Factor in Reservation Dogs (2021), created by Sterlin Harjo & Taika Waititi

Gobbledygeek episode 455, “Reservation Dogs (feat. Nikki Stafford)”,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

The best show on TV is on FX–well, FX on Hulu, that is. It’s called Reservation Dogs, it was created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, and it is about four Indigenous kids from Oklahoma dreaming of escape to California. To discuss this funny, heartbreaking show, Paul and Arlo are joined by pop culture writer extraordinaire Nikki Stafford. The gang discusses the show’s subtle storytelling, its incredible cast, the way Harjo and his team thread the needle between tragedy and comedy, and how this series breaks ground for mainstream Native representation in America. Plus, Arlo almost killed Paul.

NEXT: second time’s the charm; hopefully, we’ll actually do a Four-Color Flashback on John Layman and Afu Chan’s Outer Darkness.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:42  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:10:45  –  Reservation Dogs
  • 01:25:45  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by The Stooges, The Stooges (1969)
  • “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone, Wovoka (1973)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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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

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 375 – “300ccs of Thorazine”

Gobbledygeek episode 375, “300ccs of Thorazine,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

How does one go from lamenting the untimely demise of Tom King’s Batman to discussing the power structures that dictate what one finds culturally acceptable in any given generation? There’s only one way to find out: by listening to this week’s Gobbledygeek! Paul and Arlo blather about superheroic drama, including Superman: The Animated Series; opinions that have evolved with time, whether they’re on The Downward Spiral or She-Ra: Princess of Power; and why the hell Pete Venkman was carrying 300ccs of Thorazine.

Next: Johny Ho joins Paul and Arlo to discuss Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese in the latest Four-Color Flashback.

(Show notes for “300ccs of Thorazine.”)

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 372 – “Avengers: Endgame – It’s Been a Long, Long Time (feat. Eric Sipple)”

Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Karen Gillan, Rocket Raccoon, Paul Rudd, and Scarlett Johansson in ‘Avengers: Endgame.’

Gobbledygeek episode 372, “Avengers: Endgame – It’s Been a Long, Long Time (feat. Eric Sipple),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

All good things must come to an end. And while the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not one of those things–there’s another one of these bad boys coming out in a few months–Avengers: Endgame does represent the culmination of this first wave/cycle/saga of the MCU. Paul and Arlo are joined by their The Deli Counter of Justice co-creator Eric Sipple to discuss just how in the hell directors Anthony and Joe Russo, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and many many other talented filmmakers pulled off this marvelous feat. Because somehow, some way, Endgame is just about the most satisfying conclusion you could hope for.

Next: enter the void.

(Show notes for “Avengers: Endgame – It’s Been a Long, Long Time.”)

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Listen to Episode 355, “Gobbledyween: The Witch (feat. Matthew Jackson)”

Gobbledygeek episode 355, “Gobbledyween: The Witch (feat. Matthew Jackson),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Leaves are on the ground, blood is on the silver screen. It’s time for Gobbledyween. Paul and Arlo’s beloved horror movie festival returns for the first time since 2015, and their opening selection debuted that same year: Robert Eggers’ new cult classic The Witch. Emerging from the wood to terrorize the boys is SyfyWire.com contributing editor Matthew Jackson. The gang discusses the rural dread Eggers exploits, if the film can be read as an empowerment tale, if anything on the screen actually happens, and more. Plus, Paul grooves to synthwave, Jon Favreau gears up for The Mandalorian, Arlo worships Nicolas Cage in Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy, and Spider-Ham makes his screen debut in the new Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse trailer.

Next: Gobbledyween continues as filmmaker Jess Byard joins us to take a bite out of Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark.

(Show notes for “Gobbledyween: The Witch.”)

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 324, “Thor: Ragnarok – Friends from Work”

Gobbledygeek episode 324, “Thor: Ragnarok – Friends from Work,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

For a return to our regularly scheduled pop culture chatter, Paul and Arlo ride their hammers to the faraway world of Asgard, which is in a spot of trouble. Avenger and heir to the throne Thor Odinson must defend his people from the villainous Hela; along the way, he gets imprisoned by an eccentric weirdo named the Grandmaster and is forced to do battle with the Hulk, his infamous “friend from work.” The boys discuss why Thor: Ragnarok is among the very best the Marvel Cinematic Universe has to offer, what perspective New Zealander Taika Waititi brings to the franchise, what the film says about immigrants (besides cueing up the perfect Robert Plant wail), and if we’ll ever see Bruce Banner again. Plus, they discuss the pop culture they enjoyed during the show’s hiatus.

Next: in two weeks’ time, Paul and Arlo pick up their Four-Color Flashback exploration of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Y: The Last Man with Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons.

(Show notes for “Friends from Work.”)

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 320, “Dunkirk: Beach Battle Bingo”

Gobbledygeek episode 320, “Dunkirk: Beach Battle Bingo,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Sun, spray, bullets, and blood: Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk recounts the worst beach trip in history, as 400,000 Allied troops were trapped by the Nazis in Dunkirk, France. The word Paul and Arlo keep coming back to as a descriptor is “relentless.” 107 minutes of third-act intensity, Dunkirk may be the purest expression of Nolan’s watchmaker-precise skill. The boys discuss the film’s three interweaving time strands, the lack of overt character development (except for that moment), Hans Zimmer’s ticking time bomb of a score, and why the movie never names or shows its Nazi enemies. Plus, Arlo is convinced the rest of the world is experiencing a mass delusion regarding Arrested Development season 4; and the boys take a look at the SDCC trailers for Ready Player One, Justice League, Thor: Ragnarok, Stranger Things, and The Defenders.

Next: it’s another Four-Color Flashback, as Ensley F. Guffey, co-author of Wanna Cook? The Complete Unauthorized Guide to Breaking Bad, joins Paul and Arlo to discuss Y: The Last Man – Vol. 7: Paper Dolls.

(Show notes for “Dunkirk: Beach Battle Bingo.”)