Gobbledygeek

It finally happened. After three long years of behind-the-scenes turmoil, Near Dark has made its way to Gobbledyween. A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis joins Paul and Arlo to discuss Kathryn Bigelow's 1987 vampiric Western, which reimagined the creatures of the night as filthy, lowdown rednecks. The gang discusses the influence Near Dark has had on vampire fiction, the late great Bill Paxton's immortal performance as Severen, the film's surprisingly conservative stance on biological family, and how surprisingly difficult it is to get ahold of the movie these days.

Next: Gobbledyween lives in a society. Greg Sahadachny joins us to talk Brian Yuzna's 1989 satire Society.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:33:05

00:00:45 - Intro

00:03:44 - Near Dark

01:24:22 - Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

"Fever" by The Cramps, Songs the Lord Taught Us (1980)

"The Cowboy Rides Away" by George Strait, Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind (1984)

THE LINKS

"25 Things We Learned from Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark Commentary" by Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

"Bloodthirsty and Lonely in the Heartland: Kathryn Bigelow's NEAR DARK" by Jacob Mazer, Bryn Mawr Film Institute

"The Deafening Night: Kathryn Bigelow's NEAR DARK" by Jacob Knight, Birth. Movies. Death.

"How Near Dark Explores the Dark Side of Family Structure" by Nat Brehmer, Wicked Horror

"Near Dark (1987)" by Roderick Heath, Ferdy on Films

"Sunlight Through Bullet Holes" by Tammy Oler, Slate

"Near Dark" by John M. Miller, TCM

Leaves are on the ground, blood is on the screen. It's time once again for Gobbledyween, that most beloved of Gobbledygeek institutions--and one that has not reared its horrific head in full since 2015! All month long, Paul and Arlo will be discussing horror or horror-adjacent movies, starting with one they actually discussed seven years ago: Drew Goddard's mega-meta 2011 genre critique The Cabin in the Woods. The boys reveal why they're revisiting the film (hint: it involves sheer incompetence!), break down Goddard and co-writer/producer Joss Whedon's refutation of horror stereotypes, compare Cabin's prevailing sense of nihilism to the pragmatic hope on display in Buffy and Angel, and go nuts trying to name all the monsters we see on screen.

Next: the night, it's deafening. A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis joins us to discuss--finally--Kathryn Bigelow's 1987 vampire Western Near Dark.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:43:03

00:00:35 - Intro

00:11:12 - The Cabin in the Woods

01:40:36 - Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

"Horror Movies" by Dickie Goodman (1961)

"Last" by Nine Inch Nails, Broken (1992)

THE LINKS

"'The Cabin in the Woods' Spoilers: Drew Goddard Speaks Freely" by Maria Elena Fernandez, The Daily Beast

For another installment of this year's non-superhero Four-Color Flashback, Paul and Arlo look at the story of a real-life hero in Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case's loving tribute to Jeff's dad, Detective Tom Jensen. Detective Jensen was instrumental in catching Gary Leon Ridgway AKA the Green River Killer, America's most prolific serial killer. The boys discuss Paul's connection to (and possible culpability in?!) the case, the comparisons or lack thereof to the father-son dynamic in Maus, Case's beautiful character acting, and more.

Next: leaves are on the ground, blood is on the screen. It's time for Gobbledyween. We kick off this year's festivities with a(nother) discussion of Drew Goddard's 2011 mega-meta horror film The Cabin in the Woods. This time, Paul and Arlo are joined by Michael Holland, post-production supervisor for American Horror Story.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:15:25

00:00:35 - Intro

00:02:00 - Green River Killer

01:09:47 - Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

"Green River" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Green River (1969)

"Deep Red Bells" by Neko Case, Blacklisted (2002)

THE LINKS

"Writer Jeff Jensen Talks Dark Horse's Green River Killer: A True Detective Story", diamondcomics.com

For the latest installment of this year's spandex-free Four-Color Flashback, Paul and Arlo tackle a big one: Art Spiegelman's Maus: A Survivor's Tale, still the only comic book ever to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize. Joining them to discuss Spiegelman's harrowing account of his father Vladek's time in the concentration camps of Nazi-occupied Poland--and Art's own tense relationship with Vladek--is Broken Magic author and The Deli Counter of Justice co-creator Eric Sipple. The gang discusses Spiegelman's provocative choice to depict Jews as mice, Nazis as cats, Poles as pigs, etc.; how Spiegelman follows in a tradition going all the way back to Mickey Mouse; and why it's specifically disturbing to read Maus in 2019.

Next: Paul and Arlo will return.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:32:45

00:01:52 - Intro

00:04:04 - Maus: A Survivor's Tale

01:27:43 - Outro / Next

The Amazon is burning and all anyone cares about is Spider-Man. Yay! Welcome to another exciting episode of Gobbledygeek! After nixing a fash-bashing Geek Challenge because Paul absolutely could not sit through three hours of The Sound of Music, he and Arlo decide to freestyle it and, well, all is not well! The world's on fire, the government is imploding, and Spider-Man might not get to be an Avenger anymore! As for that last one, the boys have deeply conflicted feelings about their love for the character and the Marvel movies with their disdain for Disney the Evil Empire. Plus, Arlo still won't watch all the things Paul says he should watch, and Marc Maron chimes in.

Next: for even more lighthearted family fun, the boys have asked their The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor Eric Sipple to join them for a discussion of Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning, extremely depressing yet extremely essential, Maus: A Survivor's Tale.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:27:36

00:00:35 - Intro

00:02:30 - Us NOT talking about The Sound of Music and The Great Dictator

00:21:15 - The Spider-Man Custody Battle (aka Money Ruins Things)

00:42:55 - Arlo ignores GLOW, Dark, and Mindhunter in favor of Fast & Furious

00:58:48 - Karina Longworth's You Must Remember This podcast goes Manson-crazy

01:03:39 - Marc Maron joins an elite group of "adults" too cool for superheroes

01:13:24 - Kevin Conroy and the Crisis on Infinite CW Shows

01:18:14 - New Caliburn Chronicles

01:24:05 - Outro / Next

A long time ago in an industry far, far away...the end was nigh for Hollywood's good ol' days. Charles Manson had arrived, Family in tow, to disrupt the neverending Summer of Love. Quentin Tarantino's ninth (and penultimate?) film, Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood, takes a look at L.A. in 1969, as Leonardo DiCaprio's washed-up actor and Brad Pitt's mysterious stuntman cross paths with rising star (and future Manson victim) Sharon Tate, here played by Margot Robbie. Joining Paul and Arlo to navigate Tarantino's exploration of a half-century's worth of pop culture detritus are former Smoke Gets in Your Ears co-hosts Joseph Lewis and Kenn Edwards. The gang discusses the film's languid pace, how Once Upon a Time compares to Tarantino alternate histories like Inglourious Basterds or Django Unchained, the ways in which the film pointedly interrogates various problematic aspects of its writer-director, and--of course--the groovy soundtrack.

Next: Nazis! We hate those guys. So do the heroes of The Sound of Music and The Great Dictator, subjects of our latest Geek Challenge.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 02:27:50

00:00:50 - Intro / Guests

00:03:49 - Main Topic (SPOILERS)

02:11:06 - Outro / Next

Paul and Arlo are in the place to be, rapping about Ed Piskor's Hip Hop Family Tree. For the latest Four-Color Flashback installment, our nerdy white heroes take on nerdy white cartoonist Piskor's quartet (so far) of graphic novels discussing the history of hip hop culture. The boys discuss Piskor's art, equally indebted to underground comix and superhero books of the '70s and '80s; how the physical editions beautifully replicate the aesthetics of the time period; how Piskor captures the rhythm and fluidity of DJs and breakdancers; and what in the hell he's got against Russell "Rush" Simmons.

Next: Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is Family-friendly entertainment.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:22:35

00:00:35 - Intro / Main Topic

01:18:40 - Outro / Next

Paul cannot get his fridge under control because these damn restaurants keep serving him so much damn food. He and Arlo discuss the uniquely American problem of ever-expanding portion sizes, stopping at the Cheesecake Factory before taking a detour into canine conundrums, parental pondering, and nostalgic nightmares. You'll never look at a Heffalump the same way. Featuring a cameo from Fatty Liver & The Teething Puppies!

Next: the Gobbledygeeks in the place to be, gettin' busy with Hip Hop Family Tree.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:16:05

00:00:58 - Intro / Portion Sizes

00:06:45 - Trigger Warning: IBS

00:14:48 - Heffalumps and Woozles Haunt My Dreams

00:18:40 - Feline Facts and Canine Cliches

00:32:11 - Let's Have Kids...Or Not

00:48:15 - Teasing That Deliverse Podcast Thing

00:50:34 - NKOTB / Not Down With "Fluffer" Acts

01:10:00 - Outro / Next

Pack your unnamed dead uncle's bags, grab your favorite designer sunglasses (that can also level whole cities), and fly on over for a discussion of Spider-Man: Far from Home. GameZone editor-in-chief Cade Onder swings by to join Paul and Arlo, becoming simultaneously the biggest Spider-Fan and the youngest guest to ever grace the podcast. The gang debates the moral implications of EDITH, the gentrification of Peter Parker, whether or not Zendaya is the best MJ, and if we ever need to see that dang Iron Spider suit again.

Next: free the gobble.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:42:45

00:00:30 - Intro / Guest

00:06:30 - Main Topic (Non-Spoilery)

00:22:07 - Main Topic (SPOILERS)

01:37:40 - Outro / Next

We're tired. So tired. That's what you want to hear when you're about to fire up a podcast, right? You are reading this, aren't you? Buried among such illuminating subjects as the coffee Arlo's drinking, Paul's underhanded behind-the-scenes manipulations, and the boys' general unprofessionalism, there is indeed some pop culture palaver and parley. The boys are digging HBO's troubled teens drama Euphoria despite being approximately 400 years too old to say things like "that's a mood"; Arlo is losing faith in The Handmaid's Tale; Paul remembers Yesterday; and they both are in awe of Toy Story 4 being so much more than a cynical cash-grab.

Next: Toby Maguire now vanquished, Jake Gyllenhaal finally makes his way into a Spider-Man movie, donning a fishbowl for Spider-Man: Far From Home.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:11:48

00:00:30 - Intro / The Dog Ate My Sleep

00:07:35 - We Never Talk About Pop Culture Anymore

00:09:49 - Euphoria

00:25:12 - The Handmaid's Tale

00:36:33 - The Walking Dead Comic Series is Dead

00:45:55 - The Kitchen Trailer (and Tiffany Haddish Fatigue?)

00:50:15 - Toy Story 4

00:57:19 - Yesterday (Very Briefly...More to Come)

01:00:35 - Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story

01:04:46 - Anima

01:07:45 - Outro / Next