Gobbledygeek

In years past, Paul and AJ have devoted month-long chunks of the show to Quentin Tarantino, modern film's remix master; and Hayao Miyazaki, Japan's animation master. For 2016, the boys are devoting February to another cinematic maestro: Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense. The first pair of films under discussion are 1943's Shadow of a Doubt, wherein Joseph Cotten's killer misanthrope shares blood (and a telepathic link) with young Teresa Wright; and 1951's Strangers on a Train, in which Robert Walker commits a murder for Farley Granger and expects him to return the favor. Joining Paul and AJ for this double about doubles is Aja Romano, geek culture writer for The Daily Dot, who educates the boys on why these are her favorite Hitchcock films. The gang talks Hitchcock's perfect mise en scene, why and how trains are important to the Master's work, the films' incestuous and homoerotic (not to mention vampiric!) undertones, and much more.

Next: Hitchcock Month continues as A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis confines the boys to one podcast for 1948's Rope and 1954's Rear Window.

As 2016 begins, it is more apparent than ever that Americans are badly in need of enlightenment. Paul and AJ have chosen the form of the Enlightener, and he is none other than everyone's favorite wacky British neighbor, Wesley "Wezzo" Mead. Wezzo enlightens the boys' American ears with talk of how his own country has fallen apart following last summer's Labour election, the documentary series I'll Have What Phil's Having, how he simply could not endure The Revenant, and Don Hertzfeldt's short film World of Tomorrow. Plus, AJ's dying!

Next: Hitchcock Month begins with The Daily Dot writer Aja Romano joining the boys to discuss 1943's Shadow of a Doubt and 1951's Strangers on a Train.

Don your dead general's coat and strap on those snowshoes; for the Gobbledygeek season 7 premiere, we're taking the last stage to Red Rock for a discussion of Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. Bringing Paul and AJ up to a Somewhat Disgruntled Four are Wanna Cook? author Ensley F. Guffey and A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis. Ensley, a bonafide historian, teaches us how Tarantino plays with historical symbolism; while Joe, a die-hard Tarantino fan, tells us of the religiosity of his Hateful Eight 70mm experience. The gang also discusses the film's handling of race and misogyny, how Tarantino borrows from The Thing, whether or not the film is a convincing mystery, and more. Plus, the boys pay tribute to the icons 2016 has already stolen from us.

Next: break out your scones, guv'nor. It's time once more for the delightfully British Wesley "Wezzo" Mead to make his journey across the pond.

For the season finale of Gobbledygeek, Paul and AJ turn to a little-seen, rarely discussed art film: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Joining them are Kenn Edwards of So Let's Get to the Point, Broken Magic author and The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor Eric Sipple, and Star Wars superfan Andrew Allen, scum and villains all. The Force Awakens is strong with nostalgia for the original films, a fact which sits better with some of our panel than others. The gang discusses why the movie leans heavily on the past, whether or not the series is capable of looking forward, the film's place in the established Skywalker mythos, and how it has the exact opposite problem of George Lucas' efforts.

Next: we're on winter break before returning in roughly three weeks' time with a look at Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight; Eric Sipple and A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis bring us up to a Somewhat Disgruntled Four. In the meantime, thank you for a great 2015 and have yourself some happy holidays.

When the world was new, and dreams had not yet receded from the waking day...Paul and AJ had begun reading Jeff Smith's cartoonish magnum opus Bone. Well, it hasn't been quite that long, but the boys have been analyzing Bone all year long for 2015's Four-Color Flashback series, and their journey has finally come to an end. After admitting frustration with the endless infodumps and constant mythological revelations in the latter half of the series, they have a lot of hopes for Vol. IX: Crown of Horns. Does Smith deliver on these hopes? Does the series work better when viewed on a macro level? Does the ending fit with what has come before? Should you recommend Bone to friends looking to get into comics? My tinglin' scalp says the answers are all here.

Next: for our final episode this year, So Let's Get to the Point's Kenn Edwards, The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor Eric Sipple, and Star Wars fanatic Andrew Allen join Paul and AJ for a discussion of the obscure arthouse film Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.

The lost and lonely are looking for a place to belong. Powerful men are looking to keep their darkest secrets hidden. Robert Downey, Jr. isn't looking at all, and that's why he peed on the corpse. It must be Christmas in L.A., Shane Black style. For this year's Twisted Christmas entry, Paul and AJ are joined by So Lets Get to the Point's Kenn Edwards to rap about the 2005 noir comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. The boys debate the merits of Shane Black's self-aware style, including whether or not it's too glib to handle some of the heavier turns the plot takes. Also under discussion: Have we lost RDJ to the Marvel machine? Does the movie have weird ideas about women? And what is it about Shane Black and Christmas anyway?

Next: the time has come for the final Bone. Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast joins us for our last Four-Color Flashback installment this year, discussing Bone: Vol IX - Crown of Horns by Jeff Smith.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a filmmaker named George Lucas accidentally created a pop culture empire. Over the years, the Star Wars saga has gotten away from the man who conceived them, both figuratively and literally; the prequel trilogy is a classic example of an artist's reach exceeding their grasp, and Disney is now making a new series without his involvement. Kenn Edwards of So Let's Get to the Point and Star Wars zealot Andrew Allen join Paul and AJ for a wide-ranging discussion of Lucas' saga, what it means to them, and what it's really about, plus an artistic (and political) re-evaluation of Lucas himself.

Next: nothing says Christmas like Shane Black and pissing on a corpse, so ho ho ho, Kenn is back for this year's Twisted Christmas entry: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Why talk about a mega-blockbuster sure to be seen by every casual movie fan in the planet when you can talk about a Sam Raimi deep cut from a quarter-century ago? In belated celebration of the 25th anniversary of Raimi's first superhero movie, 1990's Liam Neeson-starring Darkman, Paul and AJ take the fucking elephant, getting down and dirty with the film's idiosyncrasies. Including the question: what draws AJ to those idiosyncrasies, and what keeps Paul at arm's length? The boys discuss auteurism, artifice, a superhero's moral code, and much more.

Next: a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Kenn Edwards and Andrew Allen join us to discuss the Star Wars saga.

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.

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 Ward 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