Gobbledygeek

There's a starman waiting in the sky, and his name is Mark Watney. Back in February, we talked a whole bunch (some would argue too much) about the Red Planet's greatest botanist when we hosted a Gobbledy-Book Club discussion of Andy Weir's The Martian. Now, Paul and AJ have reconvened the Book Club--Wanna Cook? author Ensley F. Guffey, So Let's Get to the Point's Kenn Edwards, and the all-around amazing Hallie Prime--to tackle Ridley Scott's star-studded film adaptation. Is there a certain amount of character-building shorthand a filmmaker can accomplish by casting familiar faces? Is the film really the story of a band of precocious potato plants? Does Matt Damon have the chops to be stranded all by his lonesome? And most contentiously...does the science hold up? All this and more, plus what pop culture the gang is excited for.

Next: The Debatable Podcast's Greg Sahadachny joins us for our very first Geek Challenge three-way. The movies the boys have challenged each other to this time are Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, Black Sunday, and The Parallax View.

It's the final episode of Gobbledyween 2015, kids, so bust out your Ouija--remember, it's Wee-JUH, not Wee-JEE--boards and prepare to get possessed by 1986's Witchboard. Joining Paul and AJ is first-time guest and hardcore horror fan Aundria; all three of them are baffled by this film, its intentions, and its extensive use of magic as metaphor. Some questions to which they seek answers: Can an atheist believe in spirits? Would ghosts fail a spelling test? Are Jim and Brandon, the estranged best friends at the heart of the movie, secretly knocking sneakers? They probably put more thought into those questions than anyone involved in the making of Witchboard.

Next: the Gobbledy-Book Club reconvenes to discuss Ridley Scott's film adaptation of The Martian. Returning to the show are So Let's Get to the Point's Kenn Edwards, Wanna Cook? co-author Ensley F. Guffey, and the all-around amazing Hallie Prime.

The guest host with the most, Nowheresville and A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis, joins Paul and AJ to continue Gobbledyween 2015 with a discussion of Tim Burton's 1988 classic Beetlejuice. The three heathens agree that the movie is great--it's wacky, it's funny, it's morbid--but when they stop and think about it, they have some questions. As brilliant as Michael Keaton is, would the film work better without its titular character? Is it two different movies squished together? What the hell happened to Burton? Of course, there's also a little "Day-O," a little Lydia, and a little bafflement over the fact that a Beetlejuice 2 is in development.

Next: Gobbledyween comes to a close as friend of the show Aundria summons up Witchboard.

If it's in a word or it's in a look, you can't get rid of...Gobbledyween. Why would you want to? Especially when Paul and AJ are joined by such enlightening guests as K. Dale Koontz and Ensley F. Guffey, authors of Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad. Dale and Ensley help the boys crack open Jennifer Kent's feature debut The Babadook, which has been called one of the most terrifying films ever made. The gang discusses the expectations that kind of praise sets up, how Kent uses the horror genre to explore depression and grief, the incredible acting of Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman, and, uh, Tarkovsky for some reason.

Next: Joseph Lewis, Joseph Lewis, Joseph Lewis! There, now the Nowheresville and A/V writer-director is on hand to liven up Gobbledyween with talk of Tim Burton's 1988 classic Beetlejuice.

Fall is in the air, leaves are on the ground, blood is on the silver screen. Welcome to Gobbledyween 2015, ladies and germs. Here to help kick off this year's frightening festivities is none other than Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast and All the Pieces Matter. With nary a pair of sunglasses around, Paul and AJ are helpless but to obey Mr. Sahadachny's command to watch John Carpenter's 1988 cult classic They Live. One could question whether or not it qualifies as a horror movie, but Carpenter is undoubtedly a maestro of the genre, so let's settle on "horror-adjacent," shall we? Paul and AJ are on the fence about the movie's abrupt shift from quiet conspiracy thriller to goofy '80s action movie, while Greg tries to convince them it's all one and the same. The gang discusses that legendary brawl between "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Keith David, They Live's stature in the Carpenter canon, and why otherwise good horror movies like It Follows and The House of the Devil can't help but feel a little hollow when trying to ape the style originated by Carpenter and other filmmakers of his generation.

Next: there's nothing adjacent about The Babadook; it's full-on 21st century terror. Wanna Cook? authors K. Dale Koontz and Ensley F. Guffey drop by to chat about Jennifer Kent's acclaimed debut.

Great darkness falls across our podcast. May Paul, AJ, and Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast and All the Pieces Matter be equal to the burden as they continue their year-long Four-Color Flashback series on Jeff Smith's Bone. This time, the gang turns to Vol. VII: Ghost Circles; if they thought everything happened last volume, even more everything happens this volume. Which begs the question: how much is too much? How many mythology infodumps before the series threatens to crumble beneath their weight? The gang discusses how the extensive exposition fits into Smith's otherwise impeccable structure, how this cute lil' comedy is handling its transition to dramatic fantasy epic, and--oh yes--the return of young Bartleby.

Next: it's that time of year, ghouls and boils. Gobbledyween 2015 kicks off with a return appearance by Greg to discuss John Carpenter's cult classic They Live.

This week on Gobbledygeek, there's been a rage reversal: Paul, the Enormous Green Rage Monster of the podcast, is unusually calm and placid; meanwhile, AJ is filled with anger, much of it directed toward the fast food chain Wendy's. What are a couple geeks to do? Find something, anything to distract them from this cosmic imbalance, such as Paul's recent trip to Disney World and brief return to the zoo that made him famous; Ryan Adams' melancholy cover version of Taylor Swift's 1989; and AJ's adventures at his local arthouse (featuring Phoenix, The End of the Tour, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, and Eraserhead), for which he is roundly mocked.

Next: our year-long Four-Color Flashback series on Jeff Smith's Bone continues with Vol. VII: Ghost Circles. As always, we are joined by Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast.

Gobbledyween comes early with the one-two zombie punch (right through some poor lady's skull) of Peter Jackson's 1992 gorefest Dead Alive AKA Braindead, one of several gonzo films which made the New Zealander perhaps the least likely contender to ever helm The Lord of the Rings; and 1984's cult classic Night of the Comet, wherein the world ends and the burden of society is placed upon two teen sisters and their new pal Hector. In true Geek Challenge fashion, Paul and AJ find themselves baffled by these selections. Paul swims through Dead Alive's rivers of fake blood, while AJ finds himself stranded in Night of the Comet's nearly zombie-free desert. Will our heroes find common ground and come to understand one another? Never.

Next: death is but a door. Time is but a window. We'll be back.

Once and future Koko the Showfucker (and, one supposes, veteran pop culture writer/editor) Jason Tabrys is once again spreading his distinct brand of cheer to Gobbledygeek like so much plague. When he's not hawking Jason Juice, M. Tabrys talks with Paul and AJ about fall TV, including accusations of Muppety ignorance; the Dear Fat People video and whether or not YouTube flashes-in-the-pan like it are worth spending our precious outrage on; and what the preponderance of fan theories means, if it means anything at all. But it's mostly Jason Juice.

Next: the Geek Challenge rises from the dead. Paul must watch Peter Jackson's 1992 gorefest Dead Alive, while AJ must endure the 1984 post-apocalyptic teen movie Night of the Comet.

Paul, AJ, and special guest Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast are each a small concentrated bit of dream carried along in the currents of Jeff Smith's Bone, which they return to once more in another Four-Color Flashback installment. This time, the gang enters Vol. VI: Old Man's Cave, in which...well, in which everything happens. Questions that have hung over the series from the first volume are finally answered, new wrinkles in the established mythology are revealed, and the main narrative appears to reach its climax. And yet three volumes remain on our journey. Plus, Paul discusses the documentary The Wolfpack, while AJ and Greg appear to resolve their feud before they get around to yelling at each other over Turbo Kid.

Next: oh God, it's Jason Tabrys.