Gobbledygeek

Bust out your robes and light your pipes; the boys take a look at Rankin/Bass' 1977 animated adaptation of The Hobbit . Which also happens to be trippy as balls. They delight in the film's weird charm and marvel at the fact that John freaking Huston voices Gandalf, among other hippie-esque things in a very hippie-esque film. Plus, Paul catches up on some comics, AJ is conflicted over the forthcomi...

It's been one year--and exactly half the show ago--since DC rebooted their entire line, dubbing this bold creative decision/shameless marketing ploy the "New 52." Paul and AJ check back in on the New 52, pointing out what's working (Animal Man, Swamp Thing) and what's not (Justice League, Detective Comics). Has this whole thing been worth it? Has it made a difference for the company? And what are...

The leaves will soon start falling from the trees and awards bait will soon start arriving in theaters. That's right, it's almost time for the fall/winter movie season, so Paul and AJ give you a little preview of 15 films they're looking forward to. There's showy Oscar stuff like Steven Spielberg's Lincoln and Tom Hooper's Les Misérables alongside the animated video-game-a-palooza Wreck-It Ralph a...

We know that every episode of Gobbledygeek makes you cry, but this one might especially depress you. It's Geek Challenge time once more, so Paul has tasked AJ with watching the 1978 animated adaptation of Watership Down ; in turn, AJ has challenged Paul to watch the 1988 anime Grave of the Fireflies . One is about the brutal escape of a group of rabbits from their soon-to-be-demolished warren. The...

Paul and AJ had an idea for what they wanted this show to be about: science! Unfortunately, it didn't really work out. Fortunately--we think--they managed to come up with a bunch of other things to talk about: Joss Whedon's return to The Avengers , Jason Shayer's blog about 1980s Marvel, the found-footage horror of V/H/S , how AJ pretty much bawled his eyes out at the new issue of Spider-Men, and,...

The dog days of summer have arrived, and with them even less of a sense of purpose and direction than our hosts usually display. So they babble on about a variety of topics: Chick-fil-A's rampant homophobia (which accounts for the annual violation of their "No Politics" rule!), Olympics spoilerphobia, the forthcoming Marvel NOW! rewatch, and the return of the Furby, among other things.   Next: aga...

Do you remember what reading was like when you were a kid? That magical, transportive experience that took you to faraway lands and different time periods? Proving that, yes, they were once literate, Paul and AJ discuss their childhood reading experiences. The books that were important to them include The Lord of the Rings , Harry Potter , Watership Down , and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil...

The third (last?) major superhero movie of the year has arrived in the form of The Dark Knight Rises . Going into it, AJ was pumped and Paul was basically dreading it; amazingly, the two have united and agreed on something for the first time in what feels like months. They discuss the pay-offs to each character's arc, the Bane voice and the Batvoice, what political message can be derived from the...

In the aftermath of the shooting in Aurora, Colorado, which occurred at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises , we have decided to do a separate episode on the shooting so as not to trivialize it. Here, we discuss our reaction to the shooting and our thoughts about how it might affect the moviegoing experience.

The year's second big superhero movie, following The Avengers --which you may remember we discussed and AJ even wrote a review of--is The Amazing Spider-Man , rebooting the franchise that sputtered to an end but five years ago. Paul and AJ, both opinionated Spider-Man fans, are at odds over Marc Webb's new film; Paul considers it the best big screen Spidey yet, AJ not so much. Is Andrew Garfield's...

The boys would like to sing a little song for you. Actually, no they wouldn't, because that would be awful for your ears, but they would like to tell you about songs they've enjoyed so far this year. Paul and AJ's musical interests don't always overlap; Paul listens to sensitive singer-songwriter types, while AJ's that guy who actually reads Pitchfork. Still, they're able to unite over a few weird...

Ridley Scott's Prometheus opened earlier this month and has generated some nerd controversy with its Alien overtones, questionable character motivations, and general ambiguity. Paul and AJ discuss everything they liked about the film (it's gorgeous!), everything they didn't ("Yes...father"), and Paul contemplates as many of the film's big questions as he can before AJ loses interest. Plus, the boy...

That's right, gobblers. 100 episodes. Who'da thunk it? Not us, that's for sure. If you're a long-time fan of the show, we've got a nice trip down memory lane for you, and if you're new to our ridiculousness, this is a great primer/history lesson/greatest hits CD. The boys play snippets from various episodes throughout the show's run, going all the way back to our extremely painful first episode. T...

It had to happen sooner or later: the boys discuss John Carter . Do you, like Paul, feel that the film has been unfairly derided and that the media has latched onto its financial failure with too much glee? Or, like AJ, do you feel the film is terrible, filled with dead air, and populated with cardboard characters? Unless you're looking for someone to be in the rational middle, you'll find someone...

Hoo boy. Memorial Day musta done something to the boys; they barely remember how to run the show (if they ever knew). But they've lazed and stumbled through another episode, all for your listening pleasure! This week, they face another Geek Challenge: Paul has challenged AJ to watch What's Eating Gilbert Grape , and in turn, AJ has challenged Paul to watch The Royal Tenenbaums . Both films are abo...

Memorial Day is next weekend, so to get in the spirit, the boys have come up with a list of the Official Gobbledygeek Top 5 War Movies. Without giving too much away, we'll say there are a couple Spielbergs in there along with a couple others that are alternately meditative, pulpy, and batshit insane. Which, you know, war. Plus, Paul and AJ spout off about The Avengers some more, as both are baffle...

This week, Paul and AJ are honored to sit down with Ernie Cline, author of the New York Times bestselling science fiction novel Ready Player One , which arrives in paperback on June 5. The three of them have a pretty epic geek-out session. Oh, they talk about the book, too. Ernie discusses his inspiration for writing Ready Player One , what the future holds for the film adaptation, his brutal expe...

It's here. It's finally, really, actually here. The Avengers is in theaters. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk assemble into one giant superhero-palooza under the watchful eye of Joss Whedon. We hope it doesn't spoil the episode very much if we say that the film more than lives up to our expectations. Paul and AJ discuss the film's impressive structure, the insane giddiness of watching...

Get out your surfboards and bikinis, boys and girls! Hollywood's gearing up for its summer movie season, so Paul and AJ discuss the 10 movies they're most looking forward to, four mutual picks and three solo choices apiece. We cover everything from superhero fare like The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises to quirky independents like Moonrise Kingdom and Safety Not Guaranteed . Plus, AJ talks abou...

Last month, Paul and AJ recorded a commentary track for Jurassic Park . Now, with The Avengers on its way, they decided to blab all over Jon Favreau's instant classic superhero film Iron Man . Things that occur: Paul and AJ confess relative ignorance of Iron Man's comic book adventures; AJ professes his desire to marry Pepper Potts; Paul admires Jeff Bridges' beardliness; and much--too much?--Tony...

There's been a disturbance in the Force...and that's only the tip of the iceberg! Well, after that peach of a sentence, we're about to be dragged offstage, so really quickly: AJ likes Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace ; Paul likes Titanic . Paul hates Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace ; AJ hates Titanic . FIGHT! Well, it's actually a lot more civil than that, but yes, arguments are...

Calling all jocks, nerds, sluts, virgins, and stoners: there's a certain cabin you might want to take a trip to. Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's long-delayed The Cabin in the Woods is finally in theaters this weekend, and Paul and AJ offer up their thoughts. We know the movie isn't just about kids going to a cabin and getting sliced and diced, but how much can we say here without pissing off the In...

It's Geek Challenge time! Paul has challenged AJ to Real Genius , and in turn, AJ has challenged Paul to Donnie Darko . Our two challenges this time may seem wildly different in terms of plot and tone, but they're really not that dissimilar: Both take place in the '80s, both are centered around "extraordinary" young men, both feature schools which are important to the story, and both ensure that T...

Atten-SHUN! It's the last week of Tarantino Month, so that means one thing, and one thing only: we're here to discuss Inglourious Basterds , Tarantino's charmingly misspelled WWII epic. Points of interest for the boys include Brad Pitt's ridiculous accent, the puzzling nature of Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa, the film's Spaghetti Western stylings, the greatness of Mélanie Laurent, and what Taranti...

For the penultimate installment of Tarantino Month, the boys set their high-beams on 2007's Death Proof . Thrill! as they discuss Kurt Russell's magnificent creepiness as the psychotic Stuntman Mike. Contemplate! as they analyze the film's subversion of slasher movie tropes. Ponder! as they explore the rape-y aspects of Death Proof and even Kill Bill , and what that means in the context of stories...