Gobbledygeek

Welcome, boys and girls, to another off-the-cuff, scriptless episode. After a little bit of getting’ to know you banter, the boys randomly decide to talk about why we geeks are so drawn to works of fantasy and science-fiction. They also say some words about the latest wave of DC Comic’s New 52, AJ shares his thoughts on the films Our Idiot Brother and Horrible Bosses , and Paul waxes rhapsodic on...

Paul and AJ have already told you what movies you're going to watch this fall, but what about those nights when you feel like staying in and staring slack-jawed at your television screen? Well, ladies and germs,we've got you covered! The boys discuss a number of new shows--sci-fi dramas like Terra Nova and comedies like New Girl , starring the glorious angel that is Zooey Deschanel--and returning...

Hello Gobblers! In honor of this Labor Day holiday, the boys did absolutely no work to get this podcast ready. No news. No predetermined topic. Just two geeks chatting and ranting, freestyle…like nerdy, talentless Flava Flavs. Thrill as the boys complain about George Lucas! Marvel as they complain about the debut of the DC New 52! (See what I did there?) Roll your eyes as they conflate adorable ac...

Gather 'round, boys and girls! The leaves will soon be falling from the  trees; snow can't be too far off after that. After long, strenuous days of  leaf-blowing and snow-shoveling, what better way to take respite than by  going to a movie? Well, luckily for you, Paul and AJ have got your  fall/winter itinerary covered: they discuss 65 (!) movies coming out from  September through January, from bl...

Have you ever been inexplicably, powerfully moved by a scene in a film? Has there ever been a moment in your favorite television series that captivated you beyond all explanation? Have you found yourself so strongly identifying with a paragraph, page or chapter in a book that you feel as though you’ve been forever transformed? Paul and AJ have, more times than they can count. Hear just some of the...

Everything old is new again. Hollywood insists that there are no new stories to tell. This week, Paul and AJ wander through the desert of pop culture and discuss the ups and downs (mostly downs) of prequels and reboots, looking for the rare oases of creativity. Also, Paul spends way too long saying not nearly enough about the latest reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes . And the boys wrap it all...

For the latest Geek Challenge, the boys challenged each other to watch two very different Westerns: Clint Eastwood's classic 1976 outing The Outlaw Josey Wales for AJ, and the Coen Brothers' 2007 award-winner No County for Old Men for Paul. One is an epic tale of revenge, filled with Indians and shoot-outs and starring the Spirit of the West himself. The other is a bleak modern Western featuring a...

San Diego had its annual expo/trade show/clusterfuck from July 20-24, Comic-Con International, and while the Gobblers weren't actually on hand, they discuss some of the biggest comics, movies, and TV news to emerge from its seething bowels. Oh, and some nifty cosplaying. (Also some pathetic cosplaying. But we're trying to be positive here.) Plus: news and Formspring questions!     Next: "No Countr...

Captain America has arrived to some very positive buzz, but not all superhero adaptations fare so well. Paul and AJ are here with their official list of the 5 Worst Superhero Adaptations...but to console your inevitable sense of despair, they've also got the 5 Best Superhero Adaptations. Tights, capes, laser beams, and nipples are all on display. Merely a day's work for our intrepid Gobblers.   Ne...

Yes, ladies and gentlemen: the C-Word! We're talking about canon, of course. (And its dirty little sister, continuity.) These two words, and fan reaction to them, have defined a lot of fandom. How do you react to the supposed reality of a fictional story? Is it fluid? Who has the right to decide where canon begins and ends? These questions and more are blathered on about by Paul and AJ this week....

I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn...the geek who watches Game of Thrones and has come here to rant and rave about it for your listening pleasure. Paul and AJ delve into the realm of Game of Thrones , including its many (oh god so many) characters, many of whom are wonderfully despicable; its shoc...

Nostalgia...it's that bittersweet pang, that intangible sense memory, when  you encounter something that makes you want to go home again. It's also  informed many major geek properties these past few decades, and is a  buzzword of late thanks to J.J. Abrams' Super 8 . AJ and Paul discuss  things that make them nostalgic, the films Super 8 lovingly pays homage  to, and of course, the movie itself....

You may have heard that DC's relaunching/rebooting/re-whatevering their entire line. We certainly have, and rejoined by Nathan, we're here to discuss all 52 titles, from the Batmen to the WildC.A.T.S. to the...questionable decisions made by just about everyone involved. But hey! It's not us to be cynical, right? Right? Is this thing on? Plus: news and Formspring questions!

This week, Nathan joins Paul and AJ to discuss some of the biggest and  best things to come out of this year's E3. Chiefly, there's Nintendo's new  console, Wii U--its fancypants controller, its surprisingly decent  technical specs, its silly name. We also puzzle out why exactly motion  control features, a la Microsoft's Kinect, don't herald the future of  gaming just yet, and talk about some of o...

Geek Challenge time! Paul has astonishingly never seen the KILL BILL films, so AJ challenges him to watch them; and in turn, Paul challenges AJ to watch the BILL & TED films. Because of course. Will Paul thrill to the killing of Bill? Will AJ have a most excellent time? Is that real Hattori Hanzo steel? These questions and more will be answered in this week's exciting installment of Gobbledygeek!...

The lost episode of Gobbledygeek, "True Swan/Black Grit," was recorded way back on January 8. Initially conceived as a test episode for the show's new format, we then thought, "Hey. Because we're lazy bastards, this might also make a really convenient filler episode." And now, ladies and gentleturkeys, the time has come: half of the Gobbledyteam is away (on business, we're told), so we're unearthi...

Let's say you go back in time and kill your grandfather. This means you were never born. And more importantly, it means that you're not here, about to listen to Gobbledygeek either, something I believe we can all agree would be a grave tragedy. Paul and AJ discuss just such a time travel paradox, as well as methods of time travel and its reflections in pop culture, in this week's episode. We've go...

Thor kicks off the summer movie season this weekend, so Paul and AJ get hammered--by, uh, by the movie, of course. Yeah. They discuss the look of Asgard, whether or not the mythology stuff is super goofy, Chris Hemsworth's terrific performance, and what Thor means for Captain America and The Avengers . Plus: news and Formspring questions.

The summer movie season is right around the corner, and Paul and AJ dive into a plethora of releases from the tentpoles to the (many, apparently) interesting limited releases. Superheroes? Check. Chick flicks? Check. Painfully quirky indie movies? Check. And most importantly, Justin Timberlake? Check, check, and here's a little more check. Plus: news, Paul and AJ's take on Steve Carell's final epi...

Is your knowledge of World of Warcraft limited to South Park ? Boy, have we  got a show for you! Like they did last year with Twilight , Paul and AJ  turn to a special guest to explain a geek phenomenon they have little to  no experience with. Enter Mark, our WoW expert; he'll tell you everything  you could ever want to know about the game. Beyond the nerdish specs, he  talks about why he's drawn...

March was National Women's History Month, so of course Gobbledygeek starts April off with a show about...strong women in fiction! Scheduling is our strong suit. Paul and AJ discuss the notion of feminism--spoiler: they are 100% pro-woman, but vague on what the tenets of feminism actually are--and discuss such strong fictional women as Wonder Woman, Ellen Ripley, Dana Scully, and duh, Buffy Summers...

Ever wanted to get away? Ever wanted to escape into a world different from your own, if only for a moment? Sure you have. Everyone has. In this week's episode, Paul and AJ ruminate on which fictional worlds they'd like to live in, even if, as their selections prove, the mortality rate would be fairly high. On our itinerary, there's Sunnydale, CA; Middle-earth; Toronto (though a very specific Toron...

Endeavoring to enlighten the non-comics-reading portion of their audience, Paul and AJ offer up a sort of Comics 101 class: twenty-seven recommendations for beginners in five different categories. From superhero fare like Batman: Year One to webcomics like The Perry Bible Fellowship ; from the engrossing autiobiography Blankets to the fantasy epic Fables ; from the zombie opus The Walking Dead to...

To celebrate Gobbledygeek's one-year anniversary, Paul and AJ decide to reach back into the dusty, cobweb-laced corners of their minds to bring us their Secret Origins: their first geek experiences, what led them to becoming full-fledged geeks, what made them into who they are today. Such memories as paper-and-dice role-playing, live-action role-playing, and chat room role-playing are brought up.....

So. I've got some good news and I've got some bad news. Bad news first: this week the boys talk about the Oscars. Again. But if I have anything to say about it this will be the last time. Possibly ever. However, the good news: no one mentions Charlie Sheen even once the entire show! So... there's that. Also there's news, some new release DVD picks, AJ reviews the new Dum Dum Girls EP and Tunes: A...