536 - Interview with the Vampire (feat. Eric Sipple)
Gobbledygeek
Shall we begin like David Copperfield? “I am born…I grew up?” Or shall we begin about 120 years after Anne Rice's novel Interview with the Vampire took place, with AMC's brilliant TV adaptation shifting the story from Louis de Pointe du Lac as a wealthy white plantation owner in the 1790s to one where Louis is a Black man in the 1910s working the red light district to keep his family fed? That's one of the many brilliant changes Rolin Jones and his writers have made to Rice's beloved book, and Paul, Arlo, and Eric couldn't be happier. The gang discusses why these changes fit so well in a...
info_outline
535 - VAL-halla: The Doors / Tombstone (feat. Eric Sipple)
Gobbledygeek
It is time once more to enter the gates of VAL-halla, our retrospective series on the late Hollywood icon Val Kilmer. Paul, Arlo, and Eric set their sights on what are possibly Kilmer's two best performances. First, in Oliver Stone's psychedelic biopic The Doors, Val embodies the Lizard King himself, Mr. Mojo Rising, Jim Morrison; and then, in George P. Cosmatos’--or is that Kurt Russell's?--glossy Western Tombstone, Kilmer brings new life to Doc Holliday. The gang discusses Val's generational run in the ‘90s; why The Doors works when most rock biopics don't; and debate the merits of...
info_outline
534 - Superman (feat. Eric Sipple)
Gobbledygeek
Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s James Gunn’s Superman, here to launch the writer-director-studio-head’s brand new (?) DC Universe. It moves faster than a speeding bullet despite having more plot than the last five Marvel movies put together–and some of those plot points hold up better to the green-K gaze of our hosts than others. Paul, Arlo, and Eric break down everything about this new big screen Man of Steel, including a perfect cast, major deviations from Superman’s origin, Gunn’s unabashedly political script, fuckboi Jimmy Olsen, and so much more. Maybe...
info_outline
533 - The Fantastic Four: First Steps (feat. Eric Sipple)
Gobbledygeek
Well they can’t all be winners, folks. I’m not talking about the movie. The Fantastic Four: First Steps was actually pretty great. It’s the second MCU film in a row that we here at Gobbledygeek HQ agree on almost entirely, and you’ll hear us say lots of nice things about it. No, the non-winner I’m referring to is this episode, because you’ll actually only hear SOME nice things about it. We were plagued by audio and editing issues like they were a troupe of almost-entirely-cut-from-the-final-film Super Apes stealing every third word any of us said. Anyway, enjoy I guess....
info_outline
532 - VAL-halla: Top Gun / Willow (feat. Eric Sipple)
Gobbledygeek
Our second trip to VAL-halla finds Paul, Arlo, and Eric contemplating two very different experiences of Val Kilmer’s ‘80s career: Tony Scott’s 1986 pro-war classic Top Gun and the 1988 Tolkien rip Willow, helmed by–of all people–Ron Howard. The twist is that the mega-popular Top Gun is a terrible, empty film that survives on aesthetics alone and the notorious flop Willow is a fun little high fantasy romp. The gang discusses the insidious nature of Top Gun, Val’s fleeting scenes as Iceman, the superior role of Madmartigan in Willow, and the ominous James Horner horn riff. Plus, The...
info_outline
531 - Thunderbolts* (feat. Eric Sipple)
Gobbledygeek
For the first time in a long time, Gobbledygeek dips its beak back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They’ve done so for a very special film: Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts*, a return to the MCU’s past glories with a tale of outcasts looking for something to believe in. Yelena Belova, the Winter Soldier, U.S. Agent, Red Guardian, Ghost, and Taskmaster come together to form a new kind of Avengers team; one formed under the auspices of none other than Elaine Benes. Paul, Arlo, and Eric–our own band of lovable misfits–discuss Florence Pugh’s killer performance, the lovable David...
info_outline
530 - Sinners (feat. Eric Sipple)
Gobbledygeek
The rich tradition of Southern-fried vampires continues with Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, a masterful mash-up of Delta blues, Irish folk, and the horrors of cultural appropriation. Paul, Arlo, and Eric rave about Michael B. Jordan’s dual performance as twin gangsters Smoke and Stack, Ludwig Göransson’s eclectic score, the frankness with which it explores America’s long history of racism, and Coogler’s audacious style. Plus, Paul finally saw the How to Train Your Dragon live-action remake. NEXT: punches get personal with Thunderbolts*. BREAKDOWN 00:00:37 - Intro /...
info_outline
529 - That Was Then: The Night of the Hunter
Gobbledygeek
Would you like us to tell you the little story of Arlo and Paul? A-R-L-O! It was with this pretentious film buff that a That Was Then episode on Charles Laughton’s sole directorial feature, 1955’s The Night of the Hunter, was chosen. P-A-U-L! Do you think he’s apt to enjoy a cinephile fave? Now listen, and we’ll tell you the story of Gobbledygeek. Those co-hosts, dear hearts, is always a-disagreein’ and a-bickerin’, one agin t’other. Now hear ‘em! Ol’ Paul, he’s a-doubtin’ the perverse noir his buddy won’t shut up about it, and it looks like Arlo’s rec is a goner. But...
info_outline
528 - That Was Then: Back to the Future (feat. Eric Sipple)
Gobbledygeek
We’re going back…to That Was Then! Paul, Arlo, and Eric return to their series of vintage movie discussions to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Robert Zemeckis’ 1985 sci-fi comedy blockbuster Back to the Future. It’s a classic beloved by many folks of different generations, but we’re here to answer that most pressing question: Why? The gang unravels every last nonsensical thread of BTTF, finding plenty to love despite how fuzzy everything is beneath the film’s surface. There’s admiration for Zemeckis’ ability to power through even the dumbest plot convolutions, praise for the...
info_outline
527 - FCF: Mouse Guard (feat. Eric Sipple)
Gobbledygeek
For this month’s (not that we’re on any kind of schedule anymore, hehe) Four-Color Flashback, Paul, Arlo, and Eric are scurrying over to the first three volumes of David Petersen’s Mouse Guard. Published from 2006-13 by BOOM! Studios, Petersen’s medieval epic takes place in a world devoid of humans, where a civilization of mice attempt to survive harsh weather, even harsher predators, and each other. The gang discusses the many, gloriously illustrated sequences of absolutely brutal animal-on-animal violence; Petersen’s awe-inspiring attention to detail, including a number of songs...
info_outlineIn an age where Deadpool & Wolverine is set to smash box office records, it can be hard to remember what things were like in the first wave of superhero blockbusters. Costumes were primarily made of black leather, nu-metal montages were all the rage, and yet–there was a willingness and desire to be experimental that is often lacking today. That's the scene The Incredibles burst onto in 2004, with its dynamic color palette, its retro-futuristic atmosphere, and (shockingly) its sharply defined point of view. For the next nostalgic installment of That Was Then, Paul and Arlo are joined by The Deli Counter of Justice co-founder Eric Sipple to discuss Brad Bird's landmark entry into the superhero canon. The gang discusses how Bird and his team utilized relatively primitive CGI to striking artistic effect, how comic books were not the film's main influence, and how Hollywood learned all the wrong lessons from The Incredibles’ success.
NEXT: let's head to 1994 for more That Was Then, as we gaze upon the horrors unleashed by the Oliver Stone/Quentin Tarantino collab Natural Born Killers.
LINKS
-
The Cinematography of The Incredibles, Part 1 by Ron Doucet, Flooby Nooby
MUSIC
-
“The Glory Days” by Michael Giacchino, The Incredibles (Music from the Motion Picture) (2004)
-
“The Incredits” by Michael Giacchino, The Incredibles (Music from the Motion Picture) (2004)
GOBBLEDYCARES
-
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
-
Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter
-
Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
-
Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
-
Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
-
The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org
-
Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
-
National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org
-
Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
-
Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
-
Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://www.unduemedicaldebt.org/
-
Register to vote: https://vote.gov/