Gobbledygeek

Paul and AJ take one final plunge into Hitchcock Month for a look at 1945's Spellbound, in which Ingrid Bergman falls in love with Gregory Peck on the way to psychoanalyzing him; and 1958's Vertigo, wherein James Stewart becomes obsessed with Kim Novak, or at least his (and Hitchcock's) icy blonde ideal of her. Joining them on this downhill drive is Broken Magic author and The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor Eric Sipple. The boys discuss how the films deal with love and dreams, how much Hitchcock intentionally revealed of himself in his work, Salvador Dalí's surreal contribution to Spellbound, and what Vertigo's reputation as the new greatest movie ever made means for its legacy.

Next: Eric is back for another dreamy outing, as we return to the series we covered in 2014's Four-Color Flashback for The Sandman: Overture by Neil Gaiman and J.H. Williams III.

How many walls does a podcast have? Can we break them? Because movies have four, and Deadpool takes a wrecking ball to the fourth one. In the midst of Hitchcock Month, Paul and AJ are rolling out a bonus episode about the Merc with a Mouth's meta movie. Neither one of them are particularly enamored with the Deadpool of comics fame, but how does that affect their view of Ryan Reynolds' passion project? (Spoiler alert: they disagree. Kind of.) Under discussion: the movie's raunchy sense of humor, whether or not it has a heart, Reynolds' RDJ moment, and what Deadpool's success could mean for the future of offbeat superhero movies. Nary a chimichanga in sight.

For the penultimate installment of Hitchcock Month, Paul and AJ continue their tour of Hitch's limited-setting films with a look at 1944's Lifeboat, wherein a group including Tallulah Bankhead's socialite reporter winds up sailing under Walter Slezak's Nazi; and 1954's Dial M for Murder, in which the dashing Ray Milland conspires to murder the unfaithful Grace Kelly. Joining them is Ensley F. Guffey, one-half of Guffey und Koontz, the writing team behind Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad. Ensley is also admittedly not much of a Hitchcock fan, which makes for some interesting discussion. The boys debate the merit of these films, which by some accounts may be the least interesting selections so far; delve into the political climate that birthed Lifeboat; wonder what Dial M for Murder would have looked like in 3D; and take a guess at what drew Hitchcock to confined spaces.

Next: Hitchcock Month closes with a leap of faith from Broken Magic author and The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor Eric Sipple, as the gang talks 1945's Spellbound and 1958's Vertigo.

Three men. One room. Now the fun begins. (Feel free to interpret that any way you wish.) Hitchcock Month continues, as A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis drops by to discuss 1948's Rope, wherein John Dall and Farley Granger's perfect murder is in danger of being unraveled by Jimmy Stewart; and 1954's Rear Window, in which Stewart's busted-up photographer spies on his neighbors, including a potentially murderous Raymond Burr. Paul, AJ, and Joe discuss the one-take gimmickry of Rope and how it translates the stage to screen; the homosexual subtext (or text) of that film; what Hitchcock had to say about voyeurs; and Hitch's subversive casting of the all-American Jimmy Stewart.

Next: Hitchcock Month continues, as Wanna Cook? co-author Ensley F. Guffey discusses 1944's Lifeboat and 1954's Dial M for Murder.

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.