The School of Movies Archive

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

[Digital Drift 2014]

I never thought I’d find myself defending this film.

In actuality we’re not, we’re just saying it’s not the worst X-Men movie and stating the few reasons why it’s not entirely awful. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a stinker nonetheless. Tedious action, lame mutants, barely characterized beyond their powers (again), CGI claws that never fail to distract, stupid script riven with plot holes, ruined fan favourites Deadpool and Gambit, balsa wood performances and most of the cast seem like they’re having a thoroughly terrible time.

Worst of all this mishandled not one but two key Wolverine stories. Weapon X and Origin, in a way that means there’s no point attempting them again, so sour will the taste of this remain. It very nearly killed the already flat-lining X-Men series.

But we’re the best we are at what we do and what we do ain’t pretty, so we also highlight the few stronger points that make it not quite as complete a failure as everyone remembers. The pinpricks of light in the darkness. Enjoy… Bub.

 

X-Men: The Last Stand

[Digital Drift 2014]

This is the worst. 

The very worst onscreen incarnation of the X-Men, and not simply because it screwed up the Dark Phoenix saga in a way that will take many years to remedy. 

It is in point of fact abundantly clear on investigation that meddling Fox executives combined with a creative team who seemingly didn’t care what occurred onscreen or what state they left the series in once the enforced release date was reached created the perfect Storm to send a potentially accomplished franchise hurtling into the doldrums. It’s one of the few movies that actively required erasing from existence to correct the horrendousness that it entailed.

But allow us to elaborate on these points. We promise that even if you disagree with our impassioned rantings that you’ll be entertained. 

 

X2: X-Men United

[Digital Drift 2014]

This is one of the all-time fan-favourite X-Men films, following up on the promise of the slight original with far more detail, exciting action, grander scale and emotional wallop. We give it a ton of credit for its strong points which expand the world and further legitimizes the mutant conflict.

However this movie also contains two of the most series-breaking scenarios at its climax. Everybody was having too much fun at the cinema to notice at the time and nobody ever mentions this, but we’re going to… X2 pretty much destroys the characters of both Charles and Erik in a way that is only remedied in First Class eight years later. 

Overall it’s still a very strong entry in the series and far above the dregs of The Last Stand and Origins, but there are character and narrative inconsistencies that need to be taken into account.

Next week, it all goes horribly wrong!

 

X-Men

[Digital Drift 2014]

Looking back on the 2000 original it is both extremely important in legitimising the real life comic superhero movie for modern times and increasingly a relic of a bygone age when this sort of thing was considered a flaky risk and where low budgets, self-conscious cast members, dismal costumes, short running times and pedestrian action sequences were acceptable.

That being said there are also some excellent performances within, especially Stewart, McKellen and the breakout star, Huge Action. Had this been a mishandled flop, the course of the Marvel movie might have been very different. Then again, Spider-Man was already in production and it’s possible a reboot would have changed the course of the X-Men in movies, one that has instead sailed on for fourteen years and off into the future.

On that note if you’d like to better understand the convoluted, contradictory history laid down in the X-Men movies be sure to check out “X-Men Movie Timeline [Days of Future Past Explained ]” on YouTube. It clarifies a hell of a lot with a three-universes theory that compliments and augments the explanation given in the seventh movie. 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

[Digital Drift 2014]

This is the one we’ve been rounding up to. All the stops are pulled out and we are in full meta mode this time round. 

01.38: We begin with a review from Sharon and myself, zeroing in on what drove us crazy about the film’s structure and character development but closing out with what we really loved about it despite so much holding the movie back. 

51.45: With Bob Chipman, AKA MovieBob from The Escapist as our guest we discuss the possible futures of Spider-Man. This was a match-up a lot of people were angling for, but we chose not to butt heads over why we do or don’t engage with the Webb or Raimi movie series’. Instead we focused on what we have in common which is that all three of us want the Amazing series to stop right this very minute. 

Guest:

Bob Chipman of Moviebob

 

The Amazing Spider-Man

[Digital Drift 2014]

This is the first of two of the toughest movies we have ever had to review. With so much love for at least the first two Raimi films out there and no real time to be without Spider-Man and start to miss him, this movie made by necessity, along with its sequel trod on a lot of people’s toes. There are folks out there who absolutely hate them, many of whom are people whose opinions we take very seriously.

We found good things and bad things. That’s all we’ll say now.

 

Spider-Man 3

[Digital Drift 2014]

This one has been even more long-awaited than the first two Spider-Man reviews, because while it’s fun to listen to great movies being praised and slightly less fun to hear about the flaws that either don’t bother you or will now bother you every time you see the movie, everybody loves hearing a film that disappointed the entire planet getting torn to shreds.

As it turns out, this is less a torrent of anger and frustration as it is a clever disassembly of the ten plot lines that were mashed together into this bloated mess. What we found is that to get this to make sense and be a better, leaner, more focused film in the editing process you would actually have to remove some of the best elements. This was a melange of narrative contradictions that left many people stumped as the easy targets for what was wrong; too many villains, mistreatment of the Venom character and Peter being too emo all got blamed. In actuality it runs deeper. Find out where, why and how, right here. 

 

Spider-Man 2

[Digital Drift 2014]

This is the second of our Spider-Man shows and since last week folks have been champing at the bit for more. We take that as a good sign, but again this even more beloved entry in the original trilogy still has issues that bother us. 

Some weak key casting, spurious character motivation and occasionally baffling leaps in logic are all elements that most people don’t tend to notice in this one, principally because  it’s almost certainly the best Spidey film on a technical scale. It delivers more emotion, more spectacle, more threat, more exhilaration, more depth and more fun even than its predecessor. Along with X2 it became the benchmark for the superhero sequel, expanding on the story rather than simply repeating the formula. 

Peter is genuinely troubled in this, to the point where his body and mind appear to rebel against him, forcing him to be Spider-Man NO MORE! Fortunately relateable antagonist Doc Oc is on the scene to peel the flesh from MJ’s bones (Rated PG) and give Pete the motivation he needs to get back in the spandex for a phenomenal, breakneck (literally) train fight. 

 

Spider-Man

[Digital Drift 2014]

For the first of our Spider-Man podcasts we travel back to 2002 and the film that not only started it all for the wall-crawler on the big screen, but arguably brought the superhero blockbuster to true legitimacy. 

Now this has long been considered a sacred cow, not quite as sacred as its sequel which you slight at your peril, but widely understood to be a superb superhero movie. Well here at Digital Drift we have a habit of holding the untouchable to higher account. We did it with Donner’s Superman, Burton’s Batman and very shortly we’ll be doing it with Singer’s X-Men. We’ve found while reviewing these that there is no perfect Spider-Man film yet, and just like Superman, maybe there never will be. What we can do, however is examine the flaws and celebrate the strengths of each of them (yes, even Spider-Man 3). 

Spidey is a hero defined by the events in his life and the enemies he faces. This is the one with the origin of Spider-Man… OK it’s the one with the origin and the organic web-shooters. It’s also the one with Green Goblin… OK it’s the one with Norman Osborn… OK it’s the one with Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn in more than just a delusional cameo. See our problem? 

The real question is, in a post-Avengers world can a lone Marvel hero in his own little world offer us the same level of engaging, epic adventure? Spidey swings, J.J. shouts, Aunt May Worries, MJ pouts, Kroeger croons, MJ swoons, and all the while Tobey Maguire’s pallid, expressionless cow’s flank of a face occupies the screen. There’s no doubt about it, we’re gonna get emails.

 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

[Digital Drift 2014]

The second solo outing for Captain America has already proved immensely popular and we focus on what a strong, lean, politically charged action thriller it is. Far now from the Nazi-punching Indiana Jones style adventure of The First Avenger and separated from the volatile super team of which he had to make his mark as a significant member, this time Steve Rogers is left all alone in a world he’s seven decades out of step with.

As well as welcome newcomers Falcon and Winter Soldier we talk Robert Redford’s Alexander Pierce, Black Widow, Nick Fury, Maria Hill and how this advances and changes the Marvel Cinematic Universe leading up to Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

Guests:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

 

RoboCop

[Digital Drift 2014]

To coincide with the release of the 2014 remake, we bring you this journey into the flesh & metal heart of the 1987 original. 

We were planning to cover the trilogy but the sequel bored us more than expected and the third movie (aside from a lunatic robot ninja chap) didn’t even have the decency to be amusingly terrible. Also if there’s no through-story or the sequels don’t even really observe the developments in the original is it not actually a trilogy at all, but a successful story and its licensed and incompetent copycats? A discussion for another time perhaps.

Guest:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg 

Kill Bill

[Digital Drift 2014]

Welcome to the introductory episode of Digital Drift. With the first two volumes of my podcast, Digital Cowboys and Digital Gonzo now complete that makes this the 370th podcast episode I’ve put out. For the third volume I have recruited a new co-host to share the creative load; my wife, Sharon Shaw. She’ll be offering the show a second voice and a ton of perspective.

And we’ve decided to go right back to the beginning on this one with a prototype for the Gonzo movie reviews, released on the Digital Cowboys feed in May 2010 many months before I began the Star Wars Gonzo reviews. This was originally two hour-long episodes covering both volumes of Kill Bill. We’ve taken them, trimmed away the bits that didn’t work, added more clips and music and some additional segments with our views on the films four years on. You can hear how we were back then, what’s changed and what’s stayed the same.

We’ll be releasing regular episodes throughout 2014, interspersed with Digital Cowboys to give me room to write the book. Focus will be on more conceptual topics (much like the Fan Response show of Digital Gonzo) and while movie reviews will still remain, we’ll be doing a lot more interviews and shorter, discussion podcasts, bringing on the experts so that we don’t have to devote all our time studying absolutely everything.

Kill Bill is in both of our top three movies lists and by the time you get to the end of this one you’ll know why.

 

Pacific Rim

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

Passed off as simply enjoyable dumb fun, and about nothing more besides enormous robots hitting big monsters, this movie proved to be absolutely perfect for the Gonzo style of analysis, being in fact deeply textured, nuanced and detailed.

I am joined for this joyful exploration of the lovingly crafted world of Guillermo Del Toro. We hope we can redress the balance on this and get my favourite film of 2013 recognized by a few more people as a modern masterpiece in visual storytelling. 

This was the final episode of Digital Gonzo. We went away for several weeks and had a think about re-formatting, then came back as Digital Drift. 

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Alasdair Stuart of Escape Artists

Thor: The Dark World

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

Back with Avengers Phase 2, we have the second film in the series. This time, freed of his origin and following the events of the Avengers crossover, Thor is off on a world-spanning adventure to prevent some dark elf or other from bringing the universe to darkness and blah blah blah. 

The plot was surprisingly unimportant to the grander scheme of things. It’s just a series of visually stunning events conveyed with flair and humour, which just so happens to allow Thor to clash again with his father, relate to his mother, meet Jane again, look very pretty and intense and form an uneasy alliance with a newly freed Loki.

All credit to Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. They make for a fantastic pair of charismatic, warring onscreen presences and most of our podcast is spent discussing these two. As well as this there is a points of view section with community feedback on the film, a brilliant article written by Hiddleston himself prior to The Avengers and some extended chat on the continuation and expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

David Merrett of the Digital Gonzo community

 

Iron Man 3

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

We have had a deluge of opinion on this movie, which itself has been rather divisive. Like Superman Returns, Man of Steel and Watchmen, Iron Man 3 provoked strong feeling from many people who were able to express them creatively in this ensemble piece. So this is another rather fascinating Dynamic Analysis, alternating essay material with round-table chat segments. See you in seven day for more Thor. 

• Trailer 
• Intro Chat and First Impressions
• Travis De Santis on Iron Man 2
• Glen Watts on Tony Stark
• Honest Trailers: Iron Man 3 
• Alex Spencer on The Mandarin
• Nama Chibitty also on The Mandarin
• Mandarin Chat & Abandoned Concepts
• Jamas Enright on Pepper Potts
• Lorin Grieve on PTSD
• Music and Trevor chat
• Ryoma on the Iron Man Suit
• Andy Rodriguez on Avengers Phase 2
• How Iron Man 3 Should Have Ended
• Alex Shaw on the Path Interrupted
• The Future of the Avengers series chat
• The Avengers Sell Out
• Some Questions & Final Summation

Guests:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst 

 

Ghostbusters II

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This week we’re back busting ghosts and investigating paranormal disturbances of all kinds. The majority of the show is spent discussing Ghostbusters II, the 1989 sequel that despite studio pressure, editing strife, shifting release dates, unhappy cast and crew, lukewarm reception and relative obscurity still manages to not be a terrible follow-up to one of the greatest comedies of all time.

Also up for debate are The Real Ghostbusters, Extreme Ghostbusters, the 2009 video game and the prospects in store for a possible Ghostbusters III. 

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

 

Ghostbusters

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

Welcome to the movie that started it all… for me anyway. Ghostbusters was the first trip to the cinema for me, aged four. In effect, considering our twelve inch, wooden, push-button telly, it was the first experience that made me understand what a film could be. And what a way to start a lifetime of being besotted with this medium. It has everything a young lad could want; eye-popping effects, hilarious dialogue from a really tight script, mythology and science hinting at a wider world and believable, lovable heroes facing off against a dark god in the center of New York.

We clean up the town, taking you guys from creepy Columbia logo through to Slimer’s final charge, along the way we talk about balancing comedy with horror, abandoned concepts and casting choices, the secrets of the special effects, the theoretical science of busting ghosts and for one loopy tangent… The Shining.

Next week we’re talking Ghostbusters II, The Real Ghostbusters, Extreme Ghostbusters, the 2009 Ghostbusters video game and the prospect of Ghostbusters III. This ended up being in the top three most quotable movies reviewed by Gonzo, up there with Aliens and Predator. We came, we saw, we kicked it-

Guests:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Gary Blower of GameBurst

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

Green Lantern

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

We chose Green lantern to kick this off because he’s the first proper DC hero to get a big screen movie since superheroes became a serious business who wasn’t the Kryptonian or the Bat. Also because we just finished watching the now-canceled Green Lantern: The Animated Series and defying all expectation it turned out to be my second-favourite animated show after Avatar. I do not mince words here, this is a must-see series, criminally cut off in its prime.

It is available in Region 1 as two DVD sets and should set you back around £22

As well as this and the movie we talk about the history of the character, his other animated outings and his development through the comics. 

1. History of Green Lantern

2. DC Animated Universe Appearances

3. First Flight

4. Emerald Knights

5. 2011 Live Action Movie

6. The Animated Series

7. Comics by Geoff Johns

This is a Dynamic Analysis and you will hear from various other contributors.

1. How to repel newcomers from Green Lantern by Andy Rodriguez

2. Who You Callin’ Yellow? by Jamas Enright

3. Going Green by Movie Bob, from the Big Picture show on The Escapist

4. Weakness and Strength by Nama Chibitty

5. Alex Eding a True Lantern Fan’s Rant on the Green Lantern Movie

(1 & 2 read by Matt Ramsey.)

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Alex Eding of Plaid Hat Games

TMNT

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

On this episode we continue the Ninja Turtles discussion through the 2003 show, the 2007 CG movie and the 2012 Nickelodeon CG show. 

Two things become clear over the course of events. One is that despite being less popular now than at the height of early 90’s Turtle Power the output itself is getting better and better, the other is that on a long enough timeline without a full reboot every so often, the TMNT framework descends into inane nonsense. 

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This is the first of two podcasts for 2013 covering the first 29 years of Turtle history, from their monochrome single issue comic book published by Mirage Studios back in 1984 all the way up to the new Nickelodeon TV show in 2012. It’s hard to remember now for some of us who were there at the time but turtlemania was a thing and we shall remind you of it. For the younger listeners this will be a window into what things were like back then, with all the comics, toys and cheesy merchandise discussed.

This episode covers their creation and early years, the 80’s TV show, renamed Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in the UK, the first movie from 1990 which has held up surprisingly well and bears much of the focus of this podcast, followed by its two atrocious sequels and the temporary bullet in the head of the franchise, the late 90’s live action Saban show “The Next Mutation”. Next week we will be looking at the more serious second animated series originally released in 2003 as well as the fourth (and best) movie and the new, third animated show, which is actually rather excellent. 

With the fifth theatrical movie in production for release in 2014, not coincidentally their 30th anniversary as well as not one but two major TMNT video games being released in the Autumn of this year there has never been a better time to get re-acquainted with Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael. 

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

Returning to the seemingly never-ending stream of Batman movies ripe for Gonzo review, we’re back to cover the two-part animated adaptation of one of the most celebrated and important graphic novels of all time. The movies are way better than the book and we’ll tell you why throughout this podcast. These are available on DVD and Blu Ray and the second part is better than the first. Don’t wait for the box set. These are worth seeing right now. 

Joining me are Matt Ramsey of the Do Try This at Home podcast and Batman expert David Hartrick. David writes for major Football websites In Bed with Maradona and 500 Reasons to Love Football. His book on the world’s favourite sport; 50 Teams that Mattered is available from Ockley Books. Spoilers and foul language run throughout.

Guests:

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

David Hartrick of In Bed With Maradona

Man of Steel

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This was an interesting one to cover. I went into a round-table debate with 18 pages worth of written material (only a small portion of it actually penned by me) and the intention to integrate broadly contributed prepared content with on-the-hoof discussion. Everybody seemed to have an opinion on this movie and many of the same points were covered over and over and over again. The end result was two and a half hours of raw material. 

Rather than just releasing that monstrosity to the world I have carefully trimmed it down for pacing and avoided duplication. The end result is a trim 87 minutes of engaging opinion, carefully blended. 

Not bad for a movie I originally didn’t have much to say about. 

Approximate Running Order 

1. Intro and Production History
2. Did I Love it? [By David Hartrick]
3. Round-table
4. Story and Character [By Daniel Floyd]
5. Thoughts from The Gonzo Community 
6. Why I Love Man of Steel [By Jake Del Toro]
7. Downs and Ups [By Alex Shaw] 

—-

#2 Read by Sharon Shaw
#4 & #6 Read by Alex Shaw

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Watchmen

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

Continuing our in-depth investigations into the most important big screen depictions of The Superman, this time we’re looking at the 2009 adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal graphic novel, Watchmen. It contains a being of supreme power and a frightened world on the verge of self-destruction. It is also a satirical sideways glance at the otherwise ordinary people who put on masks and take to the streets to fight crime.  I finally have a name for this new style. I’ve never been happy with the word “Review” to describe what we do here at Gonzo. A good critic can get a film reviewed in ten minutes. What these shows are, what they have been for years and now with the more delineated sections for focused audio articles by myself and other contributors I will, from now on be describing as…

“Dynamic Analyses” 

I had to think up something punchy that was shorthand for ridiculously detailed and nerdy examination of every facet of a piece of media, from the viewpoint of multiple sources, and I think it fits rather well. Anyway, what better work to flex the new format to than the single most sacred cow in comic history. 

Who’s for steak? 

I kid, I kid… but seriously, we go into this one fearlessly and hold both book and film to account, whilst celebrating their strong points. 

Table of contents.

1. Intro
2. The Long and Winding Road to Watching Watchmen 
3. Tales of the Black Freighter (Lorin Grieve)
4. A Digital Cowboy on Watchmen (Tony Atkins) 
5. Round-table 1:  Alternate History / Adaptation / Music
6. Four Points on Watchmen (David Hartrick) 
7. Round-table 2: Cold war
8. Not Quite Watchmen (Joshua Garrity)
9. Never Read It (Matt Ramsey)
10. Time Observation
11. Round-table 3: Comedian / Rorschach
12. Silk Specter II: An Exercise in Ambivalence (Sharon Shaw)
13. Round-table 4: Dan Dreiberg / Doctor Manhattan / Ozymandias / The End
14. Walking With Giants 
15. Epilogue

———

3. Read by Sharon Shaw
6. Read by Matt Ramsey

Guests:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Hancock

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This is going to be a challenge for me. We’re looking at a film that is not loved, not even regularly liked. It’s been derided, dismissed and largely forgotten. It holds a meager 41% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and I’m in the unique position of thinking it’s great. REALLY great. Not only that, but it’s my favourite Superman film to date and that includes Man of Steel. 

So if you’re not a fan of the 2008 movie, Hancock, allow me to paint you a picture of what I’m seeing. I know it’s going to be hard for a lot of you. All you will remember is a mess and the feeling of two mismatched halves shoved together. We’re going to uncover why they match perfectly, why it’s not messy at all and why it’s one of the greatest superhero films ever made. 

I am Jason Bateman, you are the good people of Los Angeles. Let me tell you why Hancock is important to all of us.

* Intro 
* Kermode on Hancock 
* Tonight He Comes 
* The Rejected Hero 
* The Details 
* Conflict 
* Round-table 
* The Reluctant Hero 

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Superman Returns

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

I’m trying out a new format this week. Rather than the usual round-table discussion this is a series of audio articles on Superman and in particular the 2006 film Superman Returns. This is the perfect film to do this for because it’s hated by so many, liked by several, it opens up the archetypal hero for analysis in a way none of the earlier films did and it had an incredibly protracted development cycle of nigh-on twenty years.  

1. Intro 
2. Superman Returns: Good, Bad or Both? 
3. Kryptonite 101 
4. Kevin Smith on Superman Lives 
5. The Non-Making of Superman
6. This is why Superman Doesn’t Work Alone 
7. A Couple of Things You May Not Have Noticed 
8. A Comic Fan on Superman 
9. Superboy 
10. The Joy of Lex 
11. Lois’ Pain 
12. Superman’s Return 

I hope you guys will find it entertaining, deep and funny. One of the benefits of this format is that it allows community members to get their views aired so that it facilitates a mix of viewpoints. I think this could potentially work a lot better than the cyclical bickering contest that contentious film reviews on podcasts sometimes become. Let us know on the forums what you think of it. Next week’s Watchmen will be in the same style. This won’t replace the standard Gonzo format, but it’s not every film lends itself to the same uniform manner of review and this is simply another approach. 

Chapter 2. Written by Lucas Windsor. Read by Matt Ramsey
Chapter 6. Written and read by Sharon Shaw
Chapter 8. Written by David Hartrick. Read by Matt Ramsey
Chapter 11. Written by Alex Shaw. Read by Sharon Shaw

Guests: 

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

 

Superman 1-4

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This is the first of five podcasts covering the Superman movies. Rather than being slavish to format and giving a show each to every single one including the many animated choices out there I have devoted my attention to the most interesting and significant portrayals of The Superman in the past three and a half decades. 

This episode covers all four of the Christopher Reeve films. 

1978. Superman
1980. Superman II
1983. Superman III
1987. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

Next week will be Bryan Singer’s fan project, Superman Returns (2006) then Watchmen (2009), which centres around Alan Moore’s Superman analog, Doctor Manhattan. That film also got Zack Snyder directing duties on the next podcast subject, this year’s Man of Steel. We finish off with my current favourite take on the mythology, from 2008, the tale of a lonely, outcast, drunken, surly superbeing, Hancock, played with heart and humour by Will Smith.

Fans of the Reeve films be aware, There are a few things I really like about these pictures and a whole heap of stuff that I don’t. There is ranting aplenty this week.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg

 

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Star Trek

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This is principally a review of the 2009 film directed by J.J. Abrams. Now every podcast I have listened to covering this movie is largely negative, so if you want to hear something along those lines you have an ocean of choice available to you. My crew and I however, love the film for a multitude of reasons of which we will go into in great detail, not forgetting of course to point out the bits that don’t make sense. So if that’s something you’d like to hear then you came to the right place.

There is a brief history of Star Trek at the beginning and an extended essay running throughout. i’m actually surprised at the depths we ended up reaching, having never been a fan before this film.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Michael Fox of Little Metal Dog

 

 

The Muppets

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This podcast is several things at once. First and foremost it’s a review of the 2011 film; The Muppets. Although I have to be honest and say that what I tend to do on Gonzo goes somewhat beyond the term ‘review’. The search is now on for a word to accurately describe just what that is. 

Secondly it’s a look back on Muppet history, The Muppet show and their precious six theatrical movies. Third it’s a musical journey closer to one of the Sound of Gonzo episodes. I found during the edit that the songs were so intrinsically linked with the tone and performance that to render them faithfully was the only way to match the emotional flow of the film. I thoroughly recommend buying the soundtrack, it’s been on repeat in our house since I picked mine up.

Guest:

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits

The Return of the King

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

The board is set, the pieces are moving and the final battle for Middle-earth begins. In this episode we discuss the thankless task of expertly performing Denathor, Arwen’s ultimate decision and some of the shakier moments in the trilogy. This final film was the product of an insane amount of high pressure, respite-free work for Weta and it is testament to their brilliance that this still became the box-office triumph of the series.

By far the most emotionally draining of all the podcasts in this series and maybe the most complicated editing process for a film podcast that I’ve undertaken. There were several occasions where I fell apart and had to pick myself up again here. The most epic battle of all time concludes and the ring-bearer reaches Mount Doom. I can only hope that myself and my team did these films an iota of the true depth of discussion they deserve. 

With me at the end of all things are Sharon Shaw of DorkCast, Chris Eason of GameBurst and Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet. This is the last of the Lord of the Rings movie reviews but not the final podcast. We still have an Unexpected Journey to discuss as a new trilogy begins, followed soon after by a sound of Gonzo episode devoted to the wonderful scores by Howard Shore.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Chris Eason of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

The Two Towers

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

The middle of a trilogy is always going to be a tall order. You can’t start and you can’t stop. What you’re delivering is an *episode* and the best you can hope for is some great characterization and memorable events, broadening the scope of the world you’ve already introduced. The Two Towers, especially in its extended cut manages this and more.

Things get tense as the battle for Helm’s Deep begins. Merry and Pippin try their best to motivate the most boring creatures on Middle-earth and Frodo meets a character given entirely new depth and purpose by the film series. We learn about Theoden’s complex relationship with both shame and pride, and what moment really pushed Smeagol over the edge, never to return from the powerful grip of Gollum.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Chris Eason of GameBurst

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

The Fellowship of the Ring

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

The Lord of the Rings begins in earnest. Starting with an epic retelling of Middle-earth history we set out to balance the attention to detail of major fandom with critical analysis, discussions on character development and notable aspects of the production. Setting out from the Shire, this episode will take you all the way to Rivendell meeting Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Saruman, Strider, Elrond and Arwen along the way. The operatic scoring of Howard Shaw remains an emotional touchstone throughout. 

Continuing where we left off, the Ring goes south, over and under the Misty Mountains culminating at Amon Hen where the Fellowship is broken from within. Character discussions include Boromir and Galadriel and the epic confrontation with shadow and flame. 

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Chris Eason of GameBurst

Serenity

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

Time to cover the 2005 movie that closed out the TV series. Take a journey with us on the final flight of Serenity, a superb, funny, clever, emotional and mostly ignored Sci-Fi cult classic, destined to travel on and find new audiences, decades and even centuries into our future.

Stick around to the end for some goram hilarious outtakes and a wonderful version of the Firefly Theme from Michelle Dockrey entitled “Mal’s Song”.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Leah Haydu of Some Other Castle

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

Gary Blower of GameBurst

Monster House

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

To celebrate Halloween I’m reviewing Monster House, one of the few movies ever put out by ImageMovers Digital.

It uses an identical performance capture technique to the Uncharted series, Heavenly Sword, Enslaved and The Last of Us. This is a technique that usually freaks people out because of the Uncanny Valley, less so in games because we’re used to seeing CG modeling but in the cinema people wonder why they’re not just looking at real people.

This is the most stylised of IMD’s catalog. They wisely make the character models more cartoonish and slightly claymation-looking which is easier to accept in the brainpan.

Joining me for this review are Neil Taylor of GameBurst and Jerome McIntosh of the Gonzo Planet community.

The plot runs thus: DJ, a young lad in an American suburb, watches the house across the street, the only occupant being a creepy, angry old man. There’s something funny going on inside and DJ is determined to find out what. 

It’s Halloween and his parents are going away, leaving him with a babysitter, which is embarrassing because he is on the cusp of growing up. His tubby, exuberant and scaredy-cat friend Chowder wants to go trick or treating one last time which DJ considers them now a bit too old for. And a smug, preppy swot of a girl named Jenny comes calling, selling cookies like a pro. All of them end up fixated on this house and what could be inside.
That Halloween night they find out. 

If you like The Goonies, Stand By Me or other 80′s adventures that don’t patronise the kids and have them talking like real people (Super 8 is another one even though it’s made in 2011 and set in 1979), you will love this. It’s a little bit too scary for young kids if you have them so watch it first. There are some great moments of comedy and a fantastic atmosphere of exploration. Also it’s got a solid emotional core. Ultimately it’s a story about growing up and what you have to leave behind.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

 

The Last Airbender

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This one serves as an introduction to Avatar since my estimate is that 97% of you, my listeners have never had the pleasure of this, maybe the finest animated TV series in the world, and I do not use those words lightly.

The Legend of Aang is a story that starts out aimed at kids aged 6-11 but rapidly becomes something far more compelling to all age groups and walks of life. Taking inspiration from eastern mythology and martial arts, but with a fresh, original and very funny energy. Set over three series, which are paced like books, this has the scale of Lord of the Rings and the heart of Toy Story. You will find yourself devouring episodes, hungry for more as it draws towards a conclusion that will leave you breathless.

That series won ten major awards and ran from 2005 - 2008 but in an extremely rare instance Nickelodeon green-lit a follow-up series named The Legend of Korra which aired in 2012 and immediately met with massive success. It features gorgeous, animation that surpasses most theatrically released movies and a plot that embraces even more unexpectedly mature social themes than its predecessor. Nickelodeon was so impressed with the feedback, viewing figures and critical response that they recently ordered forty more episodes, a move that made my team here misty-eyed with joy.

To put the whole thing in perspective we review in this episode the disastrous, turgid and utterly hated cinematic outing from 2010, directed by M Night Shyamalan. Using it as a foil to explain what they did so wrong with the movie that was done so right on the show.

Joining me for this spoiler-free sizzle to convince you of what’s been missing from your life all these years I have Daniel Floyd, Pixar animator and the voice of Extra Credits and Joshua Garrity of the Cane and Rinse podcast and The Animation Archives, presented by Gonzo Planet. Also of Gonzo Planet, my ever-patient wife Mrs Sharon Shaw, anime and comic book fanatic Mr Jerome McIntosh and for one of his very first Gonzo shows, Mr Duane Griffiths.

Guests:

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Duane Griffiths of the Digital Gonzo community

 

The Dark Knight Rises

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

The epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s game-changing Dark Knight Trilogy. It’s definitely not as straightforward as film two in the series because many people hate this film already, and an equal amount adore every inch of it.

It’s a tricky balancing act since so much of the most well-crafted and exceptional elements have already been discussed over three and a half hours reviewing Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Neither did I want this turning into a hail of disproportionate vitriol over perceived flaws.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg

James Carter of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Aquila Edwards of Eyrie City

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

The Dark Knight

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

Part two of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. Following the powerful set-up of Batman Begins, the production team pulled out all the stops to deliver an epic crime thriller in the style of Michael Mann’s Heat. This is a story of a city in turmoil and a police force struggling to keep order, up against the ruthless mob. At the center are Batman and The Joker, forces of nature representing order and chaos. The only hope for Gotham may in fact be the White Knight, district attorney Harvey Dent.

But you all know this, because everybody and his dog saw this movie back in 2008. I just wanted to set the scene a little. Much is discussed, especially Heath Ledger’s extraordinary performance, but not forgetting the brilliant turns from Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal and the possible career-high score from Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Aquila Edwards of Eyrie City

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Batman Begins

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

Finally we get to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. After eight years away from cinema screens, and multiple stalled attempts at relaunching the franchise, Warner Bros knocked the Bat out of the park with the best film so far and arguably the most compelling and mature adaptation of Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego.

Many aspects are discussed and deconstructed including Christian Bale’s intense portrayal, ace cinematographer Wally Pfister’s erotic endeavours and why Hollywood on paper is a senile, avaricious old psychopath.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Aquila Edwards of Eyrie City

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Batman: Year One + Under the Red Hood + Return of the Joker

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This week we’re looking at three of the best Animated Batman Movies.

1. Year One (2011): The retold origin by Frank Miller, published in comic form in 1987. This film focuses on Bruce first donning the cape and cowl at the same time that Jim Gordon arrives at Gotham City PD and encounters overwhelming corruption. This was the inspiration for Batman Begins and  Mask of the Phantasm and reminded everyone of the tragic event that caused Bruce Wayne to dedicate his life to fighting crime.

2. Under the Red Hood (2010): Based on Under the Hood by Judd Winnick, this is a very personal story about Bruce being confronted by a shadowy figure from his past and a complex, emotional revenge tale. Genuinely frightening at times with a new portrayal of Joker courtesy of John DiMaggio.

3. Batman Beyond - Return of the Joker (2000) The finale for the three-season series wherein an aged and crippled Bruce Wayne attempts to train a new Batman to protect Gotham. When the Joker shows his grinning face for the first time since his apparent death 50 years previously, all Hell breaks loose and we learn sad and disturbing secrets about how things ended with Robin and Batgirl.

Guests:

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

James Perkins of The Digital Fix

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This is the fourth of the Batman shows. This time we’re taking a deep dive into the absolutely underrated box-office bomb, virtually unknown by the general public, but possibly best film about Batman until the Nolan films came along; Mask of the Phantasm. By extension this allows us to talk about the Animated Series which this sprang from unexpectedly for all.

Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill head up the cast of relative unknowns in this melodramatic film noir which explores a key relationship at Bruce Wayne’s turning point as he assumes the cowl and cape of The Dark Knight. And in the present day he has to deal with the shadowy and murderous Phantasm as well as a rather terrifying Joker. If you like Arkham Asylum, you will recognize the voices and where that world began. Absolutely do pick this up and see it. The show has some prominent spoilers after a certain point.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Batman Forever + Batman & Robin

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

We’re back at the Bat! This week was going to be a pair of reviews of the 1995 film Batman Forever and the 1997 sequel; Batman & Robin, both directed by Joel Schumacher. What we found was that our problems with these films could not be separated and a great deal of the issues of the fourth Batman movie originated in the third, which usually gets off lightly as it is considered halfway watchable (we suspect because of Nicole Kidman).

The truth is, I had real trouble pinning anybody down to help review this as the two are such tedious and incompetently constructed films. Everyone passed or fell ill or were otherwise engaged and frankly I don’t blame them. This was a review-set that filled me with anxiety over what to say. We know they’re a mess but the trick was how to explain why. In the end it was the Gonzo way of course; I did my homework and looked into how this odyssey of multibuggery came to pass. Gonzo Planet’s Paul ‘FlyingMuttley’ Gibson joined me for what ended up a bumper double-bill of savage critiquing. There is a special section on the making-of documentaries that has to beard to be believed. It reaches levels of self-delusion most often associated with war-criminals in denial.

Next week we’re looking at one of my favourite Batman graphic novels, which I suggest you all pick up and read before listening in. It’s called ‘Hush’ and it’s perfect for both newcomers to Batman comics and old hands. The world presented is like the Arkham games or a gritter version of the Animated Series and most of your favourite characters are involved in this compelling mystery story.

Guest:

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet