[School of Movies 2015] Part 1: A film so important and so passionately adored by us that we needed two shows and two groups of guests to fully cover, welcome to part 1 of our Force Awakens show. With us for this first outing in which we discuss Rey, Finn, Ren, Han, Huxx, Snoke and the hugely positive side of this effectively being a retelling of the events of A New Hope. Part 2: The second installment in our epic Force Awakens show brings in three new voices and a Star Destroyer-full of specula...
Feb 09, 2015•4 hr 53 min•Ep. 17
[School of Movies 2015] Bond is back! And this has been one divisive movie. On the one hand some folks hail it as a fantastic installment of the long-running series, proof that 007 is still flying high. On the other, it has been decried as proof of the exact opposite, seemingly underlining and exemplifying everything that was broken about the series back in the past when we had little else in the way of action movies to choose from. We pick over what might be Daniel Craig's swansong as the most ...
Feb 08, 2015•2 hr 46 min•Ep. 16
[School of Movies 2015] The Craig era, previously discussed back in 2011 gets the royal treatment and we talk Sam Mendez, Roger Deakins, Thomas Newman, Javier Bardem, Ben Wishaw, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Her Majesty, Queen Dench. Guests: Gary Blower of GamerBurst James Batchelor of Bond and Beyond Alex Boucher of Bond and Beyond...
Feb 07, 2015•2 hr 21 min•Ep. 15
[School of Movies 2015] Supergirl, released in 1984, after Superman III but before Superman IV may have been one of the key reasons that Wonder Woman never got a movie, that is of course up until Catwoman in 2004. Produced by Peter Burrell on a budget of $35 million that you'll wonder about the apparent absence of onscreen and bringing in an embarrassing $14 million. We're probably being a bit harsh on it in this one but we're just so stoked for the new TV show that we're in full-on "Here's what...
Feb 06, 2015•50 min•Ep. 14
[School of Movies 2015] For the third and fourth week of our SPOOKtacular we cover the Scream movies. In this one we kick off talking about the hugely influential 1996 original, arguably Wes Craven's best film. It's a compelling whodunnit, it features a young, fresh cast you're actually supposed to like and features not only some good teen dialogue but a metatexual dissection of the slasher genre threaded through its core. That said, it has a mean streak and some occasional steps over the line o...
Feb 05, 2015•3 hr 46 min•Ep. 13
[School of Movies 2015] The first half of this episode covers A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) and A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989). Horrormeister Neil Taylor of GameBurst joins us to discuss the man of your dreams. In the second half we cover the attempts to make Freddy into something else, having run him into the ground ...
Feb 04, 2015•4 hr 55 min•Ep. 12
[School of Movies 2015] This is a look at three major cinematic outings for the boy who never grew up. 00.02.00: Peter Pan (1953) 00.39.00: Hook (1991) 01.08.00: Peter Pan (2003) The first includes Mr Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits and focuses on the animated Disney movie. The second part we take a look at the Spielberg live action sequel and the third is the 2003 adaptation directed by P.J. Hogan. Were’s honestly not all that keen on the first two, although both have their strengths (the Spielbe...
Feb 03, 2015•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 1
[School of Movies 2016] We're back on the Disney shows with Daniel Floyd, this time on the cusp of the 90s renaissance. This episode delves lightly into two of the last examples of their Dog/Cat/Mouse fetishism that defined the post-Walt wilderness years. The Great Mouse Detective, originally named Basil of Baker Street (from the novel) is Sherlock Holmes with rodents. Oliver is the Twisty Dickens tale with a cat and a bunch of dogs in a painfully late 80s New York, presided over by prostitute-h...
Feb 02, 2015•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 1
[School of Movies 2016] Continuing our Disney podcasts with Daniel Floyd of Extra Histories, this one covers the fifteen year period between 1970 and 1985. It was a dark and odd time for the once great animation studio. Their mentor and namesake had fallen and they were carrying on without him, or the acclaim that went with the bold and beautiful films of their golden years. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh theatrically released a package of three animated shorts. The Rescuers had a budget...
Feb 01, 2015•2 hr 41 min•Ep. 1
[School of Movies 2016] Robin Hood (1973) is 83 minutes of amusing shenanigans. It's twee, minimally dramatic, fun and light with lovable simple characters. It did not restore Disney to the heights of Snow White and Cinderella popularity it had previously reached. Originally we recorded a paltry ten minute chat about Disney's Robin Hood during our sessions with Daniel Floyd, because there really wasn't much to talk about aside from it being a pleasant experience. We decided to add to this with a...
Jan 31, 2015•2 hr 52 min•Ep. 1
[School of Movies 2016] The Disney shows return. Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits is back to talk us through the difficult 1960s period for Walt Disney Studios. 101 Dalmatians The Sword in the Stone The Jungle Book The Aristocats Animation was changing, cinema was being influenced by television and for some reason people really liked British writers. In this show we'll talk about where Disney went after their expensive Sleeping Beauty project failed to hit Snow White status, and the aftermath of Wa...
Jan 30, 2015•2 hr 50 min•Ep. 1
[School of Movies 2015] The Disney shows continue with Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty, guest starring Daniel Floyd once again. These were the last gasps for ink and paint animation. If you look at the lustrous colours and brush strokes you will see a distinct difference from the more penciled xerox process that ran from 101 Dalmatians all the way up to The Little Mermaid. So it's a charming little story about a dog that gets ignored over a new baby and falls in with a vagrant, and a beau...
Jan 29, 2015•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 11
[School of Movies 2015] The Disney shows continue with parts 12 & 13. Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits joins us once again to discuss the much-needed success of Cinderella for cementing Disney as more than just a one-hit wonder. Following this we delve into the absurd ramblings of Lewis Carol to talk about Alice in Wonderland. According to the Disney of the early 1950s royals will chase you down on black horses in the middle of the night, base the future of their family upon footwear, play croquet ...
Jan 28, 2015•55 min•Ep. 1
[School of Movies 2015] The Disney specials continue with parts 6-11 covering the period between 1942 and 1949 when, due to World War II the studio held off on major animated features and instead focused on cheaply produced package films designed to foster relations with South America and keep their struggling animation house afloat. It’s an odd bunch, comprising Saludos Amigos, The Three Cabelleros, Make Mine Music, Fun and Fancy Free, Melody Time and The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr Toad. Virtua...
Jan 27, 2015•1 hr•Ep. 1
[School of Movies 2015] The Disney specials continue with parts 4 & 5 in a double bill. Dumbo and Bambi were two differing attempts from the studio to gain a success after the disappointing receptions to Pinocchio and Fantasia. Dumbo cost a lot less to make and Bambi was all about the artistry and portrayal of real animals. Find out in this episode if the elephant picture flew and how well the realism of the animals sat with jugs of syrupy cuteness. Of course there’s also the matter of the mothe...
Jan 26, 2015•56 min•Ep. 1
[School of Movies 2015] The first show under the new name is the third of the Disney animated classics. Over the next year we’re going to cover every single one of these. Some in fairly short order, others in extensive detail, and Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits is with us every step of the way. This one was a big risk for Disney. Snow White did insanely well, Pinocchio cost $2.2 million but only made one million back in 1940, their third had to cement the studio as more than just a flash in the p...
Jan 25, 2015•36 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] The Disney shows continue with Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits returning to talk about this little, wooden boy. If you love these shows support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw Guest: Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits
Jan 24, 2015•34 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] Digital Drift Does Disney. This is the first of a series of podcasts covering the full history of Disney’s animated classics. Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits is with us every step of the way. It is without question that animated cinematic features throughout the 20th Century were defined by this company. Learn more about the studio, the animators and how the animation techniques changed with the time, as well as what the world was doing when each film was released. Also find o...
Jan 23, 2015•41 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] With the new Fant4stic movie emerging onto the big screen we take a look back on the 2005 version and its 2007 sequel. Were they really all that bad? More to the point, taking the unreleased 1994 Roger Corman version into account, are ALL Fantastic Four movies simply an exercise in keeping the license going rather than in making a superhero family movie that people will love? This was the last episode of Digital Drift. We rebranded with School of Movies to better explain wha...
Jan 22, 2015•53 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] Our Marvel shows continue with this tiny treasure of a movie. For the best experience combine this with our School of Movies YouTube episode on Ant-Man and the virtue of the small. Guests: James Carter of Cane and Rinse Lorin Grieve of Year of Steam Mike Hearn of Walter the Wicked...
Jan 21, 2015•2 hr 10 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] I did go to see it in the end. I stand by my initial warning. It’s not worth you seeing. But listen to this podcast and you can get the full plot. Having said all that… it’s not quite as bad as T3 and Salvation, in fact there were one or two bits I rather liked. It’s more reverent than the third movie and less boring than the fourth. The writers clearly seem to be able to understand time travel more than the other guys. If you love these shows support us on Patreon: https://...
Jan 20, 2015•2 hr•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] The Terminator series reboots again (kind of), delivering a dark, desaturated, dusty, miserable, angry, shouty future war of dirty humans vs Decepticons! Christian Bale stars as John Connor, bringing with him all the furious, savage, grumpy intensity he is capable of. Not satisfied with one gravely, shaven-headed Johnny Template this movie brings us two with Sam Worthington playing Marcus Wright, the mysterious wanderer with a secret identity… unless you’ve seen the trailer,...
Jan 19, 2015•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] I rarely get to hear Joshua Garrity get angry and he went in quite placid and apathetic. Fortunately we managed to rile him up until an exceptionally entertaining stream of vitriol escaped to join our twin surges of disgust for this horrendous affront to cinema? Think we’re being too harsh? That’s just because the neat ending made you forget the horrible journey. Let us remind you so that we can all see this for the stinker that it has always been. If you love these shows su...
Jan 18, 2015•2 hr 32 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] One of our favourite movies of all time gets its long overdue deep discussion. I noticed something in editing this. We skip over talking about the film itself. This was what troubled me into holding it back an additional week to record additional material and deliver you this extended edition. We treat matters as though you, like us have watched this movie a hundred times. You know what happens, why and how impressive Cameron is at conveying the action and we delve into the ...
Jan 17, 2015•2 hr 11 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] Here it is folks. The first Terminator podcast in the run-up to Terminator Genisys. Jump forward 15 minutes if you’ve already seen the YouTube video “Everything Right With The Terminator”. If you haven’t, go see that first. We turn over every aspect as we establish just how central to the web of sci-fi influence throughout the 80s and beyond this movie is. Over the next few episodes we will cover Terminator 2, Terminator 3, Terminator Salvation and The Sarah Connor Chronicle...
Jan 16, 2015•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] We had planned to release The Lost World this week but Mad Max: Fury Road appeared out of nowhere and turned out to be rather special. So we broke suddenly, veered off the road, picked up a couple of passengers and thundered into an epic analysis review. We begin with a 45 minute discussion of the original Mad Max trilogy, all of which contain elements that found their way into this new incarnation. You can listen to that without spoiling the new movie, but then go see it an...
Jan 15, 2015•3 hr 32 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] Rather than our usual super-in-depth discussion Neil Taylor, James Perkins and I take Sharon (who hasn’t seen the movie) through the full theme park experience of Jurassic World, from the first step out of the front door to the recovery on the ride home. Within the fiction of this story Jurassic Park has been operating for ten years as a paleolithic combination of Sea World and a safari park. To reinvigorate dwindling crowds the scienticians backstage create something called...
Jan 14, 2015•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] For some reason people keep comparing The Lost World with its sequel, trying to weigh them up to decide which is worse. Like there can be some final conclusion that can be set in stone for all the internet to agree upon. Really it comes down to personal preference. They both suck, HARD! Both of them are so out of the league of the original it’s like a world heavyweight title fight followed by a playground scrap and then two ducks going at it. Both superfluous sequels have th...
Jan 13, 2015•57 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] The dinosaur escapades continue down a weird and tonally dissonant path as we venture into The Lost World. We uncover the movie of the book that Michael Crichton was pressured into writing after the success of the first movie… the content of which was largely scrapped for what Sharon beautifully dubs in this episode “Benny Hill with dinosaurs.” We’ll return in a week for the dismal sequel, which we tear to shreds like reviewing raptors. And if you want a real jungle adventur...
Jan 12, 2015•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 1
[Digital Drift 2015] One of the greatest movies of all time gets the Digital Drift treatment in good time to get everyone fired up for the first new installment we’ve had in this series in 14 years (and quite possibly the only other good one). Still as fresh and endlessly entertaining to us as it was back in 1993, this film is rarely out of our re-watching rotation, and as such i know it frame by frame and word by word. So we take you through every scene and get to the bottom of why this is such...
Jan 11, 2015•3 hr 54 min•Ep. 1
