The School of Movies Archive

[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://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Guests:

James Carter of Cane and Rinse

Derrick Ritchie of Console Ninjas 

[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, in which case it’s a pre-established identity we spend an ice age waiting for everyone in the movie to catch up with. That should sound familiar by now if you’re a Terminator fan.

If you love this film you should avoid this podcast like bubonic plague because we are unmerciful. We get down to some deeper themes (which of course this story shied away from) 

If you love these shows support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Guest:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

[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 support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Guest:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

[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 subtleties and lore, starting off with taking it to task over the time travel, but proceeding into this story as a parable for unilateral disarmament. 

Joshua Garrity joins us once again to explore this cybernetic opera, in which Los Angeles of the 1990s is as much a character as any of the vibrant figures onscreen. Many thanks to the crew at Extra Credits for allowing us to use a segment of theirs on the arcade game Missile Command. 

If you love these shows support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Guest:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

[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 Chronicles, before finally tackling the newest reboot of the franchise.

Guest:

Josh Garrity of Cane and Rinse

[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 and come back for the next act.

I lay down my thoughts on the meta-story that developed upon its release, specifically it’s detractors and the symbolism that layers on as a result. After that we talk long and hard about every aspect of this astonishing and deeply surprising new blockbuster. Surprising both in how the story develops and its sheer quality and fulfilled ambition. This is a film we want absolutely everyone to see. 

If you love these shows support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Guests:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

James Perkins of The Digital Fix

[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 a “Whatcouldpossiblygowrongasaurus” made mostly of lethal, muscular animal cunning, teeth and hate.

Listen to Tiger’s Eye!

If you love these shows support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

James Perkins of The Digital Fix

[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 their spurious charms and their enormous weaknesses. In the case of III it’s imbecilic characters, sloppy story and pace that kills itself just as it’s starting to get going. But of course there’s much more than that. Here now is what we thought of this treacherous fart of a finale to the series. Neil Taylor and James Perkins join us on cleanup. 

If you love these shows support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

James Perkins of The Digital Fix

[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 adventure with characters you can actually engage with and even love, then listen to Tiger’s Eye!

If you love these shows support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

James Perkins of The Digital Fix

[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 an appealing and effective story. 

Joining us are Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse and The Animation Archives and James Perkins of GameBurst and Altviewmovies.  Next week: Why The Lost World is a steaming pile of dinosaur droppings. 

If you love these shows support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Guests:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

James Perkins of The Digital Fix