School of Movies

X-Men: The Last Stand & X-Men Origins: Wolverine

[Digital Drift 2014]

0m: 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. 

1h 13m: 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 & X2: Mutants United

[Digital Drift 2014]

0m: 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.

2h: 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.

Fan Response

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This episode, originally published in September 2013 I invited on Bob Chipman, AKA MovieBob along with Daniel Floyd and Leelee Scalaferri of Extra Credits to talk about the age old scenario of fans flipping their lids when something they love is perceived as being meddled with. With the ascent of Twitter and Facebook, forums, comments sections and YouTube we have more opportunities than ever before to voice our discontent, and voice it we have in ways often so hostile and illegible that some sections of the internet appear to be transcripts of the death-screeching of broken killer robots with electronic Tourette's syndrome. 

Among other specific instances we cover Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist frequency, The Xbox One, Batfleck, Phil Fish, Grand Theft Auto V, Devil May Cry, Mass Effect 3, Green Lantern, The Star Wars Special Editions and Fifty Shades of Grey. The aim was not to be wholly objective and detached and there is a lot of opinion being flung back and forth during this crackling debate with four vibrant personalities all vying for the mic, but we do try our best to be fair.  

To illustrate the many facets of this immense debate I have employed audio segments from some of the best and brightest.

With Great Power [Bob Chipman: The Big Picture] 
Crass Effect [Bob Chimpan: Game Overthinker] 
Rebecca Black [Charlie Brooker: 10 O’ Clock Live] 
Anita Sarkeesian: The Monster Gamers Created [Jim Sterling: Jimquisition] 
Harassment [Daniel Floyd & James Portnow: Extra Credits] 
GTA V Review Revulsion [Johnny Chiodini: GameSpot - Feedbackula] 
Guide to Comments [Vi Hart] 
A Day at the Park [Kiriakakis: Mused]

Bob, Dan and Leelee have made hundreds of video presentations between them and their recommendations if you're newcomers are the following.

Extra Credits [Of Penny Arcade TV]

• Call of Juarez: The Cartel
• A Little Bit of Yesterday
• Art is not the Opposite of Fun

Moviebob

• The Big Picture - Skin Game
• Game Overthinker - Never Grow Old

Music on the show played by Lindsey Stirling

• Crystallize 
• Elements
• Electric Daisy Violin

Of course there wasn't time to discuss a bunch of well known examples, including the Derpy Hooves debacle but we do want this show to spark debate on ways for the more considerate side of the internet to gain more of a vocal share of the general discussion, which often seems to be dominated by the enraged and abusive.

Batman: The Killing Joke [Audio Drama]

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This is an audio drama adaptation of The Killing Joke: written by Alan Moore, and originally illustrated by Brian Bolland for DC comics in 1988.

This show is dedicated to Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, two of my all-time heroes. Their inspirational work is a key reason why I love Batman so much, and their immense talent as voice-over artists is what made me want to produce performance pieces like this. All credit to Alan Moore for his excellent writing. The few minor changes I made were to facilitate the audio format. Also artist Brian Bolland.

If you enjoyed this, do please check out Batman: Breakdown, which is an original story written by myself and rendered into an accompanying audio drama. You can find it on this podcast feed or on YouTube. As a bonus for newcomers I've included the first six minutes of Breakdown to act as a taster at the close of this production.

If you like my work on this you should check out my original audio drama, The New Century Multiverse, the previous stories are available in audiobook form on Bandcamp with new episodes released as a weekly podcast. 

A huge thank you to my cast, without whom, this would be a considerably less vibrant production.

Cast (in order of appearance) 

JOKER/JACK – Alex Shaw
KILLER CROC/TWO-FACE – Alex Shaw
BATMAN – Alex Shaw
FRIGHTENED INMATE #2 – Matt Whetter
JIM GORDON – Matt Ramsey
GUARD BILL – Jerome McIntosh
BOB BONUS – Daniel Floyd
JEANNIE – Sharon Shaw
BATCOMPUTER – Tara Nelson
ALFRED PENNYWORTH – Matt Ramsey
BARBARA GORDON – Laureta Sela
GANGSTER JOE – Lorin Grieve
GANGSTER JAKE – Alex Spencer
DOCTOR – Joshua Garrity
HARVEY BULLOCK – Daniel Floyd
CIRCUS FREAKS – Matt Whetter
DETECTIVE MOORE – James Batchelor
OFICER BOLLAND – Nama Chibitty
DON SENIOR – Matt Whetter
ROB SENIOR – Andres Rodriguez
GAMBOL – Aquila Edwards
OSWALD COBBLEPOT – Matt Whetter
STREET GIRL – Sharon Shaw
SECURITY GUARD JUDD – James Batchelor
SECURITY GUARD MURPHEY – Nama Chibitty
CREDITS - Giles Thomas

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

In the 80’s while all the boys were watching Transformers and obligingly buying the toys Hasbro were also targeting girls with a similarly multimedia manipulative marketing campaign to sell them pretty, plastic ponies.

Twenty five years and three terrible Michael Bay movies later and the boys, now grown up are feeling pretty dismal about the once awesome mythos they loved. However after many years of quiet My Little Pony resurfaced in 2010 and to the surprise of everyone turned out to be not bad at all. Really rather great in fact. Well written with lovable characters and amusing dialogue.

In an unusual turn of events it picked up a following of male viewers. Dubbed ‘Bronies’ these men, young and old have a tough battle trying to make their case for why they aren’t twisted child molesters. This podcast is about the show, the fans and why it’s become beloved. My remit is to examine it with varying levels of perspective and delve in rather than making fun of it as outsiders or being overly defensive fanboys.

My two specialists are Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits and Connor Milford, Zephyr Lite in the Gonzo community. It’s very much a podcast aimed at people who know nothing about Friendship is Magic so if you’re curious, this is the Pony investigation for you.

Mass Effect 3

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This was the most requested Gonzo show in history. For a project of this magnitude we needed a Dynamic Analysis, so the first hour is a collection of audio articles. The second half focuses on the rest of it. There are definitely still issues with combat and structure that affect the gameplay experience regardless of how you felt about its close, but there is also a deep and rich adventure to be had finding everyone and everything in the last hours before the galaxy takes on the Reapers. There were so many people who wanted to talk about this game that I couldn't not confine them to a single, epic round-table, so instead we have three.

Appropriately you'll meet many old faces and some new. Everyone has something to say. At the close we spend a good 48 minutes talking about the Citadel DLC with full plot spoilers for that as well as Leviathan and Omega. Everyone present agreed that Citadel was downright essential if you love the characters of Mass Effect so if nothing else, play that before you listen to the last third of this show.

Introduction 
FilmCritHulk: A Few Words on the Ending of Mass Effect 3 [Read by Alex Shaw] (0.00.50)
Sharon Shaw: The Third Choice (0.21.37)
J.C. Hutchins: Blood on My Hands: My Failure and Redemption in Mass Effect(0.30.50)
Leelee Scaldaferri: The Center of the Universe (0.53.07)
Alex Shaw: On Taking Back Earth (1.03.00)

Round Table 1: Margeurite Kenner & Alasdair Stuart (1.05.44)
Alex Shaw: Some Statistics (1.40.30)
Round Table 2: Neil Taylor, Jerome McIntosh & James Perkins (1.44.25)
Round Table 3: Matt Ramsey, Leelee Scaldaferri & Sharon Shaw (2.21.38)
The Idea Channel: Will Space Travel Save Us? (3.07.00)
Alex Shaw: Shepard Effects (3.15.16)
Citadel (3.21.40)

Margeurite can be found on Cast of Wonders, Leelee is the artist for Extra Credits. You'll also hear a segment from The Idea Channel which is available on YouTube and something I sincerely suggest you each spend a few hours delving into. Some incredible, funny, lightly delivered, deeply considered six-minute lectures on there. Kind of like TED Talks but with more visual flair and packed to the gills with blink-and-you'll-miss-it geeky references. It's been a great ride on the Normandy. I hope some day soon we can come back and re-enter this universe which has played host to some of our favourite games of all time.

The Sound of Gonzo: Vol 5 [The Star Wars Trilogy]

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

Vol. 5 – James Batchelor [Star Wars]

VI: Fox Fanfare & Main Titles/Blockade Runner 
IV: Imperial Attack 
IV: The Dune Sea/The Jawa Sandcrawler 
IV: Cantina Band 
IV: Princess Leia's Theme 
IV: TIE Fighter Attack
V: The Battle of Hoth - Part 1 
V: The Asteroid Field 
V: Yoda's Theme 
V: The Clash of Lightsabers 
VI: Approaching the Death Star 
VI: The Pit of Carkoon/Sail Barge Assault 
VI: Luke and Leia 
VI: Emperor's Throne Room 
VI: Leia's News/Light of the Force 
IV: Throne Room and End Credits

This episode has been painstakingly remastered to sound better than when we initially released it in 2013.

The Sound of Gonzo: Vol. 4 [Lord of the Rings]

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

Vol. 4 - Chris Eason & Sharon Shaw [LOTR]

One Ring to Rule them All/The Shire/The Road Goes Ever On
Strider/Beren and Luthien
The Great Eye/The Fellowship
Gilraen’s Memorial/The Ring Goes South
Moria/The Bridge of Khazad Dum
The Departure of Boromir
Theoden King/The Funeral of Theodred
Sons of the Steward
The Host of the Eldar
Haldir’s Lament/Retreat
Theoden Rides Forth/The White Rider/Nature’s Reclamation
Eowyn’s Dream
The Battle of the Pelennor Fields
A Far Green Country
The Last Debate
Mount Doom/The Crack of Doom/The Eagles
Use Well the Days
Bilbo’s Song

This very special episode of The Sound of Gonzo has been painstakingly remastered to sound better than when we initially released it in 2012. 

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 Sharon and I at the end of all things are 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:

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 characterisation 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:

Chris Eason of GameBurst

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse