Digital Drift 47: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies [Theatrical Edition]
Dec30

Digital Drift 47: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies [Theatrical Edition]

Posted By on Dec 30, 2014

Middle-earth #11 This is the first impressions review of The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies. Next year we will be covering all three movies with a deeper focus on production in our Extended Edition podcasts. If you’ve just joined us for Digital Drift you can of course hear the reviews of the Lord of the Rings and first two Hobbits on the Digital Gonzo section of the podcast feed. It’s been hard-going for some of us to say a last goodbye to the Weta films. The fact that they’ve divided audiences far more than the original trilogy exacerbates the isolation that comes with this. Experience the wrath and ruin of dragon fire. Watch an obscene amount of gold drive an essentially decent dwarf to insanity. Witness five pages of battle written by Tolkein get fully expanded into a war among the species’ of Middle-earth. Feel the loss and grief of these events from the many perspectives beyond just that of Bilbo Baggins as the scope of this project hammers home. Joining Sharon and I are Chris Eason of GameBurst, who’s been with us every step of the way on the Middle-earth series. Chris brings along his colleague James Batchelor, returning for the first time since An Unexpected Journey. Finally Drift community member Glen Watts returns for the first time since The Lego Movie. Be sure to find us, follow us, like us and email us. Facebook: www.facebook.com/digitaldriftuk Twitter: @DigitalDriftUK Email: [email protected] Website: www.digitaldrift.co.uk And if you like the work we put out the best way to support us is going to… New Century Patreon: www.patreon.com/newcentury http://traffic.libsyn.com/gonzogaming/47._The_Hobbit_-_Battle_of_the_Five_Armies.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window |...

Read More
Digital Gonzo 160: The Desolation of Smaug [Theatrical Edition]
Dec25

Digital Gonzo 160: The Desolation of Smaug [Theatrical Edition]

Posted By on Dec 25, 2013

Middle-earth #10: To any newcomers, the first episode was a prologue, focusing on the books and the animated films, the next six were two-part super in-depth reviews of the Lord of the Rings films, the eighth was a Sound of Gonzo celebration of the music of Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings scores. Following that was a first impressions round-table of the then just recently viewed theatrical edition of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a tone we will be reprising with its follow-up, and again next year with the Battle of the Five Armies. A year after that we will be re-reviewing the Hobbit Trilogy in retrospect of the Extended Editions. Then to cap it off, most likely a Hobbit Sound of Gonzo. In this chapter, we review the difficult-to-balance second act. With me once more are Chris Eason, of GameBurst and Sharon Shaw of Do Try This at Home. http://traffic.libsyn.com/gonzogaming/160._The_Desolation_of_Smaug_Theatrical_Edition.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window |...

Read More
Digital Gonzo Episode 113: An Unexpected Journey [Theatrical Edition]
Jan05

Digital Gonzo Episode 113: An Unexpected Journey [Theatrical Edition]

Posted By on Jan 5, 2013

Middle-earth #9: For the first time in our series we cannot look at the film we are delving into in retrospect of the entire trilogy or with the deeper familiarity with its creation that the extended edition extras grant us. So this is a first impressions round-table with as much as possible on what we thought about the inaugural installment in the new Hobbit Trilogy. For those who haven’t heard the Digital Gonzo Lord of the Rings podcasts, I heartily recommend you go back and listen to the first seven shows. They’re an incredibly in-depth and detailed exploration of a film series I place above all other cinema. For those looking for a negative review of the Hobbit, you’d better stroll on and search elsewhere. We do call the creators on the flaws we’ve found but this is pretty much a Weta love-in once again. Also this is the first of this series where we fulfill our voracious need to swear so those with little children listening, be warned. The review is also available on YouTube, though I have disabled comments because all I will get will be loathsome idiots telling me I’m fake and gay, that The Hobbit is crap, that Peter Jackson is fleecing the filmgoing public and of course all-caps demands for the film itself, viewable for free on YouTube. Bunch of fucking savages, I tell you.  With me once again are Sharon Shaw of DorkCast and Chris Eason of GameBurst. Joining us from the Return of the King shows is Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet, and making his first foray into the Middle-earth podcasts; Mr James Batchelor of MCV Magazine and GameBurst. We’ll be back next week with The Sound of Gonzo: Lord of the Rings Edition which will round off this series until December when Show #9 will be an extended edition podcast focusing on An Unexpected Party with myself and my guests having seen the longer cut, watched the extras and being able to discuss matters in retrospect of the second film. The week after will be a theatrical edition round-table podcast on The Desolation of Smaug.   http://traffic.libsyn.com/gonzogaming/113._An_Unexpected_Journey_Theatrical_Edition.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window |...

Read More