PATRICK’S GAMING TRAILER PARK

With the launch of the PS4 and the XboxONE Patrick looks at some of his favourite game trailers.

Hey guys! I love trailers and games have trailers, so I dedicated this Trailer Park to Game Trailers. Enjoy.

WARNING: This is based on Trailers, not game play or any other factors.

10. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

It is all about atmosphere. Plus it looks class and if one Assassin is cool, then a Brotherhood is obviously badass. Trust me, this trailer is brilliant.

9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

It shows you flashes of great game play, highlights all the gadgets and cool fire power. The soundtrack is AC/DC’s Back in Black. Want more? Now you’re selfish.

8. Heavy Rain

Short and sweet, bit no less effective. This game changed the way the gamers saw games and game play. Totally immersive, it’s a world where your decisions impact the story. This really is interactive story telling at its best.

7. Max Payne 3

Why I like this trailer is because it gives you a progression on the character of Max Payne while giving us a nod to his past. This shows you a Max on the edge, Man who is going to go all out War on the bad guys, the exact thing you want from these games. So the ripped off Man On Fire… who cares!

6. Mass Effect 3

Similar to Halo and Gears of War this one is all about atmosphere. Here the tag line is “Take Back the Earth”. Mass Effect 3’s trailer makes you want to try.

5. Star Wars Old Republic

Again it’s the graphics the storyline, it’s everything that makes this a great trailer. It seems so cinematic. Makes you wonder why George Lucas didn’t make these into movies.

4. Batman Arkham City

This trailer shows us Batman fighting a SWAT team. For what? We don’t know. We hear a voice about how Batman beat them all. It’s slightly confusing but the end reveal is brilliant and not to mention the stunning graphics which almost make it seem real.

3. Halo 3

The trailer is different and advertises this game in a unique way. It’s this uniqueness that makes it memorable. Hence: on the list.

2. Halo Reach Trailer

Glorious graphics, melancholic overtone and the sense that this could be a movie. Halo Reach leaves you wanted to know more and wanting to play the game. With shades of epic war movies but with a gaming and intergalactic twist this trailer lets you know, Halo Reach= epic.

1. Gears of War Trailers 1-3

The reason that the GoW band gets the top place and why the trailers for all 3 games are here for one simple reason: Epic. They are the trailers that brought the level of marketing up to the level of Blockbusters. Totally melancholic, totally epic, bath in the trailers that tell their own story, one of hope, sacrifice and above all, loss.

Patrick's Themed Trailer Parks will return when needed most.

Thor: The Dark World Spoiler-Free Review

Thor: The Dark World

Patrick looks at Thor: The Dark World and feels you will like what you will see.

Thor: The Dark World is a great movie, very confident and self-assured. It’s great to see Thor: TDW taking on its franchise’s mantel as well as Iron Man 3 did after The Avengers. This movie ticks all the boxes: inks to MCU, builds on the aftermath of The Avengers and it gives us a good indication of where Phase Two’s other instalments are going. Here is why I think it’s great.

The Dark Elves

The Dark Elves are great bad guys for Thor to face off against. This is important because it’s important for all threats to be plausible for one Avenger to take down but also they need to make sense for it to be that specific Avenger and not a different one. It worked in Iron Man 3 and it works here too. The Dark Elves are formidable but they are also few and therefore there was never going to be another attack like that in The Avengers. Malekith as well, being the main antagonist works well. His goal and the Dark Elves’ goal, is simple: return the universe to darkness using the Aether. All of this explained in the movie and I don’t want to get bogged down in exposition here as it could lead to spoilers I am trying to avoid. The simplicity of their goal is quite welcome. Unlike in Iron Man 3, where the bad guy’s motivation was hard to see, the simplicity of the Dark Elves’ goal makes room for story and keeps it moving along nicely. We know the Dark Elves= Bad Guys. World in Darkness= Bad and that is actually welcome. The other function of the Dark Elves is that they add to the Thor mythos and in a way that is actually understandable. Other movies like this could add complicated explanations and leave you exhausted by trying to remember everything about them. It also builds from the first Thor outing that Thor is from a different realm and although it wasn’t forgotten about in The Avengers it helps to have that idea fortified in this movie.

This guy here, he's the bad guy.

Relationship Development

Loki's relationship with Thor is developed nicely

Iron Man 3 was lucky that most of its major relationships had been already established and it was easy to pick up after the attack on New York. Thor: TDW had to deal with the fact that with one movie outing relationships need to be re-established. I think it did this well. We all know why Jane likes Thor. He’s a superhero. But why would Thor like Jane? It’s the Superman/ Lois Lane conundrum. Odin even asks Thor this in the movie. You also wonder why would he not go with Sif who has obvious feelings for him. This is handled well in the movie. Like Clarke (who loves Lois and not Superman) is a geek who loves Lois’ feisty side, Thor likes Jane for what she represents: humanity. Jane is, in Thor’s eyes, the essence of humanity and the reason why he is the way he is today. Parts of the relationship are glossed over but that is again a small thing in the grand scheme of things.

Thor’s other relationships with Odin and Loki are also put under the microscope. Thor and Loki bond fairly rounded and developed from the first one. I could say more but I think both Thor fans and Loki fans will like the direction the movie has taken it. Any further information could cause spoilers.

Thor and Odin’s relationship is interesting as well. Odin still questions Thor’s mentality and it seems clear after this movie that Odin is unstable and the weight of being king is playing on him. It seems in a way that he is resentful of both Loki and Thor in a way. It seems that Odin and Thor are at loggerheads because Odin expects it. I would be interested to see how other’s read it but it will be interesting to see how, if Thor 3 happens, how it could develop further.

Humour

This movie has an abundance of humour generally from Darcy. Kat Dennings steals every scene with her irreverent style of acting and is almost the female equivalent of Robert Downey Jr. The movie eases in and out of being funny and action really well. The nods to the MCU are also really funny and it helps to keep everything linked nicely as well.

Game of Thrones influence

This is not a major thing but Alan Taylor paces the movie really well and we can see that from his experiences on the show tell here. There is a confidence and self-assuredness that helps the movie. It asks the audience to stick with the story and most audiences I think will accept this pace and sense of story. I also think that we get a better grasp of Asgard in this film and the gap between worlds doesn’t seem quite as big after this movie.

Thor: TDW builds towards this

What next?

Thor: TDW really gives us a glimpse of Phase Two’s end game and links in what will probably be the parallel running Guardians of The Galaxy. The end game of Phase Two fast approaching and as the Winter Solider trailer shows, the whole thing is coming to a climax and fast. What we get from Thor: TDW more than perhaps Iron Man 3 couldn’t was that it gives Phase Two a shape of what things are to come.

VERDICT: 4/5

Confident, Self-assured and full of jokes. With thrills and spills AND SHOCKS! There are questions too that will have fans calling for Thor 3. It sets up Guardians of the Galaxy and it’s a nice lead in to Age of Ultron. With some nice inks to the extended MCU I think most fans will love Thor: TDW. The lost point is due to the final battle being slightly overcooked and hard to follow but besides that a definite must see for Marvel Fans. 

Thor will return.

Are Family Friendly Mantinees a thing of the Past?

With the Summer over and Autumn on the way out, Patrick poses the question today IS THE FAMILY FRIENDLY MATINEE DEAD?

Family Movies: A lost art?

As the youngest of five children, I watched a lot of movies. These movies were the beginning of my induction into Fandom. With the odd exception of Robocop (which I saw when I was 6! Yes, I saw Peter Weller shot to all hell at a tender age), all the movies I saw were family friendly matinee type movies, movies on a Saturday that went under the heading on Irish Television as “The Big, Big Movie”. All these movies shaped my childhood is some shape or form. These movies included The Princess Bride, The Three Musketeers, The Lion King, The Mask of Zorro, The Muppets Treasure Island, Back to the Future Trilogy, The Indiana Jones Series (excluding the terrible fourth one), Star Wars (original trilogy) et al. These are all brilliant and classical movies but they are also family friendly favourites. So what I’m asking is why are there no more movies like this around?

Nostalgia

I just want to make it clear that nostalgia had no impact on my feelings towards modern day family movies. I am an avid film goer and watcher, I am willing to give almost anything a chance. Lately any movie that I have gone to that has a family oriented feel feels just off. I can’t pinpoint it exactly but because there is something different in every one. For me I can still enjoy the movies I mentioned above still as an adult. I find it very hard to see the same being said for some of the movies that have come out lately. It’s important that these movies engage the adults as well as the kids. After all it’s the adults who are going to be taking the kids to the movies!

There is an element of nostalgia that impacts on you when rewatch these movies but it isn’t what makes them great. It’s the script, the story, the sense of adventure, the sense of wonder and the sense of being transported to a different place. At times this is all forgotten and kids’ movies are all about showcasing special effects and 3D. Like I said nostalgia isn’t going to play a part in this (I don’t want this to turn into a films were better back in my day sort of think). But there is a problem with the modern family movie.

Make it smart

Pixar= winning kid's movies

Why Pixar rule the roost at the moment in this department is that they don’t pander to kids’ perceived level of smarts. They know kids are intelligent and that they will get things, that’s why Wall-E works so well. It’s why all their stories have heart and why adults get a kick out of their movies too. I went to see Wreck It Ralph, and I was hopeful that Disney had learned from previous animated attempts. For the most part they had but what didn’t work were elements of the story. Initially the story is about Ralph looking for recognition but then it turns to Vanellope’s fight to be accepted. Okay, so they are the same story with the focus shifted from one character to another but that’s the problem. Look at Toy Story 2 it’s about the gang saving Woody. Toy Story 3 is about Woody saving the gang. Simple yet effective. I felt that the spreading the story over two characters lessened the impact of the story and in a way showed that the directors didn’t feel Ralph was a strong enough character to carry the theme of the film by himself. If the Pixar have proved any thing that with the family movie the smarter the movie the better it is. Hollywood should take more risks, it’ll pay off in the end.

Special Effects and 3D

Just No.

I have nothing against special effects and 3D. In fact, if it can enhance the movie going experience, great. When it comes to the family movies though it seems like the attitude is “Oh look at this shiny thing”, “Look at this cool laser”, “it’s in 3D so it has to be good”. So much of the family movies now are all about pushing the effects and the 3D that it seems like the movie has nothing else to offer, that kids will be happy with going to something as long as it has loads of special effects and that it is 3D. I don’t know why practical effects have been, effectively, been done away with. Kids are tactile by nature and if something is done for real rather than being imagined in a computer they can tell! Again the idea of making things smart applies here too. Remember first story then think about how to tell it. Don’t be like the latest version of The Three Musketeers. I mean, come on, a flying pirate ship!? Remember kids have the most powerful weapon of all: imagination. Create a world they can get lost in and your movie will be a success.

Yes. All for one and one for all should watch this one.

Give the market a chance and hit a happy medium.

Increasingly it's movies like this are aimed at kids

A great deal of movies now are being aimed at the teens and tweens. There is very little that hits a medium that allows everyone in. either you love melodramatic vampires or you love blockbusting superheroes. There is very little choice out there for a large portion of the market. When you think of all the movies in Fandom at the moment how many are really orientated towards families? When you think about it superheroes and the twilights of this world are being marketed towards this demographic but they really don’t allow for children at all. I remember going to The Dark Knight Rises and seeing a kid dressed up as Batman. That was really cool (mainly because adults can’t do that), but it also shows the lack of choice for kids. In a world of seemingly endless choice, we have to think is there really a world of films that kids will look back on and say were classics of their childhood? Or will they go back to the old staples that we grew up on? The market needs to be looked at again and Hollywood bosses need to take more risks.

At the end of the day it’s hard to see Hollywood changing its patterns. Franchises are the new money makers and that means a lot of good stories could be lost because the potential of having multiple movies isn’t there. It’s a sad fact but the Family Friendly Matinee could be dead. If it isn’t, it needs reviving. If it is, it needs resurrecting.  

The Spectacular Spider-Man Episode 4: Market Forces Review

Patrick continues his quest along with SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN and EPISODE 4: MARKET FORCES.

WARNING: SPOILERS!!!!! 

The high standard of this cartoon of Spider-Man continues with Market Forces. The start of the episode is excellent as we get a great heist scene that involves trucks and a security van. In the van is a case and we see that the case is stolen and given to the Big Bad’s right hand man Hammerhead. He tells Montana, of The Enforcers to put on what ever is in the case. It’s an intriguing and interest start that gets us hungry to see more.

Peter is the focus of this episode

This episode gives us a glimpse at lots of elements. We get our first mention of Mary Jane Watson and her “wonderful personality”. This serves as a nice lead up to what will probably lead to MJ being a more prominent figure in the series. Peter is juggling a lot in this episode. He is trying to help Harry with study, get pictures of Spidey and keep his school and home life in balance. It’s a testament to the writers, who have done really well so far, to keep all tings storylines and not make the episode feel crowded.

Harry: feels lost and abandoned by Pete

The Peter side of the story is jammed with story but it’s nice to see some focus on Peter too. His interactions at the Daily Bugle and Betty are nicely done and show Peter is not the wallflower you’d expect, even if he is awkward. His crush on Betty is understandable, she’s nice to him and besides Gwen, Peter has little interaction with any girls. It’s nicely written too, it’s awkward without being cringey. The writers have also started to show the strain Spidey has on Peter’s life. Harry and Peter are at loggerheads due to the fact that Peter is never around to help him. it’s understandable to see Harry’s point but it’s like Norman says to him: “You want to pass Calculus, study.”  I liked the way the friction between Harry and his father was introduced in a sort of sideways manner. You know it’s there, but it hasn’t come to the boil yet. Another sign that sticking with the series means that characters around Peter will be developed too. A nice touch.

Montana in Shocker garb.

The Spidey story is fairly simple. Montana’s suit creates shock waves and this has lead to him being a supervillian called Shocker. Montana’s motivation is fairly simple too. He’s employed by the Big Man to take out Spidey. The fights are good and again it’s clear to see that the animators especially have their ideas down about how the fights should work. This episode was probably focused on Peter more than Spidey son developing the villain was not a big issue and the episode doesn’t really suffer too badly from it.

An interesting twist at the end was the encounter between Hammerhead and Norman Osborn. We get a clear sense that we will get much more of these supervillians as Osborn’s tech and the Big Man’s resources will be used to keep Spidey busy while the crime empire is left uninterrupted. It’s a nice twist and it gives a plausible background for more villains.

Osborn is going to become a key figure.

Verdict: 3/5

A good episode with some nice moments but it feels like an episode that is being used as a stepping stone to a lot of stories being developed in future episodes. With more weight on the Peter side of the story, we see that Peter is as important as Spidey is and that can’t be underestimated. It’s cool to see that things from the initial episodes are still there as it looks like the urgency is about to e rammed up in future episodes.

Marvel's Agent's of S.H.I.E.L.D: Progress Report

With two more episodes of Marvel’s AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. has passed Patrick takes a look at where we stand.

Warning: Mild Spoilers

The last two episodes of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have shown that while the standard is still decent, it has lost it’s way a bit. This article will explain why I believe this.

While the episodes have been good we have yet to see any of the characters really being established. The each character has yet to be rounded out. It all seems a bit one note at the moment. Skye is still the reckless one, Ward is still the by-the-book agent, Fitz and Simmons still running around like the mad scientists, Melinda May is still scowling and disapproving of the team and Coulson seems to be sidelined to a certain extent. So what is the problem? My main issue is that the character have yet to be broken free from their constraints, they have yet to be cut loose and let breath. Any situation which could lead to some character insight or development is quickly brushed under the carpet. It’s disappointing as Joss Whedon’s other television ventures have been based on strong characters. In the last episode set in Sweden we get small insights to Skye, Coulson and Ward. We know that Skye had a rough childhood, Coulson pushed people too hard back in the day and Ward wouldn’t take betrayal too well. All of these moments were only passing and there was little in the way of seeing any impact these have or might have on the characters.

Skye: we need to know more.

Skye is clearly the shows in character. She is the character we are suppose to bond with and take this wild adventure with. The problem is that the writers are trying to make her seem like a mystery that we know nothing of the character and nothing is really revealed about her either. It also seems that the writers are trying to divide the main story plots between Ward and Skye. This is some of the trouble with the show at the moment. It isn’t sure if it wants to be character driven or situation driven. At the moment it is a more situation driven. This is done really well but it doesn’t leave enough room to help learn about the characters. This can be fixed and it is something I think should be fixed.

Whedon: knows how to create characters

I have to say the spectacle of the episodes have been really good. The action and the feel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has translated well to the small screen. The action has been quite grounded as well, with any strange or weird goings on being explained in a reasonably realistic way for the universe. The mysteries surrounding Coulson’s comeback and Skye’s motivations are intriguing for the most part. They are the common links between the episodes at the moment. They are also what are keeping my interest from episode to episode.  What we seem to have as well is a villain that is in the background that could be pulling the strings but it’s not clear. I always feel that it’s better when we have an end game in sight. At the moment we don’t have something definite that we are moving towards. We seem like this is the case but we aren’t really certain of this yet. Both episodes showed how well the team work together but we don’t get any real sense of characters outside this team context. It’s all work and no play for the team and it’s in the quieter moments that we learn about the characters.

Is AoS a bit too CSI?

It’s a small thing at the moment but I feel the direction of the some seems to be moving towards the sort of procedural shows like CSI, which I have nothing against, but they aren’t really character driven. In the end all good shows are character driven, shows where we bond with the characters. We haven’t been let in totally the characters. It’s disappointing but not enough for me to stop watching. Hopefully this can be tweaked so that we get a show that enhances the Marvel Universe and doesn’t fall away for not giving Fandom what we would like to see, characters we can relate to and really like. I’ve read pieces where people argue for how the characters have been developed but I haven’t connected with the characters in the same way. I will agree that the themes of the episodes have been solid and we have seen that the show is well produced but I feel it needs to take a step back and look at what people are getting out of it. Good action, great spectacle but characters are slightly weak. We have great humour at times despite this but in the next two episodes I hope I can tell you that we know our characters better, for good or for bad.

Have we got the most from our Characters yet?

I think that most people will like what the show is doing but there are things that can be improved upon and that is always a good thing. Hopefully we can see that a slight change. Even if it doesn’t it’s still enjoyable to watch, I’d just like to see the show get the maximum out its characters, something I think we all want to see.

Patrick's Trailer Park Part Three

Patrick finishes his trailer park with his final 5 favourite trailers.

WARNING: NSFW trailer

11.    Inception

Christopher Nolan’s Sci-Fi epic is showcased brilliantly in this trailer. It gives us a glimpse at the wonderful cinematography. It also shows us that after The Dark Knight, Nolan showed no sigh of slowing down. Showing us the great cast, a solid premise and some breathtaking action this trailer makes us question what is Nolan doing? Creating some cinema few other directors can is the answer.

12.    Iron Man

It was the movie that truly set the wheels of Phase 1 in motion and also became the building block of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. This trailer does everything that the movie does; it subverts what should be the canon for Superhero Movies. Instead we get the witty, smart and impossibly cool Tony Stark as embodied by Robert Downey Jr. This trailer allows us to see the unconventional hero from the start and gives us a great look at what Iron Man is going to look like. From the first look at the suit Mark 1 to the finished Red and Gold look that we know and love, this trailer is fun, fast and exciting.

13.    Skyfall

As the trailer to the most success Bond ever, it’s clear even from this that 007 is back to his best. With cranes demolishing trains to falling through a frozen lake, this shows Bond with his identity back. No more competing Bourne, this is about Bond. Skyfall’s trailer brings back Bond staples, exotic locales, sexy Bond women, an intriguing storyline, the Bond theme music and a creepy villain. Heck, even Q is back. And as Skyfall announces so is Bond.

14.    21 Jump Street (Red band)

Based on the television series Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum serve up a modern, foul mouthed, funny movie. What makes this trailer great is that we see what a great comedy team Hill and Tatum are, bouncing off each other really well. We also see that the premise of the movie and this is a very different animal to the T.V. series. With all the swearing and silliness you can handle it was this trailer that got me to go to the movie. And I didn’t regret it.

15.    Drive

Nicohlas Winding Refn’s neon contemporary classic has a trailer to match. It has a trailer to match. Similar to the fever dream like state of the movie this trailer puts lots of different elements together and somehow it works. Watch it for yourself. I think you’ll agree. 

Patrick's Trailer Park may return... when Fandom needs it to. Probably.

Patrick's Trailer Park Part 2

Patrick continues his Trailer Park countdown today with 5 more of his favourites.

6. Captain America: The First Avenger

Out of all the Phase 1 movies this is my favourite and the trailer points to all that is good about Cap. We see he’s an underdog, given special powers to help defend the world, we see the great threat that he faces in Hydra and we see what a hero Cap really is. The trailer gives us nods to just how iconic Cap really is, his shield, his suit everything. We also get a great look at the supporting cast of Tommy Lee Jones, the sassy Haley Atwell, the kind Stanley Tucci and the menacing Hugo Weaving. Any worries about Chris Evans in the lead are put to bed too. With nodds to the wider Marvel Universe (“Now Mr. Stark…”), great trailer music and a good look at the action, this trailer ticks all the boxes for all the right reasons.

7. The Dark Knight

This trailer gave us the first glimpse of Heath Ledger’s Joker and gave us a sense of the spectacle that we could expect form the Christopher Nolan was going to serve up to us. It also allowed us to see that Nolan stepped Batman up a notch. Even the trailer feels big, powerful. It feels like a real blockbuster. I always feel that music makes a huge contribution to the way we see and feel about a trailer. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s Batman theme pounding out from the trailer gives this its epic feel. It’s hard not to feel chills. HERE WE GO!!!!

8. Superman Returns (Teaser Trailer)

Bryan Singer’s take on Superman is very reverent to its predecessors. This trailer is no different and it works because of it. We see all the things that we love about Superman: his Smallville home, his crash to Earth, him flying over the Earth etc. it’s all played out over the music of John Williams and Marlon Brando’s Jor-El voiceover. This trailer will make you believe man can fly, even if the movie didn’t.

9. Star Trek Into Darkness (Trailer 3)

This trailer continues our epic feel and that’s while I like. It gives us an insight into Chris Pine’s Kirk. He was cocky in JJ Abram’s first Trek, but even in this trailer we can see that Kirk is human after all. That is what sets this trailer apart from the others and it gives us a chance to see a different side to Kirk’s character. We also get flashes of Benedict Cumberbatch’s big bad and of course Spock, Bones, Uhura and Scotty. With all Abram’s movies there is a sense of intrigue and suspense which are some of the reasons for this trailer making my list.

10. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2.

For an animated movie and trailer this is intense. The reason this trailer is here because of the questions it poses. Batman’s a murder? He’s fighting Superman? Batman’s firing a gun?! This is a visceral and confident looking movie that has Frank Miller’s story down. Plus I think Peter Weller is great choice as an older Batman.

For more Trailer fun, the end of Patrick’s Trailer Park Trilogy is coming soon.