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.
10. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
8. Heavy Rain
7. Max Payne 3
6. Mass Effect 3
5. Star Wars Old Republic
4. Batman Arkham City
3. Halo 3
2. Halo Reach Trailer
1. Gears of War Trailers 1-3
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 Lois Lane
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.
IS THE FAMILY FRIENDLY MATINEE 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
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
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
At the end of the day it’s hard to see Hollywood
The Spectacular Spider-Man Episode 4 Review: Market Forces
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.
10. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
8. Heavy Rain
7. Max Payne 3
6. Mass Effect 3
5. Star Wars Old Republic
4. Batman Arkham City
3. Halo 3
2. Halo Reach Trailer
1. Gears of War Trailers 1-3
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 Lois Lane
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.
IS THE FAMILY FRIENDLY MATINEE 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
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
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
At the end of the day it’s hard to see Hollywood
The Spectacular Spider-Man Episode 4 Review: Market Forces
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.
10. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
8. Heavy Rain
7. Max Payne 3
6. Mass Effect 3
5. Star Wars Old Republic
4. Batman Arkham City
3. Halo 3
2. Halo Reach Trailer
1. Gears of War Trailers 1-3
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 Lois Lane
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.
IS THE FAMILY FRIENDLY MATINEE 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
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
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
At the end of the day it’s hard to see Hollywood
The Spectacular Spider-Man Episode 4 Review: Market Forces
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.
10. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
8. Heavy Rain
7. Max Payne 3
6. Mass Effect 3
5. Star Wars Old Republic
4. Batman Arkham City
3. Halo 3
2. Halo Reach Trailer
1. Gears of War Trailers 1-3
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 Lois Lane
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.
IS THE FAMILY FRIENDLY MATINEE 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
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
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
At the end of the day it’s hard to see Hollywood
The Spectacular Spider-Man Episode 4 Review: Market Forces
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.
10. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
8. Heavy Rain
7. Max Payne 3
6. Mass Effect 3
5. Star Wars Old Republic
4. Batman Arkham City
3. Halo 3
2. Halo Reach Trailer
1. Gears of War Trailers 1-3
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 Lois Lane
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.
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.
10. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
8. Heavy Rain
7. Max Payne 3
6. Mass Effect 3
5. Star Wars Old Republic
4. Batman Arkham City
3. Halo 3
2. Halo Reach Trailer
1. Gears of War Trailers 1-3
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
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 Lois Lane
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. |
IS THE FAMILY FRIENDLY MATINEE 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
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
At the end of the day it’s hard to see Hollywood
The Spectacular Spider-Man Episode 4 Review: Market Forces
Patrick continues his quest along with SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN and EPISODE 4: MARKET FORCES.
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
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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
Montana in Shocker garb.
The Spidey story is fairly simple. Montana Montana
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
Marvel's Agents 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.
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
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 3
Patrick finishes his
trailer park with his final 5 favourite trailers.
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
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…of Fandom needs it. Probably.
Patrick continues his quest along with SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN and EPISODE 4: MARKET FORCES.
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
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
Montana in Shocker garb.
The Spidey story is fairly simple. Montana Montana
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
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 
Marvel's Agents 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
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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 3
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
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…of Fandom needs it. 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.
The Spectacular Spider-Man Episode 3 Review: Natural Selection
Patrick continues his SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN reviews with episode three NATUARAL SELECTION.
WARNING SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This week’s episode opens with Spidey foiling an attempted robbery, where one of the robbers is actually robbing from one of his Great-Aunts Bakery. Spidey quickly dispatches and defeats the baddies and manages to get a few snaps of him doing it too. As he is getting home inside his curfew he is delighted with life, he says himself: “I’m making all the right moves.” Unfortunately as ever Spidey is wrong. As he comes home and settles down to sleep, he sees that the pictures he took and desperately need to win a contest and badly needed funds at home, are useless. Strike one for Peter.
The episode then shifts to Curt Connors and him injecting a now electrified lizard serum into his arm. In a flash we see his eye change and we know we are in for a rough ride.
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| Curt Connors' arc is handled superbly |
The writers dealt with the Connors storyline very well. We have seen in the last two episodes his experimentation with his serum and his failings. Therefore when it works the joy from him and his family is understandable and well-voiced acted all round. The writers all strike the right balance with Curt’s wife. She is obviously happy but she also scolds Curt for trying such a risky procedure on himself.
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| Eddie is given an interesting arc. |
As each episode is only 20 minutes long the action moves fast and Connors deteriorates very fast. This is also explained as the rapid change in Connors’ cells and it isn’t fobbed off and forgotten. It’s interesting how the writers push Eddie Brock to the front and we see his character develop. Eddie as we saw from the last episode is a very protective and jumps into action again to protect Peter and Gwen. It’s interesting to see his interaction with Spidey need the end too. Again Eddie’s first instinct is to protect Spider-Man and not himself.
The episode is resolved by Spidey giving Connors a gene cleanser which removes all lizard DNA from his body. It’s nice that the idea was initially Peter’s in the lab earlier in the episode. Here it points to Peter’s intelligence, a major character trait and also highlights Spidey’s ability to think on his feet. It was also nice to see that he does the same with the when he pulls The Lizard into the Polar Bear pit to slow The Lizard down allowing him to administer the antidote. The intelligence that Peter has is in the forefront of all the episodes so far and it’s nice to see that the character is shown to be brains and not just brawn like some heroes tend to be.
This episode again manages to balance the action right and it’s great to see how the animators adapt Spidey’s fighting technique to his different adversaries. This episode is no exception and the subway sequence is a particular stand out.
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| The Lizard was an interesting challenge for Spidey |
The end of the episode shows that Peter managed to get pictures of Spidey in action against The Lizard. However this lands him in trouble with Mrs. Connors and Eddie and he loses his internship. It’s worth noting the sense of betrayal that Eddie especially feels. It’s looks as though Eddie will get a good story arc in the future. It’s to the writers credit that they feel confident to build story arcs for B characters this early in the series. Peter’s reaction to being fired is excellent. We see a teenager at the end who wants to help people but who finds that he can’t do right for doing wrong. The writers are clever enough to show us that Peter is after all a teenager and that he will make mistakes, they are also clever enough to see that Peter will question his decision to be Spider-Man. It works well and it was nice to see a nod to Uncle Ben and his influence on Peter at the end. The fact that Peter consider to use a gene cleanser on himself shows the struggle he has gone through in the episode and you can tell that this will have a big impact in the future.
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| Peter is left questioning himself at the end. |
This episode had quite the arc that saw Peter go from “making all the right moves”, to questioning his motives behind being Spider-Man. This third episode has highlighted the maturity of the writing staff and they have managed to produce a well crafted, three dimensional character as the focal point for their series. As the series continues it grows in confidence and that stems from getting aspects of all the Spidey characters right. I have to say that this episode is probably the best of what I have seen so far.
Verdict: 4/5
With great action, storyline and some priceless moments this episode had it all. There were nice sequences with Peter struggling with the nuances of having a secret identity (being pelting with water balloon by Flash, almost calling Eddie “bro”) and we begin to see how right the writers have gotten the character of Peter/ Spidey. The transformation of Connors into the Lizard is really well animated on top of the fact that the episode arc gets it just right with regard to the character. The reason the episode loses a mark is that I am sure there are other great episodes down the line so 4 is as high as I can give it at this early stage.
Part 1 of Patrick's Trailer Park
Patrick has decided to have a look back at some of his all time favourite trailers.
Trailers have become a huge marketing tool for movies and they have become even more important not that information hungry Fandom has them at there fingertips and on demand. Thanks YouTube! Today I’m going to look at five of my favourite trailers. (This is part 1 of 3)
- The Lord of the Rings: The
This is the ultimate trailer. It has everything. It has trills, spills and lots more besides. When I first saw this trailer it blew my mind. I must have watched it a thousand times. It starts of slow but it builds to the perfect crescendo because of the brilliant use of the Requiem for A Dream music. It hits on all the important points from the last the movie and allows us the see the all action movie that we eventually got. Aragorn looks bad ass, we see the danger that faces Frodo and we see glimpses of the amazing Helm’s deep battle. One thing that is a possible point of contention is the appearance of Gandalf. Talk about Spoiler Alert!
Despite the fact that the finished movie itself is poor, the trailer is good. Very good. It shows us the spectacular crusade scenes and gives us an indication of the scale of movie Ridley Scott had in store for us. Here again there are some great shots. Liam Neeson holsters his sword like a true warrior, Ed Norton’s masked King is shown slapping a knight in the face and we hear Jeremy Irons tell Orlando Bloom that “The King has no need for the perfect Knight”. The scoring of the trailer is chilling too. Plus I defy anyone to watch it and not be quoting the last line for the rest of the day. What the trailer did show us was that Orlando Bloom maybe a leading man, but he sure can’t lead men (see what I did there…).
- House of Flying Daggers
This trailer is an example of how beautiful images and great scoring are sometimes all you need to create a great trailer. It’s amazing how we can tell what the story is about without the use of language. Again it shows that a great deal of human language is down to more that speaking. The choice of “Now We Are Free” from the Gladiator soundtrack is inspired suits the trailer brilliantly. This like The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers trailer this is addictive viewing.
- Man of Steel (Trailer 2)
This is one of those trailers I watched over and over again last summer in anticipation of Zack Snyder’s blockbuster. It makes this list for a special reason. It flips the blockbuster trailer convention on its head. This is a more reflective take on the superhero genre. This has to be on a grander scale, it is Superman, the grandfather of the superhero. The tone is perfect and the images glorious. The music “Elegy to a Storm” is amazing. It gives the trailer a modern, yet classical feel. A feeling of something otherworldly. Despite how you feel about the movie, you have to admit, this trailer is damn good!
- Marvel’s Avenger’s Assemble
Again this is all about being epic (in the comic book movie sense). When Chris Evan (Cap) says “Trying to get me back into the world?” and Sam Jackson’s line “Trying to save it.” always gets me. This is how blockbusters should be sold. It’s all about the set up, the evil the good guys will face, the characters and the feel. Here we can tell that the movie is going to be popcorn fun. We can tell it’s going to be witty and clever. We can tell that the characters we saw separately will be great together. But perhaps most importantly from the trailer we can’t tell what exactly is going to happen and that is a good thing. Most trailers give too much away but this does just enough to have us drooling over what was to arrive at multiplexes. And it didn’t disappoint.
Read Part 2 and 3 later this week to fin out more of Patrick favourite trailers!
Read Part 2 and 3 later this week to fin out more of Patrick favourite trailers!
Thor: THe Dark World
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| Thor: The Dark World |
With THOR: THE DARK WORLD set for release in the next few weeks Patrick has decided to look at what will make or break the movie.
I think every fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is looking forward to Thor: The Dark World, but with the box office success of Iron Man 3 it’s under a lot of pressure to keep Phase 2 on the road to Avengers: Age of Ultron without any bumps. I think there are a number of things that will make this movie great.
Highlight Thor’s Qualities
Thor is a warrior. He is in fact probably the only true warrior among the Avenger clan. Therefore it’s important to see him as this warrior outside the Avenger setting. We saw this in Thor, and it was that sense of him being a warrior that helped give the movie a different feel from Iron Man.
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| Thor: a true Warrior |
We also need to see that Thor has been changed by the events of The Avengers and from his first outing. We saw a glimpse of this at the end of Thor but an emphasis is something that will be needed in this movie too. We can see this in the trailers that Alan Taylor, Chris Hemsworth and the Team have really thought about this and it’s pretty evident that this will happen. We have seen flashes of battles, Thor’s love of fighting, but we have seen a growth too. The main evidence of this is when Thor confronts Loki asking for his help: “WHEN you betray me, I will kill you.” Thor is wise enough now not to trust Loki completely. Again we only have fragments of this from the trailers but I am confident that we will see this in the movie.
Asgard Front and Centre
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| Asgard in Thor. |
Thor is unique in that has another world away from Earth. We know from the trailers that a great deal of the action will take place in Asgard. This is a good thing. The Avenger clan all have their own qualities and Thor’s magical background is a huge part of his appeal.
Asgard seems to have changed from Kenneth Branagh’s Thor. We see that Alan Taylor is bringing in some of his Game of Thrones experience into the mix. In Thor, while I liked the look of Asgard, I felt I looked slightly to “Disney”. All the bright colours and flashing lights were nice but made the 3D very hard to watch without your eyes hurting. Taylor
We know that Jane (Natalie Portman) is brought to Asgard based on the trailer, meaning that the action and majority of the film will be spent there. Wise move and one I endorse whole-heartedly. It gives us a chance to see Thor as the member of the mystical that he is.
Don’t use Loki…too much
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| Harsh...but true |
I will probably be killed for this section (quite possibly by my sister), but it think Loki has to be put SLIGHTLY to one side for this movie. I love Loki as a character and I think Tom Hiddlestone is great in the role. Loki is a great villain but I think that Thor has to be the focal point of the movie. Loki to a certain extent has been the focal point in two movies (Thor and Avengers) because he was the singular bad guy in each. Thor’s struggle to find his way in the first movie is running parallel to Loki’s search for his identity. Therefore we learnt as much about Loki as we did about Thor. The trailer suggests that Loki will “help” Thor against the Dark Elves so that will be a change but with Loki, we will always be left wondering. My worry is that Loki will be given as much screen time as Thor, when we need to see Thor develop as a character in the lead up to Age of Ultron. The second official trailer has much more Loki in it and it almost seems like he is the major piece in the puzzle of the movie. This may have been a way to keep Loki fans happy but I hope it doesn’t reflect the overall direction of the movie.
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| Malekith |
Make the Dark Elves Formidable
The trailers give us a good glimpse of the brilliant Christopher Eccelstone (Dr. Who) and his Dark Elven army. We can tell as well that his villain Malekith is going to pose serious problems to Thor. This is also reiterated by Taylor who said: “we will be killing Asgardians”. Having watched Game of Thrones and the way they conduct business there, I wouldn’t be surprised is much loved character faced Malekith’s wrath. This points to the Dark Elves being tough opponents for Thor and that we may have a battle on our hands. The more formidable the bad guys, the more action after all.
Give us some lead into Age of Ultron
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| Age of Ultron: End Game for Phase 2 |
One thing that annoyed me about Iron Man 3 was that there was no real link to the Age of Ultron. We know that it’s on the road map and really I felt that there was no sense of the Iron Man 3 leading to the events of Age of Ultron. I’d like to see Thor: The Dark World to give us some indication what may happen in Ultron. It’s been rumoured that a trailer for Captain America: Winter Solider is going to be running with the film and I’m sure fans will eagerly awaiting for that. The thing for me is that near the end of Phase One we could tell it was building towards The Avengers, I like to feel that too with Age of Ultron too. Thor: The Dark World may be a good starting point for this.
My hopes are high for Thor: The Dark World and for some reason having seen the trailers for it I think it will make a nice step towards Age of Ultron.
Spectacular Spider-Man Episode 2: Interactions
Patrick continues his look at the animated series of THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN with episode 2: Interactions.
Warning: SPOILERS!!!
The second episode of The Spectacular Spider-Man kicks off in a more muted fashion from the first episode. We find Peter, Gwen, Eddie and Dr. Connors in the lab conducting experiments on eels. They are trying to harness the electricity of the eels to form a clean energy. To do this they need Max Dillon to up grade the circuitry. Of course there is an accident and Max is hurt, he is now pure electrical energy that has to be contained in a suit for his safety and for the safety of the public. Max is too upset though and escapes hospital and blames Connors for his change. It’s up to Spidey to catch him and stop him doing anything dangerous.
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| Electro is the main Bad Guy in this episode |
The pace of this episode is quite different from the first episode but that is a good thing. In this episode we see how the transformation of Max into Electro is affecting Max and the impact it has. We rarely get to see that in cartoon, we don’t often see how this situation has hurt the person and how it has changed them. We get a sense of what is motivating Electro and his feelings of loss and frustration. He is a man desperate to find a cure. This allows us to relate and to understand the character. It also allows us to see the character of Peter a little better. We see how Peter, who didn’t know Max was Electro, beats himself up about not trying to help him. it’s interesting to see how Peter reacts this way, that he should know better and that he should be a hero. It’s a nice twist and shows the audience that Peter is still a teenager and the leap before you look syndrome is still there. It’s a nice touch, even if it is only a brief moment.
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| Spidey action is well done |
The battles between Electro and Spidey are well executed again in this episode. It seems that the writers and the animators have a great grasp on Spidey’s fighting style and they have used it well again in this episode. This is important as Spidey is going to be battling in all the episodes, knowing his powers and how to showcase them on screen is paramount. I’m glad to say that the show seems to have a handle on this.
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| Liz Allen: Kind of annoying. |
The one thing that was annoying was the character of Liz Allen. I’m sorry but the voice actress was all nasally and whiney. I’m glad that her involvement was kept to a minimum but I feel that she will become more of a prominent character as the series progress because at the end of the episode it feels like she may have developed feelings for Peter. The creators may move to make Liz a more likable character but at the moment she is annoying. This may be the point of the character but if a relationship develops between them they will have to tweak the character to make her more likable. At the moment Liz is Flash’s cheerleader girlfriend and her attitude towards Peter is a little over bearing in the mean sort of way. the whole storyline of her needing tutoring too seems like it was a way for the writers to work into the story a meaningful start to a could happen relationship.
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| Dr. Curt Connors |
A small note at the end is that Connors is seen injecting lizard DNA and judging by the end of the episode we may see the Lizard in the next episode. I also want to note the one piece of top notch writing is the scene where Spidey is using his powers, we believe he is being chased, but it turns out to be that he is late for school. Just thought it was a nice piece of misdirection.
3/5.
Verdict: Built well on the first episode and it was nice to see Spidey villain from a different side. The B-story with Liz Allen was the only misstep and for that it loses a point. Still nice to see a teenage Peter/Spidey on screen and the setup at the end means that the show may continue to go strong.
Are Fandom expecting too much?
Today Patrick asks the question most of Fandom would rather not ask themselves: Are Fandom’s standards too high?
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| Movies: A Fan's home |
One thing that has always bugged me as a member of fandom is how there are people out there that are never happy. Fan power has never been as power as it is now and it’s down to the internet (ironically the medium I’m using). The question I think we need to ask and ask the trolls too: Are our standards too high?
Casting
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| Affleck as Batman |
This is the most controversial of all the calls that can be made in the movie business. Most people have an idea of who Batman should be, who should play Superman, who should play Mary Jane (that you has been played out aggressively on the internet), but can you please everyone. For me casting is important but that I think the majority of the time directors get it right. I thought Shailene Woodley was a good choice for MJ Watson and for me it’s a pity that she has been left in the dark about the Amazing Spider-Man series. Ben Affleck is another controversial casting choice but again I think he will be a good fit for Batman/Bruce Wayne. I think he will bring something different to the characters from Christian Bale’s interpretation, which I think is needed. When looking back at casting decisions there have been more success stories then there have been flops, the obvious ones being Heath Ledger as The Joker, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, and Daniel Craig as James Bond etc. I think the script, tone and direction of the film has a great more deal to do with whether the movie is good or not.
Oversaturation
Other the last few years the amount out there for Fandom has been immense. One thing isn’t over when we are onto the next. Does the oversaturation of the market make it harder for us to distinguish the good from the bad? To a degree yes would be my answer. For instance I liked Iron Man 3, Man of Steel and Star Trek: Into Darkness but a great deal of fans were disappointed by them. Why? The anticipation was at fever pitch for both, which is a new feature as trailers and publicity for both were huge features to the build up. Again, the appetite to know about the films and not just wait to see what they were like meant that many had ruined the films for themselves before going to see them. This meant that the best part waiting for the movie was gone. The oversaturation of the market meant that people are eventually going to be picking and choosing and nitpicking about the movies. At the end of the day the overall standard of these movies in terms of acting, production etc. are amazing. To be giving them such overbearing meaning is wrong; enjoy them for what they are; fun, popcorn movies.
Direction
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| Nolan vision grounded in reality. |
The more I read and view or research Fandom, the more negativity I come across. Lots of movies in the past year have been criticised for the direction they took. All the movies I mentioned earlier are bearer of this. Fans have been over critical for artistic choices made for the movies. In all those movies I wasn’t too upset with any of the points most fans had points of contention with. Sure I’ve watched movies that have had things that bugged me but in the end I watched them again and they didn’t bother me as much. It’s funny how casting is related to this. Ben Affleck in Daredevil was blamed as being the problem for it being a poor movie. He was only a small part of the movie. In the end it was with the direction of the movie that most people were upset with. For most people were happy with Nolan’s take on the Batman series but not everyone. Again, it’s direction. Nolan chose to ground it in a sense of reality. I think that for many it worked but for those who don’t like it, it’s up to taste. What I don’t like is that people blame him for taking “Comic book movies to a gritty, realistic place”. To those people I say don’t be silly, all innovators have imitators.
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| Iron Man 3 disappointed some |
I Want Something Originally Classic
With most of Fandom having an original mediums in books or comics etc, fans want to see classic stories on the screen. Again direction and script has a bearing on this. Others want original stories portrayed on screen because they have already seen the classic stories. It’s impossible to win. Especially when details have to be changed to make it more compatible for the screen (character of Bane being one, loved Tom Hardy by the way). I think a good story is all we need to see. When it’s well executed then that’s good enough for me. I don’t get bogged down on this sort of thing and I believe others shouldn’t either.
Comparing movies (especially Marvel and DC!)
Don’t do it and it’s silly to do so. They’re different and that’s a good thing. No flame wars please! (No matter how entertaining they are).
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| Marvel vs DC: Enough already. |
MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D: How is it shaping up?
Now that MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D is two weeks in Patrick has decided to look at how it’s shaping up.
Now that Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has started I’ve decided to look at how it’s shaping up based on my previous article about what I wanted to see from it.
Characters
Although it’s only too weeks in we can see how the characters are shaping up. Coulson is the leader, Agent Ward is the headstrong young agent, Fitz and Simmons are the plucky two scientists with little or no field experience, Melinda May is the quiet, tough veteran of the group and Skye is the resourceful yet mysterious outsider who has been asked to join the group.
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| Skye: Mysterious |
At the moment we haven’t seen a lot of the characteristics of the character but we have seen enough to know that each member has a unique place in the team and they each have their worth. Skye and Agent Ward seem to the focal point so far. There is a definite tension between them. There is also a sexual tension between them and guessing by the Skye side of the story line, if a relationship develops between them it’s Ward who is going to feel betrayed.
So far I would say that I like all the characters but none of them has stuck out for me yet. Skye has been given the most in the first two episodes and her character is intriguing. At the moment we know she is part of a movement called Rising Tide which is trying to stop S.H.I.E.L.D from doing what they do. She is a computer anarchist really and as Agent Ward explained to her in the episode 2 the reality of the situation is actually more complicated than she may think.
Ward, Fitz and Simmons are good characters but as it’s only two episodes in there hasn’t been too much focus on any of those characters. The only trait we can say for certain is that Ward, while capable, leaps before he looks. This is good in some ways but his headstrong nature means that he could become annoying if it continues too long. Still there is plenty of time to see the whole team in action and I know that in a few weeks I’ll probably have a favourite character or characters.
Humour
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| Ward: Too Serious? |
To be honest humour has been in place but in a way it’s not very prevalent at the moment. In the pilot had one funny incident with Agent Ward and some nice banter between Coulson and Maria Hill but after that there was little in the way of humour. There were some funny points in the 2nd episode as well but again it wasn’t a major feature. Considering Whedon is known for his sense of wit and humour I’m slightly disappointed in it. Having seen the first two seasons of Buffy recently I would consider one of its best features is the level of humour. I know this is a different show, but it’s based on a comic book. I’m afraid that it will take itself too seriously. The tone of the show is like the MCU but it seems very serious. When I watch something on television I want to have fun and laughing is a part of that. I hope this is stepped up and that we see something different, after all Avengers and Iron Man are the most successful in the MCU and that is due to, in a small part, to the humour.
Story Arc and The Superhero element
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| The show has struck the right balance so far. |
It’s only two episodes in so it’s hard to see any major arcs developing at the moment. Seeds of story arcs have been planted with Skye’s past and involvement in the Rising Tide movement. This is bubbling under the surface and the end of episode two seems to bare this out as being one of the major arcs in the series. Coulson’s story is also one of the mysteries of the series. “He must never know” how he came back. This is obviously going to be a big reveal during the season. At the moment it’s nice to see that the season is going somewhere but we don’t need to be too concerned of it at the moment but we can keep it in mind for the season
I think the writers have handled the superhero aspect well at the moment. It’s good to see that the team have a function outside just dealing with heroes and that has been evident in episode two. From the evidence so far it seems that whatever fears I may have had about this, the writers will find a happy balance and that is something that will make me happy anyway.
Link to the MCU
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| Links to the MCU have been subtle |
This has been done really well so far and has been done in the way I hoped they would too. The references are small, infrequent but they are there all the same. I’m not going to mention all of them as I’m sure there are people who haven’t seen the episodes yet and I don’t want to spoil anything. One thing I did like was the cameo at the end of episode two.
This has really given me hope for the rest of the series and makes me believe that there will be more of these links to the MCU. It also allows the fans to see the wider connection to Marvel universe and keep the excitement at fever pitch when the movies are coming out.
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| Toy Avengers, ASSEMBLE! |
To be honest I’m excited by where the series is going and where it can go. Some of the points I touched on before the series have been addressed and in the way I hoped too. It’s early doors yet but I am hopeful and enjoying the series at the moment. Anyone who likes Marvel’s Movie Universe I think this series is for them. They won’t be disappointed.
Terminator Salvation: Time to Review?
With Alan Taylor the director of THOR: THE DARK WORLD has been named to reboot The TERMINATOR series Patrick looks back at TERMINATOR: SALVATION and points out that some fandom sectors may have missed something.
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| Alan Taylor: set to direct next Terminator Movie |
Warning: Possible Spoilers
There have been many movies in recent times that have been given a great deal of criticism when it comes to blockbusters, Terminator Salvation has shifted a great deal. Salvation gained notoriety because of Christian Bale’s, now infamous, outburst on set. What happened afterwards was that a perfectly decent Action/Thriller was cast by the way side and left in the shadow of the incident. This article is going to look at the movie and make the case that Terminator Salvation is not only a decent action movie but one that should be reassessed.
The Franchise Effect.
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| Arnie in T2 |
Many movies have suffered what I would call the franchise effect. Salvation is one such movie. Much like Prometheus, Salvation was killed by its predecessors. Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day are classics and without doubt the best example of the on-the-run, on-the-edge-of-your-seat, white knuckle rides that have probably ever been put on screen. Honestly it wasn’t until The Dark Knight that I can say that I have seen any movie that can match Judgement Day for intensity. Unfortunately for Salvation this was always going to be tough to follow and like Prometheus the weight of the franchise can be seen to a certain degree on the film. Like Prometheus and the Alien movies, the last of the series did not live up to the standard set by those before it. Rise of the Machines definitely showed that the Terminator franchise had lost its way; the evidence of this is in Salvation, with none of the cast from that movie returning to for the movie. It seemed that studio executives and fans wanted to erase any existence of the film and start a new. There was huge hope and hype surrounding Salvation, as there is with all blockbusters now, but this was seen as something special. This was going to put Terminator back on track and there was talks that this was going to kick start the resurgence of the franchise. This was going to be the first of three new movies and would have fans flocking to get back to the multiplexes. But why was there all this hope? The main reason was the set up of the movie: the aftermath of Judgement Day was going to be realised for the first time on screen. This was going to be an all out war movie. Fans had always wanted to see this and this gave them hope of something fresh and interesting for them to latch on to. The fact that McG was directing as well was also a plus of sorts. He’s a director with visual flare and can handle the large scale action and special effects. Another plus was that Christian Bale was going to portray John Connor, the leader in the war against the machines. This was the actor who helped resurrect Batman and made it believable. This was an actor who had the credentials and the experience to carry this kind of movie.
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| McG on set of Terminator Salvation |
Along with this Bale was to be surrounded by indie actors who would compliment the history of the Terminator Franchise, a franchise known for making stars out of their actors. It’s funny that this can be explained after watching the movie but the fact that Salvation, again like other disappointing franchise instalments, tries so hard to associate it’s self with what has gone before means that it suffers because of it. Salvation in many ways is completely different from the other movies. This is definitely seen in the storyline of the movie.
Story.
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| Bale in action |
In Salvation, Judgement Day has happened. The Resistance is trying to take on the machines in what seems to be a losing war. In the other movies they were always trying to stop this from happening. This made the earlier instalments a race against time/ chase movie compared to the all out action movie Salvation is. This is what made the chase movie so compelling. Would they get there in time to stop it? What this is replaced with in Salvation is the chase to save Kyle Reese, Connor’s father. There are a few problems with this however. It brings to light the complexity and the sheer daftness of Connor’s existence in the first place. The fact the other movies didn’t focus on this meant that the audience wouldn’t question it because it wasn’t a focal point of the story. This means that it is very hard to really get an emotional footing in the story. It’s hard to root for Connor as he is saving someone for his own gain really. The fact that humanity was in danger and not just one person it was easier to root for the good guy. Here it comes off as selfish and confusing and in the end no-one really cares too much. It doesn’t help that the B story surrounding Sam Worthington’s character is quite slow and lame for the most part. This is due to the fact that Marcus has no memory for the most part. We never get the sense that his story is going anywhere until all of a sudden he becomes the focal point for the whole movie. The audience already knows that he is part machine but this isn’t revealed until three quarters through the movie to the rest of the characters.
I think if this had been revealed sooner the tension could have really boosted the story line as well. Leaving it so late means that any tension between Connor and Marcus is rushed at the end. The pacing of all this makes it even more unbelievable that Connor would then trust Marcus in his time of need.
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| Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese |
It also doesn’t help that the resistance has no direct opponent like the first three Terminator movies. Skynet as a whole is the enemy and this is hard to connect to. Skynet is faceless enemy and this makes the danger that the resistance is facing seem quite distant from the viewer. Unlike the Lord of the Rings which had Sauron as a faceless enemy, it got away because the overwhelming odds were shown to us. Salvation never shows us truly what the resistance is up against. This problem could have been rectified if there had been more fire battles on screen. I get that there are small bands of resistance fighters in small fire fights but a large scale fight would have been nice and would have given us the sense of the uphill battle that the resistance had.
Characters
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| Bale and Worthington at loggerheads |
The movie’s characters are solid but not well rounded. I always felt that Connor’s character was bound too much by his destiny. Bale moves away from Nick Stahl’s conflicted and depressed Connor to a more aggressive and hard edged version of the character. The reason for this choice was probably for to show how war has hardened Connor. This seems reasonable but it does make Connor a hard character to warm to. The fact that he risks everything to save his father (for the main reason of saving himself), makes him seem selfish.
The other main character, Marcus is well played by Sam Worthington, his only problem is that he isn’t helped by the fact that his character has no memory. This in a way allows us to see into his character as the movie progress. However this is sidetracked by the Kyle Reese story. Anton Yelchin does a good job with a very under written character of Kyle Reese. He tries to add gravity and character to Reese but he is given very little screen time to develop the character. The fact that the character is a teenager and not seen as all that important, except to Connor. Other actors like Bryce Dallas Howard are given too little screen time to really comment on their characters other than to say that they give solid performances. This is where the characters and the story fall down. The action in this movie makes up for some of its problems.
Action
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| Terminator Salvation as some good action sequences. |
Outcome
The outcome of the movie is one of indifference really for most fans. There are some good action sequences but the story itself is very undercooked. More development of the characters and a better structure of the story would help the movie no end. The reboot that Alan Taylor is scheduled to direct is has been rumoured to take place in the ‘50s which is an interesting premise. It allows for an interesting question of how to stop a machine with ‘50s technology but I think neglecting the work done in Salvation would be a miss. We finally saw the effects of Judgement Day and with some slight tweaking there is a lot that can be done in that environment. I think that the given the time to develop its own sense of where the franchise can go, change the direction slightly the Terminator franchise could work again. Neglecting Salvation, a part of the story that will inevitably have to be revisited may be a trick that the studios may be missing and one that could make it very hard to go back too.
The Spectacular Spider-Man: Episode 1 Review
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| The Spectacular Spider-Man |
Today Patrick is going to look back at the ill-fated and surprisingly good SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN Cartoon. Over the next few weeks he will look at all the episodes giving his views on them. Today he reviews episode 1 Survival Of The Fittest.
WARNING SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!
When I was small I watched the original Spider-Man cartoon. When I heard about this one I decided to check it out and see what it was like. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
The episode starts off with Peter Parker as Spider-Man after a summer fighting crime. Peter is revelling in his new found powers and manages to stop a robbery from two goons which he has done regularly over the summer. We see Spidey play and toy with them and we get that trademark Spidey wit. What Spidey doesn’t know is that he is being watched by a big bad. Cut to the opening theme tune.
It’s a strong and confident start from a show I had never heard about until recently. The show gets that you know the origin story and that we don’t want to see it from the start all over again. Spider-Man’s origin is as well known as Batman’s or Superman’s and doesn’t need to be given to us again. We get straight into the heart of the story.
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| Spidey in spectacular form. |
May and Peter have little or no money and Peter takes it upon himself to make money for his family. Peter wants this to be a year of change and when he arrives in school nothing has. We see him interact with his friends Harry and Gwen and we see him being shot down by a cheerleader and bullied by Flash Thompson and his friends. All standard Peter Parker stuff but it’s done in a great way. It touches on all the good points about Spider-Man and it does it short and snappy.
The Spider-Man of the story takes place when Adrian Toomes attacks Norman Osborn for stealing his flight tech suit idea. Toomes becomes Vulture and he and Spidey have a sky battle that eventually lead to Osborn being saved. The pace of the episode is fast and fun. The trademark humour of Spidey is never far away. Eventually the climax of the story takes place between Spidey, Vulture and the Enforcers, a group of henchmen set on Spidey from the big bad at the start of the show. Spidey of course wins this battle, with a little difficulty but we see the resourcefulness of the character and we see that despite not being the finished article Spider-Man is still an effective hero.
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| Some of the character we meet are well conceptualised |
There is another story in the mix where Peter gets an internship with Dr. Curt Connors. He and Gwen get the internship and there they meet Connors, his wife and Eddie Brock. We are let known that Brock and Peter have a strong friendship but that has been put hold since Brock has gone on to college. Peter thinks this may be his chance to earn money but his hopes are dashed as he finds out that it isn’t a paying gig.
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| Josh Keaton who voices Spider-Man |
There is a lot packed into the 20 or so minutes in this first episode but that is the brilliance of the show. It’s face and confident enough to give old fans what they want and new fans enough to go on that they won’t be lost. We get to see Peter interact with all the main characters. I think Josh Keaton is the perfect choice for Peter/Spider-Man. He balances the naivety of Peter and the confidence of Spider-Man really well. I also like that Peter is a teenage and he looks that way even. The animation style is one that I liked and I think that was one of the reasons I stated watching in the first place. I can see however why other people may not like it as much. It’s hard to tell where the story is going to go but I can see a nice story arc developing already. The other voices actors do a good job of supporting Keaton, but it’s hard to see any standouts as of yet.
All in all I fell like this is a great start and I encourage Spider-Man fans old and new to check it out if they can. I myself am looking forward to the next few episodes. All of which I will review here. As for episode 1 it’s a great start!
4/5.
Arctic Monkeys: FAVOURITE WORST NIGHTMARE
Patrick is going to take his first foray into music blogging by telling you about one of his favourite albums ARCTIC MONKEYS’ "FAVOURITE WORST NIGHTMARE”.
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| Arctic Monkeys: Favourite Worst Nightmare |
People who know me will know that I am not a fan of the “Popular” music or contemporary music. I find that the charts are now a huge blob of hip hop, rap, and dance music that make little or no sense to me. My musical kicks come from the likes of Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty or the likes. Any current bands that I would like are Two Door Cinema Club, Arcade Fire and Arctic Monkeys.
To be honest when Arctic Monkeys released Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not I didn’t like it that much. Sure I liked tracks from the album but not all of them. I thought that they were a bit brash and I foolishly thought that they were trying to copy Oasis and other bands of that nature. I look back and see that 14 year old can’t be forgiven for that silly assumption. Since then I have liked a lot of the Arctic Monkey’s songs and that can be attributed to their second album Favourite Worst Nightmare. This is an album that I sought out purposefully and it was because of the heavy airplay that the singles were getting. However it’s one of the few albums that I find that I like all the songs on it. When I listen to it there is no track that I would skip.
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| Arctic Monkeys have a fast a raw edge in this album |
What I love about the album is the fact that it’s so fast and powerful. The album is dripping with confidence. The album flies by and by the time it finishes you don’t realise that it has. The singles of the album Teddy Picker, Fluorescent Adolescent and Brianstorm, are great songs and I can see why they were picked as the forerunners for the album. They are fast and punk orientated, a suburban 15 year-old that kind of sound is something that is inspiring in a weird sort of way. This kind of music was a sort of rebellion I would think for most fans. The anarchist vibe that comes from the album with songs like This House is a Circus and D is For Dangerous, which are incredible to the all the senses. As I have gotten older though, I can really appreciate the sound of the other tracks. Slower tracks like Do Me a Favour have a level of maturity and confidence that display Alex Turner’s talent for song writing.
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| Alex Turner |
Turner’s song writing, coupled with the strong sound from the band give the album a distinctive feel and style. I’ve read articles that compare it to The Smiths (another band that I like), but I think that is a stretch to be honest. I can see that may be a certain likeness but I never really equated the too. I always felt that Arctic Monkeys have a rawer edge. The Smiths have a much more melancholic feel to their songs. Turner’s voice and songs are full of angst and anger. You get a much more feel of that younger edge compared to The Smiths deeper more philosophical outlook on things.
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| The Smiths |
I think that this album is a great introduction to punk rock or to British indie rock. Arctic Monkeys took the rock sensibilities and moved them to that punk sphere. This is one of my favourite albums and for some reasons it’s hard to explain why. Most of them are about the time that I got the album and the impression it made on me at that time. Most of all it’s because whenever I listen to it, it takes me back and in some ways that is why I like it so much: A pimpled, skinny, 15-year old who thought that listening to Arctic Monkeys made him cool. Its funny but in a way I feel like it still does and that’s why it’s one of my favourite albums.
Marvel's BLADE: Too difficult to reboot
With Marvel Studios having acquired the rights to many of its marquee characters back from other film studios, Patrick believes that out of all of them BLADE is going to be the hardest for them to reclaim and make their own.
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| Wesley Snipes as Blade |
In the past few years Marvel have managed to get back the rights to Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Punisher and Blade. This is a major accomplishment but is it also a hindrance to the studio as well. All of these movies or franchises have either produced dud movies or they are too much in the more adult sphere for the Disney/Marvel partnership to make anything out of them. The more family friendly heroes like Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, and X-Men all lie with other studios. These characters as well have spawned relatively successful runs at the box office and there popularity has not seemed to have waned at all with a reboot of The Fantastic Four in the mix, as well as The Amazing Spider-Man and X-Men: Days of Future Past looking like they will do big business again in the summer of 2014, did Marvel really gain anything from getting these properties back? It’s hard to know really. On one hand some of the movies were so poorly received by fans that fixing them could lead to huge success of Marvel outside its Avenger cycle. When I look at the properties though there is one that sticks out like a sore thumb that could be very hard to reboot; that is Blade.
Blade is after a reasonably popular and successful trilogy. The character was fairly well explored in the three movies. Having watched all of them I think that the character was shown to an interesting lead character and that he could carry a movie fairly well. Perhaps by Blade: Trinity a great of the storyline was losing steam and new ideas will definitely be needed to rejuvenate the series if Marvel is to do anything with it. It may be a good time before any of this happens however and here are some of the reasons why.
Casting
blade_1.jpg) |
| Snipes Spot on Casting |
Say what you will about Wesley Snipes, but he is Blade. When the first movie came out in 1998 he was a big enough star to headline the movie and he inhabits the role brilliantly. He has a charisma and draw to him on screen that helps the audience to enter this world of vampires and supernatural world of beasties. Snipes uses Blade in an interesting way. Blade is played as a very still, yet deadly character. He is a “Day Walker” (a vampire who can walk in the sunlight), who hunts the vampire kind with swords. Snipes somehow manages to show Blade as a conflicted character despite this stillness. He gives Blade depth by showing subtly how he struggles with his thirst for human blood. These are all things that would have to be dealt with if the franchise was to be resurrected. There is just no avoiding it. Despite the fact that by the third film, it seemed that Snipes had grown tired of the character, it’s still hard to imagine anyone else taking on the role.
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| Tyrese Gibson: Could he play Blade? |
The problem is finding a young enough actor to take on the role that they can play the character in more than one movie. The actor has to be established in order to carry the movie and of course he has to African-American or of African descant. There are a number of wonderful actors of African descant that have the capabilities to play the character but none of them would be young enough to restart and carry a franchise. To me the whole action hero actor thing isn’t a concern. Actors make transformations of extraordinary kinds all the time so that wouldn’t be a worry. Unfortunately in Hollywood
Storyline and Direction
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| Blade had lots of blood |
Everyone knows that vampires are very fashionable in Hollywood
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| Justin Lin has the visual and action flair for a project like this |
I think for a project like Blade you would have to have a strong sense of action and they would be willing to use the horror aspect to their advantage. Who would be able to do this is another question Marvel would have to answer. I think that someone like Justin Lin who is known for his stylised action and sense of fun could take the helm of this and give it the kick it needs. Having said that I doubt Lin would move away from the Fast and Furious franchise which is not only popular but doing really well at the box office too.
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| Blade in the comic book |
I have to say that I am not an avid reader of the Blade comics so I’m not hugely familiar with any of his big or popular storylines. The one thing I do know that for a movie with a character like his an R rating is nearly a necessity. This is the case with other characters too like The Punisher, and Deadpool. However studios aren’t risking it. Jeff Wadlow is trying to have an R-rated Deadpool, which has Ryan Reynolds attached, green lighted and Joe Carnahan’s passion project, a reboot of Daredevil, which he viewed as being R-rated weren’t given any chance by studios. It’s not like R-rated comic book movies aren’t successful. Kick Ass and Watchmen showed that it can be done. Heck the original Blade showed it can work. It seems that unlikely that a Disney owned company would push for this kind of thing though.
When looking at the properties that Marvel has at its disposal it’s hard to see them looking at projects that have movies out already. Marvel has established itself as fun and bright. Most of the properties returned to it have a darker edge to them. Marvel may feel that if they leave these properties and make good on others first that it will give them time to use them properly. I think that time will be needed on Blade more than any other franchise because they got it so right the first time round. After all I don’t think Marvel want to do to its superheroes what another studio did to one of its best loved characters! This is why I think Blade may be the hardest to reboot.
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| Chuck: 2007-2012 |
FANDOM HERO: Chuck Bartowski
When looking into the depths of Fandom there are a few people that stand among us as heroes. These are often fictional characters that we see being portrayed on film or television. Patrick has decided to look at one of his favourites Charles “Chuck” Bartowski from the show CHUCK.
WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD.
Being honest I haven’t seen the five and final season of Chuck so there may be gaps missing in this profile of Charles “Chuck” Bartowski. Still having seen the first four seasons I feel that I have a good enough knowledge to present him as my first FANDOM HERO.
Zachary Levi and Charles Bartwoski
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| Ace in the Pack: Zachary Levi |
Chuck is played brilliantly by Zachary Levi (Tangled). Levi is the ultimate everyman and that is the way in which he portrays Chuck as well. He uses his bumbling, oafish charm to a tee and allows us to see this normal person who has been trapped into this world of espionage. Okay, so how did that happen you might ask? Here is the necessary background.
Chuck is just a normal guy, he’s a bit of a slacker, and he was kicked out of college for allegedly cheating on a test. We find him on his birthday pining after his ex, Jill and he can’t enjoy his birthday party. We find out things are worse as Chuck has a dead end job at a superstore called the Buy More, where he is a part of the computer servicing Nerd Herd. We also find out that Chuck lives with his doctor sister and her doctor boyfriend, whom Chuck calls Captain Awesome. Sound normal so far. It is. But at the end of the night after Chuck and his best friend Morgan (a hilarious Joshua Gomez) finish playing video games into the night Chuck opens an email that lands him with a top secret government super computer in his head called the Intersect. Now the fun begins.
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| The Team: Sarah, Chuck and Casey |
Once this has happened Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski, Dexter) of the CIA and Agent Casey (Adam Baldwin of Firefly fame) from the NSA are assigned to take out Chuck and recover the Intersect. However after Chuck finds out that Sarah, who was trying to infiltrate him by asking him out on a date, isn’t in love with him and that Casey is trying to kill him, he runs. However he doesn’t get far and when he helps Walker and Casey to stop a terrorist attack using the Intersect flashes he has and his Nerd Herder skills, Walker and Casey see that there may be potential for Chuck in the field of duty, that is until the Intersect can be removed from his head.
That is the basic set up of the show and we follow Chuck, Sarah and Casey on various mission through out the series. Most of these involve adventures involve Chick getting into trouble, Sarah and Casey trying to save him, Chuck inadvertently saves the day, but only with their help, but Chuck gets the praise and a kick up the butt at the same time. And the formula works. This is due to Levi and his excellent everyman qualities. The writers have put Chuck in an awkward situation but Levi carries every ridiculous situation really well and manages to make it easy to despense the feeling of disbelief. Levi is the anchor of the show and he manages to give Chuck subtle layers. Chuck fancies Sarah but feels he is too much of a nerd to ask her out (despite the fact that their cover story for her protecting him his that they are boyfriend and girlfriend). This yearning never becomes too annoying; he manages to balance it just right. Chuck also looks out for his family and friends and he has a strong sense of loyalty, something that causes him to be put in danger most of the time. This was played out at the start and I felt that by the end of season three when his secret was revealed it would change the dynamic but writers managed to mask it again which I felt helped the show gain some of the humour it had lost.
Levi manages to keep Chuck both an interesting comedic and dramatic character, never coming down to hard on either side. This helps the show to keep the audience on track, we know the show is funny but we also get the sense that there are lives at stake too. Chuck is a passenger really for the first two seasons but that is changed in season three which helps move the show on and the character of Chuck as well. Levi takes the change of direction and uses it to his and the show’s advantage.
Other Characters.
The other characters, outside those at the Buy More are much more on the serious side. For Casey it’s all about the job protect the Intersect, although he ends up liking Chuck in the end. Sarah is much more concerned about Chuck and we see that see has feelings toward Chuck beyond that as well. The will-they-won’t-they aspect of that relationship is nicely played out and doesn’t seem dragged out for too long. It helps add tension and humour to the show. Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) and Devon (Ryan McPartlin) are Chuck’s sister and boyfriend. For the most part they are kind of a broken record, always bugging Chuck to sort out his life and move on from the Buy More. Sarah falls into this at times always on about how loyal and caring Chuck is. Its better that this isn’t reiterated every episode (which it is), because we know this about him already. This is the writers’ fault, who for the most part get it right with regard to characters and story lines. The character of Chuck will always be the saving grace and pulls you away from those annoying traits allowing for them to be passing, if albeit frequent, moments in the show.
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| Humour: The Buy More gang gives the laughs |
The Buy More characters are given much more free reign and it adds to the comedy aspect of the show immensely. Morgan, Lester (Vik Sahay), Jeff (Scott Krinsky) and “Big” Mike (Mark Christoper Lawrence) all have great fun with the characters. The writers use hilarious side by sides where the mission Chuck is on is some how replicated in the Buy More on some weird and absurd level. It adds whimsy and a level of daftness to the show that is sorely needed at times. Lester and Jeff in particular are too weird and strange characters. Watch their Jeffster music videos and you’ll see why.
Storylines
The storylines in the show are well thought out for the most part. We have individual episodes but they each have a seasonal arc/ mystery. This element of the show makes it addictive with big reveals and shocks coming from all angles at some stages. This keeps the show fresh and moving at a break neck speed. It also helps us to appreciate the quieter, more heartfelt moments in the show as well.
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| Brandon Routh on set with Zachary Levi |
The show also managed to pull some big name guest stars: Timothy Dalton, Linda Hamilton, Scott Bakula, Matt Bomer, Tony Hale, Brandon Routh, Kristin Kreuk, Jordana Brewster, Rachel Bilson, Chevy Chase, Gary Cole, Olivia Munn, and Summer Glau all had guest apperances in the show. A list like that would make any fanboy or fangirl cry with joy. In a way it shows the popularity of the show that it could attract such high profile names. I won’t go into anymore details as it may spoil some of the surprises for people who want to view the show themselves.
I think Chuck is a show that will appeal to a lot of people but it’s not for everyone. I liked it and I think the character of Chuck has a great deal to do with it. If you like action and comedy with a sprinkle of espionage and intrigue then this may be the show for you. If you stick with it through its ups and downs I think it may be because of the hero of the piece and one of my Fandom Heroes: Chuck.
Batman: The Animated Series, The Best Batman?
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| Batman: The Animated Series |
Over the summer Patrick embarked on a journey of the animated variety when he watched all 85 episodes of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. Not only was it a journey into the nostalgic but it made him conclude that this is the best portrayal of Batman we have ever seen.
Growing up in the 90’s when I would come from school I would always watch Batman: The Animated Series. My siblings and I loved it so much me bought a boxset of videos that we almost wore out from the amount of times we watched it. so when my brother and decided to watch all 25 episodes over the summer I was keen to see if my rose tinted glasses had coloured my perception with regard to the quality of the series. What I found was the opposite. After watching the series I can honestly say that I feel it is the best portrayal of the character I have seen on screen. Here I’m going to explain why.
Batman
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| Conroy does the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne |
In animation voice casting is all important. Kevin Conroy as Batman/Bruce Wayne is quite simply incredible. The way in which he can move from Batman voice to Wayne
Batman is a man of action but he is also a world class detective. This aspect of the character is not really fully explored in the movies adaptations of the character. Here it is a main focal point. Often episodes surround the fact that Batman Is looking for answers and he uses his head more often than brute strength. This is pleasing as well that the audience sees not only what a class and clever character Batman is but we also see that being smart s important and using your head is more valuable than say, Superman’s CRASH! BANG! approach to superherodom. This is also helped that we see in episodes where Batman’s history and Bruce’s different aspects of training are played out in excellent flashbacks. We see how Bruce worked toward the entity that is Batman and that he didn’t just decide to become a hero over night he worked at it. This gives him a great history and something for the audience to piece together along the way too.
Bruce Wayne is an important aspect to Batman as well. After all he is the alter ego of Batman. The writers strike a great balance between the two sides of the character which can be tricky thing to achieve. The two characters are played much like Clark Kent and Superman in the Richard Donner Superman of the ‘70’s. It makes it plausible that people wouldn’t suspect Wayne
We all know that the death of Bruce’s parents are his raison d’etre for becoming Batman but what keeps him going out fighting crime? This is the question that the writers ask over the course of the series. For me it was great to see that despite it being an animation they wanted to tackle issues in an adult way and things weren’t completely diluted for the younger audience. It’s answered in a multifaceted way really. We see this in the first episode with the Scarecrow and we see the answer in many of the episodes that flashback onto Bruce’s past. We also see it in the way he deals with certain bad guys too.
Batman and his relationship with his allies
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| Trusted: Alfred Pennyworth |
To see Batman fully we have to see the way in which we relates to his allies. This is handled really well. None of the relationships are one dimensional. One of the key relationships is of course his relationship with trusty butler Alfred. We see many layers to this relationship. Firstly we see the working relationship between the two. This is played out in many scenes where Alfred and Batman work in the Batcave together to solve crimes. We also see the fatherly relationship between Alfred and Bruce. Alfred is always looking out for Bruce’s welfare. Lastly we see the respect that Batman has for Alfred, this most evident in The Unicorn and the Lion Episode.
Batman’s relationship with Robin is well written as well. I fell this is due to the way Robin is written in the show. He is more than a side kick. Yes, Batman can do more than Robin but for the most part they are equals. The two-parter Robin’s Reckoning we see the levels in this relationship too. The father-son aspect but the brotherly relationship that is there too. It was interesting to see how Bruce was reluctant to allow Dick join him on the path of vengeance. Again it added a subtle but nice note to the characters.
Batman and Jim Gordon’s relationship is perhaps the only one that isn’t fully developed as others. We see him work well with Gordon and we see that they have a mutual respect for each other, but most interactions end in Batman leaving before Jim ends his sentence leaving Jim wondering where he went. Still that joke never grows old.
The Rogue Gallery
Batman like his other superhero’s in the union, are nothing without their rouge gallery. Batman has an extensive rogue gallery and I’m not going to torture you with a reflection on Batman’s relationship with each one, but I will touch on some of them.
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| Some of the best adaptions of villains are in this series |
The main ones that struck a chord with me are Two Face, Clayface and Mr. Freeze. All of these stories have an element of tragedy and this is never down played for the fact that this is animation. In fact I feel it’s enhanced by it. The use of music helps build the epic nature of Batman and the gad guys but I feel it’s at it’s strongest in these tragic episodes for some reason. What these episodes and characters do is show us that much like Batman was shaped by his own tragedy so were these and most of the villains, (some are just crazy too though, which is also fun). What helps in this regard is that we see that Batman knows this and in a way blames himself, adding to the reasons for why he dons the cape and cowl. It also allows for an interesting dynamic between Batman and his rogue gallery.
The Joker is voiced by Mark Hamill and is Batman’s quintessential bad guy. Hamill plays the Joker with the right balance of clownery and sinister verve that make him a great foil for Conroy’s Batman. I would go into more detail about Hamill’s Joker but I think this video will show just how right he and the writers get the character.
Writing and Production
The writing and the production of the show is on an epic scale. It strikes the perfect balance between adult and child’s show, between light and dark. There was a great deal of humour in the show that I had forgotten about and was a pleasant surprise to pick up on it again as an adult. I really appreciated the great animation and the epic scoring of the show as well. Shirley Walker’s layered musical themes added extra gravitas to the show and I was honestly humming most of the tunes for the best part of two weeks afterwards.
When I look back Batman: The Animated Series is perhaps what began my love of all things Fandom and for that I thank it, the quality of the show is shown in the way it stands the test of time.
My top 10 episodes for those interested in viewing them are (in no particular order):
- The Joker’s Favour.
- Feat of Clay parts 1 and 2.
- Two Face parts 1 and 2.
- Almost Got ‘Im.
- Beware of Gray Ghost.
- Mad as a Hatter.
- Nothing to Fear.
- Night of the Ninja.
- Trial.
- The Lion and the Unicorn.
High Fidelity: The best representation of Fandom?
Patrick has been intently thinking about what it means to be part of the weird and wonderful world of Fandom and has come to one defining (in his opinion anyway) truth. That the movie adaption of HIGH FIDELITY is the best on screen representation of the Fanboy or Fangirl there has ever been.
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| High Fidelity (2000) |
WARNING: SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, I hold my hands up and I’ll confess. High Fidelity is my favourite movie of all time and I could spend the whole of this article explaining why but that isn’t why I’m here. The movie adaption of the book of the same name by Nick Hornby (which I have read and is equally as brilliant, but I want to focus on the movie), is the best representation of what I means to be a Fanboy or Fangirl that has ever been put on screen.
Hornby as a writer has tackled the obsessive-ness of the male psyche extremely well in the book (did something similar in Fever Pitch), so to have that same trait realised on screen is a masterstroke from both star and writer John Cusack and from director Stephen Frears.
To the untrained eye it may seem like a movie about a guy trying to win back his ex, but it is a great window for people to see into the lives of a member of Fandom.
Character Traits
Most members of Fandom share common traits. These can be listed as the following
- An obsessive love of something seemingly unimportant.
- A stubbornness and unwillingness to acknowledge other people’s points of view on said obsessive love.
- Immerse themselves in their love, e.g. taking a job that allows them to think of nothing else.
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| Rob (John Cusack) and the gang debating Musical topics |
- Hatred of anything mainstream or that will affect their love and make it go mainstream.
- Think of everything is affected because of said love.
Rob Gordon (John Cusack) ticks all these boxes:
- Obsessed with music.
- We see him fighting and unwilling to compromise his view on music even when his “friends” Barry and dick are arguing with him.
- Rob works in and owns a store called Championship Vinyl. Rob, however unwillingly, has surrounded himself with his one and only interest, music.
- Rob hates the musical mainstream. Evidence is seen when he exclaims: “Is that Peter fucking Frampton” as he hears Marie De Salle singing. He also complains to his ex Laura, about how she has changed “clothes, and hair and jobs”. Her response being “I couldn’t go to work with pink hair Rob”.
- Rob poses the question at the beginning of the movie: “Am I miserable because I listen to Pop music? Or do I listen to pop music because I’m miserable?”. Rob feels like everything comes back to music and that is the way he lives his life.
Why Rob is the perfect incarnation of fandom?
There are a number of reasons for this:
- First of all he has an easily accessible obsession: Music. Everyone loves music and therefore that love of music is easy to connect to. Unlike maybe fantasy writing or weird television, everyone loves music and has a taste in music. Not everyone reads or watches strange TV. Plus Music is on the cool end of the geek spectrum.
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| Barry (Jack Black) the militant side of Fandom realised. |
- He has a dead end job, making it easy for him to be invested in his love of music. Plus he works with “the musical moron twins” in Dick and Barry, who are equally strict in their fandom. Barry (played by Jack Black) is of the more militant variety; where as Dick (played by Todd Louiso) is much more moderate and a retiring wallflower of a musical geek. The scenes of them in the shop arguing and talking about music are both hilarious and intriguing.
- Rob is endlessly ranking things. This is a trait that all fandom members have. “I think this is better that this” and so forth. Flame wars were started by people like Rob. His utter self confidence reeks of fandom. Example: He puts the Three EPs by The Beta Band on in the shop and when a customer says “this is good”, his response is “I know.” Utter confidence, pure reaction of a member of fandom.
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| Rob and Barry together in the store |
- Rob becomes infatuated with Marie De Salle, a night club singer. It doesn’t matter that she has no real fame or notoriety for singing other than in clubs but that doesn’t matter to Rob, he just loves that she is in on the creative side of what he loves. All members of fandom live on these fantasies, hell it’s these fantasies that fuel fandom.
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| Rob speaks an universal Fandom Truth. |
- Rob thinks like people from fandom: “A long time ago Barry, Dick and I came to one universal truth: it’s what you like, not what you are like. Books, films, music, these things matter. Call me shallow, it’s the fucking truth.” That is what being a fanboy or fangirl is in a nutshell, loving all these things and being unapologetic about that love.
Conclusion
There are lots of things that show Rob off in a bad light in the movie and the book but that is what makes him human and more realistic. He is the ultimate representation of what it means to be a pop culture geek. Watch or read High Fidelity, if something doesn't resonate with you then you obviously aren't a fandom member.
MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D
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| Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Highly Anticipated |
With Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D about to hit the small screens by the end of the week, Patrick gives us an insight into what he wants to see from the one of the newest and most anticipated Fandom shows this year.
WARNING: MILD BUFFY AND FIREFLY SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!
The golden era of television is apparently upon us and that sentiment can certainly ring true for members of the geek fandom with huge variety and choice for all geeks. One show that will certainly be on most of those fanboy and fangirl’s chart is Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This blog entry is going to outline what I would like to see from the show before it airs.
Strong Characters
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| Ensemble: Which characters will be fans' favourites? |
As we know from Joss Whedon he does ensemble extremely well. Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Avengers Assemble are all indications of this. He handles group dynamics pretty well. Every group member has their own characteristics and they come to the fore now and again. I feel it’s important for the balance to be right in a show like this.
The fact that this is an agency of secret agents means, for me anyway, that they should all be strong characters. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be wrong in situations or back down from things at times, but I feel for this series to work we have to see each character showing a strong-willed-ness (is that a word? Probably not. Apologies) in the series.
I don’t know how much Agent Coulson is going to be used but I feel that they have to have a foil for him. Coulson calling the shots all the time will become boring after a while if the others don’t step at times and show their value in situations. I have a good feeling that this won’t happen as over the course of the series I can see the other characters taking centre stage at one time or another, after it’s called Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and not the Agent Coulson Show. Plus Whedon and his team have handled this well with Giles as the authority figure in Buffy.
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| Coulson: The main man? |
My worry is that there will be a wallflower character as seems to be a trait in Whedon’s rag tag teams. In Buffy (which I have started watching from the start recently and haven’t finished yet so don’t judge anything to harshly about what I say about it yet) Willow has for the four seasons I’ve watched been a painstaking (pun intended) shy and retiring type, coming out of her shell only once and a while so far to perform spells. Heck even Xander throws himself into the action, which inevitably gets him hurt sure, but that sense of leap before you look shows you how brilliant Buffy is at “slayage” and provide the audience with action and humour.
In Firefly for the most part Simon is the wallflower, stumbling over his words when he talks to Kaylee and doesn’t know what to do expect hide at time of crisis. Okay, I know he can’t be centre stage as he and River are technically fugitives, but he could still make some leap into action at points during that lone season of Firefly.
In essence this is what I mean by strong characters; that each character has their strengths and weakness and that they aren’t apologetic about any of them.
Humour
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| Xander Harris: Master of "quippage" |
Whedon and the team of writers he has worked with over the years have produced great humour in their shows. Having seen Firefly and over half of Buffy now, it shows that humour is essential to a show that has characters fighting for their lives every week. The audience wants to have fun when they tune in and hopefully that is what we will get.
I think the Avegers: Assemble showed that the humour of Whedon translates seamlessly into the comic book domain and this will help the popularity of the show I have no doubt. Having regular witty and comedic intervals with character like Xander (Buffy) and Wash
Story arc
Firefly had River’s mystery (explained in Serenity); Buffy had the rise of the Master, the Mayor’s Ascension etc, as story arcs and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D will need the same. This may lead to a big bad of some kind, what kind I’m not sure. Most likely one that will be capable of being taken down by the S.H.I.E.L.D agents themselves or else Superheroes will be needed and unless they introduce ones in the show, which is possible but I doubt they will introduce any big name heroes on TV, which will mean conspiracy of some kind. I think this will work well and I hope that will be the road they take the show down. Introducing a mystery like River’s could help to keep the intrigue and help keep interest going from week to week.
Play down the Superhero element
I know the Superhero element of the show is a huge thing, but I feel that this has to be its own animal in way. Yes, the superhero element can be in the majority of the episodes but I think seeing the agents deal with super powered villains/events would be much more interesting than them finding and recruiting superheroes. Again, the title suggests that this may be the case but we will have to wait and see if it will remain the case. A reason I feel that the superhero element needs to be played down is that special effects on TV don’t always look the best. One of Buffy’s strongest suits was the use of practical effects and I hope that this is a trait that is continued in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, however I don’t know if this will happen but this is only a small thing too. Overall I have a preference for practical effects but special effects would not be a deal breaker either.
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| Phase 2 of MCU |
Link it the MCU
I think linking the show to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) will happen but I hope it is in a subtle way rather than an obvious way. Throw away links like “We have a situation arising in London ” (linking it to Thor: The Dark World) or “We dealt with something similar in Malibu New York
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| Agent 13: Could VanCamp make an appearance? |
It would also be nice to see the show’s big storyline impact on the cinematic universe too, again even if it is in just a throw away manner. As for cameos from big name players, I think Mark Ruffalo is the most likely of the MCU to make an appearance or maybe Don Cheadle’s Rhodey or Kat Dennings’ Darcy could make an appearance too. Future MCU stars like Anthony Mackie and Emily VanCamp (who we know is playing Agent 13 in Captain America: Winter Solider) are possiblitues as well. However I don’t think the success or the less likely failure of the show will be down to the number of cameos or lack of cameos in the show from their bigger cinematic brothers.
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| Don't Touch Lola! |
I have high hopes for this show and I hope that they will hit me with a few surprises too. At the end of the day that is what makes good television.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. starts on RTÉ on Sunday at 9.00pm and on Channel 4 on Friday at 8.00pm
PROMETHEUS AND BLADE RUNNER: A COMPARISON
It may seem strange to draw comparisons between Sir Ridley Scott’s latest Blockbuster and his 1982 Neo-Noir, Sci-fi classic, especially when Prometheus is linked to another Scott classic Alien, but if we look closely the comparisons are there.
Hype.
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| Alien: Scott's most revered movies |
It’s ironic but both films, Prometheus and Blade Runner, suffered from the hype from Scott’s 1979 classic Alien. Here was a movie that announced Scott’s auteur status as a director and hence created and huge sense of anticipation around any of projects he is involved in since.
In the summer of ’82 Blade Runner was released amongst huge hype as Scott was returning the sci-fi genre he had so successfully handled a few years previously. What was lost in the hype was the fact that Blade Runner was a different type of sci-fi movie altogether. It was also probably the first of its kind: a Neo-Noir, Sci-fi drama. This was probably why Blade Runner’s commercial success and critical acclaim came years later. Blade Runner was probably the first underground or cult classic ever as it created a huge dedicated, albeit small, fan base. The hype around Blade Runner was that it was going to be a continuation of Scott’s sci-fi vision, one that was very different from any other directors at the time working with the genre (Lucas, Spielberg, etc.), and it had Harrison Ford as it’s star. Ford’s work on Star Wars and Indiana Jones had fuelled his image as an all-action, devil-may-care, honourable hero, which is somewhat dismantled in Blade Runner, (shooting Zhora in the back, being saved by Rachel when he is attacked by Leon). Therefore the hype around Blade Runner at the time seems somewhat justified as it has been with Prometheus.
The hype surrounding and overshadowing Prometheus is the same. This would be Scott’s glorious return to the genre he “redefined”, as one teaser trailer for the trailer (yes, marketing has reached a new low) boldly put it. The pressure on Scott to deliver then was quite similar with Prometheus. The link with Alien was one that was being discussed ever since the project was announced. Was this a prequel? Was this a movie that was just set in the same universe as Alien or would the events in this movie have an impact on what happened in Alien? These questions were never really answered as well as I would have liked, even after seeing the movie I felt there were more questions about the link between the two. The link between the two films was being talked about so much that I expected a huge reveal or some sort of precursor, but nothing really jumped out at me from Prometheus. Hence the hype about it being an Alien-esque movie could have sent people in the wrong direction about the movie.
Another aspect was that in some ways the hype for Prometheus was self-inflicted. At every opportunity there was talk about Alien and how the movies were linked, this was almost used to get seats into multiplexes. There was also a huge viral campaign that accompanied Prometheus, along with numerous trailers, each revealing a little bit more hence justifying the increasing number of trailers being released. These were all used to maximum effect to keep the appetite for information among fan boys and fan girls up.
Like the Blade Runner the cast that Scott had assembled meant there was also added hype. Ford, of course was a major box office draw before Blade Runner came out. This allowed Scott to assemble a cast of character actors to flesh the other characters out. This is done similarly with Prometheus. The major cast members are Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender. Rapace and Theron seem to fit the Alien Universe. Both women have a reputation for playing strong characters, both physically and mentally (Rapace most notably in the Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Theron in Monster). Therefore the link of strong women within this universe was not going to be broken, fuelling speculation that Rapace’s Dr. Elizabeth Shaw was going to be the next Ripley. This of course helped kept the levels of hype as high as possible. Fassbender has rightfully won acclaim for daring and demanding roles and excelling in these roles which helped to give Prometheus an aura of blockbuster, but allowing people to see that with an actor of Fassbender’s credentials on board the story would also be impressive. With big names like this on board it again allowed Scott more to cast indie actors or relatively unknown actors in the other roles – Guy Pearce and Idris Elba being the prime examples (indie in the sense that these actors may not be well know to a great of movie going populace). This was also done in Blade Runner with Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos, Sean Young and Daryl Hannah rounding off the cast.
It is clear that the element of hype was is one of the major factors that can be compared when looking at the two movies but all that happens before the movies were released, what about the movies themselves? Well there are clear comparisons that can be drawn there too.
Visuals.
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| Visual aspects of both films are extraordinary |
Obviously Prometheus greatly benefits from the technological advances, something that can’t be held against Blade Runner, whose own visual style is rightfully praised as mesmerising. However in both movies there is a strong visual presence. In Prometheus it’s the scale of the visuals that we see. The huge waterfalls, the huge Head inside the crypt, Prometheus, the ship itself is huge, etc. are all used to show the scale of what is facing the main characters. In Blade Runner the visual impact is the same. By swapping scale for intensity the same strong visual display is on show. The perpetual night and rain of Los Angeles
The visuals in both movies are not entirely similar granted, but the visual nature of the stories can’t be underestimated. Scott has created the world and he wants to show you it. That may mean looking around this odd alien planet or it may mean walking the damp and dirty streets of Los Angeles
Storyline.
Prometheus and Blade Runner at their most basic level have two very different stories. One is about exploring an alien planet, the other about chasing down and retiring Replicants. However, if we scratch the surface of both we can see a very similar thread through each. This is a thread of existentialism running through them both.
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| David searches for meaning in life |
Prometheus’ existential message is more overtly stated then that of Blade Runner. The exposition that the team go on is on the basis that these doctors want to find out where humans come from and why these other beings “created” us. This message is of course continually stated to us throughout the movie. Shaw and Peter Weyland (played by Guy Pearce) are especially fascinated with what the discovery of this size could mean.
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| Batty: Has very human questions |
Blade Runner’s existential message is much more confined to the subtext. Roy Batty is the character who fuels this side of the story. He too is on a quest to see his maker (literally) in Tyrell. He wants to know why he was made and if he can be given prolonged life. Much like Weyland when he goes to meet the Space Jockey, he gets David to ask him for more life. Then of course the scenes turn violent in both. The Space Jockey attacks and kills those around him, while Batty kills Tyrell when he is told his life can’t be prolonged.
Both movies ponder the question about Life and Death and what does it truly mean to either live or die. Blade Runner perhaps meets this challenge better as it is left to the audience to ask these questions. In Prometheus these questions are expressed by the characters themselves meaning that the audience can sometimes feel as though they are being told what they should be thinking about rather than them coming to those conclusions themselves.
This sense of questioning reality and spiritualism is relevant to both. What most likely hinders Prometheus is that none of this type of material was discussed in the other Alien movies. Therefore it can be hard to equate Prometheus with the franchise it was supposedly linked to. There is a sense that both movies are focusing on what Paul M. Sammon said in the Dangerous Days documentary “Blade Runner, ultimately is about the spiritual.” The same can be said in many respects about Prometheus.
Main Characters.
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| Shaw: survived against great odds |
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| Deckard: Hero out of his depth? |
Shaw in Prometheus and Deckard in Blade Runner have very similar characteristics. Both are very vulnerable at times and at other times show great bravery. The best example of this is in Prometheus where Shaw has the climatic fight against the Space Jockey is very similar to the sense of dread and terror that the audience can feel when Batty chases Deckard at the end of Blade Runner. Both characters in many ways follow a similar path in their respective films. Both characters are shown to be human (in Deckard’s case possibly “human”) but also heroic in a human way. Neither are all out action heroes, but they do show an amazing turns of heroism. In many respects both displays of heroism are very human and realistic ones.
Another aspect that resides in both characters is that they are both influenced by those around them. Shaw is influenced by Charlie, David and Vickers to the extent that she takes serious risks (taking her helmet off, going to see the Space Jockey after major surgery). Deckard for his part is influenced by Rachel and the Police to take a job that he didn’t want in the first place. Also at the end of the Final Cut Deckard sees Gaff’s origami unicorn figure. This leaves us wondering is Deckard as independent of others as we thought?
Both Shaw and Deckard have this amazing drive to get the job done and to get their answers. This is the driving force behind the movies and because of this the two movies are similar in relation to their main characters impact on the stories.
After Release.
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It’s fair to say that the critical reaction to Prometheus has been patchy. Many either saw great things or didn’t get as much out of it as they expected. The same can be said about Blade Runner when it was released back in ’82. People were expecting a completely different animal to what they got in both cases.
The parallels between both are quite numerous. I think that for the most part both films have a lot to recommend them. In Prometheus’ case they can only hope to have the same cult following Blade Runner has obtained, which knowing the type of film it is may very well happen. In my opinion the fact that Prometheus was not marketed as a stand alone movie, setting up possibly its own franchise actually may have worked against it. Making a pseudo-Alien prequel didn’t really help Prometheus when you take into account that it has a very different feel and air about it. Blade Runner was the same, it was a very different Sci-fi film and this was a reason for its lack of success after its release.
Many may think that the links here are manufactured or that I’m seeing things that aren’t there but I think that there are real comparisons between the two and that this article will make you think a little deeper about it at least.
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