My all time favorite game trailers

Trailers are becoming a huge part of the entertainment industry, I remember a decade ago we had to download these trailers to watch them and now Gametrailers.com is dead because YouTube and other streaming services are making it impossible for them to compete, YouTube made things so quick and fast and trailers are becoming an essential tool to the success of every product. recently after watching Batman V Superman I realized that the trailers pretty much ruined it for me unlike what happened with Star Wars that I avoided all trailers for and walked in fresh proved to be a much better experience so I decided to not watch trailers anymore, at least for things that I am aware of and anticipating already and I decided to make this list of my all time favorite video game trailers

Honorable Mention 1 : E3 2004 The Legend Of Zelda Twilight Princess reveal
while technically not the best trailer because it was just an announcement of the game that most studios do it in a tweet now days, the reaction to the trailer is one of the best moments in gaming history, I still get goosebumps whenever I watch it.

Honorable mention 2 : Resident Evil 4 scrapped version trailer
Back in 2004 I was a massive Resident Evil fan, it was my favorite game series and I spend most of my time collecting Jill Valentine fan art on Japanese forums, yes I was a very awkward teenager. The RE4 Scrapped version trailer is not particularly good or captivating but it haunted me through for years till I got my hands on the final game…..and hated it!

Honorable Mention 3 : No Man’s Sky reveal trailer
during the 2013 game awards Hello Games’s Space simulator was announced and the trailer took the world by storm, in matter of hours everyone was talking about it, I woke up in the middle of the night from the text messages that I got about this game and I was blown away, having said that the concept of this game is what intrigued me and most people and not that trailer therefor it gets an honorable mention.

#5 : E3 2008 Fallout 3 Gameplay trailer 
when I first heard about Fallout 3 I was a little bit disappointed, Bethesda is one of my top favorite game studios and after spending over 300 hours in Oblivion I really wanted the next Elder Scrolls game, but when I saw this trailer I was sold on Fallout 3 I loved everything about it, from the song to the graphics and the direction Bethesda was taking.

#4 : Borderlands 2 Doomsday trailer

Borderlands was a very surprise hit for me, it was one of the earliest Shooter Looters I played of course now the market is full of those back in 2012 I was waiting for Borderlands 2 like the way my dog waits for his food, I wasn’t barking but I did end up watching that trailer till I fell asleep the night it came out and I still use that music as my ring tone.

#3 : Dishonored gameplay trailer

There is a lot that I didn’t love about Dishonored but that trailer sold me on the game, it show cases the game’s world and the gameplay very well which were the high points of the game, I really wish they do a better job with Dishonored 2.

#2 : Portal 2 Reveal trailer 

Portal 2 is one of my all time favorite games, I loved the first portal but everyone who played it felt like it was just a prototype of a game that is waiting to be made and that game was Portal 2, this 58 second trailer is still one of the best things I have seen during an E3 presentation.

#1 : Mass Effect 2 Launch trailer

What can I tell you about this trailer? how about the fact that I still watch it from time to time I love it THAT much, everything is working for it the amazing music, the beautiful game and the powerful voice acting, and it was for one of the best action RPGs ever made which is why it is topping my list.

There are many other trailers that could have made it to this list, but these came to my mind when I was writing it, I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

 

 

Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice (Review)

Warning : Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen the movie please don’t continue reading this.

Batman v Super : Dawn of Justice is directed by Zack Snyder stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavil and Jesse Eisenberg and it is the 2nd movie in the DC Cinematic Universe following the 2013 Man of Steele which is supposed to kick off the DC Cinematic Universe that will rival Marvel’s, As a big DC guy I was very pumped for this movie , and while I write this I haven’t read any other review about this movie to keep my mind off other people’s opinions, with that said I really didn’t like this movie I thought it failed on so many levels, but first let me talk about the things I liked about it.

first of all it is very pretty to look at, great CGI work and masterful action sequences as it is expected from a movie this size, Ben Affleck is a great choice for Bruce Wayne/Batman he did a great job portraying the character, Henry Cavil is also a great choice for Superman I even liked him in Man of Steele, Gal Gadot is fantastic as Wonder Woman I am very excited to see Wonder Woman on screen like this I thought it was fantastic, and that is pretty much about it, the rest of this movie fails.

First of all lets talk about Batman, I understand that this is not the young idealistic Bruce Wayne who wants to be a symbol for good and intimidate evil by fear, but when did Batman became a mass murderer? when did he cross that line? most of the first part of the movie is about people asking superman to answer for killing a bunch of terrorists in a desert yet they forget to question Batman for basically gunning down henchmen, the beauty of Batman was his strong will to not break his rule but in this movie he breaks it without even thinking about it, in the comics he has done it before I know he has broken his rule but there was always reason or explanation to it, he never just gunned down people, what is the difference between him and The Punisher now? BooHoo big bad batty got his side kick killed now he wants everyone dead? if he is able to do so then I am sure the stand alone Batman movie will be very short : Joker escapes Batman nukes him down and boom end of movie.

Now to Lex Luthor and Doomsday, I thought they were both very poorly handled, especially Doomsday he was just an abomination not a creature made by on Krypton that even they couldn’t handle. Lex Luthor is supposed to be a sinister menace not a crazy nut job but here he was, I did like Eisenberg’s performance but  he really think he should have kept his character a bit more grounded and not just a nutjob, furthermore why didn’t Batman kill him in the prison? he is killing people right? why not just murder him in cold blood right there?

Honestly there are so many things that is wrong with this movie and it is really worrying to think about DC Universe in the hands of Zack Snyder because that guy is the next Michel Bay, he really is and it is scary to think that he is making the Justice League movies, Marvel showed they have made the right choices with directors and actors but DC right now is struggling and I honestly blame it all on Zack Snyder, I really wish this movie would bomb so they might take Justice League from him but I have zero hopes for that. on a much hopeful note George Miller is directing a Superman movie, David Ayer’s Suicide Squad looks interesting and hopefully good, and that Ben Affleck Batman standalone might be good too so there is hope for DC yet but personally I am not going to be hyped for anything Snyder makes, ever again.

Verdict : BvS has characters that I love, played by actors that I love in a universe that I love, yet it is an awful movie with no depth and it is worrying to think this is what DC Universe is going to be build on.

The worst people to play online games with

The online gaming scene is crowded now days with games like Destiny, Diablo and The Division bringing people that weren’t even into the MMO games to it, each one of these games incorporate a matchmaking system the pin you with or against other players if you so choose, I met a lot of people during my days playing online games and without a doubt the following are the worst kind of gamers you can ever play with :

#5 The Noob Leech : he is the guy who played a lot of Call of Duty and Battlefield, has no clue how to build an RPG character or how to use a skill but his friend does and he is a good gamer who convinced him to play this game with him, and he depends on his friend for everything but also pretends he knows everything about the game too.

#4 The DJ : this asshole who never turns off the Youtube playlist that plays the trashiest songs in the background, most of the time he is high as hell so it is better to just stay away from this moron.

#3 The help-me guy : So this guy is a good gamer, he knows his way around but somehow he thinks the team is there to support him and not the other way around, he keep asking people to help him with things, even though he could totally do it on his own.

#2 The Jerk BFFs : you get match made with two guys and you realise they are friends, and they will never do anything for you. if you are down wait for the timer to finish off because Jerky McJerkface will not revive you, nothing they will just do whatever they want to do and probably mute you before the game begun.

#1 The instruction guy : This guy is the worst, you know those free to play city builder games you get an AI telling you how to use the menu for 10 minutes, this guy is like that he knows almost everything about the game and can’t stop giving you instructions whenever he feels like it, even if you are pinned down by two elites and can’t swap your skills to deal with them at that moment.

May you never run into one of those, ever.

Daredevil Season 2 (Review)

Marvel’s Netflix universe kicked off last year with Daredevil and Jessica Jones, both started off with excellent first seasons so all eyes was on The Man Without Fear’s 2nd season to see if Marvel can keep up the quality series that they introduced last year, the answer is Yes they kept it and improved upon it, but perhaps they should have kept it a little more focused.

with its second season the show introduces The Punisher and Elektra, two iconic Marvel characters. The Punisher played by Jon Bernthal starts the season off with a quest for blood and he really nails that role, we don’t get to see much of The Punisher which was a bit of a disappointment but Bernthal gave a lot of depth and dimensions to Frank Castle it is definitely the best version of the character the we have seen on screen and really one of the best casting choices I have seen in a while. and then there is Élodie Yung’s Elektra, she brings the sexy assassin to a whole new direction and her journey is definitely one that will keep you interested and look forward to the upcoming storylines. both actors gave extremely well performances and they are a very well addition to the Marvel roaster of excellent actors.

And now I am going to spend the following paragraph talking about what I didn’t like about this season, Sadly this season had some pacing and cohesiveness issues and I can’t believe I just used that word, the season has 2 main stories one with Frank and his quest for revenge and the other with Daredevil and Elektra going against The Hand both of them are very compelling but they both suffer because of the other getting in the way, the pacing get all over the place sometimes taking you right out of the action and throw you into another scene and then back again, by the end of the season I was hopping they made a stand alone Punisher series and let Daredevil and Elektra run this season alone it would have been much more focused and would have gave all the characters the time and attention they both deserve.

Verdict : With all that I said above Daredevil is still one of the best shows on right now, it is extremely well made and paves the path for the future seasons and storyline that I am very excited about

The VVitch (Review)

The Witch is the debut directorial effort of Robert Eggers, stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Ineson and it is a story of a 17th century family who get exiled from a plantation and move to near a forest. from the title you know this movie has a Witch in it and she targets this family for her witchcraft throughout the film, I won’t spoil anything but expect some super creepy moments.

The film starts off slow but that slow start builds the world in a spectacular way, mainly how religious this family is and how worried they are about the after life, Eggers successfully captures while slowly builds the world around them with a creepy moody setting that draws the audience in, right from the bat the details in the costumes and the set and the gorgeous cinematography blew me away it is obvious they put a great deal of work into it and it pays off big time.

In this day and age Horror movies rely solely on jump scares and they are getting so boring what makes The Witch different is it doesn’t even have one, the horror however comes from a creepy setting and an unknown danger that is facing this family, their superstitions and harsh life and revealing that danger through moody and beautiful imagery. while a generic horror film will cast an old man who will explain the plot to the characters and let it play out this one does the opposite, by letting the plot unravel right in front of the eyes of the audience, aside from few short moments you are never really sure if there is something supernatural at play here it could easily be nothing just the family’s own superstitions that is turning them against each other at one point I felt like nothing was real and they were just paranoid.

Verdict : go watch The Witch but don’t expect a generic Horror film, it is however a very beautiful and creepy film and it is the best horror movie I have seen since The Babadook

Inside Llewyn Davis (Review)

  
Inside Llewyn Davis is directed by The Coen Brothers and it stars Oscar Isaac as a struggling singer who is trying to go solo in the early 1960s, the film takes place in one week during the life of the singer who is despite being fiction is inspired by real life singer named Dave Van Ronk.

As a signture Coen Brothers film it is a black comedy jumping rope between real struggle of a starving artist to his journey with a cat and the significance of that cat in his path, one of the main point of attaction throught out the movie is that ginger cat which plays a role in his life he comes back to him and leaves and comes back again and his attitude toward the cat shows his groth as a character and as a human being. Without a doubt The Coens are one of the top working filmmakers right now and to some critica Inside Llewyn Davis is their best work yet topping the likes of Fargo, No Country for Old Men and True Grit while that is a bold claim it is not entirely without merit, the film succeeds in making you care and sympathies with its main character while growing him to a point of breaking, this film is something to be expirenced.

Perhaps one of the most striking aspects of the film that will draw the audience in is Bruno Delbonel’s magnificent cinematography, which he was nominated for an oscar for, rightfully so the movie is a visual treat. 

The film has some very good performances and perhaps Oscar Isaac is the one to shine here he drives the film forward with his real and beautiful portryal of the character, Carey Mulligen and John Goodman also did a fine job.

Verdict : the Coen brothers are one of the best in show business and their 2013 film is nothing short of a masterpiece.

Creed (Review)

Creed is directed by Ryan Coogler staring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone and it is a continuation of the Rocky franchise in a way that I doubt has been done before at least not on the big screen, in many ways Creed brings the iconic boxing franchise to its core which is basically about struggle and loss and overcoming obstacles, Ryan Coogler successfully takes these concepts and makes an Art house movie that is both fulfilling engaging and entertaining all in one beautiful package.

The movie stars as Apollo Creed’s troubled son played by Micheal B. Jordan who is fighting every day in his life and it does a great job building his character while and having him grow through it without going into the clichés that one would expect from a black orphan, eventually he finds his way to Philadelphia where he meets Rocky and asks him to train him to become a better fighter, the rest of the film is not what you expect to happen he doesn’t just become the world champion out of the sudden I will let you watch it yourself to understand what I mean by that, while the film’s center plot is Donny Creed’s rise it is not the only fight, the other one is even more emotional and touching and heartbreaking to watch, I really don’t want to spoil anything here but if you have seen the movie you know what I am talking about.

The fight scenes are really beautifully shot they don’t feel like movie fight scenes they feel like actual boxing kinda like Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull and David O. Russell’s The Fighter it feel like the sport which adds a lot to the realism of film especially the last fight, and the way the movie’s story goes it is making references to the other Rocky movies without relying too much on call backs like for example Jurassic World did earlier this year, I am not saying it is a bad thing but the film has to move forward and become its own beast and that is where Ryan Coogler’s work really shows and for me he is going to be one of the directors that I will keep my eye open for from now.

The performances are in two categories, the good like Michael B. Jordan who is doing a good job and everyone around him that deliver their lines and roles as well as I want them to, there is also the amazing which is for everyone’s is Sylvester Stallone, for my money he is the best supporting actor this year he should have won the oscar and he wasn’t just amazing in emotional scenes he was amazing as the coach he was amazing as the other part that I am not going to spoil (again), he really was the best actor and this proves one thing actors are only as good as the director want them to be I really wish he keeps making things like this because it is a shame to not share this talent with the rest of us.

Verdict : Creed is masterpiece well crafted by Ryan Coogler’s amazing direction and script and Sylvester Stallone’s perfect performance.

 

Carol (Review)

 

Carol was directed by Todd Haynes stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara and it is an adaptation of the 1952 Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt. the film is about an aspiring photographer (Mara) who gets into a relationship with an older woman (Blanchett) and the way most society in the early 50s dealt with a relationship like that and how it will affect their personal and troubled lives.

Todd Haynes’ direction made this period drama into a work of art, everything in the background is beautifully crafted to the early 50s and it is what drives the movie’s slow pace to be rather enjoyable. accompanied by Phyllis Nagy’s powerful screenplay that does the groundbreaking novel justice and brings these characters to life. the thing I loved the most about it is how it is so well designed to make you feel things it is not a film that shouts its plot developments but rather does it through the score the costumes and the sets it is a film that you need to watch more than once to get the full enjoyment of it which is something that I did last night…twice. to add more to the amazing creation Carter Burwell’s emotional score feels like pouring hot water over ice it is so beautiful it makes you want to stop for a second and let it pour in, on top of all this there it comes Edward Lachman’s beautiful shots on a super 16mm film to give the film a crisp texture that makes it feel like you are looking through a window into the 1950s, absolutely fantastic.

Perhaps for the leaser film buff the most shining part of the film is the performances, Cate Blanchett’s higher society member who might lose everything adds most of the tension to the story while Rooney Mara’s innocent and confused youngster makes you wonder what is she doing the whole time, their chemistry together makes their connection believable despite their difference from age background and path, which is what the story is trying to achieve successfully.

Perhaps my only issue with the film is the happy ending which I don’t think it is a problem with this particular film it is mostly a problem I have with most films in general I don’t like happy endings and all of the issues getting fixed somehow I prefer for a little bit of conflict to remain but I guess not everything has a sad crushing ending and Carol’s happy note is one of the enjoyable moments to most viewers but maybe not particularly to me.

Verdict : Todd Haynes successfully makes an adaptation of a classic novel into a masterpiece that makes the best use of its beautiful cinematography, masterful performances and heartwarming score.