Trailer: BOARDWALK EMPIRE, season 2

HBO have released a great trailer for the second season of their gangster epic Boardwalk Empire, and it all looks extremely promising. I enjoyed the first season, but it seemed to lose focus in the middle-section and, at times, felt like they were telling a six-part story over an indulgent 12-hours. This trailer appears to promise more action, rivalries, crime and drama, but then again those are the kinds of things that always make it into trailers. Still, I'm optimistic Boardwalk Empire will learn from its mistakes last season, and obviously maintain its many good points--such as the wonderful performances from Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Pitt and Michael Shannon.

Boardwalk Empire is expected to return to HBO this September.

Video: 'Boardwalk Empire' VFX Breakdowns

Boardwalk Empire VFX Breakdowns of Season 1 from Brainstorm Digital on Vimeo.

My recent greenscreen post went down well, so here's another incredible special-effects showreel, brought to my attention by @TVSatelliteWeek. This four-minute video shows you how the 1920's world of Boardwalk Empire was created, using greenscreen to extend the sets they built. A word of warning: about halfway through there's footage of a significant character who joins the show mid-season, whose CGI-assisted facial disfigurement is a key part of his character's unnerving presence. You may consider those shots a spoiler if you haven't seen all of Boardwalk Empire's first season yet. It's unfortunately the preview frame Vimeo has grabbed (see above), but there's nothing I can do about that.

'Boardwalk Empire': what did you think?

Sky Atlantic launched last night, with Boardwalk Empire as its crown jewel at 9pm, followed by Blue Bloods as 10.30pm. What did you think? I don't get Sky Atlantic myself, so I can't offer my opinion on the channel, but a friend told me Boardwalk Empire was spoiled by the advert breaks. The episodes run to a full hour on HBO, so will every episode be stretched to 80-mins to accommodate ads on Sky? That doesn't sound too good! Of course, most people watching will have Sky+ so they'll probably never watch live and instead fast-forward through any commercials, so does it really matter these days?

If you have an opinion to share about Sky Atlantic or Boardwalk Empire's premiere (directed by Martin Scorsese, no less) then please do so below. I reviewed Boardwalk's pilot last year, which I thought was marvelous, but this morning's reviews from British critics are mixed. Is the problem partly the fact it was overhyped by Sky, or is Boardwalk Empire simply overrated?