The GREAT actor IAN HOLM has died aged 88 – what a wonderful, versatile performer Ian was – his roles such as Ash in ALIEN, Sam in CHARIOTS OF FIRE and Bilbo Baggins in THE LORD OF THE RINGS are all memorable, some are disturbing but all are pure cinema – he is an incredible actor to watch and truly one of the great actors of our time RIP
Each year it gets more difficult to name the Top Movies of the year and this year has been the toughest I can remember – having seen hundreds of films in 2013 to finally narrow it down to just 13 was a mammoth task – below I have posted absolutebadasses Top 13 Movies of 2013…. Enjoy!
No. 13 and strangely enough it was also released on Friday 13th is INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2 one of the best Horror Sequels in recent years from Horror Maestro James Wan
No. 12 is the Science Fiction Blockbuster ELYSIUM a popcorn munching, thrill ride from one hell of a director and a cast that includes Damon, Foster, Copley and Fichtner
No. 11 is the visually beautiful THE GREAT GATSBY that is given the Baz Luhrmann treatment, with a sparkling cast that is complimented with one of the best Movie Soundtracks of the year
No. 10 is Jeff Nichols’ underrated beauty MUD a film full of majestic cinematography, a wonderful story and an incredible gutsy performance from Texan Matthew McConaughey
No. 9 is Chan-wook Park’s creepy English movie debut STOKER that was written for the screen by Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller and stars Mia Wasikowska & Nicole Kidman
No. 8 is Ben Stiller’s movie remake of THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY the movie is simply the most touching & inspiring film of the year that will make you cry with laughter and leave you bouncing inside
No. 7 is the breathtaking GRAVITY that has to be seen in 3D and on the big screen, the film is directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón and stars Sandra Bullock & George Clooney
No. 6 is Marc Forster’s Zombie flick WORLD WAR Z it’s a hard hitting, fast paced action horror that delivers big time with it’s scares and overall execution – these Zombies makes those from The Walking Dead look like pussies
No. 5 is ONLY GOD FORGIVES an unbelievably atmospheric thriller, with sumptuous use of color, a haunting soundtrack & it’s directed by that Danish mind twister Nicolas Winding Refn
No. 4 is the tense, edge of the seat thriller PRISONERS that left me exhausted and needing a manicure – the film stars Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal
No. 3 is one of Ron Howard’s finest movies to date RUSH you can almost smell the burning rubber of Hunt’s Mclaren in this incredible cinematic experience based on the formula one rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda
No. 2 returns us to Middle Earth in the second part of Peter Jackson’s majestic Hobbit trilogy in THE HOBBIT : THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG the movie is visually stunning and with it’s 3D element you’re drawn into the world of Tolkien like never before
No. 1 and the Best Movie of 2013 is Guillermo del Toro‘s PACIFIC RIM – it’s one of the most exhilarating, jaw dropping and immensely fun movies for many a year – hats off to Guillermo, I was expecting another Transformers rip-off movie instead I was just blown away – you get so immersed in the action of this scifi flick that it feels like your operating one of those monstrous Jaegers yourself – huge thumbs up and can’t wait for Guillermo to helm a sequel….
THE HOBBIT : THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG – (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★½
Cast – Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Lee Pace, Evangeline Lilly and Orlando Bloom – from Peter Jackson the director of The Lord of the Rings comes the second part to his Hobbit trilogy – Bilbo, Thorin and company must first encounter the perils that lay in wait in the darkness of Mirkwood Forest and the human settlement of Lake-town, before continuing on their quest towards the Lonely Mountain that’s filled with Gold, Jewels and a sleeping Dragon VERDICT being a huge Tolkien fan and having read The Hobbit many times since childhood I must confess to originally being quite annoyed at Peter Jackson’s decision to not only incorporate a new character Tauriel (Lilly) into Tolkien’s world but also to include The Lord of the Rings veteran Legolas (Bloom) who never appeared in the novel – but why should I have doubted Peter Jackson & his writer Fran Walsh who have both proved themselves masters of Middle Earth? These inclusions not only allow the story to be fleshed out a little but their presence adds to some of the most breathtaking action scenes we have seen in Middle Earth, Tauriel and Legolas leading the charge against The Spiders of Mirkwood and the battles with their sworn enemies the Orcs is fantastic and so much fun to watch – also the unlikely and potentially frowned upon friendship between the Elf Tauriel and Kili the Dwarf is an engaging, quite touching at times sub plot, that adds to an already engrossing story – overall The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug is a truly amazing spectacle and one of the very best movies of 2013 – the scenes with Gandalf at the ruins of Dol Guldur, the capture by the Mirkwood Forest Spiders and of course the impressive Smaug (possibly the best movie Dragon ever) are hugely impressive, the film’s 3D adds so much depth to these scenes that you find yourself being submerged into that world as if you too are part of the action – there’s also some real convincing performances on show including Lee Pace’s Elven King Thranduil and Luke Evan’s Bard the Bowman both adding some steel and a great deal of quality to an already fabulous cast – the movie contains so many great scenes but my favorite has to be when the Dwarves escape the Elven kingdom in empty wine barrels, floating down the river whilst being attacked by rampaging Orcs – it’s just sublime! – The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug is another example of the greatness of Peter Jackson – not many living filmmakers have that cinematic wow factor but Jackson has it in spades, this film is an epic of our time and I’m already shaking with excitement counting down the days to The Hobbit: There and Back Again the final chapter that lands late next year….
Here’s some new character posters for Peter Jackson’s THE HOBBIT : The Desolation of Smaug – the movie open’s mid December….
The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug (2013) – Movie Banners
Here’s four magnificent movie banners to whet your appetite!
Listening to that drooling Howard Shore soundbite and picturing them rolling hills of the shire and Middle Earth has got me all excited – Peter Jackson’s continuation of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit lands this December!
absolutebadasses 