Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

With a name like Kick-Ass 2, it’s obvious that this film is a superhero sequel with some balls.

The first Kick-Ass told the story of everyday fan boy Dave Lizewski’s transformation from loser to the first real-life superhero, Kick-Ass. He meets other heroes, such as the tough-as-nails 11-year-old Hit Girl, beats up thugs, and eventually takes down a dangerous mob boss. However, as Dave’s father stresses in this new installment, in the real world, actions always come with consequences.

Chris D’Amico, son of the previously mentioned, and previously murdered mob boss, is out for revenge as the world’s first super villain. In the mean time, Hit Girl and Kick-Ass part ways, with Hit Girl attempting to live a normal life away from the mask, while Dave delves deeper into the world of caped crusaders, joining up with a team of heroes known as Justice Forever.

5 Things Audiences Do That Are Destroying Modern Movie-Going

It seems that recently, film audiences have been having a hard time enjoying films. In fact, it has even become trendy to see a new film, and immediately post to Facebook or Twitter about what you didn't like about it. 

Of course, sometimes harsh criticism is well deserved. It's not wrong to genuinely dislike a film, regardless of how popular it is or how much money it is making. However, it seems that many modern movie-goers head to the cinema with the sole purpose of picking apart a film to highlight even the most minor, trivial problems. On this list, we'll take a look at some of the worst things audiences tend to do, and why they're ruining everyone else's fun at the movies.

Only God Forgives (2013)

When his older brother is killed, Julian (Ryan Gosling), a kickboxing club owner, is sent out to seek revenge by his controlling, criminal mother. Set against a Bangkok backdrop of neon lights and bloodied fists, Only God Forgives was a change of pace for Drive's director Nicolas Winding Refn.

The Conjuring (2013)

After the groundbreaking success of Saw and Insidious, there were no doubts about how director James Wan's newest fright-fest The Conjuring would terrify and amaze horror audiences around the world. Unsurprisingly, Wan didn't fail to deliver one of the scariest films in recent years.

Pacific Rim (2013)

Where to even start when talking about this massive blockbuster? Pacific Rim begins with a brief history of the world as it is. Alien invaders have arrived, but they did not come from the stars, the creatures have opened a transdimensional rift beneath the Pacific ocean, from which giant beasts emerge to terrorize coastal cities. The humans, with no defenses left, initiate the Jaeger program; massive machines, piloted by two humans, built to defend mankind from the kaiju menace emerging from the sea. 

Before I say anything else about Pacific Rim, I must say this: You need to see this movie. 

World War Z (2013)

To be completely honest, I was skeptical to the point of almost passing over seeing World War Z. As a fan of the original novel, I knew that a big-budget adaptation starring Brad Pitt would differ greatly from the unique narrative style Max Brooks utilized in his book. Due to these preconceived notions, I didn't have very high hopes when I finally did get around to checking this zombie film out, and I found myself pleasantly surprised.

Power Rankings: Quentin Tarantino

Power Rankings is a series where I'll select a director, actor, writer, artist, etc. and rank their 5 best pieces of work. 

Tarantino is a name that has become synonymous with film. His films never fail to excite audiences around the world, and he has become one of the few filmmakers out there whose movies sell out opening weekends while remaining popular and important to the hip, overly critical crowd of internet critics and unrelenting purists. He first hit the scene with his indie hit Reservoir Dogs, followed by his magnum opus Pulp Fiction, a film so iconic and memorable that it still remains relevant 20 years later, it's poster still gracing college dorm rooms around the country. Unsurprisingly, choosing 5 pieces of work to represent Tarantino is a difficult task, so let's take a look at just what makes Tarantino so great.

Man of Steel (2013)

Despite mixed reviews from fans and critics, Man of Steel is undeniably the movie that will dominate this summer. It has already destroyed many opening weekend box office records, passing last year's The Avengers. It seems that Superman, a character gently nudged aside by Batman in recent years, may finally be back on top.

5 Reasons a Dredd 3D Sequel Must Happen

When asked about a follow up to last summer's Dredd 3D, star Karl Urban was quoted saying:

"Interestingly enough, I did have breakfast with Alex Garland this morning.  It’s not off the agenda.  Clearly everyone has woken up to the fact that an audience has found this movie and loves it.  It’s entirely possible, and if people want to see another installment then they should be vocal about that, because, it can happen.  The power of fandom can resurrect projects.  In fact, that’s what happened with Star Trek.  They weren’t going to do a third season until fans did a letter writing campaign and they continued that series."

Dredd 3D was personally my favorite movie of the year, and I enjoyed it much more than The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers, and have rewatched it many more times than either. However, Dredd did not rake in the money like these two comic book films did, so a sequel is no guarantee as of right now. So, today I'm here to show you why a Dredd 3D sequel is a must.

6 Must-See Body Horror Films

Body horror, sometimes called biological horror or venereal horror, is one of the many specialized sub-genres falling under the horror umbrella. Body horror films are described as movies including the destruction, mutilation, or mutation of the human body as a central plot idea. Destruction and mutilation may seem like an average occurrence in horror films, but body horror films tend to shy away from true antagonists, and instead pit the human body itself against the protagonist. While some of them may seem like simple gross-out films trying to get the audience to cringe, directors like David Cronenberg have used the genre to send a message or comment on society. So, here we'll take a look at some of the best body horror films out there, if your stomach can handle it.

Only God Forgives: 4 Reasons To Be Excited

Nicolas Winding Refn, director of 2011's Drive, returns in 2013 with Only God Forgives. The film will premiere at the 66th Cannes Film Festival in the upcoming weeks, and everyone is looking out for this one.

According to the official synopsis, the film stars Ryan Gosling as Julian, a Thai boxing club owner, whose business works as a front for his family's criminal activities. When his brother is killed, his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) forces him to seek out those responsible and avenge his fallen sibling. According to Refn, "[f]rom the beginning, I had the idea of a thriller produced as a western, all in the Far East, and with a modern cowboy hero."Only God Forgives will be the film to see in 2013, and here are a few reasons why.

How Iron Man 3 Could Have Successfully Launched Phase Two (But Didn't)

This past weekend, Tony Stark returned to the big screen once again to launch "Phase Two" of Marvel's incredible cinematic universe. From the trailers alone, audiences knew that this would be the best Iron Man film to date, with plenty of action and the coolest bad guy yet: The Mandarin. Iron Man 3 promised to start things with a bang, hyping up audiences for the far off Avengers 2.

Where To Next?: Scott Pilgrim

Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series is arguably the biggest indie comic from the past 10 years, and after the Edgar Wright movie starring Michael Cera came out in 2010, it has exploded into a comic and film phenomena.

Unfortunately, the series is only 6 books long, so many fans crave more once they're done. It's one question I've seen all over the internet: what comics are similar to Scott Pilgrim? or what should I read next? And, all over the internet, there doesn't seem to be a single useful answer. Sure, there are some decent suggestions that share similar ideas, but when people want more out of Scott Pilgrim, it's the feel of it they crave, not one specific theme.

So, here is a list of comics, films, TV shows and whatever else I can find that have the same charm as the Scott Pilgrim series, and that fans of the comics will likely enjoy.

7 Striking Similarities Between Skyfall and The Dark Knight & The Dark Knight Rises

By now, we've probably all heard about how director Sam Mendes was inspired by Christopher Nolan's Batman films while making Skyfall, but just how far do the similarities go?
Before we start listing them off, it should be noted that these similarities do not, by any means, take away from Skyfall, which is undeniably one of the best Bond films to date. If you haven't seen it, Skyfall is Daniel Craig's third film as the British spy James Bond, and is certainly his best. It also stars Judy Dench and Javier Bardem. This post may contain spoilers, so if you haven't seen the film, proceed with caution.
So here they are, the undeniable similarities between Skyfall and The Dark Knight.

5 Things From Patton Oswalt's Parks & Rec Filibuster That Should Actually Happen

If you've been anywhere near the internet lately, you've probably seen the video of Patton Oswalt on a new episode of Parks & Recreation pitching his idea for the new Star Wars movie in a filibuster. Nerdom all over the internet exploded over Oswalt's totally improvised pitch which includes The Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Star Wars, Clash of the Titans and the Greek gods. While a Marvel/Star Wars crossover will probably never happen on the big screen, there are some great moments in this rant that we'd all love to see make it to the new Star Wars franchise.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

If you haven't seen the previous installment in the current G.I. Joe movie series, don't rush to see the first one before you head to the movies for Retaliation. This film barely connects to the previous one, and greatly improves on it in every way. You also shouldn't stay away from this movie just because you don't have an extensive knowledge of the series. This movie is perfect for the hardcore fan and the casual viewer.

5 Reasons Star Trek Is Better Than Star Wars

There's no denying that this is the biggest rivalry in the entire world of science-fiction. While I don't see why a television show is always compared to a series of films, I've decided to give both arguments of this decade-long debate a shot. For the 5 Reasons Star Wars Is Better Than Star Trek, click here.

5 Reasons Star Wars Is Better Than Star Trek

There's no denying that this is the biggest rivalry in the entire world of science-fiction. While I don't see why a television show is constantly compared to a series of films, I've decided to give both arguments of this decade-long debate a shot. For the 5 Reasons Star Trek Is Better Than Star Wars, click here.

Power Rankings: Neil Gaiman

Power Rankings is a series where I'll select a director, actor, writer, artist, etc. and rank their 5 best pieces of work. 

It's hard to put a label on the genre or style of Neil Gaiman's work. Whether it be a novel, lengthy comic book series or two-part Batman story, there is always something about it that makes it uniquely Gaiman in structure and content. Growing up in UK as a part of a Scientologist family, Gaiman was part of the "British invasion" of comics which included Grant Morrison and Jamie Delano. In the 90's, Gaiman also took a swing at the world of fiction, where he was a huge success once again. Here we'll take a look at Gaiman's 5 best pieces of work, whether they be comics or books.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Sneak Preview

For those fans of The Hobbit who purchased the film on Blu-Ray/DVD this past week, Peter Jackson held an exclusive, live streaming event to talk about the next film in the trilogy: The Desolation of Smaug.