The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The second installment of Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy has finally hit theaters, but does it live up to the first film?

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug picks up right where An Unexpected Journey left off: The Dwarves and Bilbo continue their quest towards Erebor to reclaim the dwarven homeland, while dark forces continue to rise in Dol Guldur, hinting at the coming evil. The Desolation of Smaug has the dwarves meeting the wood elves, some nasty spiders, and the men of Laketown, but most importantly of all, Smaug, the last dragon in Middle Earth. 

Ben Affleck Is The New Batman

When I initially heard about Warner Bros. announcement of their new choice for Batman, I was confused and unhappy, but is this really such a bad decision after all?

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.

6 Movie Pairs You Should Watch As Double-Features

Unfortunately, the double feature has become a dead art form. As movie-goer attention spans decrease, and movie running times continue to increase, double-features are no longer marketable and appealing to the majority of audiences around the country. Most recently, Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse was released as a double-feature, and Pixar's Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were shown as a special 3D double-feature in anticipation for the release of Toy Story 3. However, just because you can no longer see two films back-to-back in a movie theater doesn't mean you can't set up your own movie nights. The following pairs are films with similar themes, characters, plots or any other connection that make them work together perfectly as a double-feature.

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.

Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City

It's rare that a band is able to bring a new, unique sound to each of their albums. It is even rarer that each new, unique sound is successful. This is why Vampire Weekend are slowly becoming one of the best indie bands of all time, and their new album, Modern Vampires of the City, is possibly their best album yet.

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.

The 3 Stupidest Arguments Against Pro-Wrestling

If you're a wrestling fan like me, it might be hard to talk about your interests in front of people who don't share them. Professional wrestling has developed such a strong stigma that it can almost be considered taboo in social life. But what makes professional wrestling so socially unacceptable? These three arguments are what you'll probably hear the most from non-wrestling fans, and I'm here to show you why these views are not only incorrect, but are simply ignorant and uninformed.

Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1-4

When I first heard about the Before Watchmen series, I was skeptical to say the least. Watchmen always seemed like everything that needed to be said was said and there wasn't much more that could be expanded upon. There's always to prequels and backstories for every series, but I couldn't think of anything that could really add to the Watchmen universe by exploring the past experiences of certain characters. However, after enjoying his work on Joker and 100 Bullets, I couldn't stay away from a Brian Azzarello Rorschach story.