Tuesday 31 December 2013

2013's Top Highlights

I'd first like to say that 2013 was an awesome year with it's ups far outweighed its downs. Initially, I was supposed to make a best and worst list movies released in 2013, but since some movies that are released in 2013 in the US are gonna show in 2014 here in Bahrain, so I'm probably gonna release a best and worst list by mid-January.

But worry not, the following is a list of 13 personal and entertainment's best highlights of 2013:

13) Iron Man 3's twist. We both know that this was the last thing on our mind when we entered the theater, I won't spoil it for you in case you haven't watched the movie yet (although if you didn't, you gotta get your shit straight man!), but it made me scream "What the Fuck!" in the cinema.

Yes, It involved him.


12) Captain Phillips' Ending. I'm telling you, those 6-7 minutes in the end are good enough to grab Tom Hanks a third Academy Award.

Yeah, that's definitely an Oscar that I see.


11) Ben Affleck cast as Batman in upcoming Man Of Steel Sequel. This has to be one of the most disappointing decisions ever made, ever! Don't get me wrong, Ben is an exceptional actor and an even more exceptional director, but I just can't imagine him as batman; I don't think he can pull it off. In my mind Bruce Wayne/Batman will always be Christian Bale.


Yep, that's more like it.

10) GTA V. Do I even need to elaborate on this one?

Game of the Decade? Maybe 
9) Last Vegas Ensemble. Last Vegas was an extremely predictable and mediocre movie for me, but seeing Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Kline all in one movie was an unforgettable experience. The satisfaction I got from seeing these 4 superb talents all in one film doing what they do best was mind blowing.  

Cheers!
8) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. You all know how much I loved this movie, despite its ending which was a complete pisser, I adore this movie so much that it had to be included on this list. 

Legendary.

7) The Great Gatsby parties. The Great Gatsby was not one of the best movie I saw in 2013, in fact, I don't even like it that much. It's deviation from the source material, Tobey Maguire, and the overall feel of the movie did not impress me. But the parties, my god, I loved the over-the-topness of them, they are exactly the way I imagined them when I read the book. 
Exaggerated goodness 


 6) Metallica: Through The Never. Master of Puppets, And Justice For All, Creeping Death, and Hit the Lights all live in 3D, need I say more?

MASTER! MASTER!
5) My Metallica collection is complete. December 20th, 2013 was the day I completed my Metallica collection FINALLY, as you may or may not know, I've been a HUGE fan of the band since god knows when! And to have all their albums here with me is just *sniff* sensational. 

Doesn't that look sexy?

4) My discovery of TipsyBartender. I absolutely love this channel on YouTube, ever since I discovered it I was hooked, my favorite channel on YouTube by far. Cheers Tipsy!! 



3) Jean Claude Van Damme's Epic Split. Just watch the video, you'll understand why this is the most epic things that happened this year. Badassery level: 1000000000000000000.


2) SENIOR YEAR BABY!! Yep, I'm finally graduating after all these year of blood, sweat, and tears. So far I'm enjoying every single moment of it, and I think it'll continue this in 2014 :D.

And NUMBER ONE IS.....

1) Breaking Bad. The rise and fall of a king, the end of a masterpiece, but the memory remains! I started watching Breaking Bad in the summer of 2013, and I was so hooked to it that I got up to season 5 in one week. To this day, I can't stop talking about it, such a legendary show that won my heart. Breaking Bad is the best thing that happened to me this year, and I will continue to love the show forever! Now, Say My Name.....
All Hail The King!

Finally, I would like to thank all my readers, friends, and family for their undying support and encouraged me to continue writing on this blog despite my lack of motivation. Happy New Year to all of my dear readers; party hard, live life to the fullest, and be safe.


Ahmed Almatrook 

Monday 16 December 2013

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

I've waited a year, a whole year to watch this movie, I expected great things from it, and oh boy did it deliver. It surpassed my expectations, the wait is finally over and the reward was incredible. I just got back from watching The Desolation of Smaug like an hour ago, and I couldn't stop talking about it, it's actually one of the best films I've watched this year. It takes off directly-ish after the events of the first movie and it continues the story of Bilbo Baggins and his Dwarve companions' quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug. 

The movie was 2 hours and 40 minutes long, but I was so engaged and absorbed in the movie that I actually forgot about time itself! I did not want it to end. I felt like I was in another world, it was that amazing. I could not take my eyes off the screen, I was hooked, filled with suspense and excitement at every scene.  It was definitely better than the first movie, but that's not a bad thing to say, that gives us a good sign of things to come with the third installation. 

As usual, the visuals in the movie were beyond epic, I still can't comprehend the fact that there are locations like this on our planet. The action scenes were fast paced, intense, and satisfying. The CGI was extremely convincing. And Smaug! Smaug was fantastic! Just the way I imagined him to be from the way he looks to the way he speaks and moves.  We also see returning characters such as Legolas from the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, oh and even Gimli gets mentioned!! Oh damn I forgot to mention, Sauron (Not the eye of Sauron, but Sauron himself) has a cameo, which just puts the icing on the cake really!!  It was a really satisfying movie, but the ending was kind of a pisser, you'll know what I'm talking about when you watch it. (Fuckin' Cliffhangers)


Smaug, the greatest dragon I've see in a movie
If I could summarise The Desolation of Smaug in one sentence, it would be something like: "A brilliant combination of romance, action, suspense, horror, and comedy all tied together with brilliant acting, amazing directing and execution, engaging storyline, and a wonderful cast." And don't forget that the book was a little over 300 pages long, and director Peter Jackson managed to stretch that into three movies, now that takes skill and a lot of imagination. Kudos Sir Peter!

Is it better than the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, to be honest, with the direction it's going and with my expectations, I think it's gonna be really close. I won't even complain about the run time because I was so wrapped up in it that It didn't feel like 2 hours and 40 minutes passed. I urge everyone who enjoys movies to watch The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug right now! Would I ever recommend a bad movie to you guys? NEVER! (get the reference all you Metallica fans out there) 



Sauron's cameo, best cameo of 2013



"I am fire...I am Death"



Ahmed Almatrook