Sunday 19 May 2013

Top Ten Favorite Movies 2013 Edition

Below are ten of my all time favorite movies. It's very difficult to put them in order but I will try my best here. Leave the list of your top 10 movies in the comment box.

 1. Men of Honor (2001).

This movie is based on a true life story and was recommended by my dad. This movie speaks volume and  I will definitely recommend it to my kids in the near future.

This military drama is based on the true story of Carl Brashear, who was the first African-American to serve as a diver in the United States Navy. Brashear (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) was born to a poor farming family in the deep South, and joined the Navy in hopes of bettering himself. When Brashear applies for diving school, he first encounters Master Chief Billy Sunday (Robert De Niro), a gruff and tyrannical diving instructor who holds absolute sway over his charges. Sunday does little at first to encourage Brashear's ambitions, and the would-be diver discovers racism in the military is an ugly fact of life when his white comrades refuse to share barracks with him. But Brashear's courage and determination make an impression on Sunday, and the two men become allies as Brashear must fight prejudice, military bureaucracy, and even a crippling injury in order to realize his dreams. Originally announced under the title Navy Diver, Men of Honor also features Hal Holbrook, David Keith, Michael Rapaport, Charlize Theron, and Powers Boothe; Bill Cosby served as an executive producer for the project.

 

 2.Gladiator

This is a very emotional movie starring Russell Crowe as Maximus, a powerful Roman general. This movie shows how sometimes in life, you have to fight till the end, even with your last breath.

Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Before his death, the Emperor chooses Maximus to be his heir over his own son, Commodus, and a power struggle leaves Maximus and his family condemned to death. The powerful general is unable to save his family, and his loss of will allows him to get captured and put into the Gladiator games until he dies. The only desire that fuels him now is the chance to rise to the top so that he will be able to look into the eyes of the man who will feel his revenge. 

Genre:History/Action
Director:Ridley Scott
Cast:Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed


3.Blood Diamond

Leonardo DiCaprio was exceptional in this action packed movie that's based on issues surrounding trade and smuggling of diamonds out of Africa.

A story following Archer, a man tortured by his roots. With a strong survival instinct, he has made himself a key player in the business of conflict diamonds. Political unrest is rampant in Sierra Leone as people fight tooth for tooth. Upon meeting Solomon, and the beautiful Maddy, Archer's life changes forever as he is given a chance to make peace with the war around him. 

Genre:Thriller/Action
Director:Edward Zwick
Cast:Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly

4. Fast and Furious

Besides the third installment (Tokyo Drift) which was a bit disappointing, The 'Fast and Furious' film series combines humor with action which makes it stands out for me. Fast Five was amazing, Fast and Furious 6 is out of this world and I can't wait to watch the 7th installment in 2015 which will feature the transporter! (Jason Stathan).

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast of all-stars as the global blockbuster franchise built on speed races to its next continent in Fast & Furious 6. Reuniting for their most high-stakes adventure yet, fan favorites Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Elsa Pataky are joined by badass series newcomers Luke Evans and Gina Carano.

Since Dom (Diesel) and Brian's (Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin's empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete. 

Meanwhile, Hobbs (Johnson) has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind (Evans) is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (Rodriguez). The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again. 

 

 5.Dark Knight Trilogy

This is arguably one of the best action movies of the decade. I have friends that will put this as their number one. Dark Knight Rises was a very good conclusion to this award winning trilogy.

Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy concludes with this Warner Brothers release that finds The Dark Knight pitted against Bane, an unstoppable foe possessed of tremendous physical and intellectual strength. Nearly a decade after taking the fall for Harvey Dent's death and disappearing into the darkness, a fugitive Batman (Christian Bale) watches from the shadows as the Dent Act keeps the streets of Gotham City free of crime. Meanwhile, an elusive cat burglar seizes the chance to strike, and a masked anarchist plots a devastating series of attacks designed to lure Bruce Wayne out of the shadows. Determined not to abandon the people who he once risked his life to protect, The Dark Knight emerges from his self-imposed exile ready to fight. But Bane (Tom Hardy) is ready, too, and once Batman is within his grasp, he will do everything in his power to break Gotham City's shadowy savior. Oscar-winner Michael Caine and Gary Oldman return in a sequel also starring Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

6. Law Abiding Citizen

This might not be the best action movie of all time but it was a good watch. Very entertaining and will have you at the edge of your seat. 

Jamie Foxx stars as an assistant DA who finds himself at the mercy of a spiteful vigilante (Gerard Butler) hell-bent on avenging the death of his wife and daughter, whose murderers are set free due to legal loopholes. F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job) directs from a script by Frank Darabont and Kurt Wimmer.


7. Public Enemies

Like most men, his weak spot is a beautiful woman. A very good movie and outstanding performance by Johnny Depp.

Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Jason Clarke, Rory Cochran 
In the action-thriller Public Enemies, acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard in the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger (Depp)—the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoovers fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public. No one could stop Dillinger and his gang. No jail could hold him. His charm and audacious jailbreaks endeared him to almost everyone—from his girlfriend Billie Frechette to an American public who had no sympathy for the banks that had plunged the country into the Depression. But while the adventures of Dillingers gang—later including the sociopathic Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Alvin Karpis (Giovanni Ribisi)—thrilled many, Hoover (Billy Crudup) hit on the idea of exploiting the outlaws capture as a way to elevate his Bureau of Investigation into the national police force that became the FBI. He made Dillinger Americas first Public Enemy Number One and sent in Purvis, the dashing Clark Gable of the FBI. However, Dillinger and his gang outwitted and outgunned Purvis men in wild chases and shootouts. Only after importing a crew of Western ex-lawmen (newly baptized as agents) and orchestrating epic betrayals—from the infamous Lady in Red to the Chicago crime boss Frank Nitti—were Purvis, the FBI and their new crew of gunfighters able to close in on Dillinger.

 

 8. Sherlock Holmes

My type of movie! Action + Comedy? Yes please. Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law makes a good couple and they really delivered in the series of Sherlock Holmes, I'm currently reading the book (about 1500 pages) while I wait for the third installment. 

In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyles most famous characters, Sherlock Holmes sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Genre:Action and Adventure, Drama
Director:Guy Ritchie
Cast:Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly



9. Iron Man Trilogy

Another movie starring Robert Downey Jr. This man is becoming one of my favorite Hollywood actors as he makes acting look very easy. On my list, Iron Man trilogy gets the same ranking as The Avengers. Besides Fast and Furious 6, Iron Man 3 is the best movie I've seen in 2013.

Marvel's "Iron Man 3" pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?


10. The Hangover Trilogy

This is a movie that will have you laughing out loud every minute in the cinema and make you ask yourself questions like "Does what happen in Vegas really stay in Vegas"? The characters in this movie (wolf pack) are something else. They never learn and get stupid by the minute. This is a good piece of comedy and I can't wait to watch the conclusion to this trilogy next week.


This time, there's no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.

Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong and directed by Todd Phillips

Friday 10 May 2013

Sailors


I'm in love with nature and adventures, Enjoy the poem below (inspired by real life events)  and leave some feedback. ~Poetic_kelz



We were sailors driven by the wind,
Unseen yet very powerful.
With our compass, we traveled the four corners of the earth,
North, South, East and West.
We got lost so many times,
But we always got back on track.
We experienced the beauty of nature,
its ugly side too.
We conquered the 7 seas,
And overcame unforeseen threats.
We sailed through strong tides,
In the deepest waters.
We traded in Africa, Asia and America,
And dealt with pirates in the Caribbean.
We survived deadly storms,
Some of which could have taken us to the world beyond.
We were once sailors,
We rode on the 'wings' of the wind.

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