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Here’s my pick of movies I’m most looking forward to this year. Last year was mostly filled with comic book superhero movies and this year it truly hits its peak with some of the biggest superhero films ever.

5. Wrath of the Titans

Some people hated the original film, most people derided the 3D and cite this as the beginning of the end of the popularity of 3D movies, but I loved the film. It’s a shame Louis Letterier isn’t directing again, but movies with Sam Worthington riding a flying beast to save the day seem to be some of my favourites.

4. John Carter

This movie intrigues me. Why was so much money spent on this film? I’d heard of John Carter but knew little about it. To discover it is 100 years old and is the source of a lot of the science fiction ideas that we know and love makes me very interested to see what this movie is going to be like.

3. The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight was a quality film, Christopher Nolan can do little wrong – this conclusion to his Batman trilogy is going to be winner, no question.

2. The Avengers

Marvel have done a wonderful job taking control of their own properties and turning them into movies. The Avengers is the realisation of that quality. Before Iron Man came out, the thought of a movie of this scale would have been inconceivable. Having Joss Whedon directing is a fanboys delight – here’s hoping he can deliver on the hype.

1. Amazing Spider-Man

My love for Spidey remains strong despite the dreadful Raimi movies. I have high hopes that this might finally be the Spider-Man movie I’ve been waiting for.

A pretty slow paced movie, but not in a boring way. The story slowly weaves and develops nicely while an emotional drama slowly plays out. George Clooney can act – who knew?

I loved Tintin as a kid growing up, I read all the books and really enjoyed the adventures. It was a real delight to see it on the big screen. The animation is brilliant and visually it is stunning. Life like while at the same time retaining an extremely close resemblance to Herge’s original art style.

It’s a rollicking adventure with some great action set pieces. Loads of fun, this movie is a must-see for a Tintin fan and is a great film even if this is your first introduction to the character. Trust me, you’ll be hooked.

Technically I saw this movie in 2010, but it was late 2010 and actually at the time I wasn’t particularly impressed by it. I enjoyed it but wasn’t gushing about it when I got out of the theatre. That said, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Every time I walked past the IMAX I contemplated going to see the movie again, but never did. When it finally came out on Blu-ray, I snapped it up immediately. I then watched it again, and again, and again. I couldn’t stop.

I must have seen this movie 20 times at least this year, I was so absorbed by it. The spectacle more than anything else, it is a beautiful film to behold, and I have so much fun watching it. The visuals, the soundtrack, the action set pieces, the style – it’s the cool movie you kind of remember Tron as being (but actually wasn’t at all), this is THE Tron movie. It treats the legacy of Tron with respect (more than it deserves) and proceeds to blow it out of the water.

Top 5 Movies I saw in 2011:
1. Tron: Legacy
2. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
3. Source Code
4. Fast Five
5. Thor

Favourite film of 2010: Inception

Played a lot of sequels (more often than not second sequels), and generally with video games sequels turn out better than their predecessors. That was certainly the case for many of the first sequels to games that had their second sequels released in 2011, however for the most part those second sequels were unable to top their predecessors. Gears of War 3 was the notable exception where the game just got even better.

A great conclusion to the story, loads of great action set pieces, and hands down the best multiplayer experience I’ve ever had. Before I’m done with this game I suspect I will have played more of it than any other game on my consoles, it’s just that good.

Top 5 Games I played in 2011:
1. Gears of War 3
2. Saints Row: The Third
3. Uncharted 3
4. Killzone 3
5. Dead Space 2

Favourite game of 2010: Mass Effect 2