A look back at 2013.

I didn’t see as many films as I would have liked to in 2013 but hopefully I’ll catch up with some of them soon.

Movie highlights included the emotional Les Miserables, best in the series Iron Man 3 and surprisingly, Jack Reacher, starring little Tom Cruise as the man mountain drifter turned vigilante from Lee Child’s novels. Comedy of the year was the hilarious We're The Millers

Les Mis star Hugh Jackman also scored with tense drama Prisoners while The Wolverine was a bit disappointing.

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug ensured the year went out on a high.

Straight–to-dvd land was very interesting with world cinema releases Jackpot, Thale and Hidden Face among the best on show. I also caught up with the unexpectedly enjoyable Battleship and was blown away by Disconnect.

Book highlights included 2 Scottish authors. Sinclair Macleod’s The Good Girl was a delight and old favourite Stuart MacBride delivered a brilliant stand alone thriller in Birthdays For The Dead. Rod Glenn brought his fantastic serial-killer trilogy to a conclusion (or did he?) with Sinema 3: The Troy Consortium and a captivating double whammy from JA Kerley saw out the year with Her Last Scream and The Killing Game, featuring Detective Carson Ryder.

Reviews for almost everything mentioned can be found elsewhere in Ric’s Reviews.

Films and books included may not have been released in 2013.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Year and remember you can follow me on Twitter @ricsreviews.

Cheers!