The most controversial movie moments of 2013

Falling foul of censors and an actor daring to wear a cowl are just some of the "crimes" perpetrated by Hollywood this year. Here's the list of the movie stories and moments which made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2013.

Batfleck
Everyone knows comic book fans are sensitive souls, but no-one could have quite anticipated the outpouring of hatred that greeted the news Ben Affleck would be taking over as the Caped Crusader in ‘Man Of Steel’ sequel ‘Batman Vs. Superman’ (working title). Affleck went on talk shows demonstrating his baffled amusement whilst the Twittersphere went ballistic.

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Despite his Oscar and creative resurgence in ‘The Town’ and ‘Argo’, some people have clearly not forgiven the poor lamb for that whole Bennifer/’Gigli’ stuff. Plus there was Marvel’s misfire ‘Daredevil’, but you can hardly lay all the blame on Ben for that.

Nymphomaniac posters

A two-part five-hour treatise into sex addiction starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Shia Labeouf may not sound like a whole lot of fun, but thanks to director Lars Von Trier, ‘Nymphomaniac’ has become one of the most anticipated movies of next year. Excitement was fuelled with talk of “proper” actors partaking in hardcore sex, claims which have subsequently been denied. But provocateur Von Trier has continued the controversy by releasing NSFW footage on YouTube and a series of posters featuring stars like Stellan Skarsgard and Uma Thurman demonstrating their best, er, O faces. You naughty boy, Lars.

The end of Man Of Steel (SPOILERS)
It’s those fanboys again, who complained a bit redundantly once they’d seen Zack Synder’s take on Clark Kent. No, they didn’t care about the running time, or indeed that there wasn’t all that much of Kent wearing his spandex undies. No, it was the fact that Supes killed General Zod during the finale of the film. “But Superman isn’t a murderer!” they cried. Writer David S Goyer told a BAFTA audience that the filmmakers wanted to, “put the character in an impossible position and make an impossible choice.” What’s more, he added, you’ll see the consequences of his decision in the next film when he’s fighting Batman (see above).

Jim Carrey biting the hand that feeds
Carrey going dark is always a treat (‘The Cable Guy’ is worth a rewatch) so his role as a gung-ho vigilante in the ultra-violent sequel to ‘Kick-Ass’ seemed like a slam dunk. Of course, the filmmakers weren’t expecting Jim’s subsequent Tweets and refusal to participate in the movie’s promotion.

[The worst movie dialogue of 2013]

“I did Kickass a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence,” he wrote on his feed, adding to his increasing public announcements in favour of US gun control. ‘Kick-Ass’ creator Mark Millar thanked the star for giving the film tons of free publicity, though it didn’t much help its box office performance.

Ender’s Game derailed by author
A super-expensive sci-fi film based on a hit young adult book. Harrison Ford. Two ingredients Summit Entertainment hoped would make for a teen smash. But not even the most savvy of flaks could have foreseen the behaviour of the original novel’s author Orson Scott Card. The sexagenarian writer went off in a blog post, comparing Obama to Hitler, suggesting the President was cultivating a civilian army and criticizing same-sex marriage. The film did its best to separate itself from the controversy, but boycotts still took place. The result was middling box office returns, damaging Summit’s hope for a franchise.

Blue Not Necessarily The Warmest Colour
After it won awards in Cannes, everyone wanted to congratulate actresses Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux, as well as their writer/director Abdellatif Kechiche on their explicit, emotional achievement. But in the ensuing publicity junkets, it didn’t appear as though the stars felt the same joie de vivre towards their overseer. In an interview with The Daily Beast, they complained about taking ten days to shoot the infamous ten-minute love scene, that they were made to actually hit each other on set and that Kechiche would frequently fly into a rage with them. When asked if they would ever work with him again, both said no. Kechiche responded by suggesting they were being ungrateful. With accusations continuing to bat back and forth in the wake of the film’s general release, it’s too soon to say whether it will help or hinder the movie’s further award chances.

You can watch the previously banned trailer for Lars von Trier's 'Nymphomaniac', below.