Tag: 2011

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Movie Review

11/11/11 (2011) Movie Review

11/11/11 – Movie Review

11/11/11 is a disturbing film about a family's encounter with a religious cult, but fails to deliver a strong impact.

First Reaction – 11/11/11 is creepy, disturbing but never hits hard enough.

Director: Keith Allan

Writer: Kiff Scholl, Keith Allan (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Jack and Melissa are frightened by their son’s bizarre and violent behavior; they soon learn that he is the gateway to the Apocalypse, and it will happen on his birthday, 11-11-11.

Runtime: 1 Hour 27 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The story begins on 11/11/11, when Jack (Briddell) and Melissa (Coker) start a new life with their son, Nat (Byerly). Jack has replaced a respected professor and is welcomed with arms wide open. However, the locals seem to know a little bit too much about their son Nat.

Once they begin to settle in, a series of strange events occur. Melissa is left on new medication, and threats come toward the family. They find themselves targeted by a religious group that believes a threat is coming.

Verdict on 11/11/11

Recap

The movie follows a family preparing to start a new life, only to discover they have been targeted by a religious cult. They must learn what is wanted if they are to protect their son, but the cult firmly believes they are right.

Best Parts

The movie has a creepy series of events occurring, which keeps us on edge. We get a cult that is determined and could bring a terrifying reality to life. Along with the consequences of what could happen if they don’t complete their mission. This combined is interesting.

Worst Parts

While the concept is interesting, the outcome doesn’t hit hard enough and leaves us with the basic haunting moments. It could hit a lot harder and we are left with more unanswered questions than answers.

Final Thoughts –11/11/11 is a creepy cult movie.

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Movie Review

Super Tanker (2011) Movie Review

Super Tanker – Movie Review

Discover the plot of Super Tanker, a thrilling disaster movie about a mission to sink a deadly cold war artifact in the ocean. Find out if they succeed!

ABC Film Challenge – Disaster Movies – S

Director: Jeffrey Scott Lando

Writer: Nate Atkins, Jeffrey Scott Lando (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A super tanker is commissioned to safely carry a deadly, and quite unstable, cold war artifact (ICE-10, an anti-matter weapon developed from fragments of a meteor), and drop it in the deepest ocean trench.

Runtime: 1 Hour 23 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Super Tanker starts when an American weapon has become unstable, they want to transport it to somewhere safe. However, the first attempt leads to disaster; the next solution is to sink it into the ocean. The problem is the mission goes wrong forcing Robert Jordan (Cross) to turn to Adam Murphy (Blue) and his team.

Adam, Morgan (Mack) and Jackie (Woo) suffered a loss on their last emergency mission. They must put that loss behind them to save the world from certain destruction.

Verdict on Super Tanker

Super Tanker is an action sci-fi thriller following an expert team trying to prevent a worldwide disaster. It involves the American military trying to sink a weapon of mass destruction, however, the mission gets complicated and starts activating with the team facing a race against time.

This movie follows the typical impending disaster movie where a team face a race against time. It has the conflict between the military minds and scientists which only creates a delay in getting the mission complete. This creates a more interesting discussion about what should be done with material from space and how it could be used for the worst in humanity.

Final Thoughts –Super Tanker is an entertaining disaster prevention movie.

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Movie Review

BloodRayne 3: The Third Reich (2011) Movie Review

BloodRayne 3: The Third Reich – ABC Film Challenge – Video Game Movies – N (Natassia Malthe) – BloodRayne 3: The Third Reich – Movie Review

BloodRayne 3: The Third Reich – ABC Film Challenge – Video Game Movies – N (Natassia Malthe) – BloodRayne 3: The Third Reich - Movie Review

Director: Uwe Boll

Writer: Michael Nachoff (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Rayne joins a resistance group to fight against the Nazis during world war two.

Runtime: 1 Hour 19 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: BloodRayne 3: The Third Reich starts when Rayne (Malthe) finds herself in Nazi Germany. She meets resistance fighters led by Nathaniel Gregor (Fletcher) after she accidentally infects a Nazi officer the Commandant (Pare). He in turn turns to his doctor (Howard) to get more soldiers with her blood.

Rayne must work with the resistance group to stop the Commandant before he makes an undead army. However, not everything is going to be that easy, as the infection has already started to spread.

Verdict on BloodRayne 3: The Third Reich

BloodRayne 3: The Third Reich is the third movie in the BloodRayne franchise. This time Rayne is in Nazi Germany taking on Nazis that have learnt about her blood. She joins forces with a resistance group in the war effort.

While this does make it more interesting, seeing the half-human, half-vampire fighting Nazis. It continues to show her fighting for good against real-life enemies. This is where things get a little strange, with the whole re-writing history, after the Billy the Kid chapter. The action is pretty routine and rarely does anything more and unfortunately, it ends with us waiting for the bigger sequence to happen. Natassia Malthe continues to be the strongest part of the movies, with her kick-ass lead performance throughout the movie.

Final Thoughts – BloodRayne 3: The Third Reich is the strongest of the three films.

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Movie Review

In the Name of the King: Two Worlds (2011) Movie Review

In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds – ABC Film Challenge – Vide Game Movies – G (Granger) – In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds – Movie Review

In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds – ABC Film Challenge – Vide Game Movies – G (Granger) – In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds - Movie Review

Director: Uwe Boll

Writer: Michael Nachoff (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: An ex-Special Forces soldier gets thrown back to medieval times to fulfill an ancient prophecy and ends up finding redemption for his own battlefield experiences.

Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds starts when ex-special forces soldier Granger (Lundgren) gets taken from present day to the kingdom. Here, Granger meets The King (Munro) who requires him to complete a quest. While Granger wants to go alone, he is ordered to have a team including Manhatten (Malthe) join him.

As Granger goes on his quest, he learns not everything is what it seems. Now, he must decide who he should be fighting for to survive and save the kingdom.

Verdict on In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds

In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds is a sequel to the fantasy adventure movie. It has no real connection to the previous movie. In this movie, we follow a soldier from modern times being transported to the kingdom to fight the latest battle.

This is a sequel that doesn’t seem to bring much to the table. It has the fantasy battles, without bringing enough new to the table. Or offer very much of the same. While Lundgren gets to have fun in the leading role, it ends up feeling flat throughout.

Final Thoughts – In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds is an uninspiring sequel.

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Movie Review

Miami Magma (2011) Movie Review

Miami Magma – ABC Film Challenge – Thriller – M – Miami Magma – Movie Review

Miami Magma

Director: Todor Chapkanov

Writer: Declan O’Brien (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Follows prodigy vulcanologist Antoinette Vitrini and her sister Emily as they attempt to blow the whistle on an illegal oil drilling scheme before it sets off the eruption of a super-volcano directly beneath Miami.

Runtime: 1 Hour 27 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Miami Magma starts when an oil rig mysteriously sinks into the ocean. Meanwhile, vulcanologist Antoinette Vitrini (Hunter) has been studying the local area with her students, including her sister Emily (Ordway). Elsewhere, Jacob Capilla (Dourif) is trying to deal with the problem and keep his company out of the negative press.

With both sides conducting their own research, disaster strikes and a dormant volcano erupts off the coast of Miami. Now Antoinette must lead an operation with the military to solve the problem before it destroys the whole city.

Verdict on Miami Magma

Miami Magma is a sci-fi thriller following an unexpected volcano eruption off the coast of Miami. What follows is a race against time to stop the disaster from turning into a catastrophe.

This does fall into everything you expect to see in a disaster movie. It has a couple of well-designed set pieces of destruction returning to when the SyFy movies we more watchable in the disaster era. However, it ends up feeling more like a knockoff of Volcano in Miami instead of an original movie. This is extremely watchable and disaster movie fans could have a good time with it.

Final Thoughts – Miami Magma is a simple fun disaster movie.

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Movie Review

Just Go With It (2011) Movie Review

Just Go With It – Movie Review

Discover the hilarious and heartwarming movie, Just Go With It. Join Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, and Nicole Kidman in this romantic comedy.

Director: Dennis Dugan (Grown Ups)

Writer: Allan Loeb, Timothy Dowling (Screenplay)

Writer: Abe Burrows, Pierre Barillet, Jean-Pierre Gredy (Stage Play)

Cast

Plot: On a weekend trip to Hawaii, a plastic surgeon convinces his loyal assistant to pose as his soon-to-be-divorced wife in order to cover up a careless lie he told to his much-younger girlfriend.

Runtime: 1 Hour 57 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Just Go With It starts when Danny (Sandler) has his heart broken on his wedding day. However, he decides to keep the wedding ring on and use it to meet women. Danny ends up becoming a plastic surgeon and using the same routine in his life.

This changes when he meets Palmer (Decker) and decides he wants something more serious. However, she discovers the wedding ring, and he must tell the story. He turns to his assistant Katherine (Aniston) to pretend to be his soon-to-be ex-wife.

Verdict on Just Got With It

Just Go With It is a romantic comedy following a womanizer plastic surgeon who needs his assistant to pretend to be his wife to get the latest woman. However, the time together sees them get closer and leaves them deciding what they want most in life.

This does fit into the typical Adam Sandler movie where he hires an attractive woman to be his love interest. It has worked for him for years and lets everyone involved have fun. However, this story feels weak and ends up falling short. It is difficult to support everything he does deceiving someone into having a relationship with him. This never feels like it should be a full story, and by the end, it doesn’t seem to get a good message over.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Just Got With It is the typical Sandler comedy, that struggles for laughs.

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Movie Review

The Innkeepers (2011) Movie Review

The Innkeepers – ABC Film Challenge – Favourites – I – The Innkeepers – Movie Review 

Innkeepers

Director: Ti West

Writer: Ti West (Screenplay)

Cast

 Plot: During the final days at the Yankee Pedlar Inn, two employees determined to reveal the hotel’s haunted past begin to experience disturbing events as old guests check in for a stay.  

Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes  

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review Story: The Innkeepers starts when Claire (Paxton) and Luke (Healy) are working their final shifts at the Yankee Pedlar Inn. They are the last two employees working over the last weekend. The hotel has two guests former star Leanne Rease-Jones (McGillis) and a mother hiding away from her husband.

Luke has been studying the paranormal activity in the hotel, which seems to catch Claire’s attention. As Claire spends more time alone at the hotel, she believes she is being visited by the ghost of Madeline O’Malley. However, she can’t record any evidence of these events. The pair decide to team up to capture evidence before the hotel closes for good.  

Verdict on The Innkeepers

The Innkeepers is a horror mystery following two employees of a hotel trying to discover the truth about a ghost story. As they dive into the history of the hotel, they find themselves getting closer than ever before. However, they are in a race against time, as the hotel is closing after this weekend.

This is a slow-burning horror that gets right into the idea of early signs of getting into paranormal investigation. It seems to focus on the pair being bored and doing it rather than wanting to do it. Everything plays out really well, as we keep everything feeling grounded never relying on cheap jump scares. Sara Paxton is wonderful in the leading role in the movie. While Pat Healy and Kelly McGillis round off the cast extremely well.  

Final Thoughts – The Innkeepers is creepy slow-burning horror.

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Movie Review

Burning Man (2011) Movie Review

Burning Man – Movie Review

Burning Man

Director: Jonathan Teplitzky

Writer: Jonathan Teplitzky (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: An English chef with a chic restaurant on Bondi Beach trying to put his life and his relationship with his son back on track while surrounded by women.

Runtime: 1 Hour 50 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Burning Man starts when chef Tom (Goode) finds his life spiralling out of control. His wife Sarah (Novakovic) gets sick and he is left to care for his son Oscar (Heanly) alone. This sees Tom sleeping with any woman he can get his hands on and showing a destructive attitude to life.

Tom gets to look back on his life and his time with his wife, as he looks to move on to his future. He finds his life becoming more complicated as the bigger problems about his future with Sarah would go.

Verdict on Burning Man

Burning Man is a romantic drama that follows a couple’s painful journey through one of their cancer sufferings. It shows how the widowed husband ends up going down a destructive spiral. The movie gets to jump between the suffering and the aftermath, showing how he wasn’t prepared for the next stage of his life.

This is a movie that jumps around a lot, this does make it difficult to keep up. With this decision it becomes messy to watch and even with the big message involved, we struggle to stay with this movie. There is a clear message about self-destruction and what death can cause to people we love.

Final Thoughts – Burning Man is a messy time-jumping movie.

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Movie Review

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011) Movie Review

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn – ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nomination – U (Unicorn) – Movie Review

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn – ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nomination – U (Unicorn) - Movie Review

Director: Steven Spielberg

Writer: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish (Screenplay)

Writer: Herge (Book)

Cast (Voice Talents)

Plot: Intrepid reporter Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock’s ancestor.

Runtime: 1 Hour 47 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn starts when young journalist Tintin discovers a secret artefact. He finds it at a small market however, it quickly draws attention. Tintin finds himself on Captain Haddock’s boat on an adventure he never planned for.

Sakharine has plans for Tintin and the treasure, sending them on a wild adventure out at sea. Can Tintin get to the treasure before the thieves? Despite facing a host of different enemies along the way.

Verdict on The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is an animated adventure movie. It brings to life the creation of Tintin as he travels the world to stay ahead of criminals. We follow the two sides needing to stay ahead of each other when dealing with a treasure hunter.

This is a fun adventure movie that brings the unlikely hero to life, along with his four-legged friend Snowy. It takes us on the type of globe-trotting adventure that works for entertainment purposes. However, the animation style is something we haven’t seen since, showing not everything around the style work.

Final Thoughts – The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is a fun adventure movie.