Archive for the ‘Adventure’ Category

Review:     5 Stars     Rated:     PG

It’s only a dream if you wake up from it

Plot: Inception is a 2010 American science fiction action film written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, and Cillian Murphy.  The film, essentially a caper movie, centers on Dom Cobb, a thief who enters the dreams of others to obtain/steel information that is otherwise inaccessible. His abilities have cost him his family and his nationality.

Cobb finds himself desperately seeking a way home until he is finally giving the opportunity by a wealthy and powerful man known as Saito (Ken Watanabe).  Instead of steeling information Saito wants Cobb to plant a destructive idea that will cause his victim to tear his business empire down.

Did It Suck? Not since The Matrix movies (1 and 2) has a film satisfied my craving for a good Sci-Fi action thriller like Inception.  Christopher Nolan apparently spent ten years writing his screenplay for Inception and in my opinion, it really shows. By the end of the movie my brain was still buzzing trying to process  everything that I had finished watching.  The trailers do no justice  for this movie;  they plant an idea in your mind to tease you but leave no suggestion as to what it’s really about.  Amazingly, with how deep and complex this film is,  it was still somewhat easy to follow.  I’m also happy to say I can’t think of anything bad to say about this film which now leads me to the final sentence.  I will definitely see this movie again and it is Most Definitely Worth A Ticket.

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- Dan Kersey

Review:     4 Stars     Rated     PG

- Dan Kersey

Review:  1 Star     Reated:     PG

Plot: The Last Airbender is an American adventure fantasy film.  The film stars Noah Ringer as Aang and also stars Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, and Dev Patel.  One hundred years ago, a twelve-year-old Airbender named Aang learns he is the new Avatar, the last of his kind.  He is the only person in his generation capable of controlling and manipulating all four elements to his will and the one tasked with maintaining peace between the four nations of the world who are at war.  His task is to bring peace back to the world.

Did It Suck? I was hoping that this movie was not going to be as bad as all the critics were making it out to be; they were right. This movie sucked on all levels of the suck scale. There were very few parts I liked in this film, at the moment I can’t think of any.  Most of the movie was action-less with very bad dialog, making you think, did the director even watch the scenes after each take?  Kids 12 and under may find this movie entertaining, but for the rest of us it is a very disappointing movie that had incredible potential. Don’t Bother with this one.

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- Dan Kersey

Review:  2.5 Stars     Rated: 14-A

When the dead start talking you know that Jonah Hex is close by or making a big mess somewhere.

Plot: Jonah Hex is a 2010 American post-Civil War antihero Western film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Under Warner Bros., the film is directed by Jimmy Hayward and stars Josh Brolinas the title character, Jonah Hex, and also stars John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender, and Megan Fox.  During the American Civil War, Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) fought on the side of the Confederacy until betraying his commanding officer, Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich) to save a hospital and killing Turnbull’s son in the process.  A vengeful Turnbull and his right-hand man, Burke (Michael Fassbender), burn down Jonah’s house with his wife and son still inside.  Jonah Hex is left with a disfigured face and a half dead soul.

Did It Suck? Okay, yes, this was a horrible, cheesy, badly directed film with a story that leaves you going, huh?  But …. it was still entertaining enough that  I still enjoyed  it.  I will say for sure that this is defiantly a Wait For The DVD film.  I’m also going to say that anyone around 20 and under will probably like this film just for the big explosions and Megan Fox.  Who BTW was constantly filmed under a soft-light/filtered lens, that was so obvious,  it was laughable.  I’m not exactly sure why I like this movie because there was not a lot to like;  in fact it really underachieved almost every aspect.  The acting was okay, the try-hard comedy was bad, but the pace of the film was good and kept my interest enough to enjoy it even amongst its downfalls.

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- Dan Kersey

Review:     4 Stars     Rated:     PG

Covering how the A-team originally met, the mission that got them arrested, their escape from prison, and subsequent attempt to clear their names this movie has it all.  The cast includes Liam Neeson (Hannibal), Bradley Cooper (Face), Quinton Jackson (B.A.) and Sharlto Copley (Murdock).

Plot: The movie starts a few years before the fateful mission that saw the team imprisoned for a crime they did not commit, and shows how they came to be The A-Team.  Following a mission into Baghdad (not Vietnam, the times they have a-changed) they are framed for a theft, imprisoned, escape, and then try to track down the people that framed them to earn their freedom.  This is the essence of the original series and is captured well in the movie.

Did It Suck? From start to finish the movie doesn’t let you down, and has bangs, booms, thrills, spills, and even a whole lot of laughs.  I had not expected the movie to contain humour at all, but it was there throughout, and blended in perfectly with the action.  Each of the main cast members played their parts well and were spot on in filling the roles of Hannibal, Face, B.A., and Murdock.  I can’t think of anything really negative to say about this movie, which is pretty odd, usually something detracts, but this one was just great.  The only real different between this movie and the series; people die!  In my opinion, this is definitely Worth a Ticket to see the action on the big screen.

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- Andy Hughes

Review:    2.5 Stars     Rated:    PG

Sometimes the man you’ve been waiting for to step into your life can make things more complicated then your parents.

Plot: Killers is a 2010 action comedy film starring Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Tom Selleck, and Catherine O’Hara.  After a break-up with a spontaneous boyfriend, an overly cautious Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl) travels to Nice France with her parents (Tom Selleck, and Catherine O’Hara) where she meets Spencer (Ashton Kutcher).  Spencer, after meeting Jen, decides to leave his job as a hired killer for a secret government agency.  Three years later Spencer’s old boss contacts him, as only spy’s do, and then bullets start to fly.

Did It Suck? Not a great movie but not horrible either.  The chemistry between Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher was more-less, for a lack of a better word, okay.  Though it was still good enough to make me smile or chuckle throughout the movie.   By far this is a date movie and both guys and girls will probably like it as just that.   It’s a cute and funny movie even though the story is ridiculous and has endless holes and things just happen without regard to why.  Over all I liked this movie because it was fun and I also didn’t feel too bad paying for the ticket, however, as I mentioned this is primarily a date movie so for the rest;  Wait For The DVD.

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- Dan Kersey

Review:     3.5 Stars     Rated:     18-A

The music industry is slow but one music company has an idea to get them back on track.  Get Him to the Greek is a fun ride along side a rock stars trip from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’

Plot: Get Him to the Greek is a 2010 American comedy film written and directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand.  Get Him to the Greek is a spin-off sequel of Stoller’s 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, reuniting director Stoller with stars Hill and Brand. Brand reprises his role as character Aldous Snow from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, while Hill plays an entirely new character. The film also stars Elisabeth Moss, Rose Byrne, and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) is a driven, idealistic young college graduate who works as an intern at Pinnacle Records.  He has been given a big assignment and it is turning out to be a little more than what Aaron anticipated.

Did It Suck? What I liked the most about the movie was the concept or premise of the comedy.  Sometimes the best person to direct a film is the writer; case in point.  The comedy in this movie is neatly wrapped around the the story and the film doesn’t need to try hard to get a laugh.  This was a funny movie but I will give  this small warning;  the humor is directed around a lot of drinking, drugs, sex, and f-bomb conversations.  Excellent acting by both Jonah Hill and Russell Brand who had great chemistry together and pulled off a fun film to watch.  Worth A Ticket.

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- Dan Kersey

Review:   3.5     Stars     Rated:     PG

If you take;  Aladdin and Indiana Jones, some Tomb Raider, National Treasure and lots of  Parkour, mix them together you’d get Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

Plot: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a 2010 fantasy–adventure film written by Jordan Mechner, Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard; directed by Mike Newell and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.  The film is loosely based on the 2003 video game of the same name, developed and released by Ubisoft Montreal.

We follow Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), a street urchin in the Persian Empire in the sixth century.  After standing up to some royal guards, he is adopted by the king as his third son.  The two older brothers are Tus (Richard Coyle) and Garsiv (Toby Kebbell).  He grows up as part of the royal family and then finds himself on an adventure like no other… (more here)

Did It Suck? I really liked this movie despite all the negative reviews.  This is a fun movie with lots of action, sword play, and Parkour.  The acting was generally good throughout, though some of the dialog might have been a little goofy.  It was a little tiresome watching the constant lovey-dovey eyes between the two main characters and some of the the comedy relief  was really not needed.  Overall this was a good movie and probably the best movie yet that has been based on a video game; definitely Worth a Ticket.

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- Dan Kersey

Review:     3 Stars     Rated:     G

It’s a deal of a life time for Shrek and he’s going to take a trip back to when an Ogre can be an Ogre. Shrek Forever After casting voices include:  Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and Antonio Banderas

Plot: After challenging an evil dragon, rescuing a beautiful princess and saving your in—laws’ kingdom, what’s an ogre to do? Well, if you’re Shrek, you suddenly wind up a domesticated family man…  (more here)

Did It Suck? Not my favorite Shrek by far.  Shrek 4 does have some good laughs as to be expected, however, being the last movie in the series I was hoping for a better send-off.  This is a good family movie and most Shrek fans will want to see this film.  This movie in 3D is nothing special and ads nothing more than the price of the ticket.  Wait For The DVD.

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- Dan Kersey

Review:     4 Stars     Rated:     PG

Iron Man is back in this highly anticipated sequel.  Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke and Gwyneth Paltrow star in Iron Man 2

Plot: It is the sequel to 2008′s Iron Man, and the second film in the planned trilogy, all of which are, or will be, directed by Jon Favreau.  The first Iron Man finished off with Stark (Robert Downey Jr) revealing his identity as the “Iron Man”.  Currently… Stark is now resisting calls by the United States Government to hand over the technology. The Villain Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) has duplicated the technology and has built weapons of his own.

Did It Suck? Back in 2008 Iron Man set the bar for Super Hero movies.  Iron Man 2 is fantastic and is an excellent follow-up to the first movie, however, it still sits in the shadow of the first one.  Iron Man 2 is a fast paced action adventure Super Hero flick that never lets up, at all.   The movie is like the Energizer Bunny, it never stops moving, the film keeps you from wanting a bathroom break because you just might miss something.

Iron Man 2 is more story then action, however, it never gets dull.  I would have liked to have seen the movie spread out a little better with more action sequences.   I also felt there were a few stupid director decisions  in some of the scenes but they didn’t take away from the movie as a whole.  Over all it was a very good sequel and a most excellent movie.   Worth a Ticket in my book.

- Dan Kersey

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Review:     3 Stars   Rated:     PG-13

It’s Round 2 for Zeus, Hades, and of course The Kraken! Join the fight against the gods in Clash of the Titans.

Plot: A Demigod, mortal son of the god Zeus, embarks on a perilous journey to stop Hades, the god of the underworld,  and his minions from spreading evil to Earth.  Perseus, one man destined to fight against the gods.  Director: Louis Leterrier Actors: Sam Worthington (Avatar 2009), Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Alexa Davalos.

Did It Suck? Aficionados of the original 1981 movie shouldn’t be too disappointed by this update. The plot is very close to the original, with a few changes, but overall if you know the first movie you’ll be able to follow this one and know what is coming next.  I did find the hops between the different segments of the quest to be quite abrupt in that you’d have a ‘big’ scene, then a short bit of travelling, then the next ‘big’ scene.  This made the movie not quite as fluid as I would have liked.

The fight sequences were good, but way too short, and there were not enough of them.  The movie would definitely have been better if they had drawn it out longer or had paced it out so you got more story from it.  The effects were OK, but nothing special for this day and age; however, I like to think that Ray would have approved.  I quite liked the acting by the major players as they seemed to have more feeling for their characters than is evident in other movies recently viewed by Did It Suck.  Overall this was an enjoyable movie, but not spectacular and not as good as I hoped from the hype.

Final thoughts:  I saw it in 3D but this added nothing at all and I would strongly suggest saving the extra few dollars and sticking to 2D.  This movie is Mostly Worth a Ticket for the fantasy enthusiasts.  But still not worth the 3D price.

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-Andy Hughes

Review:     4.5 Stars     Rated:     G

Saddle up for a fantastic ride that will take you to new heights in  How to Train Your Dragon.  Voice Cast:  Jay Baruchel,  Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, and America Ferrera. Directors: Chris Sanders and Canadian film director Dean DeBlois.

Plot: On a small island called Berk lives a community of Vikings who’s occupational hazard happens to be fighting dragons.  For one teenage Viking, named Hiccup, fighting dragons doesn’t come naturally so he finds a different way to deal with them.  Hiccup soon realizes everything he’s ever known about dragons has been wrong.

Did It Suck? This was a very enjoyable film to watch; the animation, the story, and the characters all fit together beautifully.  The opening of this movie was quite good. It gives you a quick overview of everything and everyone that’s involved in the adventure that is about to unfold.  The film quickly moves into the main plot while balancing out the surrounding story giving you a well rounded film.  As with most of the new 3D movies that come out you have a viewing choice of 2D or 3D.  However this movie was really good in 3D and worth paying a little more for.  I am quite happy to say this one is well Worth a Ticket

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- Dan Kersey

Review:     4 Stars     Rated:     PG

She’s back, and bigger than ever!  Or is she small, after all?  Tim Burton returns to the big screen with Alice in Wonderland, telling the story of Alice’s (Mia Wasikowska) return to Wonderland many years after her first adventure.  Although mostly CGI a bevy of famous actors play parts, including two of Burton’s favourites in Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter) and Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen), with those two stealing the show as always.

Plot: Alice is now grown up but keeps having strange dreams of blue caterpillars and other strange creatures.  While at a party she follows a rabbit, wearing a waistcoat, and falls down a rabbit hole!  Those familiar with the original story will know what is coming for the next few minutes, but then the new adventures begin as Alice is whisked from place to place, meeting all the colourful characters again but without any memory of them, before finally reaching her destiny as the saviour of them all.

Did It Suck? The start of the movie was a little slow, but, the scene did have to be set for what was to come, but it still did not feel to me that the movie really started until Alice fell down the rabbit hole.  From then on the story flowed fluidly and quickly, with humour, both dark and light, mixing well throughout.  As with most of Burton’s movies almost all the imagery throughout was a little surreal, but as always it worked.  Once Alice went down the rabbit hole it is just hard to find fault with this movie!

I saw it in 3D but there were few scenes where the 3D stood out (pun intended) and I think it would be just as good in 2D.  This movie is definitely Worth a Ticket to be sure you get the full effect.

-Andy Hughes

Review:    2.5 Stars     Rated:     PG

Unlike a Greek salad;  there’s some good fun in store in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief .  A mythological adventure awaits in this story of young Percy Jackson, born 1/2 human, and 1/2 god.  This movie is based off a book series by Rick Riordan.

Plot: (Logan Lerman) is not just your average teen going through rough times, he’s got bigger problems.  Born the son of Poseidon Jackson has been blamed for steeling Zeus‘s Bolt.  Zeus wants his toy back and if he doesn’t get it soon its going to be trouble for earth.

This movie was OK,  not that great and not that bad.  A good supporting cast, but not a lot of action in this film.  It was manly driven by the story of three friends venturing off on their quest.  It has a few good laughs and even better special effects.   I’m quite confident  it will be popular with the teens but unfortunately this movie didn’t have enough to warrant money well spent, and book readers will probably be disappointed as well, Wait For The DVD.

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-Dan Kersey

Review:     2.5 Stars     Rated:     R

30 years of walking through the sands of an aftermath is going to make your lips a little chapped.  The Book of Eli takes us on an adventure into a desolate post war future.

Eli (Denzel Washington), is carrying a book that holds great value to the post war survivors.  Most of them can’t read but for those who can, they want this book for reasons of their own; to them its worth more than its weight in water.  Eli is on a mission to take this book west to an unknown destination, but he’ll know it when he gets there.  On his little quest he picks up an unwanted tag-along,  Solara (Mila Kunis), who proves to be somewhat useful along the way.

Incredible post apocalyptic scenery and some cool action sequences; and, thats all I can say I liked about this film. Slow and dragged-out and the story had a lot of loose-ends, so needless to say, I was quite disappointed.  Defiantly Wait For the DVD, but its bordering on almost not worth renting.

- Dan Kersey