Transformers

Although the film's topic aligns itself with childish whims, there's no denying the appeal to those of previous generations that grew up with the Autobots and Decepticons. As well, even though the story kinda lagged in areas, the film as a whole proved to be a great action film.

None of the actors in this flic are A-rated (except the supporting cast of Turturo, who does a great job making the audience hate his character, and Voight), but they all succeeded in their portrayals. My only reservation to that statement concerns the portrayal of the Autobots. In the earlier scenes following their final unmasking/introduction, they were portrayed as almost oafish teenagers. THIS IS A POTENTIAL SPOILER: an example is the group attempting to hide outside the main character's house while he searches for an important artifact. The yard is trampled, none of the Autobots can follow simple directions even though militarily trained, and the dialogue/interactions are sophomoric. That knocked them a rung on the ladder of respect and awe as giant, robotic crusaders. At least despite Bumblebee no longer being a Volkswagon Beetle, his character suffered no loss of identity save a lack of the scratchy, blues voice. So there is redemption.

The dialogue was tongue-in-cheek, but never suffered because of it-- and in many instances it was highly successful-- until the final confrontation. However, at the end, perhaps as almost an effort of comic relief, the lines became a tad silly. The smaller characters were also a little, well, unbelievable. I'll leave it at that, since none were major contributors to the film.

Where were the Decepticons?! That's the biggest question. A greatest part of the stories of yore involved the idea of evil turning upon itself. The Decepticons always defeated themselves. Here, I suppose due to budgeting, most of the old characters-- Autobots and Decepticons-- were not developed with personalities. This deprived the audience of the grand interactions and intrigue I knew so well from childhood. Didn't anyone else want to see some conflict between Starscream and Megatron aside from a single line of dialogue? I know these are skeptical observations, and I am not saying the movie suffered. The effects were great, as was the choreography in most of the battle scenes. That said, the movie was aimed at new audiences rather than loyal viewers of the past (i.e. at the kids of those loyal viewers).

So, overall, I give this one a rare (for me) 9/10. It's an action movie, so I wasn't expecting an Ingmar Bergman film, and neither should anyone else. Effects were great, and the original Optimus Prime voice certainly was icing on the cake. Lots of action, with pretty good segways throughout. If you like action and/or comic books, this is certainly the movie to see.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter is finaly growing up. No, I don't mean Daniel Radcliffe. No, I don't mean the story. I mean the film. Much like Empire Strikes Back to Star Wars, this is the darkest of the bunch so far. That is a good thing. The film permeates the feeling of growing up. I am not going to spoil this for you, but there is a big first here. Get your mind out of the gutter! Sometimes I can't believe you guys.

A couple of things are gone. That wow factor. In the first couple Potter films, I would catch myself looking around, wondering what is coming next. This film does a better job of operating in the framework of J. K. Rowling's world without stopping and pointing and going wow. From what I have heard the books are set up that way as well. I won't read the book before the movie. It destroys the movie, but I will read the book now because the movie only enhances the book. That is just a personal thing.

Back to growing up. The movie also leaves you feeling what Potter is and has gone through. The toll that has had on him as well as other characters. Most importantly, it leaves you with the power of Voldemort. For the first time, you get the feeling that in the end Harry may not make it out of this. This not only helps this film, but I believe it will enhance the next installment. I believe that David Yates is set to direct that as well.

Special effects were fantastic. Action was well directed. Acting was on the spot. The end explodes into what I have been waiting for from the beginning. You are probably thinking it, but are going to have to see it, to be sure. Let me just say that I had grown a little bored with the last couple installments of Harry Potter. This one picks up the slack and goes even farther!

Good:
Darker, more action oriented, finally growing up. Excellent.

Bad:
Kind of short, even at 138 minutes.

Comments:
My favorite so far. I got what I have been waiting for five films for at the end. An awesome battle.

Recommendations:
Theater man! The end is worth it! I may have to go see it at IMAX!

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Believe it or not this is a better film that the first installment of the Fantastic Four. Well not the first, that was 1994, and that was a train wreck. All thought that does lend an entertaining aspect to the cult film. Now back to what I was talking about. I meant the 2005 film. My theory is that the second iteration of comic movies usually are better than the first iteration. This is mostly due to the telling of the back story. Once past that you can have more fun with the movie, dive deeper into the characters, and have more focus on other characters and the situations they all face. Also you don't have to spend so much time without the super hero(es) on screen. There are exceptions, which have extremely solid origin stories. Spiderman and Batman come to mind. For the most part, the meat and fun lies within the second movie.

One big noticeable difference is in the characters. Everyone seems to be more comfortable this time around. This results in a movie that feels more like a Fantastic Four comic. Characters have accepted their powers, which makes the audience except the film more. Resulting in a movie that really feels like it flew out of a comic book.

Also the Silver Surfer is an awesome character. I never read much about him, but I like his story. Also I am glad they brought back Doctor Doom. You really get the feeling how powerful and manipulative of a super hero he can be.

The special effects look great. Don't know why they hid Galacus. My guess would probably be money. Still that didn't mess the movie up. Overall I liked it. Not sure how theater worthy it is, but definitely worth watching.

Good:
Silver Surfer Rocks! Feels more like a Fantastic Four comic.

Bad:
Still kind of cheesy, but then aren't the characters supposed to be on some level? It is a comic book movie and it works good as that.

Comments:
Why the smoke and mirrors for Galactus?

Recommendations:
With all the big movies out this summer, it can wait for DVD rental.

1408

What would make you crazy enough to jump out of a thirteen story window? 1408 is a evil room in The Dolphin that can make you do just that. This movie does a good job of taking you down that road. Showing what it takes to drive a person insane and why the occupants keep showing up dead. I really like the story. It does an excellent job of developing the character. I also like the evil room. Like, hate, you know what I mean. You start to actually hate the room and get angry at the room, much like the character. It is a bit predictable in places, but not so much that it takes away from the movie. The one thing about the movie that I didn't like, is that I never really feared for the character's saftey. I always got the feeling that he wouldn't take the easy choice. That being said this is a solid scary movie. I really enjoyed the movie.

Good:
Scary movie. Great imagery.

Bad:
Never really fear for John Cusack's character.

Comments:
A couple of years ago I stayed at a hotel on 48th and Lexington in New York City. I swear, they shot some of it in that hotel. Not while I was there because that was at Christmas time. The hotel had a Christmas Tree and some other decorations, but I swear the hotel looks and feels the same. All you would have to do is take out the decorations put in a couple columns and roman busts and there it is. The Radisson on Lexington was the name. It use to be called just The Lexington though. Could be why I liked the movie as well... ...because I stayed there! Not in room 1408 though.

Recommendations:
If you like scary or suspenseful movies it doesn't hurt to see this in the theater. Otherwise I would just rent it. The problem is that with so many summer block buster movies, you may want to wait. Then again, it is a great change of pace.

Transformers

I went in to this movie buying all the hype. I thought it was going to rock! I wasn't sure about the people in it. I hadn't heard of most of them. I knew Peter Cullen was back as Optimus Prime, which was awesome! The acting was great, I was really impressed. Michale Bay did one thing right, he shot it like you would a normal action movie. I was a little worried when I first heard he would direct, but it is clear now that he was the right choice. The movie's special effects are put together so well that you don't really realize what is real and what is added in post production. The action is unbelievable. It was like I was ten again and someone filmed me having Autobots and Decepticons battle. It was great fun. If there is one weakness it is the story. A little simplistic, has some holes, but that being said it is a kids movie! Who cares! You know what, it lived up to the hype! It rocked! This is one of the few movies that I will probably go see it in the theater again! That is how much I liked it.

Good:
Acting. Special Effects. Directing. Cinematography.

Bad:
Simple Story.

Comments:
The first time you hear Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime... ...WOW!! It will take you back.

Recommendations:
See it in the theater!!! Now!!! Quit reading and go see it already!!!

Shooter

First a little background. Shooter based off of a book called Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter. Stephen Hunters inspiration came from a true Vietnam sniper, Carlos Hathcock. Hathcock is regarded to be the best sniper ever. This book is the first of three in a trilogy. Kind of reminds me of the Bourne trilogy, not in content, but a guy double crossed comes back to set things right.

I really like this movie. More so than the Bourne series, at least so far. Shooter is put together well. You can really tell that they spent some time on it. Some movies feel rushed. Shooter feels the complete opposite. There are subtle detail through out. A couple examples would be like when they are picking out camouflage. He says are you hunting in that forest. You make your own in the field where you are going. Another detail is when they go to where the shot is taken from. You can't even see the target. Stuff like this helps submerge you in the movie.

There are some twists and turns, nothing too complicated or unpredictable, but the ride is a fun one. The action is steady and the movie has a great flow to it. If I had one complaint, it would be the very end. Not going to give it away, not that big a deal. Not sure how I would have changed it. It is definitely worth watching!

Good:
Entertaining chase movie. Great flow. Details.

Bad:
Ending wrap up. Not a big deal. Don't even know if I would change it. Was searching for something though.

Comments:
I hope they make the other two books into movies!

Recommendations:
Rent it. It is a fun ride.

Grandma's Boy

Holy crap, I loved this movie! It is probably because I am into video games, computers, monkeys... ...okay, I don't have a monkey, but they are cool. I am actually going to give the same summary I gave Sketch in an email:

Thirty year old guy is a video game tester (because he likes to smoke weed) that gets kicked out of his house and forced to stay with his grandma (because his roommate spent all the rent money on Philippino hookers). Awesome!!!!!!! If that doesn't draw you in, I don't know what will.... ...oh, there is a monkey!

That says it all. The movie isn't about some special cause and is not going to win Oscars, but it is fun and hilarious. The villain speaks like a robot when he is nervous for goodness sake. It is VERY well cast (we are talking Oscar/Emmy/Golden Globe winners) and they don't take themselves serious at all. They role with it. Also they don't rehash all the jokes from other movies. Their is original laughs to be had. They keep it fresh. There are a couple of "I can't believe they went there" moments as well. There are subtle points too. I don't know that everyone will appreciate everything here, but it is funny enough for everyone. All I can say is that it is one heck of a ride. Oh, and it has a monkey... ...and he knows karate!

Good:
Monkey, weed, and videogames. Nuff said!

Bad:
Not long enough. Okay, that is a joke. May be a niche crowd type of movie.

Comments:
You probably want to have a couple drinks while watching this movie.

Recommendations:
Oh, for glory's sake, get a bottle of wine and rent this!!!

The Fountain

I was excited about this movie from the previews and I didn't even know it was the director of Pi. I really thought that I was going to like it, but the more and more it went on... ...and on.... ...and on, I was just waiting for the end. I get the movie. There are three stories running in line with each other. One is from her book, where he is a Spanish explorer and she is queen. One is modern where he is a surgeon and she is a writer. One is symbolic where she represents his tree of life and also parallels a Mayan cycle of life. The problem is that the stories cross and loose themselves within each other. They get in each other's way rather than help propel each other. This movie is about loosing someone close to you. How that person gives you life, is your life. It is told like a David Lynch film, but unsuccessfully. It just doesn't work. It is boring, depressing, and muddled. There is no redemption for the characters. No real point. It is not about how life goes on. However if there is a guiding light it is the imagery. I just didn't care for the film overall. You are better off watching Pi or Requiem for a Dream. Don't get me wrong. I like when directors take chances. It just didn't work for me in this case. I will be interested with what Darren Aronofsky directs next.

Good:
Visuals.

Bad:
Cluttered.

Comments:
Like Darren Aronofsky's other movies like Pi and Requiem for a Dream. He does better without a budget.

Recommendations:
Try one of his other movies. Let this one go. Warning, the trailer can and probably will suck you in!

Sopranos - Final Episode

Let me first start by saying that I didn't watch this series of the long 7 or almost 10 years it took to come out. I rented it on DVD. I don't watch a lot of series TV. I have no patients for it, but when you lay it out on DVD, and I can just roll though it... ...I love it! I can watch a series in a couple weeks. Lost for instance. I saw the recap episode, got really interested, then saw a couple of episodes, lost interest. Now I will just watch the recaps of the seasons. What I am saying is that I saw the whole series in a few weeks, maybe a month. We did a mad dash so that we could catch up for the final season. This was a benefit. It flows together better, like one long movie. The Final Episode fit with that very well.

Spoiler Warnings:
[Spoiler Start]
Fade to black. That is what has everyone's panties in a wad. David Chase told us this ending earlier. Tony and Bobby in the boat. You won't see it coming, just fade to black. That is what they said. He literally told us how it was going to end. Did they die? Hmmm, I will be honest I thought at first they did. More because that is what I wanted. I went back and saw the episode a couple more times and realized that they didn't. It doesn't fit with the rest of the series. Watch the ends of other seasons. Life just went on. That was it. That was his way of saying life just goes on. As far as the rest of the episode, some great things are overshadowed.

First Phil's death was fantastic. They really got you to a point where you wanted him to get crushed and they did it! Awesome. Also something we haven't really seen since the beginning of the series. A "flipped" FBI agent. Nice touch. I really like that. I also like that the kids seem to get back on track. AJ finally snapped out of his funk.
[Spoiler End]

Overall the show ended well. It was a nice cap on the series. If you went back and spent a few weekends watching the whole series through again, you will find the same.

Good:
I like the final episode. Ties up a lot of loose ends. Final scene.

Bad:
Final scene.

Comments:
Loved Phil and the "flip".

Recommendations:
Watch the series through on DVD.