Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (UK)

The biggest movie of the summer is finally here, but that's the problem with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - it's just too bloody big. Epic, spectacular but unfortunately far, far too long; the film proves that when it comes to Michael Bay blockbuster movies, you can have too much of a good thing.

The first instalment of the sure-to-be-long-running franchise was a perfectly formed slice of funny, explosive, slo-mo mayhem that found a massive worldwide audience. For the sequel, it was clearly the director's intention to paint Revenge of the Fallen on an epic canvas. It's more of the same - a lot more.

Two years on from Transformers, the Autobots are still on earth, now allied with the US military, working together to protect the earth from further Decepticon attacks.

We wouldn't mess with Optimus Prime.

Meanwhile, the boy at the centre of events last time around - Shia LaBeouf's Sam Witwicky - is trying to forget that he discovered a robot alien race, and is instead worried about starting college, and holding onto his ridiculously hot girlfriend Mikaela - (played by a hotpant-clad Megan Fox).

Unfortunately, as Optimus Prime solemnly intones, "Fate never calls on us at the moment of our choosing." The Decepticons are on the move again, with the very ancient and very evil Transformer - The Fallen - masterminding a diabolical plan to destroy the Autobots and the Earth itself and secure the future of his race. Soon our planet is once more a battleground for these ancient robotic foes to wage war.

It's a fine set-up that is forcefully established in the movie's superb opening hour. Bay masterfully zips between events at Cybertron (the Transformers' homeworld), Sam's opening day at college, the drama on a variety of military bases, and throws in several robot-on-robot battles for good measure, all at a breakneck pace that leaves you breathless.

Another quiet, reflective scene from Michael Bay.

We have Sam's fantastically funny relationship with his barmy parents, now trying to cope with their darling son leaving home. One hilarious set-piece that sees his mother accidently eat a chunk of marijuana on Sam's first day at college had the audience in stitches, and confirms Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky as the two most likable characters in the franchise.

The Beef himself is also obviously born for the role as their son. He has less to do this time around, but still manages to convey the kind of awkward, geeky charm that makes us (just about) believe that Megan Fox might be into him. He's the latest in a long line of little heroes who ends up excelling in the face of epic and dangerous circumstances.

It is also clear that Bay has refined and improved his technique when it comes to directing action since the first Transformers. Many found the robot-on-robot fighting in T1 over-edited and made even more confusing because they took place in unclear backgrounds (i.e. a smashed-up downtown LA) - often you couldn't even tell which Transformer was fighting which.

Bay has - to an extent anyway - cleared this up in ROTF, with more lingering tracking shots, cleaner environments and establishing framing. He's undoubtedly helped by what we're sure is a truly astronomical special effects budget, which sees the denizens of Cybertron - at the request of fans - given far more screen time than before. He can simply afford to show more 'bots this time around.

Indeed the film reaches its pinnacle with one such action set-piece that takes place in a forest - a brilliantly crafted sequence that is kinetic, emotional and genuinely thrilling. Unfortunately however, it is a climax that comes only an hour or so into the movie - the remaining 80 or so minutes just never quite scale the same heights.

That's the one BIG problem with ROTF; the movie stops dead halfway through, and then spends the rest of its overlong run-time building up a head of steam again, painstakingly setting up the eventual climax.

Megan Fox has fallen over.

Bay takes an age meticulously manoeuvring all the film's protagonists into place for a vast, epic confrontation in the middle of the Egyptian desert. But by the time this all-in royal rumble between the Autobots, Decepticons and US Army finally arrives, you are too numbed, exhausted and inured to actually give a damn about the outcome.

Don't get us wrong, we love Michael Bay and the particular grab-bag of delights only he can bring to blockbuster movies; huge explosions; quick, intense dialogue; lingering , pornographic shots of both girls' asses and military hardware. 90 minutes of Bay-ness makes for a thrilling flick, but if the clock starts ticking past the two hour mark and beyond, it all becomes just too much; your mind and senses need a rest.

Bay could have cut 40 minutes from the bowels of Transformers 2, and it would have been a far more effective movie. Unfortunately, the director fell into the same trap with Pearl Harbour and Bad Boys II - each filled with spectacular moments, but both becoming bloated, arduous cinematic experiences that ultimately outstay their welcome.

Is this issue going to place the franchise in any kind of trouble? Of course not; ROTF will make gazillions, and it still deserves to. The team behind the Transformers movies have hit upon a formula that mixes E-number-fuelled Saturday morning cartoons with '90s-style military action movies, and it works in a spectacularly un-ironic, gloriously juvenile way.

It is just kind of inexcusable that with such a ridiculously enjoyable formula, viewers of ROTF still spend the movie's final half hour nursing a numb head and arse, and willing the noise to stop. Transformers 2 proves that sometimes less is more.
(www.movies.ign.com)

The Hangover

hree magic words: Bachelor Party, Vegas! That's all most men need to hear. Vegas is the perfect destination. You can throw money around like the New York Yankees, or you can party on a Dame Dash budget if you need to. It's much different than other locations because so much crazy stuff can happen in a 48 hr period. This also makes Vegas, the perfect location for any season of The Real World, The Bachelorette, any other Reality TV dating show, and College Hill.

I had a friend kicked out of a club in Vegas literally seconds after we arrived for doing something I can't repeat. It's been a nice running joke for a few years now. Let's just say he stole a famous Al Pacino line in Scarface.

My last trip to Vegas involved about 30 people. I was on crutches and still managed to have a really good time. Three of my friends were "escorted" out of their room for making too much noise. Somehow they ended up with a better suite after getting kicked out.

The Hangover is a comedy set in Las Vegas. It follows groom Doug (Justin Bartha), his brother-in-law to be Alan (Zach Galifianakis), friends Stu (Ed Helms aka The Office's Andy Bernard) and Phil (Bradley Cooper). The four of them set out to have the time of their lives before heading back for Doug's wedding. The three friends awake the next morning with no recollection of what happened. Soon they realize Doug is missing and his wedding is the next day. They spend the rest of the movie retracing their steps in hopes of finding Doug before its too late.

The surprises the four buddies run into are the things that make Vegas great/scary/fun/exciting/exhausting.

This movie is a riot! What I liked most about the movie was the dialogue. It was written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. Some of the one-liners are pretty funny. They both did an amazing job on the script. There is a great quote that says, "A movie must have a beginning, middle, and end, but not necessarily in that order." The Hangover is true to that quote. It is a brilliantly told story that is both smart and funny.

Zach Galifianakis was perfect Alan the chubby, bearded, socially awkward man. Or as my friends will refer to him "Fat Jesus". (Side note: His IMDB photo looks nothing like him) Zach was great in this movie and I'm sure will have audiences repeating some of his lines all summer long.

I also loved Ed Helms as Stu. A lot of fans really enjoy him as Andy Bernard on The Office. I've enjoyed seeing his brand of sarcasm on the Daily Show a few ago. You may also recognize him from smaller roles in movies over the past few years. Helms performance gives you some of that same comedic energy during this movie. The Hangover will give moviegoers a chance to see how truly funny he can be on the big screen.

My suggestion: This was one of the funniest movies I've seen in a while. I enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would. I haven't laughed this hard since Heidi and Spencer got married on The Hills. If you like Wedding Crashers, Old School, and Superbad, this is definitely a movie you will want to see. Not to mention, it definitely makes you want to go to Vegas. My friends and I would have boarded a plane right after the movie if we could. The Hangover may be the surprise hit for the summer. I can't wait to see it again.(http://blog.seattlepi.com)

The Taking of Pelham 123

This weekend I decided to watch The Taking of Pelham 123. I'll admit, I have yet to see the original. Luckily my TiVo was set to record it at 6:00am this morning.

Pelham 123 is the name of the train that is taking hostage by a man named Ryder (John Travolta). With the train stopped on the tracks Ryder is contacted by dispatcher Walter Garber (Denzel Washington). Ryder tells Garber he is holding the passengers hostage in return for $10 million in ransom. This leads to a thrilling standoff between Ryder, Garber, and the NYPD.

A few things I learned from the Taking of Pelham 123………………

$10 million really isn't a lot of money. After I buy my home and brand new ride, I'm left with play money. I'm not taking penitentiary chances for anything less than $100 million. I'm in the gym a lot, but I'm not doing time with cellmates named Truckstop and Blood Clot Jimmy. I'm good!

Denzel can act. I mean he can really act. I'm amazed at how I'm able to believe he's a stern coach, a drug dealer, a corrupt cop, and a subway train dispatcher. I think take Denzel lightly at times because he is so good. I look at his filmography and realize how many good films he's been a part of. Denzel is going to narrate my life story or play my dad. I'm good with either one.

Travolta should play more bad guys. I liked him as Ryder. He was such a gritty character. I liked him as Howard Saint in The Punisher, Gabriel in Swordfish, his dual roles in Face/Off, and who could forget Vincent Vega. Travolta's scenes with Denzel were priceless. I wish they had more screen time together. My mom loves Grease but the moment he drops an F-bomb in this movie, she's going to flip out.

Hostage movies are always the same. Crazy guy + hostages + ridiculous demands – a few hostages + hero = climatic face off at the end. I wish someone would change it up some. The genre of movies is starting to become WWE predictable. The next hostage movie should throw us a curve ball. I want see a hostage situation that ends horribly. In this economy people would understand Joe Schmoe from down the street and his streetwise friends holding people hostage for money. They aren't criminals or killers, so the movie ends terribly for the group. You could call the movie Joe Millionaire. A hostage movie would make for a great dark comedy. I don't know if that's ever been done before.

The city of New York needs a break. They are always picking on that poor city. At least once a year there is some monster, terrorist attack, super-villain, or natural disaster that destroys the big apple. Why not Chicago? Miami? San Francisco? There are more cities that deserves God's wrath.

The age of good movies without big budget special effects is back. In the past 12 months I've already seen The Wrestler, State of Play, Tyson, Cadillac Records, The Express, Appaloosa, The Soloist, Seven Pounds, and RockNRolla. Hopefully we'll see more of these movies in the next 12 months.

We've seen an enormous amount of old movies being re-made. I figure we should start remaking movies people really want to see. I'm thinking of movies that would be 10 times better solely based on advancements in special effects. Here is my list of movie: Lost Boys, Predator, Ghostbusters, Bloodsport, Teen Wolf, and Top Gun.

My suggestion: Pelham 123 is a great thriller. It's a nice movie to go see. You get to see two wonderful actors in some really good scenes. I wish I could see these two in more movies together. I enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would. In the spirit of finals week I will give this movie a B+. Well worth seeing. (http://blog.seattlepi.com)

Drag Me to Hell

Drag Me to Hell, from Sam (SpiderMan) Raimi is in his Evil Dead mode and gear: a scary movie that’s really scary and a horror flick that, despite a hell-bound plot that‘s not too original and has notable holes, managed to keep the audience with whom I saw it, jumping and screaming -- and then laughing and applauding after each fresh jump and scream, all the way to the last shot. I won’t say I was one of the screamers. But I did jump more than once -- and I’ve seen David Lean‘s Great Expectations, Brian De Palma’s Carrie and the Evil Deads and Rosemary‘s Baby and the like, so I knew what to expect.

Here‘s what we get. Alison Lohman is young bank office manager Christine Brown, who’s in competition with office sneak Stu Rubin (Reggie Lee), both bucking for a promo from fake-kindly boss Mr. Jacks (David Paymer). Mindful of the mortgage crisis (the movie has incredible crash timing) tells her not to be too nice. So unlucky Christine denies a mortgage payment extension to the fiercely unkempt, raggle-toothed and gnarly-nailed Mrs. Ganush (played by Lorna Raver, the big hit of a very good cast) -- who begs for more time so she won’t lose her home, and pulls out her gooey false teeth when the stunner Christine confers with Jacks and comes back to refuse the extension. Then, as they say, all Hell breaks loose.

Hell hath no fury like an elderly martgage victim. Despite the best efforts of touchy psychic Rham Jas (Dileep Rao), of fellow Satan victim Shaun Sen Dena (Babel‘s Adriana Barraza) and stalwart fiancé Clay Dalton (Justin Long) -- who keeps, however, going home at inopportune moments -- Christine is in for some really bad times. (President Obama might consider requiring all bank executives be forced to watch Drag Me to Hell once a week.) But, as with Up, I think I should shut up about the rest. I will however advise cat-lovers of possible havoc to their sensibilities. And the kitten doesn’t suffer as long as the bank officer.

Another caveat. Drag Me to Hell is a terrifically entertaining movie, though the script, by Sam and Ivan Raimi, is no great shakes. But the direction is gruesomely fabulous. And, as with Nightmare on Elm Street, there’s a jocular air to it all that keeps the movie amusing as well as horrific. Give the devil his due -- which was certainly missing in the much harder-trying Angels and Demons. This movie -- I can’t help it -- should hand you a hell of a time. (www.moviecitynews.com)