Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon (Reviewed by Ed)

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

 

(2.75 out of 4 stars)

 

Takes place with new graduated college student Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) growing up looking for a new job and in the meantime has a new girl.  Before we learn about that we learn that more about the battle on Cybertron between the Autobots and the Decepticons that in the last days of the war, a Prime by the name of Sentinel Prime (voiced by Leonard Nimoy), tries to escape with what would keep his race alive.  Before he escapes, his ship is shot and it crash lands on the moon in the very early 1960’s.  This impact is known by NASA and also the Russians.  Thus the “real” reason why the moon race between the United States and the Russians happens.  Who can get there first to see what exactly crashed into the moon.  You see Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, some actual footage and some actor portrayal of the astronauts landing on the moon.  A very top secret mission happens as the two astronauts bring back 5 “pillars” that are part of several hundred others that will build a “bridge” for the alien race of Cybertron to be transported to Earth.  The government hides away these 5 pillars but unfortunately they fall into the hands of the Decepticons and the race is on to see if the Autobots can stop them from bringing in countless Decepticons that still live on Cybertron to invade Earth and enslave the human population.

 

Going into this movie I expected the typical Transformers movie with acting that isn’t the best, an okay plot and LOTS of action.  This is pretty much what you get with this movie with exception of LOTS of action.  I thought the action was really good but it just took too long for the major battle action sequence to start but when it did start it was really cool.  I was also surprised to see that the character portrayed by British Victoria Secret super model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (Carly) was not just another actress playing the part of Megan Fox’s old character but a NEW love interest for Sam.  The only thing you know about what happens with her is that she left Sam.

 

Many of the same characters are back in this movie along with some other big time actors in John Malkovich and Patrick Dempsey.

I’m giving this movie 2.75 stars mainly because of the lack of action in the movie.  I would’ve given it around 3.25 stars if there were more action scattered throughout the movie.  I have to say it was nice to see the action scenes easier to follow this time around with the slow motion sequences that they frequently showed.  In some of the past Transformers movies (especially the last one) it was very hard to follow the fight scenes and wondering who were the Autobots and who were the Decepticons.  Dark of the Moon still had a few places with that problem but not nearly as much.  This movie also didn’t have nearly as much crudeness as the last Transformers movie but in typical fashion there was plenty to go around. 

 

Rating of whether I would see the movie again:
1 = Definitely not!
2 = Probably not.
3 = Maybe.
4 = Probably.
5 = Absolutely!

Would I see the movie again in the theaters? 3
Will I rent it on DVD and watch it at home? 1 (no because I will buy it)
Would I buy the movie? 5

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is rated PG-13 for intense prolonged sequences of sci-fi violence, mayhem and destruction, and for language, some sexuality and innuendo

Run time: 154 minutes

Transformers 3 (Chuck)

I was initially very excited to see Transformers 3, but then quickly remembered the huge disappointment the first 2 movies ended up being. It was bad enough to not have Frank Welker reprise Megatron, but the robot form of the Transformers was way too complex looking. I understand that the cartoons could only be basic, but the robot form of most of the Transformers was so awkward looking it was down right awful.

Additionally Megatron was the largest disappointment, because he not only didn't have the voice of Frank Welker, but he looked like a alien space ship instead of a gun. Michael Bay... I'm at a loss of what to say about a serious lack of attention to detail of the source material.

All of this on top of a pretty mediocre storyline that didn't even include the main objective that the cartoons focused on - in the search for an energy supply that was all but extinct on their home planet, Cybertron.

And the icing on the cake: sexual content. We don't need or want to see a 1.5 foot tall Decepticon humping anyone's leg. We don't need to see Constructicon Devastator with wrecking balls doubling as male anatomy. We don't need to have any conversations about sexual activity of any kind. This is a movie about a boy and the Autobots... plain and simple. Leave the sex on the cutting room floor.


This is my rant as to why I will not be watching Transformers 3, until I can watch it through ClearPlay.

The Frighteners 2/4 stars (Chuck)

Michael J. Fox stars as Frank Bannister who has, what appears to be, a money-making scheme going on - that most of the towns folk are wise to. Little do the suspicious town's folk know that Frank can actually see and communicate with the dead.

Unfortunately, this comedic con-man bit can't decide if it wants to be a comedy, or something much, much darker. Eventually it ends up being a disturbing super-natural killer movie. Peter Jackson had a good opportunity to make a very funny paranormal comedy, which it is for about 45 minutes, then it starts taking a dark turn. Frank quickly finds out that he is involved in a fight to stop an evil force that is ripping people's souls out of their bodies, as he see's a premonition in the form of a number appear on the next victim's forehead giving frank only minutes to attempt to thwart - in vain - the attempts of the entity responsible for these supposed heart attacks, as deemed the cause of death.


The ClearPlay Experience
Let's chalk up another "oversight" by the MPAA - our moral and parental compass for movies. Despite the rating descriptor saying Frighteners was rated R for Terror/Violence, I lost track as to how many times non-violent scenes had skips in them. Which means that because there is no sex in this movie that dialogue-driven scenes were full of profanity. Thanks MPAA panel members for yet again not labeling another movie with the entire type of content that makes the movie, what it is. Guess they thought the violence completely overshadowed the language on this one.

Filtering overall was quite a pleasant experience. The undertones of the movie in the last 45 minutes are very dark. The 3rd act is when this movie has completely abandoned comedy and taken on serial killer. Despite violent/disturbing content and profanity content both being skipped, the murderous psychosis of one of the main characters in the last 3rd of the movie leaves this one still only appropriate for older teens and above.


Frighteners is rated R, but with ClearPlay, on the surface, it does skip the content that is hard to watch. This would have kept Frighteners at a 13 for me... visually distinguishing that content was skipped was performed very well. It's the murderous killing spree (with a rifle) depicted near the end that, even though no one is shown being bloodily killed, the nature of 2 people blinded by blood lust is still probably only appropriate for 18 and up. I never saw Natural Born Killers, but it sure reminded me of how it felt to simply see the trailer for NBK. This tone really made the movie a disappointment. It had a huge potential to be a good movie and it fell flat on it's face.

Green Lantern (Reviewed by Ed)

2.75 out of 4 stars

 

First off let me say that I was never really into the Green Lantern growing up.  I was always enamored with many other super heroes so he kind of was off the radar so needless to say my excitement level was not very enthusiastic, but with that I was still somewhat excited to see the movie. 

 

I was able to see the movie in 3D at the pre-screening and once again, although the 3D looked really good, I could’ve easily watched this movie in 2D and been perfectly fine.  Fortunately I didn’t have to pay to see it so it doesn’t really matter.

 

I think the positives of the movie were first and foremost the special effects.  I thought they did a VERY good job in this department.  The main villain that looks like a dark cloud with tentacles and a skeleton looking face was pretty awesome!  I thought the message of the movie was a good one to think about, that even though you have fear, if you have the will to fight for what you believe in than you can overcome the evils that surround you.  Ryan Reynolds was actually better than I thought.  He has the “look” of a superhero and he really is a good actor and he doesn’t disappoint in this movie either.  He knows when to be funny and he knows when to dial it down.

 

The aspects of this movie that fell short were mostly character development and plot.  These two were, in my opinion, inseparable because I felt the entire movie that the plot was “choppy” and things just happened too fast.  The thing I love about super hero movies is the character development and how they get their powers and how they struggle to control them, etc.  It’s always so interesting to me to watch that on screen.  Even movies that I absolutely hated (ie. Spiderman 1) the character development was awesome...even though the rest of the movie sucked.  This was the biggest disappointment for me was because things moved too fast the character development unfolded too quickly for me.  They could’ve easily added 30 minutes to this movie and I would’ve been totally fine if they would’ve gotten more out of developing the different characters.  When the Green Lantern (Reynolds) goes to train it was a fun scene to watch him struggle but before you knew it, it was over. 

 

I would say that, overall, this is just barely below an “average” movie.  I was expecting a 3 star movie and it fell just short which is why I give it 2.75 stars.  I believe the hard core GL fans will despise this movie but those of us that don’t know much about him will like it more.  They say the running time was 120 minutes but it seemed much shorter than that to me.  Oh and stay through part of the credits to see an additional bit of the movie.

 

Rating of whether I would see the movie again:
1 = Definitely not!
2 = Probably not.
3 = Maybe.
4 = Probably.
5 = Absolutely!

Would I see the movie again in the theaters? 3
Will I rent it on DVD and watch it at home? 4
Would I buy the movie? 2

 

“Green Lantern" is rated PG-13 and features Intense Sequences of Action, Intense Sequences of Violence, Language, Some Sensual Content, Moderate Fantasy Violence.  Not Rec. for Young Children, Mature Theme, Frightening Scenes, Language May Offend

Run time: 120 minutes

 

Green Lantern 3/4 stars (reviewed by Chuck)

By the time I was in the theater Rotten Tomatoes finally had reviews online and it was looking very dismal, as GL was getting about 30% positive/100% positive. The fact that the movie studio didn't screen this movie until 2 days before the public release of the film had me wondering if they were worried that if early word spread too early that people might be afraid to shell out full price admission or even wait until DVD. I was pleasantly surprised!

We get character development, a light & uplifting message, and plenty of action!

After the movie, I heard some grumbling about how parts were not true to the cannon and in so doing was a major source of disappointment. I came away feeling that it wasn't too cheesy and wasn't too dreadfully serious. Ryan Reynolds did a good job of not making too many wise cracks that might have lessened the viewers ability to get into the Green Lantern character.

They didn't focus very much on other Green Lantern corps members, as well they shouldn't have - where this is also the Green Lantern/Hal Jordan origin movie. We want to focus on the character who the origin story is for, not take away our attention from him.


It definitely earns it's PG-13 rating. Towards the last 45 minutes it gets pretty violent and might prove to actually be scary for younger viewers. The villain is capable of taking people's souls in a somewhat visually disturbing manner.


And finally, the 3D. Only in certain parts did the 3D stand out and it didn't make the ability to enjoy the movie an awful experience. However I would have been able to enjoy this movie just as well, without 3D. Because I - yet again - did not feel the 3D added hardly a thing to the enjoyable aspect of the movie, I would advise saving that $4 extra dollars and just go to the 2D version. Even though the 3D on this movie feels like it was done right, I still am feeling that 3D is definitely a fad and just needs to go away. Hopefully if enough people pay for 2D and not 3D that 3D will simply just go away, because it really isn't doing much for me in the movies I've seen in 3D, this year, so far.


Very solid 3/4 stars for me. This is very re-watchable and I wouldn't mind paying for this at full priced admission.

Super 8 (Reviewed by Ed)

3.5 out of 4 stars

 

In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth - something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined. Written by Official site  

 

Classic Spielberg is back!  Going into see the early showing of Super 8, I wasn’t sure what to expect with the combination of Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams…well it’s a great combination!  Super 8 is an emotional roller coaster where one minute you’re laughing and the next minute you are clenching the arm rest because of the intensity of the scene.  I would sum up this movie by saying that it’s a violent E.T-ish type of movie.  It has the look and feel of a Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T: Extra Terrestrial but with more violence and intensity…and A LOT of swearing.  I would say that’s one of the things in the movie that turned me off.  With the majority of the main actors being kids I was shocked at how much swearing they allowed them to do…especially the “chubby kid” as I will call him.  I don’t think he goes even one scene in the movie without swearing AT LEAST once.  One thing that parents need to be cautioned about is just because the majority of the main actors are kids doesn’t make this a kids movie.  It definitely earns the PG-13 rating for the language, scary images, etc. 

 

I’d have to say this is one of the loudest movies I’ve watched.  In fact the train wreck scene in the movie is not your father’s train wreck scene.  I remember watching the train wreck scene in the movie The Fugitive with Harrison Ford and thinking, “Wow!”  Well that has nothing on this wreck.  It was loud, intense and just plain awesome of a train wreck!  I watched the movie with 3 other people and they all said the same thing, “The train wreck was loud.”  This movie also has a hint of Cloverfield in it when it comes to the look of the alien in the movie.  I don’t want to give too much of the story/plot away so you’ll just have to see the movie to understand it.

 

The majority of the main actors are lesser known actors but they thrown in a few familiar faces like Noah Emmerich who plays Officer Nelec of the Air Force as well as a few others, but mostly these are actors who you may not know.  Dakota Fanning’s sister Elle Fanning is one of the main characters and does a wonderful job.  It was nice to see that, although the majority of the main characters were kids, they all did a great job in the acting department. 

 

Overall this was a great movie and definitely worth seeing, but again, not for the younger audiences!  Make sure you stay in your seats once the credits roll because about 30-60 seconds in you are going to get more of the movie in the credits, which is arguably the best part of the movie.  Trust me, it’s worth it!

 

Rating of whether I would see the movie again:
1 = Definitely not!
2 = Probably not.
3 = Maybe.
4 = Probably.
5 = Absolutely!

Would I see the movie again in the theaters? 4
Will I rent it on DVD and watch it at home? 1 (no because I will buy it)
Would I buy the movie? 5

 

“Super 8" is rated PG-13 and features Intense Sequences of Action, Intense Sequences of Violence, Language, Some sensual content, Coarse Language, Not Rec. for Young Children, Mature Theme, Frightening Scenes, Language May Offend.

Run time: 120 minutes

 

 

X-Men: First Class (Reviewed by Ed)

X-Men: First Class

(3.5 out of 4 stars)

Before Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-MEN. Written by Twentieth Century Fox

X-Men: First Class is exactly that…first class! I know there are some of you out there that our a little tentative about seeing this movie but let me put that to rest right now, this new installment of the X-Men franchise is top notch and will hopefully continue the franchise for years to come.

The beginning of the movie starts off exactly how the first original X-Men movie (2000) started off at the concentration camp in Poland 1944. Soon after we get introduced to what happened after a young Erik Lensherr was separated from his parents. The character of Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) is introduced. Through the next few minutes of the movie we see the reasons as to why Erik is so bitter and angry.

What’s great about this movie is that you get to see to relationships between some of the mutants that you would never have expected to see. It was weird to see Professor X and Magneto working together, also seeing the relationship between Professor X and Mystique was quite an eye opener as well. It was fascinating to see Professor X and Magneto recruit other mutants together and one of the best parts of the movie is a very small cameo with Hugh Jackman.

The movie centers around the Cuban missile crisis back in the 1960’s and how the mutants have to decide which side they are on and work together to stop what could’ve been a huge threat to the world. It was fun to see how they formed relationships, came up with their “code names”, etc. The acting was great and the plot was just as good. I highly recommend this movie and for those of you who are hesitant…don’t worry, just go and see it. One of the things that I was disappointed with was that there wasn’t an “extra” scene after the credits. Many people in the theater stayed and when it didn’t happen there was a groan from the audience.

Rating of whether I would see the movie again:
1 = Definitely not!
2 = Probably not.
3 = Maybe.
4 = Probably.
5 = Absolutely!

Would I see the movie again in the theaters? 4
Will I rent it on DVD and watch it at home? 1 (no because I will buy it)
Would I buy the movie? 5

“X-Men: First Class" is rated PG-13 and features Brief Partial Nudity, Intense Sequences of Action, Intense Sequences of Violence, Language, Some Sexual Content, Moderate Fantasy Violence, One Use of Strong Language, Violence, Coarse Language, Not Rec. for Young Children, Mature Theme, Frightening Scenes, Language May Offend

Run time: 102 minutes