Autobots Roll Out!

This may be a bit delayed, but I love Transformers!

I did go see it opening night, but because of the Fourth of July celebration I have been a bit delayed on posting my thoughts about it. I actually got to go see it on the 5th as well with my brothers.

To start off I want to say the opening statement is a bit biased. Growing up there was two kinds of kids; GI j.o.e. kids and transformers kids. While I liked GI j.o.e. I was always a transformer's kid. No other show or toy could touch transformers in my eyes. So all in all I was and am a huge Transformers fan. In fact I have a Transformer sitting next to me right now.

The movie just based off the movie (me not being a super fan boy) I think was just so so. I think this mainly because there was too many times where I either hated the characters on screen or just didn't care about them one way or the other. Between the robots and the humans in this movie there was a total of 20 characters. This was a big reason why at times I was a little well lets just say I was wishing there was a transformer on the screen somewhere... anywhere... maybe walking in the background chasing a butterfly even...

There were actual characters that I thought the movie would have been better had they not existed. There were scenes and story lines that could have been removed from the movie entirely and the movie would have benefited from it. I am referring to Rachael Taylor's character here a tech working for the government. Even if they didn't add anything else to the movie and just removed every scene with her in it; the movie would have been better all around.

The sheer number of characters made it very difficult to really have any sort of character development; and it really showed. The Decepticons (Bad Guys) had very little character development as a whole. The only evil character that really had any dialog was Megatron (the leader of the Decepticons), but even then it was just yelling at his opponents. Megatron was also the only read bad guy with any character development; and this was done during a narrative. A good narrative mind you, but for me that does not really give the viewer a real feel for how bad a bad guy is or can be.

As for the parts of the movie with transformers in it; they were great! The special effects were awesome. I never once got tired of seeing someone "transform". The fight scenes, and the chase scenes were wonderfully done. I didn't like the camera angles sometimes, but I think Michael Bay (the director) was trying to use these angels to help illustrate the size of the robots. The first fight / chase scene was by far the coolest thing I have seen in a very long time. It is hard to describe the pure thrill (as a fan) seeing a giant robot running then transforming into a mustang to make chase. I really was in awe at that moment. That moment alone made the movie awesome in my eyes despite everything that I have mentioned above.

Again that is just me being a "fan boi"

Michael Bay on the other hand is really not my favorite director. When Transformers was first announced I was disappointed that he would be directing the film. He didn't do a horrible job, but he didn't do a fantastic job either. He made this film into the "turn off your brain" action film that he usually makes (I know it's hard to really turn an 80's children's cartoon into a real "thinker" type movie). Michael also at times turned this film into his own personal political soap-box (something that I don't really like). I for one go to the movies for an "escape" not to be forced into a one sided political debate.

The old guy still has it

I know it may sound a bit cliche, but I honestly can't think of a better phrase than this to describe Bruce Willis. Of course I am talking about his new movie Live Free or Die Hard another sequel in the summer o' sequels. Hell even Mandy liked it!

Hmm... perhaps I should rewind this a little.

I think this was the second movie that Mandy and I went to go see together last week. The first being Evan Almighty (I would like to think this was a "Mandy Pick" or more so she started off by saying "I wanna see that") and this one (Die Hard) being my pick.

Mandy was understandably hesitant to go. There was several "Well couldn't you get Mark to go with you?" or "Maybe you could watch this on the weekend while I am at work?". Lucky for her I was persistant and... well... driving the car at the time and she had no choice it was either that or Fantastic Four 2. I had a feeling that despite the violence of any Die Hard movie she would enjoy it.

Now I realize that this is surly a "guy's movie"; blowing up crap, ninja girls, guys being jerks to other people while punching faces in (or getting their faces punched in); but I don't think I really realized how much of a guy's movie it was until I looked at the crowd. Out of about 30 to 40 people I counted five woman. All probably forced to go because their husbands friends were either out of town or had already seen the movie.

It was a good thing that in this Die hard the comic relief was the Mac man himself Justin Long. He honestly did a really good job at being the dorky comic relief. Long provided a nice contrast with Willis' bad ass cop persona. I know what you are saying "But didn't they do that in Die Hard 3 with Samuel L. Jackson?". Really they did, but I think Jackson is too much of a bad ass himself to really be the "best" contrast there is.

Long's character is dorky /funny enough to make Willis sneezing look like he is a complete bad ass and is going to kill you because you didn't say "god bless you". Of course the other way works too. Willis is so serious and "New York" that all Long has to it look at the camera funny to get a laugh. It really is a combination that works well together.

All in all the movie was a lot of fun. Mandy got some screams, shrills, and laughs out of it. I got a few laughs, and awesome's; we even got some extra sound effects from the nice gentlemen sitting next to us :) (I think there was all of one explosion that this guy didn't loudly say BOOM).

Now be forewarned this is a Die Hard movie; so there is some "fancy stuff" that John McClain pulls out, but nothing too over the top (nothing like Transporter 2).

Another Almighty

So far this summer has gone by at lightening speed. It seems like only a week ago I was getting in the pool oh so slowly because it was just a bit too chilly for my taste. Well here it is the first of July, the water is as hot as bath water, and the big movies are starting to hit the theaters.

I have been meaning to start writing more and more reviews of the movies that Mandy and I watch but as I said earlier; the time has just flown by. Well last week Mandy and I started our summer movie adventure with a holy one; Evan Almighty.

Now Evan Almighty is another sequel. It does not star the same cast as the first Bruce Almighty, but it still holds its own. In this chapter of the Almighty tale we find ol' Michael Scott (Steve Carell) himself staring the man in God's sights. Now I will mention this the character that Steve plays in Evan, and the character that he plays in NBC's The Office is one in the same.

Honestly the first five minutes watching this movie I could have sworn I was watching the office. I in no way am saying that is a bad thing; I happen to enjoy the office and all of Michael Scott's antics, but it really isn't showing too much depth into the characters that Steve Carell can play.

This movie was a little but more hokier than the first. It really had a lot more physical humor in it than I was expecting. They also toned down the language a lot. It wasn't until I realized that this was a PG movie that it dawned on me "this is more aimed towards kids". This was reaffirmed by the five minute "Building an Ark montage" with animals and silly hats. OK, OK there wasn't silly hats, but there could have been and kids would have loved it.

Overall I liked the movie. It has a good lesson to be learned. There were plenty of laughs. There was good flow between jokes (I think the montage was too long but what they heck they were building an ark), and anything where Morgan Freedman tells a a few jokes can't be all that bad :)