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Transformers: Dark of the Moon, a review by Dragonfire

I decided to go see Transformers: Dark of the Moon.  Yes the first movies - especially the second one - had major issues.  However, I did still manage to enjoy them overall as mindless action movies.

The plot is still the weak point of the movie, though it may be slightly - very, very, very slightly - better than the plot of the second movie.  The movie is trying to build on things from the first two...but I wonder how close the screenwriters paid attention to what happened before.  Something from this movie doesn't make the most sense because of something that happened in the first movie.  Anyone going into seeing this movie looking for a strong plot is going to be disappointed.  You don't go see this type of movie for the plot.

The action scenes are done well, with some looking really cool.  There is a bit of shaky camera work, though it didn't bother me as much as it has in the first movies.  There are more quick cuts again too, but again, those didn't bother me as much as they have in the previous movies.  Most of the action involves the robots fighting each other ...which is what I expected.  Optimus ends up kicking ass big time, and that was rather cool to see.  The CGI is done well.  The violence isn't too extreme, but the robots seem to be bleeding this time.  A few of them lose some kind of red liquid after getting hurt.  I don't remember anything like that happening in the previous movies.  I did see it in 3D and I think the 3D is done pretty well.  A few sequences look really cool in the 3D. 

The new character Carly - Sam's new girlfriend - is really just there as pure eye candy and she doesn't add a thing to the movie.  She doesn't really fit the story or with Sam as well as Mikaela did.  Yes Mikaela was like 100 times hotter than Sam would ever hope to be, but she did somehow fit with him.  With her background and knowledge of cars, she just fits better than Carly.  Carly starts off working at the British embassy and then ends up working as the curator at a car museum.  At one point she spouts off something technical about a car and it just sounds stupid coming from her.  She is just too.....I don't know...refined or something.  Most of the time she is just standing around trying to look sexy.  Judging by the reaction from some of the men in the theater when I saw the movie, it seems to have worked.  The first time she's shown on camera, it is a shot of her behind, barely covered by her underwear.  If the camera had gotten any closer, Bay could have given her a medical exam.  The character isn't developed and there is no development for her at all.  It really seemed like to me that a few small things were changed in the script to set up Carly, but for the majority of the script, Mikaela's name was just replaced by Carly's.  At one point, she says something that didn't sound right for her, but would have totally fit Mikaela.  I know that Carly was added after production had started, and it is clear that not much time was spent on working the character into the story.  I think it would have worked better if they had just recast the part instead of creating a new character.

The other characters are ok, though they aren't that developed really.  Sam ends up with the most to do.  He does sort of flip out a bit at one point.  The cast is fine, though nothing that stands out to much.

The movie is good for a mindless action movie.  It is entertaining overall.  People that like this type of movie will probably find something to like about the movie.



I did get a review posted on Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon



(From Transformers: Dark of the Moon on July 7th, 2011)

Elf, a review by Rich

14/12

elf



Will Ferrell makes yet another memorable splash on the big screen in Jon Favreau's sweet and hilarious Christmas fable. Ferrell is Buddy, an innocent figure who was raised as an elf in the North Pole by his adoptive father, Papa Elf (Bob Newhart). When Buddy discovers that he's actually a human being, he heads to New York City to reunite with his biological father. The trouble is that his dad, Walter (James Caan), is a publishing executive who doesn't have time for anything other than work. Buddy moves in with Walter and his family, and proceeds to teach them a lesson or two about what being a family really means. Meanwhile, he also falls head over heels in love with the incredibly cute department store clerk, Jovie (Zooey Deschanel). By the time Christmas Eve rolls around, the general lack of spirit in the air threatens to ground Santa for the big night. He must rely on Buddy's expertise and overall enthusiasm to ensure that Christmas will be saved once again. Favreau's film is family entertainment at its finest, featuring a performance by Ferrell that is at once innocent, tender, and laugh-out-loud funny. A stellar supporting cast--including Caan, Deschanel, Newhart, and Faizon Love--adds to the film's already overabundant charm.

Why do I put myself through this - I let someone else choose a film to watch 

Probably the most useless, unfunny, pathetic crap masquerading as a xmas film that I have ever had to endure, This is pure toilet, and should be used as a coaster for christmas
 


(From 25 Days of Christmas on December 15th, 2008)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Monk: Season One (2002/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Studios Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 561 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Plot:TONY SHALHOUB is a riot" (TV Guide) in Monk, the show that critics are praising as "fresh, exciting and utterly original." (Chicago Tribune)

Monk's hilarious, offbeat antics have made him unfit for duty but he's back as a police consultant to help out on their most baffling cases. The brilliant but neurotic Monk is now fighting crime as well as his abnormal fears of germs, cars heights, crowds and virtually everything else known to man in "the best detective show to come along in decades." (New York Post)

"Nothing on TV generated more fun than this" (Los Angeles Times) and now you can enjoy the entire first season of Monk on DVD.

*Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (2002)
**Best Performance by an American Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy (2002)


Monk
1.01 Mr. Monk and the Candidate
Writer: Andy Breckman (Writer)
Director: Dean Parisot
Cast: Tony Shalhoub (Adrian Monk), Bitty Schram (Sharona Fleming), Ted Levine (Captain Stottlemeyer), Stanley Kamel (Dr Kroger), Gail O'Grady (Miranda St. Claire), Michael Hogan (Warren St. Claire), Ben Bass (Gavin Lloyd), Jason Gray-Stanford (Lt. Deacon), Kane Richotte (Benjy), Rob Labelle (Sheldon Burger), Vincent Gale (Jesse Goodman), Fred Ewanuick (Jake), Shawn Reis (Ian Sykes), Dion Johnstone (Lieutenant Gitomer), Chris Shyer (Carl), Edmond Wong (Cop at Kindergarten), Alexis (Elevator Gal), J.B. Bivens (First Cop), Dax Belanger (Second Cop), Esme Lambert (Angry Old Lady), Stellina Rusich (Trudy), Carmen Aguirre (Uniform Cop), Ray Galletti (Cop at Rally), Doris Chillcott (Jason's Mother), Michelle Addison (Nicole Vasques), Dean Marshall (Cop in Lobby), John Sampson (Jason Rondstadt), Guyle Fraizer (Detective)

Monk is a series I enjoyed watching, but I thought it stayed on air too long. The series got a little tired later on.
Nice surprise: There is an actor I revcognized here which I didn't know the first time around. Fred Ewanuick, who plays Hank on "Corner Gas".

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 9th, 2012)