Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Michael Bay knows how to make the summer blockbuster. His formula starts with a simple story that could probably be told in about 30 minutes, but then he expands upon that story with a lot of explosions and debris flying every which way. He then inserts a romantic plot element between two attractive people that grabs the attention of teenage boys and girls. He never shies away from his special effects and the result is a movie that you will enjoy a bucket of popcorn with. The third Transformers film in the series that started in 2007 fits the bill perfectly.

The film starts with the historic moon landing in 1969 of Apollo 11 balancing between archive footage of President Kennedy in black/white and an actor in color, which was somewhat distracting. The background for the film is a government cover-up that there was an alternative purpose to the mission and of course it involved the Transformers.

The script for Transformers was not supposed to impress anyone, but the subtle use of memorable quotes from “Star Trek 2: Wrath of Kahn” spoken originally by Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and then used by Sentinel Prime who is voiced by Leonard Nimoy was a bit too lazy for me. The plot attempts to show the humanity of the Autobots and Decepticons as compared to the previous films which focused more on the government relationship with the Autobots in the war on terrorism from the Decepticons. The visuals of the movie lend themselves to the humanity theme by showing the robot equivalent of blood at times. The writing around the growing romance between Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf)and Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whitel does not come across as believable. Almost too much attention was given to trying to explain why Megan Fox wasn’t in the film, by writing her out of the story and being reminded of her on several occasions. With such a lack of attention to the script also came a lazy ending. With some impressive visuals and battle scenes the film appears lost on a way to wrap up the story. Enter the voice of a woman who apparently is even more conniving than Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons.

Absent from the previous films is Megan Fox who had issues with director Michael Bay and was fired for some choice words that producer Steven Spielberg took offense to. Megan Fox was replaced by Victoria Secret model, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, who more than adequately performs her roll in the film. Lets be honest there isn't a lot of acting in a Michael Bay film, so her ability to look beautiful was one of the few criteria.

The film franchise has done well in the box office, but I have a feeling that this will be the last one in the series as there were some robot deaths that were more extreme than in previous films. While the film is better than the other films it is still only 3 Quacks, which if is probably all I would have given the two previous films if I had been blogging at the time. You should see it in the theater, only because of the special effects and audio track. However, there shouldn’t be a rush to the theater to do so.

(screening date 6/27/11, release date 7/1/11, location AMC Loews Georgetown)

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Green Lantern

In a summer of sequels and comic book films, "Green Lantern" is following "Thor", "Priest" and "X-Men: First Class". It isn't the worse of the bunch, but also not the best.

For those that do not know the first thing about Green Lantern, the film is about Hal Jordan, a test pilot who receives a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe. A lot of the background is given in the intro through an extensive voice-over that provides almost too much information, and borders on putting the audience to sleep. However, if someone would like to read the comic that appears to be heavily leveraged from for the script, the Green Lantern series "Secret Origin" appears to be the closest reference material. The visuals of the movie are reminiscent of "Ghostbusters 2" (1989) with the play on anger, traded in for fear in Green Lantern.

Ryan Reynolds (Hal Jordan/Green Lantern) didn't quite fit the image of the comic book and the writing allowed for him to rely too much on witty one liners and humor. Blake Lively (Carol Ferris) as the main love interest for Hal Jordan was emotionally flat in how she was supposed to care about Hal Jordan. However, the performance from Peter Sarsgaard (Hector Hammond) was the strongest in the film even though his character deviated the most from his comic book origins. Other than a voice with his customary accent, you couldn't really tell that Mark Strong was even Sinestro given the significant amount of CGI used. A surprise for the fan boys was the inclusion of Angela Bassett as Dr. Amanda Waller who is considered one of the favorite comic book villains of all time.

The Batman franchise set the bar for other comic book movies. However, it isn't entirely fair to compare a comic book movie to that of the Batman franchise and the main reason is the villains and extreme fantasy. While Batman is a regular human with no special abilities much like his gallery of rogue villains, the other comic book films rely on super heroes with super abilities and matched against villains with a goal of taking over the world (or destroying it) through the use of special abilities. These abilities require significant special effects and reduce the film into a project for the post production crew and restricts the acting and writing to a minimum.

While the film is about the ability to overcome fear, it unfortunately does not have the ability to overcome itself. A superhero with the ability to create whatever he can imagine requires a considerable amount of special effects and CGI. However, there was too much CGI, and came across more as a video game. Green Lantern isn't as bad of a film as some critics are saying, but it isn't a great film either. The special effects are not going to overly impress and you can easily wait for this film to go to the discount theater, DVD, or even TV. For me it is just 2 Quacks, but the audio track partially pushes me to suggest the discount theater for everyone.



There is a BONUS SCENE after the credits that you actually don't want to miss.

The Killing

"The Killing" (2011) is a dark crime drama based on the Danish miniseries "Forbrydelsen" (2007) centering on the murder of a young girl and the subsequent police investigation through the perspective of the detectives, the grieving family, and the suspects. The season one final episode aired tonight and what an amazing series it has been. I don't usually review tv shows, but AMC is doing something that the other networks are not willing to do. If you haven't been watching this series, you will have to find it on DVD or when the replay the series later in the year. I am sure they will run it in anticipation of season two.

The cast it filled with a largely unknown cast and they provide a passionate performance throughout the series. The most familiar cast of the series is Bill Campbell who plays a politician running for the Mayor of Seattle, Washington; and Michelle Forbes who plays the mother of Rosie Larsen. Bill Campbell has been in several tv series, but none that stand out. Michelle Forbes was most recently seen on HBO in the hit "True Blood". Both have very significant roles, but the majority of the screen time is for Mireille Enos as the lead detective and was also known for her role in "Big Love". Her partner is played by Joel Kinnaman who offers up one of the better performances in the series. The father of Rosie Larsen is played by Brent Sexton and gives the other most memorable performance in the series.

Every episode there is another prime suspect providing for the fans of the series to follow along on various fan pages and web applications to guess who the killer is. Using the city of Seattle, Washington as the backdrop for a crime drama allows for the dark and light to be played against each other with overcast days and heavy rains. The series has such a heavy tone that it feels like you are watching a movie and the writing is delicate enough to allow for nearly any of the cast to be a suspect keeping the fans interested and tuning in every week.

I don't know who killed Rosie Larsen, but I do know that this is one of the best tv series in a while and receives all 5 Quacks from me. It will very likely be nominated for various Emmy and Golden Globes awards.

Please check out my other movie reviews...and remember "don't quack during the movie!"

the Art of Getting By

What a debut for first time writer/director Gavin Wiesen with "the Art of Getting By". The film is absolutely beautiful in every way from the script that likely includes life experiences from Gavin Wiesen, to the genuine acting from the two leads, and tightly wrapped up by a smart soundtrack. Freddie Highmore continues to offer up strong performances reminiscent of "August Rush" (2007) and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005). Emma Roberts has also recently joined the list of young actresses in their 20's to follow after her role in "It's Kind of a Funny Story" (2010).

The film is a typical coming-of-age story following George (Freddie Highmore) through his final year of high school who struggles with living after having a realization that every day we are coming closer to our death. So rather than deal with the daily requirements of being a student he finds better things to do with his time by doodling in his math book and skipping school. Gavin Wiesen is quick to point out that George doesn't have ADD, which is too quickly diagnosed in children today for parents that don't take the time to understand what their child is experiencing. George describes himself as the "teflon slacker", as all the medications and counselors haven't been able to figure him out.

Even though it is apparent that George has attended this school in previous years, the attention of Sally (Emma Roberts) and other students comes across as sudden. I know that not everyone had a high school group like I did where I knew a lot of the same kids from elementary school through to our high school graduation, but George and Sally should have crossed paths before.

As good as the performances from Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts are, the scenes involving Harris the Art Teacher (Jarlath Conroy) are by far some of the best. The other teachers come across as cliche, but Harris is the role model that George is lacking. Harris is trying to motivate George to say something meaningful and is able to recognize his bullshit even in the doodles that his classmates and mentor Dustin (Michael Angarano) want to praise.

Watching this film reminded me of a first kiss, including the awkwardness leading up to that magical moment. I would like to see it receive some consideration in the award season for the script and performances from Freddie Highmore and Jarlath Conroy. I cannot give the film the full rating, but 4 Quacks is more than respectable I feel. In a film season of sequels and overused 3D attempts a film like this is refreshing.

(screening date 6/16/11, release date 6/17/11, location AMC Mazza Gallerie)

The Trip

"The Trip" is a film that has made the rounds at various festivals and is finally getting a limited release for the public. I found the film to be very reminiscent to "Sideways" in the relationship between Steve Coogan and Rob Byrdon. They are two guys that are friends, but you wonder why they maintain their friendship as you follow the pair on a sophisticated journey through Northern England experiencing high-end restaurants and stunning scenery.

For most of the American audience, Steve Coogan and Rob Byrdon may look familiar, but you may not recall why. Steve Coogan in the UK is known for his character of Alan Partridge, however in America he may be better known for "Tropic Thunder" or "The Other Guys". Rob Byrdon in the UK is known for his various TV series performances and his list of voice impersonations, however in America he is mostly known for "a small man trapped in a box".

Whether you know Steve and Rob is absolutely irrelevant to the enjoyment of the film. Apparently, the two are known for a TV series of the same name and some familiar may hold a preference towards the original. I feel that the film stands on its own and is designed to reach a larger audience. The TV series and the film is about Coogan as a food critic for the UK's Observer who is joined on a working road trip by his friend (Brydon) who fills in at the last minute when Coogan's romantic relationship falls apart. The film comes across as being improvised and forcing the emotional element. With the talent of Steve and Rob the comedy works well with their many voice impersonations and competitive banter. However, the melancholy moments seem trite and lack the background necessary to properly connect with the character.

The voice impersonations of Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins, Sean Connery, Woody Allen, Al Pacino, and Dustin Hoffman provide most of the comedy as Steve and Rob compete with each other to prove who is better. There is a rather poignant moment when Steve realizes that he is not as talented as Rob contributing to a better understanding of why he is currently struggling in his acting career. The tone of the film can be captured by a few lines between the Steve and Rob, "you spend your birthdays in your 20s using alcohol, your 30s with drugs, and your 40s with food". The trip is a self reflective moment in the life of Steve and ends abruptly much like real life. The audience was almost surprised when "THE END" appeared on the screen wondering "now what?", but that is how life can be sometimes.

While the movie as a whole didn't exactly work, the comedy was perfect and provided many laughs. Combined with the picturesque views of Northern England captured and I feel the film is worthy of 4 quacks. You will likely have to find this film at more of an art house theater or later on DVD, but when you do it will be worth it.

(screening date 6/14/11, release date LIMITED, location Landmark E Street Cinema)

The Case

"The Case" is the film within the film of "Super 8" that is directed by Charles (Riley Griffiths) and stars the detective played by Martin (Gabriel Basso) and his wife played by Alice (Elle Fanning). The detective must find the cause of a recent zombie invasion. The main zombie is played convincingly by Cary (Ryan Lee) with other supporting roles played by Preston (Zach Mills) as the Chemical Plant President and Joe (Joel Courtney) as the military guy. Keep an eye for a cameo from Charles (Riley Griffiths) as the doctor.

I hope you stay into the credits of "Super 8" for this gem of a film. This is the finest in B-movie today and gets the same 3 Quacks as "Super 8" received.