Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen

  I've been out of the country for a couple of weeks.  Came home and found out that movies are now ten dollars so you better make it worth it. So was Transformers worth my not hard earned ten dollars?  Yes.  Why, you may ask? Well, because it is fun,  I was completely entertained and stressed out about the fate of the world if Megatron and his mentor, "The Fallen" took away the sun.  That would not be good.  So anyway, was Transformers good.  Well, yes and no.  First of all, Megan Fox as much as I want to put her on my one way rocket to the moon for her anti-rpattz quotes and her too tight ponytail, and the stick up her much admired behind, I have to give her props.  She actually made me forget how much I hate her in this movie.  She made me believe she was Michaela a much more likable person.  Shia Labeouf,  when did he grow up and get hot?  What rock was I living under?  With a well placed tan and hair that even after being blown up stays in place, he is a kid no more.  Forget the Disney channel and his many child-star antics.  He is Disney material no more.  The way they explained his broken hand was really stupid and sometimes the robots during the fight scenes tended to blend together where you couldn't tell who was actually kicking who's butt.  Were the good guys winning or not?  It was hard to tell sometimes.  The plot was very thin and far-fetched, but it's a movie about robots who transform from various types of machines into intelligent walking and talking robot-people.  I love the whole, my planet was destroyed so we will save yours idea, can anyone say Superman and Krypton?  Well whatever, the movie was really long and definitely left room for them to round out the collection with a Transformers 3 Megatron's return maybe? I don't know but let's just put it this way.  The work of Shia is never done, broken hand or not, he still saves the world and does it looking good.  Megan Fox you are not my favorite, but at least you have a little appeal in this movie for me.  Maybe you won't get a ticket on my rocket just yet, I'll wait and see if you can make it up to the Twilight fans of the world what you said about their Twi-god.  Let's see if you have the acting chops to live up to the comparison that you should be extremely flattered you are getting to Angelina Jolie.  Shia keep up the good work, whatever that may be that is making you a huge box office draw.  We love you and will continue to, age is definitely agreeing with you and you are a good actor no matter how stupid the part.

** 1/2 stars.  This movie is kinda stupid in it's original make-up.  You don't really have a leg to stand on plot-wise though when your movie is based on a toy by Hasbro.  Look out GI Joe you have large robot shoes to fill.  The movie is way too long and a little corny at times and not to mention predictable! Otherwise, it's good fun, worth the 2 and a half hour run time, I think. Wait for the DVD my lovelies, it will be much better when you can pause and ask your neighbor, "Wait, what just happened?"  Cause I couldn't and I needed to ask kellebelle just that question... I still don't know what was going on in some parts.  Wait for the DVD...out soon I'm sure!

My Life in Ruins

Nia Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding fame, stars next to a really hunky and at first really hairy,bus driver as she leads a tour in her native home of Greece to see all the most important parts of the country.  You know it's the whole deal with the bus and the crazy tourists, the most obnoxious being, the Americans.  I love that the title is very bad pun.  Not only does Nia's character Georgia live her life in the ruins of ancient Greece and her "life", both social and emotional, is in ruins as well.  It takes a bus load of crazies and a hot bus driver to help her realize that she needs to loosen up.  This of course was produced by the dynamic duo of Greek centered films, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who has a very small cameo.  Richard Dreyfuss plays and old washed up corny joke telling old man.  He definitely makes you love him.  The only thing I have to say is the bus must have pulled up to the old folks home because I was literally the youngest person in the theatre. It seems this movie appeals to the dwindling baby boomer generation, in other words, the old people.  All the little old ladies think it was the funniest and cutest movie they have seen in a long time. They actually said that word for word after it was over.  I, of course, went with my mother, who may fit the demographic but not the mind-set. We wanted to see the proposal and she isn't much for the Hangover type humor and we didn't think we could stomach The Taking of Pelham 123, so wee picked this.  It served the purpose, wasted our time. This movie was very fun, I will say that, but it was too long in getting around to the point and there were moments of intense cheesiness.  Also, as someone who is going to travel to a foreign country would like to say that Americans are not as obnoxious as they make us out to be in the movie.  It's a happy movie, with a happy ending. Duh!

*1/2 stars One and a half stars because there are some laughs to be had while watching this movie but everything is ultimately stereotypical and jaded ideas of what tourists are or at least how they are seen.  I think this is the first movie I have like Richard Dreyfuss in since Mr. Holland's Opus.  Don't waste your money, wait for the DVD, this movie fits well into the ruins of Greece.  It's the ruins of a movie. If you are eighty you might enjoy it otherwise wait for Blockbuster.  This is my opinion, oughta be yours.

Taken on DVD

Well folks...what can I say Taken was very good.  I liked it but it was predictable. I mean in the beginning of the movie Liam Neeson tells us step by step what is going to happen.  In classic, super dude style, Liam, knows how to don that black leather coat.  It was entertaining, it was captivating enough to turn my attention from my latest addiction, blogging and twitter.  Liam Neason plays an over protective Dad who has given up his career as apparently a bad ass. It's not really clear.  He gave up his career to be near his daughter and she is all he lives for now.  When, her mother and step father agree to let their 17 year old daughter go to Europe for a month with a friend and stay at her aunt and uncle's house in France.  When they arrive and walk out of the airport they are greeted by what seems to be a charming young guy who will show them around the city.  Well, let's just say he's the bait and they are the biting fish.  He shares a cab with them in the guise of saying he will come pick them up for a party later that night, and coincidence, or not, would have it that about twenty minutes later and several phone calls from Liam Neason comes kidnappers who in classic movie style kidnap the girls for sex slavery after addicting them to drugs.  Well, they messed with the wrong Dad this time.  He says it in the previews, so I'm not revealing anything, but he says, "Let my daughter go now and that will be the end of it.  I don't have money, but if you don't let her go I have a very special set of skills.  I will find you and I will kill you." Then the guy on the other line says "Good Luck."

Way to go genius! When a man shows no emotion and is that confident that he will hunt you down and kill you, um, take my advice, believe him!  You can guess what happens next.

** 1/2 Two and half stars, one for being predictable, second for the whole ex-wife shared custody story, and third for the sex slavery story, hello it's been done come up with something creative now k?  Definitely worth renting but I am glad I didn't go see it at the theatre!

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Ben Stiller gives Disney a hit once again, with the family friendly and adult friendly Night at the Museum.  I went and I was the youngest person in there.  Amy Adams plays Amelia Earhardt, the treasured and brave ally and unlikely love interest of Ben's character Larry Delpy.  Larry at the beginning has moved on from his duties at the museum although he goes back regularly to see his friends as they are animated when the sun goes down.  Larry soon comes to find out that most of his friends are being packed up and shipped to storage in the Smithsonian archives in DC.  The famous tablet from the last movie will not be going with them and they will probably be wax once again, but this time forever.  Larry realizes that he is not happy and decides that he is going to go rescue his friends in DC from an evil pharoah that has come to life and wants to stay that way permanently, while turning his army on the world and making himself god-king of the world.  Well as we all know Larry can't let this happen when he gets a call from little bitty Jedidiah (played by Owen Wilson) he comes to the rescue...sort of.  The ensuing antics are funny.  The Einstein bobbleheads as shown in the previews are funny, and the special effects are amazing, but come on what else did you expect this is Disney after all, they can do some amazing things at that place.  If you need to go see a movie with the family and don't want to be hiding your head or sinking low in your seat during awkward sex scenes with your Dad, Mom or Grandparent, or covering any innocent eyes of children then this is the movie to see.  It's fun without being raunchy and it brings a lot of history lessons with it.  I don't know if you are low on cash if you should go see it in theatres but when it does come out on DVD at least go rent it. It's pure clean fun for anyone.

*** 1/2 stars Amy Adams is great as Amelia Earhardt and Ben Stiller is great as the unlikely hero once again.  As honest Abe says in the movie, I cannot tell a lie, well I'm not lying when I say this movie was very entertaining and worth the time.