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AndyO review: * 1/2

Metacritic: 36/100

After seeing the first Transformers movie, I was hopeful that Michael Bay had finally learned how to make a really good action film. After seeing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it appears Bay has slipped into his ways of old.

Let's put it this way: If you want to see 2-1/2 hours of wall-to-wall explosions, CGI robots destroying each other -- as well as most of what's left of ancient Egypt) -- and some really sexist shots of Megan Fox, then this is the summer film for you.

So, I thought the first rule of storytelling was that you need to have peaks and valleys in the story? If you only write action scenes, it's like listening to AC/DC turned up to 11 for 2 hours.

Steven Spielberg was the exec producer on Transformers, as well as on this film. Surely a director with such great story sense and pacing must have had a conference with Bay during the script development? I imagine it going something like this: "Mike, I love the script, but I have one small question: Why is every scene filled with action? There are no small human moments, like in the first film, where we got to know the characters."

To which Bay answered:

"Steve, who cares? Transformers was pretty much wall-to-wall action. And people ate it up! You can't argue with $319,246,193 in the U.S. and $708,272,592 worldwide! And now that HD-DVD is dead, thanks in no small part to my negative campaigning, and most consumers have no choice for their HD format, we can charge them a sh**load and make even more in the home video market!"

It appears that Bay was right (about the money, anyway), because in three days, Transformers 2 has made $125,946,000. So, it looks like we'll be getting another Transformers in two to three years. I'm just not sure I'll be sitting through another one of Bay's films.

Released: 2009


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Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Kevin Dunn, Isabel Lucas, Matthew Marsden,

Labels: film

AndyO review: * * *

Metacritic: 52/100 (mixed or average)

This was the Terminator film I always wanted to see: John Conner fighting the machines in the future. But like many films with a rich back story (namely Star Wars), it's not always easy to make a film about the back story -- or, as in this case, the future story.

Christian Bale, does what he can with the John Conner character, but in the end there's just not much for him to work with. The real story here is with Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), who's a Terminator but doesn't know it. Something tells me if this film had concentrated mostly on Marcus's story, this would have been a much richer, more interesting movie.

One area where the film shines is the production design. All the destroyed cities, all the Terminator factories, and the Terminators themselves are all really interesting to look at. The special effects are also top-notch.

On a final note, it's interesting how the absence of Arnold Swartzenegger is something you really feel in this film. You realize how, especially in the second film, he brought unexpected humor and presence to the Terminator role.

Labels: film

AndyO review: * * 1/2

Metacritic: 42/100 (mixed reviews)

Is Night at the Museum 2 bigger and louder than Night at the Museum? Most definitely. Is it better? Unfortunately, no. In the first film, Ben Stiller took a job because he didn't want to lose his son. In this film, there's really nothing at stake. And that's the difference. Are there some great scenes? Definitely. My favorite was the chase that happens inside a black and white photograph. I also liked the Thinker -- who turns out to be anything but a thinker and delivers a great line ("Firepower!"). It's just not enough to sustain a sequel.  

Released: 2009


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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Alain Chabat, Ricky Gervais, Jon Bernthal,

AndyO review: * * 1/2

Metacritic: 37/100 (Generally negative reviews)

The story of black soldiers in World War II is definitely one that needs to be told. While there are some great cinematic moments in this movie, I felt lost in the story at times. If Spike Lee could have focused the story, perhaps leaving out the present-day "bookends," I think it would have been a much better film.

Released: 2008


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Miracle at St. Anna

Derek Luke, Laz Alonso, Pierfrancesco Favino, Matteo Sciabordi, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kerry Washington,

Labels: film

AndyO review: * * 1/2

Metacritic: 56/100 (mixed reviews)

This was a film I was excited to see. I'm a World War II buff and didn't know too much about Operation Valkyrie, which was a plan to assassinate Hitler and use the Reserve Army in Germany for a coup.

All the pieces are here to make for a really interesting film, reminiscent of those great 70s films like "Day of the Jackal." As much as I've been one to defend Tom Cruise as an actor, I think his presence in this film detracts from the story. Once he put on that eye patch, I kept thinking about this being Tom Cruise pretending to be a German Colonel. I just didn't buy it.

But it's not all Cruise's fault. Something in the editing or direction of this film just doesn't work. It's almost as if they cut out a bunch of scenes that might have made the film longer -- but would have glued it together better.

Maybe there will be a Director's Cut someday.

Released: 2008


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Valkyrie

Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Carice van Houten, Terence Stamp, Kevin McNally, Jamie Parker,

Labels: film