"Domo Arigato Mr Autoboto" Transformers 3 Review by Richard Benjumea

My intolerance of Michael Bay I do not hold back quietly. I always liken him to a gorilla with a paint brush. Although his strokes usually end up a far cry away from a picasso, there are un-doubtably people in this earth of ours who will hail it as "Modern" "Entertaining" and "Exciting". To say that Bay isn't the most subtle of action directors is an understatement (Do they even exist you ask? John Woo anyone) So as I begrudgingly walked into the midnight showing of Transformers 3, I readied myself for an assault on the senses, most notably common sense.

First let me point out. As someone who was never interested in the abomination that is the pairing of Hasbro and Paramount, I refused to watch the second Transformers, as the first one had left me mostly underwhelmed. it get's me every time I see "In association with Hasbro" in the opening credits. It's like Pirates of the Carribean, being based off of a ride at Disney World..at least they have the ever talented johnny Depp on their side.

So, fearing total confusion in not being able to follow the intricate plot (giggle snicker) I felt obligated to watch the second movie…..Enough has been said about it that I will spare it another tongue-lashing….

In this third installment, we find Optimus Prime and his merry band of Autobots working in finding the remaining Decepticons. What they also find, however, is an ancient Cybertronian space craft hidden on the dark side of the moon…Of course it contains something dangerous, capable of re-shaping the universe or something like that..So the standard race to save the world ensues. We find Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf, in a more comedic turn, reminiscent of his Even Stevens days) with a new beau, Carly (the new-to-acting Rosie Huntington-Whitely) How to deal with the sudden exit of Megan Fox from the franchise after her tabloid heavy fights with Michael  Bay? Let's just have a passing comment made by a robot saying that she dumped Sam, leaving all the emotional investment from the 2nd movie (What little there was) pointless.

Another side of the plot  (i'll try not to spoil anything) is the emphasis on conspiracies. Anyone who knows me, knows I am a conspiracy nut, much like Turturro's character Agent Simmons. Mention the words Apollo, dark side of the moon and assassinations in the same sentence to me, and i'll react the same way Simmon's does in the movie, with an ecstatic shiver down my spine. Although they get some stuff wrong and seem to cockblock any future, serious arguments about the subject by including robots that transform into shit, they do a good and interesting job at tying it all together. They also play with the idea that mankind was created as a slave race, something that made me want to yell out to the audience "if only you knew how true this is!" but I digress.

I must say, I enjoyed this movie. Of course it's popcorn fodder if there ever was one, but it is definitely the better of the three and a not too shabby summer movie in and of itself. There is also a more human story being told here by screenwriter Ehren Kruger, who's portfolio is more horror heavy with writing credits behind films like The Ring, Scream 3 and the Skeleton Key. There is also a stronger emphasis on plot, that ever elusive thing that was relatively invisible in "Fallen". It's no The Godfather mind you, or even The Black Godfather for that matter, but it's better than nothing. 

There are some genuine laughs in here not provided by stereotypical robots (although don't think you'll escape any borderline offensive portrayals) 

Comic turns by the funny-until-a-certain-point ken Jeong, John Malkovich and the always awesome John Turturro bring to light the fact that it's better to let an actor's natural talent shine than putting them in front of an explosion and calling it a day.

In the end, it seems like Michael Bay took heed to the criticism after the release of 'Fallen' , or maybe had a meeting with Spielberg that I like to imagine went something like this 

SS: Mikey, Mikey…Can I call you Mike? of course I can, I'm fucking Steven Spielberg. You have to tone it down a notch. I don't care how many snobs you can get to agree with you, explosions aren't considered to be a character of their own. And will you stop with the blatant racism, Oy! you're all fercockt! Hitting me in the kishka over here!

Like most summer blockbusters, it's nowhere near perfect. The acting, although better, could be, well, better. The 3D, despite Bay's insistence of it being out of this world, sucks robot balls, is not worth the price and further fuels my hatred for the whole gimmicky fad. And my biggest gripe? It's way too long. Clocking in at 157 minutes, they could have easily told the movie in 2 hours. The climax of the movie is extended so long in the second half, it would make Sting blush.  

Despite all that, Bay set out to create an enjoyable movie and not so much to stroke his own ego and, well, he succeeded. Summer wouldn't be summer without some explosions, robots and an extensive marketing campaign. 

"All Aboard the Blockbuster Express!" a SUPER 8 film review by Richard Benjumea

There have been many an alien movie in cinema's history, some of the most memorable coming from one man; Steven Spielberg. So it's no surprise that he pulls his producing weight behind Super 8 and takes it's writer-director JJ Abrams under his tutelage. Not that Abrams would need the extra guidance, he's come into his own writing scripts like Forever Young, creating critically acclaimed shows like Alias, Lost and Fringe and has directed and or wrote giant franchise money makers like MI:3 and Star Trek.

Abrams is this generation's Spielberg, he shares many a thing with the baseball-capped one: A religious attention to storytelling and its timeless rules, a visual panache that immerses you into the story and a seemingly preternatural ability to craft a film that stays true to the director's own vision while simultaneously delivering on what the crowd wants to see. 

One major difference between these two Czars of Celluloid though is that while Spielberg is a classic storyteller, with several violent films under his belt, his film's violence never seems unexpected and it's used to serve the story and the world it takes place in. Abrams on the other hand is fan-boy at heart, someone that has developed a trademark of dealing his minor characters random violent deaths (being sucked into a planetary mining engine with accompanying wilhelm scream, to being squished by an alien in front of our eyes) Where others might cut away as the violence hits, Abrams wants to stay for several frames more. Must be a generational thing I guess, because after all, Spielberg is the guy who digitally removed guns from a scene in E.T for it's re-release to make it more family friendly. I have a feeling like Abrams would have probably added some sort of creature in the background.

Now for the actual film itself;

The story takes place in Ohio, 1979. While trying to film a short Super 8 movie (What people used to shoot their viral videos with way back when, for those who didn't know….crazy kids), a group of friends witness an impressive train crash that unleashes a series of strange happenings and bring the U.S military snooping around their small town.

What is the strange cargo? I don't think i'd be spoiling anything here if I say it's a creature of some sort. Like the last Abrams sponsored creature feature Cloverfield, and any successful monster movie worth its weight in guts, you never get a full on look at the creature until the end, building up suspense expertly while delivering genuine heart pounding moments that don't feel like cheap 'Boo!' surprises. The monster? It's aight. No doubt people will be left disappointed. If you were expecting something as terrifying looking as Clover the Cloverfield monster, you are out of luck. Scaryness has been toned down in order to let us empathize with the creature, as I mention below....

Abrams tells a story oozing with heart and no doubt autobiographical nostalgia (The little fat kid Charles is supposed to be Abrams). He follows an unofficial rule I have that most people in hollywood don't seem to understand. When dealing with issues in a film which asks us to suspend our disbelief (Aliens, Monsters, Space stuff), it's best to cast unknown actors. Nothing would bring a magical late 70's joy ride to a grinding halt than seeing Cameron Diaz drag her bones across the screen.

 It is perfectly casted, Joel Courtney as  Joe Lamb, the deputy's kid who just lost his mother, has a natural presence as do all the kids in the film, who are, after all, the real stars and make Super 8 extremely enjoyable to watch. Then there's Elle Fanning and her character Alice Dainard, who shares a tragic connection with Joe and gives an amazingly natural performance. Which begs the question, how many more young, amazingly talented acting freaks does the Fanning family have locked up in their cellar waiting to be released? 

Over all, there's a natural chemistry there that other films could only dream of having, the kids act like, well kids.  The story captures the spirit of pre-teen innocence, wonder and heartbreak perfectly, like so many Super 8 home movies gathering dust in families' basements. The storyline is pretty by the book, with scenes that make us ask that inevitable question: Who are the real monsters; It, or us? Us being the U.S military, (and me being a die hard conspiracist, you know what my answer would be) 

The movie is not entirely perfect by any means, it has several standard hollywood heart to heart moments that seem more cliche than genuine, and an ending that I saw twenty minutes away. By the time the credits start rolling, you'll either feel content and satisfied or be left scratching your head asking "Was that it?" (Speaking of credits, stay for them, just do it.) It is an enjoyable film though that you won't regret, not for the explosions or monsters but for the human characters themselves…And I guess some pretty wicked explosions

SUPER 8 a film for geeked out fanboys and standard moviegoers alike. I give it a SUPER 8/10