GRITZ Movie Reviews: Transformers and More
Posted: Jul 07, 2007
TRANSFORMERS
One of the most popular kid’s toys of the 1990’s comes to life in 2007 at the hands of master movie maker Steven Spielberg, and the result is 2.5 hours of testosterone driven mayhem that brings the little boy out in every man.
Shia LaBeouf stars as a teenager who’s grandfather made a landmark discovery years ago, and that discovery is now coming back to haunt him and eventually turn him into the hero who gets the girl (Megan Fox) and the car (a super hot Camero with a little “something extra.”)
Sick special effects drive the movie forward, with the typical comedy bits interspersed for effect. Lots of action, subtle teenage sexual tension (still a family film) and robots galore.
My only complaint is the run time. The movie could have lost a half hour easily and still had the same effect.
Three and a half stars
-Michael Buffalo Smith
BABE WATCH: Megan Fox knows engines. You mean there were robots in this movie? Didn't notice.
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD
Justin Long has grown to great heights in popularity as the “Mac” in the Macintosh vs. PC commercials, so it is near perfect casting to place him as a genius computer hacker in Live Free or Die Hard, the latest in the franchise of Bruce Willis Die Hard films.
This time, we learn that terrorist activity doesn’t have to come from foreign soil, it can happen right here, within the USA. The monster here was actually employed by the US government before he went coconuts and decided to create a “fire sale” that shut down all traffic, communications, financial institutions and government.
There are some pretty funny moments mixed into the plot, and seeing Long’s computer work space surrounded by Todd McFarlane collectors figures like Spawn and other comic heroes was fun. Especially when Bruce Willis accidentally breaks one.
The action sequences make The Terminator look like The Waltons, with enough testosterone pumping to fuel a Super Bowl game. If you like action films, look no further. Die Hard never dies, and Bruce Willis is like the Energizer Bunny - he just keeps going, and going...
Lots of stuff blowing up. Lots of people getting shot. Lots of escapist, masculine fantasy. Now where did I put my AK-47?
-Buffalo
Four Out of Five Stars
FANTASTIC FOUR 2: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
As most of you already know, one of my guilty pleasures is comic books. I have been reading Batman, Fantastic Four, Spiderman and many others since I was a kid, and when the onslaught of comic movies started hitting the theaters a few years ago, I was like a kid in a candy store.
In this, the sequel to the highly succesful Fantastic Four film from a couple of years ago, the four have settled nicely into their new super powered skins (or, uh, rocks - sorry Ben), and seem very comfortable giving up their old lives to fight the evil doers.
When I saw the previews, I was puzzled that the Silver Surfer was going to be a bad guy. I didn't remember him as evil. Well, all of that is explained and by the time it's over...well, suffice it to say. "do not leave the theater when the credits roll!" Theres a little teaser during the credits, and a great set up for the sequel.
Action packed, comic book come to life, lots of witty lines and a real "comic book nerd" moment when Johnny Storm inherits all four heroes' powers. State of the art CGI and other effects, and the Surfer blends animation with a live actor to create one of the most compelling comic heroes ever to hit the big screen.
Four (imagine that) out of Five Stars
-Buffalo
The Silver Surfer: There's no face like chrome.
1408
Add up the numbers and you get "13." Oooo...spooky...
I have really been looking forward to this film for a while, and it did not disappoint. Several years ago I read the Stephen King story on which the movie is based, and it was pretty captivating.
John Cusak turns in a stellar performance as a skeptical paranormal writer and part time surfer who ends up in a hotel room he never dreamed of. If only he had listened to hotel manager Samuel L. Jackson, who did everything but beg him not to stay in the room where countless people had died - but you know, some people never listen.
It turns out to be a wild ride, wilder than any he ever encountered on the surf board. I can’t really say much here without being a spoiler, but I will say that this is a suspense film and not a horror film. Other than John getting his hand slammed into by a closing window, there is not any gore to speak of. (I like it that way.) But it is truly an “edge of your seat” kind of film, with top flight acting from Cusak and Jackson.
Five Out of Five Stars
-Buffalo
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