Transformers – Autobots, ROLL OUT!

Saw the preview screenings of Transformers yesterday and it was totally awesome!  I have to say it was the single most enjoyable film of the summer,  or of the year, so far!

Everything about the film just seems to fit and work really well. The actors were well picked they all do a great job gawking at the giant robots. However it did suffer ever so slightly from being another film were a annoying love story was jammed into the middle of all the cool fighting robot action. However it was kept to a minimum and played out more like a comedy for a lot of the film so very little lovey dovey crap to worry about.

Shia LaBeouf plays Sam Witwicky who’s uncle discovered the frozen remains of the Decepticon’s leader, Megatron during a voyage to the antarctic. So when the rest of the Giant robots arrive on Earth it is him they pick on. Coming all the way from the planet Cybertron in search of a lost cube that was the source of all power and life on Cybertron, Sam is the only one who can help them find it. So with Sam’s help the Autobots, the good giant robots, try to find the cube, while the Decepticons, the bad giant robots, try hacking into the military network to find out what happened to Megatron.

The CGI of the transformers is incredible throughout the entire film and the fight scenes are even better. The voices of the transformers are perfect with the original Optimus Prime sounding tough as ever. The transforming is good too, most turning into cars, but a few planes and tanks thrown in for good measure.

The film starts with a massive attack on an air force base, thats big and brash, but then settles into the story of introducing Sam and his new car, which turns out to be a giant transforming robot, Bumblebee. With the help of his new Autobot car he manages to gain the attention of the school hottie played by one very sexy looking Megan Fox and togehter they help the Autobots in their search for the cube and their fight with the Decepticons.

I totally recommend seeing this film, you won’t have anymore fun in the cinema this year that with this as long as you don’t try to take it to serious, its just meant to be enjoyed without much of a work out on the brain, although your senses get a right bashing.

Autobots – Roll Out!

• Optimus Prime
• Bumblebee
• Ironhide
• Jazz
• Ratchett

Decepticons – All Hail Megatron

• Megatron
• Frenzy
• Starscream
• Barricade
• Devastator
• Bonecrusher
• Blackout

“I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars:” Watch Transformers it great”

9/10

My Review – Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End

I saw Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End at the cinema last night and it was very enjoyable. I won’t give away any spoilers here but since the film has already made in excess of $824million at the worldwide box office I can certainly assume most people have already seen it.

I was worried with the film to start with, its very grim and then once it gets going it gets a bit confusing as the plot jumps and skips all over the place until it finally settles down into a story line its comfortable with.

That said though it is a great film to watch, while the film is lost in complicated intermingled plots there is still certainly a lot of action and on screen eye candy to keep you entertained and as always there is the added benefit of a good few jokes or two or ten thrown in a long the way. Jack, the monkey, is back and providing a good few distractions from the plot, and there are the two bumbling pirates, plus the equally useless pair of navy soldiers from the East India company.

Most of the cast do a good job with their characters, although some of them have less to work with than others, and although they are the main characters Will and Elizerbeth have very little on screen time to work up their characters much before they are overwhelmed by the mass of other cast members. Jack is still the star though, and considering there are during the film at least several of him it does get very interesting. Captain Barbossa is also back and play off well against Captain Jack in the fight be the one true captain of the Black Pearl. Captain Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) is new, but doesn’t get much of a look in against the existing well experienced cast, although he does a decent job.

The ending is a spectacular sea battle with some interesting conclusion and as to be expected Jack get the last say and the final screen time and finished as he started. I do hope to see more of him again soon.

Anyway since there is still too much to talk about the film here, I’ll just finish now and say that its generally a really fun and enjoyable film, certainly worth watching and certainly worth a fourth sequel and more. Great, 7/10.

7/10

Oh My God! Futurama!! is.. Oh My God!!… back!!!! Oh My God!!!!!!

I can’t believe it!

I’m so happy I could cry…………….. Futurama is coming back!!!

I dunno how I missed this news as it was a few months ago it turned up, it should have been headline breaking news on all the major news channels but I guess some how I must have missed it, guess I must have been in the kitchen making a sandwich at the time.

Anyway in a sec I’m going to give you a link, your going to really want to click on it, but try to calm down and prepare yourself first. The link is to a Interview with the legend of all gods of animation that is Matt Groening!! He talks about the Simpson Movie a bit, which by the way is going to be pretty good I think, but mainly he mentions another little project he happens to be working on. That project is none other than four, yes I said “FOUR”, direct to DVD Futurama movies! The Simpson’s only get one, but Futurama, one isn’t enough, they get FOUR!!

The first will be released in December 2007, perfect to fit in my stocking, and even already has a title:

“FUTURAMA: BENDER’S BIG SCORE” (2007)

The other three, well I dunno, but they should be out soon after hopefully. The other good news is that Comedy Central has got the rights to take the movies and turn them in 16 regular episodes. They plan to add new stuff and re-jig it a bit to make it fit into episode format so should be worth watching.

Anyway, I have to go and jump around like a littel school girl until December so if you could excuse me I’ll see you later. Oh I almost forgot, you thought I had, forgot, but I didn’t, almost, but not quite, the link to the interview and also some others to related Futurama stuff. Have Fun!

Link to Matt Groening Interview

Link to IMDB Futurama Movie Page

Pans Labyrinth the darkest of fairytales

I watched Pans Labyrinth on DVD the other night. I had heard it was good film and that it was described as a dark fantasy fairytale but I wasn’t expecting it to be so extreme. I mean violent war films and fantasy fairy tales don’t usually mix but thats what Guillermo del Toro’s wonderfully crafted film manages. The fantasy world that young Ofelia the main character escapes into is very imaginative and the whole film is well put together and directed.

Two stories interweave one of the Ofelia and her adventures into a fantasy realm where she must undertake tasks to prove she is a lost princess. The other is the story of her evil step father the captain of a group of soldiers out to rid the woods of a group of rebels. However it is this story that really gets your attention as the captain murders and tortures his way though the film all the way to a not so happy ending depending on your point of view.

I watched this film not expecting the level of violence and horror within its plot but it makes a startling contrast between the real and fantasy world that really takes you into the story and grips you right to the end.

Overall its a wonderfully successfully combination of two distinctly different worlds into a true work of modern day cinematic art. One to watch for sure just to experience something so vividly different to the norm.

9 out of 10.

HOTFUZZ Preview Screening in Birmingham

Last night I took in the glitz and glamour of a hollywood blockbuster movie preview screening in Birmingham of the new film from the makers of Shaun of the Dead, HOTFUZZ.

I have to admit it wasn’t hugely glitzy or glamourous, but Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright were all there, I even said hey to Nick Frost on my way to the toilet, now thats hollywood, yeah!

Anyway I got free tickets to the screening and free popcorn and there was even a Q&A session after the film, which was alright but I had already enjoyed the film so much previously that I didn’t care to much and didn’t even try to ask a question.

The film itself was brilliant, just as good as Shaun of the Dead, although I still prefer Shaun because it’s the original everyday man movie, has a great style to it and has Zombies in it. Anyway brief details for those not in the know. Simon Pegg plays a London cop called Nick Angel. He’s the best of the best London has to offer, unfortunately he’s too good, making the rest of the force look bad in comparison so they transfer him to a tiny little village where nothing bad ever happens.

There he joins up with Nick Frost who plays a not so bright villiage police officer. Obviously being the best cop in the world Angel finds it hard to cope in a place with no crime, until a serise of ‘accidents’ arrouses his suspision.

As you would expect its a really cleaver, very funny film. Nick and Simon make a great double act and the supporting cast is a serise of great british comic talent. Look out for the brilliantly funny Bill Bailey who probably gets the best comic part in the film and he’s barley in it for more than a minute or two.

The action in the end really stands out simply because of the setting, Edgar Wright described it best when he said it’s Miss Marple with really big guns. I also think a good description would be Midsummer Murders meets Bad Boys.

Timothy Dalton plays the bad guy in the film which was the one minor problem i had, he was good at being the buy guy but it was too obvious, although there is a strange twist in the end they could have been a bit more subtle. Anyway its the comedy you go for and thats top notch. I won’t say much else you just have to go watch it now for yourself.

I guess I should rate it now so I would probably give it a 9 out of 10 because I still think Shaun of the Dead was a better film, although HotFuzz is just as funny.

HotFuzz

9 out of 10