Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

There was once a time when I would go to the movies four times during a summer to see films like Independence Day or Armageddon multiple times. I couldn't get enough of the loud explosions, and the lack of any real story didn't bother me. I was able to find humor in the meaningless sex and fart jokes. It was pure escapism. Just grab a bucket of popcorn and a 40 ounce jug of soda and I was happy.

So what the hell happened to me?

Have I really become such a cynical grumpy old man that I can't fully enjoy films like that anymore? Have my tastes changed, or has Hollywood's standards changed?

Whatever the reason may be, I can not endorse Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I am puzzled that a movie as poor as this garnered applause at the end of the viewing in my theater. I'm even more puzzled at the amount of money this film is bringing in. The success of a film like this can mean only the further dumbing down of the Summer blockbuster.

Now to be fair, I wasn't a big fan of the first film. The first two thirds of that film was enjoyable. It had some good characters and funny moments. Shia LaBeouf is a very charismatic actor with a certain amount of gravitas. The special effects weren't that great and it was hard to make out a lot of the robots during the fight scenes. When the John Turturro character showed up the movie got quite silly and quickly turned sour. It was basically what I would expect from a Michael Bay film.

The sequel wasn't quite the disaster I was expecting, but it wasn't really good either. The actual story isn't bad. The premise is that the Transformers have been to Earth before, long ago in our history, and now an ancient Transformer known as the Fallen has returned to finish what he has started. Along the way there are several battles between the Decepticons and the Autobots who wage war on our planet.

The special effect were much better this time out. The robots were better defined and easier to make out, especially during the fight scenes. Most of the fights were done in slow motion to help make it easier to see, but unfortunately the slow motion scenes filtered out into almost every aspect of the film and was completely overused.

The film was conceived during the writer's strike last year. What I imagine happening is Michael Bay creating a series of action scenes, and once the strike was over and the screenwriters were able to work again he gave them those scenes and said to make a story out of it. It's a backwards way to work and that is ultimately the problem with this film: the writing is just simply lazy.

Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who wrote the other big Summer blockbuster film Star Trek, are credited along with Ehren Kruger as writing Transformers. I wonder how much of Orci and Kurtzman's work is really in the finished film because Star Trek is a far superior film. There is no character development at all and the humor in the film is just bad.

It is quite possible to write an intelligent funny action film, it's been done several times with great success. Star Trek has several moments of humor that work within the story. Having to rely on crude humor that serves no point to the characters or the story is just cheap. There are about three scenes showing a small dog trying to hump a bigger dog. There's a scene of a small Transformer humping Megan Fox's leg. There are plenty of fart jokes, drug jokes, pussy jokes, and quite honestly inappropriate humor. This is a film that is being marketed towards kids and it is full of language I would not let my kids hear or would I want them exposed to that kind of behavior. It is just embarrassing.

And speaking of Megan Fox, we all know she is a gorgeous person, but we really don't know if she can act, especially with material like this. The extent of her character development in this film is several slow motion shots showing her beautiful figure running while wearing tight skimpy clothes. We get to see lots of her beautifully photographed, but she really doesn't have much else to do beside look good. That's pretty much the amount of effort that was given to characters in this film. I understand it's just a high energy popcorn flick, but I just expect more for my entertainment.

And let's not forget the twin Autobots Wheelie and Skids. I had read briefly about the racial stereotypes in the film before I saw it but I just passed if off to some conservative nuts looking to get people wound up over nothing. Boy was I wrong. They talk as if they are from the ghetto, acting like bumbling idiots and living up to the typical racial black stereotypes. One of them even has a gold tooth. Once again, it's just embarrassing.

Literature is full of the fool characters that act like idiots for comic relief, but they always serve a purpose for the story. From the gravediggers in Hamlet to the peasants in Hidden Fortress to R2-D2 and C-3PO in Star Wars, the characters have brought a purpose to the plot while entertaining with humor. In Transformers they serve no real purpose other than to try and get some cheap laughs with crude and offensive humor.

Most times I really wouldn't care. I got a few minor laughs out of it myself, but mostly I was just left shaking my head. My problem is that this is a film based a line of children's toys and it is being marketed towards children. Maybe more towards older children, but the young ones are definitely going to want to see it too. Quite honestly, it's only real purpose is to help sell some toys. It is irresponsible to just throw in the type of joke you would expect in a teen sex comedy. The movie didn't need all of the bad humor. There is plenty of action and explosions to draw people in to see it. We want and expect humor, but we should want and expect a certain level of intelligence as well.

If the box office is any indication, I am probably in the minority on this. The majority of the population is going to eat this stuff up and love it and not care that a few brain cells were wasted away. It's going to make a ton of money, make a huge profit for the studio, and strengthen their perception that they don't need to spend any time or money on a script. You can dumb it down all you want, the people will come and see it. It's going to help perpetrate a rapidly growing trend of poorly conceived films that rely on special effects and no story. The success of films like Dark Knight or Star Trek, movies that are smartly written and executed perfectly, are going to be outnumbered by the dimwitted fluff that is dominating the box office. Money dictates what the studios will do. As long as people keep buying tickets to these kinds of movies, then they will keep making them.

And I'm a sucker like everyone else. I paid my money. I sat in that theater and did my part to help strengthen the establishment. I usually avoid movies I know are going to be bad, but I held out hope that the critics were wrong and I would be surprised and entertained. I was wrong, they were right. I really thought word of mouth would kill this movie before the weekend, but it seems to have only gotten stronger. I really don't get it, but that's probably because I'm just a cynical old man with a more sophisticated palette.

I am obviously not the targeted demographic. Are you?

My 100 Favorite Films Part 3: #71-80

Here we go with the next set of ten films in the list. I was really hoping to get these out one set a week but life happens and has slowed down my writing lately. I'm going to try to get back on track but things are only going to get crazier in these next 30 days. I'll try to squeeze in a review here and there when I can, but until then I hope you enjoy this next set of films. As always, lets review the list so far.

#100) His Girl Friday (1940)
#99) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
#98) Adaptation (2002)
#97) Being John Malkovich (1999)
#96) Groundhog Day (1993)
#95) Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
#94) Boogie Nights (1997)
#93) Apocalypse Now (1979)
#92) Barton Fink (1991)
#91) The Big Lebowski (1998)
#90) Breathless (1960)
#89) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
#88) Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
#87) Apollo 13 (1995)
#86) Rashomon (1950)
#85) Pink Floyd's the Wall (1982)
#84) The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
#83) Rope (1948)
#82) Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
#81) The Wild Bunch (1969)

And now for your reading enjoyment, let us get started.

#80) Do the Right Thing (1989)


Spike Lee's break out film is a real tour de force. A lot of the themes that would appear in most of his films are showcased here and nothing is held back.

The story takes place in Brooklyn on the hottest day of the year. The heat combined with several character driven situations causes every one's bigotry and hatred towards one another to boil over into a powerful moment of violence. Lee often likes to look at racism in his films and how it is still a lingering driving force behind our society. Every character of all races has their moments to express their fear and hatred towards each other throughout the film. When everything finally explodes at the end you can see the damaging effects racism has on a community and how pointless it really is.

Sometimes Spike Lee can be a bit too forward with his messages, often beating you over the head repeatedly to make sure you get the point. Often times it can distract from the story, but more often then not he balances it just right so that the message is heard clearly and distinctly. Never has that message been more powerfully delivered than in Do the Right Thing. The world was introduced to one of our most important artists. Consider the message heard.

#79) Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

When you mix two geniuses like Stanley Kubrick and Peter Sellers you come up with a brilliant satire on the true ridiculous nature of war. This film was part of Kubrick's transition period from studio director for hire to making his own personal artistic films as well as his only real attempt at comedy.

The story is a bout a rogue general that goes insane and initiates a launch of nuclear weapons in an attempt to start World War III. The President along with his political and military advisers meet in the War Room to find a solution to stop the attacks and repercussions that will come along with it. Peter Sellers plays three characters in the film: Captain Mandrake, President Muffley, and Dr. Strangelove. His portrayal of the bumbling President is eerie to a certain recent President as far as showing the inept ability to have any control over anyone. The dialogue and characters are very funny in executing the satire. This film is an obvious statement about how absurd a nuclear war would be. When the country was living in fear of an attack from the Russians at any moment Kubrick held nothing back by making fun of this situation and finding humor out of a tense situation. An appropriate film to watch today with what is going on in the world, and hopefully our world leaders can find the same absurdity in the situation that Kubrick did. And remember, there is no fighting in the War Room.

#78) Unbreakable (2000)

Probably the best comic book origin story ever filmed.

M. Night Shyamalan re-teams with his Sixth Sense star Bruce Willis to tell the story of David Dunn, the only man to survive a horrific train accident without a scratch on him. As he tries to make sense of it he comes to realize that he's never been sick, and that he may have super human strength. His son sees the potential to be a super hero and pushes him to explore this ability and to try and do good with it. Along the way he meets Elijah Price, played by Samuel Jackson, who is the opposite of Dunn, born with fragile breakable bones. He has been searching his whole life for someone worthy of being his arch nemesis and with Dunn he finds him and pushes him to realize his powers as well.

There is some great chemistry between Jackson and Willis that help make the characters work. By the end of the film you realize the possible potential stories that could be told about these dueling characters. A sequel has been something that fans often talk about and hope for yet Shyamalan hasn't really hinted at a possibility. There is some experimenting in this film with long drawn out takes to tell the story that makes the pacing of the film feel a bit slow. But for the most part the story works better than most real comic adaptations ever have.

#77) Miller's Crossing (1990)

The third film by the Coen Brothers has them attempting the gangster genre and includes their traditional dark humor laced within this period piece.

Gabriel Byrne stars as Tom Regan, an advisor to a crime boss during the prohibition who tries to keep the peace between feuding mobs but ends up getting caught in the middle and he must make a decision in order to save himself and the woman he has fallen for, played by Marcia Gay Harden. As is typical in a Coen Brother film, the movie is wonderfully shot. This was the third and final film that future director Barry Sonnenfeld would act as the cinematographer. The script is full of great dialogue with some fun banter between Harden and Byrne. There is a great supporting cast as well including Albert Finney and Coen regulars John Turturo and Jon Polito. It's not one of their popular or talked about films but it's a true gem from some great film makers.

#76) The Matrix (1999)

Forget about the horrible sequels, the first movie was an original and innovative film that not only became inspiration for many more rip offs, but it became a cultural and philosophical phenomenon.

Keanu Reeves stars as Neo, a computer hacker that learns his sense of reality is far from real but rather a computer generated world where humans are merely programs and pawns in a world completely controlled by computers. He is able to free himself from the control of the computers with the help of Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) to help wage war against the cyber world and free the human race from their control.

There are several interesting themes presented about man and technology coexisting in our world and who really controls who. In a society dependent on their electronic gadgets it's pretty prophetic in a way showing how we are controlled by technology. We rely so heavily on the Internet and our cell phones and iPods that many would not be able to function without them. So in a way technology has won and is now controlling the human race. Mixed with these powerful themes are some really cool martial arts choreography and inventive camera work, including the introduction of the bullet cam. The sequels were a bit convoluted and relied too much on special effects and action rather than the story and characters that made the original so good. The original still holds up as a really good action and science fiction film.

#75) There Will Be Blood (2007)

A wonderful adaptation of the Upton Sinclair novel "Oil" by Paul Thomas Anderson with a powerful performance from Daniel Day Lewis. I truly believe that over time this film could become a true American classic. There are so many elements of this film that are just top notch and come together to create a flawless film.

Lewis stars as Daniel Plainview, an oil tycoon during the early days of the business who has built himself up from nothing and is so full of greed that he will use anyone and everyone around him to get what he wants. His one true nemesis is Eli Sunday, played by Paul Dano, a young influential town preacher who desires his own power and influence through the use of the church.

At the core of the film are the competing powers of commerce and religion, each looking to gather their own flock of followers so that they can have ultimate control of the town. The true driving force behind these individuals is a common desire: greed. Each man is flawed yet put up a false exterior to make them seem good natured and helpful, but ultimately each man wants power and especially money. The difference between the two is that Plainview has no problem letting down his curtain and admitting what he really wants, while Sunday refuses to expose his true nature and he must hide behind this false demeanor in order to remain in control. It's a strong statement on the flaws and dangers in both capitalism and religion. Each institution is susceptible to corruption as is often the case. Man by nature is flawed and those flaws and weaknesses are magnified when power and influence are introduced.

The film is strongly acted by the entire cast with a great script and direction from Anderson and cinematography from Robert Elswit. Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood provides an eerie and haunting score that enhances the landscapes and actions of the characters. It's a near perfect film that captures an important period of our history while showing how relevant the themes relate to our society today. Greed is something that will never go away and will continue to influence the future of our country.

#74) Fargo (1996)

Hey look, another Coen Brothers film! This is the film that rightfully got them their first Oscars. It's a brilliant blend of humor, drama, and extremely dark and disturbing actions from the characters.

William H. Macy plays Jerry Lundegaard, a car salesman who is struggling financially so he cooks up a plan to have his wife kidnapped so his rich father-in-law will pay the ransom and he will get his money. As you would expect, everything goes wrong. When someone turns up dead pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson, played by Oscar winner Frances McDormand, is on the case and begins to sense something fishy going on.

The Coen's have always had a great knack at righting authentic dialogue. The Northern Midwest accents are immortalised by the characters in this film with accurate and entertaining speech and dialogue straight from the script. There are moments when the characters come off cutesy and fun but then you see the dark side of what man is capable of doing during stressful times. Lundegaard's plan is so full of holes but he is convinced it will work and when it doesn't the lengths he will go to to cover things up is astonishing. This is one of those moments when all of the elements of a film are clicking and it makes for an entertaining film, albeit sometimes disturbing. The things you can do with a wood chipper.

#73) This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

The birth of the mockumentary. Directed by Rob Reiner and written by costars Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, the film tells of the rise and fall of the fictional band Spinal Tap. The movie is mostly improvised but there are some real classic songs written by Guest, McKean, and Harry Shearer with some hilarious stage performances, including "Big Bottom," "Stonehenge," and "Lick My Love Pump."

This film set up the formula that Christopher Guest would use in several of his future mockumentaries such as Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman. The mock documentary has been imitated several times but nowhere near with the amount of success as Guest and especially with Spinal Tap. If you've never seen it do yourself a favor and watch it now and be sure to turn it all the way up to eleven!

#72) Toy Story (1995)

It's so hard to pick a favorite Pixar film when they are all so good, but you can't deny that they started with a bang and never looked back.

Toy Story is about a boy's favorite toy, Woody the cowboy, voiced by Tom Hanks, who is threatened when the newest and hottest toy on the market arrives: Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Tim Allen. Buzz doesn't realize he's just a toy and Woody is too worried about being replaced that they don't realize they get left behind and separated from the boy that loves them both.

It's a heartwarming story that brings me back to my childhood. I'm sure we have all had that one toy or another that we have absolutely loved and have taken with us everywhere. It's a certain joy and innocence that we tend to only experience when we are young and when we become too busy with our grown up lives we forget about those wonderful times as a young kid when all that mattered was getting to play with our toys. It's a universal theme that connects with us all, and that is what has made Pixar so successful after all of these years. They continue to push the boundaries of computer animation, making such beautiful looking films. But more importantly, they focus on creating great characters and great stories. From those stories the visuals will come. Film after film they continue to tell great stories that connect with adults and children. These are the reasons they are the best animated studio out there, maybe even the best film studio period. It's hard to argue with there number of successes.

#71) The Sixth Sense (1999)

It is going to be so hard to be surprised again the way I was when I first saw the Sixth Sense. The experience of seeing this movie for the first time and being totally blindsided by the surprise of this film is such a unique memory and one that makes this film so special.

Bruce Willis plays Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a psychologist that sparks up a unique relationship with a boy Cole, played by Haley Joel Osment. Cole has the gift to see dead people and communicate with them. At first it's a curse for him but Dr. Crowe helps him to find the power in his gift so that he can not only help the dead but help those who have been left behind. The film is masterfully put together by writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. When the big surprise is revealed Shyamalan goes back to show us all of the clues and hints that are blatantly right in front of us that go unnoticed. It's a very clever twist that unfortunately will forever be compared with any film Shyamalan makes from now on.

When I first saw the film there was a lot of buzz about how great and shocking the film was, but luckily nobody was really spoiling the ending. While watching it in the theater about half way through I was thinking to myself that this was nothing special, in fact I thought it was a bit slow. Then when the big secret was revealed I had one of those "Oh Shit!" moments that I could not believe not only what I had just seen, but that I was fooled the entire time. I constantly go to the movies with the hope that I am going to be shocked or surprised but it rarely happens. With the emergence of the Internet information is spread at such a rapid rate it's so hard not to know about the entire film months before it is even released. Spoilers or so easy to come by and often are hard to avoid. Word of mouth spreads so fast through blogs and message boards that a film can gain momentum pretty fast or simply fall flat and be done with before the opening weekend is even finished. I used to be a junky for spoilers but I was finding that knowing what to expect and watching a film waiting for the things I knew about to happen was ruining the overall experience of being surprised and just simply enjoying a good film. I try to avoid them now but temptation can be pretty bad sometimes. Luckily I never had that opportunity with this film. It still holds up with repeat viewings, but nothing will ever beat seeing it for the first time.

Well that's all for now. I'll try to hopefully be back soon with the next set. Maybe I'll even get out to the theater soon to catch a flick so I can write about it. So until next time...