Summer Blockbuster Movies!

It's summer movie season and the "big guns" are coming out here's a review of the last 3 we've seen.

"Ratatouille" - Starring the voice talents of: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O'Toole, Brad Garret, Janeane Garofalo, and (of course) John Ratzenberger. Written and Directed by Brad Bird and made by Pixar. Even though this was supposed to be the "animated" film of the summer it was on our must see list until we had some time to kill between a wedding and a reception so we were spontanious and went ahead and took it in. I'm glad we did. The animation, as always, is always a spectacle to see on the big screen (especially during a "raining" scene) but the story was clever and true to the animation genre. There were several laugh out loud moments and some subtle moments that peppered in grown-up humor to add spice to the story. Throughout it all Brad Bird does a great job using the characters to tell a story about being "human." Commiting and learning from your mistakes, the power of friendship and the strength of family are gently intertwined in the story. Kids and grown-ups will like this movie and it will help you remember what life was like when you were just a kid doing what you loved. 4.5/5 Remotes

"Transformers" - Starring: Shia LaBeouf (Pepe Le Pew) , Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Rachael Taylor, Anthony Anderson, Jon Voight, and John Turturro, along with the voice talents of Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving, a cameo by Bernie Mac and the graphic arts talents of the people at DreamWorks SKG. Directed by Michael Bay, and produced by Steven Spielberg. I should have expected as much from Michael Bay, it seems as though once you've seen one of his films you've kinda seen them all. The basic story often goes like this; some weird event can't be explained, some nobody can explain and solve said event, something goes wrong with the plan, it eventually works out but not without a whole bunch of things blowing up in the meantime. Also, there is some kind of romantic low to the ground twirly shot that is mixed in somewhere in the action. Dialogue and story are always second to the action...always! No exception here, however there is one exception in this movie that does stand out Shia LaBeouf actually pulled out a pretty good performance, although all he really had to do was play an awkward teen with some funny punchlines here and there. I don't think it was much of a stretch for him. The robots, the action the things blowing up were amazing and that is what a "popcorn" movie is all about. So you get what you pay for. The cameo roles by Bernie Mac, and John Turturro were zany and funny at points in the film where they were needed whiched helped the movie along. Overall a "summer blockbuster" if there ever was but I have to dock some points for no worthwhile dialogue what-so-ever. 4.5/5 Remotes

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" - Starring; Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton, and Michael Gambon. I must first say that I'm not a big reader and therefore I have not read any of the Harry Potter books, I like movies deal with it! Anyway on to the film...this is by far the darkest of the films and it seems as though the transition from "fun and fairweathered" stories geared toward kids to "serious and dark" films geared at "tweeners" who have grown up with Harry is going fairly well. The development of the actors into truly relatable characters who you can share an emotional connection with is beginning to form. We no longer see Harry as only the "chosen one" but as a leader as well, Radcliffe does well in expressing this in the role. Watson and Grint reprise their roles and show that they have not only grown in physical size and stature but in emotional and psychological depth as well. Since I haven't read the books and only watch the movies I was attentive throughout the film and enjoyed the movement of the plot. There were only a couple of spots where I thought "if I wasn't blocked in now is a good time to get some more popcorn." Overall the characters are relatable and for the most part likable or dispicable, depending on the nature of the characters and the cast does well to show them on the screen. 4/5 Remotes

That's it for now, sorry for the length but you can break it up if you want :-) up next...the long lost post, "Death of a Dorm"