‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ or “People, it’s based off an 80’s toy line and directed by Michael Bay - don’t go in expecting high concept art.” (Review)
Directed by Michael Bay
Written by Ehren Kruger & Roberto Orci
Starring - Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Ramon Rodriguez, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, Isabel Lucas and John Turturro 
Fact: If you enjoyed the first ‘Transformers’ film and found it to be a fun summer action film then you will most likely enjoy the sequel ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’. If you hated the first film then the sequel will be one of the most offensive, trite and obnoxious films you will see all year and possibly in this lifetime. With that out of the way let this review commence.
‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ is a summer action movie in the purest sense. It’s not meant to be art; it’s meant to entertain people of all ages and backgrounds. What it attempts to do is provide escapist fun for two-and-half hours. It seeks to make audiences forget about their problems in the real world while they watch giant space robots kick the crap out of one another and revel in CGI robot pornography. And for the most part- ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ does just that.
Picking up two years after the previous film, ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ brings back all the familiar faces of the first film and immediately we are shown where those characters are in life now. Optimus Prime and the Autobots have joined forces with Master Sergeant Epps (Tyrese) and Major Lennox (Josh Duhamel) who lead the newly formed military faction NEST. With the help of the Autobots, NEST hunts down rogue Decepticons that are still in hiding and flush them out. 
The Autobot team has several new additions to its roster since the first film. Jolt (a Chevrolet Volt), Sideswipe (a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept car), Arcee (a hive mind set of three Japanese motorcycles) and the now infamous Skids and Mudflap (each is a Chevrolet Beat). Combining with the Autobots from the first film, this is the new team of Autobots that is responsible for defending Earth.
Our protagonist from the first film Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) has graduated from high school and is about to leave sunny California to attend college in Philadelphia. He’s faced with many things to take care of before he heads east. Mainly, how to not lose his super-hot girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox), and what to do about the alien robot that lives in his garage and watches over his family.
Sam’s parents, Ron and Judy Witwicky (Kevin Dunn and Julie White) are now aware of the alien living in their garage and sworn to secrecy by the United State government. (It almost goes without saying that Kevin Dunn and Julie White as Sam’s parents were easily one of the best things about the first film and they are a major standout of this one).
Sam and Mikaela have officially become a couple since the first film (and, let’s face it, thwarting a robot alien invasion is just about the best “How we met” couple story ever.) Unfortunately Mikaela’s father is fresh out of prison so while Sam heads out to college, she has to stay in California and help her father with the family business. Much to no one’s surprise, while packing his clothes for college Sam takes out his sweatshirt from the first movie that he keeps as a keepsake of the event and it just so happens a sliver of the All-Spark cube had latched onto it.
The plot setup for ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ is paper-thin, as should be the plot setup for any ‘Transformers’ film. As stated early on in this review, this is a movie franchise based off of an 80’s toy line, and don’t expect this to ever be something it’s not. The plot of this film gives enough basis and justification to start a chain-reaction of plot device events that are needed to get certain characters into place throughout the film
Michael Bay goes so far as to blatantly disregard geography in order to advance the story. One scene in particular features Sam, Mikaela, Agent Simmons and Leo awakening the ancient Transformers Jetfire at the Smithsonian Air & Space museum. Once Jetfire is awakened and Transformers from his alternate mode of being an SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, he bursts through a pair of hanger doors and immediately all of our characters are in The Boneyard, a airplane retirement depot at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. 
This marks the first appearance in the franchise of fan-favorite Decepticon character, Soundwave who is an orbiting satellite in the film (and not a giant boom box as he first appeared in the 80’s TV series). Soundwave might be a point of contention for hardcore fans, but his role in the film is in line with the character of Soundwave. Let’s face it; a giant boom box would look outdated and completely absurd if it entered the fray.
Also making their first appearance are the Constructicons. A group of Deceptions that appear as construction vehicles that eventually combines into the monstrous robot colossus Devastator. The Constructicons are incredibly interesting to see onscreen since they do not have conventional robot forms like the majority of the Transformers do. The look awkward and gangly but truly keep up to the idea of being robots in disguise. The biggest problem with the Constructicons being introduced in the this film is that they have no individual personalities and only serve as a way to introduce their combined mode of Devastator. 
While there are only a few new Autobots that make their debut in this film, there are many Decepitons that make their first appearance in ‘Revenge of the Fallen’. There are needless other Decepticons introduced in the film, in fact so many are being thrown at the audience by the end of the film it’s hard to keep track of who any of them are. Their basic purpose is for cannon fodder in the climatic battle at the end of the film.
There is a lot going on in this film. It’s frantic and even chaotic at times. This never lessened my enjoyment of the film. The biggest problem with this film that universally everyone will agree about is the twins, Skids and Mudflap.
While audiences of all kinds seem to be eating up everything about the twins, I feel that they’re one watermelon-patch joke away from being an Amos and Andy parody. One character has a gold tooth and both admit they can’t read. Every line of dialogue uttered by these two characters is cringe-worthy. Undoubtedly Skids and Mudflap were created by some marketing person who thought these two characters would score with the urban demographic and, sadly, they seem to be right. It definitely wasn’t the most responsible creative choice to include these characters as any relating jokes pander to the lowest common denominator. These characters don’t serve or impact the story by any means whatsoever. They are forced into the story for comedic effect, which was lost on me. Yet audiences aren’t the ones wanting someone’s head on a spike for their creation- it’s the reviewers. For me, Skids and Mudflap were embarrassing additions to the Autobot roster but they sure as hell will sell a lot of action figures.
Another noticeable problem with ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ is it’s unnecessarily long. Although I enjoyed almost every minute of the massive amounts of explosions, robot CGI shots and the now signature Michael Bayshowcasing of military hardware shots, it’s perfectly understandable that casual fans of the ‘Transformers’ franchise might have a problem with the length. 
You may think that with all that I’ve mentioned about this film that I walked out of ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ annoyed with the little things, but that’s not the case. ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ isn’t superior to the first film in regards to the plot, but it’s a worthy follow-up and exceeds the first film when it comes to big action set pieces. This film is packed with so many Transformers that you can’t keep track of them. While some character development for certain Autobots and Decepticon characters would have been nice, I loved the amount of new characters that are thrown on screen even if they weren’t named or given a backstory. Michael Bay is pulling new Transformers designs out of the toy box and throwing them at the audience left and right. Every time a new Transformers character makes their appearance I just want to see more of them.
The action is also amped-up considerably from the first film. Optimus Prime gets a chance to a shine as even more of a badass in this film as he slices-and-dices his way through waves of Decepticon baddies. One of the best scenes of the film features Optimus rolling out of the back of a C1-30 cargo plane and transforming midair before he tackles a rampaging Constructicon. It was a scene that made the fanboy inside me squeal with glee. There are many scenes like this in ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ and that’s exactly the type of entertainment I would want out of a Transformers sequel.
I’m not a devoted Michael Bay fan, but I am a fan of his films (‘Bad Boys 2’ being the glaring exception). Sometimes I’m a Michael Bay apologist but not in the case of the ‘Transformers’ series. This is a franchise that is meant to be big, loud, hyper-realistic and in your face with action and style. ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ is a flawed film where geography and continuity are concerned, but these things never lessened my enjoyment of the film. The simple truth is that ‘Transformers’ movies will never be what hardcore fans want them to be. They will also never make the ‘Transformers’ movie as hardcore as fans might want. I am perfectly okay with that the ‘Transformers’ movie franchise is in its current incarnation. ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ doesn’t exceed at being the best summer movie this year, but it is a film you will have a lot of fun with.
‘Away We Go’ or “NBC comedy stars get existential.” (Review)
Directed by Sam Mendes
Written by Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida
Starring - John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Catherine O’Hara, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Paul Schneider and Maggie Gyllenhaal
‘Away We Go’. This is a film I’ve been eagerly awaiting to see ever since I watched the trailer for it. The trailer had that indie film spark that lured me in like a moth to a flame. After the misery-porn-epic that was ‘Revolutionary Road’, I wasn’t eager to see another Sam Mendes film any time soon (Kate Winslet’s holocaust movie last year was more upbeat than that downer flick). I think Sam Mendes is a very talented director and typically works with A-list talent, but ‘Revolutionary Road’ was a soul-crushing film I don’t care to experience again. In a possible palette-cleansing choice, his most recent film in theaters is ‘Away We Go’ and it’s a breath of fresh air in a summer full of giant robots and explosions.
What really convinced me into seeing ‘Away We Go’ was the fact it stars SNL alumni Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski of ‘The Office’. John Krasinski has charmed many people in his portrayal of smart-ass underdog office worker Jim Halpert in ‘The Office’. I’ve never been the biggest Maya Rudolph fan, but she has made a name for herself on SNL. With a script that was co-written by author Dave Eggers, ‘Away We Go’ had a lot of things going for it that paid off in full.
Together they play Burt and Verona, a couple in their mid thirties, who have been together for a while even though Verona refuses to get married to Burt. They are on the verge of having their first kid, but they are also still trying to figure life out and where to start their family. 
In my opinion, ‘Away We Go’ is best summed up as an existential-mature-romantic-road-trip-comedy. This film has a few raunchy scenes (particularly the opening scene where Burt is discussing with Verona about vaginal taste and what that means) but these scenes are all good-natured. They make perfect sense in the context of the relationship of Burt and Verona and the film. These are not meant to be gross-out jokes, they are real and honest topics couples discuss which made the portrayal of Burt and Verona feel believable and never forced.
These are two people having a mid-thirties life-crisis. They feel that their friends that are around their age have matured into responsible adults with families and adult responsibilities while they are still trying to figure things out. It’s a premise that people in their 20’s, 30’s and even 40’s can relate to. Things don’t always fall into place. Many of us are still asking ourselves the question “Is this what being an adult is like?”
The plot of the film focuses on Burt and Verona visiting friends and family in various places across North America in an attempt to find a new place to settle down. Along the way they run into a slew of memorable and quirky characters that make them question their own situational status in life. Maggie Gyllenhaal particularly stands out as an over-the-top hippy professor in Madison, Wisconsin who is an old family friend of Burt’s. Maggie Gyllenhaal is not someone who I often think of delivering strong comedic performances, but she is unexpectedly hilarious in this film.
The music for the entire film is provided mostly by folk singer/songwriter Alex Murdoch, an artist who I adore and feel is understated and melancholy. His style is a perfect fit for setting the tone and atmosphere of this type of film.
This is a very intimate film, but it’s also one of the funniest films I’ve seen so far this year. Sam Mendes paints an emotional portrait of a couple that is just looking for answers in life in the face of impending parental responsibilities. However they soon come to realize that everyone else is still trying to figure out how to live their lives, too. There are no simple answers and everyone has problems on different levels. ‘Away We Go’ is a beautiful film and is an evolutionary step in the acting careers of Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski. See this film, you will not be disappointed.
Renters Anonymous - June 30th, 2009
New Releases
12 Rounds - 6/10
Starring John Cena, Ashley Scott, Steve Harris, Gonzalo Menendez
The film opens in an FBI operation to catch a nearly untraceable, internationally-known terrorist, named Miles Jackson (Aidan Gillen). New Orleans Police Detective Danny Fisher (John Cena) and his partner bump into the getaway car of Jackson and his Fiancée (Taylor Cole). After Danny chases the car on foot, he manages to stop them. Jackson’s girlfriend is however killed, when she is struck down by a car after trying to make a run for it. It then becomes evident that, a year later, Jackson has escaped prison, and planned his revenge on Fisher, in a game he calls “12 Rounds”. He kidnaps Fisher’s girlfriend Molly Porter (Ashley Scott) and forces him into a series of dangerous games, carefully plotted throughout the streets of New Orleans. Fisher struggles to keep focus while the obvious ticking clocks and crude consequences that accompany each one of the “rounds” do their best to derail him from rescuing the love of his life before it’s too late.
Renters Anonymous - June 23rd, 2009
New Releases
Confessions of a Shopaholic - 5.2/10 - Trailer
Starring Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter
Struggling with her debilitating obsession with shopping and the sudden collapse of her income source, Rebecca Bloomwood unintentionally lands a job writing for a financial magazine after a drunken letter-mailing mix-up. Ironically writing about the very consumer caution of which she herself has not abided, Rebecca’s innovative comparisons and unconventional metaphors for economics grants her critical acclaim, public success, and the admiration of her supportive boss Luke. But as she draws closer to her ultimate goal of writing for renowned fashion magazine Alette, she questions her true ambitions and must determine if overcoming her “shopaholic” condition will bring her real happiness.
Single Disc Special Features:
- 2.40:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
- Deleted Scenes
- Bloopers
- Music Video: “Stuck with Each Other” by Shontelle feat. Akon
2-Disc Special Features:
- All of the features of the Single Disc DVD, plus:
- Digital Copy of the Film
Blu-ray Features:
- 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby TrueHD 5.1
- All of the features of the 2-Disc DVD, plus:
- Music Videos: “Accessory” by Jordan Taylor, “Takes Time to Love” by Trey Songz
- Behind the Fashion: The Making of Confessions of a Shopaholic
- Digital Copy of the Film
Recommendation: Pass
The Pink Panther 2 - 6.4/10 - Trailer
Starring Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Emily Mortimer, Aishwarya Rai, Andy Garcia, Yuki Matsuzaki, John Cleese, Jeremy Irons
After having been rewarded for solving the mystery of the Pink Panther Diamond, inspector Jacques Clouseau has been assigned to minor tasks by his boss inspector Dreyfus so as not to have him in his way anymore. Unfortunately, the famous diamond has once again been stolen as have many other artifacts in a series of burglaries around the world. His past success will enable inspector Clouseau to be part of the dream team comprised of the greatest detectives of the affected countries, where he will be able to display his numerous talents across the world.
Special Features:
- 1.85:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
Gag Reel- Drama is Easy…Comedy is Dangerous
- A Dream Time Like No Other
- Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection Volume 1: Pranks in the Pink (171 min)
Blu-ray Features:
- 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
- Master Thief - Global Crime Showdown
- Digital Copy of the Film
Recommendation: Pass
Inkheart - 6/10 - Trailer
Starring Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis, Jim Broadbent
Mo has the special talent to bring characters out of books. One night he brings out three characters from Inkheart, a story set in medieval times and filled with magical beings. Capricorn and Basta, two villains, and Dustfinger, a fire-eater. Now, 10 years later Meggie discovers the truth and it’s up to her to escape Capricorn’s evil grasp.
Special Features:
- 2.40:1 Widescreen and 1.33 Fullscreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
Featurette: “Eliza Reads to Us”
Blu-ray Features:
- 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1
- Featurettes: “Eliza Reads to Us”, “A Story from the Cast and Crew”, “From Imagination to Page: How Writers Write”
- DVD copy of the film
- Digital copy of the film
Recommendation: Pass
Waltz With Bashir - 7.5/10
One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can’t remember a thing anymore about that period of his life. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images.
Special Features:
- 1.78:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
“Making Of” Featurette- Animatics - Building the Scenes
- Q&A with director Ari Folman
- Director’s Commentary
Blu-ray Features:
- 1.78:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby TrueHD 5.1
- All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
- BD-Live Enabled
Recommendation: Rent
The Code
Starring Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas
In New York, the experienced art thief, Keith Ripley, invites the bold thief from Miami, Gabriel Martin, to team up with him. He plans the heist of two valuable mysterious antique Faberge eggs, located in a safe, of the well protected Russian jewelry Romanov. Each egg is worth twenty million dollars on the black market, and Ripley needs his cut to free himself from his debt to a powerful mobster, known as Nicky. The reluctant Gabriel agrees to participate, after having a one night stand with Ripley’s goddaughter Alexandra Karolin. Meanwhile, the persistent Lieutenant Weber, who has unsuccessfully tried to put Ripley in jail for twenty years, figures out how to anticipate the movements of the criminal in order to catch him.
Special Features:
- 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
- No other features
Blu-ray Features:
- 2.35:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby Digital 5.1
- Behind the Scenes
- Cast & Crew Interviews
Recommendation: Pass
The Unrated Blogger’s Cut
Man, what a slow week in DVDs. There aren’t even any rereleases of films on DVD or Blu-ray which is pretty weird and the first I’ve seen in like forever. I guess it’s a good thing that I have an extensive DVD collection so I’ll at least have something to watch, probably go with Transformers related material.
Coming Soon:
‘The Great and Powerful Oz’ Revealed
As I mentioned last week, the Wizard of Oz is coming to Blu-ray and DVD for it’s 70th Anniversary. And now we finally have some artwork and photos of the Ultimate Collector’s editions. So here are the photos for all you ruby slipper loving Oz freaks.
And we’re off to see the wizard…
Renters Anonymous - June 16th, 2009
New Releases
Friday the 13th - 5.7/10 - Trailer
Starring Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Aaron Yoo, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle, Derek Mears
A group of young adults discover a boarded up Camp Crystal Lake, where they soon encounter Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears) and his deadly intentions. A remake of the 1980 horror classic of the same name.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Or shall I say, the Blu Brick road?
Yes, The Wizard of Oz is finally coming to Blu-ray for it’s 70th Anniversary on September 29th, 2009. Plus there will be DVD and collector edition’s as well with fancy collectibles. The re-remastered the video and audio for this release, scanning the frame negatives in 8k resolution and then a “capture” master was created in 4k. This new remaster will have twice the resolution of the previous DVD remaster offering full 1080p for Blu-ray. And the audio was given a similar treatment resoluting in a new Dolby Digital 5.1 track for the DVD and a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 for the Blu-ray. For the Ultimate Collector’s Editions there will be over 16 hours of special features including over 4 hours of new and unseen content. Some of the most important features include a copy of The Dreamer of Oz (available for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray) plus many other film adaptations from 1910 to 1933.
UPDATE: Ultimate Collector’s Edition artwork attached (subject to change)
Renters Anonymous - June 9th, 2009
New Releases
Gran Torino - 8.1/10 - Trailer
Starring Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang
Walt Kowalski is a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighborhood and the world around him. Kowalski is a grumpy, tough-minded, unhappy an old man, who can’t get along with either his kids or his neighbors, a Korean War veteran whose prize possession is a 1972 Gran Torino he keeps in mint condition. When his neighbor Thao, a young Hmong teenager under pressure from his gang member cousin, tries to steal his Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Drawn against his will into the life of Thao’s family, Kowalski is soon taking steps to protect them from the gangs that infest their neighborhood.
General Admission - June 5th, 2009
Opening This Weekend
The Hangover - Trailer
Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha, Jeffrey Tambor, Omar Alsarhan
Four friends—the groom Doug Billings (Justin Bartha), his two best friends Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper) and Stu Price (Ed Helms), and his soon-to-be brother-in-law Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis)—head to Las Vegas for Doug’s bachelor party. After a night of alcohol, gambling, and partying, Alan, Stu, and Phil awake the next morning not remembering the events of the prior night. Unable to find Doug, the groomsmen encounter a variety of problems as they retrace their steps in order to find him.
Land of the Lost - Trailer
Starring Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Anna Friel, Jorma Taccone
On his latest expedition, Dr. Rick Marshall (Ferrell) is sucked into a space-time vortex alongside his research assistant (Friel) and a redneck survivalist (McBride). In this alternate universe, the trio make friends with a primate named Chaka (Taccone), their only ally in a world full of dinosaurs and other fantastic creatures. Can they all make it back to our world alive, and if so: Will Dr. Marshall can go from zero to hero with his discoveries?
My Life in Ruins - Trailer
Starring Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, Alexis Georgoulis, Harland Williams
Georgia (Nia Vardalos) is a Greek American tour guide who is leading a tour around Greece with an assorted group of misfit tourists who would rather buy a T-shirt than learn about history and culture. In a clash of personalities and cultures, everything seems to go wrong, until one day when older traveller Irv Gordon (Richard Dreyfuss), shows her how to have fun, and to take a good look at the last person she would ever expect to find love with: her Greek bus driver (Alexis Georgoulis).
My Ticket Purchases
Well, if you saw the trailers for any of these films then you would already know what film I will be seeing this weekend. Of course it’s The Hangover, that movie looks crazy delicious. I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be this summers hit comedy. And even though I love Will Ferrell and Danny McBride (Kenny Powers FTW), I’ll probably just end up renting Land of the Lost.
Coming Attractions:
Renters Anonymous - June 2nd, 2009
New Releases
Revolutionary Road - 6.7/10 - Trailer
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon
It’s 1955. Frank and April Wheeler, in the seventh year of their marriage, have fallen into a life that appears to most as being perfect. They live in the Connecticut suburbs with two young children. Frank commutes to New York City where he works in an office job while April stays at home as a housewife. But they’re not happy. April has forgone her dream of becoming an actress, and Frank hates his job - one where he places little effort - although he has never figured out what his passion in life is. One day, April suggests that they move to Paris - a city where Frank visited during the war and loved, but where April has never been - as a means to rejuvenate their life. April’s plan: she would be the breadwinner, getting a lucrative secretarial job for one of the major international organizations, while Frank would have free time to find himself and whatever his passion. Initially skeptical, Frank ultimately agrees to April’s plan. When circumstances change around the Wheelers, April decides she will do whatever she has to to get herself out of her unhappy existence.
General Admission - May 29th, 2009
Releasing This Weekend
Up - Trailer
Starring Edward Asner, Jordan Jagai, Bob Peterson, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger
Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner) is a retired 78-year-old balloon seller. When Carl was a child, he met and eventually married a girl named Ellie who grew up in a small midwestern town. Ellie always dreamed of visiting South America, but they grew old together, and she died of unknown causes before she got a chance. Now, when developers threaten to move him into an assisted living home, Carl decides to fulfill his promise to Ellie. To accomplish this, he uses 10,000 balloons to make the house fly—but unwittingly takes a chubby eight-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell with him. The two opposites match up for thrilling adventures as they encounter wild terrain, unexpected foes, and all the terrifying creatures that wait in the Venezuelan jungle. Don’t forget that this film is also available in Disney Digital 3D.
Renters Anonymous - May 26th, 2009
New Releases
New in Town - 6/10 - Trailer
Starring Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr, Siobhan Fallon, J.K. Simmons
A high-powered consultant (Renée Zellweger) in love with her upscale Miami lifestyle is sent to New Ulm, Minnesota to oversee the restructuring of a blue collar manufacturing plant. After enduring a frosty reception from the locals, icy roads and freezing weather, she warms up to the small town’s charm, and eventually finds herself being accepted by the community. When she’s ordered to close down the plant and put the entire community out of work, she’s forced to reconsider her goals and priorities, and finds a way to save the town.
General Admission - May 21st, 2009
New Releases
Terminator Salvation - Trailer (Opens May 21st)
Starring Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Common, Jane Alexander, Helena Bonham Carter
Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.
‘Star Trek’ or “Nerds can breathe a sigh of relief now that it’s safe to like Trek again.”
Starring – Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Morrison, Chris Hemsworth and Leonard Nimoy
Directed by - J.J. Abrams
Written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
This is a rare time in history because for this odd, fleeting moment as long as it lasts, it’s a good time to be a ‘Star Trek’ fan. J.J. Abrams, the creator of the Sci-fi hits ‘LOST’, ‘Alias’ and ‘Fringe’, has managed to restore the Star Trek franchise to the greatness it once used to be revered with. Abrams who is an outspoken non-Trek fan was able to put a fresh new face on the classic ‘Star Trek’ series and give it the necessary updates to make ‘Star Trek’ not just a property only hardcore sci-fi fans would flock to. He has made it accessible to people unfamiliar with the Star Trek franchise so a new generation of Trek fans can stand up without threat of public humiliation and proudly say “I like Star Trek’. 
After multiple TV series incarnations and 10 feature length films, the ‘Star Trek’ franchise fizzled out. For all intent and purposes, ‘Star Trek’ was dead. The last film in theaters ‘Star Trek: Nemesis’ was nothing more than a glorified cable TV movie released to theaters that killed off fan-favorite character Data and left many people wondering “Where did the magic go?”
Star Trek, a series that also set an early high-bar for the level of quality story telling that should be in a sci-fi series, also became something that was holding back science fiction as a genre. The Trek series became a property that had years of built up continuity that became inaccessible to newcomers. ‘Star Trek’ needed to clean house and sweep all that built up continuity under the bed. What it truly needed was a fresh start- it needed a reboot to update the series and wash away the problems that come with having years of built-up continuity creates. As much as trekkies would hate this, it would prove to be the best thing to happen to the Trek franchise in decades.
Hardcore ‘Star Trek’ fans cringed at the news that J.J. Abrams was going to undertake the classic ‘Star Trek’ series (and give it a reboot in a matter of speaking). The classic Trek is a pop culture tent pole with iconic characters. For some, the thought of recasting those characters with younger actors was a sacrilegious act. I, myself, was skeptical, especially since J.J. Abrams wanted to play with the original Trek characters and not the Next Generation ones. Many regard the Original Star Trek series as a groundbreaking series, but Next Generation as a whole was the better, more interesting series.
Pulling off the casting of the new ‘Star Trek’ cast would prove to be J.J. Abrams’ biggest dilemma. He couldn’t cast the original Star Trek crew since most of them have aged significantly (and a few have passed on) since they last big-screen debuted. He would have to appease the movie-going public and the hardcore Trek fans at the same time. Not an easy feat. Casting these characters would involve having actors that can pay homage to the classic characters, but also put their own unique spin on the character. Not simply do just impressions or even make caricatures of these iconic characters.
The casting news that up-and-coming actor Chris Pine would play the leap-before-looking Kirk, and that Zachary Quinto (whom most knew as the murderous Sylar on ‘HEROES’) would play the logical but stoic Vulcan, Spock surprised many. Kirk and Spock were the hardest casting, after those two were secured the rest of the crew casting would easily fall in line as long as Kirk and Spock were secured. The rest of the cast would be filled out with Bruce Greenwood as Capt. Christopher Pike (the original Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise), Karl Urban as chief medical officer Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy, Zoe Saldana as linguistics officer Nyota Uhura, John Cho as Hikaru Sulu, Anton Yelchin Pavel Chekov and Simon Pegg as chief engineer Scotty.
With ‘Star Trek’ as a fan or casual viewer, you do have to wonder is there any more life left in the ‘Star Trek’ franchise? In a surprise a move, non-Trek fan J.J. Abram’s would inject the ‘Star Trek’ series with new life and the vigor that it needed to bring ‘Star Trek’ back into the movie-going public’s lexicon as something that was fun and cool again. 
The ‘Star Trek’ reboot is not as cerebral technical as the original 1960’s series was, but beyond some very minor plot holes, ‘Star Trek’ is flawless summer film. It is some of the most fun I’ve had at the movies in a very long time. It’s a perfect film for introducing a new audience to the ‘Star Trek’ series, but also keeps intact the continuity and characters that hardcore Trek fans have come to love. Without giving too much away, this film is not technically a straight reboot of the series, but more so a retelling of the classic elements and characters with a new added twists.
One of the most notable things that J.J. Abram’s has done to the ‘Star Trek’ series is that he’s given it a feeling of immenseness. Everything about this film feels big. The set pieces, the space battles and even the updated designs of the spacecraft used in this film feel gigantic. Something the ‘Star Trek’ series always suffered from was that everything always felt confined. All of the corridors and sets pieces of the original TV and film series were tight, and sometimes claustrophobic. The original ‘Star Trek’ was also camp, but Abrams take some of those campy elements (Federation uniforms for one ) and incorporated them into the story without question. Obviously this was a budgetary problem in the early TV series and movies, but now that is cured. Space feels big, daunting and even scary at times.
The Enterprise retains the classic look of the original federation vessel, but now it’s massive and fills up the screen with its presence. Even the insides of the Enterprise are gigantic. The scenes in the engine room (which were shot in a beer distillery) give it a more realistic sense, with vats and pipes everywhere. It feels like being inside a battleship and that’s how it should feel to be inside the belly of the Enterprise.
There was so much about this film that I walked away absolutely enthralled with. First, ‘Star Trek’ looks extraordinary. The camera work never feels stale. The camera is constantly moving in action scenes and conversations are framed perfectly. In his last film effort ‘Mission Impossible III’, Abrams felt like he was shooting a TV show. In this film it feels like Abrams is embracing the film medium and going for broke. There is the sense that Abrams is finally shooting a big budget film and doesn’t shy away from that. The look of the ‘Star Trek’ universe feels familiar and new at the same time.
The opening weekend of ‘Star Trek’, I watched this film twice. One time with someone who had very little knowledge of the original Trek series, and another time with a more hardcore fan. It was interesting to see the experiences of these two people as a barometer for how accessible it was to newcomers, but also to see how much it catered to fans of the original series. Both of these people equally loved the film which means J.J. Abrams has truly accomplished this difficult feat of appealing to the mainstream and niche audiences.
This may be an overzealous statement at this point in time, but I have heavy suspicion that ‘Star Trek’ will be my favorite film of the summer. ‘Star Trek’ is the perfect summer movie-going escapist experience. ‘Star Trek’ is the type of experience you want going to a summer film. It’s fun, it’s loud, it’s big and most of all it’s an action packed assault on your senses. It has intriguing and loveable characters that are familiar to some of us and completely new to a whole new group of people. This doesn’t replace the ‘Star Trek’ series that fans of flocked to, it gives a whole new generation a chance to experience ‘Star Trek’ and the iconic characters that inhabit the ‘Star Trek’ universe. J.J. Abram’s has done what many thought couldn’t be accomplished, he put new life and vigor into a dying franchise and brought ‘Star Trek’ back to the mainstream. It’s a weird world we live in where you can be respected and not laughed at for being a fan of ‘Star Trek’.
Renters Anonymous - May 19th, 2009
New Releases
Valkyrie - 7.4/10 - Trailer
Starring Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Carice van Houten, Eddie Izzard, Terence Stamp, Tom Wilkinson
In Nazi Germany during World War II, as the tide turned in favor of The Allies, a cadre of senior German officers and politicians desperately plot to topple the Nazi regime before the nation is crushed in a near-inevitable defeat. To this end, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, an Army officer convinced he must save Germany from Hitler, is recruited to mastermind a real plan. To do so, he arranges for the internal emergency measure, Operation: Valkyrie, to be changed to enable his fellows to seize control of Berlin after the assassination of the Fuhrer. However, even as the plan is put into action, a combination of bad luck and human failings conspire on their own to create a tragedy that would prolong the greater one gripping Europe.
