In an effort to save Earth, the Transformers and humans must team up after years of fighting. I’m giving Transformers-The Last Knight a B. Transformers and humans have been battling for years. Optimus Prime leaves Earth to find his maker while Cade Yeager tries to salvage and hide as many Autobots as he can. Unknowingly, history has a way of coming alive. The Transformers have been on Earth since King Arthur’s time and have played important roles in history. But buried with Merlin is a weapon which only one of his decedents can wield and everyone is after it. Not a fan of the franchise, I think I’ve only seen the first one and maybe a piece of another one, I went to the movies hearing all the bad things about this movie. But if you go expecting to find a movie which fits with the old television series, you’ll be disappointed. It’s like the book vs movie argument. However, if you go expecting non-stop action and one-line zingers, you will enjoy the show. Anthony Hopkins and Stanley Tucci are both amazing actors who play some interesting characters. Mr. Tucci is a drunk Merlin who originally enlists the help of the Transformers to save England. His Merlin is unlike any I’ve ever seen. Mr. Hopkins plays Sir Edmund Burton, the last of long ling of secret keepers, (think Templar Knights) whose job it is to assist Merlin’s heir when the end of days arrive. Sir Burton is an old man who can say whatever he wants and has enough money to make others look the other way. At his side is Cogman, a headmaster who serves as a sociopath butler, ninja style and frequent target of Burton’s temper. The arrival of new characters such as Izabella, a tough Chicago street kid who has made the Transformers her family and her partner in crime, Squeeks, a blue small bobble headed transformer (much like the robot from the Disney movie, I-Robot), give the movie some heartfelt moments. It’s as if they can see the good inside the robots. Mark Wahlburg is back for what he says is his final Transformer movie. His snarky, angry personality is a front for keeping inside his pain but he puts it on the line to save his “family” (transformers). One cool part is that the movie acknowledges Shea LeBouf’s character as one of the secret keepers along with heroes like Winston Churchill and George Washington. Now for the problems… Optimus Prime speaks like he’s running for public office with long gaudy motivational speeches, which is why many viewers like the smart mouths of some of the other characters such as Bumblebee. The final battle scene makes no sense with characters jumping in and out of the scenes and the whole idea of Mark Wahlburg being the knight but he only lifts the sword once. I think the only thing the final action serves is to show how the humans and Autobots have come together to save the planet they call home. Michael Bay has said this is his last time directing a Transformers movie, unless he decides to change his mind. And the movie does show a teaser at the end of where the story could go…if anyone decides to pick up the sword.
Rough Night feels like a female cast of The Hangover with a little Weekend at Bernie’s thrown in. I’m giving it a B-. Five friends from college reunite in Miami to celebrate Jess’s (played by Scarlett Johansson) bachelorette party, which her friend, Alice (played by Jillian Bell) has arranged. Each of the friends is quirky and flawed. They are an eclectic mix from homeless activist to sex-starved schoolteacher. The dynamic of the different women gives viewers with at least one person they can identify with and serve as a dramatic difference to the groom’s friends who appear “normal”. The night of debauchery goes wrong when they accidentally kill a stripper, then decide to move the body. Hilarity ensues as they keep trying to get rid of the body only to have it show up again. Tempers flare and friendships are put to the test as they finally come clean about what annoys them, only to have them realize when their lives are on the line, that they are best friends for life. Scarlett Johansson is funny which is a big change from her kick-butt roles. Kate McKinnon is Jess’s Australian college friend and has some of the best moments. Surprising roles by Demi Moore, Ty Burrell, and Dean Winters give viewers some over the top characters. Sadly, the movie tries to do too much. It’s funny but also serious. It makes statements on feminism, friendships and love, however they seem out of place in the humorous movie. When the movie goes to the serious parts, the humor is gone. Some of the humor seems forced and contrived or over-used as if we've seen it in all the funny movies. There are also some storylines which feel thrown in, like the strange neighbors and groom’s discussion on why Jess might not want to marry him. There were times when the characters could have done what was right but kept going down the wrong road because it was funnier. When you rewrite the movie while seeing it, you know it didn't always keep your attention. With over the top sexual humor and raunchiness, Rough Night deserved it R rating. It’s not a movie for those who are easily offended. But if you are looking for a movie with laugh-out-loud moments, go to the earlier show when it’s cheaper and enjoy the zaniness.
Not a remake of the Brendan Fraser franchise, The Mummy is a movie which has lost its way. I’m giving it a C. Nick Morton (played by Tom Cruise) and Chris Vail (played by Jack Johnson) are soldiers who are thieves, stealing antiquities in order to become rich. In Iraq, they uncover a hidden prison of an evil woman who thought to bring the God of the Dead back to life. Ahmenet (played by Sophia Boutella) made a deal with the devil and killed her father, his wife and new baby but is captured before freeing the evil god. Tom Cruise is a mix of his Jack Reacher character and his Risky Business character. He seems to not take the whole thing seriously unless it involves fighting. Jack Johnson plays the comedic relief in this movie as he serves as a spy relaying information to Cruise’s character and snarky comments at his buddy’s ego. Russel Crowe is strangely interesting as Dr. Henry Jekyll who has a small problem and needs to take medicine for it. Without a conscience, he is willing to kill Ahmenent and Cruise to study them. Evil lurks in the heart of man. We know we will see more of him. The Mummy isn’t the Brendan Fraser movie. It doesn’t fit with that storyline at all but is a remake of the original Boris Karloff’s Mummy movie with modern day twists (such as the gender switch because of the ending of X-Men Apocalypse). As the first movie of Universal’s new Dark Universe series with remakes of The Mummy, Bride of Frankenstein, and the Invisible Man. With Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp in those remakes, I’m intrigued even with the mess of this movie. The biggest drawback to this movie was the lack of real story. The movie didn’t seem to know what it was… action, horror, monster movie, romance. Calling it The Mummy pulls viewers away. This movie is more along the lines of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen than Mummy. Although at times, it felt like so many other movies like Mission Impossible to Suicide Squad. Maybe Universal should re-think its need to “remake” movies and concentrate on developing new content. Wait for this one on pay per view and only if you are fans of Tom Cruise. Otherwise, wait and see what The Dark Universe brings…hopefully some better movies.
Finally a female superhero movie! I’m giving Wonder Woman an A-. Diana is the only child of the queen of the Amazons. Growing up in a fighting society, she sets out to be the best warrior and wants to learn fighting at a young age. Like many parents, Queen Hippolyta wants to protect her daughter and keep her safe. But it’s inevitable that Diana will learn to fight. When the war slips through the veil, bringing a battle to the hidden paradise of Themyscira, Diana learns about the chaos going on in Man’s world. She vows to fight Ares and protect mankind, even if it means going against her mother. Traveling with Steve Trevor (played by Chris Pine), a pilot and secret agent, Diana sets out to stop Ares, but Steve’s goal is to prevent Dr. Maru from using her poison to destroy the innocents. With the aid of Steve’s friends, Diana learns the truth of her parentage and what is most important in life-Love. DC has made a wonderful comeback with the Wonder Woman movie. It’s a fun origin story for a favorite character. And getting to see what makes her tick before The Justice League is great. Fans love the strong female lead as well as the amazing fight scenes. Gal Gadot rocks it as Diana, with heartfelt emotion and a smile. But while the movie was good, it wasn’t fabulous. I expected more from it. I wanted to be emotionally connected to her but found myself watching for inconsistencies in the movie- such as hat on in one scene and off the next. Her beer moving mysteriously from hand to hand. I felt that Diana had a very simplistic view of mankind and their role in the world. I do realize her naiveté is a part of her, but I want her to ask the harder questions. Man can only be good or evil. But really man isn’t good or bad but a blend of both. The Wonder Woman movie also draws a lot of comparisons to Captain America (Steve, Pilot, World War, Idealism) and while we got to see her past, it would have been nice to see more of the time between World War 1 and today… but I suppose they had to save something for the sequel which has already been green-lighted. Fans will continue to flock to see this wonderful story of a strong woman. But don’t bother to sit through the credits, there isn’t an extra scene which is another thing which sets apart DC and Marvel.
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Melissa KeirIt's all about the movies... Archives
January 2020
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