First let me start of by saying that I was a big fan of the first Transformers movie. In my opinion it was exactly what I was looking for in a summer movie. It had lots of action, excellent effects and was a great way to spend a summer evening. The second on the other hand was a step down from the first. The seconds biggest downfall was the fact that it lacked a coherent story. I have tried hard to piece together everything that happens in the second movie and link it together but I cannot. It does not advance the story in anyway and it seems it was made primarily to make money and to give Michael Bay the chance to blow stuff up and show us sexy shots of Megan Fox. In other words the second one sucked big time (and everyone from Michael Bay to the actors have said as much). Going into this third Transformers film I was not sure what to expect. The previews for it were good and it seemed as though this one had coherent plot. However, the memories of the second still lingered and I was prepared to be disappointed again. That was not the case. TF3 was everything I wanted and more. First off there is a coherent and easy to follow story line, which was a welcome departure from the second. Second the film does an excellent job of evoking emotions. If you do not hate the character Dylan by the time the Chicago battle starts something is wrong with you. Third is the action. As with every Michael Bay film the action and effects are typically at the forefront. This film is no exception. The effects in this movie are incredible. The entire last hour of the film is a climatic battle in the streets of Chicago. There is a lot of autobot and decepticon fighting (much more than in the previous two). Furthermore Bay shows the ruthlessness of the decepticons in graphic detail. The battle of Chicago begins with an intense attack on the city by the decepticons. Bay shows them destroying the city and also it's human inhabitants. Another excellent scene is a car chase about halfway through the movie. It is an incredible scene. The big question is how good is the 3D in this movie. This is the best 3D I have seen since Avatar. This entire battle of Chicago needs to be seen in 3D. It is a breathtaking battle and I cannot imagine seeing it any other way. As with most live action films there are scenes where the 3D is not utilized as effectively as it could be, but those are few and far between. Basically see this movie in 3D, it is worth the price. This movie is lacking in several areas and many of them have already been covered by other reviewers. Basically the acting is okay, it is not great, but it is also not awful. There are several cringe worthy lines in this one (one in particular is delivered by Optimus just before the battle of Chicago kicks into high gear). The humor, although not as prevalent and not nearly as bad is still there. The good definitely out weighs the bad in this movie. It is a perfect summer blockbuster. I loved it and I highly recommend it. Very rarely do I see people clapping at the end of movies, but the audience I saw it with clapped several times throughout the movie and also at the end.
Reviews
3 Reviews
Better than the third
25 May 2011
POTC-OST is not the best of the series, but it is a step in the right direction. If you, like me, were very disappointed with the third Pirates movie then I do not blame you for wanting to skip out on this one. In fact I was considering not seeing this one myself, especially when the critics reviews came out. I decided to give it a chance, primarily because I had seen the other ones. I was pleasantly surprised and ending up liking the movie. One of the major differences between this and the other Pirates movies (and it is one everyone is going to notice right off the bat) is that Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightely are not in this movie. I am not too disappointed, there story overtook the third Pirates movie, which is part of the reason I did not like it. I was also sick of Knightely terrible speech scenes (if you saw the third you know exactly what I mean). Furthermore a few other pirates who were franchise regulars were missing in this one. What is left from the original three is Jack, Barbosa, Gibbs and the monkey makes two brief cameo appearances.
There was a number of things wrong with the third Pirates movie, among them was the fact that it was long, or it felt long at least. This movie is the shortest of the Pirates films and it moves at a brisk pace. The third Pirates slowed down considerably in the middle, to the point it was almost unbearable to watch. This movie does not make that mistake. This movie is almost all action and because of this it did not feel long, at least in my opinion.
As usual the effects were great. The action is almost nonstop and when there is no action there is enough going on to keep the audience interested. There is also plenty of signature Jack Sparrow humor. Since the previous two (especially the third) were focused almost entirely on the story of Will and Elizabeth Jack was almost forgotten. Another reason the third suffered. It was great to have that story out of the way, because this movie is focused on Jack and that is a strength.
Despite the fact that it improved on a number of the things that made the third bad, this one still is not up to par with the original. It is a good movie all around. It is refreshing and reminds us why we liked these movies in the first place. I recommend giving it a shot, don't expect anything great, just know that this movie is superior in every way to the third.
There was a number of things wrong with the third Pirates movie, among them was the fact that it was long, or it felt long at least. This movie is the shortest of the Pirates films and it moves at a brisk pace. The third Pirates slowed down considerably in the middle, to the point it was almost unbearable to watch. This movie does not make that mistake. This movie is almost all action and because of this it did not feel long, at least in my opinion.
As usual the effects were great. The action is almost nonstop and when there is no action there is enough going on to keep the audience interested. There is also plenty of signature Jack Sparrow humor. Since the previous two (especially the third) were focused almost entirely on the story of Will and Elizabeth Jack was almost forgotten. Another reason the third suffered. It was great to have that story out of the way, because this movie is focused on Jack and that is a strength.
Despite the fact that it improved on a number of the things that made the third bad, this one still is not up to par with the original. It is a good movie all around. It is refreshing and reminds us why we liked these movies in the first place. I recommend giving it a shot, don't expect anything great, just know that this movie is superior in every way to the third.
The Stoning of Soraya M.
(2008)
Powerful and haunting
3 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I rarely write reviews and I realize many people say this, but in my case it is true. I just finished watching this movie about a half hour or so ago and I have to say I cannot think of another movie that moved me as much as this did. This is a chilling and haunting account of a brutal and barbaric act of cruelty.
The movie takes a good hour and twenty minutes to reach the inevitable conclusion. In that hour and twenty minutes the film makers do an excellent job of showing the husbands plot to get rid of his wife so he can marry a 14 year old girl fleshes out. Once you get to the stoning there is nothing that can prepare you for it. You keep wishing that something would happen,something to stop Soraya from being stoned, but of course that is not what happens. The stoning lasts a good ten, possibly more minutes. It goes on for a long time and of course you also wish they would just kill her and put her out of her pain. I have seen a lot of graphic, violent movies and this is not the most graphic movie I have ever seen. Yet I found it a lot harder to watch, because this is real, this actually happened to this poor women and it is happening to other women all over the world.
This movie will stay with you long after it ends. It is very powerful and emotional. I cannot say this is a movie to just sit back and watch for fun, because it is not fun. Soraya is beautiful, she is nice and watching her inevitable death by stoning is not easy. But I believe it is important people watch this, because those of us in America and the west need to know what happened to Soraya. We need to understand what is happening in these people in countries that live by radical Islamic law so we can help them. I cannot describe how I feel, there is no words and I know I sound like a sappy girl, but it takes a real man to admit that he was profoundly and deeply impacted and affected by this story. I am not ashamed to share my feelings and I hope this affects you in the same way, so we can do something to stop this sort of cruelty.
One last thing Iran claims that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who, like Soraya was accused of adultery, will not be stoned. Of course we have to take the Iranian governments word for it, but pressure internationally is what saved her from the same fate as Soraya. We cannot save Soraya, although you will wish you could by the end of the movie, but we can help save other women from the same fate and this is one example of that.
The movie takes a good hour and twenty minutes to reach the inevitable conclusion. In that hour and twenty minutes the film makers do an excellent job of showing the husbands plot to get rid of his wife so he can marry a 14 year old girl fleshes out. Once you get to the stoning there is nothing that can prepare you for it. You keep wishing that something would happen,something to stop Soraya from being stoned, but of course that is not what happens. The stoning lasts a good ten, possibly more minutes. It goes on for a long time and of course you also wish they would just kill her and put her out of her pain. I have seen a lot of graphic, violent movies and this is not the most graphic movie I have ever seen. Yet I found it a lot harder to watch, because this is real, this actually happened to this poor women and it is happening to other women all over the world.
This movie will stay with you long after it ends. It is very powerful and emotional. I cannot say this is a movie to just sit back and watch for fun, because it is not fun. Soraya is beautiful, she is nice and watching her inevitable death by stoning is not easy. But I believe it is important people watch this, because those of us in America and the west need to know what happened to Soraya. We need to understand what is happening in these people in countries that live by radical Islamic law so we can help them. I cannot describe how I feel, there is no words and I know I sound like a sappy girl, but it takes a real man to admit that he was profoundly and deeply impacted and affected by this story. I am not ashamed to share my feelings and I hope this affects you in the same way, so we can do something to stop this sort of cruelty.
One last thing Iran claims that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who, like Soraya was accused of adultery, will not be stoned. Of course we have to take the Iranian governments word for it, but pressure internationally is what saved her from the same fate as Soraya. We cannot save Soraya, although you will wish you could by the end of the movie, but we can help save other women from the same fate and this is one example of that.
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