By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

In the past decade, we have witnessed five Transformers movies from Paramount pictures, the studio that sold off their Marvel movie franchise to Disney. In the previous four incarnations, I would drag myself into a screening, but would leave pleasantly surprised with having been drawn into this science fiction world of man and machinery symbiosis.

This 5th film, Transformers 5: The Last Knight features nonstop action for the first 40 minutes of the film, takes an exposition break, and then pummels the viewer with another 45 minutes of computer-enhanced special effects that take place on a science fiction dead planet and Stonehenge, England.

The exposition scenes are the most interesting moments in this film. This is the point when major characters come together at an English castle and discuss their hypothesis. It helps that one of these characters is portrayed by Sir Anthony Hopkins, a newcomer to the franchise. With echoes of a luncheon hosted by his characters from The Remains of the Day and Hannibal, Hopkins listens to (leading man) Mark Wahlberg’s and (young Megan Fox lookalike) Laura Haddock’s plans to save the world.

While the subtext reviews the Arthurian legend of King Arthur, Merlin and The Knights of the Round Table, there are assorted clever details that link the previous four movies to The Last Knight, including a subtle dig to former Transformers leading man Shia LaBeouf (Remember him?) The palace scene also allows a moment of self-deprecation in which Sir Anthony Hopkins delivers an inspirational speech, complete with a soaring musical score.

Besides confronting the end of the world, Transformers 5 deals with Optimus Prime’s identity crisis and Bumblebee’s attempt to find his own voice. (At least this Transformer is wise enough to use John Wayne’s voice when the going gets tough.) Yet, once the good Transformers fight with the bad Transformers, one can hardly differentiate which side one is supposed to cheer for.

Cars 3, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, Wonder Woman and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales are more fun to see on the big screen these days. Also Megan Leavey is pure drama for people who like to laugh, cry and feel patriotic.

As a vacation from computer-enhanced special effects extravaganzas, check out Filmed in Broward at the Savor Cinema in Ft. Lauderdale this weekend. The most recognized features include the Lifetime Movie Network (LMN) presentations of Boyfriend Killer and Girlfriend Killer, both starring actress/producer Barbie Castro and directed by Alyn Darnay. Be on the lookout for films featuring local talent Diana Rice and many others. The screenings are free, but there will be a fee for the parties, receptions and extravaganzas afterward. [On Saturday, July 1, from 9 a.m. to noon, Darnay will be the guest speaker at the Actor’s Cultural Theater (ACT Broward), 10 SW 11 Ave., Ft. Lauderdale. That is a free event in which he will be discussing acting, writing and directing]. For information contact 954-525-FILM or visit www.FLIFF.com.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.

In the past seven years, when I have reviewed the four Transformers movies, I have always begun each film with a sense of dread; the films are made for people 40 years younger than me, the action scenes are best suited for people with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and the plots will be inane. After acknowledging this prejudice, I ended up enjoying the Transformers franchise each time. Transformers: Age of Extinction is no exception.

The new flick opens with the mass extinction of a species, the dinosaur. The film flash forwards billions of years and evidence of a unique dinosaur is found in the Arctic circle. DNA is taken from dinosaur bones and is used for nefarious means by a government agent Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer, in a chilling performance) and corporate entrepreneur Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci, in a goofy performance).

Meet entrepreneur Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), a widowed father of high school senior Tessa (Nicola Peltz) who lives on a farm facing foreclosure in Texas. Cade converts trash into working Rube Goldberg machines. After tinkering with a beaten up old truck, Cade learns that the truck is really a Transformer. In fact, the beaten down truck is the alpha male Transformer Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen).

Since the last movie (Revenge of the Fallen), many heroic Transformers have become outlaws. Despite defeating the evil Decepticons, the heroic Autobots are treated with extreme prejudice for turning Chicago into a battlefield. Harold Attinger takes advantage of this situation by making a deal with the devil.

Transformers: Age of Extinction has many likeable moments and Easter Eggs for cinema academics. The Optimus Prime truck is found in an abandoned movie theater, which features posters of John Wayne classics. The Science Fiction elements acknowledge Michael Crichton, Arthur C. Clarke and H.P. Lovecraft. This film deserves its success for providing detail beyond the surface of battling giant robots on the big screen.

For those who want to continue the alternative universe experience, Irving Santiago will present UltraCon of South Florida next weekend (July 19-20) at the Broward Convention Center. Fans of Transformers, Star Wars and comic books will want to attend this fan-friendly convention.

For those of more high–brow tastes, Life Itself, the documentary about the late film critic Roger Ebert, plays this weekend at Cinema Paradiso. The most respected of modern film critics, Ebert and I butted heads with each other on his blog regarding politics. With executive producers Steve Zallian and Martin Scorsese, Life Itself acknowledges this Chicago critic’s contribution to the history of cinema and his battle with throat cancer. Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary? You be the critic. For information , visit www.fliff.com

By Dave Montalbano

The Bucks Class of ’81 has been reminded of another milestone with the release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. X-Men: First Class featured the Cuban Missile crisis of Oct. ‘62, and now the third Transformers flick reveals the secret reason why President John F. Kennedy insisted that America land on the moon by the end of the decade.

Using planet Earth as the arena, the intergalactic feud between the good guys, Autobots, and the bad guys, Decepticons, continues. In the middle of this mess is Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeof) and U.S. Army Lt. Colonel William Lennox (Josh Duhamel), two characters who save the world in the previous two Transformers movies.

Sam and William are aligned with Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), who awaits the second coming of his mentor, Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nimoy). Feeling snubbed by this reunion, the menacing Megatron (Hugo Weaving) plots mass destruction, beginning in Chicago.

Heeding my criticism about attention deficit disorder editing, this new Transformers movie is easy on the eyes, making the action sequences the most thrilling of the three movies. The characters are less cartoony and there is a sense of danger in the science fiction violence. The humor is situational, with many in-jokes for science fiction aficionados. On a six-story IMAX screen, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is Saturday matinee popcorn-eating fun.

For those seeking similar entertainment minus the budget of a Spielberg production, Kurt Donath’s locally-made Lucky Streak and the Crime Fighters will be screened and discussed tomorrow at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 11:15 a.m. at the Florida Supercon (www.
floridasupercon.com). Lucky Streak (Darlene Dinges), teenage daughter of Amazing Grace (Rachel Galvin), joins crime fighters to foil Dr. Dragon’s plot for world domination. If one can get over theatrical acting, the dialog is quite funny. Anthony Espina’s musical score carries the film.

For those seeking to renew the roots of American culture, Boston’s on the Beach will present their 2nd Annual Red, White and Blues Festival on A1A off Atlantic Avenue, from July 1-4. Much like the late Don Cohen’s Riverwalk Blues Festival, Red, White and Blues will host a three-ring circus of musical performers, such as Joey Gilmore, Iko Iko and Matt “Guitar” Murphy.

Best known as Aretha Franklin’s henpecked husband from the two Blues Brothers movies, Murphy brings Blues authenticity to Delray Beach. Support this Blues legend this Saturday
at 4 p.m.