Tranformers 3: Dark of the Moon (2012)

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Tranformers 3: Dark of the Moon (2012)

Genre:   Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Starring:  Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand

Directed by: Michael Bay

Rated: US: PG-13, UK: 12A, India: U/A

Running Time: 157 minutes 

Movie Review:
Decepticons are back! And this time they are loaded with more fire power, a super demoniac plan and a leader more powerful than Megatron himself. Autobots are going to feel on a weaker side and now its time for human to join the party and yell the 'kill-em-all' locution. This film had to be one of the most awaited movies of 2012, and for Transformers fans like me, every day of the countdown was a curious one. Everyone wanted it to be bigger, better and smarter than the predecessors, alas!

It is bigger of course (157 minutes duh! too much length for a sleazy plot), 'better' depends on your perception, to which, we will come later, but smarter? Hell no! (Mind my French :P) This film is a goof box if you are going to consider it a sci-fi film with some sense. It is too much to handle at a time, and I wonder how Michael Bay can be proud when everyone is gonna say - 'Hey! this scene is a complete nuisance!'. Action and style are surely Michael's cup of tea, but Basic Laws of physics? He well knows how to defy them from its core. But nevertheless, being a Transformers fan, you cannot miss this one so I have an advise -  'keep your expectations low', this is not anywhere better than Revenge of the Fallen or Transformers, except for its mind blowing action sequences and conspicuous CGI effects and remarkable 3d effects. If these are your criteria, you are surely gonna love this film, just do not give a damn about physics, sense and plot.

Based on Transformers action figures by Hasbro, Dark of the Moon  is the third installment to Transformers live action film series. Autobots have been working with human to capture 'decepticon punks' since three years of the previous encounter. Soon they realize that human have been hiding a long lost technology since the moon mission, 42 years back, where it was found. And now its time for Autobots to keep that in possession before Decepticon arrives and use it to destroy Earth and to pull Cybertrone - The ex home of the Transformers, to our Solar System (does not make sense? Yea exactly my point!).  But there is a space-craft hidden in moon and the secret inside it, can change the war's face to an unimaginable extent.

The way Michael Bay has shown the connection of secrets with moon's mission and the reason behind the sudden cease of man missions to moon is exuberant. After that, the plot goes incoherent. But as the Michael Bay film has always been, Dark of the Moon never goes out of style and presentation. When it comes to show action with style in jaw dropping way, Michael Bay has always proved himself an ace. Shia LaBeouf is a hard working actor and it shows, though there is nothing new about him to watch here.  The-miss-who-replaced-Megan-Fox aka Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is flawlessly pretty yet falls a step behind as an actress. But you cannot deny to the fact that she don't have to act much because when she is on the screen - all eyes are going to be on her. At some places you may find that dialogues have been put unnecessarily but it won't bother you as there is action everywhere to enjoy. Nonsensical plot cannot be avoided though, and it really bothers as absurdity at such level can be hard to digest. The length of the movie is too much as plot is not that intriguing, but CGI and action is. And CGI and action is all what is worth to see in this high end intensifying action flick

My Verdict:
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a high end CGI live action film with mesmeric 3D effects whose fast paced action is really nail biting. But the way it defies common physics and its weak plot with high end absurdities is a major drawback and is unavoidable. Also some of the action sequences have been stretched too much that becomes difficult to assimilate all at a time, and hence the length of the movie is an issue. Thus, though being and excellent panorama of action, visual  and 3d effects, Dark of the Moon do not stand in the category of intelligent and excellent movies. Nevertheless, regardless of its flaws, this film excels in one thing and that is - Entertainment. Length can be an issue though but it keeps you engaged with its pace. It turns out to be a no-brainy hi-fi nifty action matinee which is worth to give a try, but is not a keeper.
  

Why See?: Mesmeric Vfx, action abundance, brilliant 3d, stylish.

Why Not?: Nonsensical scenes, logically whacky, lengthy.

Rating: 6.5/10

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*Courtesy VISO Trailers

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Changeling (2008)

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Changeling (2008)

Genre:  Drama | History | Mystery | Thriller

Starring:  Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Donovan, John Malkovich, Jason Butler Harner, Colm Feore

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Rated: US: R, UK: 15

Running Time: 141 minutes 

Movie Review:
Some stories come and go and some some stays with you forever, Changeling is one of those stories. The agonizing pain of a mother who can go to any extent to find her own son and to fight for the truth that the child the police found did not belong to her when the police itself is trying to prove that the child is hers and that she is delusional. And what makes it more heart touching is - it is based on a true story.

The power packed performance by Angelina Jolie and beautifully crafted by Clint Eastwood himself, Changeling is a story of love, grief, belief, faith, hope, strength and what not. When you start believing that it is in fact a true story, you automatically find yourself connected to it. It feels like Clint Eastwood has put his heart and soul to create this heart touching film, even, to my surprise, the background score is done by Eastwood himself who, along with Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Robert Lorenz, is also a producer of the film. J. Michael Straczynski, the writer of Changeling has done some deep research, according to him - he drew 95% of the script from around 6,000 pages of documentation and it took him years to research the historical records. And his hard work has been paid of really well as the script is really a strong part of this film.

Changeling is based on real life incident connected to "Wineville Chicken Coop Murders" in 1928 where, about 20 children were slain by a barbaric psycopath killer Gordon Stewart Northcott. A mother in Los Angeles, comes home one day and finds her boy missing. She files missing report and after few months she is informed by the LAPD that the boy has been found. On the day of reunion she realizes that the boy they found is not her child but is an imposter. She tries to prove that the boy is not hers to city officials who surprisingly turns their back and prove that she is delusional. But her fight does not stop here and does she moves heaven & earth to prove herself right or is she really delusional and what it has to do with  Wineville Chicken Coop Murders makes the story so interesting that you would not want to leave your couch until you know what is going to happen next.

Changeling probes womanhood, motherhood, corruption, trauma, and much more. Angelina Jolie's emotional appearance is heart melting, cast ensemble is good and the story is strong. All in all it is a film that will impact your mind and will make you ponder over it.

My Verdict: Changeling teaches a lesson - 'You never start a fight, but you always finish it.' No, no, do not learn that lesson from the film...lol. It actually teaches that no matter what, if you believe that what you believe is the real truth, than no matter, if the whole world is against you, you fight for it and prove that you are right. The emotional outcome of Changeling and powerful performance by Angelina Jolie makes this movie a must to see. And when you know that this is a true story, it will come to you as a surprise that 1928 was a turmoil for Los Angeles. The only drawback of this film is its slow pace - as a Clint Eastwood directed movie use to be. Maybe it is because Eastwood did not want to miss the emotional thread this movie carries. But Changeling is for me, one of the finest movie of 2008. Its a Keeper.

Why See?: True story, strong plot, well acted, surprising elements.

Why Not?: Nothing particular but it has a slow pace.

Rating: 8/10

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*Courtesy TrailersPlayground

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