The Fry Box: Spud's Reviews

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I ain't gettin' in no fryer!
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

Where do I begin with this? I really wanted to enjoy it as much as I did the first, however, success is rarely repeated when dealing with sequels. Granted, Michael Bay is not known for making films rich in story, so in the end, you're really going to see huge robots battle each other throughout different continents.

Like I said above, I enjoyed the first film simply because there was more mystery to it. With this one, we already know where everyone's allegiance lies. We know that Megatron has been defeated and that Sector 7 has been disestablished. All mystery that made the first film interesting, for lack of a better word, is gone this time around.

So what is expanded on in Fallen? In a word, nothing. At least, that's what I took away from it. We learn a little more about the Autobots and Decepticons past, but it's clear what garnered more focus, and it clearly wasn't the story. Supposedly, a true fanboy was brought on to help write the sequel with Orci and Kurtzman. What does this mean for us? The Matrix of Leadership, and that's pretty much it. I will give the addition of Ehren Kruger to the writing team a little credit for correctly naming Devastator. However, the damage was done in the first film once they misnamed a couple of Transformers. One other thing I noticed was Michael Bay's recycling of actors. Case in point, Glenn Morshower portrays COL Sharp at the SOCCENT base when Blackout shows up and obliterates everything. So, he died. He's back in this one as General Morshower. While he goes by a different name, it's the same guy.

I had a lot of problems with this movie. My main problem was Bay's childish humor when it came to Skids and Mudflap and the "balls" on Devastator. I read an article earlier today that stated "The Twins" were created simply for the kids. I agree with that statement, partly. While they serve no purpose to the story they are, in a sense, kids. However, the comments made by them throughout make me find it hard to believe that they were created for the kids. They are, in essence, Jar Jar Binks X 2. Onto Devastator's "balls." Why oh why was this added in? I know that a wrecking ball is something you'd find on a crane, but still, was there really a need for it? I think not.

One could say that there's entirely too many robots in this, which is true. At one point I was trying to figure out who everyone was outside of the regulars. I guess when you've got an increase in budget, the sky's the limit. There were some interesting concepts, one particular being with Jetfire. I really like the way they introduced this character, I don't want to ruin it because it was one of the scenes I actually liked.

While the statement, "If you liked the first film, you'll like this one" doesn't really apply here, it comes close. It certainly doesn't improve on anything since the first film, with the exception of visuals. It's worth at least one view in the cinema, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's worth multiple cinema viewings.

Transformers -

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen -
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I almost went to see this the other night but decided to wait a few more days... and after everything I've read and heard about it, I'm gonna wait for the DVD...

Thanks for a great review...
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I ain't gettin' in no fryer!
I wouldn't avoid it entirely. I stand by my "one cinema viewing" statement. Anything more than that and you're beating that dead horse.



Very nice review of Transformers 2, spud. I agree with most (or all) of your points.

Onto Devastator's "balls." Why oh why was this added in? I know that a wrecking ball is something you'd find on a crane, but still, was there really a need for it? I think not.
Yeesh; I left that part out of my own review--I must have blocked it out of my memory. I completely agree.
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I ain't gettin' in no fryer!
Yeesh; I left that part out of my own review--I must have blocked it out of my memory. I completely agree.
I wish I could've blocked that out, among a couple other things. Personally, had Bay not have tried to outdo himself, this would've been a great sequel.



I think I'll just wait for Transformers to come out on cable tv...that's the thing with sequels. How do you out do yourself? And you gotta make sure you satisfy as big an audience as possible to make a decent profit. I guess that's, as they say, "the show biz."
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I ain't gettin' in no fryer!
Push (2009)

I actually made the comment in the Upcoming Movies/Sequels forum, in the Push thread, about this being Jumper without the teleportation. After actually watching Push, there's more problems with it that I would rather not take the time to discuss.

To be honest, I'm really not sure what there is to discuss about this "film." Scenes were flashing back and fourth, dialogue was garbled and confusing and then there's Dakota Fanning. What good can be said about her? Let me just say that she had a better performance in War of the Worlds, you know, when she was screaming for a good majority of the film.

It's up to you if you want to waste your time watching this. I'll tell you right now that it's simply not worth it, but that's just me.




Wow. I really completely disagree there spudly tater. I really enjoyed Push and I'm now also the new Dakota Fanning fan club president. Not because of this movie in particular but I think she's pretty great and have liked most of the stuff I've seen her in.

Hmmm... Different strokes I reckon. A zero rating is overly harsh though. I could turn you onto some much worse movies than Push if'n you'd really like to see what a zero movie looks like.
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... I'm now also the new Dakota Fanning fan club president. Not because of this movie in particular but I think she's pretty great and have liked most of the stuff I've seen her in.

Hmmm... Different strokes I reckon.
No, she wasn't in Different Strokes. That girl's dead now.



I ain't gettin' in no fryer!
Wow. I really completely disagree there spudly tater. I really enjoyed Push and I'm now also the new Dakota Fanning fan club president. Not because of this movie in particular but I think she's pretty great and have liked most of the stuff I've seen her in.
I didn't want to not like it, I was giving it a chance (even though I was against watching it from the get-go). However, the hectic pacing and the rapid changes of pace, made it very hard to follow or enjoy (for me). I understand a zero rating is harsh, perhaps I'll modify it, but not by much.

No, she wasn't in Different Strokes.
Ba dum chee



I wanted to like it it seemed the kind of movie I would like but I soon got bored with it I thought there were some huge holes in the plot and I really didn't care at all about any of the characters



Originally Posted by Powdered Water
... I'm now also the new Dakota Fanning fan club president. Not because of this movie in particular but I think she's pretty great and have liked most of the stuff I've seen her in.

Hmmm... Different strokes I reckon.
Originally Posted by honeykid
No, she wasn't in Different Strokes
Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm here all week.



I ain't gettin' in no fryer!
Fast & Furious (2009)
DON'T JUDGE ME!

Going into this, I was expecting a last-ditch effort to make an enjoyable film while still showcasing street races. I'm actually happy to say that there was just one actual race in this, which makes it stand out from the rest of the franchise.

I won't lie, I'm a closet car guy. I love old muscle cars, new import cars and anything else that goes fast and looks good doing it. Most of the time, if I want to drool over cars I'll never own, I'll tune into one of the Fast and Furious films when they're on cable. I'm not looking for a coherent story, because I know that it's just not in the cards. Yes, the original cast, consisting of Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster are back. That is as much of the "original parts" you'll get. There is a couple minutes where Michelle Rodriguez' character is on screen, but they're brief.

Justin Lin, of Tokyo Drift fame previously, is back to direct the fourth installment. One would think, from the opening scene, that this could actually be used in place of Tokyo Drift or used in succession. The reason I say this is because, Han from Tokyo Drift, is back and mentions checking out Tokyo. This tells the audience that this film is taking place right before the events in Tokyo Drift.

If you had to line all four films up and put them in order, of greatness, this one would go first. It's just better than the others. Granted, that's not saying much, but it dares to prove that it's just not about hot bodies and fast cars.




I'm a car guy, plain and simple. I eat, sleep and breathe cars. I love all types of cars and can find some enjoyment in any movie where cars are the focus, even that abortion of a movie Redline. When I do watch a car flick, I have to take it for what it is and get past the continuity errors and mistakes, because there will be mistakes in most of them. That said, it took me a while to ever sit down and watch the first F&F movie because I'm not big into the "riced out" segment of the import scene. But, once I finally did sit down and watch it, I actually did enjoy it. I watched the next 2 movies in the series as they took the series downhill. When I saw the trailer for F&F 4, I knew it was going to be the best of the bunch. It was...by far. The cars were cooler, the mistakes were fewer and everything was better. Most people wouldn't notice, but I was impressed that for most of the opening scene with the tanker hijacking that they got the engine sound effects of the Buick that Vin Diesel was driving correct. There was a small part where they threw some V8 sounds on it, but for the most part they got the turbo V6 sounds right.

Two thumbs up from me.



I ain't gettin' in no fryer!
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

Ah yes, summer blockbusters. They are a form of escapism from reality for 2-3 hours. Ok, some take the escapism more literally than others, case in point, G.I. Joe. Of course, if you like things like bad acting, unrealistic effects and a means for merchandising at every turn, this might just be your movie.

Stephen Sommers, previously of The Mummy 1 & 2 and Van Helsing, among others, seems to have found his kryptonite. I found those films, fun and didn't really seem to think that they took themselves seriously. While this movie could be looked at as being fun, it fails when it attempts to be taken seriously.

Now I'll admit, I'm not in the Army and I've never really had orders barked at me, but if Duke (Tatum) was my Seargent, I would have a hard time not laughing at his orders. At times, Tatum comes off as a whiny Mark Wahlberg, which will either make you laugh or...let's face it, it'll just make you laugh.

I've come to a block in my thoughts about this. If you're feeling nostalgic about G.I. Joe, watch the cartoon. Otherwise, stay away from this.




I ain't gettin' in no fryer!
I can't believe you went to see this, Spud. There again, I'm suprised that anyone will see this.
I went to see it just to see if I could be proven wrong. That a crappy trailer doesn't mean the movie, itself, will be crappy.