MOVIE REVIEW: TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS

 

Optimus Prime and the Autobots take on their biggest challenge yet. When a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges, they must team up with a powerful faction of Transformers known as the Maximals to save Earth.

Director: Steven Caple Jr.

Cast:  Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Peter Cullen, Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Liza Koshy, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Pete Davidson, Peter Cullen, John DiMaggio, David Sobolov

Release Date: June 9, 2023

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language

Runtime: 2h 7m

Transformers: Rise of the Beast, the seventh installment in the franchise, is an admirable attempt to bring the original cartoon to life.  Its story is significantly larger in scope than 2018's Bumblebee which delivered a much-needed reset from Michael Bay's orgy of metallic explosions, undercooked characters and plots which rarely focused on the titular robots.  This film expands on the groundwork Bumblebee in just about every way and it gives some of the Transformers, Prime and Mirage in particular, real character arches to work with. Those story arches aren't incredibly nuanced, but they do give the characters even footing with their human counterparts something that Bay only gave passing consideration.  As a result, this is the first film that allows Peter Cullen's Optimus Prime to come to the screen with some noticeable depth.  Pete Davidson is surprisingly good as the voice of Mirage, who plays more like a hybrid of Jazz and Cliffjumper from the original series than his namesake aside from his ability to project holograms.  Davidson's performance is fun but also heartfelt in parts which makes the character more likable than if he was solely used for comic relief.  Michelle Yeoh manages to add some gravitas to her character even if it is a bit funny to hear her voice coming out of a giant robot hawk.  Sadly, the rest of voice cast isn't given much to do outside of deliver exposition.  

Ron Perlman and Peter Dinklage in particular get the short end of the stick with paper thin characters that could have been much more memorable.  Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback make up the human side of the cast with mixed results.  Ramos seems perfectly at ease working with the greenscreen madness as he's clearly having a ball throughout which makes him a likable lead.  Fishback on the other hand comes off a bit more lost and plays her character a bit too broad in spots.  That being said, they are fun together especially in a Peru set action set piece as they chase the movie's McGuffin which leads to the final act.  Steven Caple Jr. energetic direction keeps everything moving at a steady pace and delivers some well choregraphed and coherent action sequences even if they still rely on a bit too much slow motion for my taste. He smartly uses the 90's setting to his advantage with a fun soundtrack that sure to make people of a certain age smile.  The overall plot does set up a major villain and possible crossover which gives you the impression that this film is setting up an even larger follow up.  Transformers: Rise of the Beast does plenty right especially for people who grew up with the cartoon and it works well as a big budget blockbuster that the whole family can enjoy.

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of Judas and the Black Messiah

 

My dear reader(s), the long Presidents' Day weekend provided me an opportunity to catch up with what's sure to be one of 2021's best and most important movies: Judas and the Black Messiah.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers or from actual events.

The FBI pressgangs a small-time criminal into infiltrating the Black Panthers.

Judas and the Black Messiah is an explosive story propelled by powerhouse performances. LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya will garner the bulk of the glory - and rightly so - but in truth the whole cast is magnificent. Viewers may well know the outcome of this tale due to its being based on actual events, but the movie does an excellent job of sustaining tension and never feels less than edge-of-your-seat. The curse of ongiong racial injustice makes Judas and the Black Messiah a difficult watch, but a necessary one.

Judas and the Black Messiah clocks in at 126 minutes and is rated R for "violence and pervasive language."

Judas and the Black Messiah sets a high bar for films in 2021. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Judas and the Black Messiah gets eight.

Judas and the Black Messiah is now playing in cinemas and streaming on HBO Max.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

 

Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.

Director: Shaka King

Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Algee Smith, Martin Sheen

Release Date: February 12, 2021

Genre: Biography, Drama, History

Rated R for violence and pervasive language

Runtime: 2 h 6 min

Review:

Judas and The Black Messiah is heart wrenching look into our past that holds the mirror up and reflects it back to us in the present day.  Shaka King’s debut feature film is visually affecting while being intimate in its examination of its two primary characters.  The story itself is cinematically familiar as it treads on similar beats to something like Donnie Brasco.  Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield are the heart and soul of the movie.  Both just inhabit the skins of their characters with impressive ease and heartbreaking authenticity.  Kaluuya has amassed an impressive resume of performances improving on each with his turn as Fred Hampton marking another high point.  He’s thoroughly engaging and charismatic as Hampton which makes the entire film work, you sense his desire and passion through the big moment and smaller ones as well.  Lakeith Stanfield, meanwhile, has proven himself a chameleon who can transform himself into pretty much anything.  He nails the duplicitous self serving nature of his real life character while still imbuing him with enough pathos to make the audience feel his conflicted nature.  The supporting cast is made up of recognizable faces that add to the overall quality of the film.  Judas and The Black Messiah is a film that’s filled with tension and pain but it feels terribly necessary at this point in history to remember how much process still needs to be made all these years later while still remembering those trailblazers who paved the way.   

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: PROJECT POWER

A former soldier teams up with a cop to find the source behind a dangerous pill that provides temporary superpowers.

Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback, Colson Baker, Rodrigo Santoro, Amy Landecker, Allen Maldonado

Release Date: August 14, 2019

Genre: Action, Crime, Sci-Fi

Rated R for violence, bloody images, drug content and some language

Runtime: 1 h 51 min

Review:

Project Power is the type of film that instantly feels dated even though it’s trying so hard to be edgy and kinetic.  Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman direct this film like they are trying to emulate early 2000 era Michael Bay.  It’s not as garish or stylized as those films but it gets really close.  The weird part is that Bay’s bombastic style typically elicits some sort of reaction whether it be enjoyment or revulsion.  Project Power though doesn’t do that, instead it leaves you generally disinterested.  The conceit is basically a superhero movie mixed with the same general idea from Limitless.  The film’s logic is spotty at best and the actual plot feels generic and tired.  There’s not a single moment during this nearly 2 hour mess that feels fresh or new.  It’s all been done before and typically much better than presented here.  The film’s saving grace is Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt who dive into the film and roles with noticeable gusto plus a strong supporting turn from Dominique Fishback keeps it from being a total mess.  It’s a shame because Project Power could have been a much more fun movie than what’s on the screen. 


C-