I, Robot (July 16, 2004)

*1/2 of ****

First off, I hate Will Smith and believe his talents as an actor are extremely lacking. He is an overrated, pop-culture box office draw unworthy of such distinction. He is basically the same brute character in all his films.

To make this movie worse, Shia LaBeouf  is present. Bridget Moynahan's character is corny and her performance falls flat. It is clear she has no chemistry with Will Smith.

Finally, the CGI is weak, and the design of the robots is very cartoon-ish and fake looking. Thus, this is a B robot film.

Hard Eight (February 28, 1997)

**1/2 of ****

This is an interesting freshman effort of the great Paul Thomas Anderson. The film is quite unique and tells a story which is both unpredictable and fresh.

Barton Fink (August 21, 1991)

*1/2 of ****

Boring. Nonsensical. Barton Fink has little point other than to show us that the Coen brothers made a film as a residue from their writers block from far superior Miller's Crossing.

Someone to Watch Over Me (9 October 1987)

**1/2 of ****

I find this film to be hardly worthy of Ridley Scott's body of work, though it is a decent thriller. The best part is Lorraine Bracco's performance as the wife of Tom Berenger's character.

Blow Out (July 21, 1981)

*** of ****

Throughout the film, it is evident that Brian De Palma is an excellent director. His pacing and tone are done quite well which adds to the suspense. I found myself truly interested in the outcome of this story he creates on film. De Palma also wrote the film, which is impressive of a true auteur. I particularly enjoyed the unconventional ending where Travolta's character ends up using the real scream of the prostitute. The beginning is unique as well, showing a film in production and tricking the audience into thinking that is the film we are supposed to be watching. John Lithgow is phenomenal as a villain.

Raising Arizona (March 6, 1987)

Holly Hunter steals the show as the stand-out performance in the film.

*** of ****

When I read about the production of this film I found it interesting that the Coen brothers did not get along with Nicolas Cage due to the fact that Cage often had suggestions that were ignored.

Then, my wife juxtaposed this with another early work of Cage in which Cage employed a ridiculous voice (Peggy Sue Got Married) and observed it is a good thing that the Coen's ignored Cage.

My opinion of the film is that it is well worth watching as entertainment, but certainly not one of my favorite Coen brothers flick. It has a few laughs, but the zany nature of the story is a little too intense to be fully appreciated. Ultimately, it is better than most comedies ever produced, thus the three star ranking.

Robots (March 11, 2005)

** of ****

I think if I saw this film as a five year old, I would laugh my head off and have a great time. The pop-culture jokes for kids and adults are present throughout. The animation looks pretty good for 2005 standards, but definitely not the best computer generated film ever made in terms of technical specifications. The voice cast all perform their respective parts with all the grace of wanting to collect a paycheck.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (June 29, 2011)

*1/2 of ****

Leonard Nimoy and his character are among the few things to enjoy about this film. I have already thoroughly listed the many issues that abound in all three movies.

If this tirade of bad writing, models as actors, and extremely lengthy CGI action scenes continues into Transformers 4, I will not pay to see it. Which is pretty scathing, considering I usually invent excuses to see films.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (June 24, 2009)

* of ****

The bad things in this movie are all the same fuckin' problems from the first Transformers movie only exponentially compounded. It frustrates me to list them all, so I will refrain from so doing.

Some of the IMAX action scenes turned out well, such as when Optimus Prime is severely outnumbered by Decepticons in the forest. The back story for the Fallen involved in the film is the only interesting plot point. Orci and Kurtzman can't really claim that one as it is based in part by a comic book.

The film, like its predecessor, can be likened to an incomprehensibly long action sequence filled with Jar-Jar Binks type characters which stupefies the audience.

Transformers (July 4, 2007)

** of ****

The problem with Transformers is not the special effects, it is not the concept, and it is certainly not Peter Cullen. The underlying issue present in all three Transformers feature films is their excruciating running time.

We all know Megan Fox is a terrible actress and her beauty is overrated and over-hyped. Her performance almost kills the film on its own. Then there is the enigma that is Shia LaBeouf. Here is a guy that ruins not only Indiana Jones and Wall Street, but as the lead in his own franchise sucks. What Spielberg and co. see in him is beyond me. All that money and fame must have made them a little insane. Jon Voight is pretty solid as usual so there is little to criticize. He was wise not to reprise.

Throughout this God-awful slap in the face we are subjected to countless throw-away human characters, which exacerbate the running time problem. Here's an idea Orci and Kurtzman, try intelligently developing the Transformer's characters, you motha fuckas, you! You do have Transformers.. in this Transformers movie.. don't you? The constant barrage of unfunny one liners Orci and Kurtzman throw into their screenplays is both sickening and offensive to the mind. I must say that the money your films have earned is the only reason you two hacks are still writing. And those box office receipts are based in part on the stupidity of the American movie going public and the foundations that you build your shanties on. Go ruin someone else's cherished franchises like Friends or Sex in the City.

Let's now move on to the directing. Michael Bay has a flare for the cliche when it comes to his characters' interactions. Stereotypical characters abound in all of his movies, and their wooden performances continue here. To his credit, I suppose that when filming visualizations of the military and explosions, Bay is able to make scenes epic. But, this military porn gets really taxing after a while, and we've seen it all before. Cue the Hans Zimmer.

What earns the two stars I gave the movie? The action sequences are pretty cool, for the most part. Certainly they drag on longer than necessary. I also like the two main voice acting leads. Cullen and Hugo Weaving do well with what they have been given by the screenwriters. Finally, the main theme score is pretty good. Steve Jablonsky, one of Zimmer's proteges (carbon copies), disappointingly did not draw from the classic 1980s Transformers theme music from the cartoon. And, of course the entire concept for which the Transformers franchise is based is just great science fiction fun. None of the film makers herein discussed deserve credit for that.

The Transformers: The Movie (August 8, 1986)

**1/2 of ****

Pulp Fiction (October 14, 1994)

***1/2 of ****

True Romance (September 10, 1993)

***1/2 of ****

Taxi Driver (February 8, 1976)

*** of ****

Body Double (October 26, 1984)

**1/2 of ****

This movie is all over the fuckin' place, but I like the homage elements that I immediately picked up on such as the obvious Rear Window.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape (August 18, 1989)

**1/2 of ****

God, that whore on the couch is a sleezy slut to whom I am attracted. Of course, I was only four years old when she looked like that though.

The real talent of this film is the direction by Steven Soderbergh and the acting by James Spader.

Reservoir Dogs (October 23, 1992)

**** of ****

There really isn't anything bad about this picture.

The Color of Money (October 17, 1986)

** of ****

This is probably the most disappointing Scorsese film I have ever seen. Perhaps this is not because of a lack of good acting or directing, but that the subject matter is a bore to me.

The Hustler (September 25, 1961)

*** of ****

Blood Simple (January 18, 1985)

*** of ****

Outland (May 22, 1981)

**1/2 of ****

The Road (November 25, 2009)

*** of ****

The One (November 2, 2001)

**1/2 of ****

This movie is really not as bad as the critics say.  The action is pretty good, and the science fiction concepts are at least as good as the Matrix.

Repo Men (March 19, 2010)

** of ****

The Land Before Time (November 18, 1988)

**1/2 of ****

THX 1138 (March 11, 1971)

*** of ****

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (June 15, 1990)

*1/2 of ****

I finally got around to screening this sequel.

The Postman (December 25, 1997)

K.C. is bewildered that a movie entitled The Postman could have a running time of nearly three hours.

**1/2 of ****

Waterworld (July 28, 1995)

** of ****

Super 8 (June 10, 2011)

*1/2 of ****

A starless, lens flared, warm-fuzzy feeling generating, overrated piece of homage and nostalgic want-to-be '80s sci-fi epics for kids piece of flotsam.

Pandorum (September 25, 2009)

*** of ****

Jurassic Park III (July 18, 2001)

**1/2 of ****

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (May 23, 1997)

** of ****

Jurassic Park (June 11, 1993)

***1/2 of ****

Dinosaurus! (August 10, 1960)

*1/2 of ****

Face/Off (June 27, 1997)

*** of ****

Event Horizon (August 15, 1997)

** of ****

Doom (October 27, 2005)

This bitch is hot.

** of ****

A solid performance as usual, it is unfortunate Karl Urban is under-utilized in Hollywood.

The Rock is not as entertaining as the rock tit.

This movie gets old quickly as it is just another rendition on Marines fighting an alien lifeform ala Aliens. Rosamund Pike has nice R.T. though.

Dreamscape (August 15, 1984)

** of ****

This movie has concepts that the Matrix and Inception seem to plagiarize.

Battlefield Earth (May 12, 2000)

* of ****

When I first began viewing the film, I thought to myself, "This movie really isn't as bad as its reputation would suggest." Then I continued watching the story unfold one abomination after another. While I could not detect any religious overtones (luckily I am unfamiliar with the preposterous tenets of Scientology), this movie is just a stinker at many levels. But first, the good:

The plotting and scheming between Travolta's and Whitaker's characters is somewhat intriguing as a fan of politics equaling entertainment. The make-up on the aliens reminds me of Star Trek, so it is not all that bad. These brief moments do not come close to the weight of the bad:

The special effects are complete garbage, with CGI which barely rivals a Playstation game (and by Playstation, I mean the original console from the nineties). The premise makes little sense, there is no way the aliens could have occupied earth for 1000 years without discovering its valuables such as Fort Knox. And, how could humans who had basically never interacted with technology, learn how to wield twentieth century weaponry?

The action scenes are drab, the lines are cheesy, and the overall tone and direction of the film is confused. Ultimately, it does not succeed as a qualified entry into the science fiction genre.

Phenomenon (July 5, 1996)

** of ****

A love story and science-fiction piece without much point, this film is boring.

Frequency (April 28, 2000)

**1/2 of ****

I screened this interesting science fiction fantasy drama with my wife who surprisingly had already seen it.

The first time I ever watched this film was by introduction by a former friend named Adam. Interestingly enough, I actually hung out with him once post missions in 2007 and we played Age of Empires. I am of the opinion that he turned into an arrogant prick like his dad. Alas, it is sad how many so-called friends come and go throughout one's life.

Adam was a great lover of film and was just as much a fan of the medium as I. In fact, when we were young teenagers growing up in the same neighborhood, he was addicted to movies. He'd oftentimes not hang out with the group due to his desire to watch his recorded on VHS collection.

Now I am the one with no social life and addicted to film. The world is a vampire.

Logan's Run (June 23, 1976)

** of ****

This movie plays out like a bad episode of Star Trek the Original Series.

The Last Starfighter (July 13, 1984)

** of ****

This movie is an attempt to be Star Wars and a quirky '80s teen comedy all at once.