Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D

Movie: Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D

Genre: sci-fi

Synopsis: It turns out that America’s race to the moon was actually staged so that the astronauts could check out a crashed alien space vehicle.  Fast forward to today and the Autobots have been integrated into human society to guard against Decepticons.  Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is unemployed and looking for a job.  When they learn of the existence of some secret device taken from the moon crash, Decepticons and Autobots once again go to war with each other.  Patrick Dempsey plays a mega-rich Decepticon ally  Most of the soldiers are back from the previous movie.  Sam spends half the movie trying to get someone to let him join in the fray.  The biggest loser in this movie: Chicago, which gets pretty much trashed in the climactic battle.

My two cents: I guess the Transformers just don’t do it for me anymore.  The bright spot for me was Leonard Nimoy voicing a new (to us) Autobot: Sentinel Prime.  Some of the background was interesting, as well as tie-ins to recent world history.  The battles were fairly good . . . but nothing really grabbed me.  This time around, I found the Sam character to be more annoying than anything else. I am thinking that maybe it is time to let the Autobots and Co. take a break.

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Bad Teacher

Movie: Bad Teacher

Genre: comedy

Synopsis: Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) is a junior high school teacher.  Her immediate goal in life is to acquire enough money to pay for a boob job to achieve her ultimate goal . . . marry someone rich.  Teaching kids is the last thing she cares about. She latches onto the new geeky – and rich – teacher, Scott (Justin Timberlake).  Fellow teacher Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch) is the resident uber-teacher.  She has two goals – to land Scott as a boyfriend and to get Elizabeth fired.  And . . . there is Jason Seagal playing the sweet doofus gym teacher who has the hots for Elizabeth.  Elizabeth is willing to stoop to any depths to get her man and her boob job and Amy is equally willing to sink as low as she needs to in order to discredit Elizabeth.

My two cents: Not as bad as I expected, but not exactly Oscar material.  Justin Timerlake played his character well, but the character was really out there.  This was the first movie I have seen featuring Lucy Punch.  She was a LOT of fun to watch.  She absolutely nailed the fanatically dedicated and unbelievably perky and cheerful school teacher who is actually on the brink of a meltdown.  And let’s not forget Phyllis Smith (The Office) portrayal of teacher Lynn Davies. I thought that she stole every scene she was in.

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