TV/Movies

...that it's SHARK WEEK!

Well, with more than a little bit of reservation, I went with the family to see the new Transformers movie. I had lots of reason to have reservations about what the end product was going to be like: Michael Bay directed it. Anyone remember Armageddon? How about a little piece of cinematic flotsam called Pearl Harbor?

Even with the knowledge that the beloved memory of childhood heros could very well be tainted for good, I plunked my $30 down and took the family. Hey, I figured, at least Liam might like the shiny robots or something. Two hours and twenty minutes later, and Tina (who has absolutely no historical attachment to Cybertronians) turns to me and said "Wow, that was a really surprisingly good!". She couldn't have voiced it better. It was an incredibly fun popcorn film that I truly enjoyed from start to finish. Sure, it's not Citizen Kane, but it's got giant transforming robots, so we all knew that going into it. Michael Bay actual showed a real respect for the original cartoons. It's even got Peter Cullen, original voice of Optimus Prime doing OP's voice for the film. And what can be said about the SFX? Un-flippin-believable. The 'bots transform in such a believable and kinetic way you couldn't help but believe that robots really can do that. The plot was thin, but had enough to get from one kickass bot battle to the next. 3.5 out of 5 stars!

Oh, and to Chris: my guess is that you are glad you can sleep a whole person now.

the most important development to come out of all the TF hoopla of course, is the fact that the real life Optimus Prime has called out the real life Megatron for a no holds barred battle royale.

For the love of all things holy. We Patton fanbois are having a collective howl at this clip. And yes, it's real. And yes, it's from "All My Children". All it needs is the chick to say the line "...but Cuckoo for Caca is really the pinnacle of his creative talent."

For those I haven't bored to death yet, I have become a HUGE fan of the HBO/BBC series Rome. It is superbly directed, acted and written. My TiVo has gotten some serious work on Sunday evenings recording the season for me. If you haven't checked it out, I highly suggest you do. It's great.

One actor that really has stood out is Kevin McKidd, who plays second spear centurion Lucius Vorenus of the 13th Gallic Legion. You may recognize him from Trainspotting. This dude is amazing.