(With a new Transformers movie looming I thought it would be good to watch and review some of the franchise’s films I have yet to review.)

The third installment of the (mostly) lucrative Transformers film series had a tough hill to climb. The first film from 2007 was a fun, nostalgic, and action-packed blockbuster. But its 2009 sequel, “Revenge of the Fallen” was an abysmal disappointment which saw the series take shoddy writing and big screen excess to some annoying levels. That gets to “Dark of the Moon”, a nice turn back in the right direction yet one still hampered by some of the same nagging issues.

The first right move for “Dark of the Moon” was with its writer. Ehren Kruger is given solo screenwriter duties and the movie benefits from it. The story is still overstuffed; it goes on for way too long; and it can’t shake the annoying urge to be crude. Yet Kruger devises a fairly easy to follow story – one that may not develop as thoroughly as it needs to but that has clearly defined stakes and comes together more cohesively than you might think.

Bay opens the film with a fun play on history. War continues to rage on the far-away planet of Cybertron between the oppressive Decepticons and the noble Autobots. A spacecraft called the Ark flees carrying a piece of Autobot technology that would have won them the war and saved their planet. But it’s heavily damaged, eventually crashing on earth’s moon circa 1962.

A U.S. government satellite picks up the crash and they immediately begin planning man’s first trip to the moon. Through a cool mix of real-life historical footage and newly shot scenes we learn the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing was actually a covert operation to investigate the alien wreckage. Even the real Buzz Aldren shows up playing himself. It’s a silly but undeniably fun table-setting intro.

From there the story moves to present day where we once again meet Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf’s final turn as the lead character of the first three films). Still temperamental and insecure, Sam lives in Washington DC with his new girlfriend, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) whose supermodel good looks clearly impresses her ludicrously wealthy boss, Dylan Gould (Patrick Dempsey). Sam on the other hand is three weeks out of college and still doesn’t have a job. That is until he gets hired by the boss of Accuretta Systems, Bruce Brazos (John Malkovich in an utterly frivolous role).

Meanwhile the Autobots led by Optimus Prime (again wonderfully voiced by the great Peter Cullen) have allied with humanity in solving human conflicts around the world. All the while they have their eyes open for the return of their arch enemies the Decepticons. One of their operations takes them to the Ukraine where Optimus learns about the Ark crash-landing on earth’s moon. He also learns that the long believed lost technology has been retrieved. The Autobots visit the moon to see what’s left of the Ark only to find a powered-down Sentinel Prime (voiced by Leonard Nimoy), Optimus’ predecessor as leader of the Autobots.

And of course the United States government is involved led by the Director of National Intelligence, Charlotte Mearing (Frances McDormand). She oversees a super-secret international task-force known as NEST which is commanded by Colonel William Lennox (Josh Duhamel). Chief Master Sergeant Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson) also pops back up, now working for NASA but forced back into military duty once it is revealed that the Decpticons have been orchestrating an elaborate ruse aimed at draining the earth of its resources in order to rebuild Cybertron.

As you can see there’s a ton going on which would become the norm for the franchise. Bay loved the epic-sized stories as much as he loved the epic-scaled action. It didn’t always work but he managed to pull it off here. “Dark of the Moon” takes a lot of wild turns, ultimately ending with all the parties coming together (and with Sam once again caught in the middle) for a huge battle in the city of Chicago. It’s a massive sequence that highlights many of Bay’s strengths and weaknesses as an action filmmaker. But it’s an ending custom-made for fans and it place proves to have lasting repercussions.

Though a significant step up from the previous film, “Dark of the Moon” still repeats some of the problems many people have had with the franchise. It’s way too ambitious and it’s stuffed with too much story and too many characters (I haven’t even mentioned the roles played by John Turturro, Alan Tudyk, Ken Jeong, Glenn Morshower, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, etc.). Yet I enjoyed many of the crazy swings it takes. And it’s just cohesive enough to hold our interest until the next big set piece comes along. And in these movies that’s often all some people want.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

At times you’ll swear the simple yet ominously titled “The Tank” is a by-the-numbers garden variety chiller. But writer-director-producer Scott Walker peppers the film with just enough of his own seasoning to make even the familiar enjoyable. And then just when you think you have him and his movie figured out, he flips a switch and takes things in a whole different direction. And it turns out to be a pretty fun direction.

Walker’s obvious love for genre is on full display as he hops all around the horror map. You see the influences of haunted house movies. There are dashes of psychological horror. It even becomes a full-blown creature-feature with a finish full of scenes that play like odes to James Cameron’s “Aliens”. And that’s when it really hits its stride. The last 20 minutes or so is nothing short of classic B-movie joy.

Set in 1978, Ben Adams (Matt Whelan) lives in Oakland, California with his wife Jules (Luciane Buchanan) and their precocious young daughter Reia (Zara Nausbaum). Ben and Jules run a pet shop called “Raining Cats and Dogs” while also attending veterinarian school. One evening at closing time a gentlemanly lawyer with a really bad wig comes into the shop and informs Ben that he has inherited some coastal property in Oregon called Hobbit’s Bay from his late mother. The news comes as a complete surprise to Ben, as his mother never mentioned the land.

It may seem like an odd thing for Ben’s mother to forget, but as the old lawyer says “Some families have secrets. You’d be surprised at what people find out after a loved one dies.” Ben’s family’s secrets come to light once he and his family travel to Hobbit’s Bay. After a long drive their map leads them deep into a beautiful forest, down and old dirt road, and finally to an old grown-up cottage. It looks rundown, but then they see the gorgeous view.

After a night’s sleep they begin cleaning up the place for a potential sell. Inside the cottage they discover a bunch of old photos and newspaper clippings revealing a troubled family history Ben never knew about. Meanwhile outside he comes across a concrete slab with a hatch leading down to an underground water tank. Inside the tank he encounters something more shocking, more terrifying, and more deadly. Many of the answers are hinted at through some clever foreshadowing, but I’ll leave that for you to discover.

As I said, early on “The Tank” can come across as fairly conventional. Also, as with so many movies like this, we witness characters make some truly head-scratching choices – the kind that make you want to yell at the screen. And the early attempts at frights consist mostly of things we’ve all seen many times before – creaking floors, the occasional slamming door, glimpses of something lurking outside the window, etc. These scenes are well executed but pretty much standard-fare.

But then Walker makes his big turn and takes his film to a much different place. I’m intentionally dancing around it, because part of the fun for me came by going in blind. But I will say I love how bonkers it gets. It takes us in some wild directions while at the same time making me better appreciate the buildup. There are some cool effects, some gnarly kills, and a gonzo schlocky vibe that left a big dumb smile on my face (I’m still chuckling at a hilariously bad and out-of-the-blue one-liner during the film’s big finish). Sure, it has its issues. But I love when directors take big swings and tinker with genres. That’s what makes this one a winner.

“The Tank” opens in select theaters on April 21st and on VOD April 25th.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

I remember when I first played Tetris, the simple yet joyously addictive puzzle game created in 1984 by Soviet-born computer engineer Alexey Pajitnov. In 1989 the game came packed with Nintendo’s ambitious Game Boy hand-held game console. I was instantly hooked. Between it and a version released a few months later for Nintendo’s home console, there’s no telling how many hundreds of hours I’ve spent rotating and placing blocks in what would become one of the best selling video games of all-time.

But it’s what went on behind the game that turns out to be the most fascinating, specifically what it took to bring Tetris beyond the volatile Iron Curtain. The new fittingly named film “Tetris” from director Jon S. Baird sets out to tell that story. Noah Pink’s knock-out script drops us into the dull sounding world of licensing and publishing rights. But together with Baird, the two unwrap this remarkable true story that plays like a political, an espionage, and a corporate thriller all wrapped into one.

“Tetris” is a riveting film that’s sure to speak to any long-time fan of the game itself or the video game industry. There’s lots of fun industry lingo. There are some terrific 8-bit pixelated vignettes and title cards. There are some cool nods to early video game development. And there’s some rich history that serves as a window into the time when video games were exploding and on their way to becoming the lucrative entertainment juggernaut they are today.

But “Tetris” is also for anyone who simply loves good storytelling and filmmaking. Pink’s script is full of twists and turns. It’s ripe with corporate collusion, shaky loyalties, even shakier ethics, and shifting allegiances. But it also plays like a windy Cold War spy thriller, tapping into all sorts of late 1980s era political and cultural history. Baird attacks it all with a go-for-broke zest, infusing the film with a playful yet propulsive energy. It all makes for a funny, absorbing, and at times surprisingly thrilling ride.

The mostly real-life characters are portrayed by a fantastic cast led by the wonderfully vibrant Taron Egerton. He plays Henk Rogers and we first meet him at the 1988 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He’s there to sell his not-so-great video game GO to any interested parties. The problem is, there are no interested parties. Even his own salesgirl has ditched him for another game just a few spaces over. That’s where Henk is introduced to Tetris and he’s instantly smitten by the seemingly simple game of falling tetriminoes.

Seeing dollar signs, Henk uses the money he borrowed from the bank to fund his own failed video game and snatches up the PC and arcade rights for Tetris. But he quickly learns that obtaining licensing and distribution rights for a game made in the crumbling Soviet Union isn’t as easy as writing a check. And as word about the game spreads, Henk finds himself in a ruthless race against two other Western rivals to lockup Tetris, most notably the potentially bankable handheld rights that would allow it to be distributed with Nintendo’s new Game Boy console.

Racing against Henk is businessman Robert Stein, (Toby Jones), the owner of the British company Andromeda Software. Also in the hunt is billionaire media tycoon Robert Maxwell (Roger Allum) and his entitled son Kevin (Anthony Boyle). Before long Henk, Stein, and the younger Maxwell are in communist Moscow courting the game’s creator, Alexey Pajitnov (portrayed by Nikita Efremov), a kindhearted programmer at the Soviet Computer Science Center. But more than him they need the ok of the Soviet government, and that’s no easy ask.

Soon the determined Henk and company are trying to win over a high-ranking government official (Igor Grabuzov), dodging a menacing yet undeniably greedy KGB agent (Oleg Shtedanko), figuring out a mysterious translation specialist (Sofya Lebedeva), and even convincing Mikhail Gorbachev himself (Matthew Marsh). The supporting cast does a great job bringing to life these characters, some with comically massive personalities. But the performances hit their marks, and Baird gives them plenty of scenes to shine.

I do wish more time had been given to Henk’s savvy and reasonably concerned wife Kimmy (a really good Ayana Nagabuchi). And it’s easy to get lost in all the heavy corporate chatter about licensing agreements and distribution rights. Thankfully the snappy pacing doesn’t give us time to dwell on how little it makes sense at times. And it’s so much fun bouncing around between Seattle, London, Tokyo, and Moscow, mostly with Taron Egerton who delivers a career best performance. He proves to be the perfect escort through this incredible blend of history and old-school thriller. In a nutshell, “Tetris” is a blast. “Tetris” premieres March 31st on Apple TV +.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

(CLICK HERE to read my full review in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

Who knew the world of big city professional tutoring was so treacherous? Well it certainly is in the lightly gonzo and undeniably entertaining new thriller “The Tutor”. The film comes from director Jordan Ross, working from a screenplay by Ryan King, and stars the inspired trio of Garrett Hedlund, Victoria Justice, and Noah Schnapp.

Hedlund plays Ethan, a highly sought after tutor for the children of the rich and privileged. He works for a firm ran by his boss and friend, Chris (Joseph Castillo-Midyett), that sends its private educators to the homes of one-percenters to teach an assortment of pampered pupils. Ethan has earned a good reputation, mainly due to his ability to connect with the often troubled teens he instructs.

Ethan gets a call from Chris who tells him about a new client who has requested him by name. The family wants to start with a one-week trial basis, during which they’ll pay Ethan $2500 per day. There are a couple of conditions. First, he’ll have to spend the entire week on the premises. Second, they’ll be paying him under the table (now if that isn’t a warning sign). The deal is too sweet to pass up, especially since Ethan and his girlfriend Annie (Justice) are about to have a baby. They need the money so Ethan takes the job.

After being picked by a spit-shined luxury Cadillac, Ethan is driven to a gated country estate with its swanky accommodations, well-manicured gardens, and a garage full of expensive motorcycles. There he meets Jackson (Schnapp), an oddly disconnected teen and the only child of glaringly wealthy parents who are nowhere to be found. His dad is away on business, but Jackson says he’s not allowed to talk about his father’s work. And he’s even more vague about his mother. If things weren’t weird enough, Jackson has no idea what he scored on his SATs. He doesn’t even know what they’re supposed to be studying.

Aside from the family’s stern yet well tailored butler, also staying at the estate is Jackson’s space cadet cousin Gavin (Jonny Weston) and his sex kitten girlfriend Jenny (Kabby Borders). The two add an extra coat of weirdness to a story that gets more twisted with each scene. Jackson’s behavior gets more erratic and he develops “a slightly unhealthy attachment” to Ethan. Soon we’re asking the question, is Jackson a mad genius or is he something far more sinister.

You may be thinking this sounds like just another crazy stalker flick, and you wouldn’t be wrong in doing so. It has all the pieces that help make it feel that way. But to Ross and King’s credit, they kinda bait us into that easy-to-make snap judgement. In reality, their story begins taking on a different shape in the third act, and the big twist(s) swing things in an unexpected new direction. It makes things fun, in a very ‘I didn’t see that coming‘ sort of way. But admittedly things get a little far-fetched and not all the pieces fit as nicely as they should.

Still, I can see “The Tutor” being catnip for fans who enjoy the steady flow of big-twist thrillers that regularly come out today. Both Ross and King seem to know what genre lovers are looking for and they meet those easy-to-define expectations. Really good performances from Hedlund, Schnapp, and Justice help keep the characters interesting and make it easier to overlook some of the material’s more far-out turns. But honestly, it’s those far-out turns that often make movie’s like this fun.

At the same time, you can’t help but pick apart some of the more outrageous aspects of the story. Some pretty obvious questions spring up once you start considering how things take shape. That ultimately holds the movie back and keeps it from being as memorable as it might have been. But for those able to avoid the traps of over-critiquing or even overthinking, “The Tutor” captures much of what people enjoy about these popular popcorn thrillers. “The Tutor” is now showing in select theaters and on VOD.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

(CLICK HERE to read my full review in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

It still remember seeing “Titanic” 25 years ago. Despite being directed by the same guy who did such “manly” movies as “The Terminator”, “Aliens”, and “True Lies”, I remember dismissing “Titanic” as little more that a cornball romance set aboard the ill-fated British passenger liner. Well, it kinda is that.

But it was also a James Cameron movie meaning it would be an enormous blockbuster spectacle unlike anything done before. Sporting a whopping $200 million production budget, “Titanic” was easily the most expensive at the time. It became the first film ever to reach $1 billion at the box office and remained the highest grossing film of all-time until it was passed by 2019’s “Avatar”, yet another Cameron extravaganza.

“Titanic” truly is two movies fused into one – a sudsy love story and an epic disaster film. In addition to directing, producing, and editing, Cameron wrote the script, incorporating numerous historical details into his story. He also included several real-life characters including “The Unsinkable” Molly Brown (Kathy Bates), the vessel’s architect and shipbuilder Thomas Andrews (Victor Gerber), Captain Edward John Smith (Bernard Hill), and the ship’s bandmaster Wallace Hartley (Jonathan Evans-Jones), among several others.

But at its core “Titanic” is a fictional love story anchored by its two young stars. In 1997 Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, both barely over 20-years-old at the time of their casting, had already gained notoriety and each had already earned Academy Award nominations for supporting roles, him for “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” and her for “Sense and Sensibility”. But “Titanic” catapulted them both into Hollywood stardom (Winslet’s performance earned her a second Oscar nomination).

While Winslet’s Rose DeWitt Bukater and DiCaprio’s Jack Dawson were purely fictional, several things about their characters and circumstances were rooted in reality. Cameron gave a lot of attention to the class distinctions between the two leads. Jack was a poor aspiring artist who won his third-class ticket on the Titanic in a poker game. Rose was the upper-class fiancé to an older and wealthy heir (played by Billy Zane), a relationship encouraged by her widowed mother (Frances Fisher) who was desperate to maintain her high-end social status.

For Cameron, realistically portraying the Titanic was vital, and he felt a great responsibility to get it right. He poured a lot of time, effort, and budget into researching and recreating the Titanic’s interiors and exterior. The ship was reconstructed to full scale, and Cameron, along with his production designer Peter Lamont, followed archived blueprints and old photographs to capture the liner’s luxurious original designs. The meticulous attention to detail is as remarkable as it is impressive, and understanding what all went into accurately representing the Titanic really enhances the experience.

Meanwhile Winslet and DiCaprio fleshed out what would become one of cinema’s most well-known tragic love stories. Rose and Jack’s tale of forbidden love has its share of mushy moments. But Cameron never pushes it too far, and there is lots of compelling dressing surrounding their romance in the form of interesting characters, side stories, and themes. The good casting doesn’t hurt either, starting with Winslet and DiCaprio. And I can’t say enough about the often underappreciated Billy Zane. He’s a bit of a mustache-twirling cartoon (minus the mustache) which is one reason I like him so much. He’s possessive, conceited, and snobbish and Zane hits every single vile or despicable mark.

Then of course you have the second half which combines powerful emotional beats with pure moviemaking extravagance. As the film shifts to disaster movie mode, we again see Cameron pushing the boundaries of special effects. Much like with “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” and “The Abyss”, he once again took digital technology in some groundbreaking new directions. But just as impressive are the incredible practical effects that included elaborate miniatures, a 5,000,000 gallon water tank, and some extraordinary set design. And all of it to create the most realistic rendering of the Titanic disaster ever put on screen.

“Titanic” would go on to earn 14 Academy Award nominations, winning eleven including Best Picture and Best Director for Cameron. To its credit the movie has stood the proverbial test of time. I still find the central romance a bit too syrupy at times, but it’s hard not to be moved by where it goes. And you can say what you want about James Cameron, but he makes movies that people want to go see. Whether they’re about a blue-skinned indigenous tribe on a faraway planet or a love story set aboard a doomed luxury liner in 1912.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

The new Tamil-language film “Thunivu” is a lot of things packed into one movie. It’s loaded with kinetic action, there’s plenty of good humor, and (of course) there’s the occasional pulse-pounding musical number (often when you’re least expecting it). But more than anything, “Thunivu” is a heist film. It may be impossible to nail it down into one single category, but the heist genre is clearly baked into the movie’s DNA.

Written and directed by H. Vinoth, “Thunivu” surprises by seeking to be both a searing indictment of financial systems and institutions and unabashed big screen entertainment. Each are (mostly) effective, and Vinoth does a good job conveying both thrills and his message. Where the movie struggles is in weaving both aspects together. Suffice it say we’re left with what feels like a film of two very different halves.

“Thunivu” stars Ajith Kumar, a fascinating and electric lead who oozes charisma from his first scene till his last. The prolific actor and race car driver has appeared in over 60 movies throughout his remarkable 33-year career. Here he’s handed a meaty role that leans into his physicality, sly sense of humor, and overflowing swagger. He gives a fun (and at times delightfully over-the-top) performance that’s as playful as it is intense.

Vinoth wastes no time setting up and kicking off his elaborate story. The film opens with a gangster named Radha (Veera) meticulously laying out his plan to rob the privately owned “Your Bank” in the heart of Chennai. Within minutes he and his heavily armed crew storm the bank, taking out the guards and rounding up their hostages. But as they prepare to cash out, their plan is disrupted by a mysterious white-bearded man (Kumar) who takes out Radha’s men in a gloriously ballet of finely choreographed violence.

But this mystery man is no angel. He’s actually a gangster himself known as Dark Devil, and he has targeted the bank for his own well-hidden purposes. The police quickly gather outside led by their determined commissioner (Samuthirakani). Soon the tactical units arrives, a war room is set up, and snipers are placed on the rooftops. But with the help of his partner on the outside Kanmani (Manju Warrier), who is observing and feeding him information from a distance, the morally ambiguous Dark Devil stays one step ahead of everyone, including the audience.

As the high-energy, furiously paced first half steams forward, Vinoth introduces several more characters to help fill out his story. There’s a timid constable (Mahanadi Shankar), a cut-throat journalist (Mohanan Sundaram), a sleazy inspector (Bagavathi Perumal), and a crooked banker (John Kokken) just to name a few. Yet there’s never a doubt that Kumar is the centerpiece, and his Dark Devil drives the adrenaline-fueled, action-packed first 100 minutes.

But then the movie takes a surprising turn. The action is somewhat dialed down as Vinoth hits us with a slew of reveals, many through some rather lengthy flashbacks. It’s a bold but jarring change of pace that sees Dark Devil go from ruthless gangster to a roguish Robin Hood of sorts. Soon we’re talking about bank scams, mutual funds, and credit card debt. And suddenly the villains aren’t just gangsters. They’re also bankers, policemen, politicians, and the news media. In Vinoth’s story everyone has dirty hands.

The shift from full-throttled action to biting commentary isn’t the most graceful transition. But it’s hard not to appreciate the shots Vinoth takes at the various forms of corruption, especially from the financial sector. As far as other gripes, Nirav Shah’s cinematography is spectacular. But there are a handful of clips that are awkwardly sped up to the point of being distracting. And while Ghibran’s relentless score fits the movie, it can be a bit overpowering. I also wanted more of Manju Warrier. She’s a tough and fiery presence, but I wish she was given more to do.

But in the end those are small quibbles, especially for a movie that packs this much fun. “Thunivu” may not hit every mark, but I love it when a filmmaker takes big swings. Vinoth goes for broke, delivering a densely plotted, old-school heist movie that’s bursting with a fresh style and energy. He feeds a full course to those hungry for big action, and rewards those who patiently wait for his story to unfold. By the end there’s a good chance you’ll still have a few questions. I know I did. But for the most part Vinoth does a good job covering all his ground. The magnetic Ajith Kumar handles the rest. He’s a force of nature who commands the screen whether he’s cracking bones or cracking jokes. It’s just the kind of star power “Thunivu” needs.

VERDICT – 4 STARS