Speaking Of Franchises That Won't Die..."Transformers: The Last Knight"

Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel, Laura Haddock, Santiago Cabrera

Directed by Michael Bay

The Story:

Optimus Prime has left the Earth. Any remaining Transformers are hunted. That doesn't stop Cade (Wahlberg) from attempting to save those he can find. However, when clues from the days of King Arthur point to the only salvation the Earth might have to save itself from destruction from Cybertron...

Yeah, it sounds silly.

This whole franchise has been fairly silly since day one.

Now celebrating a decade of cinematic box office dominance, the Transformers are beginning to slow down at the box office.

This was reviled as one of the worst films of last year, but it's no more or less unwatchable than any of the sequels that came before it, or the original for that matter.

Michael Bay does what he does best, and that's blow stuff up.

Thankfully through the years, he's making the scenes a lot less dark, so the action is easier to see and follow as a whole.

Think about this as well:

This was the 3rd movie about King Arthur to appear in cinemas in 2017.

It was also the best of the 3.

Let that sink in for a moment.

I also firmly fall into the camp that prefers the Transformers with Wahlberg over Shia LaBeouf.

Not sure if there will be any more in the franchise, but apparently Bumblebee is going to get his own movie, starring alongside John Cena.

My prediction: That will be the best one yet! :)

Final Grade: C

A Little Legal "Misconduct"

Misconduct (2016)

Rated R

Starring Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Malin Akerman, Alice Eve, Byung-hun Lee, Julia Stiles,

Directed by Shintaro Shimosawa

The Story:

Ben (Duhamel) is caught in a legal struggle between a pharmaceutical executive (Hopkins) and his firms Senior Partner (Pacino). As the snare of conspiracy draws ever tighter, Ben must uncover the truth before he becomes the latest victim.

So, did you see Misconduct when it debuted in theaters earlier this year?

Yeah, neither did anyone.

Earning $ 97.00 during the opening weekend, you'll be forgiven if you missed the debut.

So, what did you miss exactly?

Pretty much a straight to video generic thriller that hopes the allure of Hopkins and Pacino will get you to sign up.

They were probably well compensated for about a day or two of work on this movie, probably with 10 minutes or less total screen time each.

Duhamel does all the grunt work for the film, he is the actual star, and he does just fine.

In fact, the whole cast does just fine.

They're just saddled with a mediocre story that's been told before, many times, and usually much better.

So just fine rarely is reason to celebrate anymore.

Guilty of not being better with this pedigree of a cast.

Final Grade:  C-

"When In Rome" You Might Meet Your True Love

When In Rome (2010)

Rated PG-13

Starring Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Anjelica Huston, Will Arnett, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Alexis Dziena, Danny DeVito

Directed by Mark Johnson

The Story:

Beth (Bell) attends the wedding of her sister (Dziena) in Rome.  She takes some coins from The Fountain of Love which causes the men (Arnett, Heder, Shepard, DeVito) who threw those coins into the fountain to fall madly in love with her.  Can she balance her career with the affections of these men as she tries to figure out a way to break the spell, and maybe realize that the one guy not under a spell (Duhamel) could be her Mr. Right?

This is a fun little romantic comedy that is light, breezy and easy to enjoy at any time.

I've seen it a few times, and it's one that even the kids enjoy watching when it's on.

Bell gets to play the leading lady, and has a fun time playing the romantic, harried lead against a host of different leading men.

Arnett, Heder and Shepard bring different levels of zaniness to their roles giving Bell the hardest time trying to brush them off.

DeVito brings a level of humanity and sadness to his part.

At the end of the day though, it's Duhamel who grounds the movie as the potential suitor who gets overlooked too often.

Mr. Right is often there, people are often just too busy with their lives to notice.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it, and it gets watched every so often.  Always a fun time.

This Mother's Day Give Mom a "Safe Haven"

Nicholas Sparks is at it again!

The Story:

A young woman named Katie (Julianne Hough) arrives in a small town in North Carolina, and she's running from something terrible in her past.  Upon arrival, she tries to keep to herself as much as possible, but it's hard to ignore the sweet charm of the local store owner, Alex (Josh Duhamel) and his sweet kids.  At the urging of Jo (Cobie Smulders), Katie begins to open up her heart and life to Alex.  However, her past secrets are hot on her trail, and it could ruin the very life that Katie is working hard to rebuild.

I did not see that coming.

Okay, I would guess it is safe to say I've seen enough Nicholas Sparks' movies to be an pseudo-expert on the man's work.

: )

Previously, The Notebook was my favorite film that he wrote.  The bad part, it's got such a tear-jerking ending, I cannot watch that movie ever again.

Niagara Falls, baby.

No lies..no shame.  It's a beautiful story about love that lasts a lifetime... but man it hurts to watch.

His last two films that I watched, Dear John and The Lucky One... meh.

Call me unimpressed, overall.

So rolling into Safe Haven, the only silver lining I had was Josh Duhamel as the star.  I'm a fan.  Love the guys work.  Heck, he was one of the few bright spots in the entire Transformers franchise.

He did not disappoint here either.  He's absolutely movie-charming, and everything you need the leading man to be.  He's friendly, compassionate, great with kids, and heartbroken since losing his wife to cancer.  Is Alex ready to move on?

Well, duh.

Katie is naturally reluctant... and her sordid past is revealed, slowly, steadily throughout the movie by way of flashbacks.  It's an effective technique to keep you guessing on why she's running, and why the law is hot on her trail.

The climactic finale feels a bit forced, but the build to it was suspenseful and intriguing enough that you can let it pass.

And then the movie quiets down, and offers up one more piece of the puzzle that you may or may not have considered up to that point.

Well played Nicholas Sparks, you got me to cry.  Again.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could consider both.  Entertained throughout, and the ending, while heart-string tugging is not as nearly as emotionally devastating as the Notebook.  I can appreciate that.

Don't Mess with First Responders... "Fire With Fire"

Don't mess with firemen...

The Story:

A young fireman (Josh Duhamel) witnesses a murder. Okay, several murders.  He can identify the shooter (Vincent D'Onofrio) much to the pleasure of the cop (Bruce Willis) who's been trying to nail this scumbag for years.  Only problem, the bad guy threatens the fireman, the fireman gets sent to Witness Protection...

But that isn't safe enough!

When the girl of his dreams (Rosario Dawson) gets hurt, our hero decides he's had enough hiding, and decides to take the fight to the bad guy, and only one can walk away!

Is this the greatest action movie ever? No.

Is there a reason it had like no release whatsoever that I'm aware of?  Nope.

In other words:

It's NOT THAT BAD.

: )

It's a well paced action film, and D'Onofrio relishes playing the bad guy with more gusto than I've seen from him since he attempted to take over the world in Men In Black.


Josh Duhamel makes a credible action hero and leading man in the picture.  Bruce Willis is there in a role that has a little bit of support to the story, more than just a cameo or anything, but not a huge amount of screen time.

Streaming Instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

Would I Own It: Possibly. I'd certainly be willing to stream it again in the future.