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MOVIE: Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

Made the trek to Regal here in Port Orange to see Harry Potter's latest adventure. I didn't realize just how much this was going to be about teenage angst, love triangles and the like, though. To be bluntly honest, it was not a very good movie. It was nice and long, and it continued the story, especially with the revelations about the primary bad guy and how he's made himself virtually immortal, but... really it was a huge soap opera more than anything. Most good stories HAVE elements of a soap opera in them, but this was overkill.

I'd honestly say go to a matinee to see this movie. If the book were to be judged by this movie, I'd say that the series had already ran out of steam way before book 6.. but I did not read them, and assume that per the norm, the books are much better than the movies.

Oh well, now that they're milking the movie series for TWO movies out of the last ONE book, we'll just have to wait and see.

MOVIE: I Love You, Beth Cooper

I was in the mood for a funny movie a few days ago, and went with Chris to see this.

It was actually enjoyable, not as "overly" raunchy as so many "teen" movies are these days. Yes, it did have a couple items which were pushing it, but frankly, I enjoyed the movie. It gave a sobering dose of reality to the life of so many "popular people" in high school who go on to (GASP!) lead average everyday lives. I guess it was near and dear to my heart since I was, and am, and will be, the geek (of which I'm forever grateful in most ways). I thought it could have used an extra scene at the end... (for those who have seen it)... a glimpse of the ten-year reunion. Unless it was after the credits (which I did not stay for)?

Cool flick to take your teenage kids to, in my opinion.

MOVIE: Transformers - Revenge Of The Fallen

I'm a bit mixed on my thoughts on this movie. I attempted to discuss it with someone last night, but there were mitigating factors which forced the conversation to halt. I've thought a bit more about it, and here is what I came up with.

It's a very fun action flick, that I will say for sure. A lot like the newest "Star Trek" movie in that you are frequently hurtling through action sequences.

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

The storyline, I can't really give much praise for at all. It's got a story, of course, but there are a lot of things that are just dumb, or don't make sense, or are just too "cutesy" for my tastes.

* Bumblebee "crying" - dumb ("aw, but it was so CUTE!")

* Blatantly ethnic stereotyped robots (with horrific grammar and cursing) - dumb (why expose your core audience, the younger crowd, to yet more of this stupidity than they already are in real life?)

* So many Transformers with little or no backstory, little or no depth provided to make you ever care about them, and pretty much no effort to make them likable at all.

* Three words: female Terminator ripoff.

* Resurrection?! Key device disintegrating and then reintegrating at just the right moment to finish off the story?!

* Optimus Prime is still (once again) alive - I really would have preferred that he die and be replaced (in fact, I would have found it pure gold if we would have ended the movie with... wait for it... Bumble Prime! Maybe next sequel...)

* Megan Fox's first scene, bent over a motorcyle - again, why? Are the people of America (especially our kids) not sexed up ENOUGH yet?!

There is SO much more. No explanation of the Constructicons, the alteration of elements of the mythos which were not well handled (the device found to help bring Optimus back, which really should have been with Optimus all along), shard - no, shardS - of the Cube still in existence and now suddenly being relevant... need I go on?

Poorly developed story. Great action. It's like a Jim Carrey movie in that, if you turn your brain off, you can enjoy it.

(shrug) I really hope they do better next time. MORE CREDITS-SCENES next time!