Transformers: Dark of the Moon dominated the box office last weekend despite its bad reviews by film critics and consumers, how will it do this weekend? Also, opening last weekend in wide release was Larry Crowne we will see how film critic reviews measure up against consumer reviews on this film. Then let you know if it’s worth the money.
Note: We only review films in wide release.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon-PG-13 What’s the Buzz? Majority of film critics said this film made them feel like they were serving time. One of the main complaints was the stupid plot or lack thereof. According to film critic Dan Kois of the Village Voice states; “Your brain cells perish by the thousands, their howls of agony lost to the cacophony inside your skull.”[1] What do consumers have to say? The majority of reviews on rottentomatoes said they had high expectations for this film but it failed to deliver. They felt it was empty, lacked development with pointless crappy plot and meaningless characters.[2] So is it worth the money? If you cherish your brain cells a BIG No!
- Box office rank: #1
- Film Critics Say: Metacritic- 42 Mixed, rottentomatoes: 37% (rotten)
- Consumers Say: Metacritic- 6.1 Positive, rottentomatoes: 64%
Larry Crowne: PG-13 – What’s the Buzz? According to film critics this film was too rosy of a stinker (meaning on the surface it’s pleasant but underneath its a stinker). Many felt it was bland and Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks lacked chemistry. What were some of the comments? Kenneth Turran of the LA Times stated “Larry Crowne” is an inside-out movie, acceptable around the edges but hollow and shockingly unconvincing at its core.”[3] Consumers Metacritic gave the film better reviews. They said the film could have been more dynamic but it was still entertaining despite its lack of depth.[4] So is it worth the money? If you have nothing better to do yes!
- Box office rank: #4
- Film Critics Say: Metacritic- 42 Mixed, rottentomatoes: 36% (rotten)
- Consumers Say: Metacritic- 6.7 Positive, rottentomatoes: 51%
Monte Carlo: PG – What’s the Buzz? This film scored surprisingly better than I thought. It received mixed reviews from film critics on Metacritic. Many were impressed by the acting. What were some of the comments? According to Variety it’s “A frothy, innocuous smorgasbord of girlhood wish fulfillment that scores a direct hit with its target demo. “[5] What did consumers say? Many were impressed by the good chemistry between the actors. So is it worth the money? If you are looking for a modern day Cinderella film Yes!
- Box office rank: #6
- Film Critics Say: Metacritic- 42 Mixed, rottentomatoes: 41% (rotten)
- Consumers Say: Metacritic- 6.6 Positive, rottentomatoes: 76%
What’s opening in theaters this weekend?
- Horrible Bosses: (latest review results- 86% rottentomatoes)
- Zookeeper: (latest review results- 10% rottentomatoes)
- The Ward: (latest review results- 40% rottentomatoes)
comicreleaf
comicrelief2
Comic Relief
parisienne
littlebells
Lurker
ozzie20
Open Book
LIH
linkedinhollywood.com 
I REEEEEEEAAAAAALLY want to see Horrible Bosses!!!
Me toooooooooo!
Are u going to see it this weekend? If so come back and write a review.
I’m really going to try. Hubs got a night and two days away, so he owes me at least a freakin’ afternoon!!! 🙂
Hi Everyone-
Here’s a good review of Transformers 3 written last week from one of or regular visitors on the site.
—————————————————————————————–
Francesa
July 3, 2011 at 1:13 AM
Went and saw Transformers 3:
A lot of the time I do not agree with the critics, but this time I feel they are dead on. This movie was full of special effects but not on plot. I am all for wanting to be entertained and not having to think and just enjoying the show, but this took it to a whole new level of mindlessness. We went to the 5:00 show here in Boston. We did not see it in 3-D(thank god) I probably would have been sick. The theater was about 3/4 full and mostly with teenage kids and some adults. The movie started off half way decent but never evolved from there. You left the movie forgetting about the movie? Does that make sense?
I ponder the question, is there such a concept as to many special effects? To many cars blowing up or bombs going off?
From an action stand point it was good. At times it hits you one after another, but Bay is really good at that type of movie making, blockbuster action movies. It was better than the 2nd film though I will say that.
Here’s another review of Transformers 3 written by one of our writers on the site.
_________________________________________________________________
Parisienne
July 8, 2011 at 2:42 AM
Transformers was a waste of my time. I saw it because my dad wanted to not because i did but within the first 5 min of the film I turned to him and asked him if we could get our money back. I have so many issues with that film its not funny. OK first off and this is my pet peeve….I swear I will change all this nonsense one day………….NEVER mix historical footage/facts with fiction. Note to director/editor if you are going to use clips of historical footage and impersonators DO NOT flip from one to the other and try to make it look like the same person just don’t. Do not try to CGI the impersonator into the President’s rocking chair either.
* stands up, applauds, loud whistle*
Bravo! Bravo!
Just got back from seeing horrible bosses.
The theater was 1/2 full for the 7:30 show. Mostly adults and a few late teen kids. Which kind of surprised me because I figured this would not appeal to that demographic, but just shows you never know.
I enjoyed the movie. It was consistently funny and Kevin Spacey (whom I really like) came off as very menacing and kind of dangerous. Jennifer Aniston was funny but I felt like she didn’t make much sense. And Colin Farrell (almost did not recognize him) was basically cut out of the movie. Bateman, Sudeikis, and Day were all good and played off of each other well.
One thing I did not like was the depiction of women in the movie. Sex crazed dentist, deer in he headlights girlfriend, wife who has a romp with one of her husbands friends, and a girl who everyone thinks is pregnant, but who is just overweight. Every frat boy stereotype. Yuck!!! I ask why? I am just perplexed.
This movie is a lot better than Gordon’s first attempt at comedy with Four Christmases and is a step in the right direction.
I needed something light and funny as it has been a very long short week. And this movie was just what I needed.
Anyone else see it?
Have a great weekend!
Thanks Francesa! I am going to go tomorrow. I will come back and report ASAP!!!
Francesa-
Thanks for the review. I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. It’s sad to hear how women are depicted though. I mean let’s be a bit more creative instead of going for the easy TV dinner humour. Come on it is a film after all!
Argh….Francesa you did better than me. I left the film 40 minutes into it. I thought the humor was ok, I loved the cast, and Collins’s character was the bright spot for me. So why did I leave?
I could not handle the blatant vulgar sex talk from Aniston’s character. between talking about sticking the guy’s “dong” in her mouth and the awful sex photos, it was too much. i was not about to sit through more of it. I’m not a prude, but i think the sexual harrassment could have been toned down. i kept thinking about…..well it doesnt really matter. i was just grossly disappointed.
i havent walked out of a film in a long time…….i really wanted to enjoy this movie. im glad you enjoyed it Francesa. you seemed to really need the laughs. 🙂
Francesa and Littlebels,
I really wanted to see Horrible Bosses, (not for whom I assume is the) the principle or primary cast, but instead for Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell.
I’ve wanted to see Aniston in an ensemble cast for a while, also I feel like the character she’s playing doesn’t resemble so many of the “…girl-next-door” women I’ve seen her play in the past. Nor do I associate this new character with who I assume her real life personality is. Yes it’s incredibly hard to know who this is when talking about actors (unless you really do know them personally); still you have impressions. Sorry to hear this role isn’t logically conceived Francesa; I thought the nymphomaniac character portrayed in the trailers would be fun to watch. According to the LB the character was too vulgar to actually enjoy. Well, over-the-top can ruin a performance.
Despite impressive visceral acting roles like “Phone Booth” or impressive ethical plays like “Hart’s War”, it’s always difficult to get an idea of who he really is because of the swearing chaotic personality he demonstrates as his real life personality on talk shows. Again this still may not sync with who he really is but he doesn’t give you a lot to work with; (but this is his prerogative). I thought playing a manic jerk would give him the opportunity to unleash the rage that (for him) always appears to be at arm’s length. Sorry that it appears that more was left on the cutting room floor than made the movie. I don’t know what to think about that.
With Jason Bateman and the rest, the film still sounds like a decent DVD for a future weekend.
LB-
The vulgar sex talk was hard to deal with. But IMO! I think the point of the filmmaker was to say sexual harassment is not o.k. no matter who is doing it. The abuse of power and authority was the big running theme. I mean u never see those who abuse power pay any consequences for their actions. So this film offered audiences a fun escape during these tough times!!
LB-
I agree with you about Aniston’s character. That was the only thing I didn’t like about the movie was how women were depicted. The other odd thing is the critics seem to really like Aniston’s portrayal of the character. Well I’m sorry you didn’t like it. Sometimes I wonder if I am desensitized?
Hi Francesa! I think a lot of guys would love to have their hot boss or co-worker want them like that. I’m not saying all guys, but……I think we are all desensitized on some level. I’m just not used to hearing such explicit things in a film.
OB, what did you think?
Hi LB & Francesa-
Well I plan on seeing it tomorrow so I will come back and review it then.
However, as dark comedies go they do want audiences to have an adverse reaction or feel uncomfortable to laugh at whatever that bad thing may be? It’s whole point is to normalize a number of unpleasant situations so u the audience will react and discuss them. Like we are doing now!! So I would say they were successful so far. So no Francesa and LB u are not numb or uncaring people in fact u are just the opposite.
Take Care!
I just got back from seeing Horrible Bosses. I went to a 2:00p show and the theater was half full which was surprising for a mid-afternoon showing. Anyway, the audience was an even mix of male and female and ranged in age from early twenties to senior citizens. There was a steady stream of laughter and even some hand clapping at the end.
First let me say this was by far Seth Gordon’s best film to date. Four Christmases started out funny but fell flat toward the end to me. However, Horrible Bosses was much tighter and kept me engaged from beginning to end. The chemistry between the three stars Bateman, Day and Sudeikis was believable and priceless. However, the stand out pairing of all was the coupling of Jason Bateman and Kevin Spacey who played Nick’s Boss from hell. Now I have to say I never get tired of Bateman, he plays the smart quick wit down on his luck guy really well. So the pairing up of Bateman and Spacey was perfect. You actually believed Spacey was that much smarter and quicker for Bateman’s quick wit character he plays so well.
Now, I felt director S. Gordon and screenwriter M. Markowitz and John Francis nostalgia for 80’s Dark Comedy “Throw Momma from the Train” was not so subtly referenced to let audiences know the films genre or maybe it was done just to pay tribute IDK.
The pleasant surprise of all was Jennifer Aniston. Yes! Her character was not likable nor was any of the horrible bosses. Yet, Gordon dealt with bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment and chose to really highlight sexual harassment as the worst offense of all. He did this by perfectly casting romantic comedy “girl next door “Aniston. Seeing her play this abusive raging nymphomaniac was especially uncomfortable because it lent an extra feeling of dirtiness and discomfort to the scenes, I’m assuming that was the intention. Anyway, I felt Aniston proved she could hold her own among a strong male ensemble cast. Not once did u see her hesitate from the most ridiculous parts of her character’s behavior, which made her performance the most stand out one of all.
Great review OB! I”m sure it really was funny, but my comfort level was definitely crossed. I do believe you are right in how her character was written and how it was supposed to be portrayed. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m sorry I couldn’t have enjoyed it more. 😦
LB- I understand I felt the same way when I saw Pulp Fiction for the first time. I had a real adverse reaction to it and turned it off. I thought how could anyone support such grisly violence? It was only after talking about it was I able to see it’s value. Hopefully, we will get a chance to revisit and discuss this film later.