SiCKO, Ratatouille, and Transformers

In the past week I have seen SiCKO, Ratatouille, and Transformers and I am happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed each of them. Michael Moore has stated that he does not agree with copyright and has encouraged people to download his new movie, but it is important to note that his production studio, the Weinstein Company, is not so happy about his wanting the movie to be distributed for free and one might find oneself in some hot water. Even if you go the download route, I highly reccommend seeing it in theaters if you get the chance. It is a movie worth supporting financially and is best enjoyed with other people.

Ratatouille is Disney/Pixar's latest movie. It features a rat living in Paris that can only be described as a 'foodie'. While I doubt that Ratatouille will do as well as Pixar's other movies financially, I think it is perhaps their best film yet. The movie seems to be geared towards a somewhat older audience than their previous releases (Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, etc.). The computer animation is the best that has Pixar has achieved to date, offering an extremely rich level of detail in every frame that should make the film enjoyable for a few return visits. It is also worth noting that the movie was written and directed by Brad Bird, the screenwriter/director of one of my absolute favorite animated films—The Iron Giant.

I was not sure what to expect with Transformers. Going into it I knew that it could very easily be trashy or exhilarating. I am happy to report that it was the latter. While the whole movie is over-the-top and had me laughing quite a lot, director Michael Bay managed to pull it off in such a way that I felt like I was laughing with the movie rather than at it. Barring the opening action sequence, the first half of the movie unfolds in quite light-hearted manner and then develops into more of an intense action flick in the latter half. It was great fun to see the movie on opening night with a large audience of long-time Transformers fans. The movie illicited frequent cheers and calls from the audience as the Autobots and Decepticons vied for control of the Allspark.

As everyone was filtering out of the theater I overheard a number of people express their surprise to learn that the movie was 144 minutes long. I too would have doubted the length of the movie had I not known the running time beforehand, for it certainly felt shorter, which is a testament to the movie's ability to keep one entertained and energized.