I Find That Offensive!
Book
When you hear that now ubiquitous phrase 'I find that offensive', you know you're being told to shut...
Please Do Not Disturb
Book
The funny, disturbing and deeply affecting new book by the acclaimed author of Terms & Conditions...
The Last Days of Jack Sparks
Book
THE MOST CHILLING AND UNPREDICTABLE THRILLER OF THE YEAR. Jack Sparks died while writing this book....
BookwormLea (3034 KP) rated Kinky Boots in Theatre Royal (Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom) in Shows
Jul 20, 2020
Paternity (1981)
Movie Watch
Buddy Evans is considered one of the most eligible bachelors in New York City. Feeling like his...
He wants YOU to have his child!
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Koroshiya 1 (Ichi the Killer) (2001) in Movies
Mar 5, 2021
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Dig (2021) in Movies
Feb 6, 2021 (Updated Feb 6, 2021)
Really a film of two halves: the first part, which is very quiet and still and all about figures in a landscape with Vaughan Williams-esque music playing, I found was much engaging than the second, which is not particularly focused and turns into a bit of a soap opera (there's a forbidden romance, terminal illness, political squabbling over who gets to run the dig and keep the treasure, etc, etc). Decent performances from a strong cast and it looks good in a fairly cinematic way, but by the end it seemed to me that archaeology in general and Sutton Hoo in particular had rather been forgotten about, which seemed like a shame.
My Uncle Oswald
Book
Meet Oswald Hendryks Cornelius, Roald Dahl's most disgraceful and extraordinary character . . . ...
The Ash Doll
Book
The past had been buried. But now someone has remembered . . . Prolific lawyer Charlie Priest has...
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Bumblebee (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Something I'm pleased to discover is that other people were getting Herbie vibes from this. In the notes I was jotting down for my review I put "this would make a pretty good Herbie story". And then I pondered the possibility that Herbie was a Transformer who was broken and stuck in his Beetle shape.
The opening battle on Cyberton is surprisingly natural considering it's made up of CGId robots. It makes for a great opening. But I wasn't wowed. I should have been blown away by the effects and I just wasn't.
Bumblebee as a character was a real joy. After his memory is damaged he's basically back to being a scared little boy and the animation reflects that incredibly well. Everything about him is inquisitive and childlike, and all the little touches are there to really bring him to life. He's very human in the moments before he gets his memory back.
There are so many of his scenes that were genuinely pleasing to watch. Him waving at Charlie as she chases after them. The cassette tapes. The extended toilet paper prank and house demolition scenes. Probably my favourite bit though is where he's sitting in the forest and she's trying to fix him, his fidgeting is adorable.
When it comes to the cast feels like we've got the members of a comedy working on a drama/action film. They work well with what they've got and we get some enjoyable performances but there's nothing that really sticks in the memory.
I still enjoyed Bumblebee but I can't say that I found it to be any better than previous films in the franchise, certainly not on the action and graphics side of things. The soundtrack is full of some classic tunes that are very well placed, and the overall vibe of that combined with everything else is spot on for the 80s. You do forget it's set in 1987 though, which means that little things pop up like the TV and the technology that the military have and you feel like the films has already dated.
This is the first Transformers movie to get a PG rating in the UK, previously they've all been rated 12. It's definitely family friendly... but... it reminds me more and more of Herbie every moment I think about it.
As a last thought... seriously, Charlie? You have your moments. "If we're driving down the street and we see someone you have to hide"... if you're driving down the street he's a car anyway, hiding would make it more obvious that he's not just a car. You draw more attention to Bee than he does. Blindfolding yourself with Memo's shirt (weird moment in the film by the way, creepily out of place) and then standing out the sunroof? That won't make you more noticeable to passersby.
What you should do
It's an enjoyable film and should make for a fun family outing. I don't think there's any particular rush to see it in the cinema though.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Who wouldn't want they're own Transformer who can change into any car it wants AND can dance?!



