I might be a bit of a geek.

I love Transformers.

Growing up, it was not an odd thing to find me playing with Transformers action figures or watching the cartoons. (I preferred the ones that turned into animals, naturally.) What’s not to love about a band of good hearted and noble alien robots looking out for humanity?  And it wasn’t just me.  Transformers were a large part of growing-up in my generation.  For many a boy (and some gals) Transformers fill childhood memories with warm fuzzies.

It was less than shocking when Hollywood realized that in this day and age of technology and CGI, this franchise would be a huge moneymaker.  Even less shocking was the amount of attention that the movie garnered from young and old alike.  Preying upon fond childhood memories of Generation X was a sure way to bring in viewers. Add in fast-paced plot twists and scene stealing, larger than life, special effects and you’ve got yourself a blockbuster.

When the first movie came out in 2007 showcasing the plight of the Optimus Prime and his Autobots against Megatron and the evil Decipticons it was a runaway success.  And I don’t think it is by chance that the ending of the movie was left wide open. Almost immediately after the colossal success of the first film, the second film was in development.

And now the time has come.  On June 24, 2009 director Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits theatres.  In the second film, the Decepticons have found a way to bring their previously killed leader back to power and are out to get revenge on the Autobots.  And they won’t let humanity get in their way.   The battle to save the world is underway.

This second movie aims to one-up the first in terms of visual and special effects.  It also introduces even larger and more formidable creatures sure to entertain the masses.  But the question remains as to whether the story line will carry the flashy effects. Box office smash hit?  It seems to have all the makings.

I, myself, will be going to see it full of wonderment and with high expectations.  I am more than sure that it will meet them.  How about you?  Will distant memories of playing with your cousins move you to go check it out?

The latest story Angels & Demons, starring Tom Hanks as the protagonist Robert Langdon, focuses on the Catholic Church and a plot against it by a legendary (literally) organization, the Illuminati. Hanks’ interview with Philippine news site The Philippine Star (conducted in Tokyo) ranges between many diverse topics about God, the Catholic Church, and Christianity in general, including the following clips, among others:

Does he believe in God? “I think you’ll be foolish not to believe in God.”

Is he a Christian? “You know, when you’re talking about things that may or may not have happened 2,000 years ago, I think everybody gets some idea about it depending on what their inclination is. Fascinating to study, great to talk about, but what really matters is what we do day in and day out right now. There’s no use having an argument about what happened or what didn’t happen 2,000 years ago.”

What he would say if he met God? “What would I tell Him? Oh, not a thing. I’d just ask Him a question — ‘How do you do? Are you doing okay?’ That’s all I would tell God.” (The Philippine Star)

It seems to me that Hanks’ views mirror those of a lot of people today. While claiming it’s “foolish” to not believe in God, it doesn’t sound like he takes the subject very seriously, or has given it much serious thought. He’d really ask “Are you doing okay?” if he met God? This is either a patronizing answer or wildly unappreciative of the situation!

What do you think about Hanks’ statements? What would you say if you met God?

Related reading:
Doris Bebee’s story ‘A Mother’s Love’: “In 1993, I met God.”
Christianity: True or False?: “Doubters welcome.”

Now here we are with Angels & Demons the “stunning sequel” and I find myself once again, nonplussed.  I watched the last movie, mostly out of curiosity and was no more impressed with it than I was with the weak-kneed book that preceded it.  I think I’ll save my $20 and skip the movie this time around.

In some ways it feels like people expected this movie to have the same buzz as DVC but from where I’m sitting, no one is talking about it.  There have been some great debates raging about X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  I know some people who awaited Star Trek with baited breath but the “buzz” for Angels & Demons seems to be little more than a fizzle.

It’s like the two kids who hated each other in middle school passing each other in the halls of a high school.  Everyone takes a collective breath to see what will happen only to find it’s high school now.  Having matured another year, they simply pass on by without a word.  Here’s hoping Angels & Demons just keeps walking.  I’m ready for a real summer blockbuster.

Am I missing the allure of this series of films? Did you love The Da Vinci Code?  Will you line-up to see Angels & Demons?

More:
Explore the truth behind Angels & Demons
More on movies
The debate on DVC rages on

Angels & Demons, actually written and published in book form before The Da Vinci Code, is out in theaters today. The book similarly contains a FACT page. Contra author Dan Brown, here’s what film star Tom Hanks (who plays the main character Robert Langdon) had to say about the movie:

In Angels & Demons, Hanks reprises the role of Harvard “symbologist” Robert Langdon from Dan Brown’s best-selling book.

In the long awaited sequel, an ancient secret brotherhood threatens to blow up the Vatican with antimatter stolen from Cern (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research), which houses the Large Hadron Collider.

“We play fast and loose with an awful lot of fact, but a trickle of authenticity makes it plausible. It’s not important, but it’s fun,” he told the Radio Times. (The Telegraph)

Unfortunately, some people will unquestioningly accept what these pseudo-historical stories say as being factual. Have you read Angels & Demons or The Da Vinci Code? What do you think of them?

For more info on the facts behind the fictions, see www.TheTruthAboutAngelsAndDemons.com

After 32 years of dodging the bullet, I might be going to see a Star Trek movie.

I am a fan of science fiction, but I have never been a Trekkie.   Give me Stargate or Firefly any day.  I’ve read Orson Scott Card and have seriously considered attending ComiCon.   I can argue why the most recent Star Wars movies are a blight on an otherwise grand tradition.  I have been to a convention.  Once.  (I didn’t wear a costume.)

I laugh at t-shirts emblazoned with nerd jokes and was a two time Physics Olympics champion in high school.  I am one of those people.  But I’ve always drawn the line at Trek.  It looks like that might be changing this summer.

Have you seen the trailer for Star Trek?  It has real special effects rather than cast members throwing themselves across  the bridge.  There are action sequences.  And as far as I can tell there’s not a single guy in a red shirt.   For the first time it seems that plot has trumped alien make-up effects in a Trek movie.  Talking about boldly going…

It’s time to face that final frontier.  Are planning to see Star Trek?

Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures.  Used with permission.  To request access to official stills to use on your own site, apply to the Star Trek Webmasters Program.

More from space:

Finding God in the stars
Do you read your horoscope?

It was amazing to watch these acting greats pay homage to the standout performances of the year.   Whether it was one old friend congratulating another (in the case of   Robert De Niro’s toast of Sean Penn’s performance in Milk) or a seasoned icon congratulating one of the up and comers (like Shirley McClain’s lovely tribute to Ann Hathaway) this year, even those who didn’t win got something very special to take home.

Of course that surprisingly heavy, little gold statue is pretty nice too. The big winner of the night was Slumdog Millionaire.  Taking home 8 statues from 10 nominations there’s talk of a Slumdog slam dunk all over town.   Heath Ledger’s win for Best Supporting Actor was no surprise, but well deserved.  In the history of the Oscars his is only the second Oscar awarded posthumously.

Hugh Jackman did an admirable job singing and dancing his way through the night and keeping the proceedings moving along.  Combined with a beautiful set and a brilliant seating plan that significantly reduced the time it took for people to get to the stage, this years’ Oscars were a lot of fun to watch.

Did you watch the show last night? What was your most/ least favorite moment?  Have you seen Slumdog Millionaire?  Join the conversation in the comments.

Image courtesy of Jeroen Miedema . Used with permission.  You can see more of Jeron’s photos on Flickr.

The minds behind that episode, Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, then went on to make it into a book. Then as soon as Oprah got her hands on a copy, a show titled “The Cold, Hard Dating Truth”, was slotted, aired and created an instant hit.

Well, it’s been about 4 years since then, but coming to theaters February 6 is an all-star cast picking up where the book left off, deciphering the codes and meandering through the maze that is the dating world.

Starring Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connelly, Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson, the romantic comedy is sure to be a Valentine’s Day box office winner. And I’m also sure that around the release date the talk show circuit will be aflutter with relationship talk and analysis of gender behaviour. It’s an age-old topic of conversation that will exist as long as men and women do.

Do you plan on seeing the movie? What do you think of Greg’s advice and outlook on dating?

image source: getthebigpicture

Gimmicky outfits have been part of the show from the beginning, although no previous Idol contestant has taken the idea quite so far.  I wonder if Katrina considers the audition a success?  As I was watching the show with a friend she commented, “maybe a men’s magazine will call”  and I wondered which audition we were watching.  Perhaps this had nothing to do with American Idol at all.

Granted, Darnell will get to go to Hollywood, but will she go any farther than that?  Does she think so little of her talent that she felt it necessary to go to such extremes to get noticed?  I’d love to know, in all seriousness, what was going on inside her head.

Showing up in a bikini sent a very clear message, “Don’t judge me on my singing, judge me on this instead.” There is no denying that Darrell has the body for that outfit.  With a physique like that she must get attention all the time.  I wonder why it wasn’t enough?

Dressing provocatively is certainly nothing new.  It gets results, but it comes at a price.  Getting noticed is pretty easy, getting respect takes a lot more effort.  Maybe Darrell got exactly what she wanted but I can’t help thinking that it was an awfully shortsighted move (to say nothing of ill-advised).   Yes, today the eyes of the world are on her, however briefly.  But what happens tomorrow when she realizes that she’s turned herself into a punch line?  It’s going to take a lot longer than 15 minutes to fix that.

Being famous is a trade. It has a cost. There is sacrifice involved when you gain an ounce of fame and find your picture pasted next to Jessica Simpson’s in US Weekly.

“You don’t know who is here for the glamour, for the gossip factor. You really just want to know that somebody loves you for you. It’s a difficult thing when you really like an ATM machine with a wig on it.” – Mariah Carey

“It can make you feel very lonely. You’re constantly wondering if people are using you.” – Kirsten Dunst

“The biggest detriment of my life is tabloid fame. It removes me from people. When I first meet someone, it is so hard for me to overcome everything they’ve read about me. It’s not fair.” – Reese Witherspoon

“I never imagined that worrying about what other people think of me would be a big part of my day. But when you get that much negativity thrown at you, you go, “Whew! I’ve got to cope with that.” Nothing I heard in the press resembled the truth. What an insight for me.” – Meg Ryan

So apparently it’s not all glitz and glamour. It would be fantastic to fly on private jets and attend lavish premieres, but I’m not sure I could take the crazy social bubble and tight emotional strain

Do you ever wish you could be famous, despite all the pit-falls? Why would you want to be famous?

image credit: lobstar28

Dinner With The President: A Nation’s Journey, directed by Sabiha Sumar, proceeds with questions in hand about democracy in the Islamic culture of Pakistan straight to the dinner table of President Pervez Musharraf.

Recycled Life chronicles the past 60 years in the lives of generations of families who have lived and worked, not in family-owned restaurants or Wal-Mart or at the local diner, but in the Guatemala City Garbage Dump, a humongous Central American landfill.

And did you know that at 18 years old girls in Israel are forced into military service? To See If I’m Smiling gives voice to these girl soldiers and immerses the audience into the emotions and experiences of their tours of duty.

The whole attraction and need for sidewalk-type festivals like these is that they get into the underbelly of a country or expose aches within cultures that so often get misinterpreted or ignored. For an audience, it fills a need to witness something true and organic and to learn something real.

Do you ever check out these kinds of film festivals? If you have, have they changed your ideas about humanity or the world?

Image credit: tabrandt