Film Review: Transformers 3: Dark Of The Moon

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Never thought I'd find myself sticking up for the ungracious Megan Fox who appeared in the first two Transformer pictures, but she's a helluva better actress than the comely Rosie Huntington-Whiteley who comes to this movie direct from a Victoria's Secret runway.

OK, that's not saying much as Fox isn't a great thespian, but she can utter lines better than Huntington-Whiteley does in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the third in director Michael Bay's series of sci-fi epics featuring the heroic Autobots and the nasty Decepticons.

For those of you who have been living on a planet far, far away, you should know that Fox was dismissed from Dark of the Moon before shooting began for dissing Bay in a magazine interview.

Huntington-Whiteley plays Carly Miller who works for some Washington government organisation.

She hooks up with the movie's human hero Sam Witwicky ,played ,for the third time by Shia LaBeouf.

Huntington-Whiteley shows up in a figure-hugging, tighty-whitey dress but she's all window dressing and doesn't exactly excel at delivering her banal lines. Poor Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. She may be beautiful but she can't act for toffee.

As one wag joked after the screening I attended in London, 'Rosie makes Megan's acting look as good as Kate Winslet's'.

Well, that might be stretching it a bit, and bringing Kate Winslet into it is a bit of an insult, but I knew what he meant.

And ,it could be said that this kind of automated, 3D extravaganza doesn't require actors with great thespian skills, although Oscar winner Frances McDormand playing head of the national intelligence agency is class personified.

It's the action between the good guys, sorry, robots, led by Optimus Prime and the Deceptiicons that counts and Bay doesn't disappoint.

There are some fabulous action sequences and epic battles that take your breath away.

It's technically sublime, but if does go on a bit. After two and a half hours I did feel as If I was suffering from metal fatigue.

However, Bay sets the story up well with a prologue set in the early 60s, when Kennedy was in the White House, and the movie suggests that the space race between The USA and Russia was kicked off when each nation detected an unknown vessel had crashed on the dark side of the moon.

By the way, this is the second summer blockbuster that begins in the Sixties .Remember , Matthew Vaughn's briliant X Men:First Class. That , too, was set against a backdrop of the 60s.

Anyway, the American moon astronauts had a secret mission, they had the task of finding out what had crash-landed there.

Decades later, with President Obama in office (we get to see Nixon in the White House, too) the 'package' from the moon turns out to be more than bad news.

Could this be the end of the Earth as we know it? Not if Optimus and his transformers can help it.

There's plenty of deception and betrayal to add to the mix and a pretty scary giant metal worm creature that causes a lotta havoc.

These Transformer movies are nonsense, of course, but they allow Bay and his team to push the envelope as far as movie technology is concerned and at least you feel get a sense of the shock and awe of giant hulking metal creatures clashing.

After a while though your brain yearns for signs of intelligent life in the universe. You know, creatures who can, perhaps, hold a sensible conversations instead of merely booming in a baritone voice about the end of this and the end of that.

That said, I enjoyed the odd flashes of wit ,like a scene showing a bit of Star Trek featuring Spock

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and, as every Transformer fanboy knows, Leonard Nimoy provides the voice of Sentinel Prime.

And Bay has a couple of mini Autobots deliver a withering smackdown of Fox's character Mikaela Banes.

It's an amusing moment, to be sure, but a bit below the belt.

Bay didn't need to make such an obvious dig about Fox,especially as she's not in the movie and doesn't have a right of reply.

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'Transformers 3' Smashes Best Picture Changes For No.1

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We've gotten woefully behind on our weekly movie power rankings, but that doesn't mean Hollywood hasn't been laying at the beach so far this summer.  In fact, another July 4th Holiday weekend box office killer is about to hit theaters: Michael Bay's "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."


Paramount Pictures is keeping this one close to the vest from most of the media for now, but word is that Bay has made a superior film to both the first "Transformers" or "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."  Audiences don't care what the critics think, they are poised to give "Dark of the Moon" one of the biggest debuts of the year.  It might even make the "Hangover" crew a bit envious.  As to whether Shia LaBeouf and Bay will reunite for a fourth endeavor? That would truly be a surprise.

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The giant robot franchise effectively knocks one of the biggest stories of the year, Oscar's new best picture rules, from claiming the top spot. The industry is certainly still buzzing about the new system, but it hasn't really sunk in to the public consciousness yet.  When the major news networks start running man on the street pieces in January asking people how many best picture nominees there are this year, that's when the Academy's board of governors may begin to regret acting so hastily.

And if you're wondering where "Cars 2" after its spectacular opening, well, let's just say its what everyone will be talking about on Monday. That means it'll find a home on our list next time around.

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Michael Bay says, "Steven Spielberg axed Megan Fox from Transformers"

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Turns out it was Steven Spielberg who booted Megan Fox from the "Transformers" film franchise.Spielberg demanded the actress be fired from the latest Transformers film after she insulted director Michael Bay, comparing him to Hitler, says Bay.
Spielberg, who directed "Schindler's List," about a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees by employing them in his factory during the Holocaust, was reportedly outraged by the insult.

The actress was quickly dumped from the film and replaced by British model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Fox had tried to claim she left the third in the series of the films to pursue other acting opportunities. But ahead of the July 4 premiere of "Transformers 3," Bay revealed for the first time he was told to get rid of the actress. He explained the real reason: "You know the Hitler thing. Steven (Spielberg) said, fire her right now."

Spielberg is executive producer of the film in which Shia LaBeouf and Huntington-Whiteley star. But Bay also noted that "she was in a different world, on her BlackBerry. You gotta stay focused," GQ recounts in an excerpt of "Blow-Up: An Oral History of the Most Explosive Director of All Time" in its July issue.

He added, "I wasn't hurt, because I know that's just Megan. Megan loves to get a response. And she does it in the wrong way. I'm sorry, Megan. I'm sorry I made you work twelve hours. I'm sorry that I'm making you show up on time."

She had been cast in the third film but shortly before production began she gave an interview to the British magazine Wonderland. In it she said Bay wanted to be like Hitler on his sets. Other crew members from the film responded on a blog comparing Fox's acting to that of a porn star.In an open letter posted on Michael Bay's website the crew member wrote: 'Michael found this shy,inexperienced girl, plucked her out of total obscurity thus giving her the biggest shot of any young actresses' life.

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'He told everyone around to just trust him on his choice. He granted her the starring role in Transformers, a franchise that forever changed her life; she became one of the most googled and oogled women on earth.

'She was famous! She was the next Angelina Jolie , hooray! Wait a minute, two of us worked with Angelina - second thought - she's no Angelina. You see, Angelina is a professional.

'We know this quite intimately because we've had the tedious experience of working with the dumb-as-a-rock Megan Fox on both Transformers movies.'

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Jason Statham can't keep his hands off gorgeous girlfriend Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

She's the stunning Victoria's Secret model who has forayed into acting with her role in Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

And in addition to that, she has just topped Maxim magazine's annual hot 100 list.

So it's no wonder Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's boyfriend Jason Statham couldn't resist pulling the 24-year-old beauty in for a kiss at the Met Gala afterparty held at New York's Standard Hotel.

With his eyes closed and hand firmly placed on Rosie's back, Statham appeared to be thoroughly enjoying his passionate embrace.

Rosie had earlier wowed as she posed on the red carpet in a daring pink Burberry Prorsum gown which was slashed both at the front and at the back.

She teamed the dress with a pair of white strappy sandals, a matching bag and pretty dangly earrings.

Earlier in the day Rosie had looked a lot more casual, however, as she enjoyed a day out shopping with Jason.

Wearing a pretty printed floral dress, brown boots and matching hat, Rosie succeeded in looking trendy and summery in her outfit.

Rosie and Jason, 43, have been dating for a year and both ditched Britain to live together in Los Angeles.

The model’s move to LA came as she nabbed a role in the upcoming new installment in the Transformers film franchise and her acting career seems to be moving from strength to strength.

Earlier this month Rosie won a gong for Female Star of Tomorrow at the CinemaCon Awards for her debut film role.

But, speaking recently about starring alongside leading man Shia LaBeouf, Rosie admitted she felt incredibly insecure about the pair's kissing scene.

She said: '‘I had to wear heels the whole way through filming. When it came to our kissing scene, I said [to director Michael Bay], ‘Please let me take my shoes off! I feel so unelegant and I feel so unfeminine’.

‘He said no, "You’re giving small men across America hope!" '

Rosie added: 'It was great working with Shia. He’s such an intelligent guy. He’s worked so hard on these movies. He really held my hand like a baby the whole way through.’

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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley tops Maxim's 'Hot 100'

Though Rosie Huntington-Whiteley may not be most well-known, she certainly has been noticed enough to top Maxim’s "Hot 100" list.

Access Hollywood confirms that the star of the latest Transformers film stole the top spot on the annual "Hot 100" list.

Maxim’s Editor-in-Chief Joe Levy said of the British actress, “Rosie is a true transformer – a Victoria’s Secret stunner who is about to go supernova when she takes over for Megan Fox in the Transformers franchise –her talent is as undeniable as her beauty, which is pretty jaw-droppingly undeniable.”

On her top spot, Huntington-Whiteley told Maxim, “[It] is a huge honor. It’s a great title to have for a year and you can have some fun with it, I think.”

Also on the list are Olivia Munn (second on the list), Katy Perry (third), Cameron Diaz (fourth), and Mila Kunis (fifth).

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Jason Statham and Rosie Huntington- Whiteley enjoy romantic lunch

     Jason Statham's ex-girlfriend Kelly Brook has just announced her first pregnancy. But it's clear that the actor has long since moved on. As he walked hand-in-hand with his Victoria's Secret model girlfriend Rosie Huntington-Whiteley today they couldn't have appeared more in love.

     Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jason Statham were spotted heading to lunch together at Taverna Tony's in Malibu yesterday.

     The happy couple exchanged romantic glances as they headed out for lunch together yesterday  in Malibu, California. The pair dined outside on the terrace at Mediterranean restaurant Taverna Tony's before walking hand in hand back to their car.

     Rosie, 23, looked casual in slim fit jeans and a grey long-sleeved T-shirt while her beau donned an equally as relaxed out fit of loose-fit grey trousers, a black polo shirt and a baseball cap.

     The pair, who began dating in April 2010, have been rumoured to be engaged since Rosie was spotted last month wearing a gold ring on her ring finger. They have even been spotted checking out property in the Hollywood Hills on the hunt for an LA love nest.

    Jason, 43, previously dated British actress Kelly who this week announced she is expecting her first child with boyfriend Thom Evans. The pair were together for seven years but split in 2004.

     Rosie, meanwhile has recently made the jump from modelling to acting and will make her big screen début later this year in the blockbuster Transformers 3: Dark Of The Moon. Before she met Jason she had been dating French actor Olivier Martinez, who is now in a relationship with Halle Berry.

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