This week at the movies we have disrupted nuptials ("License to Wed," starring John Krasinski and Mandy Moore) and metamorphisizing robots ("Transformers," starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox). What do the critics have to say?
As "The Office"’s lovably smug Jim, John Krasinski has built up a lot of cred with the twentysomething crowd, which may have been effectively blown with "License to Wed." Krasinski and Mandy Moore star as an engaged couple who go through rigorous pre-marriage counseling, run by a maniac preacher as played by Robin Williams. Critics label Krasinski’s and Moore’s characters as bland and barely sketched out, resulting in a movie that completely flatlines when Williams isn’t around to do his kooky and increasingly aggravating shtick. At 14 percent on the Tomatometer, potential "License to Wed" ticket buyers should get cold feet.
"I hope our kids don’t ever see this movie."
If last week’s "Live Free or Die Hard" was a summer tentpole throwback to the pre-CG days of crazy stuntwork, then "Transformers" is the complete opposite. It’s a slick, special effects driven extravaganza about two warring robot factions, the Autobots and the Decepticons, who take their fight to our planet. Shia LaBeouf leads a small ensemble cast of humans caught in-between the fight. "Transformers"’ detractors call it an obnoxiously loud film with corny dialogue. Supporters praise the film for being… obnoxiously loud and corny, a fun popcorn flick that is Bay‘s bread and butter. With a 59 percent Tomatometer (and a surprising 73 percent from Cream of the Crop critics), "Transformers" is for the fans and the curious looking for a raucous, out-of-control time at the movies.
"Transformers" is out to crush the competition.
Also opening in limited release: "Rescue Dawn," a harrowing war drama from director Werner Herzog, is at 88 percent; "Joshua," psychological horror in the vein of "Rosemary’s Baby" and "The Bad Seed," is at 67 percent; "Introducing the Dwights," a coming of age drama about a boy and his fame-seeking mother, is at 63 percent; and "The Method," a Spanish import about a company’s bizarre hiring method, is at 56 percent.
This season’s winner of "Celebrity Fit Club."
Recent Robot Movies, Robot Movies Featuring Robin Williams
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63% — "Robots" (2005)
59% — "I, Robot" (2004)
73% — "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" (2001)
38% — "Bicentennial Man" (1999)
42% — "Transformers: The Movie" (1986)
