T-2 Review

No, it's not Terminator 2 but Transformers 2 - Revenge of the Fallen.

We just got back from seeing the second installment of the Transformers franchise. My son begged me to wait until after his return from Europe to see it. Of course, it's always more fun with him in tow because he knows more about the Transformers characters and storyline than I do (like how they made Jetfire an SR-71 Blackbird instead of the space shuttle).

I've been hearing the panning of the movie, how it has no storyline and all action. Personally myself I saw a very clear storyline. No it isn't as good as the first one, but I liked how they utilized Major (was Captain) Lennox and his military crew in a secret alliance with the Autobots. The Nest was quite cool indeed. I've a feeling alot of the panning came from certain factors in the White House that made the current Administration appear on the negative side. Purely my own speculation.

The storyline about how Sam's mind now holds the secret originally contained in the Cube, mostly destroyed in the original movie, is really interesting, especially the part in his astronomy class when he says Einstein was wrong and showed up the professor. Really kinda funny in an almost creepy sort of way.

The thing I missed most from the first one was the personal relationship the humans had with the Autobots and vice versa. There also was no Glen for comic relief, only a wimpy and stupid kid this time who thinks he's some sort of computer god. Attempts at comic relief fell far short and devolved into crude and disgusting antics that were completely unnecessary (humping dogs and a mini-con that humps Mikaela's leg are only tips of the pyramid).

There were also a ton of Autobots and Decepticons thrown in without understanding who they were or why they were there. You must have to be a diehard Transformers fan to know who they were and what their purpose served (which, of course, my son is and knew exactly who everyone was). But don't let that stop you even if you don't have the entire franchise stored in your cerebral cortex like my son does.

Overall I enjoyed most of the movie more than I thought I might. A warning, however - this is not for kids and it bothers me that it is marketed as such. My son is sixteen, but I'd have NEVER taken him to see this one even just a few years ago simply because of the extreme nature of sensuality and the massive use of four-letter words. It wouldn't have detracted in any way shape or form to exclude most of this, and probably would have improved the overall effect of the show by exclusion of the aforementioned crudity.

But personal feelings aside, I still enjoyed this movie more than I expected. Our military is once again seen in a positive light, and I'm always supportive of that.

Now I just hope we don't have to go through the mess we did last time to get an actual SOUNDTRACK released of Steve Jablonsky's orchestration in a timely manner. Stay tuned!

A Shout Out To Our Veterans

With it being Veteran's Day today, I thought I'd give a shout-out to our brave men and women in uniform wherever they may be stationed.

A couple of years ago, I came across a website called www.anysoldier.com and was immediately hooked. I was looking for a way to make a difference to so many who willingly place themselves in harm's way to keep the rest of us safe. For the life of me, I still can't remember exactly where we found this information, but it came about when I was talking to my boss about sending stuff overseas to our military members.

The boxes quickly piled up and we filled out the customs forms, etc. and mailed out a ton of stuff on behalf of our company/office at that time. I remember standing in line at Wal-mart and reviewing my list (I was the pick up stuff girl) and a lady standing behind me noticed and asked about what I was doing.

Suppose my excitement attracted a bit of attention because the lady ahead of me listened in too and after she paid for her things, she turned around and handed me a twenty dollar bill and asked me to put it toward our packages. I was so shocked and touched that I teared up immediately and could hardly talk. She even said she wished she had more to give. We made sure to mention that particular occurance in our letters included in the boxes.

After that I couldn't get enough of it, so I started doing small packages here and there on my own. When my boss found out about it he handed me a hundred dollar bill and told me to buy some sweat pants with it (we were supplying a small medical unit because they ran out of gowns and there were soldiers with little to wear except their sheets). I had a constant stash going in my spare bedroom, a mini Wal-mart if you will. My dad got involved too and sent money to help purchase items as needed and to help with the shipping costs.

When we were getting ready to move approximately a year ago, we had to wind down our stash. With my son's trip coming up, that has taken a bit of the priority there. However, as soon as I'm finished paying for the trip I've already decided to get the mailing ramped back up. It takes alot of time, but with my son getting a job soon I should have more time on my hands in the evenings (at least after the play).

Just watch out - it's addictive and might make tears well up in your eyes if you choose to participate on your own. After all, aren't they worth in the least a little bit of sacrifice on our part?