This is only a reminder that I need to get Blu-Rayed {and a job}, and fast. /Film reports that “Criterion Collection” has announced that the following films will be released on Blu-Ray:

The Third Man
Bottle Rocket
Chungking Express
The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Last Emperor
El Norte
The 400 Blows
Gimme Shelter
The Complete Monterey Pop
Contempt
Walkabout
For All Mankind
The Wages of Fear

Of course, this is really on of interest to high-def fans, a group which I am not fortunate enough to be a part of, but “The 400 Blows” is one of my all time fav films, so who knows whether or not I may feel the urge to make the switch soon.

Nobody likes rats. At least nobody with a hint of normalcy would admit that they do anyway. What is worse than a rat? A rat in your kitchen. Brad Bird’s latest offering is an animated gem, and it’s food loving hero, Remy, is the one and only rat I will ever admit to loving. I do happen to respect rats’ intelligence and resourcefulness, their ability to adapt to almost any environment is a wonder. Especially when most humans would rather die than have to encounter a rodent, in any circumstance.

Paris, the world capital of fine cuisine, is the setting of the film, and is where we meet Remy (Patton Oswalt) and the rest of his ever-large family/horde/rabble/mischief of rats. Remy is not like any of the other rats though. They eat garbage, scraps and pretty much anything else that they can find, just to survive. Remy has a sensitive palate, one with impeccable sense for fine food. He needs quality, not quantity. What is even more, he dreams of becoming a chef. No easy feat for even the most humane of food lovers, and impossible when you live in a sewer.

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How often does one come across a film as honest and truthful as Once in life? The film is an Irish musical set in Dublin that manages to pull you into its core through its effortless charm from the very first scene. In this first scene, we meet a busker, Guy (Glen Hansard), who sings and plays his guitar for passers-by on a street corner to earn some extra money. These songs are not his own, these songs are well known songs he knows the passers-by will respond well to, and in return they might actually give him money.

By night, there are less people on the streets and less money to be made, so the risks of performing his own music and singing his own lyrics are significantly less. He is free to express what ever he feels and his pure passion for music transcends everything else. In that one moment, the music is all that matters. In that one moment, the music is all there is. It is in this one moment, a young, beautiful flower seller, Girl (Markéta Irglová) who is a Czech immigrant living with her mother, is captivated by the raw truth that he manages to convey using his voice, and the encounter of a lifetime takes place.

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After first hearing about this film, I was not interested. I don’t generally like Michael Boy’s films and his techniques, and I didn’t have a clue who Shia Labeouf was. Then I watched Disturbia and A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints and became interested in his work. I also found out that Steven Spielberg would be the executive producer, and my interest became solid.

The film is by far the most visually astounding of the year, and the visual effects are gasp worthy. The plot is nothing to write home about, but tied in with a few stars, great visuals, a hot soundtrack, and you get what you paid for, mindless entertainment. I saw the film on it’s opening night back in June, and I must admit that I was really anticipating the film, and have subsequently ordered the DVD as well, which has some of the best special features of any DVD this year.

The story follows the typical teenager who is unpopular, but then gets the hot girl and actually becomes important. Yes, the same teenager that you find in every film that involves teenagers. This guy, Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf), is at the age where his father is about to buy him is very first car. little does he know that the car he eventually gets is actually Bumblebee, an Autobot (Autonomous Robotic Organism) sent from his home planet to protect Sam, and aid his fellow Autobots in their quest to prevent the Decepticons from getting their “hands” on the All Spark. I mean, who would have thought?

Together with his new car, Sam tries to impress the “it” girl at his school, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) who gets swept into this machine war by accident, and they eventually get together.

There is a sub plot that involves the American government, but all that nearly put me to sleep. I am not the target audience for the film, and whenever the robots or Sam were out of the picture, I was a little bored.

Shia Labeouf is a natural comedian, and manages to bring a sense of humanity and energy to what could have been a throw away role. He is currently an “it” young actor in Hollywood and this kid is going places. Funny me calling him a kid, because at age 21, he is five years older than me. He is on the road to success, but I think he should get involved in more character study based films and steer away from all the blockbusters. His next film, Indiana Jones, will be out next year.

The supporting cast is good, the performances are all what you expect, but nothing more and they include Josh Duhamel, Jon Voight, Tyrese Gibson and Anthony Anderson. They cast work well together, and even though they are not the main attraction, they all bring something to the table to elevate the story.

Oscar glory for the visual effects and sound categories are in the cards, and I will go as far as to say that this film may not be the best summer blockbuster this year but I would go far enough and say that it could be Michael Bay’s best film ever. Entertaining, funny, dramatic, explosive and a great film to see with friends.

Fatac Rating: ***

Transformers. Directed by Michael Bay, written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, starring Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox,  include Josh Duhamel, Jon Voight, Tyrese Gibson and Anthony Anderson, produced by Steven Spielberg (executive), Tom DeSanto and Don Murphy, editing by Paul Rubell and Glen Scantlebury, music by Steve Jablonsky, Running Time: 143 mins. Rating out of five stars.

Viewed at a public screening with an audience of ordinary moviegoers.