New Year's Eve

Pause and Reflect

Director: Garry Marshall

Writers: Katherine Fugate
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Seth Meyers, Sarah Paulson, Til Schweiger, Katherine Heigl, Jon Bon Jovi, Sofia Vergara, Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michele, Sarah Jesica Parker, Abigail Breslin, Josh Duhamel, Hilary Swank, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Hector Elizondo

SYNOPSIS: The stories of the lives of several couples, singles, parents and children intersect throughout the course of New Year's Eve.

REVIEW: Garry Marshall, the director of such romantic comedies as Overboard, Runaway Bride, and Valentine's Day, returns to the screen for another holiday titled and themed movie. Marshall re-teams with his Valentine's Day writer Katherine Fugate and a cavalcade of stars for a film revolving around only a few of the millions stories and people as one of the most festive and renewing holidays counts down.

As the hours leading up to midnight an the dropping of the New York City New Year's Ball loom, New Year's Eve focuses on several stories of the lives of people dealing with the holiday and each other. Tame and timid Ahern Records employee Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer, Stardust) realizes that she needs to make a change and employs bike messenger Paul (Zac Efron, 17 Again) to help her cross off item from her long-standing New Year's resolutions list in exchange for four tickets to a hot masquerade ball hosted by her record company. Stan Harris (Robert De Niro, Little Fockers) lies in a hospital bed hours from the end of his life, desperate to see the ball drop just one last time. Nurse Aimee (Halle Berry, Monster's Ball) plans to stay with him until her shift ends just before midnight. Pregnant Tess Byrne (Jessica Biel, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry) and her husband Griffin (Seth Meyers, I Don't Know How She Does It) may be delivering in the hours following the ringing in of the new year. But labor pains are coupled with competition when they find out from rival couple Grace (Sarah Paulson, The Spirit) and James Schwab (Til Schweiger, Inglourious Basterds) that the first baby born in the new year at the hospital receives $25,000. Catering chef Laura (Katherine Heigl, Killers) and her sous chef Ava (Sofia Vergara, Modern Family) hosts the biggest party of their company's career, even though the main performer at the engagement is Laura's ex-fiancee rock star Jensen (Jon Bon Jovi, Pay It Forward). Holiday humbug Randy (Ashton Kutcher, Killers) finds himself stuck in his apartment elevator with holiday hopeful new 5B tenant Elise (Lea Michele, Glee). Radio City Rockette costume designer Kim (Sarah Jessica Parker, I Don't Know How She Does It) plans to stay at home with her fifteen year old daughter Hailey (Abigail Breslin, Zombieland) to watch the ball drop, but Hailey dreams of meeting up with a cute boy in Times Square for a kiss at midnight against her mother's wishes. Sam (Josh Duhamel) wishes his friends well as they complete their wedding vows then finds himself at the mercy of the kindness of strangers in order to get back to the Manhattan for a party toast and a possible midnight rendezvous with a woman he met last New Year's Eve. And finally, Claire Morgan (Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry), the vice president of the Times Square Alliance, feels the pressures of keeping the ball drop on schedule when the raising of the multi-light sphere runs into an electrical problem.

New Year's Eve packs a lot of tales into one film. Just outlining the bare bones of the stories involved takes groundwork. And in each slice of life, there is reflection and remembrance, humor and sadness. And once in a while, a couple of individuals in the sea of millions cross paths. Sometimes they are like ships passing in the night. Other times it seems cosmic forces attract people together or repel them apart. As the seconds tick by and the hum of anticipation for the clock striking twelve mounts, anything is possible.

Garry Marshall knows what he is doing. He is a romantic comedy maestro who has delighted audiences for decades. And his directing clout draws out so many stars, they are too numerous to mention. Even in small roles, each actor or actress can bring a smile to your face when they come into view. Fugate's story lifts up the spirit, even in moments where there is no hope. The new year brings the promise of new beginnings, new life, and resolutions for changes in our lives.

The pace of the film builds slowly, each story's foundation deliberately placed. As the countdown ends and the Times Square New Year's Eve ball drops to usher in a new year, the serendipity of the separated stories combines to fill in a nicely interwoven tapestry of the fabric of life.

WORTH: Matinee or Rental

Transformers: Dark of the Moon IMAX 3D

Pulse-Pounding Thrill Ride

Director: Michael Bay
Writers: Ehren Kruger
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley,Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Patrick Dempsey, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich

SYNOPSIS: As they defend our planet, Optimus Prime, his Autobots and Sam Witwicky may finally have come across a Cybertronian foe they cannot defeat.

REVIEW: Director Michael Bay, using a script from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen scribe Ehren Kruger, returns to the world of Autobots, Decepticons and Sam Witwicky. What happens when a young man helps sentient machines save the world twice from Decepticon threats, receives a medal from the President of the United States, graduates from college, but can't get a job and just wants to feel like he contributing something to the world greater than delivering from the mailroom? What happened on the dark side of the Moon during the first successful manned landing that attracts the attention of the Russian and United States governments, eventually leading to a possible race between the Autobots and Decepticons to get back to the Moon first?

To say anything more about the story would be to give too much away. To suffice to say, Transformers: Dark of the Moon intertwines government conspiracies, a high-tech war epic, and a story of an attempt to overcome insurmountable odds against overwhelming forces into a heart-pounding, non-stop bullets and explosions robo-actioner.

New characters abound in this third outing for the Transformers. The departure of Mikaela (Megan Fox) and the introduction of Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley adds a fresh dynamic to Sam Witwicky's (Shia LaBeouf) personal life, adding a renewed belief and wonder of discovering Optimus Prime and his Autobots for the first time. Patrick Dempsey comes onboard as Carly's boss Dylan and perceived rival for Carly’s affections. As Sam’s boss, Bruce Brazos, John Malkovich brings his Malkovich-y self to alpha-dog self-absorbed yellow-loving role, Bruce Brazos. Director Meade, played by Frances McDormand, brings a tough as nails female to the role of NEST Operations overseer. Epps (Tyrese Gibson) and Lennox (Josh Duhamel) reprise their roles as senior field agents for NEST, getting in the trenches with their teams against a foe so superior they certainly can not hope to defeat it alone – although they never give up. For levity, Bay replaced the annoying Skids and Mudflaps from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with the return of Agent Simmons (John Turturro), the addition of Simmons personal assistant Dutch (Firefly's Alan Tudyk), researcher Jerry Wang (The Hangover's Ken Jeong) and pint-sized Autobots Wheelie (voiced by Tom Kenny) and Brains (Reno Wilson).

As with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, some of the Cybertronian characters could have been expanded on. Of course, Optimus Prime, Bumble Bee, Megatron and a couple others get plenty of exposure, but Sideswipe and other Autobots seem like little more than glossy, high-detailed window dressing. The armies of Decepticons are certainly mechanical minions in the battle for the planet, but only Starscream, Shockwave and Soundwave getting any evil doing screen-time. At a runtime of 2 hours 37 minutes, Bay must have had more to cut out than he could keep, but he did manage to develop the secondary characters as best he could – to fine effect.

The IMAX presentation in 3D brought bone-vibrating sound and in-your-face graphics. The dust and debris hung in the theater, the explosions rocking the seats and the arm cannon blasts blinding the senses. The entire third act is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride worthy of a movie all its own. Along with the typical classic Michael Bay slow motions and cheesy adrenaline-fueled one-liners, we get a few Autobot/Decepticon Quentin Tarantino moments, and a Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan reference. In IMAX 3D, regular 3D or good ole-fashion 2D, Transformers: Dark of the Moon will renew your faith in the franchise, the three films as a complete trilogy, and the humanity of both man and machine!

WORTH: Friday Night Opening and Blu-Ray