Reel News: Week of 6/27 — Transformers: Age of Extinction, Obvious Child, 300: Rise of an Empire

Upcoming Theatrical Releases

Transformers: The Age of Extinction
Director: Michael Bay
PG-13; 157 mins.
Trailer

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION begins after an epic battle left a great city torn, but with the world saved. As humanity picks up the pieces, a shadowy group reveals itself in an attempt to control the direction of history…while an ancient, powerful new menace sets Earth in its crosshairs. With help from a new cast of humans (led by Mark Wahlberg), Optimus Prime and the Autobots rise to meet their most fearsome challenge yet. In an incredible adventure, they are swept up in a war of good and evil, ultimately leading to a climactic battle across the world. (Synopsis by Paramount)

You know if you are the person that enjoys a Michael Bay “experience.” This is more of the same. It is hard to rank this among the franchise’s other offerings; they are each terrible in their own right. Let’s just hope Wahlberg doesn’t pull a LaBeouf and go completely off the rails when this is over. Skip it.

Obvious Child
Director: Gillian Robespierre
R; 83 mins.
Trailer

For aspiring comedian Donna Stern, everyday life as a female twenty-something provides ample material for her incredibly relatable brand of humor. On stage, Donna is unapologetically herself, joking about topics as intimate as her sex life and as crude as her day-old underwear. But when Donna gets dumped, loses her job, and finds herself pregnant just in time for Valentine’s Day, she has to navigate the murky waters of independent adulthood for the first time. As she grapples with an uncertain financial future, an unwanted pregnancy, and a surprising new suitor, Donna begins to discover that the most terrifying thing about adulthood isn’t facing it all on her own. It’s allowing herself to accept the support and love of others. And be truly vulnerable. Never failing to find the comedy and humanity in each awkward situation she encounters, Donna finds out along the way what it means to be as brave in life as she is on stage. Anchored by a breakout performance from Jenny Slate, OBVIOUS CHILD is a winning discovery, packed tight with raw, energetic comedy and moments of poignant human honesty. Writer/Director Gillian Robespierre handles the topic of Donna’s unwanted pregnancy with a refreshing matter-of-factness rarely seen onscreen. And with Donna, Slate and Robespierre have crafted a character for the ages – a female audiences will recognize, cheer for, and love. (Synopsis by A24)

Sophisticated in a Woody Allen way, this is a surprisingly inspired take on the rom-com with Slate playing a surprisingly likable lead. See it.

Upcoming DVD Releases

300: Rise of an Empire
Director: Noam Murro
R; 103 mins.
Trailer

Based on Frank Miller’s latest graphic novel Xerxes and told in the breathtaking visual style of the blockbuster “300,” this new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield-on the sea-as Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. “300: Rise of an Empire” pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Artemisia (Eva Green), vengeful commander of the Persian navy. (Synopsis by Warner Bros.)

Previously reviewed by The Dagger.