As cold as ‘Ice’

The Ice Age films are remembered for me by my complete inability to remember anything about them.

Honestly, even at this third go-round, Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, I found myself struggling to recall a single characters’ name, the previous plots, or anything substantial about the films whatsoever. I did not find them offensive to the senses, as I had the last two Shrek films or the Madagascar sequel. But there was just nothing notable aside from the occasional Wile E. Coyote-esque interludes of the put-upon pre-historic squirrel known as Scrat.

‘Public Enemies’: Fight the power

Though it’s as historically accurate as, say, Mobsters (that ill-fated attempt to recapture Young Guns glory by featuring of-the-moment young actors playing dress up as very famous young criminals), Public Enemies is nonetheless paced, structured, shot and plotted with the same attention for which Mann has been known in films like Collateral, The Insider, Thief and, perhaps most thematically and structurally similar, Heat.

Sprawling and visually handsome as its lead actors (Johnny Depp as notorious bank robber John Dillinger and Christian Bale as G-man Melvin Purvis),Public Enemies may not be a deep rumination of last vestiges of outlaw crime during the Great Depression, but as summer entertainment, it is as welcome and comforting as sand between the toes, especially since we’ve been finding it in our shorts for weeks now with such abrasive releases like Land of the Lost, Transformers 2 and Terminator Salvation.

‘Transformers 2′: Transformier

You are going to be thrilled by every action-packed minute of the latest explosive encounter within “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

No, wait. Let me rephrase that…

You are going to loathe every second of screen time “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” a monstrosity of mayhem that clings to the multiplex like a cyst on the name of all that is decent about film.

You see, I could begin this review either way, and it will not matter one iota in the grand scheme of things. Your mind is already made up about this sequel to “Transformers,” and certainly nothing within the film will do anything to change it, I assure you.

Never mind this Bullock

Whenever I have a meeting to attend, I carry with me a little card called “B.S. Bingo.” On it is a grid of empty, meaningless, overused phrases in business-speak. I’ve found it very handy in getting through many a seminar in which speakers blather on about “thinking outside the box,” “paradigm shifts,” “synergy” and “at the end of the day.”

With that in mind, I am now going to carry with me the Rom-Com Bingo ™ card. In it, I will scatter about a number of tired tropes on which the genre relies so heavily. It would have made suffering through “The Proposal” much easier. (And yes, all of these below are contained in said film.)

‘Taking of Pelham’: By the numbers

I am convinced that The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 would be a much better film without Denzel Washington and John Travolta.

I am not suggesting that their acting ability is somehow insufficient (though Travolta, at times, amps up the ham factor). Rather, with star wattage like those leads, expectations are much higher for a film as slight as this. Had this film been cast with a couple unknowns — and if director Tony Scott would switch to decaffeinated – I’m convinced this film would be better received.

For it has all the core elements needed for nail-biting: electricity-generating confrontations, clock-ticking races and a time-tested premise of the little man up against the system. But with the presence of two Oscar-nominated actors, there comes the promise of so much more.