The Players: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Patrick Dempsey, and Frances McDormand.

The Game Plan: Following the defeat of Megatron at the end of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Autobot technology coupled with human military intelligence has allowed for better protection against human threats, and the Decepticon threat as well.  Sam (Shia LaBeouf) has reached a turning point in his life, he has a new girl, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), and is looking for his dream job.  Although things appear to have returned to normal we soon learn the world is about to be turned upside again when the Autobots and their military counterparts discover classified evidence of a Cybertronian ship hidden on the dark side of the moon.  The deadly secret hidden with the ship will threaten the very foundation of the Autobot alliance with humanity is brought to light.

Dante’s Thoughts: I’m sure the question on everybody’s mind after seeing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was, will the third film in this trilogy be as bad as the second…  Or will Dark of the Moon rise to become the best film in the series thus far?  After seeing TF3 I think audiences of all ages and genders will agree Transformers: Dark of the Moon is Michael Bay’s best attempt at re-visioning the classic Hasbro/ Toei Animation property yet.  As the action unfolds you get the sense Director Michael Bay actually listened to moviegoers cries of agony over the second Transformers movie.  Thankfully, in this chapter of the Autobot vs. Decepticon saga negative elements like the Ebonics fluent smart car Autobot twins, Mudflaps and Skids, were completely done away with, the poorly worded cheesy banter is toned down, and the whole debacle that was Megan Fox, is no more.

Although newcomer Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is new to feature length films, her stunning looks and on-screen charm make up for her lack of experience, and most fans of the classic Transformers cartoon will remember the character Carly Spencer/Witwicky from the Transformers G1 universe.  To be honest, you probably won’t miss Megan Fox’s character Mikaela Banes, even though she played a major part in both the first and second Transformers films.  The actors and dialog aside, Dark of the Moon is a balls to the wall action extravaganza… and even though I saw TF3 Real 3D, I think I may just have to go and see it a second time to catch the amazing cinematography, special affects, and 3D animation in IMAX.

Touchdowns: Transformers: Dark of the Moon reveals several interesting secrets about the Autobot and Decepticon war, and how the planet Earth factored into the Cybertronian peace plan.  The game winning score goes to the stunning action sequence towards the end of the movie, where Commander Lennox’s (Josh Duhamel) NEST team has to jump out of what looks like a modified V-22 Osprey and sky dive down to the city using parachute equipped black wing suits.  The audience is given a real treat as the camera follows the elite spec ops crew as they swoop down over the city of Chicago, and navigate through the remains of fallen skyscrapers, while dodging enemy fire.  As I sat there watching these guys free fall past missiles and explosions, I thought to myself, A: I want to dive out of an Osprey wearing one of those suites, and B: that was one of the best aerial action sequences I have seen in a movie to date.

Flag: Since there are no perfect game plans, I’ve got to throw a couple flags on this one.  The first penalty is a holding against the poorly timed and bad dialog.  I’ll admit this time around it wasn’t as bad as the drivel we got in Revenge of the Fallen, but this time there was no writer’s strike to blame, and there was too much fan feedback not to get it right.  Unfortunately, for as good as the final act of this movie is action wise, there are moments when you might catch yourself saying “I wish they hadn’t said that,” as you roll your eyes.  The second holding penalty goes against Michael Bay’s unnecessary use of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as a T&A prop throughout the film.  I know in her day job she’s a Victoria’s Secret model, but come on, she didn’t have to be posed as one throughout the entire movie… We get it… she’s hot.

End of Game Summary: Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the must see action film of the summer blockbuster season so far, and a huge rebound from the dismal Revenge of the Fallen.  With that said, this is the darkest movie in the Transformers franchise to date, and although the heroic Optimus Prime will once again attempt to save the day, in the end it comes at a cost.  So parents should be mindful if you are taking your young ones to see this, but for those of you that do get the pleasure of viewing this film, enjoy.

The Players: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Kate Blanchett, Jessica Barden, Olivia Williams, and Jason Flemyng.

The Game Plan: A teenager named Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) has lived with her father Erik (Eric Bana), in an isolated forest in Finland for as long as she can remember. Through rigorous daily training Hanna has been turned into the ultimate weapon by her father, an ex CIA agent.  Hanna’s mission is to kill a ruthless intelligence officer who is after her and her father Erik, but she doesn’t know why.   As Hanna makes her way across Europe to complete her mission and reunite with her father, she soon discovers that even with her unique talents she was not prepared for life in the outside world, or the truth about her existence.

Dante’s Thoughts: If you just finished reading The Game Plan section then you’re probably thinking, “this movie has a pretty intriguing plot,” but that’s only if you enjoy assassin action adventure mysteries.  My problem with this film was a serious lack of action.  The best example of this is in the middle of the movie when Hanna is making her way through Europe in an attempt to rendezvous with her father.  Naturally you’d expect a kid that’s never been outside of the forest to be somewhat astonished with the modern world, especially when she finally comes across things like electricity, and a hippy family she becomes very fond of, but where’s the action…

Even when a small team, that looks totally unqualified to eliminate Hanna, begins tracking her, there is no action.  Seriously, when you see these guys you may find yourself muttering, these can’t be the most capable people to do the job? Again, there isn’t enough action to keep the audience’s attention, the plot gets somewhat drawn out, and in the end this movie fails to deliver.

Touchdowns: When there was action it was great!  It’s good to see a film with good fight choreography that doesn’t get jumbled up with unnecessary special effects.  In this movie the action sequences aren’t sped up, and there are no wires to make the characters fly through the air effortlessly.  It’s just perfectly timed and well shot action sequences that give Hanna a realistic, and enjoyable feel.

Penalty: You were probably expecting this, but Hanna loses field position, on a flag, due to the lack of action.  The trailer for this movie sold you on the promise of action, but in the end they forgot to put enough of it in the final cut.  Hanna also looses yardage due to the painfully drawn out second act of the movie, you know there’s more to the story than just a little girl being sent to kill someone, but no one thought to add any intensity or excitement to the plot.

End of Game Summary: Hanna definitely has enough high points, to satisfy the average moviegoer, but for me this film was just lacking in luster.

The Players: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, and Jeffery Wright.

The Game Plan: Source Code starts off with a confused man (Jake Gyllenhaal) waking up on a commuter train.  Despite looking and sounding different, the man is convinced his name is Colter Stevens, and that he’s a military helicopter pilot who was stationed in Iraq, but his acquaintance Christina (Michelle Monaghan) claims his name is Shawn.  Shawn and Christina spend the next few minutes trying to piece together the mystery of who he is, and how he got on the train, only to be abruptly interrupted when a bomb explodes killing all the passengers on the train.  Suddenly a bewildered Colter, finds himself in a completely different reality where he is told that he is actually part of a special government project, and his mission is to replay the last eight minutes of another man’s life, in order to prevent a bomb from exploding on a Chicago commuter train.  After several failed attempts to find the bomber, Colter finds himself growing fond of Christina, and decides that saving her life is just as important as saving the lives of the millions of people who will be killed in Downtown Chicago if he doesn’t complete his mission.

Dante’s Thoughts: This film reminded me of Vantage Point where the same critical moment in time is repeated over and over again from a different perspective.  In this case, the plot treats the last eight minutes of brain activity before death like an incandescent light bulb at the moment it is switched off, and all that remains is a few seconds of lingering light, called The Source Code.  So each time Jake Gyllenhaal’s character Colter Stevens finds himself on the train with Christina he has eight minutes to unravel the terrorist plot that threatens of a potential mass murderer.  It’s sort of like playing a video game…if you die that’s ok, because you get unlimited cracks at it… or enough chances until the next bomb explodes.  Naturally, while Colter is trying to find information on the bomb, he takes a liking to his beautiful companion on the train Christina, but hey, Michelle Monaghan is easy on the eyes, and if I had only had eight minutes to live, I wouldn’t mind spending them with her.

Now let’s talk about the acting… The main cast is good; Michelle Monaghan and Jake Gyllenhaal made each replay on the train feel like it was the first time; Vera Farmiga as Colleen Goodwin conveyed the stress and emotional turmoil of the ethically challenged personnel heading up the Source Code program well; and Jeffery Wright was able to shine in his role as the mastermind behind Source Code.

The ending takes a sharp turn away from the direction the storyline seemed to be heading in, and although the plot is interesting, I was never really on the edge of my seat.

Touchdown: Audiences usually like movies with fresh new fictional or real-life ideas that make you think outside of the box.  Source Code doesn’t disappoint.  It takes a radical fictional concept and turns it into something thoroughly enjoyable.

Penalties: I have to throw a flag against the lukewarm performances given by the supporting cast.  It felt like scene after scene of good acting from the main cast mixed in with shabby performances and bad dialogue from everyone else.

The ending could have used a little more polish as well, it seemed more like a hap hazard, no huddle, two minuet drill, that was thrown together in a last ditch attempt to say… “Yes, we’ve come up with something… Colter outsmarts them all.”

End of Game Summary: Source Code is an intriguing thriller with most of the working parts of a good film.

The Players: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Alex Shaffer, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffery Tambor, Burt Young, and Melanie Lynskey.

The Game Plan: Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is the picture of stress and depression, his law firm is struggling and the high school wrestling team he coaches has become used to losing.  That is until an opportunity to represent a wealthy elderly man named Leo Poplar (Burt Young), presents itself.  Leo who was recently diagnosed with dementia is determined to remain at his home, despite being told by the state that he is required to stay at a retirement facility since he has no next of kin capable of caring for him.  Mr. Flaherty agrees to take legal responsibility of Leo, and receives a generous stipend in return, but Mike’s good luck doesn’t end there. Kyle (Alex Shaffer), a peculiar sixteen year old from Ohio has come to New Jersey to live with his grandfather Leo.  Recognizing that Leo isn’t fit to look after a teenager, Mike takes Kyle in and soon learns that Kyle is a very talented wrestler with seemingly unlimited potential.  The relationship and bond between Mike’s family and Leo’s is tested when Kyle’s drug addicted mother suddenly shows up, fresh out of rehab and looking for her father’s wealth.  Faced with another difficult life challenge, Mike must search his own heart in order to make the right decision for his new friends.

Dante’s Thoughts: Thomas McCarthy, who is best known more for his roles in Meet the Parents and 2012, can now add directing one of the years best films of the to his resume.  Win Win is a wonderful representation of how people come into our lives and change them for the better, even an unsuspecting withdrawn teenage star wrestler can have a positive impact.

At the beginning of the film, Mike’s life is in a shambles, and he is on the verge of a breakdown, until he meets Kyle and things slowly begin to change.  Kyle’s positive influence on Mike’s life has little to do with his athletic abilities as a star wrestler, and everything to do with the breath of fresh air he brings to Mike’s family.

Despite everything Kyle has dealt with since he was kid, he is able to teach Mike that helping others around him, is much more important than anything else in life.  Of course this film is a drama, and not everything has a fairytale ending, the arrival of Kyle’s drug addicted mother complicates things, but overall this is a very well told story.

Touchdowns: The acting scores major points in this one.  Paul Giamatti leads a solid team with yet another star performance; basically any film this guy is a part of has a chance to be great.  The surprise performance though comes from Alex Shaffer in his debut role as Kyle, for as little dialogue as he has Shaffer manages to win the audience over with tremendous character acting.  I’m not sure how much wrestling training he’s actually had, but his mannerisms as he stalks around the mat confidently beating his opponents at will, made him look like a real professional.

Penalty: It’s not a major penalty, but there is one small mark against this film. When Cindy (Melanie Lynskey), Kyle’s mother returns, the drama that ensues after seemed a little rushed and it was hard to believe a family situation like the one in this film could play out in the legal system in reality.

Game Winner: Win Win is a well-acted heart warming story that is easily one of the years first must see films.

Gary’s Thoughts - Limitless will keep you on the edge of your seat from the beginning to the end. It will take you on twists and turns and through tunnels, pun intended. (You will know what I mean if you see the movie). The movie hinders on the acting from three main characters but mainly just Bradley Cooper who delivers in one of his best acting performances to date. The way that Cooper and the director Neil Burger portray the way a drug, no matter if it gives you outstanding powers or not, can take control of your life and make you dependent on it is a realistic truth that they bring to a big screen. When the pill starts working they use brilliant camera work to make it as if the actors see down a tunnel that goes on and on which allows for a never before seen intellect. The tunnel vision that they receive works perfect for the affects of the drug because its something that just keeps going and going like their brain does on the drug.

The Game Plan – With the tag-line “What if a pill could make you rich and powerful” is all it takes for Eddie Morra (Cooper), a down in the dumps writer who is suffering from writers block, to take a chance and see what this little pill can do. When he starts taking the pill he realizes that he get superpowers of the brain but then problems start to occur that makes him question what these things are doing to him and where they came from.

Touchdowns – The brilliant acting from all three of the main characters really stands out, but the performance from Bradley Cooper is in my eyes his best performance to date. The camera work with the tunnel vision that the pill causes is something that is very unique and great looking. Limitless keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first 15 minutes until the very end. There is a crazy shock and awe moment in the film that may make you cringe or turn away but is very intriguing.

Penalties – The only penalty that I saw was Pass interference on not explaining where the pill came from, by that I mean who created it and how it was created. The backstory into the pill would have given a better understanding of the history of the pill, which would have brought more to the movie.

The Game Winner – The plot of the movie keeps you intrigued with ups, downs, twists, and turns from beginning to end. Limitless keeps you on the edge of your seat with the tunnel scenes, the action, and the acting performances from all the actors and actresses.

Game Summary - Limitless is a action filled movie that makes you think which just builds the suspense that the movie adds on throughout. Question is if a pill really could give you those powers would you take it? That is a question that you may be asking yourself throughout the whole movie even after seeing the side affects because you will see the gain. You might would second guess your answer after you see one of the best shock and awe moments from a movie in the last few years, which may make you cringe or say you have to do what you have to do. If you are looking for a movie that will be fun and crazy then Limitless is for you.