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One of the movies I finally got a chance to catch up with on the airplane was Transformers, starring Shia LaBeouf. Never much a viewer of the Disney Channel myself, I missed out on LaBeouf's turn as the less attractive of the Even Stevens, but I thought he was pretty charming in The Greatest Game in the World. I finally see what all the fuss is about, as he was incredibly likable (and surprisingly convincing) opposite Megan Fox in Transformers. Then again, she regularly macks on David Silver, so what do I know?

The technology of the transformers themselves was new to me, and fans of the cartoon can let me know if it was new to the film, but I was really impressed that the premise of alien life forces inhabiting earthly technology could be carried out so entertainingly. I had just thought that somebody created the cars to be able to turn into 'bots, but the alien thing is so much cooler.

There was an interesting contrast between the "forces in the U.S. Government are conspiring towards evil ends!" shtick, and the "soldiers are hunky and awesome" sentiment. The final decision of Optimus Prime regarding mere humans as important if sometimes misguided creatures, was pretty unexpected, as it refrained from judging everyone too much, which I suspect filmmakers are often wont to do.

• Superficial sidenote: Tad Hamilton... er, I mean Josh Duhamel, is very good looking in a white-bread sort of way (despite the fivehead). He's also been dating the Duchess of Questionable Gender, Fergie, for quite some time now. Fergie has irked me for an unknown reason ever since Wild Orchid, but I must say that her latest single "Clumsy" is very catchy. The doo-wop vibe makes it sound like something Amy Winehouse might make if she were happy (and had a competent producer by her side). Give it a listen and try to keep it out of your head!