Transformers sequel a treat for the fans

Machines fighting each other, (well, most of the time) has never been so exhilerating. I wanted to do a screening for my readers for this movie as soon as I knew about the release date. However, it wasn't to be as the print was only sent to the country this week and even the majority of the media only got to watch the movie today.

Anyway, the highly-anticipated blockbuster is upon us and is set to make history at the box offices throughout the world. I have been following singer-turned-actor Tyrese Gibson, who reprises his role as Sgt. Epps on the sequel, on twitter as he counted his travels in promotion of the movie. The excitement his travels built culminated into an amazing experience as I watched Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen this afternoon.

The stirring action makes for thrilling viewing as it transports you into the world of robotics. The underlying themes of loyalty, sympathy and courage, amongst others, add an inspirational twist to the action-packed feast. There is also more comedy this time around (Shia's mother's character was hilarious throughout), with an addendum of a smart and witty dialogue. You will not feel the 2.5 hours as you are glued to the screen and on the edge of your seat throughout the movie.

It's no secret that I've been a big fan of Tyrese, on top of his music, since seeing him on Baby Boy back in 2001. Although his part was not big here, he was able to use the screen time he had very well and smartly. I've also been very impressed with leading young man Shia LaBeouf lately, proving a great action hero in his roles. Other noteworthy performances include that of John Turturro and John Benjamin Hickey, who by coincidence, both appear on The Taking Of Pelham 123 with Denzel Washington and John Travolta that I watched at a press screening yesterday. The sexy Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel also reprise their roles, rounding up an amazing ensemble cast that also sees Mark Ryan returning as Bumblebee's voice.

The target audience for Transfomers: Revenge Of The Fallen, including the original Transformers fans, will love it as much as I did .It opens at cinemas nationwide next Wednesday, 24th June 2008. Go out there and show your support.

Fast And Furious Back To Its Roots

This year sees the return of big blockbusters on the big screen. One such formidable hit is the 4th instalment of Fast And Furious, which saw serious car fantics throughout the world revel in the action-packed flick.

I had an absolute pleasure of watching it yesterday and I was bowled over by the authenticity of it all, from the acting to the stunts, to the witty dialogue. It was certainly a great and smart call to bring back the original cast from the very first instalment. Actually, after watching it, it felt like I was only watching the sequel; almost as if the second and third editions didn't exist.

Although one of my favourites,Tyrese (who appeared in the second instalment), did not reprise his role, the rest of the original cast, including Vin Diesel, Paul Walker (who I haven't seen on the big screen in a while), Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster. It was also enjoyable seeing Laz Alonso in his element as one of the bad guys. He was very impressive as he emmersed himself into a character called Phoenix.

Fast And Furious 4 opens at cinemas nationwide next Thursday, 09 April 2009. However, YEAHBO.DOT.NET has a treat for their subscribers and readers alike. United International Pictures (UIP) has granted us an exclusive advanced screening of Fast nd Furious 4 on Tuesday, 07 April 2009. To be a part of the exhilerating experience, send an e-mail with the following details to yeahbo@yeahbo.net:

Name and surname;

Contact number;

E-mail address;

Your age;

The city where you live; and

Tell us how you learnt about YEAHBO.DOT.NET or yeahbodotnet.blogspot.com.

Please note, only Gauteng readers who will be able to make it to Montecasino are eligible for free tickets (on a first-come-first-serve basis). Good luck!

To get a taste of what to expect, check out the trailer of Fast And Furious 4 below:

Teraji P. Henson and Viola Davis up for Oscars

The Academy Awards nominees for 2009 were announced this past Thursday and it gives me great pleasure and pride that Teraji P. Henson and Viola Davis were both nominated in the capacity of Best Supporting Actress in their respective roles in The Curious Case of Banjamin Button and Doubt.

I had an opportunity to see The Curious Case Of Benjamin where Teraji plays Brad Pitt's mother, but couldn't make it because of other engagements. There is a lot of buzz about how excellent her performance was. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the film when it opens at cinemas here in Mzansi. What with a whopping 13 nominations for this year's Oscars, that's just 1 nomination shy of reaching the record set by Titanic in 1997.

Another actress who is nominated against Teraji is Viola Davis, a Tony Award winner. She has been nominated for her outstanding role in the Meryl Streep-led film Doubt. I watched this movie about 2 weeks ago and immensely enjoyed it. She used the screen time she gets phenomenally, which is actually about 14 minutes, commanding the role and making it her own. She belts it out in the memorable scenes. I was bowled over and feels she really deserves all the accolades.

As tight as the competition in that category is (Penelope Cruz is also nominated for her role on the exceptional Woody Allen picture Vicky Christina Barcelona, whilst Amy Adams got a nod for her performance on Doubt and Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler), I'm really hoping one of these amazing black women takes the crown come the Oscar Awards night. I'm certaibnly looking forward to what Teraji does on Benjamin Button, I've been a fan since seeing her with Tyrese Gibson on Baby Boy.

Forthcoming Attractions: Fast & Furious, Frost/Nixon, Revolutionary Road, and Monsters VS Aliens

Here is a treat for you. Below are theatrical trailers for movies that promise to be next year's biggest blockbusters. Check them out to wet your appetite whilst waiting.

Fast And Furious

The number one film I'm highly anticipating is the 4th instalment of The Fast And The Furious, titled Fast And Furious. The most exciting thing about it is that the 4 original cast members from the original movie i.e. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster, are all featured in this movie. Justin Lin also reprises his role as the director after his success with Tokyo Drift. You may remember that only Paul Walker was retained for the John Singleton-directed sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious, starring alongside one of my favourites, Tyrese Gibson; and then an all-new cast was introduced in The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift, the third one with an appearance from rapper Bow Wow. One other thing I'm looking forward to is seeing Laz Alonso, another actor who has impressed me with his work on such movies as Stomp The Yard, This Christmas and the latest Spike Lee film, Miracle At St. Anna.

Fast And Furious releases at cinemas nationwide in June 2009. Wouldn't it be great if we can get an exclusive advanced screening for our readers for this one? Watch the space.

Frost/Nixon

The second movie that has already been getting tounges wagging is Frost/Nixon. Starring Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon and Oliver Platt, amongst others, the film has already been garnering some Oscar buzz because of the performances from Sheen and Langella on top of top notch directing from Ron Howard. I should be watching it in the second week of December, so I'll let you know if it's worth the buzz or not.

Frost/Nixon will be released on the 06th of February 2009 at cinemas throughout Mzansi.

Revolutionary Road

Next on the list is Revolutionary Road, the first move Leornado Di Caprio and Kate Winslet have worked together on since the multi-award winning Titanic. Based on a novel by Richard Yates and directed by one of the powerhouse directors, Sam Mendes, (known for producing the groundbreaking Thing We Lost In The Fire starring Benicio Del Toro and Halle Berry) Revolutionary Road looks at lives of a young couple trying to overcome thier personal challenges while attempting to raise their two children. It should be interesting to see how Winslet and Di Caprio fair in this film after their success with Titanic.

Revolutionary Road will open at cinemas on the 23rd of January 2008.

Monsters VS Aliens

Lastly, we have the animated motion picture Monsters VS Aliens, voiced by big names such as Seth Rogan, Reese Witherspoon and Keifer Sutherland, to name just a few. I'm not a big fan of animated movies, but have from time to time enjoyed pictures such as Ice Age 2, Horton Hears A Who and my young sister's favourite, Charlotte's Web.

Monsters VS Aliens opens at cinemas nationwide on the 03rd of April 2009.

UPDATE: For some reason I can't seem to succeed in uploading the trailers to this post. I shall be trying throughout the next few days. In the meantime, check out some of the pictures from the above movies.

Win 5 Death Race hampers, courtesy of UIP and YEAHBO.DOT.NET

The new Jason Statham movie Death Race hits cinemas nationwide this coming Friday, 31 October 2008. The remake of Death Race 2000, filmed in a game like fashion is action packed and very entertaining. Please see our brief review of Death Race we did back in September, HERE.

We have some good news for the fans of Jason Statham and one of our favourite singers/actors, Tyrese Gibson, whose performance is superb on Death Race. YEAHBO.DOT.NET and United Pictures International (UIP) are giving away 5 hampers to 5 lucky visitors to the blog or the website YEAHBO.DOT.NET. Each memorabilia hamper consists of a Death Race t-shirt with the title treatment on the front; a Death Race cap, also with the title treatment on the front; as well as a Death Race movie poster.

To enter, please answer these simple questions below:

1). Which two movies that Tyrese starred in did we compare Death Race to in our review?
2). Who directed Death Race?

With your answers, please send to yeahbo@yeahbo.net, the following details :

Name and surname;
Contact number;
E-mail address;
Your age;
The city where you live; and
Tell us how you learnt about YEAHBO.DOT.NET or yeahbodotnet.blogspot.com.