That big noise you're hearing is the sound of Michael Bay's latest metal-footed behemoth landing in cineplexes all across this great nation. Transformers: Age of Extinction is here. And it is so fearsome and shiny that none have dared to challenge its right to rake off the lion's share of this weekend's box office receipts — not a single other movie is opening anywhere in Arkansas this week.
And not that you care, dear reader, but this complicates things for those of us on the cinema beat, for Paramount Pictures didn't see much advantage in allowing critics to get an early look at their work. So there's no review of the film in this week’s MovieStyle (look for one at blooddirtangels.com), though Philip Martin does share his thoughts on Bay and his franchise and the limits of nostalgia.
And Dan Lybarger interviews Obvious Child director Gillian Robespierre (her film, a controversial rom-com that's created a lot of buzz, opens in Arkansas next Wednesday). And we remember the beautiful life of Eli Wallach, who embodied the third entity in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. And Karen Martin briefs us on the latest DVDs to hit the stores.