As part of my shift away from writing about DVD releases, I've been catching up with a number of movies still in theatres. Over the next several days, I thought I'd share quick thoughts on a few of them, rather than wait for them to come out on video. (My full review of Superbad, which opens tomorrow, is here.) First up, Transformers: Jonathan Last described the movie as "critic-proof," which seems a pretty apt characterization. Is the movie stupid? Yes, unequivocally. This is a film that begins as a kind of "Knight Rider"/Herbie the Love Bug hybrid and gradually morphs into an uneasy cross between Independence Day and WarGames with a hint of Black Hawk Down thrown in for good measure. But the movie is so upfront about its ridiculousness, so genial in its idiocy, that it's almost immune to criticism. Citing its massive plot holes and inconsistencies seems as pointless as scolding a puppy. This is the movie your kid brother would have made if someone had given him $200 million for his thirteenth birthday. It's childish, but largely in a good way--not something I would have expected from director Michael Bay. (A scene in which the protagonist, Sam, is grilled in his bedroom by his parents--his mother wonders sweetly whether he might have been masturbating--while his colossal, galaxy-traversing robot companions hide sheepishly in the backyard, has the good-natured innocence one associates with early Spielberg.) As for star Shia Laboeuf, it may be a bit early to declare him the next Tom Hanks--when the latter was his age, he was still three years away from a cameo on "Love Boat" and the debut of "Bosom Buddies"--but he is awfully good. If only his name didn't sound like it belonged to a demonic poodle. Transformers is not for everyone (obviously). But if there's a teenage boy inside you that needs to be let out for a bit of air, this is the place to take him. --Christopher Orr