“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (Action/Science Fiction: 2 hours, 20 minutes); Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro; Director: Michael Bay; Rated: PG-13 (Violence, strong language, sexual innuendo and crude humor)

Movie Review: Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf who is becoming a terrific action hero) is now a college student. He has put his heroic encounter with extraterrestrial Transformers behind him. Witwicky’s life becomes complicated again once he begins seeing alien symbols about the ancient origins of Transformers, programmed in his mind via a metallic alien shard. Even more, the Decepticons return to Earth and want the information Witwicky contains. Witwicky, the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen), and a brave U.S. soldiers form an alliance to battle the Decepticons.

From the previews, this edition of “Transformers” appeared better than the 2007 film, which made the Transformers a live-action concept. The second is a convoluted story, which is more complicated than needed.

Apparently, this outing is an attempt to show why the Transformers came to Earth many centuries ago. Instead, the film spends much of its time following the antics of a human, Sam Witwicky. Humans become the center of attention. The Transformers are merely the side story, which causes the plot.

However, the biggest problem with this film, like many science-fiction films, is the concept of aliens being too powerful for humans to stop them, yet humans appear to win every time. “Independence Day” (Director Roland Emmerich, 1996), “The War of the Worlds” (1953, 2005) and the lizard aliens on the television show “V” (1983) are notable examples. The Transformers have powerful weapons that make human weapons, minus powerful nuclear explosives, about the equivalent of bow and arrows.

“Revenge of the Fallen,” similar to most modern science-fiction films, is terrible, leaving only special effects and great stunts to dominate. If that is the rollercoaster ride you like, modern science fiction is your entertainment deal.

Grade: C (Nothing transformative)

“My Sister’s Keeper” (Drama: 1 hour, 49 minutes); Starring: Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Jason Patric, Sofia Vassilieva, and Evan Ellingson; Director: Nick Cassavetes; Rated: PG-13 (Thematic elements, profanity and sexuality)

Movie Review: Movies should be linear. However, those based on books typically have a major problem; the manner in which the plots occur onscreen is disorganized because books can be nonlinear. This problem plagues “Keeper.” This tearjerker drama was adapted from Jodi Picoult’s novel about a young teen’s long-term bout with cancer and her family’s management of the situation.

Diagnosed as a child with a particular deadly form of cancer, Kate Fitzgerald (Vassilieva) appears better than her dysfunctional family. Kate’s mother, Sara (Diaz), has quit her profession as an attorney to care for Kate around the clock. Sara is in denial that her daughter will die. Kate’s father, Brian (Patric), feels his marriage to Sara is slowly disintegrating. Kate’s brother, Jesse (Ellingson), is a loner spending his days on various street corners. The member of the family most well adjusted — if there is such a thing — is the youngest member of the family, Anna (Breslin), who has brought a lawsuit against her parents for medical emancipation. Anna’s parents conceived Anna as a donor child, meaning Anna was genetically conceived to donate body parts to her older sister.

As stated earlier, this sob-fest is messy. The plot is a collection of flashbacks and flash-forwards, which do not distract but fail to make a coherent screenplay. “Keeper” lacks a consistent focal point to serve as basis for grounded reality. A court case existing within this film would be the perfect solution for this problem. However, producers wanted this film to be an emotional, over-sentimental drama. This they achieve with a cast willing to cry its way through the film. The cast, mainly Vassilieva and Breslin provide plenty, more than rivaling their adult co-stars, although the entire cast is superb, especially an appearance by Joan Cusack as a judge coping with the loss of her daughter.

While the story is touching, this screenplay, directed by Cassavetes (“The Notebook,” 2004), tries too hard to turn up the tears. Meanwhile, key moments of good drama are passed over to achieve an ending too neat and emotionally tidy, making this an easy to sit through, easy to forget drama.

Grade: C (Keeps for only a day or two)