In the run up to the release of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," Shia LaBeouf was adamant about two things: the second chapter of his alien robot franchise honestly wasn't very good at all and the newest sequel would blow everyone away.

"It is the best movie we've made, I'm serious," [article id="1665424"]LaBeouf told MTV News[/article] in June. "It's not a joke. I'm dead honest, man. I get myself in trouble all the time, but this is our best installment."

He's probably right. "Dark of the Moon" is the top-grossing film in the series ($1.1 billion) and received an "A" CinemaScore from audiences, according to Paramount.

Having announced that the third "Transformers" film will be his last, LaBeouf recently told us that he's leaving the franchise on a high note. "For me, I feel vindicated for having guilt on my shoulders for the second movie," he said. "There is vindication in this one being successful and people enjoying it."

Since finishing up the international press tour for "Dark of the Moon," LaBeouf has been collaborating on a [article id="1670077"]music video with Marilyn Manson[/article] and doing postproduction work on John Hillcoat's "The Wettest County in the World," a drama about Prohibition-era bootleggers.

"That's probably the biggest, coolest opportunity I've been allotted so far," LaBeouf said of Hillcoat's follow-up to "The Road." "It's the most colorful character I've been able to play, the most depth I've been able to show as an actor."

At the same time, the actor has been prepping for work on "The Company You Keep," a political thriller that Robert Redford will direct and star in. "I've been in Redford's office doing read-throughs," LaBeouf said. "He's very efficient with his time. He's a master at juggling his time and his attention span. When his attention span is focused in your direction, he's laser-beam focused. He knows exactly what he wants. He's very specific. He's hilarious and fun and vibrant and everything you'd want in a director. I'm very excited to see a man direct himself. I've never seen that happen on a set. I know how intense and tough that's going to be. I'm showing up more as an audience member."

Check out everything we've got on

href="/movies/movie/422131/moviemain.jhtml">"Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

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