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Capone shares some initial thoughts on his TRANSFORMERS 3 set visit, and having Chicago taken over by alien robots for a summer!
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
When I was in San Diego last month for Comic-Con, there was a rare moment (outside of Austin) when most of the Ain't It Cool writers were all in the same place. It was the Con's final day, and Harry looked at me and announced to the table that he couldn't even imagine how awesome it was to be living in Chicago this summer with all of the broad-daylight action scenes being shot on the city streets for TRANSFORMERS 3 (real title still to be decided). Since the July 4 weekend, the city has essentially handed over its streets, bridges, and buildings to director Michael Bay and his hard-working team of actors, stunt people, effects experts, and other production types, who have all done an incredible job making it look very much like Chicago is getting its ass handed to it by alien robots.
And while it's true that every day this summer has seemed like a set visit, I was recently sanctioned to be on a set for the day, and saw some intense shit that went way beyond guys running around with guns (although there was plenty of that). Let's just say that by the end of my 10-hour-plus day, ear plugs were my new best friend, and my clothes were covered in a thin layer of soot and fake debris. I'll have a much longer, proper set-visit piece in a couple weeks, but as the TRANSFORMERS 3 team prepares to exit Chicago (I believe they have another week or two), I thought I'd give you a little taste of what I saw and learned on my visit.
My entire day was spent on a single set that wasn't even a set. It's a location I pass several times in a normal week, because it's just around the corner from where many of the Chicago press screenings happen. So even before I got the invite the evening before, I knew where the crew was setting up, at a small parking lot location near the Wabash and Lake Street intersection. The scene was post-Apocalyptic, with rubble everywhere, cars burned out or flipped over or both, and black ash covering everything (some crew members wore masks). I also noticed that the four-story parking garage at the back of the lot had two extra, partial levels that weren't there a couple days before, and on those levels were the only cars in sight that weren't damaged. Yet. More on that later.
Within a couple hours, all of the people who I would be talking to during the course of the day were introduced to me, including the film's producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura; Ian Bryce, one of the industry's best line producers, whose many accomplishments included facilitating the switch to 3-D; John Frazier, the special effects supervisor; veteran visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar of Industrial Light & Magic; Brian Goldner, the president & CEO of Hasbro (who just happened to be visiting with his daughter the same day); stunt coordinator Kenny Bates; Colin Follenweider, stunt double for Shia LaBeouf, who has been in many civilian-shot set photos, misidentified as Shia; Simone Bargetze, stunt double for Rosie Huntington-Whiteley; Manning Tillman, the 3D camera supervisor/operator (who also worked on AVATAR and TRON: LEGACY) on the PACE 3D camera rig; and, of course, executive producer-director Michael Bay. Oh, and there may have been an actor or two floating around with names like Shia, Rosie, Josh, but it was pretty dusty so it was tough to tell.
A few things I can tell you about at this point, while Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley may have low approval numbers from city residents, if you polled the folks on the TRANSFORMERS 3 set, he'd be trending at about 100 percent for kick-ass city mayors they've worked with before. You have to understand that while this isn't the first large-scale film to be shot in Chicago, this is the first to so completely disrupt the city's existence for such a prolonged period. Line producer Bryce explained that even THE DARK KNIGHT (the last film of this magnitude to shoot in Chicago) shot mostly at night or on the weekends, and only truly took over Lower Wacker Drive, whereas TRANSFORMERS 3 caused the complete rerouting of bus routes and traffic patterns for weeks on end. And what was even more encouraging was that the city's residents didn't seem to mind because they were getting a show in return--guys base jumping off tall building and landing on Wacker Drive, explosions, cars flipping end over end, and the occasional movie star run in.
Perhaps the coolest thing I saw all day on set was a fairly lengthy sizzle reel of footage shot in the first three weeks of Chicago. You can say what you want about Bay or the TRANSFORMERS movies (lord knows I have) or any of Bay's other films, but dammit, the man knows how to make explosions and action look about as badass as anyone. And this sizzle reel was unstoppable, even without a single robot to be seen. Chicago hasn't looked this stunning on film, maybe ever. But watching it get totaled was just too wonderful for words. Bay showed me this reel personally and stood right next to me while we watched it. He knew it looked great, and it absolutely did. The footage also revealed a few things about plot and characters that I'm not going to spoil, and Bay was pretty open about story details that probably shouldn't be shared, including showing me the entire anamatic on his iPad for the sequence he was shooting that day. He also showed me some funny videos on his iPhone from a Victoria's Secret commercial he shot in town on his "off" weekend. Another, shorter sizzle reel Bay played for me later on a 3D monitor featured footage shot in 3D from the entirety of the shoot (not just Chicago scenes), and that looked insane. The man took the time and figured out how to use 3D to better this film.
Again, you can say what you want about his movies, but you have never seen anything quite as fast paced and kinetic as a Michael Bay set. Things are always moving, and he manages to keep the energy up at an exhausting pace. He also likes to work on the fly, changing up shots at the last minute because he's evaluated the look of the set and sees an opportunity to get a better scene out of it. And the crew reacts instantaneously, keeping things safe but still feeling a little dangerous. And lest you think Bay might dial back his method or personality just because there was a reporter on set, think again. His well-documented way of peppering his speech with some of the great four-letter words that make life worth living was in full effect on this day. Although, it became clear that getting yelled at by Bay is just part of the day's work; some even consider it an honor. He even yelled at me once, and I had to hold back from smiling when it finally happened. But it's clear, the yelling is not a sign of him being angry. In fact, he was an attentive and gracious host to me, always making sure I was nearby when shooting was going to take place so I could see over his shoulder at the monitors. If I wasn't nearby, he'd have someone find me before rolling.
As I said, a more detailed set report is coming soon, but I wanted to share my initial thoughts on the visit as the TRANSFORMERS 3 team is a short time away from leaving our fair city. I especially want to thank Gabriela from Paramount who arranged the visit and did her best to keep an eye on me so I didn't get crushed by falling vehicles. Although I didn't conduct any formal interviews on set, I did take a lot of notes on the conversations I had, and I think you'll be pleased and surprised by some of Michael Bay's comments, especially concerning the previous TRANSFORMERS film.
Oh, hey, here's something that happened on the set I visited. What you're looking at is the top of a school bus in mid-flip after an explosion propelled it in the air. (Click on it and then click again to make the image enormous.)
Back at you with more soon. Thoughts?
-- Capone
capone@aintitcool.com
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Was there ever any doubt?
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HUGGGE!
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It sounds like you had a pretty great time Capone. Well, how could you not when you're just hangin' out watching shit blow up.
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If they do, the detractors will be satisfied for a nano-second before they return to being stark-raving-mad. I'm 100% positive that this movie is going to deliver, unlike ROTF. All I know is Sound Wave and Shockwave are in the Chicago fight scene. That's going to be beyond riveting, I personally can't wait. Bring on the spoilage Capone.
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I enjoyed the first one but hated the second one. I'll probably still go see it but I feel violated after the 2nd one.
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Capone is right...Bay might be the most erudite director out there, but no one blows up stuff like he does. I'm just bummed I missed being in Chi-town to see the chaos.
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wonders like M Night whateverthehell.
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Before it comes...I would just like to say a few things. I have been coming to this website for a very long time as a reader only. Not many posts. I consider myself an huge movie fan. Have consistently attended atleast one movie a week since I have been an adult. (38 now) I want to go on record to say it is disgusting to read all of the MOVIE SNOB comments regarding Bay and his movies. It really is sad. Like them or not, making movies is not easy and to be able to do it on the size, budget, and scale that Bay does CONSISTENTLY is quite remarkable..and should be given props. How some can cast off his efforts that span years over each movie in a matter of seconds as shit....is appalling and you don't deserve to call yourself a movie fan. Just my 2cents.
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Transformers was a fun romp, Transformers 2 was an unfunny, loud, overlong offensive mess and the devastator unit was totally wasted....
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My thoughts are that I'm glad this is the last movie before the reboot.
Good for whoever enjoys these movies, but someone else getting a shot at making Transformers can't happen soon enough. -
Agree.
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I know his movies aren't the greatest, but dammit, I love this guy. Just watch the special features on Transformers.
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However, once ROTF was released even his supporters (like me)lacerated him into oblivion.
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I respect the shit out of his movies even though I don't like a lot them. He can direct action like no other.
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You will hype this movie and we will see it and tell you it sucks and then you'll say it's our fault for buying into the marketing. You're just a hypocritical idiot and you are the worst thing about AICN.
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2 really took the action further, but added some dumber characters. I hope 3 just focuses back on the characters from the first one.
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Didn't Bay make a big song and dance after Avatar's release that he wouldn't be doing movies in 3D? That his style, in 3D, would give audiences conniption fits? I seem to recall him making bold statements along those lines.
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Bayhem in Chicago has the potential to look amazing.
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But Transformers 2 is one of the very worst big budget blockbusters ever created. I don't know how he did it, but Bay managed to actually make giant robots fighting into something boring. That it made so much coin is a sad indictment on society.
Then again, I paid to see it, so I guess I'm part of the problem. I mean, TF1 was nothing special, but at least the fighting robots had value as eye candy. But the second one? Yikes. Fucking awful at every conceivable level (except the thick sheen of gloss that makes everything Bay does look like it cost a gajillion bucks).
With that in mind, I don't know if I can, in good conscience, pay to see TF3. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... -
Although, once the suits showed him the abundance of extra cheddar he'd make by shooting in 3-D he capitulated.
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Look at Twilight and Harry Potter. I'd watch TF 2 over those crap movies any day.
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Aug 26, 2010 12:59:52 AM CDT
Was that you standing around in the late afternoon by the NEST A
by kamaji
I was watching from the El platform during the scenes where they were ratcheting Shia up on a crane wire some 20-25 ft in the air, and looking down, I swear I saw you standing within the barriers near Gold Coast Dogs.
This film has me curious on a number of levels, though in the last Month, I've touched Optimus Prime, walked within 3 ft of Shia, and gotten Scott Farrar to sign my Blu-Ray of the 2007 film. Also saw pyrotechnics set off on top of buildings along the River, including stuff on top of the Wrigley Building! -
I haven't seen any Twilight movies, but at least the HP films have a degree of coherence to the plots and set pieces (however one's mileage may vary on the content).
TF2, however, was an incoherent mess at almost every level - from the script to the action sequences (which he's supposed to be good at).
And I'm not a knee-jerk Bay Hater either - I find Armageddon, TF1 and Bad Boys 2 to be guilty pleasures. TF2 is indefensible though. -
to see this movie with the aid of Rifftrax. They should just release this in the theater with rifftrax, as that is the only way I'd pay to see it in a theater unless Roger Ebert himself personally e-mails me and tells me this is the best film he has ever seen.
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Well, I've seen enough HP films to last me a lifetime. Why that franchise gets so many films, I don;t know.
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The sauce, not the kid in the dress.
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All those robots clonking around state street, holding up traffic and causing a ruckus. I'm trying to work at my cubicle and there's Optimus Prime peaking in through the window!
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Always demanding a big cold bottle of coke.
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Aug 26, 2010 2:02:07 AM CDT
The first Transformers film almost had a soul.
by stereotypical evil archer
Transformers Revenge of the Fallen was comepletely devoid of any enjoyment.
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That was me, but that wasn't Shia on the wire. It was his look-alike stunt double Colin.
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And they'll have to come back and reshoot when they realize they forgot to actually write anything in the script to explain why stuff was getting fucked up in Chicago for those 20 seconds. Honestly, TF2 had so many explosions that it actually felt like Michael Bay ruined cinematic explosions for the audience. It's like eating so much chocolate ice cream that it becomes bland and uninteresting, and then eating more and more until it actively makes you sick just to think about ice cream in general. That's what Michael Bay did with destruction and explosions in place of dialogue and exposition with these Transformers movies.
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watched the first two in the theaters... this one i'm waiting till it's a rental
Bay can create a thousand times more explosions, but it's not going to fix this mess. -
That is how Cameron envision it and how it's meant to be done.
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the tf3 crew think hes "kick-ass" so its all good!!! glad this movie is hauling out of the city soon.
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It's Michael Bay. His stuff is barely comprehensible as it is without adding 3D to the mix.
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Transformers 1 was bad. Transformers 2 was an incoherent collection of loud noises and colours - beyond awful.
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It is totally brainless. Based on a child cartoon and people complain. WTF do you want? It's Transformers live action robot on robot. Micheal Bay films suck but this series gets a pass and is perfect for his style. Ok The Island was fun.
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The world is a crazy place!
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boom boom boom boom boom boom bombooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!! bang bang bang pew pew boooooommmmmm - transformers 3
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Um the dark knight already did that. Why a bus. I guess a big rigg would be to alike.
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i mean they even filmed on the same fucking strip that the dent/joker armor truck chase did. All those skyscraper spy images reminded me of the the scene where one of the trucks gets knocked off the road under the underpass and goes flying into the fucking drink.
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and yet currently the no.1 film in the us and the uk is the expendables. a film which has no coherent screenplay structure whatsoever. us audiences on this site get shat on if they pay money to see a bay film. and yet i dont hear anyone cribbin about people paying money to the expendables. and keeping that film atop the us box office. and were getting an expendable sequel.
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Transformers 2 blows and Transformers basically blew
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Who's the 10 year-old kid that hijacked Capone's login and password?
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I can live with all the other Bay fetishes, but this one kills every single one of his movies and makes them unwatchable for me. With his movies you feel like there's a great action movie there somewhere on screen, but the dreadful editing doesn't actually allow you to see it.
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After the crap that was Transformers 2, I swore never again. I used to like the stuff that Bay did - The Rock, Armageddon - but then things went to sh**. I'm not getting sucked in again to waste $10 to watch huge chunks of metal scrap throwing each other around. And is there even a semblence of a script this time? Will the mom be back eating pot brownies? Will anyone care?
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... I smell at least half a dozen fucking plants on this tb.Stop defending ape dung like TF2 FFS.
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There aren't even words....
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here - http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2010/08/tf3-chicago-bus-cars-experience-some.html#more
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ON THE SET OF THE DARK KNIGHT in Chicago
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The Expendables... although it barely has a story, the story makes more sense then what was in TF2.
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TF3 will be fucking shit, just like the first two. I can't wait for Bay to fuck off so they can re-boot the franchise with decent robot designs, no fucking Shia and the correct back story.
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cool
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If Bay poops in a burger bun and calls it food, would you eat it?
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... is basically what we all do on a daily basis. Take a shit. Only he has huge budget and things go ka-plooey. Next this site's gonna say GI Joe 2 will be better than the first one( iirc most you all liked that one, it was dumbed down enough for you all )
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to the table...
that even though we have hyped the fuck out of transformers 1 and 2, then bad mouthed them afterwards like we never supported them, we want to hype transformers three on the site again because Unka Bay is sending me a whole heap of pwesents. -
He was right next to you! Come on! Go for it!
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I couldn't give a fuck about how much shit Bay can blow up. That isn't his weakness. We all know he's good at it. What I want to know is have they managed to get a decent story and actual character to the special effects they are passing off as Transformers. It's not that fucking hard. I won't hold my breath tho. From what I've seen, TF2 is one of the worse films ever made and the fact it made so much money illustrates what a fucking mass of morons blindly hand over their cash.
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...why is it so difficult for people to understand the plot of Transformers 2. These movies may no be Academy Award material, but they're fun. Bay basically took a lame, poorly animated cartoon for 8 year old kids and made a couple of decent films out of them. Get over it.
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I'm surprised Bay allowed Transformer's 2 script to remain in place considering how much the film dragged and how utterly moronic and, often, racist it was. You never expect a lot of depth from a Bay film, but considering how fast paced and kinetic his style is, why were people bored silly as the film moved to Egypt (?). Bay was always the perfect choice for Transformers and in terms of the action, and incorporating the sounds and movement of the machinery into a thrilling sequence, you can't really fault him.
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Just bc Bay can direct a huge scale/budget film DOES NOT mean he should get a pass. His action scenes (with the exception of The Rock and Bad Boys 1) are not coherent. If I did visual effects work at I.L.M i would be furious that this hack butchered all the amazing effects by editing the film in such as way that makes the viewer want to vomit. But thats just my 2 cents
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...but Bay really defines the idea of "more is less". People say what a great action director he is, but aside from the 100% valid quick-cut, close-up, shaky cam, can't-make-out-what-is-happening complaints, he just isn't very good at pacing action over a film, in my opinion. He throws so much stuff in that none of it has the impact that it could have. Combine that with an inability to make the action and the story strengthen each other (calling it "eye-candy" pretty much admits a total lack of investment in what is going on, emotionally or intellectually) and he may be able to compose a shot, but he's a poor feature film director.
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The whole film peaks like an acid trip or a Godspeed You! song, which is fuckin' awesome. Not to mention it has the most futuristic sound design ever created for a movie. Oh, and when I watch Revenge of the Fallen on acid, the frame-rate slows down and I can see all the individual moving parts of the Transformers. It's fucking spectacular.
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Couldn't deal. Horrid. Just too much of a mess to subject the eyes and brain to.
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Smells like doritos and piss.
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Call me when you have pics of what the robots will look like. Even though we all know those will look like bionicles wrapped in shit stained foil.
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I hate this guy's movies.
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I challenge you to find a single example of me backing either of the previous two films. And this set visit is in no way an endorsement of #3; it's an endorsement of how cool it is to watch stuff get blown up in person. I have no idea if the finished film will be any good and don't plan on making that determination until I've seen it.
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Can't wait for filming to wrap on these poorly edited military recruitment monster truck rallies. Bring on a real Transformers movie, not one made for frat boys who hated the cartoons and never heard of the comics.
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Aug 26, 2010 10:06:32 AM CDT
Bay is probably the worst action director out there
by turd_has_risen_from_the_grave
It's thoroughly annoying when people defend him by saying: "Yeah, his films are vapid and have no story, but Bay knows how to direct action." Mindless carnage and 'splosions are NOT action.
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Michael Bay is a god among film directors. Eat my semen.
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running through Chicago?
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Then you'll appreciate the intricacies of the Transformers and the detail that goes into those films.
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Aug 26, 2010 10:15:36 AM CDT
yes, the excellence of a movie is directly proportional to the a
by in6087
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if explosions and carnage are all it takes to be considered a good director Bush and Obama missed their callings.
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to the amount of hassle it causes to Chicago.
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Can't wait, this is gonna rule.
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Seriously, this has been every conversation for the last week:
Me: "So I was in the city last night..." (I live in suburban Chicago.)
Other person: "OH! Did you see them filming Transformers 3?!?!"
Me: "Uh, no. Anyways, I was in the city last night..."
Other person: "Shame you missed it! I bet that would've been cool, and you were right there!"
Me: "....... Yeah. Anyways. I was in the city... oh, screw it." -
But really, the action in GI Joe was far superior to anything Bay has come up with. The Paris sequence alone was perfectly executed and immensely rewatchable.
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Defending the indefensible. ALL directors get my respect for the hard work put into ANY film, no matter how poor, but that does not exempt any of them for being accurately criticised for the results. Michael Bay is a master 'conductor' of large scale action sequences, but that has never made more than a few of them enjoyable to watch and certainly doesn't make him a good director overall.Pearl Harbor, for example, contains a solid 40 minutes of constant action that manages to be both technically brilliant and utterly unmoving (and in fact insulting to the source material).The Transformers films are dreadful in almost EVERY respect, even considering their humble origins - 'Pirates of the Carribean' was based on a fucking THEME PARK RIDE and it still manages to be a thousand times more coherent.Fuck these awful, awful films.
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Then mind expanding drugs are wated on you, son. That's not a trip, it's a crash. Try watching the animated Transformers movie. Far more rewarding than watching man-ass and monster robots fart/piss/hump.
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Smashing cgi watermelons to impress simple minded audiences. Stephen Sommers is Carrot Top.
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Stop speaking for yourself. Me and the other Bay haters have been reprising the chorus for years now, TF2, the ungodly abomination that it was, just proved to the world we were right. I'm an avowed and accomplished Bay hater, so the atrocity of the sequel was no surprise to me. What was a pleasant surprise to me, however, was listening to the mouth-breathers at my work, the type who normally happily scrape the bottom of the barrel, say they hated it. It was crap, pure and simple, and you can all expect to sheepishly shell out $12+ for Imax 3D tickets for the third film which you know damn well is going to be just as bad.
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AND POO "BAY"
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"I'm an avowed and accomplished Bay hater." Wait, what did you accomplish by hating Bay?
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I'm tired of people knocking his fucking editing. Early on his career, his films are edited quickly FOR THE TIME. But it was never incoherent. In fact, relative to today's editing, his early movies were cut fucking serenely. But he has moved toward longer and longer takes with his recent movies. Transformers 2 for instance, all the action scenes were never once cut quickly. The reason it's hard for some of you to see is due to the scale and the amount of details that were on screen. But count the fucking seconds between each takes. Not even Steven Spielberg cut that slowly. Go head, watch the movie's action scenes, and tell me that's cut quickly. Compare that editing to something like Expendables, or even Scott Pilgrim. The man stages a lot of on screen explosion, you think he's gonna waste all that by cutting away quickly? Not only these films are leisurely cut, they are edited well also. I never once have any trouble understanding what's going on on screen, unlike every fucking Greengrass movie I've ever watched (excluding maybe United 93). Even his shaky cams aren't bad compared to most Hollywood films nowaday. The camera is always moving, but have the time it's on dolly or steadicam. When it IS shaky, it's framed well and never loses focus of its subject, unlike Fucking Greengrass. You can refute this shit all you want, but the fact of the matter is if you sit down and watch the fucking movie, you'll know I spoke the truth. I'm an unabashed fan of the man's work, and I don't care who knows it. Maybe it's because I've seen a fuck ton of movies from many different countries, and I've seen the SHIT that is out there. A little perspective goes a long way I think.
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Even though you're not reviewing the movie until it is released, you are still hyping the crap out of it. How cool it was to see this and that and be on set. I've been on many a film set and most film sets had no explosions and, frankly, nothing that I could call exciting. Yet it was still exciting to be there.You guys really need to visit the set of independent movies that NEED your help and certainly need the exposure.
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What did I accomplish by hating Michael Bay? Hating Michael Bay, of course.
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i agree. wholeheartedly with what you say. dood, this site hates movies. and i mean all movies. I talkbacked to harry about helping out young filmmakers. harry erupted. and mentioned something about his house extention. and there was a dig over his move in movie production.
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I persoanlly can't be bothered to sit down and watch those abominations again to refute your argument re: editing, but regardless of the cause - be it edit, pacing, camera placement and scene geography or frame size and general 'mis en scene' - the result on screen is visual MESS. A torrent of crap flung at the viewer from all angles. Worst of all the stuff in ROTF was also incredibly BORING, and yes - I'm including the action sequences in this too. Action in cinema should be driven by the script and as a result move the story forward. Nothing in Transformers 2 feels like this is happening and as a result it is DULL. Not to mention that Mr Bay has singularily failed to give any of the titular characters even the smallest bit of personality to make us care what happens to them. I couldnt give a shit when Optimus died: it was meaningless.
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Yay you right.
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It's just a damn shame that all the special effects work will be completely wasted because of the innane bullshit that gets thrown in.
Oh there will be big explosions all right. And right in front of them the Twins will be holding an impromptu break dancing competition, while Shia's fucking mom shows up with a new trashy girlfriend.
The movie will be written for the target audience, 13-40 year old virgins. -
only an elementary school kid or an autistic could be entertained by that steaming pile of donkey shit.
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Can you confirm from your set visit if this is actually being shot in 3D... um, with those 3D video cameras... as a certain "market" site seems to claim.
I might be out on a limb here, but I do enjoy a bit of Bayhem. The guy knows what he's doing.
I've read that he likes shooting on film and using anamorphic lenses, so I'm kind of wondering how the 3D camera thing stacks up... should have gone IMAX again... but when they've gone digital, why bother? -
No offense man, but you kind of sound like the little kid making excuses for his abusive father because he took you for ice cream after a bit here. "Daddy's not a meanie like you all say he is! Honest! It's an honor to be smacked around by him! I think it's kind of awesome, he got me fudge ripple!"
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Aug 26, 2010 1:26:02 PM CDT
Anyone who calls a TF defender a "PLANT" is a pussy of the high
by mjs_cold_dead_pale_corpse
Now put your dukes up and fight little pussy girls
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you know it to be true.....unless you're a pedophile fag.
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Real Nerdy Jew vs The Fake Nerdy Jew
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I know Pilgrim fans will disagree with me on that one
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Once again the Pilgrim fans will disagree with this one too
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Anyone supporting Michael Bay on this site is almost certainly a plant you dumb fuck. Stop trolling and leave before I ensure you are banned forever.
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so i'm sure his 3d "work" will be the same old shitfest with an unnecessary dimension added to it.
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It says all I need to say, and I think I'll roll it out (see what I did?!) for every TFs TB:
Firstly, let me set my stall out:
I was 12 when I first became aware of Transformers (TF), this was in 1984/85 I believe, so I was pretty much on the outer edge of the TF demographic in terms of the toys and cartoons. I actually came across the toys before the cartoons and I considered to toys to be a novel idea but overpriced, cheaply made, easily broken, nasty pieces of crap.
I first came across the original cartoon in 1986, and as a 14 year old I was at the stage where children’s TV was below me anyway, but what I saw of the cartoon, I considered to be badly animated cheesy shit which made no sense. The TF robots didn’t transform; they ‘morphed’ without any recourse to mass or original size; they were blocky and simplistic and bent and moved where they shouldn’t be able to.
I was aware there was a TF comic through a couple of kids at our school who were still into TF and regarded the cartoon and the comic akin to ‘Lord of the Rings’ in terms of storytelling, epic scope and greatness. But I was over comics at that stage.
So even at a young age I was aware of TF as nothing more than toys and cartoons and comics designed to sell those toys.
Flash forward to the present.
I really enjoyed Bay’s first TF film, and I also enjoyed Revenge of the Fallen (ROTF). I realise ROTF could do with being a bit shorter, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. But I have no connection to, or love for the source material. But let’s look a bit closer:
TF: ROTF is in the Top 20 highest grossing films of all time. ROTF was almost universally critically panned. So, it was critically rubbished, yet massively popular with someone. Which is fine – I’d be the first to admit that popular is not the same as ‘good’; but to be in the Top 20 highest grossing films of all time at LEAST suggests some good word of mouth somewhere.
I bought ROTF on BD when it came out and the first time I watched it I found it enjoyable, but thought it was a touch too long. I very, very rarely get the opportunity to watch TV, let alone a whole film, so the fact that I had an opportunity to watch a DVD last weekend and chose to watch ROTF again is unusual indeed. Part of the reason was I had just been on the TBs and ROTF was taking a battering in a TF3 TB (again), so I wanted to see the film again because I thought it was never that bad in the first instance, and to see exactly what the fuss was about.
I enjoyed it even more to be honest; it seemed to move quicker than the first time, and I found the robot action scenes easier to follow, which – to be fair – was an issue with both films at times. But let’s look at some of the issues which have been raised about this film.
Comedy – “Why does a movie about giant robots who turn into cars need "comic relief" any fucking way?” was raised by BurnHollywood a few posts above. I’m sorry? The original cartoon didn’t have any comic relief, or lighter moments? You may as well ask why would a film about a relic-hunting archaeologist need comic relief? Why would a film about a rebellion against an evil galactic empire need comic relief?
General Inappropriate Comedy – OK; obviously comedy is subjective; I didn’t like Bumblebee ‘pissing’ on John Tuturro in the first film, but I understand why it was done (to humiliate him and show contempt, and I liked Optimus’ “Stop lubricating that man!”) but it wasn’t a deal-breaker. Dogs shagging – OK, that’s a pretty cheap laugh and there’s no real need for it, but I have to admit that did raise an amused smile. The mother and father characters I found amusing in both films. Was the whole ‘Mother-eats-ganja-cake’ scenario necessary? Not really, but I found it mildly amusing, and it all adds up to showing Sam’s less than perfect start to college. Deal-breaking stuff? Nope, not for me.
Devastator’s Balls – I really cannot understand the problem. Devastator is made up of construction vehicles, two of which have wrecking balls. The wrecking balls have to go somewhere when Devastator assembles; this does not mean Devastator had testicles! What it means is that John Tuturro looks up, and from his POV they look like balls, so he says he is “under the enemy’s scrotum!”. Mildly amusing I thought. As I have said; comedy is subjective, but can anyone explain why this is any less funny, ridiculous, childish or offensive than, say, a film featuring a ghost covering someone in snot; or a strong suggestion that someone is getting a blowjob from a ghost?
The Twins – Oooooohhh! My gosh we MUST be PC mustn’t we?! Quickly; let’s all scream RACISM! No, lets say racial stereotype instead, but if we’re going to go down the horribly and righteously offended route, let’s at least take time to look at the facts. One of them is voiced by a black actor, the other by a white actor. They’re referred to as the twins, but one of them is supposed to be a southern hill-billy – even my daughter thought it was a piss-take of Mater from Cars. The racial stereotyping of the robot with the gold tooth is no worse than how black rappers were portraying THEMSELVES every single day on MTV about 2 years ago – the fact that people recognise what that robot is stereotyping without it EVER being explained during the film speaks volumes. Isn’t anyone going to stand up and defend the poor ridiculed hill-billy stereotype? As for accusations that Michael Bay is a racist because of the Twins, which have been made in numerous TBs, how in christ’s name do you explain the Bad Boys films - which Bay directed – having two black actors as the heroic leads?!
Sit down, breathe and think of how many racial stereotypes we see in mainstream Hollywood films that nobody even seems to give a fuck about. There’s a lot.
Two points which people make who feel they have to defend their enjoyment of TF films:
The First.
Defence: “I just want to enjoy a good popcorn flick and be entertained!”
Rebuttal: “You shouldn’t have to switch your brain off to enjoy a film!”
Horseshit. My reply to that is “I shouldn’t have to sit through a film scrutinising it in minute detail to make sure it is completely beyond reproach in any way before I can enjoy it.”
Everything I need to know about a film should be shown to me on screen; I should be able to sit back and passively receive all information, comfortable in the knowledge that everything will be resolved, explained or justified. If I have to try and piece a film together and work it out as I go along, something is wrong – the filmmaker isn’t doing their job correctly. If I have to sit down afterwards and try and work out what happened in a film and what the filmmaker was trying to show me, there is something wrong. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with a film giving me food for further thought afterwards, or playing with my emotions in such a manner that I mull it over in my head afterwards, but DURING a film, everything I need should be on screen.
Let’s have a look at some of my all-time favourite geek films: The Crow, Watchmen, Blade Runner, Full Metal Jacket, SW OT. I did not HAVE to actively think about ANYTHING during those films in order to understand what was happening. I sat back and received the information and emotions the filmmaker wanted me to; afterwards I sat and thought about what I had seen and how it made me feel, which bits I had really enjoyed, but at no time during the films did I have to analyse any of those films in order to understand what was happening. That’s entertainment.
If you have a wish to appear as a sophisticated, urbane cinephile, then go and watch some B&W Japanese character dramas with the subtitles off and nod sagely to yourself. That should enhance your sense of superiority and make you feel like a better person.
The Second
Defence: “The original TF cartoons and comics weren’t exactly Shakespeare!”
Rebuttal: “Nobody ever said they were! We just want a decent story, which is what the original comics and cartoons and film had!”
Or an answer along those lines.
Again – Horseshit. The original cartoons/comics/film only had a decent story because you were TEN. The story of TF and ROTF is no less flimsy than anything seen in the weekly toy commercial cartoons, or the toy brochure comics; you’re just older, and these aren’t your Transformers anymore.
Does ROTF deserve to be in even the top 50 highest grossing films of all-time? Difficult to say – that’s a subjective opinion. I found it entertaining enough – it’s a good film for what concept it’s based on and its was fun; not a classic by any stretch of imagination, and I wouldn’t expect to see it anywhere near a Top 50 Greatest films of all time compiled by me.
I look forward to the next instalment with interest.
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had some dialoug. but the rest were just pages with the words bomb on them and pictures of people with severed limbs. just as well he got the cast he did. no difficulty reading the script with that cast.
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Then I cannot respect you at all. Lowest common denominator trash, that's what these movies are, and that's all.
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Heck, Transformers: Animated is vastly superior. Hurry this up so we can get to the reboot.
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Look I enjoy Action like my TB's. No one is saying DON'T have action. However, Action can ONLY be good and acceptable if it is part of the story.The biggest problem with the TF movies is that I really don't care about any of the characters to give a slight shit for what happens to them. So how am I expect to enjoy the action when I'm not rooting for one side or the other. Yes Bay can do Action but he CANNOT and HAS not been able to connect me emotionally to it.I don't like hating on anyone but Bay's movies make me hate Movies and that's why I don't like him!
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Ah, then you'll be one of the 'nodding wisely to foreign subtitled films that you don't fucking understand and are too fucking pretentious to admit bored you shitless' crowd then?
But hey; you look SOOOOOOOO hip doing it! -
in the first one. Yet, the regular public seemed to have no problem.
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I saw The Expendables opening weekend and loved the hell out of it. Bay's TF movies seem like they're designed to lower IQs, and I can't get behind that, that's all.
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Well that's an opinion and you are of course entitled to it.
Judging people by the films they enjoy just seems a bit of a pretentious thing to do; you may wish to choose a slightly less offensive opening shot next time! -
Hey, you just reviewed the Transformers movies in a word. Very succinct, pally!
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on a newspaper dispenser outside the River East theater in downtown Chicago. Too bad I didn't have a camera on me. It was pretty clever. It was a stencil of the Autobots insignia inside a NO symbol (you know, the circle with a slash) that read "Go Home" underneath. I don't really care about the movie being made here, but that got a chuckle out of me.
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So you are the last person to have a camera on their phone apparently.
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But DAMN if they aren't entertaining as fuck!
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sure, it's brainless, throwaway spectacle, but I loved both movies. I also liked Independence Day, A Team, Stargate, Air Force One, Step Brothers, Role Models, Universal Soldier etc etc the list goes on, all dumb as fuck movies that are just damn fun to watch. Oh and the best 2 of course, The Rock and Con Air!
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especially for mentioning A-Team, which was wwaayy better than Expendables
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Have a Colt.45 with me and Billy Dee
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can live without shit like the Transformers movies. I do appreciate that others have more tolerances than I do for crap like that.More power to you!
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that post of yours was longer than the last Transformers film and even more filled to the brim with piping hot arsewipe. Now you have 'set out your stall' feel free not to bother trading in any more of your wares until you can reach a conclusion with more logic than "you are all movie snobs if you can't enjoy Revenge of The Fallen - BooHoo!"
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Damn You Michael Bay
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that what you clearly consider to be a robust defense of the movies is essentially a thousand word argument grumbling that the small examples of rather worn comic relief that are sprinkled throughout the film are subjectively funny.
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fucking Grindhouse style movies. Yet, they're still being made.
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WURD!
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i don't have the time or paycheck to go back and source my arguement from old articles. i was just jokingly exaggerating what Dood backed me up with -it's not exactly praise you gave, but the site as a whole hyped up the TF movies with little bits and pieces- morsels, teases if you will, nearly every day for a while. remember the 'robot in the back of the truck' pic, someone getting added to the cast, Bay will be shooting in (insert location here) etc etc...each time announced like it was actually something cool about the movie...therefore advertising the movies as cool. I like your reviews a lot and agree with you on most everything. I was more or less making fun of harry and the site as a whole and how things get both bashed or hyped/praised depending on which way the wind blows or the perks are handed (a broad assumption, which is my right as a talkbacker to form opinions on what i gather from the reporting of the site over time.
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It's real fucking easy to just say "well whatever it is, it's terrible". I'm glad you took the time to reiterate the point I was arguing against without adding anything new to the table. But next time I would actually like an explanation. I'm not being sarcastic, at least not fully. I'm genuinely interested in finding out why people hate the action in these films so much. I mean, Everything else is fucking terribly edited and framed, yet nobody bats an fucking eye. Yet the moment Mike Bay shakes his camera a little bit, people goes apeshit. I honestly believe most people on this site is more offended because Bay didn't allow Transformers to age with them. But how mature can a bunch of fucking cars transforming into robot can be, or NEED to be? The films are immature because that's exactly what they were meant to be. Kids love them, and I'm sure those of you with kids, most likely they like these films too. But since you've outgrown the property, you're just being selfish in wanting the property to age with you. It's understandable, but it's still selfish.
Me, I'm like pawprint. I don't need a film to be fucking perfect to love it. I pick out what I like, and what I hate, and I weigh them against each other. If there's more stuffs I like than I hate, I'll give it my endorsement. For me, the humor in Transformers hit (I'm a huge fan of Carlin's brand of humor), the action is fantastic (can't stand anything Greengrass shoots), and I like how glossy everything is. I'm a pretty simple guy. So go ahead and assume I'm the lowest common denominator, like a baseless opinion on aintitcool really hurts or particularly insightful. -
there is any chance that this movie will be good. I had fun with #1, but in #2, I just didn't know what was going on. Has anybody played Transformers: War for Cybertron? That's what a Transformers movie should be!
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you got nothing to apologise for man. Your opinion is totally valid. I mean why visit the set of Transformers and not some independent movie..? I get the fact that it's exciting to see all that stuff going on but as a film critic, let's be fair, the Transformers movies are terrible!TF3 is going to cost shit loads of money to make so YES they need all the hype and marketing they can get.
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Watch the glowing review from Capone now.
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I moved to Chicago three months ago and for half that time this film has been shooting in my neighborhood. Capone's dead on. I have worked in the film industry for 20+years and I still find this sort of stuff fun. You don't have to like the movies to enjoy seeing highly skilled craftspeople plying their trades amidst (real) fireballs, (fake) rubble, and (low-flying) helicopters. And don't forget those base jumpers flinging themselves off the Trump Tower. Having them right behind my building for the few days they had that parking lot full of mayhem was a good time.
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I moved to Chicago three months ago and for half that time this film has been shooting in my neighborhood. Capone's dead on. I have worked in the film industry for 20+years and I still find this sort of stuff fun. You don't have to like the movies to enjoy seeing highly skilled craftspeople plying their trades amidst (real) fireballs, (fake) rubble, and (low-flying) helicopters. And don't forget those base jumpers flinging themselves off the Trump Tower. Having them right behind my building for the few days they had that parking lot full of mayhem was a good time.
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I've been here trolling for years ....under many names....I'm not worried about being banned. You should be worried about the cops tracking your IP address since you are a disgusting pedophile. You are a weak out of shape piece of shit and I would love to beat your ass down like it was a Pride FC highlight. Suck my dick and lick Michael Bays nuts ya fuckin' stupid cunt.
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AG might come to your town and tear up your TF3 tickets and give you a pink belly. He is obviously a film school graduate and knows what's best for us knuckle dragging mongoloids. Please bestow your movie wisdom upon us low brow commoners.
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Seriously the folks who made that game "get" Transformers a million times more than Bay ever will.
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You've been trolling for years. I rest my case. Good game. I win.
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as you all may have wondered...where is asimovlives? where is that special brand of obsessiveness? i must inform everyone that he passed several days ago. i would like to tell you that he passed away peacefully in his sleep but alas that is not the case. it would be lovely to think that he was taken from us while he was sleeping having an inception style dream of snowmobiling. unfortunately he suffered a massive brain hemorrhage during a marathon viewing of the dark knight. he is survived by friends and family. he was laid to rest with a two disc special edition bluray of the dark knight (the one with a model bat pod) yesterday. god speed and god bless.
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Aug 26, 2010 6:33:48 PM CDT
Pawprint, you forgot to address the biggest problem with TF2...
by happyfat73
The action is horrendously staged - the shot compositions are awful and the geography of the action is poorly executed. Every time there is an action scene, the narrative grinds to a halt and the complete lack of narrative tension or character engagement during these scenes renders them boring. Boring! Who'd have thought that giant robots fighting could possibly be boring? Certainly not me (until I watched TF2 and saw it first hand). In decent action movies, the set pieces further the story, not stop it dead while a bunch of pixel robots throw pixel punches at each other.
I remember exiting the theatre after TF2 thinking it was the worst big budget spectacle I'd ever seen. Months later, I saw the DVD on the shelf and thought to myself, 'It couldn't possibly be as bad as I remember - heck, it's got giant fighting robots.' Well, it was as bad as I remembered. Maybe even worse.
Let's compare TF2 to another big budget popcorn flick that "aint exactly Shakespeare" – Avatar. Now, people's mileage on Avatar varies according to their tolerance for its derivative story, cheesy dialogue and thin characters. Personally, I liked it for what it was. And that's because, despite its narrative limitations, Cameron directed the fuck out of that movie. The action scenes are well staged and coherent, and they further the story (at least for what it is).
I can forgive TF2 it's paper-thin plot, non-existent characters and thinly veiled racism, but I absolutely cannot forgive it for the travesty of making giant robot fighting boring. So, as someone who isn't completely high minded, and who likes dumb action spectacles as much as the next guy, I say that TF2 is an insult to big dumb spectacle films, and proof positive that actual quality and box office takings are mutually exclusive (although I admit, many of my favourite films are also those "pretentious subtitled films" as you call them- you gotta have balance in your diet, after all). -
are the same brainless wonders that enjoy shit like Day of the Dead.
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Gey!
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Aug 26, 2010 7:37:25 PM CDT
loved that someone said that we are 1 movie away from a new dire
by future help
a NEW director! YES. only one movie to go.
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to shoot an action movie in 3D under the limitations that the bulky cameras apparently have, then soon after George Miller will trump both with the improvements he has made to the cameras and we will know who the true master is.
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Avatar was so safe and clean looking. The CG in TF2 was gritty and raw and so much better.
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modern army battle ever captured on film. Up there with Blackhawk Down.
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Aug 26, 2010 9:09:54 PM CDT
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Aug 26, 2010 9:25:24 PM CDT
Joely_Boy, Raw & gritty CG would have less detail.
by stereotypical evil archer
The more complicated the CG, the less raw & gritty it gets. You've got it backwards. 8-bit Nintendo is fucking raw and gritty, you can see some of that in Scott Pilgrim.
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"But ultimately TRANSFORMERS lives or dies on the strength of its title characters; and those damn robots really and truly blew me away." From Capone's TRANSFORMERS review on July 2, 2007. Full link (remove spaces): http://www.ain titcool.com /node/33218
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One of the shittest films ever made. The only good things about that film were his Smashing Pumpkins t-shirts and Nigel Godrich's golden touch.
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... From the guy who says that TF2 has the most spectacular modern army battle ever committed to film.
That's probably the most ringing endorsement for Scott Pilgrim I've seen so far. -
Michael Bay's shots are about five times the length of any shot in Shitt Pilgrim
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I bet you watch your movies on a laptop too. You can't afford a big LCD screen and 5.1 setup, so action films are wasted on you
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and you took the bait....I win....lick my penis head
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The sniper sequence from The Hurt Locker had more tension and excitement than anything in TF2. Then there's the Normandy scene from Private Ryan (if that is counted as modern enough for you) – better than anything in TF2... not to mention just about any of the combat scenes in Generation Kill. TF1 had better battle scenes than TF2. Heck, a home video of my 6 year old nephew melting plastic army figurines with a magnifying glass was more engaging than any battle sequence in TF2.
The most remarkable feat about any of the action sequences in TF2 was how there managed to be zero dramatic tension in any of them. That actually takes a special kind of skill. -
You need to put an "F" at the begining of your nick...F A G...it fits you
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All I remember is a dude whining about his wife for 2 hours.
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Not enough 'splosions for you?
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I can't afford a big screen LCD and 5.1 setup like you. Heck, I can't even afford a laptop or an internet connection. I had to dictate this message to my neighbour via two plastic cups connected by string, because I can't afford a telephone. I'd go out and get a job, but I can't afford pants either. I wish I was you.
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I really, really liked the first movie. It did have an Amblin vibe like they had said they were aiming for and as long as I didn't compare it to the show I was cool. Also, I felt like Mikey Bay was growing as a storyteller (Shame THE ISLAND bombed. I love that movie) and I love cars. Awesome. Right down my alley. Then, I saw part 2. WTF. Everything I loved about the first one was thrown out the window and although the action was better framed this time out, I was so irritated with how much screen time was dedicated to bullshit like the dogs humping, Judy and the pot brownies, the Twins.. I don't know. It was just a mess and most of the cars in the movie, I can't go a dealership and check out! And where was Barricade, the Mustang!? I'm really hoping for 3 to knock it out of the park. Seriously. I really want this to be an awesome movie.
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Yes, the Normandy scene is spectacular, but WW2 doesn't count in what I meant by modern. Nothing in the Hurt Locker was spectacular battle-wise. TF2 had the airforce, army and navy blowing up shit. Fail Blog dot YOU
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I agree with you 100%. Hurt Locker was intensely 'intimate', battle wise.
That's like comparing INDEPENDENCE DAY to DISTRICT 9. Yes, they're films about aliens but you can't really compare them, action wise. Apples to Oranges. -
You seem to measure these things by the amount of sounds and bright moving colours are involved. I prefer to judge a battle (or any action scene, for that matter) according to whether or not I actually care what happens to the characters in the scene.
Yes, TF2 had the army, navy, air force, Megan Fox, Shia Lebouf and giant alien robots making big 'splosions, and still managed to be a boring, turgid mess.
Oh... and that was really witty play on my screen name (which btw has nothing to do with either my temperament nor the size of my pants). Good for you, champ. The mere thought of how witty you'll be when puberty has finished wreaking havoc on your hormones is scary. Don't worry though, when you actually reach adulthood, you'll look back and be embarrassed by your fawning adulation for this embarrassing film. -
40,000 moving parts... SPEKTAKKALA
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in the Normandy storming scene at the start of Private Ryan? There were none at all! It was just two armies shooting at each other. And it was awesome. Discuss.
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He turned a badass giant warrior into ape like tire neck that had metal balls and a vacuum mouth. Fuck Bay and his sucky robot designs.
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Private Ryan's Normandy sequence was awesome and engaging because it was expertly staged by a director at the top of his game. The cinematography, sound design and editing are top notch. That one shot where you see the whole beach and all the landing boats still sticks with me all these years later in a way that not a single shot from TF2 does. It's one of the great battle scenes in cinema history, brutally violent and unflinching, which lets the audience know that they're in for something extraordinary. Even before the characters are introduced, you are completely engaged - its not because of the explosions and scope (although it is an epic scene) - but because it puts the audience there on that beach.
I mean, compare it to, say, the big sequence in the middle of Pearl Harbour - which is slick as hell, has some great shots, a massive scope, established characters and historical resonance with the audience - yet still doesn't carry half the impact of Spielberg's Normandy sequence. Then again, Spielberg has always been an expert at looking at epic events from an intimate point of view. -
I actually enjoyed the first as a popcorn movie, 7/10 for me, but number 2 which I went to the premiere to watch left me very disappointed, didn't really expect the first one to be topped, but the level it came down to was bad.
Think a decent fan edit of number 2 could cut out about 30 minutes and make it even tolerable. I did really enjoy the Optimus forest fight scene in number 2, that was well done.
For number 3 I wont be going to the premiere, I will be sitting back looking at the reviews, hearing what people have to say and deciding whether to watch it in the cinema or wait for DVD. -
I didn't think the movie would have one, but your comment tipped me off that maybe it does.
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Hahahaha! It's just that I view Revenge of the Fallen in the same way I do a Bruce Lee movie (of which I'm a major fan). I couldn't give a fuck about what happened before or after, I just like to see Bruce Lee roundhouse kick someone's fucking head off! In fact Game of Death is one of the shittest films ever made, even worse than Scott Pilgrim, but those fight scenes get me rewatching every time!
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I guess I view Revenge of the Fallen as a big disappointment. I wanted to like it. I love the idea of giant robots belting the shit out of each other... but... well... you know... I couldn't even enjoy that. Lucky for me, District 9 came out later that year with one of the most awesome mech battle sequences ever.
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There's just something strangely interesting about Michael Bay and the Transformers movies.I really think he's an auteur and an artist in the true sense of the word. Even though David Lynch is my favourite film maker and INLAND EMPIRE is what I consider to be the closest a movie will ever get to being pure art, there's something about Michael Bay's choices that grab me. In the same way that a can of soup can become one of the most iconic images in the history of art, like Andy Warhol, no one else did it before. Michael Bay gets to pour as much money as he wants into these avant-garde CG constructions/animations and I love it! His quality-control for CG and sound design is unmatched IMHO. Have you seen the video for 'Gantz Graf' by Autechre and Alex Rutterford? I'm positive it was a big influence on the Transformers films.
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at the Oscars at all. It didn't even get best pic. Critics suck.
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I just picture Michael Bay coked up to the fucking eyeballs yelling "Do this!" and "This'll be fuckin' awesome!" and it makes me laugh! I love it. Probably the most prime example of this (other than that shot of Mega Fox's ass on the motorbike) is the shot of the Corvette Stingray (Sideswipe I think) completely and utterly dirt-free in the middle of the desert. It's priceless! I truly believe Michael Bay always knows exactly what's going on with a knowing smirk and his tongue placed firmly in his cheek!
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You might see where I'm coming from. Each to their own and all that :-)
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where the band spends like two weeks getting the perfect snare sound. Just excess and people swimming in money. And I fucking love it!
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Thank you for reviewing Inception in a timely manner, and managing to avoid being overtaken by the somnambulistic "boogey man" in order to provide loyal followers of the "giant porkchop in a wheelchair" man,a fair and faithful review.Sincerely,C. Nolan
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As much as it's fun to trash his movies, he puts such a fucking stamp on them, huh? As much as I love Ford, that Corvette was OMFG gorgeous.
Without a doubt, I want to see how Michael bay handles Mikaela's ousting in Part 3. So much of these movies was really put into Sam's relationship with her and now, it's gone. Wonder if she is warmly remembered through dialogue or kinda trashed like Dr. Malcolm in JURASSIC PARK III.
Time will tell.
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and fuck Michael Bay
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yeah there is no story in the Expendables,but that scene with Rourke crying and talking about his lost soul is always going to be greater than all the,directed by Bay, Transformers if put together.
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... Bay has never made anything that even approaches being "a good movie"...
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are like that crazy girl with a bit too much make-up on and her tits hanging out you meet at a friend's party, and even though you have no intentions of making her your girl, you have awesome, almost drunk sex in your friend's master bathroom and continue to laugh your ass off later in the night because she's pretty down for a lush and doesn't expect anything from you.. or herself. Even though you go on to date nice, hot girls with morals and look good to show off (Inception), you still think about the kinda sloppy chick secretly, without telling your friends, because she's so fun. That's a Michael Bay movie.
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... I'm actually MORE nuts than most of you, only, my madness doesn't extend to defending Michael Bay movies...
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...COMPELS YOU!THE POWER OF BAY COMPELS YOU!THE POWER OF BAY COMPELS YOU!THE POWER OF BAY COMPELS YOU!
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felt strangely out of place. it was like the execs looked at the movie and said hey sly, you will need a purely dramatic scene which doesnt involve blowing things up. and sly went away came up with rourkes scene in the tattoo shop. which someone then edited. or butchered. it doesnt last very long and then quickly we are thrust back into slaughtered. there was no need for that waterbaording scene.
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NOT because I hate Bay, because I don't. He's obviously a very talented person and has made a very successful career for himself. No one on here can argue about his choice of Cinematography and skill to get a huge movie started and completed (which is no easy feat I can tell you).I hate Bay movies because they are Shallow and appeal to the lowest common denominator. Even if I have to switch off my brain to watch a movie, I still require a coherent story.
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Bey should do Iron Man 3. That would be pretty fantastic.
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of Pigs
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"Saving Private Ryan" got Best Director. That's very good in my opinion.
Personally, I think "The Thin Red Line" deserved all the awards that year! :) -
The Oscars baffle me year after year. The Hurt Locker and UP were nominated for Best Pic even though no one saw them.
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http://tinyurl.com/39pw4wtSequel to AsimovLives vs THE CHOPPAH:http://tinyurl.com/2fmm5x4
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An over-the-top metrosexual with a sugar booger habit, he actually seems like an awesome guy. He seems to be EXACTLY what you'd expect the guy to be like, based on his work. I'm not a huge fan of his overall resume, but there have been times that he's hit on things successfully, and I'm one of the people that doesn't mind buying into the notion of Summer popcorn film escapism. I actually enjoyed the first Transformers, because Shia was fresh and brought a creative charisma to the lead, and I thought the script actually had a little bit of substance as a coming-of-age/boy-and-his-first-car story. But the second film's script just blew my mind in how openly nonsensical it all was. Bay seemed SO proud of all the different location filming that he just told Orci and Kurtzman to vomit words onto the page and do whatever they wanted to string set piece to set piece. And it just didn't work. If its true that this film will return to the first film's character arcs and offer up some closure, then I'm all for it. But if its anything like the second film, count me out.
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but that does not negate the fact that in that scene you have emotion and drama that you cant find it in any of Bay's movies.Compare Rourke's dramatic scene with Tyler's dramatic scene in Armageddon and tell me which one is better.
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Gawd, more Michael Bay garbage. It's really sad that the day has come where a hack like Bay can make movies as much as he does. Making money is the name of the game, and sadly his garbage makes money. The only good movie he ever did was "The Rock," and that was because it had good enough actors that he didn't have to even try to get them to act,which he doesn't do anyway. He knows how to film action with the best, but he has no sense for a good plot, good acting, or conveying emotion.
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Good to get an honest response dude. Even if I absolutely hate the flicks regardless... Pawprint wanted to give what he thought was an 'intelligent' defense of the films - but basically spent hours whinging over the 'comedy' elements and failed to address the major problems which all lie within the dire script. Despite his stupid bullshit response, the 1980's comics actually contain some really cinematic ideas that would easily convert to more complex movie plot lines - but no - that's asking too much right?Basically everything good in the first film is down to Stevo Spielberg and his E.T, remake idea. And he was RIGHT. Sadly the script for the first film doesn't follow much of this brilliant idea but fucks off on a bloody awful tangent with computer hackers and other such gay crap (yeah, it saves budget but SO FUCKING WHAT?). The second movie is worse in that is doesn't even have this - no S.S ideas and it bloody well shows - NO real plot, NO story - just random fighting crapola with no real drama to make any of this work. Just diabolically awful. Frankly given the high level of retardation this is an almost impossible task, but I applaude the effort. If Steven Spielberg had made thse films they would be a million times better. At least. But sadly he was a vague producer and his lack of commitment is obvious. Compare scripts for films like 'Back to the Future' or 'Gremlins' to this and you begin to realise the misery that has be caused.
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Partially because his views on films are frankly just shit-shitty-shit-shit, but he scares me in general. Anyone who thinks Bay is a true 'auteur' is truely fucked in the head. But he may come round my house and do some bad stabbing stuff...
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what you described applies as well with Greengrass' shooting and editing.I just watched the Bourne Trilogy and i can tell you that his action set-pieces are nicely done.you can understand what is happening the whole time,while the scenes maintain their frantic energy and intense motion.the same applies with Bay.his action sequences are nicely done and his quick editing is not that heavy as some people believe.on the other hand the Expendables tried to be a modern actioneer (80s action throwback my ass) but it failed miserably to achieve that.Not that i had problem understanding the action.The problem was that i didnt have time to enjoy the action because Sly was incapable of letting it "breathe".its like eating quickly a tasty food.you understand what you eat,but you dont give time to your tongue to explore the food's flavor.And that was caused not because the editing was very quick and the camera too shaky.it was caused because they were done by people who didnt know how to perfectly handle these modern styles of cinematography.Sly should have sticked to his more subtle style of filming action in Rambo,but i guess he wanted to attract the younger movie generation too.
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100% Dude, all that good will he built with ROCKY BALBOA and RAMBO went right out the window. It really catered to the UFC crowd which is not really my scene. Also: It bored me when people weren't getting maimed so I guess it was *slightly* entertaining. Still love you Sly!
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