Transformers2 Tagged Articles at Cinematical
'Transformers 2' Blu-ray Examines Successes, Missteps & Spectacle
Filed under: Paramount », Celebrities and Controversy », Fandom », Home Entertainment »
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has become something of a calling card for my writing in 2009, and an albatross around my neck at the same time. There's little else I wrote this year that got as much attention, and yet it's by far the most misunderstood of my many, many reviews, primarily because one sentence published on Rotten Tomatoes, and later, literally one word used in the its advertising was employed to characterize my feelings about the film. Mind you, I'm not complaining, but it's made for a sort of fascinating study among my friends and colleagues, some of whom took me at those words and those words alone, while others read the actual review I posted here on Cinematical, and for better or for worse, agree or disagree, at least understood where I was coming from.
This week, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen arrives on Blu-ray, and in the interest of thoroughness, I decided to revisit the film to see (a) how I personally felt about the film a second time, and (b) if any of the objections of its critics were explained, justified or otherwise corrected in the bonus materials. After perusing the content on both discs of the Collector's Edition Blu-ray, I'm unsure whether or not its detractors will be any more appreciative of its artistic merits; but watching it again on the small screen and augmented by the thoughts and comments of the folks responsible for the film, I at least feel as if I know where the sources of some of those problems lie.
Monday Night Poll: How Would You Grade Summer 2009?
Filed under: Fandom », Summer Movies », Polls »
If the unofficial end of summer arrives with Labor Day Weekend, then all we've got left are a few more days to discuss the summer that was before she rides off into the sunset with her billions in box office dollars and a few more sequels already green-lit. But how does she compare to the summers of the past? A quick glance shows us that, unlike 2008, this summer we didn't get a Dark Knight or an Iron Man ... though we did get a Star Trek and a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. We didn't get a Wanted, a Hellboy 2 or an Incredible Hulk, but we did get some smaller, smarter sci-fi films like Moon and District 9. Pixar came through yet again, but the rest of this summer's animation slate seemed pretty weak. Same goes for comedies, with the exception of The Hangover, which kinda made up for the disappointing Land of the Lost, Funny People, I Love You, Beth Cooper, I Hate Valentine's Day, The Ugly Truth and The Goods. Sam Raimi returned with a pretty awesome horror flick in Drag Me to Hell, though, and Harry Potter rolled in with what was perhaps his most entertaining installment of the franchise. G.I.: The Rise of Cobra surprised some with its fun, cheesy vibe, and Wolverine did just enough to score himself another go-round in Japan.
Movies I Will Never See: 'Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen'
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Dreamworks », Politics », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », ShoWest »
(Welcome to a brand new feature here on Cinematical, where members of our staff will write about films that, for one reason or another, they'll never watch. Which movies do you refuse to see? Here's Jessica with her reasons why she'll never watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.)
I've got an open mind when it comes to going to the movies. If I have a hankering to watch a movie, there's very little that a critic or fan can do to dissuade me from shelling out my hard earned dollars. But every once in a while there's a film that even I can't bring myself to watch, and Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen is one of those movies. Now, usually when I avoid watching a film, it's because I'm just not that interested in the actual movie (you know, things like story, genre, stars, etc.). But my reluctance to watch Revenge of The Fallen went way beyond indifference and into a whole new realm of 'taking a stand'.
Just to be clear, I saw the first Transformers flick and it was forgettable, but it wasn't all bad. Cut to two years later, and the new trailers for Fallen had me thinking: "Well, this certainly looks better than the last time" and I had every intention of spending an afternoon with giant robots kicking the crap out of each other. But then I saw Bay's ShoWest footage, which consisted of a crying Bumblebee living in Sam's garage while Fox stripped for no reason whatsoever ... and that was only the beginning. By the time Fallen had hit theaters I knew there was no way in hell this movie was going to get my money or my time.
After the jump: the top three reasons I will never see Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen...
The Mother of All SciFi Movies: TerminEmpireTrekAliensFormers
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », DIY/Filmmaking »
Imagine if The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, Terminator 2, Star Trek, Terminator Salvation, and Transformers 2 were all mashed up into one ginormous science fiction blowout extravaganza. It would be a huge trainwreck full of twisted metal, explosions, and a storyline that would make even Thomas Pynchon's head explode. There would be nothing left, and humanity would be doomed.
However, the trailer for said film might be digestible. YouTuber user FYWBreborn has concocted a mashup of these films into something resembling Michael Bay's wet dream, and here it is for the masses to see. Take a look after the jump as he melds scene after scene together in what would be the most expensive film ever seen, and listen to the faint sounds of a million faboys crying out in terror and suddenly being silenced.
And when you're done with that, check out his Pineapple of Solace mashup trailer, which ain't bad either.
Michael Bay Trashes Megan Fox, Talks 'Transformers 3' and 3D
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Celebrities and Controversy », Fandom », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
.jpg)
Seems like a small war is starting to brew between Michael Bay and Megan Fox, after the latter said some unflattering things about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, telling the Early Show recently that she still doesn't understand the movie and that it's apparently made for geniuses. Bay, of course, is not one to take criticism lightly -- especially from some girl who was nobody until he dropped her into the first Transformers movie.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal about the situation with Fox, he says, "Well, that's Megan Fox for you. She says some very ridiculous things because she's 23 years old and she still has a lot of growing to do. You roll your eyes when you see statements like that and think, "Okay Megan, you can do whatever you want. I got it." But I 100% disagree with her. Nick Cage wasn't a big actor when I cast him, nor was Ben Affleck before I put him in "Armageddon." Shia LaBeouf wasn't a big movie star before he did "Transformers"-and then he exploded. Not to mention Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, from "Bad Boys." Nobody in the world knew about Megan Fox until I found her and put her in "Transformers." I like to think that I've had some luck in building actors' careers with my films."
We shouldn't worry whether this war of words will hurt either person's involvement in a third Transformers movie because according to Bay that's not happening anytime soon. On a third Transformers film, he says, "I just want to take some time off. It's been almost three years that I've devoted myself entirely to this world of robots. At some point, enough is enough-and I literally carried this movie on my back. ... I don't know who [would] want to take on my shoes with this franchise. We might just take a year down."
Watch Cinematical's Todd Gilchrist Debate Devin Faraci On G4!
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Paramount », Celebrities and Controversy », Fandom », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Summer Movies », Trailers and Clips »
Optimus Prime's entire life has been leading up to this moment ... no, none of that Revenge of the Fallen stuff, but having Devin Faraci and Todd Gilchrist debate his latest installment on G4's Attack of the Show. Michael Bay's latest robotgasm has been at the center of a lot of debate and controversy all over this great Internet, and while CNN may ignore this crisis of fandom, G4 is right there to report on it.
As you know from hanging around Cinematical, Gilchrist liked the film (and was quoted by Roger Ebert in his review). Faraci hated the film, and was one of the first to really call foul on the racist robots with his scathing Little Black Sambots piece. I know from reading the comments pouring into our 1-10 poll that our readers are divided right down the middle on the film's quality and whether or not its employing questionable racist stereotypes. Therefore, you may pick one of these men as your champion, and decide who (if either) comes out victorious, before realizing Transformers' massive gross doesn't care what you think.
Watch the video after the jump
As you know from hanging around Cinematical, Gilchrist liked the film (and was quoted by Roger Ebert in his review). Faraci hated the film, and was one of the first to really call foul on the racist robots with his scathing Little Black Sambots piece. I know from reading the comments pouring into our 1-10 poll that our readers are divided right down the middle on the film's quality and whether or not its employing questionable racist stereotypes. Therefore, you may pick one of these men as your champion, and decide who (if either) comes out victorious, before realizing Transformers' massive gross doesn't care what you think.
Watch the video after the jump
Monday Night Poll: Why Did You See 'Transformers 2'?
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Paramount », Fandom », Dreamworks », Movie Marketing », Remakes and Sequels », Polls »
The numbers are in. Moviegoers worldwide voted with their hard-earned dollars (and euros and other monetary currencies) and elected to go see Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Box office receipts placed the sequel at the top of this year's heap o' blockbusters, and by the time all is said and done, the film could rank among the top box office earners of all time. But why did so many people go buy tickets? Why did you?
As pointed out by Eugene Novikov, Transformers 2 "received the most hysterically negative reviews of 2009." Only 21% of reviews by critics at Rotten Tomatoes were positive. (Surprisingly, it fared better at the pickier MetaCritic, with 36% positive.) Eugene acknowledged that it's the kind of movie that defines "critic-proof." So, obviously, critical opinion had no bearing on the box office. Why did this movie hit so big? In his analysis, industry observer David Poland felt that producer Don Murphy and director Michael Bay should be celebrated, the former "for truly believing in this concept being a big home run" and the latter "for understanding the images that will draw massive numbers of people based on 2 minutes or less of images." So was it all about the concept and the trailers?
Marketing obviously plays a huge role in determining how a movie opens, as does, to a somewhat lesser extent, the cast and director. But what was it about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that pushed your button(s), elevating it to "must see" status? Take our poll and let us know!
Insert Caption: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Filed under: Fandom », Contests », Insert Caption »
Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game that might seem like it's repeating itself from last week when in fact it's returning for a second helping of robotic awesomeness. Last week we asked you to chime in with a caption for a photo of Shia Labeouf from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Well, over 100 of you tossed some funny our way, and while we'd love to reward everyone, fact of the matter is only three get to play in the winner's circle.
1. "Megan is where? Optimus Prime did what?" -- Jacob S.
2. "What do you mean my car insurance doesn't cover damage by decepticon?" -- Mallory L.
3. "Bumblebee, I thought I told you not to call me at this number!" -- Jeremy C.
See full image and all captions
When it comes to this summer's biggest sequel, we figured it's only right to double the pleasure (and the prizes), so we're returning once again this week to caption-ize Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ... though this time we're targeting the film's other (more beautiful) co-star, Megan Fox. Now about those prizes -- this week we're giving away three copies of the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game; one for each system: Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and XBox360. Here's where you should pay attention: When leaving your comment, please specify which game you want under your caption (Wii, XBox or PS3), because our three winning captions will each represent a different gaming system. Got it? Good. Now sound off below ...
Read the official rules for this contest
1. "Megan is where? Optimus Prime did what?" -- Jacob S.2. "What do you mean my car insurance doesn't cover damage by decepticon?" -- Mallory L.
3. "Bumblebee, I thought I told you not to call me at this number!" -- Jeremy C.
See full image and all captions
When it comes to this summer's biggest sequel, we figured it's only right to double the pleasure (and the prizes), so we're returning once again this week to caption-ize Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ... though this time we're targeting the film's other (more beautiful) co-star, Megan Fox. Now about those prizes -- this week we're giving away three copies of the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game; one for each system: Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and XBox360. Here's where you should pay attention: When leaving your comment, please specify which game you want under your caption (Wii, XBox or PS3), because our three winning captions will each represent a different gaming system. Got it? Good. Now sound off below ...
Read the official rules for this contest
Scenes We Love: The Island
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Trailers and Clips », Scenes We Love »
Us critics, we don't hate Michael Bay. Well, not all of us, and not all the time. I wasn't a fan of his Transformers, nor Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and I haven't watched The Rock or Armageddon in their entirety in years, but I distinctly enjoyed 2005's The Island during its ill-fated theatrical run (gross: $35 million, cost: between three and four times that), and I still do as a decent sci-fi/action matinee outing.But how?, I've been asked. It does after all bear every other trademark of a Michael Bay outing: explosions, rampant product placement, blatant racial stereotypes, explosions, perpetual dusk lighting, explosions, and a female lead constantly flattered by her wardrobe (yeah, a real woe-is-us scenario).
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ... On a Scale of 1-10
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Paramount », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Summer Movies », Polls »
.jpg){kind=spacer}
Another week, another ginormous summer movie, and another chance for you Cinematical readers to tell us what you think in the safe, anonymous comfort of our 1-10 poll. Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has smashed its way into theaters today, and it's already kicking up a flurry of controversy for its questionable racial stereotypes and Bay's staunch belief in robot testicles. And you thought people would just be talking about Megan Fox on that motorcycle ...
Our own Todd Gilchrist called it "the most movie I have ever experienced" and assured fans that it was full of all the robot carnage their hearts could desire. "Michael Bay, condensing the cumulative total of the spectacle from all of his seven previous films into one unwieldy, gargantuan opus, has exceeded even the possibilities of sequel-driven "moreness," combining his own muscular, high-gloss sensibility with the conventions of blockbusters past, present, and probably future to create a monolithic action masterpiece that feels destined to be the biggest movie of all time ... Anyone wondering when and if filmmakers would stop being so damn sensitive about the necessary end result of an attack on the world's populace will no doubt be relieved to know that Michael Bay has filled Revenge of the Fallen with more wanton, meaningless destruction than any other movie in recent memory."
But that's just one man's opinion. Tell us yours ...
Our own Todd Gilchrist called it "the most movie I have ever experienced" and assured fans that it was full of all the robot carnage their hearts could desire. "Michael Bay, condensing the cumulative total of the spectacle from all of his seven previous films into one unwieldy, gargantuan opus, has exceeded even the possibilities of sequel-driven "moreness," combining his own muscular, high-gloss sensibility with the conventions of blockbusters past, present, and probably future to create a monolithic action masterpiece that feels destined to be the biggest movie of all time ... Anyone wondering when and if filmmakers would stop being so damn sensitive about the necessary end result of an attack on the world's populace will no doubt be relieved to know that Michael Bay has filled Revenge of the Fallen with more wanton, meaningless destruction than any other movie in recent memory."
But that's just one man's opinion. Tell us yours ...
_thumbnail.jpg)
'New Moon' Smashes 'Dark Knight's' Opening Day Record!
Black Friday Movie Deals: Best Buy
Sex and Nudity Don't Draw You to the Movies?
What Makes a Real Vampire?
Robert Downey Jr. Wants to Retire?
_thumbnail.jpg)
