What’s summer blockbuster season without a little Michael Bay Go Boom?  A cold, lonely season, that’s what.  The folks at Transformers: Dark of the Moon want you to wet your whistle with a sneak-peek at the latest movie in the Transformers series.  The Apple Web site has the first peek at this new trailer. This looks awesome, and it would make a fantastic double-bill with the upcoming Apollo 18.  Though I’m guessing Transformers should be the second movie up, ’cause after the amazing special effects (a building cut in half?  The moon getting shredded?)  Well, maybe Apollo‘s more suspenseful, less action-packed film would be a come-down.

Check out the trailer Right Here!

Quick synopsis:

When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us. The movie stars Shia LaBeouf, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey, Kevin Dunn, with John Malkovich and Frances McDormand.

The film opens nationwide July 1st.  Boom!

Transformers director Michael Bay may be adding a dimension to the third installment in the hugely profitable action series.

In interviews following the release of last year’s remarkably successful Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen, Bay hinted at a slight distaste for the rash of recent 3D blockbusters, regarding them as “gimmicks.” However, it now seems that he is looking into 3D technology to possibly be utilized during the filming of Transformers 3, set for release by summer of next year.

During an interview on Starz’s In The House, Bay touched on the rumors:

“It’s a process we’re testing with some ‘Transformers‘ scenes,” he said. “How successful it is with my movie in terms of a lot of real stuff coming out of the frame, real dirt, real complicated little particles coming towards the lens, because hopefully that process will work. I’ve seen some tests that look great on other movies. I just want to see how it looks on my footage.”

Bay has also elaborated occasionally on his reasons for not jumping into Hollywood’s 3D  party:

“The way I shoot is too aggressive for 3D cameras. It’s a time consuming thing,” said Bay. “Who knows… It might be a fad. I’m kinda old school. I’m old school because I like to shoot on film. I like anamorphic lenses, and that is old school.”

However, many people are speculating that Bay may only be looking into the “process” of converting his film into 3D in post-production, which would barely affect his on-set filming style at all, and could only hope to increase the already guaranteed huge returns.

Look, I’m not sure anyone knows what “old school” Bay studied at, considering his penchant for gigantic robot action and explosion-overkill that leaves his audiences senseless and reeling (and most often, not in a good way,) but I guess it’s commendable that he at least wants to save time an money during shooting. I guess you need to take all the precautions you can with your equipment when your entire career already relies on insanely expensive destruction.

So let’s take a vote: Transformers 3 in 3D or not? (And we WILL be accepting votes of “kill the whole series, please.”)

Producer Timur Bekmambetov, the Russian director behind Night Watch, Wanted, and 9, has released the trailer for his new film Black Lightning. While you probably won’t understand a word of the trailer unless you’re fluent in Russian, the visuals tell the story entirely: a boy gets a flying car and begins to fight crime and win the heart of his woman with it. Like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with sleeker visuals and heightened violence!

I’m quite honestly not sure what to think of this quite yet. Bekmambetov has described the film as “the Russian response to Transformers and Batman.” I’m not sure it comes across as anything but insane at the moment. The film is directed by Alexandr Voitinsky and Dmitriy Kiselev. Check out the trailer below!

Action movie director Michael Bay appears again, in the form of his own message board for his latest announcement. He comes out with what is the latest on the third film in the Transformers movie franchise, along with a snippet for actress Megan Fox to read:

Well its official: We have a great Transformers 3 story. The release date is now July 1st 2011. Not 2012.

Today is Day One. This morning started with an ILM meeting for five hours in San Francisco. Currently I’m flying with writer Ehren Kruger to Rhode Island to talk to Hasbro about new characters.

P.S. Megan Fox, welcome back. I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture. Please consult your Physician when working under my direction because some side effects can occur, such as mild dizziness, intense nausea, suicidal tendencies, depression, minor chest hair growth, random internal hemorrhaging and inability to sleep. As some directors may be hazardous to your health, please consult your Doctor to determine if this is right for you.

Pain and Gain is right after shooting of Trans 3.

Michael

Now it appears that the Hasbro toy line inspired soon-to-be trilogy will obviously start locking in for full on filming sometime next year with its brand new 2011 release. The latest installment, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, took over worldwide and made a hefty profit with an estimated $832 million. Thanks to Coming Soon! for this bit of news.

This past week, I revisited the Back to the Future trilogy, directed by Robert Zemeckis. These films essentially laid the groundwork for Michael J. Fox’s career — the man is synonymous with Marty McFly. The movies are a mad dash, guaranteed to raise your stress level and blood pressure no matter how many times you see them. I swear, I always think Dr. Emmett Brown and Marty are going to miss their one lighting quick chance to send Marty back to the future in the first film, despite watching it happen probably hundreds of times.

They got me thinking though — do we have any young actors like Fox in these films, frantic but cool, likeable but authoritative? Do any young guys have a role that’s so synonymous with their name that they’ll never be able to part from it?

Shia LeBeouf, for example, is probably most closely associated with the Transformers movies. As Sam Witwicky, he has the Spielbergian frantic nature of the young male role down pat. He’s aloof and certainly likeable (perhaps diminished by his off-screen personality, in some people’s opinions). But I never felt while watching those films that he was supposed to be anything but “cool.” Marty McFly was cool, but also in over his head, naive and fairly stupid. LeBeouf actually probably comes closer to resembling this in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a role that he was pretty hated for.

It seems that Hollywood has been unable to tether young actors to blockbuster roles the way Fox has forever been tied to McFly. Heath Ledger will obviously be legendary for his work as The Joker, but he was approaching his thirties, and certainly The Joker wasn’t a hero. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, despite turning in stunningly great performances, doesn’t conjure up a particular name other than his own.

Daniel Radcliffe is the only actor, in my mind, who has achieved this — he is the face of the Harry Potter franchise, and likely always will be. Perhaps Robert Pattinson in Twilight, as much as it hurts me to say, embodies this as well? Michael Cera still has a chance, as does Emile Hirsch, to become the face of a series or franchise that a generation can connect to.

Two notes before I’m out of here — first, this isn’t to say that young actors aren’t turning in good work. In fact, I’d argue that the shift from big blockbuster roles to more sophisticated character pieces is a great thing that’s happened. I’d much rather see Emile Hirsch turn in a wonderful performance in Milk than another Speed Racer, and Gordon-Levitt’s (500) Days of Summer was as relatable to me as a young man as any big blockbuster could hope to be.

Second: I’m not excluding female actors for any reason other than I intend to write more about their presence in big Hollywood films in the future. That, and I think the male dominance in pop culture-accessible roles like Marty McFly in Back to the Future has shifted to a female dominance in a big, big way.

Till next time, folks.

Undoubtedly due to the success of Michael Bay’s little art house Transformers pictures and Stephen Sommers’ surprisingly entertaining G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (not to mention a whole slew of popular LEGO-themed video games), we might be in for a Warner Bros. LEGO film.

Variety is currently reporting that writers Dan and Kevin Hageman are crafting a family-oriented LEGO movie that will combine animation with live action in “an action adventure set in a LEGO world.” Dan Lin, who is currently  producing Sherlock Holmes and Robert Rodriguez’s new family film Shorts will produce the film under Lin Pictures.

The aforementioned Transformers and G.I. Joe have been the testing ground for box office success drawn from toy-based films, and with the second Transformers film gathering over $800 million in gross revenue, the floodgates have opened for a variety of franchises to try out the cinema waters.  With a built-in audience derived from family-friendly film seekers and a seemingly ubiquitous presence of LEGO products in every child’s toy chest, Warner Bros. is sure to have at least a modest success on their hands.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is the film that just won’t die. Just when you think that the headiness of its debut was over, boom, the damn thing picks up steam and is closing in on becoming the biggest movie of the year.

Not bad for a film that can not find a friend in the press.

The critic/audience gap aside, our pals over at Moviemistakes.com alerted us to the obscene amount of blunders made during production. MM counted 40 mistakes, which makes the Michael Bay feature the “most mistake-ridden movie of the year”, surpassing the 19 goofs from Angels & Demons.

Any chance to post a pic of Megan Fox, I will take it.

My favorite mistake: When Sam is brought to the cemetery to meet Optimus, you can see the green mark on the grass where Sam is supposed to stand while talking to him.

Check out the site for more goodness.

While you’re here, how about you check out Atomic Popcorn’s review of the film from our crack staff of cinematic bloviators?

Matthew Snider – “Bay does know what he is doing whether you like him or not; he put together some of the cleanest actions shots around, if you ask me.”

Philip Barret – “As much as audiences believed a man could fly in 1978, they’ll certainly buy that Spielberg and Bay are keeping the Autobots hidden somewhere in an abandoned Hollywood lot.”

Erik Buckman – “One can have all the BOOM, hotness and amazing special effects they want but if the story is a mind-numbing waste of time, then the movie is an epic fail. Exhibit A: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

Generally, I like Michael Bay and will defend the guy when my peers and others claim he’s terrible or one of the worst people alive in the world today. The guy knows what he makes even if he indulges in himself a little too much at times. His films (outside of that bastardization of an attack) never try to be anything more than the sum of their parts, even Armageddon which should never be taken seriously to begin with. Seemingly he’s a perfect fit for the Transformers franchise as the series was always about giant robots kicking the crap out of the other. This theory was proven correct with the first film even if it leaned too much to the side of the humans and not enough on the robots. What it did have though was Steven Spielberg guiding Bay through it to make sure Michael didn’t fly off the handle like had in previous pictures. The result? A solid, if problematic film that reintroduced the Autobots and Decepticons pretty well for a new generation of fans.

Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen lacks the touch Spielberg had on the first film and definitely feels more “Michael Bay” than the first. Both good and bad are going to come with that so let’s focus on the good parts first. Like the first picture, this film features breathtaking, even groundbreaking visual effects that better earn Bay’s team the Oscar this year that they were unjustly robbed of in 2007. As much as audiences believed a man could fly in 1978, they’ll certainly buy that Spielberg and Bay are keeping the Autobots hidden somewhere in an abandoned Hollywood lot. Understandably, this makes the action take a hit as far as framing is concerned at times. However, it’s likely the already large budget wouldn’t allow for the effects to show off long shots of two robots smacking into the other so, at least here, it’s understandable why things might be shot tighter than usual. Many will disagree, but it doesn’t make the action any less thrilling as we witness a true maestro of entertainment at work. The last time this marriage of effects and sound were so revolutionary was back in 1991 with a little picture called Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

We've been here before, Prime. 1986?

Unlike that film though, Revenge of The Fallen lacks the backbone Cameron’s masterpiece had with it’s story. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (also with help from Ethan Kruger), who were forgiven for their numerous plot holes andinconsistencies on Star Trek, will not suffer the same fate here. Yes, it’s Transformers and the script needs to be taken with a grain of salt but they did a decent job of making the first a fun, action romp with a little bit of fat. Like everything else that’s bigger in this movie, Transformers 2 is bloated and could very easily lose a good chunk of it’s filler. The lovey-dovey stuff with Sam (Shia LaBeouf) and Mikaela (Megan Fox) feels very forced like it’s from a poorly written sitcom. Granted Bay has never been one to direct expert character scenes, but when he’s not given much to go by it’s disastrous. The entire, “will they, or won’t they?” when it comes to the pair saying ‘I love you’ is tedious and bogs the film down.

Things get progressively worse when Sam finally makes it to college and Sam’s mother (played by Julie White) “accidentally” eats pot-brownies. Not only is the scene factually incorrect even for the movie’s standards, but it does nothing at all for the plot. Neither does a later scene where both of the parents are kidnapped by the Decepticons and later released. The script does nothing with this subplot and has it happen for the sake of happening. The same philosophy is true for the female Terminator….I mean Decepticon female named Alice (Isabel Lucas). Forgetting that any male in his right mind wouldn’t drop Megan Fox, this character doesn’t affect the plot in any way and should have been left out so the money could have been spent to having more of Optimus whipping some serious ass at the end of the movie. Plus, if you’re going to have The Fallen announce on television that they’re after Sam, what was the point of having the female Deceptinator in the first place?

Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson return as Lennox and Epps who get the most interesting plot of all of the humans. The flick opens even bigger and better than the first with their squad NEST and the Autobots weeding out the Decepticons remaining on Earth. Now the stereotypical government douche who wants to shut everything down is present, but even then these are the films most engaging and best parts. Partially this is due to the humans treating the Autobots as actual characters and not pretty things to stand around. Sadly they get the least screen time in lieu of Sam, Mikaela and a new character named Leo (Ramon Rodriguez) meeting up with Agent Simmons and a robot humping Megan Fox’s leg. That’s right, even the comedy in this film is expanded and often times, it’s juvenile and stupid. Speaking of Simmons, it’s a true to delight to have Turturro’s role expanded in this flick as he was one of the best human characters of the last outing. Also a delight is to see him helping Sam this time instead of making fun of him, as well as seeing he knew more about the Transformers than he let on.

Now’s time to talk about the real stars of the films, the Transformers. Peter Cullen returns as Optimus Prime and as always, he’s the best of the bunch. He also seems to be given more to do as he’s on screen seemingly more than he was in Transformers. The ‘plot’ of the film really does center on him and Bay certainly showcases Prime a lot more than before. If anyone gets shafted the most on time it’s Bumblebee, who all but drops out of the narrative for the climax. He dishes out some beatings as all hell is breaking loose, but most of the time he’s forgotten in the last battle unless Sam calls for him. Ironhide and Ratchet are also hugely reduced and just show up at the beginning, middle and end of the movie when the movie needs them. It’s discouraging considering how prominent they where in the previous flick. The twins, Skids and Mudflap, will either offend or be embraced and there’s no bones about that. They’re true stereotypes and if one can get past that, they’ll find some pretty humorous lines by the pair. Sideswipe is a nice addition even if he just looks pretty and the only female Autobot, Arcee, feels all but useless.

As for the Decepticons, Megatron is brought back to life to wreak more havoc and due battle with Optimus. Starscream joins him and the two continue the banter that they’ve always had throughout the years. The big kahuna here is Devastator, a Constructicon that forms from eight other Decepticons. He’s briefly seen and ultimately feels wasted when we get to his resolution. The other Decepticon making his debut is The Fallen, who is one of the original Transformers in this mythology. He’s after The Matrix of Leadership, which will either bring peace or destroy us all. He gets the most exposition which slows the film down. Yes, he’s big and he’s bad but there’s no need for fifty scenes explaining his origins or why the pyramids are important when we see him in the very beginning. Soundwave makes his big screen debut and they use him perfectly as a satellite that feeds the Decepticons information. Rounding out the main Transformers, Jetfire appears and does most of the talking explaining where The Fallen came from and just like his old stature, bores the audience.

In the end, Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen sets out to be the most epic film in the history of epicness. The visual effects, action, and scenes with the Autobots are the brightest lights in this picture. When the film shifts focus to Sam and Mikaela it falters terribly and loses way too much steam for a good hour before the finale comes to a close. It’s not the fault of Michael Bay so much is it is the terrible screenplay he’s given to work with. It’s full of boring exposition and ridiculous plot holes that you could drive Optimus Prime through. The complaints of the film running too long are legitimate, as the movie could easily lose some of it’s more ridiculous scenes and still have the same effect and above all, feel tighter. However, parts of the film are pure fun and fantastic when the film works. Transformers 2 is what it is, and never tries to be anything more than the sum of it’s epic parts. Next time though, let’s hope the parts are finely tuned and tighter.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆