This man has more money than you.
Ok, I’ve not seen Transformers the Second, nor have I seen Transformers pere. Nor do I intend to. But, looking at all the blogging in blog-land, all the critical fulminating and foaming-at-the-mouth — some of which is by bloggers and critics I consider to be friends — all I can say is CHILL OUT, for God’s sake. It’s like, don’t go see the damn thing if you’re not going to like it, and I assure you: you’re not going to like it.
It’s like clockwork. Like the return of the swans, or swallows, or whatever they are, to Capistrano. It’s predictable as hell, Michael Bay is going to make a piece of sh*t movie, it’s going to make a ton of money, and critics are going to whine about it in multitudinous articles, filling up column-inches or column-pixels, telling us that it’s the end of movies as we know it when, in reality, it’s just another piece of sh*t Michael Bay movie.
And Bay just eggs ‘em on. Here’s what he said in the Los Angeles Times:
“I think they reviewed the wrong movie. They just don’t understand the movie and its audience. It’s silly fun,” Bay said over the weekend of the many “Transformers” critical detractors. “I am convinced that they are born with the anti-fun gene. The reviews are just so vicious. A lot of them are more personal than anything else.”
What it really is, of course, is a big fat circle jerk, where everybody gets something from the affair. Bay gets press for his latest abortion, the critics and bloggers and associated blatherers get something to fulminate about, Bay gets press for his latest abortion, the critics and bloggers and associated blatherers get something to fulminate about, and round and round it goes.
Ah, those lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer.
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You make some good points, but once one has made the mistake of seeing Transformers 2, then you have to do something to heal the pain. The film is too traumatizing otherwise.
I haven’t seen either. Have no intention of doing so.
Don’t give a flying F. The end.
Way to tell em, Rick.
Tee hee…
FilmDr, I feel your pain. But it’s self-inflicted, you know.
Thanks, Miranda.
I really like the idea of everyone just collectively deciding to ignore Michael Bay. Not gonna happen, but I like the idea.
Then again, while I have no plans to see Transformers 2, and the few minutes of the first Transformers I’ve seen on TV were painful beyond belief, I really got a kick out of Roger Ebert’s two pieces on this film, some of the funniest stuff I’ve seen him do.
I’m with Miranda – Michael Bay barely registers on my radar. Especially when there’s a new Woody Allen movie out – for which my review was posted 3 days ago, but NO ONE has read!!! Waaaah!!! (whining ended now.)
But like Ed, I do love to read Roger Ebert when he gets all pissy about Bay’s films, or others that he hates.
I hate to say it, but Bay is kind of right in his quote. Not about the ‘anti-fun gene’, because that’s a stereotype about film critics that I can’t stand, but about how the negative reviews are vicious and are just senseless mud slinging. Just saying Michael Bay is an idiot who makes idiot movies does not supplant critical analysis.
I also hate the notion that Bay’s films are somehow indicative of a bankrupt film culture— brainless critics using only the lowest-common-denominator films to prove an agenda that simply isn’t true. Instead of throwing mud at Michael Bay, why not use that energy to call attention to under-sung films that prove that good movies are indeed being made? Because press criticism is (for the most part) just advertising, and even these negative reviews contribute to the discourse surrounding this turd of a movie (just guessing) and get the word out. As Barnum said, just make sure you spell my name right.
I really like the idea of everyone just collectively deciding to ignore Michael Bay. Not gonna happen, but I like the idea.
I think he’s like a demon who gets power every time someone mentions his name. If you think about it, that’s kind of like the whole movie industry thing. No press is bad press.
But, Ed, I DID like that piece by Ebert. I thought it was hilarious.
Pat, I’ll never willingly see am entire Transformers movie. When I heard some people I respect say the first one wasn’t bad. I caught a few minutes on TV and I wondered what they’d been smoking and where I could get me some.
Ryan, I think he indeed is right, kinda … He has been the guy critics like to bash for the sake of bashing for some time now. The “Anti-fun” gene thing is him just being amart ass.
Of course it’s a back-scratchin’ kind of game. As I said in the piece, Bay says outrageous things and promotes his movie, the critics get to rage and fill column-inches, and everybody goes home happy.
Rick-
I’m glad you said this.
I am definitely guilty of ripping the filmmakers/actor I dislike, but I don’t really see the point with Bay anymore. I’m not a fan of Bay’s, but the argument just seems like old hat. Weren’t we having this same talk back when Bad Boys (or whatever) was out?
I wanna see Transformers 2 for two reasons:
1. I liked the first one. Truly. Now, I realized people that liked the first one (like Ebert) have torn apart the new one, but still, I though the first one was dumb fun and I though Shia LaBeouf and John Turturo were good in it.
2. Secondly, I’m always drawn to things that people say are “racist” b/c I always wanna get in on that debate. Thing is, I knew this was coming when I saw the hip-hop robots in the trailer. I have a feeling I will think people are overreacting, but who knows, I haven’t seen it yet.
Hey, Rick! Let’s both go see it this weekend and blog about it all next week! Sounds awesome!
Weren’t we having this same talk back when Bad Boys (or whatever) was out?
Yup.
And you’re one of those people I respect who liked the first one that I mentioned in my comment to Pat. Can’t go with you there on that one, bro.
It would be fun to go see T-2 and blog about it with you, but I don’t know if it’s worth sitting through the torture that I suspect might ensue.
But it might be kind of cool … maybe we could do a couple of posts, one of us could start off and then the other rebut, or something …
Thank you for agreeing with me, Pat. I love it when people agree with me.
Everyone should agree with me all the time. Constantly. Day in, day out. 24/7 – on everything.
They don’t. But they should.
*stamps china doll feet*
And I did read your BRILLIANT WOODY ALLEN piece. I DID. And so did some other people. You even got comments.
Tell Pat that you read it, Rick? PLEASE?
You have china doll feet? I have this image in my head …
And I did read Pat’s piece on Woody, and liked it. And I told her over at her site.
Well, Rick…
For a blonde with Scarlett Johanssonesque curves, I am quite delicately made for someone who’s 5′9″ and 140 pounds.
My hands are smaller than some grade school children. My regular shoe size throughout adolescence and on into my early twenties was a 6. Now I sometimes take a 7 1/2 or even an 8. Makes no sense. But I think shoe sizes have gotten as screwy as clothing designations the last few years.
Hah hah. Settle down, preacher man.
You’re been an absolute sweetheart to me. (As you are to everyone.) So I do care about your welfare.
I wouldn’t want you to strain anything…