New Victoria's Secret Ad by Michael Bay
'Ninja Turtles' Title
Michael
TMNT Creator Kevin Eastman Praises Michael Bay's Vision
Sources: Comicbookmovie.com / FaceBook
TMNT Co-Writer Peter Laird Speaks on TMNT Movie
But I would actually encourage TMNT fans to swallow the "chill pill" Mr. Bay recently suggested they take, and wait and see what might come out of this seemingly ill-conceived plan. It's possible that with enough truly creative brainpower applied to this idea, it might actually work. I'm not saying it's probable, or even somewhat likely… but it IS possible.
However, as I have pondered this further, I have realized that in one way it IS truly a genius notion. Let me explain…
Over the years, I have made no secret of my distaste for what I consider to be the weak, facile, creatively bankrupt idea which can be summed up like this:
"If FOUR Ninja Turtles are good, then FIVE (or more) Ninja Turtles MUST be better!"
It was in large part this brain-dead notion that led to the creation of the execrable "Venus de Milo" character in the blessedly short-lived live action TV series "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation". And I can't tell you how many times we got mail in the early years of the Turtles from people who thought it was simply an amazing idea to do a "fifth Turtle", and how many times those same people suggested that this fifth Turtle be named "Picasso". And many times, the brilliant idea to explain this extra Turtle was that, instead of there being just four pet shop turtles in that glass bowl in the origin story, there were really FIVE.
Sigh.
I'll admit -- I have played with the idea of more Turtles myself, a few times. There was the character of "Kirby", the "fifth Turtle" that Kevin Eastman and I came up with for one of the several movie ideas which never came to fruition. And I created the "Super Turtles" in Volume 4 of the TMNT comics published by Mirage… and they eventually appeared in one episode of the 4Kids animated TMNT TV series.
But…
… in both those instances, I was careful to make these Turtles not just MORE of the same, i.e. just extra TMNT. In both of the above cases, the extra Turtles were from other dimensions… and the Super Turtles, especially, were VERY different from the Ninja Turtles. I don't remember all the details of the work we did on that "Kirby the Fifth Turtle" thing, but I DO remember being adamant that if we were going to agree to the idea of a "fifth Turtle", it would have to be something other than the harebrained "there was an extra Turtle in the bowl, etc." idea.
Is that too fine a line? Yeah, maybe… but to my way of thinking, anyway, it is a CLEAR line.
Anyway, to get back to the "TMNT are aliens" thing -- the reason I say it could be a "genius" idea is that -- for the first time -- someone has come up with a way to have as many freakin' Turtles as they want. I mean, if the TMNT are actually members of an alien race, there could be a whole PLANET of them!
Joy. -- PL
Source: Peter Laird's TMNT Blog
TMNT Fans
Michael
Source: S4TE Forums
An Apology
Dear Michael,
Chris O'Dowd here, are as you probably know me, that loudmouth Irish shit. Or even more likely, Chris O'Who?
It seems some offensive words have been cast in your direction in the last day or two, seemingly from my own potty mouth. I thought it important to apologise and try and set the record straight, though I understand if I don't hear back from you.
First and foremost, let me say how difficult it is to compose an apology while galloping aimlessly atop the highest of high horses.
Please know this, I never called you an asshole. For one, I don't know you, and secondly, in Ireland, we say Arse.
More importantly, I Never called you sexist. I was quizzed as to why Megan Fox is considered such a nightmare to work with (which was not my experience when i worked with her twice this year) And What I actually said was; 'The way the Press gleefully dealt with the firing of a young woman was one of the most sexist things I've ever seen. People shouldn't revel in seeing anyone lose a job. The dismissal of an old male actor would never have been welcomed with the same joy and ridicule.'
It was naive of me to assume a remark aimed at the sexism in the entertainment press would reach its target in the entertainment press. I'm new to all this and that was stupid of me. You clearly got caught in the crossfire and I'm sorry about that.
I'm actually sorry I ever took the bait and got into this at all. I'm totally ignorant about it, I've never even had a conversation with Megan about it and was clearly too full of bravado and bereft of subtlety to defend a co-star professionally.
Anyway, I genuinely feel bad if this has hurt your feelings. It was always unlikely we'd ever work together given our differing genres and my own general physical ineptitude. But I hate the idea of offending anyone unnecessarily, that's really not me. So please accept this apology with the sincerity from which it comes.
Please let me know if there's anything else I can do.
Have a wonderful St. Patrick's day.
Sorry,
Chris.
(the Arsehole)
'Luck' Correction
The producer of the 'Luck' is Michael Mann, not Michael Bay.
'Pain & Gain' Audition
Hopefully, it doesn't get into the wrong hands.
Michael
Pain and Gain Info / Hollywood Reporter Correction
Michael
A Math Equation
So I looked into this Razzie thingy. Sounds like a fruit cocktail but it is an apparent award for they say “the worst in film” by respected judges.
On their website you can join to be Judge! Holy shit, for $40 I could actually use my credit card to be a one! So I joined (I didn’t want the INNER SANCTUM membership for $75, because it sounds too much like Rectum). The $100 one for “GUARANTEED ANONYMITY” sounds kind of cool for the pure Internet lifer-hater-living-their-whole-life-behind-a-computer-wishing-they-could-of-done-something-other-then-hate-the-ones-that-are-doing. But the price was steep.
I’m a judge now $40 bucks with a newsletter included. I must say the Razzie Reporter Newsletter rocks!
So here's the math, made by a young PA in the office:
- Directed nine movies
- One movie tanked at the box office
- 4th Highest Grossing Director of All Time according to BoxOffice Mojo
- Youngest age in the top ten Grossing directors according to Boxoffice Mojo
- Bay most likely has received the most Razzie nominations as a director ever has
- Transformers Dark of the Moon: 140 million people around the world attended
- Transformers Dark of the Moon box-office $1.123 billion dollars.
- Transformers Dark of the Moon received 7 Noms this year
- Transformers Dark of the Moon is 4th highest grossing movie of All Time (the last Harry Potter is 3rd , and last Lord of the Rings is 5th).
- The next most attended movie Nominee is Jack and Jill, 4.2 million people.
- Transformers Dark of the Moon made $1.20 billion more dollars then the next Nominee Jack and Jill
- Number of Razzie Judges: 423
- Razzie Judges with Emperor packages: 13 (not sure what special shit they get)
Okay so now…
430 judges vote + 140 million people saw it + 712 Paramount Studio employees are smiling = 1 Very Happy Director
Michael
Transformers Dark of The Moon and The Oscars
Achievement in Sound Editing
Hugo wins here, which is stupid. Drive was nominated because it was loud and realistic, but I don’t think that overcomes Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which created an amazing and realistic immersive experience that was well thought out. Say what you will about the movie or Bay, but the film is cutting edge and sounded amazing.
Achievement in Sound Mixing
Again, Hugo doesn’t hold a candle to Transformers. The action film is ignored because it’s perceived as being big, loud, and stupid, when it is actually big, loud, and technically crafted amazingly in several departments. Hate the film, you can’t ignore the layers of sound work here.
Achievement in Visual Effects + This is What’s Wrong with the Oscars Part 2
The childish Hugo again wins, inexplicably. I don’t think Deathly Hallows had the consistency in its effects work to win here. Many were cheering Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but I don’t think that wins here either – what was the achievement? More facial mocap? Big whoop. The technology being utilized here is Lord of the Rings stuff plus the hair texturing of King Kong. It’s not groundbreaking. I liked Real Steel, which had some pretty great effects, but the king of the pile here is Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
This is again what’s wrong with the Oscar’s. They don’t want to give Transformers an Academy Award, despite the fact that it is utterly amazing visually. Michael Bay has a bad reputation in some professional circles and a lot of people consider him to be a bad director – so what? This isn’t about good people and this category actually isn’t about “good” movies. Transformers is at least competent in every department, but when it comes to visual effects, this film is retardedly amazing. The robots move more realistically than the apes in Rise, and they seamlessly interact with the physical environment. The effects are blended perfectly.
Further, the film breaks ground in processing power and what’s possible on the screen. Each of the Transformers is made up of hundreds, if not tens of thousands, of pieces that are animated. There was a time when just putting one of those guys on screen was impossible, yet now a battle can rage with dozens of Transformers fighting dozens of flying vehicles while buildings collapse in the background. This just isn’t about the robots, it’s about the entire digital landscape collapsing around them. Dark of the Moon was fucking robbed.
Source: filmschoolrejects.com
Transformers 4 Update
FIRST UP FOR THE PROLIFIC FILMMAKER IS “PAIN AND GAIN” STARRING MARK WAHLBERG AND DWAYNE “THE ROCK” JOHNSON, FOLLOWED BY A NEW INSTALLMENT IN THE HUGELY POPULAR “TRANSFORMERS ” FRANCHISE, TO BE RELEASED ON JUNE 29TH, 2014
HOLLYWOOD, CA (February 13, 2012) – Paramount Pictures announced today that director Michael Bay has signed a two-picture deal with the studio, which will commence this spring with the filming of “Pain and Gain,” and will be followed by the next installment in the hit “Transformers” franchise.
Based on a true story, “Pain and Gain” follows a group of bodybuilders who engaged in a campaign of kidnapping, extortion and murder in Florida. First told in an article from the Miami New Times, “Pain and Gain,” will be directed by Bay and will star Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Expected to begin production in early spring, the movie’s producers include Bay, Donald De Line and Ian Bryce.
Following “Pain and Gain,” Bay will bring audiences a new take on the “Transformers” franchise as he begins production on the fourth installment in the hit series of movies based on the best-selling Hasbro toyline. The third, and most recent installment of the franchise, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” is the fourth highest global grossing film of all time with 1.124 billion dollars of worldwide box office success. Directed by Bay, the movie will re-unite the filmmaking team from the hit franchise, including producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Don Murphy, Tom DeSanto and Ian Bryce; and executive producers Steven Spielberg, Bay, Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian. Paramount Pictures will release the film on June 27th, 2014.
“Michael has been working on PAIN AND GAIN for a number of years but has patiently waited for the perfect casting to trigger a start," said Adam Goodman, President of Paramount’s Film Group. "Clearly his patience has paid off as we couldn't be more excited about this combo. His passion for this project is just awesome."
Read the complete press release.
Michael Bay Talks Transformers 4, Pain & Gain
That starts filming at the end of March. I might then jump onto a very cool television show my company Platinum Dunes is selling to a major cable network. It might be my first pilot I might potentially direct. We are still working out the details of the deal.
-Michael Bay
Transformers 3 Oscars VFX Reel
Hansel and Gretel
Michael Bay
Transformers Limited Edition Available Today
You can either buy it at Amazon or Walmart of $89.99.
There will be only 5,000 of these made.
Here are the specs for the Limited Collectors Edition.
Here are the specs for the 3D Blu-ray Edition.
Pre-order them at Amazon.com now!
Transformers Limited Collector's Edition
There will be only 5,000 of these made.
Here are the specs for the Limited Collectors Edition.
Here are the specs for the 3D Blu-ray Edition.
Pre-order them at Amazon.com now!
Michael Bay Addresses Transformers 4 Rumors
-Michael Bay
'Pain & Gain' + The Rock
After a decade in development, Michael Bay's "Pain and Gain," a low-budget (by his standards) dark comedy about bodybuilders, is finally moving forward, as Dwayne Johnson is in early talks to topline the long-gestating pic.
Based on a Miami New Times article from 1999, "Pain and Gain" will follow a pair of Florida bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.
"Captain America" scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely wrote the original script and have compared its tone to the Coen brothers' "Fargo," which was also based on a true crime story.
Long-gestating dark comedy, which is said to carry a modest $20 million price tag and does not yet have an official greenlight, is set up at Paramount and will be produced by Bay and Donald De Line, who has been involved with the project since 2001.
Follow Michael Bay Dot Com and The Rock on Twitter.
Transformers The Ride debuts in Singapore
Nelson here…
Michael was recently in Singapore for the opening of Transformers The Ride. You can read about it below.
From what I've heard from fans, "It was a great ride. A sort of a movie Transformers fan's heaven" is how they describe it.
SINGAPORE: The world's first theme park attraction based on the Transformers franchise opened at Universal Studios Singapore on Friday.
And appearing alongside the Autobots was director-producer, Michael Bay, who did not rule out the possibility of another Transformers sequel.
Mr Bay made a grand entrance in a 2010 edition of the Chevrolet Camaro, which is the same car featured in the Transformers film franchise.
With a touch of the Allspark - the life force of the robots - TRANSFORMERS The Ride officially opened after nearly four years in the making.
Standing nearly three metres tall, Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, and the much loved Bumblebee are undoubtedly the star attractions.
The latest attraction promises to bring the ultimate 3-D battle between the Autobots and Decepticons with groundbreaking visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic, a division of Lucasfilm.
It is also one of the most expensive rides at Universal Studios Singapore with Mr Bay lending his creative input on its development.
He said the process was similar to directing a movie, only with a ride element thrown in.
Mr Bay said: "I tried to help them sculpt the story and figure out what type of shots we'd like to do, what type of characters we can use. They also had some great ideas.....on how the simulators work, how it mixed with the photography and the shots that we need."
Transformers fans will get to ride inside a never-before featured Autobot called EVAC and whizz through tunnels, cityscapes and across rooftops.
With the opening of the new attraction, Universal Studios is expecting to rake in its highest attendance in December. It did not disclose any figures.
The same ride will make its debut at Universal Studios Hollywood by May next year.
For fans wanting to catch these fighting machines on another big-screen adventure, Mr Bay did not rule out another sequel.
Mr Bay: "How did I know someone's going to ask me this question today? We're talking about it, but there's nothing right now. I'm going to do a tiny movie first, then we'll talk about it, if I potentially do it."
He added that if he is to produce another Transformers movie, it will feature the latest in cinema technology.
Source: Channel NewsAsia
Michael Bay Weighs In on the Importance of Sound
This story first appeared in the Dec. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
The Hollywood Reporter: You have quite a large below-the-line team.
Michael Bay: Roughly 3,000 people worked on this Transformers. Some have been with me since 1995's Bad Boys. The people I work with are animals. They're passionate. It irks me that VFX and VFX movies aren't considered art. It's a different type of art, but it's definitely art.
THR: How important is sound to your films?
Bay: Sound has been a major part of my movies. It's something I love and put a huge emphasis on. The sound on this film is the most complex I've ever done. The Transformers sound team invents sounds, and they start very early. It's a long, creative process, and nothing for this movie is off-the-shelf.
THR: What did you use to create some of the sound that became part of The Driller's "voice"?
Bay: At one point, we worked with an orangutan whose trainer said to sound designer Erik Aadahl, "Turn your back and put your keys to the side. I'm going to steal your keys when the orangutan is watching. He'll go crazy because he can't imagine the injustice of what's going on."
THR: Can you discuss the Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound mix in the climactic Chicago destruction sequence?
Bay: [Rerecording mixer] Greg Russell said reel seven [the destruction of Chicago, including The Driller] was the hardest of his career. He said it had 30,000 fades [audio files], and the entire [Pro Tools audio postproduction system] locked up.
They had to call the engineers who developed the program to fix it. They had never heard of a reel having 30,000 fades.
THR: Didn't the movie also crash ILM's computer system?
Bay: It was the scene where The Driller destroys Chicago. It was single-handedly the most complex shot ILM has ever done in its history. They had to hijack the entire computer system over the weekends to get the shots finished.
Source: THR
Comment on Gossip Sites
I know this because I talked to the photographer who took the pic. He told me "this is how I make my living". I'm glad to have helped in any job creation I can in America. Now with the facts straight can I get back to prepping my new movie?
People's Choice Awards
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Michael Bay's Need For Speed TV Ad
Transformers 3 Is The 4th Highest Grossing Film of All Time
In other news, the TF3 DVD/Blu-ray debuted at the #1 spot with 64% of the sales being Blu-ray.
Sources: BoxOffice Mojo and Blu-ray.com
