Just saw Transformers the movie,.....and...... by chrisisall

OTHER SCIENCE FICTION SERIES

Just saw Transformers the movie,.....and......

POSTED BY: CHRISISALL
UPDATED: Thursday, October 18, 2007 16:09
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VIEWED: 1874
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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:42 AM

I thought it was okay, but I have one SERIOUS problem w/it.

TOM LENK ONLY HAD A SMALL PART WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE STAR OF THE GORRAM MOVIE!!!!!!!!!

Then I woulda bought it Chrisisall

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:07 AM

STORYMARK

I didn't even notice him in the movie.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:17 AM

CHRISISALL

He was one of the smart kids brought in to help that said,"I'm SO underdressed for this."

Chrisisall

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:20 AM

REGINAROADIE

I did, along with a few actors from 24. That actually got me more excited than the majority of the movie.

I mean, it's exciting when you actually watch it in the theater, and to me this is Bay's best work since THE ROCK. But later on, when you think about it, it's not really something that lingers with you in a good way. And even though I was a child of the 80's, I never once watch the cartoons or played with the toys, so I didn't really care about the mythology behind it (Who gives a crap if Optimus Prime has flame decals? That's such an insignificant detail in my mind, why does it warrant such ire from fanboys?).

When I saw it on the DVD shelf, I picked up PLANET TERROR instead. Now I have both GRINDHOUSE movies.

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"And it starts with a sentence that might last a lifetime, or it all might just go down in flames. If I let you know me, then why would you want me? Each day I don't is a shame. Each day I don't is a great shame."

Loudon Wainwright III - "Strange Weirdos" off the "Knocked Up" soundtrack

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:27 AM

ZEEK

I think that's a big problem there reginaroadie. The old fans I've talked to were totally unimpressed. The people who never knew tranformers were like "eh that was ok". I really would never care to watch that movie again and you'd have to give me free tickets to get me to a sequel.

The thing just didn't focus on...hmmm maybe THE TRANSFORMERS...enough. I could care less about some kid trying to score. They turned the movie into american pie with whacky robot friends.

They made up a ton of mythology around it and removed the transformers as actual characters. It was totally watered down and even the action scenes were a joke. "Hey I think that blur was optimus...oh wait it just got blowed up...maybe it's a bad guy."

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:58 AM

DANREGAL

On the special features disc, they show shots from BotCon 2007. In one shot there's a guy wearing a white Blue Sun shirt.

James

http://www.californiabrowncoats.org/CABC/index.htm
http://www.socalbrowncoats.com

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 1:06 PM

REGINAROADIE

Yeah, I understand where you're coming from. Kevin Smith talked about seeing TRANSFORMERS on one of his podcasts, and he talked about how when it comes to movies like that, that they should just dispense with the "plotlines" that supposedly hold everything together and just have the whole thing being just two cars rolling in, they transform, and then go at it. That's it. It's would basically be a 45 minute or so FX reel of robots beating the shit out of each other, and that it would be more entertaining than a 2 1/2 hour movie with extraneous plot and characters.

He also cited TWISTER as something that could have dispense with the plot and characters. Now with TRANSFORMERS, I'd agree with that, but I actually liked TWISTER and it's moments. That whole opening scene when the Dad gets sucked out of the tornado shelter, I don't care if the rest of the movie sucks. That is a fucking terrifying image that might hit closer to home than you'd imagine.

**************************************************
"And it starts with a sentence that might last a lifetime, or it all might just go down in flames. If I let you know me, then why would you want me? Each day I don't is a shame. Each day I don't is a great shame."

Loudon Wainwright III - "Strange Weirdos" off the "Knocked Up" soundtrack

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 4:16 PM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek:
The old fans I've talked to were totally unimpressed.

*nods*
Old fan here. "Totally unimpressed" about sums it up.

There really wasn't anything in the movie that I haven't seen done repeatedly, and far better.

Check out IDW's current Transformers series-of-series (it's "ongoing," but broken up into clearly-defined episode-like arcs. We've had "Infiltration," "Stormbringer," and "Escalation" so far, "Megatron: Origins" is in progress, and "Devastation" should be kicking off any time now). It does everything the movie couldn't do --clearly-defined characters, reinvented for a new era, with heavy human involvement that doesn't undermine the TFs themselves.

Select to view spoiler:

There's one scene in "Infiltration," where a human sidekick is scouting an abandoned Decepticon base. She crawls through a cavern, and finds herself alone, fully-exposed, in full view of Megatron himself!

For a tense moment, the Decepticon Warlord looks directly at her. . . then turns back to his subspace conversation with Razorclaw. He pays her no more attention than he would an insect. He doesn't attack her, he doesn't sound an alarm, he doesn't trap her, interrogate her, or tell her how doomed she is. He doesn't even waste the energy to have a facial expression.

He. Doesn't. Care.

I got chills.

What's really galling to me is that, if one can look past the "LOL giant robots R 4 kidz LOL!!!11!!" factor, Transformers lends itself so perfectly to serious sci-fi. We have alien machines with souls (they know this, because they can open up their chests and take them out, measure them, and transplant them into new bodies --while we have no real evidence that humans even have souls), asexual robots who nonetheless feel love, a built-in Evolution/Creationism debate (were TFs created by Primus as sentinels against the Chaos Bringer, or were they created as slaves by a dying alien race, only to malfunction and declare war on their makers?), and an atheist forced into the role of religious leader ("Prime" means "From Primus") --because he knows that, whatever he believes, his people need the Hope that their faith gives them.

This movie could've been so much more. Something to redefine Transformers and open up new and dramatic frontiers. Instead it was just more of the same.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 8:52 PM

SINGATE

Quote:
Originally posted by reginaroadie:
When I saw it on the DVD shelf, I picked up PLANET TERROR instead. Now I have both GRINDHOUSE movies.

Thread jacking time! Are the special features and extended running time on these worth a damn? So far I have resisted purchasing because I am holding on to the faint hope that the studio will issue a single unified release in the future. After seeing it in the theater the thought of separating the two seems blasphemous to me.

_________________________________________________

We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.

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Thursday, October 18, 2007 5:45 AM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek:

The thing just didn't focus on...hmmm maybe THE TRANSFORMERS...enough. I could care less about some kid trying to score. They turned the movie into american pie with whacky robot friends.

Zeek, that sums it up PERFECTLY!!!!
My eight year old son (a big fan of the Transformer 'toons) gave it a big 'meh'.
At least if Lenk had starred, it would have been funny; Labeouf has too much nervous energy for that.

Optimus Chrisisall

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Thursday, October 18, 2007 7:32 AM

REGINAROADIE

On a similar topic, last night's SOUTH PARK did a perfect rip on Michael Bay. In last night's ep, they parodied this news story from a few years ago. During the early years of the war on terror, apparently the Pentagon asked a bunch of filmmakers (one of them being Spike Jonze) to come up with ideas on how to combat terrorists or come up with terrorist scenarios so that they'd know how to combat them or something. Well in last nights ep, they asked M. Night Shymalan, Michael Bay and Mel Gibson if they have any ideas on how to fight these terrorists that took over Imaginationland (don't ask).

M. Night just keeps coming up with twists ("What if the terrorists were the one being terrorized...by aliens?") With Michael Bay, he starts describing explosions and stunts, and the general goes "Those aren't ideas!! Those are special effects!!!", and after a pause Michael Bay goes "I..don't understand the difference." The the general replies "I know you don't. Get him out of here."

And oddly enough, a shirtless Mel Gibson playing with his nipples actually gives them an idea they could work with in finding a character on the tape that isn't fictional. And the general in agreeance goes "Say what you want about Mel Gibson, but the son of a bitch knows story structure." And he does if you think about it.

**************************************************
"And it starts with a sentence that might last a lifetime, or it all might just go down in flames. If I let you know me, then why would you want me? Each day I don't is a shame. Each day I don't is a great shame."

Loudon Wainwright III - "Strange Weirdos" off the "Knocked Up" soundtrack

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Thursday, October 18, 2007 4:09 PM

MOOSE

Quote:
Originally posted by singate:
Quote:
Originally posted by reginaroadie:
When I saw it on the DVD shelf, I picked up PLANET TERROR instead.

Thread jacking time! Are the special features and extended running time on these worth a damn?

I think the special features are worth it (esp. the commentary), but I get into that sorta stuff.

I am disappointed that the only fake trailer is Machete. And that the "Missing Reel" part of the movie wasn't included (Although, I doubt it was actually shot).

Quote:
So far I have resisted purchasing because I am holding on to the faint hope that the studio will issue a single unified release in the future.

At the end of the 10min Film School featurette, Rodriguez does state that he'll have a 10min "cooking Texas BBQ" segment on the "upcoming 2disc Grindhouse release".
No other details about it.

About Transformers, I did enjoy it but wasn't overwhelmed by it. Not something I'll be watching over and over.

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