Michael Bay

[Skunkwourk]

The Rock. with 62%

I agree thats the best of his films, but jeez, I didn't think all his movies were THAT bad.

Justified or no?

EDIT: my question really is, "is he as bad as the reviews say he is", that nothing he makes is worth watching if not only to see poor film making.

 

[venkman]

I think the truth falls somewhere in the middle of your poll choices. You can't go into a Bay movie expecting Casablanca. You have to go in expecting popcorn action and high school level jokes and then his movies become enjoyable.

 

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: m0mentary
The Rock. with 62%

I agree thats the best of his films, but jeez, I didn't think all his movies were THAT bad.

Justified or no?

Justified. Michael Bay is eye-candy-heavy, shallow, whiz bang movies with little to no substance.

Americans are easily distracted by shiny objects and CGI and thus mistake "wow that looks cool" for "this is a good movie".

 

[Skunkwourk]

I agree I myself am in the middle in terms of enjoying his films. But I thought part of reviewing a movie was to review it in the mindset of the audience. Pixar films score well across the board, but thats taking into consideration the nature of the material and the audience. Im just wondering if he is as bad as the reviews say. I'll add a middle option, although my question really is, "is he as bad as the reviews say he is", that nothing he makes is worth watching if not only to see poor film making.

 

[ElFenix]

his got milk? commercials have more artistic merit than most of his films. b

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: venkman
I think the truth falls somewhere in the middle of your poll choices. You can't go into a Bay movie expecting Casablanca. You have to go in expecting popcorn action and high school level jokes and then his movies become enjoyable.

And critics always give poor reviews for any movie like that...thus RT should be taken with a grain of salt.

I don't go into a Bay movie expecting it to win an oscar...i go in expecting to be entertained. If it isn't the type of movie that is oscar bound, RT generally won't have a very good rating for it. (there are exceptions i am sure)

 

[GagHalfrunt]

It's fair, Bay sucks. He either gets childish lame action scripts or he gets a decent script once in a while and turns into a lame action movie himself.

 

[potato28]

I can sometimes find something to like in his films, but most of the time I just hate them.

 

[Ricochet]

If given the option of making an Oscar snorefest which generate little profit or making blockbusters which bring home mucho bucks, like him I'd rather choose the latter.

 

[Agentbolt]

No, it's just the "in" thing to claim to hate his movies. He doesn't lure you in with promises of deep dialogue and complicated layers of imagery, he has stuff blow up. "Refined" people or whatever don't find things blowing up entertaining, or at least won't admit to it.

The Rock was probably the best action film of the 90's, after Terminator 2. Armageddon and Pearl Harbor admittedly were horrible. Transformers was by far the best movie I saw in 2007. He's done some fine work, and Uwe Boll taking a shot at him is like me criticizing Andre Agassi's tennis game.

 

[destrekor]

I find myself entertained by his movies. No I don't think they should win awards, but I don't need every movie I enjoy watching to be an award winner. Sometimes, cheap trick, action-packed flicks are more than enough to keep me entertained.
The Rock was very fun movie to watch, and Transformers, with all the eye candy, was especially fun to watch. Was it an Oscar-worthy movie? No, but I thought most of the acting felt natural for the characters and just didn't have anything that I needed to complain about, seeing as I was successfully entertained and drawn to it. His movies in between those two are hit or miss, but I generally enjoyed them for what they were. The Island was actually a pretty cool flick.

+

 

[Dirigible]

IMDB lists his director credits thusly:

1 Transformers (2007)
... aka Transformers: The IMAX Experience (USA: IMAX version)
2 The Island (2005)
3 The Lionel Richie Collection (2003) (V) (video "Do It to Me")
4 Bad Boys II (2003)
... aka Good Cops: Bad Boys II (Malaysia: English title)
5 Pearl Harbor (2001)
... aka Pearl Harbour (UK: promotional title)
6 Armageddon (1998/I)
7 The Rock (1996)
8 Bad Boys (1995)
9 Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell II - Picture Show (1994) (V) (music videos)
10 Shadows and Light: From a Different View (1992) (V)
11 Great White: My... My... My... the Video Collection (1991) (V) (video "Call It Rock N' Roll")
12 Playboy Video Centerfold: Kerri Kendall (1990) (V)

I enjoyed #s 8, 7, and 2. I thought #s 1 and 4 were watchable entertainment. Didn't see #s 3, 5, 6, or 9-12. Looks like #12 may deserve study in the future.

That's a decent track record for entertainment in my book.

 

[BrokenVisage]

The Island FTW. And RT still sucks.

 

[NFS4]

Bad Boys rocked... the second one sucked though.

 

[Mo0o]

He needed to get better writers for Transformers. The dialogue was just excruciatingly cheesy.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
He needed to get better writers for Transformers. The dialogue was just excruciatingly cheesy.

It was based off a cartoon from the 80s and targeted at kids and nostalgic Gen Xers. Cheese and everything blowing up is about par for the course.

 

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
No, it's just the "in" thing to claim to hate his movies.

Yes, it is the world's first decade long fad.

I don't particularly hate Michael Bay or his movies, but I certainly don't think they're good. Cinema equivalent of junk food, really.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
He needed to get better writers for Transformers. The dialogue was just excruciatingly cheesy.

Complaining about the writing in a big-budget action film with explosions, hot chicks, and robots is like complaining about the bad acting in a porno.

 

[0roo0roo]

well i did like the rock.

as for transformers.
i'll give the credit to the cg fx guys. the rest barely holds together.

 

[mugs]

Pearl Harbor could have done without the love story... but then you might as well watch Tora! Tora! Tora!

Bad Boys was good for what it was IIRC... Bad Boys II not so much.

Never saw The Island

The Rock was awesome

Transformers was awesome

You can't go into a Michael Bay movie expecting an artsy drama.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: Mo0o
He needed to get better writers for Transformers. The dialogue was just excruciatingly cheesy.

Complaining about the writing in a big-budget action film with explosions, hot chicks, and robots is like complaining about the bad acting in a porno.

hell, nobody ever seems to complain about the writing or acting in any of the Star Wars films, when in reality, the acting sucked in ALL 6! Great stories though.

+

 

[cubby1223]

Kyle Broflovski: "Then I was right. Job has all his children killed, and Michael Bay gets to keep making movies. There isn't a god."

None of Bay's movies are ones I'd watch again, some not even once. The Rock is ok, but I just can't stand Nicolas Cage, that's the one mark I have against that movie.

Though when compared to Uwe Boll, Bay suddenly isn't all that bad. Boll's best movie at RT is 11%.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: mugs
Pearl Harbor could have done without the love story... but then you might as well watch Tora! Tora! Tora!

Bad Boys was good for what it was IIRC... Bad Boys II not so much.

Never saw The Island

The Rock was awesome

Transformers was awesome

You can't go into a Michael Bay movie expecting an artsy drama.

never saw the island?
well i guess thats why you are so forgiving!

 

[clamum]

I take his movies for what they're worth. Mostly some sweet action and shit blowin up. Works for me.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo

Originally posted by: mugs
Pearl Harbor could have done without the love story... but then you might as well watch Tora! Tora! Tora!

Bad Boys was good for what it was IIRC... Bad Boys II not so much.

Never saw The Island

The Rock was awesome

Transformers was awesome

You can't go into a Michael Bay movie expecting an artsy drama.

never saw the island?
well i guess thats why you are so forgiving!

?!

The Island was awesome. Now, not awesome in a The Rock or Transformers way... it was a different style of movie, at least it felt so to me. But I liked it, was a fun watch.

+