Transformers: Age of Extinction - Grading & Discussion
- Thread starter Agent Richard07
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I've read that China's economic power in the world has allowed it to influence moviemakers to tone down or eliminate stereotypes and other bad portrayals of Asians in movies. Otherwise they wouldn't get access to China's lucrative box office. Haha, at least one good thing has come out of the communist regime.
Iron Man 3 also had some good links to China.
I just want them to build Sea Dragon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Dragon_(rocket)
http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/searagon.htm
They invented the rocket--I just want to bring it home to them.
The spaceships are what draw me to movies. Oh, for the CGI folks of this film to do a Planet of the Titans Enterprise...
I hope so, actually. Never was a big fan of the Quintessons, or of the Primus stuff in the comic.Or maybe yet another contradictory origin story.
Now I liked the futuristic look of that mid 1980's animated movie--it had a certain vibe I appreciated.
No more humans in the next movie I hope--if there is a next movie.
I'm not necessarily a big fan of the Transformers movies, but I had a coupon that I needed to use, so I went to see it today.
Like its predecessors, Trans4mers is awful in a lot of ways, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. There's just no other filmmaker who can quite match the kinetic visual style of Michael Bay. He may not know much about story, humor, emotions, logic, or human beings, but he sure knows how to stage a cool shot. Even the smaller scenes look massively spectacular, and the action set pieces are as impressive as they come. It has often been said that his style is pornographic, and it's kind of true: every shot is a money shot.
It's just too bad that his movies tend to be about an hour longer than they'd need to be. For a while, I was having a perfectly good time marveling at the pretty pictures, trying to look past Bay's crude attempts at humor, and enjoying Marky Mark's hilariously goofy performance, but you can only do that for so long. After about 90 minutes, I was ready for the movie to end, and the final hour, as impressive-looking as it is, was seriously starting to wear on my patience. Even Stanley Tucci can only do so much in the midst of endless exploding robots and buildings.
Like its predecessors, Trans4mers is awful in a lot of ways, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. There's just no other filmmaker who can quite match the kinetic visual style of Michael Bay. He may not know much about story, humor, emotions, logic, or human beings, but he sure knows how to stage a cool shot. Even the smaller scenes look massively spectacular, and the action set pieces are as impressive as they come. It has often been said that his style is pornographic, and it's kind of true: every shot is a money shot.
It's just too bad that his movies tend to be about an hour longer than they'd need to be. For a while, I was having a perfectly good time marveling at the pretty pictures, trying to look past Bay's crude attempts at humor, and enjoying Marky Mark's hilariously goofy performance, but you can only do that for so long. After about 90 minutes, I was ready for the movie to end, and the final hour, as impressive-looking as it is, was seriously starting to wear on my patience. Even Stanley Tucci can only do so much in the midst of endless exploding robots and buildings.
I really wonder if it would in fact be counterproductive financially to hire a critically better director and writer(s) for Transformers 5.
Probably. They have a formula for these films that people generally like and they do great financially.
Eh, not really. Remember Sgt. Lincoln Osiris from Tropic Thunder?
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0vIYoY1ogE[/yt]
Soul Man was mostly just a bland, bad movie. It wasn't any more offensive than "Black Like Me," it's not the kind of thing you'd really get riots and death threats over. Maybe some Africentrists complaining on Facebook, that's about it.
Satire to criticize hollywood for utilizing white actors in ethnic roles vs. a movies plot centered around a privileged white kid exploiting minority scholarships, and all the stereotypes used as a punch line. Tropic Thunder knew what it was doing. Soul Man was looking for cheap laughs.
Sorry, but I don't find them similar in the least, and the latter is highly offensive. It's essentially this era's White Chicks. Just a dumb comedy that thinks it's being funny, but in reality is ignorant. Next you're going to tell me song of the south would be made today too.
Sorry, but I don't find them similar in the least, and the latter is highly offensive. It's essentially this era's White Chicks. Just a dumb comedy that thinks it's being funny, but in reality is ignorant. Next you're going to tell me song of the south would be made today too.
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Didn't find Soul Man offensive at all. 
Just lame. Basically its heart was in the right place (it really is just a lame Eighties comedy take on the same theme as Black Like Me -- you may want to Google the book -- and ultimately is about its protagonist learning what white privilege is), though no doubt Tropic Thunder is vastly smarter and funnier.
Just lame. Basically its heart was in the right place (it really is just a lame Eighties comedy take on the same theme as Black Like Me -- you may want to Google the book -- and ultimately is about its protagonist learning what white privilege is), though no doubt Tropic Thunder is vastly smarter and funnier.You don't personally need to be offended by it. But it's an offensive movie. What studio would even green light that today? There's a stark contrast between the utilization of black face in Tropic Thunder, and Soul Man, which you evidently understand in regards to perception.
And I stand by my original assertion that based on contemporary PC society, there's no way a movie like that would be made with the casual disregard towards those specific racial stereotypes.
And I stand by my original assertion that based on contemporary PC society, there's no way a movie like that would be made with the casual disregard towards those specific racial stereotypes.
I guess the point is that bad as it was, Soul Man was a basically sympathetic and socially conscious movie for its day. It wasn't using blackface to mock black people, but to mock white privilege. That's an important difference, and yes, I think there's actually a pretty good chance that a movie with a similar premise could get made today -- hopefully done better, but the basic idea (rich white guy gets to walk a mile in a black person's shoes, finds the experience suboptimal) isn't offensive.
(In fact, it occurs to me that the concept is probably more relevant than less to a post-Obama America that laughably fancies itself as "post-racial.")
(In fact, it occurs to me that the concept is probably more relevant than less to a post-Obama America that laughably fancies itself as "post-racial.")
I get what you're saying, and agree the concept you speak of definitely could be made in to a movie if done correctly. It would definitely not be a comedy though. That is not the right genre for that commentary today. It doesn't matter where their heart was, it was still an offensive finished product.
My point is that the final product of Soul Man, despite good intentions, came off as mocking and exploitation. When people say "you're so well spoken" to a black person, they have good intentions. It doesn't make it any less racist.
If someone ever did try to remake Soul Man, or to re-do the premise, I think they'd have to involve some sort of literal magic plot device to put the white dude in an actual black person/actor - a body-swap movie with an ethnic spin, in other words.
Downey wasn't playing a black character - he was playing a white character playing a black character, and I think that's the only way he/the movie got away with it.
Downey wasn't playing a black character - he was playing a white character playing a black character, and I think that's the only way he/the movie got away with it.
^ To be fair the same was true of Soul Man. That's why I ultimately don't agree with wulfio's take that it "came off as mocking and exploitation." I think it came off as a bit lame and by-the-numbers but that's not the same thing.
I don't know that it would need a "magical" premise, but it certainly would be more interesting done as something other than light comedy, though. Agreed with wulfio on that.
.... aaand I will now stop making this the "Soul Man" thread. Sorry about that.
I don't know that it would need a "magical" premise, but it certainly would be more interesting done as something other than light comedy, though. Agreed with wulfio on that.
.... aaand I will now stop making this the "Soul Man" thread. Sorry about that.
So if you guys remember amidst the convoluted plot of the movie, Lockdown stated that his prison ship was originally the Knights' Terminus, a ship built for "knights" to explore the galaxy and that the Dinobots and apparently Optimus are knights. Dunno when we'll get a proper explanation for the knights, but maybe the Knights are supposed to be like the Knights of Cybertron, a legendary group first mentioned in IDW's G1 comics just a few years ago.
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Knights_of_Cybertron
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Knights_of_Cybertron
This movie has now crossed the $1 billion mark. It did most of its business worldwide though, with only about $240 million domestically.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_in_film
Transformers 4 is now the 10th highest grossing film in history.
TAKE THAT, CRITICS!!!
(Personally I had a lot of problems with it, and I loved the first three. Yes, even the second one.)
Transformers 4 is now the 10th highest grossing film in history.
TAKE THAT, CRITICS!!!
(Personally I had a lot of problems with it, and I loved the first three. Yes, even the second one.)
Mister Fandango
Fleet Captain
No one said it wasn't popular.
It's still a shitty move and a shitty franchise, though. Just one with a ton of potential if put in the hands of someone competent.
It's still a shitty move and a shitty franchise, though. Just one with a ton of potential if put in the hands of someone competent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_in_film
Transformers 4 is now the 10th highest grossing film in history.
TAKE THAT, CRITICS!!!
(Personally I had a lot of problems with it, and I loved the first three. Yes, even the second one.)
Why are you acting like you are sticking it The Man?
These movies are still bad no matter how much money they make.
It's almost like aliens are testing us.
When a Michael Bay movie makes less than $10 domestic, we will be approved for first contact.
When a Michael Bay movie makes less than $10 domestic, we will be approved for first contact.
They're not Transformers movies. They're not even Battling Robot movies. They're Battling Mentally Impaired Heaps of Metal Junk movies.