Any avid movie fan will look at this title in shock. How can one who cares enough to speak of him not hate him? He's directed such movies as Bad Boys (I & II), The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, The Island, and Transformers. He is notorious for having plots as thin as thin ice, characters that lack development, quick cutting action scenes, and lots of explosions. Cinematically (that may or may not be a word) speaking, he is certainly a poor director. And when you add on his further notoriety of being an asshole, then you have a wide base of people who hate him.
This is where my disconnect from the avid movie fan begins. First, I don't care about a director's, actor's, producer's personality. Russell Crowe throws phones, I don't care. I loved him in Gladiator and 3:10 to Yuma. Michael Bay is an arrogant prick, i don't care. Michael Douglas eats babies, i don't care. He was a great in Wall Street. I watch these movies to be entertained by the characters. If you watch Ocean's 11 and all you think about is why Brad Pitt left Jennifer Aniston for Angelina Jolie then you need ADD meds, or something.
Secondly, I haven't seen Pearl Harbor, which I hear is his worst movie.
THIRDLY, when I watch Michael Bay movies I am at a state of mind in which I do not want to think intensely, I don't care about character development, and, I'll be honest, I just want to see shit blown up. For those who are starting to withdraw from me, PAY ATTENTION. Not every movie ever made was intended to be the next Godfather. Sure, Michael Bay may make his movies to solely earn profit, but it works! He makes entertaining movies, so they make money. People need to stop taking him so seriously.
I say this because I am a huge fan of at least 3 of his movies, the first Bad Boys, Armageddon, and Transformers. I laugh at the one-liners, I sit wide-eyed at the shots of a 2-story machine throwing another 2-story machine through a building, and I'm intrigued when Steve Buschemi is sitting on the back of a nuclear weapon riding it like a cowboy
For the record, my favorite movies are Ghostbusters, The Usual Suspects, the Shawshank Redemption, and the Birdcage. So don't doubt my taste.
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So you're the type that goes to be entertained, not challenged? :P
ReplyDeleteI admit I have a pretty poor taste in movies. I really don't look too deep into them - unless I have a pre-existing vice with someone associated with the production, be it a director, actor or otherwise.
It's funny how when people already think they hate someone, they'll go out of their way to find fault in the things they do.
Hmm the only film I have which gives me a genuine challenge which entertains at the same time is 'Memento'. But that's the value of a good director :P (that's Christopher Nolan, btw)
ReplyDeleteIt's really tricky to strike the balance most of the time.