America’s first mission to the moon wasn’t just about scientific advancement and national pride; it was about investigating the crash of a mysterious Cybertronian spaceship.
So begins “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” the third installment in the sci-fi franchise inspired by Hasbro’s line of shape-shifting toys. Director Michael Bay showed about 15 minutes of assorted footage from his first 3D film Wednesday at Paramount Studios as part of a discussion with filmmaker James Cameron about the challenges and benefits of 3D moviemaking.
Though Bay–who is co-founder of commercial production house The Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness–was initially skeptical about the multidimensional medium (“It might be a gimmick,” he said in 2009), he said he “ended up loving it.”
“It was just great to sculpt with space,” he said. “It just felt right for this movie.”
Cameron helped convince his fellow filmmaker to embrace 3D technology and employ it in the latest “Transformers” adventure, set for domestic release on July 1.
The film opens with a look at Cybertron and its spacecraft flying through a geometric landscape when one ship crash lands on Earth’s moon. It’s the 1960s, and President John F. Kennedy and broadcaster Walter Cronkite are talking about the U.S. mission to the moon. President Richard Nixon is shown praising astronauts “Neil and Buzz,” who, after taking one giant step for mankind, explore the wreckage of the otherworldly ship.
The footage also shows star Shia LaBeouf and his beloved Camaro/robot buddy, Bumblebee. Another shot takes a long, lingering look at Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, the Victoria’s Secret model who replaced Megan Fox as the film’s female lead. In her first acting role, Huntington-Whiteley appears wide-eyed and slack-jawed, her bee-stung lips perfectly parted.
The clips also offered glimpses at some of the film’s other stars, including John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Frances McDormand and Ken Jeong of “The Hangover” fame, who is shown nervously wielding a pair of pistols.
The 3D action scenes thrilled, though Bay said the special effects aren’t finished yet. Flying robots battle military helicopters, which crash dramatically into the sea. There was a menacing multi-tentacled robot that appeared to have evil intentions, and a trio of Transformers scaling a skyscraper, eventually causing it to topple to the ground.
“I came up with that building sequence while I was doing stomach crunches,” Bay said after the footage played. “That’s the weirdest place I’ve ever come up with an action scene.”
Doing “Transformers” in 3D added about $30 million to the film’s budget, Bay said, explaining that it blends film, digital and converted-to-3D footage.
“I just watched the movie and couldn’t tell the difference between digital and film,” Cameron said. “This movie is a testament to the fact that it’s indistinguishable to the eye.”
The filmmakers agreed, however, that not all 3D is good 3D. Some films are converted too cheaply and quickly, they said, and moviegoers don’t like the results.
“The 3D gets people back into the cinema experience, the big screen and stuff that we love, but we’re abusing it left and right,” Cameron said. “Some studios are making poor decisions about which films to convert and how to convert.”
But he and Bay are convinced that 3D is here to stay and cameras and conversion methods will continue to improve.
“I had fun on the set shooting it,” Bay said. “It was like a new toy.”
The most exciting thing about 3D? Audience reaction, Cameron said.
“When they see something that blows their minds, that’s the most exciting part,” he said. “You know you’ve won them. You know you’ve taken them someplace, like what we’ve just experienced here.”
Oscar Countdown: What’s Going To Win Best Picture? Ranking The Field Of Nominees
The inner-Vatican machinations of "Conclave" have nothing on this year's Oscar race.
Just as Edward Berger's film juggles various candidates for the papacy, the race for best picture at the Academy Awards has seen one favorite replaced by another, and then another.
While some clarity has lately emerged, with a handful of big wins for Sean Baker's "Anora," it seems likely to be a nail biter until a winner is declared at the March 2 Oscars, when white smoke unfurls from the Sistine Chapel, I mean the Dolby Theatre.
As of now, "Anora" is the clear frontrunner thanks to wins with the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild — both prizes with a long history of predicting Oscar winners. Where the Screen Actors Guild and the BAFTAs fall will offer the last major clues.
But unlike years like last year, when "Oppenheimer" was way ahead wire to wire, no lead in this year's best picture race seems ironclad. So, with that in mind, here are the best picture nominees, ranked in order of least likely to win to most likely to win. It's telling that at least half of these films, with three weeks to go, still have a chance.
10. "Nickel Boys"
If this was a ranking of merit, RaMell Ross's movie would be first. Ross' film, thrillingly and thoughtfully shot largely in first person, introduced a new filmic grammar to American movies. But "Nickel Boys" was seemingly on the cusp of getting a nomination, so we should just be glad it's counted here among the best of the year.
9. "Dune: Part Two"
Denis Villeneuve's first Frank Herbert adaptation garnered 10 nominations and won six. "Part Two" hasn't been the same awards force. It's up for five nominations and will probably walk home with one or two... Read More