WSJ's " Master Of Machines "

Found via MB.com, here is an interview with Transformers 2 director Michael Bay with the Wall Street Journal as he talks about some of the decisions he made while filming the movie and "corrects" Megan Fox on her perception that he don't do a Bay film for acting reasons.

This film features even more talking robots—based on the Hasbro toy line—than the first “Transformers.” Why add in more robots rather than humans?Mr. Bay: That’s what fans wanted. The first film was really about us setting up the situation, and this movie is about us discovering what we could do better with that situation, how to make this most out of these special effects and these characters.

Did Hasbro force you to conform the aesthetics of the robots to match the style of its toy line? Did you have to make any compromises on characters for the sake of promoting Hasbro’s stable of pre-existing Transformers characters? Not at all. I told [Hasbro] that I was going to do my own thing, and they really let me go off on the designs. They gave me carte blanche—it was pretty phenomenal. But I still listened to people who were in that world when they asked things like, ‘Can we make Optimus’s ears a little longer so he appears more in character?’ That’s easy to do. And a lot of the artists and people that we hired were fans of Transformers growing up, so having so many fans working on my crew really kept me on point. There are things that I invented—the creaky geriatric robot that is always grumpy, for example, or the little wheelie guy, he’s not in the Hasbro lore. But kids love that stuff—this little guy as a pet on a chain. They gravitate towards it.

Did you add testicles to the robots, too? No, those are construction balls.

Shia LeBeouf On Today Show And Regis & Kelly

On June 25th, Shia LaBeouf popped up on NBC's The Today Show (a morning show) and later Regis & Kelly to promote Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. He talks about filming with Bay, nonexistent machines, Fox and more both personal and professional. There is also a cute segment on Today Show with a star-struck fan with a game Shia.

Turturro, LeBeouf, Fox Talk Transformers

In a new article on Examiner.com, John Turturro, Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox talk about Transformers, "trickiness of fame" and more while at the London premiere of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Snippets below, full interview here.

John, did you actually climb one of the pyramids in Egypt?Turturro: Yes, that’s why they hired me after the professional stuntmen. I kept climbing and I went a little too high one day, and I heard all this screaming in Arabic. I thought they were worried about me, but they were worried I was going too high and I was going to injure the pyramid. It was interesting.

Shia, your hand injury was written into the "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" script. How did you deal with that injury while filming the movie?LaBeouf: When you break your hand, it’s hard to button your pants, but you’ve got to do it. You just buck up and get through it. There’s only so much you can fake. We had three cameras going at once. It takes a long time to rig some of these stunts. You’ve got to do it. I also had fantastic stuntmen. Vladmir [Tevlovski] took the brunt of the abuse.

Shia, Megan and John what was it like working with Michael Bay again?Turturro: [He says jokingly] Dreadful.

LaBeouf: It’s not dreadful at all. Me and [Michael Bay] have a big brother/little brother type of thing. We get into it sometimes, and John [Turturro] becomes the liaison between us. He [Michael Bay] is like a football coach. He just doesn’t coddle you. That takes getting used to. Actors are used to being coddled. You get that in a sense. There’s a real masculine energy on these movies. I enjoy the hell out of it. It’s like skydiving for five months.

Fox: It’s like constant chaos. The crew named it Bay-os [as in chaos] and there’s also the term Bay-hem, which is an everyday thing working with him. It is exciting. He is rough on his actors on purpose. I think he likes the legend of being a tyrant.Turturro: I just based my character on Michael. The key to making any movie is that you have to key into the sensibility of the guy [the director] who’s going to be there every day and who’s going to be working on the film after you’re long gone. And it took me a while to understand that when I first started out. But you really do have to look at that person and connect with their sensibility.

I had a lot of fun. He [Michael Bay] lets me try things. He has a lot of energy and he works very hard. You know the shots are going to be interesting, so you just have to be open to moments in working with him. I had a good time the first time, and I had a better time this time

Box Office: $28.6M Thursday

Final numbers are in and Thursday domestic total is $28.6M and international sales brought in another $20 million. Below total has been updated to reflect the final numbers.

Day two in theatres for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the domestic box office numbers continue to remain high with the movie taking in an estimated $27 million for Thursday according to Variety. Once you add this to Wednesday's $60.6 million the movie is at $87.6 million. Overseas, the movie is also doing well with a $59 million take in 58 territories for a Wednesday total of $119.6 so the worldwide total sits at $146.6 million.

Paramount probably hopes the movie will break The Dark Knight's five-day gross of $203.8 million, but may have to settle for passing Star Wars Episode III ($172.8M), Spider-Man 3 ($169.4M), or Spider-Man 2 ($152.4M). Thanks to Scalan15 for the heads-up. I was not able to find figures for overseas but there tends to be a lag on them for some reason.

Box Office Totals (in millions)

6/24/2009

US - $60.7

Intl - $60.0

Worldwide - $119.6

6/25/2009

US - $28.6

Intl - $20.0

Worldwide - $48.6

Totals

US - $89.3

Intl - $80.0

Worldwide - $169.3

*estimate of sales

ROTF One Day Note From Bay

Michael Bay popped up on his forums once again and posted a thank you on the opening day of Tranformers: Revenge of the Fallen ticket sales.

The 400 critics around the globe spoke. Then fans around the world spoke.

Transformers made $60.6 million dollars in the United States for a total of around $100 million from the world on opening day! One of the biggest single days in movie history.

Then never seem to understand that I make movies for people to take a ride and escape.

To all the Transformer Fans - Thank You

Michael

Deluxe Scorponok In Package

I thought we were more or less done with the ROTF toy pictures but apparently not. From TFormers, below are images of the re-release of Scorponok in package sporting his new black and white colors. With the images comes a bio, except I couldn't read most of the words.

Behind Scenes Of M&Ms ROTF Commercials

It has been a while since revisted the M&M tie with Transformers. It turns out that Michael Bay actually directed the commercial and after the jump are three amusing behind the scenes videos of the shoot.

ROTF Malaysia Premiere

A video of fans before and after seeing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen for its July 23rd premiere in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It appears a fun time was had by all, beware a few spoilers.

More Interview With Transformers 2 Cast

More interviews keep popping up from the main faces of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Below are more from Serieasten.tv and iheartradio.com.

More blue carpet interviews from the Berlin Premiere of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with Michael Bay, Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf. They actually answer Transfans type questions, like Bay is not a fan of the animated series, Megan and Shia are. Unable to embed the videos so click the links below to view.

Michael Bay Megan Fox Shia LaBeouf

Five videos from iheartradio.com with Fox as she talks chemistry with Shia and apparently not so good at grocery shopping. Shia talks about Sam evolving; Josh picks Ironhide as his favorite Transformers and Tyrese Gibson about his impression of the final product.

Click here to view, the segments follow one after the other.

Transformers 2 $60.6 Million Day In U.S.

The final numbers are in and it turns out the estimates were off by quite a bit. Transformers 2 officially made $60.6 million in its first full day of release on Wednesday which places its five day estimates as high as $170 million in first five days.

Despite the bad reviews, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen first day in theatres opened to a massive $55 million take for the best Wednesday opening day release for a movie domestically, as least based on early estimates. The total includes the $16 million from the midnight screenings of the film.

This easily surpasses previous record holder Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ($44.2 million). According to Empire, if that number is any indication, that means that Transformers 2 could surpass Spider-Man 2's $152.4 million 5-day opening.

Bay Defends Transformers Twins

Probably the one universal complaint from critics about the movie is the crude (and some call racist) humor, much of which comes from the Twins Mudflap (Reno Wilson) and Skids (Tom Kenny). I have read some reviews where the humor so offended the writer that they couldn't even attempt to enjoy the movie. From the AP, Michael Bay defends and somewhat dodges the charge of "racist robots". Thanks to Brian for the heads-up.

It's done in fun," he said. "I don't know if it's stereotypes — they are robots, by the way. These are the voice actors. This is kind of the direction they were taking the characters and we went with it." Bay said the twins' parts "were kind of written but not really written, so the voice actors is when we started to really kind of come up with their characters."

Actor Reno Wilson, who is black, voices Mudflap. Tom Kenny, the white actor behind SpongeBob SquarePants, voices Skids. Wilson said Wednesday that he never imagined viewers might consider the twins to be racial caricatures. When he took the role, he was told that the alien robots learned about human culture through the Web and that the twins were "wannabe gangster types."

"It's an alien who uploaded information from the Internet and put together the conglomeration and formed this cadence, way of speaking and body language that was accumulated over X amount of years of information and that's what came out," the 40-year-old actor said. "If he had uploaded country music, he would have come out like that. It's not fair to assume the characters are black, he said. "It could easily be a Transformer that uploaded Kevin Federline data," Wilson said. "They were just like posers to me." Kenny did not respond to an interview request Wednesday."

I purely did it for kids," the director said. "Young kids love these robots, because it makes it more accessible to them."

Transformers : ROTF The Game Reviews

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Game is now available and reviews are popping up online. Checking out Metacritic, it appears the game is scoring pretty good overall with an average score of 70/100 for the XBox360 and 68/100 for the PS3. Below are samples from the above links.

PGNx Media (83/100)

Like the movie it’s based on, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen isn’t trying to radically change the genre or introduce innovative new features. It’s giving you great-looking robots that go off and fight other great-looking robots as you watch the resulting explosions.

Gamespot (75/100)

Though it isn't immediately accessible, Revenge of the Fallen has a good amount of fun and satisfying gameplay. The initial awkwardness of the controls is a bit vexing, and some issues linger no matter how good you get. The single-player missions and multiplayer game modes aren't very diverse, but the various bonus challenges and strategic nuances add some welcome depth. What Revenge of the Fallen does best is make it fun to be a Transformer by giving you a powerful set of abilities and open maps where you can put them to use. It's enjoyable and engaging, and it's probably the best Transformers product you'll see this summer.

1Up (C+, 58/100)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is an apt representation of what you'd expect from a Transformers movie: a disposable, explosion-laden piece of mindless entertainment featuring robots beating the crap out of each other. And judging from the movie reviews, it actually sounds like this solid, if flawed, action game might turn out to be better than the movie.

IGN (60/100)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen comes up short in a number of categories, due in large part to its repetition, odd control layout, poor AI and almost total lack of presentation. Running around and just shooting stuff has its merits, though it does get old after a bit. At least the multiplayer offers up a pretty good time for when you tire of the short single-player game.Also, Target currently has a promo on Transformers products both in store and online that does seem to work with the video games. When you buy any two Transformers products in the entire store you can save 10%, 15% on any three, and 20% on any four. For online, the promotional code to enter (depending on number bein purchased) is TF2STR02, TF2STR03, and TF2STR04. They all expire on July 11th. Thanks to Inuyasha for the info.

New Media Reviews Of ROTF

Now here are a few reviews from "new media" sources on the internet. First a quick check-in on Rotten Tomatoes shows that critic hatred of this film continues with the T-Meter for critics at 21% (down from 29%), top critics is at 21% (down from 23%), and RT community holds steady at 68%. Of those three numbers, really the only one that matters (unscientifically) is the last as it is audience word of mouth that will drive ticket sales.

IGN (3/5)

...the battle scenes are comprehensible, but the story isn't. If plot isn't important in films of this type -- as its most ardent defenders will inevitably claim -- then why did director Michael Bay and screenwriters Ehren Kruger & Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman spend two and a half hours telling it? Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is more epic, bombastic and overwhelming than the 2007 original, but it's also charmless, dumber and cruder by comparison. Since the characters, human and otherwise, are seldom engaging, the film only works when things go boom.Mudflap and Skids, the Amos 'n' Andy of the Autobots and two of the most offensive characters in recent cinematic history. What were the filmmakers thinking? The "it's just a movie" defense doesn't fly on this one, folks; whereas George Lucas had wiggle room to defend himself with Jar Jar Binks, there is none here for Bay and company to fall back on. It's just too blatant to be deemed anything but obvious and in poor taste. Mudflap and Skids will pull anyone with a half a brain right out of the movie, and they taint the overall viewing experience and prove to be an embarrassment for all involved.

Dark Horizons

Often bypassing any logic or reason let alone character or depth, this utter mess of an action opus is only sporadically entertaining thanks to all the visual flair that $200 million worth of computer-generated fighting robots can buy, but holds no real value beyond that. The fanbase and target demographic of pre-teens and grown men with nostalgic mindsets will likely enjoy the initial ride, but most will be let down by an overly long and unruly sequel that effectively demonstrates that bigger and louder doesn't always mean better. 'Fallen' indulges Bay's excesses well past the point of reason to deliver the male teenage cinematic equivalent of snorting cocaine off a hooker's ass. This "all money shots, all the time" approach robs the action of any weight or coherency - leaving behind sensory white noise that hopes to browbeat its audience into either submission or boredom.The CG also proves oddly mixed. On the one hand the Transformers facial expressions have much more range and appearance now, on the other the integration with the real world is noticeably less smooth and more cartoonish than the first one. The first film also really lent a sense of physics and gravity to these creations, here giant robots get tossed about with no real weight or inertia. Jablonsky's score leaves little impression, mostly drowned out by forgettable metal thrash music.

io9.com

Transformers: ROTF has mostly gotten pretty hideous reviews, but that's because people don't understand that this isn't a movie, in the conventional sense. It's an assault on the senses, a barrage of crazy imagery. ROTF is like twenty summer movies, with unrelated storylines, smushed together into one crazy whole. You try in vain to understand how the pieces fit, you stare into the cracks between the narrative strands, until the cracks become chasms and the chasms become an abyss into which you stare until it looks deep into your own soul, and then you go insane.

Mania

Revenge of the Fallen contains enough reprehensible material to send any rational adult into fits of rage, but if you didn't know that going in, you probably fail to meet the definition of "rational adult" anyway. Too much of the film concerns itself with the human cast--still as boring as ever and still far less developed than the machines on the poster. At times, the dialogue literally becomes incoherent, as when Sam is infected with an ancient Transformer language that points the way to some magical hidden Maguffin or another. while Revenge of the Fallen holds the requisite amount of whiz-bang mayhem, it also contains a number of really cool action-based notions… which it doesn't know what to do with. ...hampered by a ADD-laden editing style that doesn't even give us a reliable look at the robots as they morph into their hidden shapes. (The choppiness also makes it difficult to tell good robot from bad unless you're seriously steeped in the mythology.)

Transformers 2 Makes $16 Million

Kind of slow on the news today, just basking in the new movie release but don't worry will be cranking out what I have shortly but for now enjoy this good news from day one of the movie.

The first day of release is not even over and already some early box office numbers are in. From the Hollywood Reporter, the midnight showings (and some 3AM ones), the movie raked in $16 million which is more than most movies make after an entire weekend. The Dark Knight still remains top dog with its $18.5 million midnight take but that stat came from a Friday release date before a holiday so Transformers can claim the record for Wednesday night opening. In addition, the IMAX release of the movie made over $1 million topping Knight's $675,000 opening. Suffice it to say the totals by the end of the weekend should be very interesting.

CGI Demolishor, Arcee & Chromia

TFG2.com has posted new images of two Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen characters. One for Demolisher (or could be Scavenger) and the other for Chromia (one of the Arcee bikes). This one joins Rampage/Sideways, the Twins, Arcee 3, Megatron, combined Prime/Mixmaster, Scrapper and The Fallen.

Chinese Transfans Share Their Love

In celebration of the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in China, Transfans organized a drive in the streets of Beijing with their cars, each of which is sporting a Bumblebee styled paint job. The make and model didn't matter, just the colors of yellow and black. The event was organized by Autohome.com.cn.

Click here and here for a large gallery of the event and the sea of Bumblebees. Thanks to Kaly and Mauricio for the links.

Target Ready For Blu-Ray

Talk about prepared; Target already has an entry ready on their website for the Blu-ray release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the movie isn't even released yet. Sadly no release date but I would guess late October or November if the first movie is any guide.

Transformers 2 Number 1 In Japan And UK

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is off to an excellent start already making $20 million in the United Kingdom ($14.1M, 517 screens) and Japan ($5.8M, 329 sites), premiering at number 1 in both countries. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the sequel outperformed the first movie's opening weekend by 71% in the UK and 13% in Japan. Considering that Transformers 1 made $389 million in overseas sales (compared to $319.2M in the US), how well the movie does overseas is as important as the domestic sales.

Over at MichaelBay.com, they provide the same numbers but also provide context to last year’s top movie, The Dark Knight. In the UK the movie came within 3% of that movies first weekend total and in Japan it outperformed Knight by 64%. Just one more day!

ROTF Deleted Scenes On DVD?

The movie isn't even out and already plans are in the works for the DVD and Blu-ray release of the movie. According to Collider.com, when asked about how many minutes of deleted scenes, he said "we're figuring that out right now. It could be seven, eight." He was also asked a few questions about shooting for IMAX.

I then asked him if there was any thought of doing even more in IMAX? He said, “Yeah. I regret not shooting Petra in IMAX. The IMAX is very expensive. To make digital effects in IMAX is expensive. It’s a budget concern really.”

I then asked if he would use IMAX on all his future movies. He replied, “I don’t know. If the movie serves it, but I think it’s a neat idea.”

Transformers : ROTF Final Scene

Spoiler warning! Below is the very last scene of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that is a near mirror to the first movie with Optimus Prime staring into the distance and sending a message to space. His final line, "I am Optimus Prime and I send this message so that our past will always be remembered for in those memories we live on." Too bad they didn't get more of the cheering from the crowd.

ROTF Theatrical Trailer #3 In HD

It took way longer than expected but the third theatrical trailer finally is available in HD. I have already posted various quality versions of this trailer including the version from yesterday with this exact video but decided a separate posted was needed. Thanks to joshuachacon7 for the reminder. Also check out moviestvspots channel has he is where most of the videos on the left hand column have been coming from for the last few weeks.

Theatrical Trailer #3

Berlin Premiere TV Special

About a week ago was the Berlin, Germany premiere of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and sense then a TV special aired about the movie. Below are the two parts of the video which for obvious reasons is in German but some of the stars responses can be heard. If you don't speak the language it’s still good just to see the starts walking the carpet, fan reactions and things like that (Megan's red dress alone might be worth it to you).

ROTF Megatron CGI Images

TFG2.com has posted more CGI/art images of a Revenge of the Fallen character, this time fantastic images of Megatron in robot and tank mode. I don't really know where these come from, if there official art or not, but sure nice to look at.

More Of Transformers 2 Voice Cast

Thanks to Carnivac (and also supported by TFW2005 thread), much of the voice cast for the various Transformers has been verified. Many of the robots in the movie don't have lines and it turns out some of the information we had was incorrect (not really surprised considering how little attention the voice cast gets).

I wish Paramount would release the credit list (like they did for Star Trek) so have something definitive to link to to clear up any probable confusion on who did what in the movie.

Likely voice cast: (but some not officially confirmed) (clicking their names brings you to their IMDB.com profile)
Arcee - Grey DeLisle (not Susan Blu)
The Fallen - Tony Todd
Jetfire - Mark Ryan (not John Turturro)
Mudflap - Reno Wilson
Skids & Wheelie - Tom Kenny
Soundwave & Devastator - Frank Welker
Sideswipe - Andre Sogliuzzo (not Jason Griffith)
The Doctor (Scalpel) - John DiCrosta
an ancient Prime - Kevin Michael Richardson
Demolisher - remains unknown

Its worth hitting up the profiles for these actors because of the long careers many of these actors have had. Even if you don't know the name, chances are you will recognize the face or their work. As far as Transformers connections, Kevin Michael Richardson voiced Omega Supreme in Transformers: Animated, Reno Wilson voiced Frenzy in the first movie; Mark Ryan also voices Bumblebee in the movies and Ironhide in the video game. Tom Kenny (other than being SpongeBob SquarePants) also voice Isaac Sumdac, Starscream, various Seekers, Scrapper and more for Transformers: Animated. Of course Frank Welker (G1's Megatron, Soundwave, Galavatron, Rumble and more) doesn't really need an introduction to Transfans but his storied career is massive and covers work you would have never had thought had anything to do with him.

Ramon Rodriguez On Jimmy Kimmel

Thursday night (or Friday morning really), Ramon Rodriguez kicked off the night show circuit for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Thanks to Maurcio, below is the video of the interview with the actor where he discusses working on the film, the stunts he participated in and his other movie The Taking of Pelham 123. Also turns out he is pretty good with basketball tricks.

Shia LeBeouf On Conan O'Brien

Shia LaBeouf appeared on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien Friday night June 19th to discuss Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I figured Hulu would have video but Shia LaBeouf Video beat them to it. Shia discusses his recent world tour promoting the movie, and an interesting experience while on Even Stevens (a Disney show started on). As for the clip shown, it is the same as the MTV Movie Awards clip.

ROTF Scoring Session

Scorings Session has posted an article (via TFW2005) with gallery that shows off the scoring session for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The score is from composer Steve Jablonsky and took place at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City, California with the 71-piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony. Over 110 minutes of music had to be scored for the movie. The descriptions and 35 picture gallery of the session can be found here.

Bay On Crew Screenings

I guess Transformers 2 director Michael Bay has been getting questions about when his crew gets to watch the final cut of the movie so he provided an answer on his website.

Press is asking about crew screeings

They seem to want to know about my crew screenings. Not sure why the press is interested? We had 2500 crew members from many parts of the US and some in the Middle East and London. We have an IMAX crew screening Sunday night. We have an ILM screening Monday night and Paramount invited some of my key crew members to the LA premiere I think Tuesday we are putting together a crew screening which is being planned at Paramount. Thursday we have an IMAX screening in Washington for the Pentagon people involved in the film. And we have one set up in Jordan. BTW the press is not invited.

Wow that is a lot of people that worked on that movie. The credits must go on quite a long time. I wonder what their reactions are when they see the finished product of all their hard work, and what happens if they don't like the result (with all that CGI many just had to imagine how it would go).

NY Times' Bay Interview

A new article with Michael Bay (via his site) from the New York Times discuss his approach to making Transformers and why he took on the franchise. Many of the questions are a retread from the first movie but there are a few new questions. Parts below, full interview is here.

And you created other characters that weren’t established in the toys, the comics or the animation?We wanted to get into the deeper lore of it. At one point, I’d already been shooting the movie, and we were doing this scene in space. And I asked these Hasbro experts on Transformers, I said, “So, how are Transformers born?” And they kind of – dead pause. “I don’t know.” “What do you mean, you don’t know? Isn’t that one of the first things you figure out?” [laughs] So I created how they’re born.

How are they born?They’re in a special sac. They’re called hatchlings. It’s quite nice.

You’re helping to design all these nice new toys for Hasbro. Do you get a percentage of the toys they sell that are based on your designs?Well, I’m not allowed to say. But things that come from my mind are now becoming toys. But it gets touched by all these artists. There was a woman on the Hollywood Foreign Press tour, and she goes, “Michael, don’t you ever want to do a movie that’s more artistic?” I knew what she meant, but there was a poster of Bumblebee behind me, and I said, “There’s something to be done with a movie in the south of France, whatever, at a winery or a vineyard. But when you look at Bumblebee behind you, it took so many artists so much time. This is something that doesn’t exist in our world. And it has emotions now.” That’s a whole skill. So it is art in its own way. The thing that Ridley Scott always says, and I totally concur with him, his favorite thing to do as a director is to create a new world. That’s just what I love to do.

Improved Copy Of Kitchen Bots Scene, Trailer #3

Below is a better is an improved copy of the kichen bots clip and trailer #3 (or trailer #2 alternate cut) that premiered with Terminator Salvation and Night at the Muesum #2.

Kitchen Bots Clip


Trailer #3

Life Size Fan Made G1 Bumblebee

A California man with a deep love of Generation 1 Bumblebee created a life size version that stands 18 feet tall in his yard. To check out the full article and gallery, click here.

“I’ve always been a fan of the Transformers,” Tom Rhoads Rhoads stated to the crew at mim. “And when my son was born I decided to make the statue.”

The statue stands at 18 feet tall and built from a used Volkswagen, yes that’s right a used Volkswagen, in this economy who can afford to chop up a new Camaro and besides some of us liked the cartoon characters better!

The statue took him and a friend a year to build in their spare time. A crane had to hoist the 1200 lb robot onto its feet after the welding was completed. Its legs are made of steel and angle iron to keep it secure.

ROTF The Game Exclusive Launch Trailer

Gametrailers.com has posted a new trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that shows of some of the game cinematics.

Video Games | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Exclusive Launch Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

USA Today Show Off Combined Prime

In a new article from USA Today, we get the first look at the combined Jetfire, Optimus Prime mode. The result appears to Prime on steroids. The article itself is about Transformers 2 production at Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands as they filmed the desert sequences that are the climax of the film. The long article is worth reading as I believe one parts describes the explosion put Bay in the Guiness World Record book. Snippets below, full article here. I get the feeling that being an observer on a Bay production for a few days would be a whole lot of fun. Thanks to Adrien and Chris for the link.

The filmmaker, then 43, is watching the action unfold on a bank of TV monitors. He's wearing an Autobot ball cap, pulled low to shade his eyes from the sun, and a Decepticon T-shirt, perhaps symbolic of which side of the robot battle is closest to his heart. Duhamel joins Bay to watch the replay. "This really is your sandbox," he tells the director. "And we are kinda like your toys."

Bay gives a smirk, but seems preoccupied by his screens. When the actor leaves, the filmmaker confides, in an uncharacteristically soft voice, a story from when he was a kid. "I made home movies that way," he says, still looking at the replays on the screen. "I'd do little firecrackers on the train set. … I actually set my bedroom on fire once." He smiles and rolls his eyes. "The fire department came. It was a little Super 8 movie where the aliens invaded.

"After watching a scene in which Duhamel tries to rescue Fox from her hiding spot beneath a blown-out wall, Bay stops the action and runs out to coach the actor. "Take her hand this time. When you ran the last time, you ran away like a (expletive) girl and left her!" the director says. Duhamel sarcastically thanks Bay for the constructive criticism — in full view of a visiting reporter. Bay says to the journalist, in an even louder voice: "You'll be doing me a (expletive) favor if you print that!" Then laughs. Duhamel just shakes his head.

Mike Wever, the special-effects technician and bomb triggerman, surveys the explosive-planting. "Whatever Bay wants is what we try to give him," says Wever. "Sex is sex, dialogue is dialogue, but what people want is special effects. Bayhem, that's what it's called. That's what I like to call it. Whenever we do a Michael show, it's a new level of Bayhem."

Shia, Megan Talks Transformers In Paris

While in Paris (I think) Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox appeared on television show La Grand Journal on June 12. Shia LaBeouf Video website has posted the interview with the actors which has most of the questions in French but that answers (if listen over the translator) are in English. It is hard to hear the answers but the interview is amusing as its not all 10 minutes of the usual TF2 questions since I don't think the hosts had any interest in Transformers. Especially watch the second video as Shia and Megan are having a ball making up answers.

Cast On London Blue Carpet

Plejada, a Polish site (I think) has posted a video with brief interviews with the cast of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen at the London premiere as they walk the blue carpet. The interviews include Ramon Rodriguez, Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Michael Bay and Megan Fox. John Turturro was there but he did the press conference thing and generally appears to prefer avoiding the spotlight.

Click here to watch the video.

New ROTF Clip - Kitchen Bots Attack

New clip from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is now online fro a Danish website that shows more of the kitchen bots as the AllSpark fragments brings them to life and they start attacking Sam. The clip can found here or below. I spotted a blender, vacuum, microwave and toaster, what other kitchen appliances did you see transform?

Transformers 2 Talk Show Schedule

The U.S. promotional part of the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen marketing machine has begun with Ramon Rodriguez appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night (thanks aunit2011). Ramon's is the first of five total stops for the cast on that show. I surprised by the single Tonight Show appearance and the reason for no David Letterman is because he is in repeats next week.

The schedule, subject to change:
Th 6/18: Ramon Rodriguez - Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Fr 6/19: Shia LaBeouf - The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (NBC)
Tu 6/23: Isabel Lucas - Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Tu 6/23: Tyrese Gibson - Chelsea Lately (E!)
We 6/24: Josh Duhamel - Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Th 6/25: Megan Fox - David Letterman (CBS)
Th 6/25: Shia LaBeouf - Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Th 6/25: Shia Labeouf - Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated)
Fr 6/26: Megan Fox - Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Fr 6/26: Megan Fox - Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated)
Mo 6/29: Josh Duhamel - Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated)

TV Spot #20

Another new TV spot, #20, has hit the airwaves. Consider it a spoiler warning as its essentially the entire sequence of Sideswipe's entry at the expense of another character.

TV Spot #20

ROTF The Game Opening And Breakaway Training Clips

The clips keep coming for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Game as two more have been found by Sideswipe80. The first clip shows the opening cinematic and a training stage for Bumblebee and the second clip has Breakaway undergoing his own training in the sky.

Transformers: BD-Live Breakdown

IGN.com has posted a detailed breakdown of the new Transformers content (in addition to existing content) that is appearing on BD-Live for Blu-ray owners of Transformers the first. Some of it has already made its way to Youtube.

Revenge of the Fallen Scene: "We're Gonna Die" This intense scene begins with a car chase as Sam (Shia LaBeouf) and Mikaela (Megan Fox) are chased by a Decepticon in the form of a helicopter, which latches on to the car and carries them away. When it finally lets go, they break through a roof into a warehouse where another destructive robot finds them.

Revenge of the Fallen Scene: "Shanghai" This scene follows Capt. Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and his team of soldiers (including Tyrese Gibson) through a military siege of a building in Shanghai where more robots in disguise are waiting.

Revenge of the Fallen Scene: "Adobe Hut" Megan and Shia are trapped in a hut while Decepticons (including Constructicons and Ravager) search the desert outside. But their discovery of a tiny spy robot is their undoing. It ends with an impressive stunt as the two jump from the roof of the building as it's being torn apart.

"From the set of Revenge of the Fallen: Day 1" An exclusive inside look from the first day of filming on location in Bethlehem, PA. As the crew sets up, they express their excitement for the beginning of the shoot. Director Michael Bay gives them a little pep talk before getting to work, telling them that this is "one of those movies that can really help make a lot of kids dreams around the world." He also brandishies a Nike shoe with the promise, "I'm going to be up all your asses." We also see some of the shooting of the first shot in the movie, which involves a motorcycle chase. There's also a few effects shots and some pretty fiery explosions. Basically, your average day on a Michael Bay set.

"From the set of Revenge of the Fallen: A Day in the Shade" Described as "a comical look at the differences between Megan and Shia's on-set treatment," this is exactly as advertised. We see a few members of the crew holding umbrellas and fanning Fox with handheld fans, while LaBeouf stands in the sun, smirking at the camera. She protests that it's because she's dressed in a full leather jumpsuit. Uh-huh.

Transformers Deleted Scene: "Maggie and Glen Introduction"A deleted scene introducing the characters played by Rachael Taylor and Anthony Anderson from the original film.

Transformers Deleted Scene: "Fig Death" We see the deleted death scene of ACWO Jorge "Fig" Figueroa, played by Amaury Nolasco, from the original film.

Fly on the Set: Pentagon On the set filming of the Pentagon Military Command Center.

Music and Mayhem Renowned special effects house ILM deconstructs the blockbuster action of Transformers.

Metal in Motion Special effects tests and early robot animation.

Stunts 101 An in-depth look at the stunts in Transformers.

Choose Your Weapon A fly-on-the-wall glimpse into the selection of weapons and how they were used by the film's soldiers.

The Man in the Ice From design to production, watch the Arctic come to life on various sets in Los Angeles, Calif.

Voices The voices behind the Autobots and Decepticons.

Audition Tapes: Megan Fox Watch Megan's original screen test as she reads a scene from the final film.

Bay Not Quitting Transformers 3

Over at MichalBay.com forums, the man himself responds to the press report that he was quitting the franchise.

Hah,

Love press how they spin. Never said it - just wanted a vacation is more to the point. And no I don't read the good or the bad reviews.

What annoys me is how the blogosphere spread this press report without even bothering to pay attention to the fact that they never actually quoted him saying he was quitting. The article was full of quotes except for the most critical part which should have been a huge red flag. Makes me wish I had got hold of the story before going to bed, just to make the "I told you so" more satisfying.

Transformers 2 Movie Stills

More movie stills have been released to the web by Paramount, this time many of them focused on the real stars of the Revenge of the Fallen, the Transformers. Below are the new images to me. The cool Twins image to the left is from IESB.net, to get the full huge image, click here. The first two images below are from the GM Autobot site and the rest of the images were found in IGN's TF2 Gallery. In addition, MichaelBay.com has posted a zip file of all the new wallpaper that was added to the official website, click here for that.

Remix Of The Touch In Transformers ROTF?

MTV has posted an amusing video that shows Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen star Shia Labeouf singing the Touch and saying "There is a remix and its in the movie. Who would have thought that. I have been fighting that since forever. It's one of may favorite songs of all time." Did Stan Bush's efforts pay off? I will believe it when I hear it next week.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

CGI Twins Images

TFG2.com has posted another set of CGI images of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen characters, this time for Mudflap and Skids. Overall, I am not much of a fan of their design but maybe that will change after seeing what ILM does with them.

GM Provided 67 Vehicles In Transformers 2

In an article with USA Today, Bay and GM briefly discussed the relationship between the two as GM provided the production with 67 cars total that was a combination of prototype, concept and real cars.

"They were responsible for building the cars, and I was trying to get my check because we built the cars, fronted them the money, and they were late on paying us," Bay says. "I was like, 'We better get our check fast before they go bankrupt.'

Chevy won't reveal what it cost to provide cars, but spokesman Steve Janisse says 67 vehicles were used, and 52 of those were "non-salable," specially built prototypes used for testing, engineering and display.

While participating in a movie may seem counterintuitive given GM's hardships, the company says Transformers could be a big help. "Although we've significantly reduced spending around all promotions, and in this case we did not pay any placement fee, we still need to market and sell cars and trucks," Janisse says. "We know this is a good investment — that it interests people in Chevrolet and ultimately drives people to check out our vehicles.

"Most of the 22,000 2010 Camaros put on the market last month were pre-sold, Janisse adds, with interest fueled by the design's use as Bumblebee in the 2007 film.

Bay says the cars themselves become like celebrities, something he witnessed while shooting in a remote part of the Middle East. "The money they spend is pennies for the amount of goodwill. Bumblebee is one of the most famous cars in the world," the director says. "Literally, we're in this poor little town in Jordan, and all these kids surrounded (the car). They all knew Bumblebee's name."

Viral: New Transformers Sighting

The Transformers 2 viral websites TheRealEffingDeal and GiantEffingRobots have added more Transformer sighting that have been caught on camera.

Robot in Egypt - As the image shows, the shadow of a robot indicates something is inspecting the top of the pyramids in the Valley of Kings, Egypt.
Beware Killer Toys - What was thought to be a remote controlled plane turns out to be something else.
Leo Goes to College - Leo records a going to college message (just in time to meet new roommate Sam).
Fireworks Sighting - A New Year’s celebration leads to a Starscream sighting?
Rooftop Spotting - Cute girl plus camera equals guy not looking where he should be.
When Is a Motorcycle Not a Cycle - How annoying would it be to have your paid for ride run off on its own?

BD-Live Tranrsformers 1 Deleted Scenes

More content from the BD-Live special features have made their way online with two deleted scenes from Transformers 1. The first scene shows the final fate of Fig (Amaury Nolasco) and the second is a scene between Maggie (Racheal Taylor) and Glen (Anthony Anderson) as she gets to work just before the meeting with the Defense Secretary (Jon Voight).

No.18 Wrapped In M&Ms Transformers Scheme

From JoeGibbsRacing.com is a gallery that shows off No. 18 Toyota being prepped in the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen M&M's paint scheme by the crew in North Carolina. Below area few images but you can find the full gallery here.

Bay Quitting Transformers 3? No

To no surprise, Michael Bay is not quitting Transformers 3.

According to Total Film, Michael Bay is finished with the franchise (yeah right).

Hollywood directors, start writing your CVs now. Michael Bay has said that he will not be returning for Transformers 3, should Paramount decide to make it.

“It's easy to go shoot an art movie in a winery in the South of France,” he said. “But people have no idea how hard it is to create something like Transformers.

“They (the critics) review me before they've even seen the movie.

"It seems like a strange time in his career to be worrying about what the critics think, but it seems Bay’s mid-life crisis is genuine.

He adds, "After the three and a half years I've spent making these movies, I feel like I've had enough of the Transformers world.

"I need to do something totally divergent, something without any explosions.

"Here is the thing to pay attention to. First the source is WENN whose function is to essential funnel crap from papparazzi to the public so accuracy isn't a priority. Second, his statements are similiar to what he has been saying for a while now about needing a year break before returning for the third film, which is why there are two potential release dates floating around - July of 2011 or 2012. Third, notice that they didn't actually quote Bay himself saying he was quitting. They just stated it. His actual quotes are complaining about the critics.

If he said 'I am not making Transformers 3' there would have been quotation marks around that statement. So until he is quoted (preferably on his website or on video), I am taking it with a grain of salt. I am not saying the Bay will not quit, that is always a possibility with Hollywood types, but I think the main reason he may not return is if Paramount refuses to give him a year break he is asking for. Its like with the movie spoilers, until its proven from official sources, its all speculation.

Another Human Alliance Bumblebee Video Review

We already had one review of Human Alliance Bumblebee but Peaugh has posted his own. It gives you a better look at Sam Witwicky figure and confirms that Bumblebee is about the size of the BinalTech/Alternator line.

U.S. Official ROTF Site Updated

The official site for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has had another update. Once you click to enter the site, it goes full screen automatically. After loading you can see a full CGI representation of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Starscream that pose depending on what section you navigate to. For navigation assistance, Soundwave as first seen on the UK site is in the top right.

The site has the trailers and six TV spots, various movies stills already released to mainstream websites, links to three activity sites such as We Are Autobots, and more.

Two More Video Games Clips

Two more clips for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Game from Gametrailers.com. The first clip shows some gameplay as Sideways with a brief look at his sniper ability and also shows off more of the Devastator level. The second clip shows a level I think we have seen before but this time it is playing as Optimus Prime.

Video Games | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Sideways & Devastator Walkthrough

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Video Games | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Optimus Prime Downtown Walkthrough

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

TV Spots #17-19, BD-Live Clip With Sound

MichaelBay.com has posted the next three TV spots for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The new spots include new footage including Sideways meeting his end, kitchen bots transformations, and more of the Devastator merge. Thanks to D-Squared for the heads-up. Also below is a video found by Teddy that has the sound from the BD-Live clip involving Grindor capturing Sam and company. Anyone able to identify the kitchen bots? I know of a microwave, toaster, and vacuum but seems like there are two or three more in the Bumblebee spot.

TV Spot #17 - Bumblebee

TV Spot #18 - Everything

TV Spot #19 - Evolved