[Editor’s note: Craig J. Clark had somehow never seen a Michael Bay film until recently, when he watched all of them. He wrote about the experience here: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV. Given his expertise, it seemed fitting to have him review the new Transformers movie, too.] A few weeks back, film critics […]
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One of the most anticipated films in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival was Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled. The Civil War period piece — which centers on the drama caused by the appearance of a wounded Union soldier at a secluded girls’ school deep in Confederate territory — was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews, […]
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The time of year has come when we dutiful Americans shove our families into tightly packed cars and head off to giant, overpriced amusement parks! Crying children in the back, sleeping spouse in the passenger seat, and a strong urge to drive headlong into an eighteen wheeler if only to save yourself from the agony […]
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As the world teeters on the brink of Transformers: The Last Knight, Craig J. Clark has finally reached the end of the road that led Michael Bay — and the rest of us — here. Craig called the tune. It’s time to pay the piper. Part IV: Gains and Losses (2013-2016) After directing three retina-searing […]
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Pixar’s first bad movie, Cars 2, erred in making Mater the tow truck the main character and in emphasizing a tired espionage caper over jokes. Pixar’s second bad movie, Cars 3, fixes those mistakes and replaces them with different ones. This time, the accursed Mater is hardly around at all (and the film seems apologetic […]
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This week marks the 30th anniversary of John McTiernan’s action/sci-fi blockbuster Predator. It was the first credited movie role for the actor who plays the dirty-joke-obsessed Hawkins, but his excitement about that may have been overshadowed by something else. His name is Shane Black, you see, and he also wrote a little buddy cop movie […]
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As the world edges closer and closer to the release of Transformers: The Last Knight, Craig J. Clark is mapping the road that led Michael Bay — and the rest of us — here. Here’s the rub: Before he embarked on this project, Craig had never seen a Michael Bay movie. And it’s too late […]
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Sometimes you see a movie and think, “How did this get made?” Fortunately, we have listening devices planted in the offices of every major Hollywood studio — a must for any serious entertainment journalist — and are able to bring you the behind-the-scenes story until the court order arrives. . The Pitch Meeting for The Mummy […]
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Fictional monsters have often been used to examine the “other” within ourselves. But the various incarnations of The Mummy — in 1932, 1999, and now 2017 — have touched on America’s interactions with foreign, exotic “others.” In a nutshell, each version follows the same narrative: stupid English-speaking people unearth an ancient mummy that brings bad […]
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It Comes at Night opens on the lesioned face of a dying old man surrounded by tearful loved ones wearing gloves and gas masks. He has a fatal and highly contagious disease that has decimated the population. He’s euthanized by the end of the next scene, not to put him out of his misery so […]
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Nic Cage wasn’t always a walking punchline. But after winning the Best Actor Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas (1995), he started choosing roles that allowed him to work with interesting filmmakers, regardless of whether the movies would be any good. His first post-Oscar film, Michael Bay’s frenetic The Rock (1996), was a hit, and his […]
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In the lead-up to Transformers: The Last Knight, Craig J. Clark is mapping the road that led Michael Bay — and the rest of us — here. There’s just one catch: Craig had never seen a Michael Bay movie before now. Things are about to get real. . Part II: Sneak Attacks (2001-2005) It would be a […]
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