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Bay Claims Microsoft Funding HD DVD Camp
6 December 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Director Michael Bay (Transformers) has accused Microsoft of handing out $100-million checks to the studios to persuade them to release high-definition video using the HD DVD format exclusively. Writing on his website Tuesday, Bay said, "Microsoft wants both formats [HD DVD and Blu-ray] to fail so they can be heroes and make the world move to digital downloads. That is the dirty secret no one is talking about." (A similar accusation was voiced last October by Mike Dunn, head of Fox Home Entertainment.) Bay said on his website that Microsoft wants "confusion in the market until they perfect the digital downloads."

'Transformers' Transforms DVD Business
23 October 2007 (StudioBriefing)
First-week DVD sales of Paramount/DreamWorks' Transformers totaled 8.3 million copies, more than half of them -- 4.5 million -- sold on the first day, a record for the year. Moreover, the HD DVD edition sold 190,000 copies during the first week, making it the best-selling HD DVD ever. (Paramount/DreamWorks recently agreed to release movies on high-definition video exclusively in the HD DVD format.) In a statement, Paramount Home Entertainment President Kelley Avery said, "We're happy to be kicking off the fourth quarter with a title that clearly shows home entertainment releases are still an event that drives consumers into stores -- which is a win for both content providers and retailers." However, director Michael Bay has indicated that he is unhappy with the DVD release, suggesting that he would have liked to have had a more influential role in its production, but was tied up promoting the movie. "Studios want to pump this stuff out, and my job is to care about it and try to put the right people on it," he told USA Today. "They just see it as a show they are selling, and I see it as a movie. That's how your movie lives on, in the DVD format."

Payoff from HD DVD Camp to Paramount?
22 August 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Paramount and DreamWorks garnered "incentives" valued at $150 million to agree to release their films in high-definition home video exclusively in the HD DVD format, the New York Times and Daily Variety reported today (Wednesday), citing no sources. Both publications said that the HD DVD camp had agreed to "promotional considerations" amounting to $50 million for Paramount and $100 million for DreamWorks over the next 18 months. The Times indicated that an undisclosed amount of cash also exchanged hands. Variety's revelation was buried in an article about director Michael Bay's flip-flop over the two film companies' decision. Bay had originally posted a message titled "Paramount pisses me off!" on his personal website in which he remarked: "I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For them to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks!" He vowed not to direct Transformers 2 if it would not be released in the competing Blu-ray format, which currently outsells HD DVD by three to one. By the end of the day, however, Bay had backtracked, writing, "I overreacted. I heard where Paramount is coming from and the future of HD. ... I like what I heard." Fellow director Steven Spielberg remained unconvinced, balking at the Paramount/DreamWorks deal (as he did with Universal's exclusive deal with the HD DVD camp). A spokesman indicated that his films will continue to be released exclusively in the Blu-ray format, regardless of the studio for which they are made. DreamWorks marketing chief Marvin Levy said Tuesday that Spielberg continues to be a "big supporter of Blu-ray."

Bay Testifies at Spector Trial
8 August 2007 (WENN)
Director Michael Bay testified at the Phil Spector murder trial on Monday to again deny claims he snubbed actress Lana Clarkson at a party two days before her death. The Transformers filmmaker took the stand at a Los Angeles court after being called by the prosecution. Last month, Bay was called by the defense and phoned in his testimony from Japan. Clarkson, who was shot dead at producer Phil Spector's California mansion in February 2003, was reportedly devastated by the fact Bay didn't remember her. But Bay denied any such incident took place, insisting he'd remember the "vivacious" Clarkson, who he cast in a car advertisement nearly 10 years ago. He told the hearing, "If I disrespected her she probably would have slapped me. She was just that saucy. You would recognize Lana because she was funny, she was vivacious, she had no qualms about coming right up to someone." Spector is accused of shooting Clarkson dead. He has pleaded not guilty and claims Clarkson committed suicide. The trial continues.

Bay Shoots Back at Willis
26 July 2007 (WENN)
Director Michael Bay has hit back at Bruce Willis after the actor wrote an internet blog vowing never to work with him again. The pair fell out on the set of Armageddon, prompting Willis to recently write, "Few people will work with Bay now, and I know I will never work with him again. A screaming director does not make for a pleasant set experience." But Transformers filmmaker Bay claims' Willis rant is just a publicity stunt for his latest film Live Free Or Die Hard. He says, "If you look, he posted at 3:30 in the morning; Does anything good happen at 3:30 in the morning? I think we have movies that were supposed to open on the same date and I think he thought, 'Maybe I'll get some fans if I do that.' Bruce wrote, 'If Michael Bay would have done Live Free Or Die Hard, it would have sucked.' Now, my action is usually pretty good. So I'll put it to the test. Put Transformers action against Live Free Or Die Hard action. If you want to go the competitive way, we can go there."

Bay Watch
5 July 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Days before the opening of the latest Transformers movie, director Michael Bay posted an angry message on his blog, deriding producers Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto for allegedly attempting to take undeserved creative credit for the film. Although his message was later removed, it was apparently cached by Google and found its way to L.A. Weekly columnist Nikki Finke, who posted it on her website today (Thursday). In it, Bay writes that he had only one creative meeting with DeSanto a year ago, during which, he wrote, "I realized he was worlds apart in my vision. I said, 'Thank you very much, ' and then showed him my office door. I never really spoke to him again other than to mutter, 'Hello.'" Bay says that although he never had conversations with Murphy, he did read notes from him "kind of trashing the script and making me and the writers feel like a big s*** pile." Bay also accused DeSanto of attempting to get a writer's credit on the film and discussing the film with interviewers at an awards dinner as if he had seen the completed film. "Give me a break," Bay wrote. "The guy was lying through his teeth. He had seen nada, nothing, until the press screening."

Movie Reviews: 'Transformers'
2 July 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Michael Bay's Transformers enters an already crowded movie marketplace in many cities today (Monday) in advance of an "official" opening on Tuesday. By and large, it's attracting positive reviews. Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times describes the movie as "goofy fun with a lot of stuff that blows up real good, and it has the grace not only to realize how preposterous it is, but to make that into an asset." Manohla Dargis in the New York Times remarks that the movie seems to be "designed as the ultimate in shock-and-awe entertainment." It is, she adds, "part car commercial, part military recruitment ad, a bumper-to-bumper pileup of big cars, big guns and, as befits its recently weaned target demographic, big breasts." Some critics seem amazed by their own enjoyment of the film. For example, Desson Thomson writes in the Washington Post: "Before you dismiss this movie as toy porn for overgrown boys (not that there's anything wrong with that), consider this: Never was this goofy rapture explored with more fun. For the non-Transformer heads among us, who couldn't tell an Autobot from a Decepticon, it's a wonderfully playful experience." And Roger Moore in the Orlando Sentinel puts it this way: "We knew it would be dumb. But we had no idea it would be so much dumb fun." Lou Lumenick interrupts his review of the movie in the New York Post to remark: "A box-office analyst whom I respect predicts Transformers will be the year's top-grossing flick. If the enthusiastic response I saw at a screening the other night is any indication, predominately male audiences will flock to see some of Hollywood's most lavish special effects ever, climaxing in a battle that destroys much of downtown Los Angeles."

For Movie Studios, Toys 'R Them
12 June 2007 (StudioBriefing)
The plethora of summer box-office blockbusters is giving headaches to toy manufacturers who have product tie-ins with the movies, the Los Angeles Times observed today (Monday). Martin Brochstein, executive editor of Licensing Letter, told the newspaper that retailers will probably not be keeping movie-related items on the shelves for long. "It's become a business of caution," he said. Toys linked to Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer are likely to be overshadowed by those related to Michael Bay's upcoming Transformers, due to be released over the July 4th weekend. Meanwhile, Daily Variety Editor-in-Chief Peter Bart has commented that Hollywood has become "avid for stories about toys and creatures from video games." Bart concludes: "Given the fact that the studios increasingly are being run by marketing gurus, it's no surprise that they've been searching for a new business model. Hence their motto: Toys 'r us. Not original, perhaps, but good business anyway."

Watts To Battle 'The Birds'?
18 October 2006 (WENN)
Australian actress Naomi Watts has reportedly been offered the lead role in the remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 horror classic The Birds. Armageddon director Michael Bay's company will produce the new version of the film. She would play the role of Melanie Daniels, which was played by Tippi Hedren, in the original, according to moviehole.net. The script is being re-worked by Leslie Dixon, who updated The Thomas Crown Affair for Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo in 1999. The movie features a wealthy San Francisco socialite who follows a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town where birds suddenly begin to launch vicious attacks on people.

Johansson Hints at Rift with Bay
8 December 2005 (WENN)
Hollywood beauty Scarlett Johansson has hinted she has a bad relationship with her The Island director Michael Bay, declaring the movie-maker has "lots of enemies." Johansson and her Island co-star Ewan McGregor's acting skills were blamed by producers after the action thriller failed to reach box office expectations. In a recent New York Times interview, Johansson talks about her love of on-set gifts and her pet Chihuahua. She says, "On the set of The Island. Ewan McGregor gave me coats and collars and lots of dog toys." After mentioning Bay has huge pet dogs, Johansson adds, "He needs them. He has a lot of enemies." When asked if Bay gave her any presents on the set, Johansson laughed politely, but did not elaborate.

Johansson Shocks Bay with Naked Request
3 August 2005 (WENN)
Director Michael Bay was horrified when actress Scarlett Johansson insisted on going topless for a love scene in new movie The Island - because the romance is rated PG-13. The 20-year-old beauty called Bay to her trailer and angrily refused to wear an unflattering black bra for her love scene with co-star Ewan McGregor. But Bay had difficulty persuading Johansson not to do the scene naked. He tells movie magazine Empire, "You know the situation - the famous director gets called to the actor's trailer before she does the love scene. I'm like, here we go. I'm ready to do Ewan and Scarlett's love scene. I'm like, 'Oh my God, she's not going to come out.' She says, 'I'm not f**king wearing this cheap-ass black bra, okay? I'm going naked.' I'm like, 'Scarlett, you can't go naked. It's a PG-13.' Classic story, She's feisty, I must say."

Bay's 'Island' Sinks
26 July 2005 (StudioBriefing)
Chocolate won out over popcorn in a big way over the weekend as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remained at the top of the box office for the second week in a row, while the popcorn summer flick The Island tanked. Charlie earned $28.3 million for Warner Bros. and the theaters showing it, down 50 percent from its opening. The No. 2 film, New Line Cinema's Wedding Crashers was off only 24 percent, earning $25.7 million. In its third weekend, 20th Century Fox's Fantastic Four remained in third place with $12.6 million, edging out the debut of DreamWorks/Warner Bros.' The Island, which brought in just $12.4 million, about a tenth of what it cost to make. (In an interview with today's Los Angeles Times director Michael Bay, whose previous five films had opened at the top of the box office, commented: "Everyone from [Steven] Spielberg to [Robert] Zemeckis to [Stanley] Kubrick -- they've all had big flops. ... I was five for five. You know it's going to happen. It hurts," Bay added. "It's always the director's fault.") Bad News Bears debuted in the fifth spot with $11.4 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Warner Bros. $28,253,338, 2 Wks. ($114,058,892); 2. Wedding Crashers, New Line, $25,665,065, 2 Wks. ($80,366,504); 3. Fantastic Four, 20th Century Fox, $12,646,871, 3 Wks. ($122,931,780); 4. The Island, DreamWorks/Warner Bros., $12,409,070, (New); 5. Bad News Bears, Paramount, $11,382,472, (New); 6. War of the Worlds, Paramount, $8,925,605, 4 Wks. ($208,430,643); 7. Hustle & Flow, Paramount, $8,017,808, (New); 8. The Devil's Rejects, Lions Gate, $7,067,335, (New); 9. Batman Begins, Warner Bros. $4,727,469, 6 Wks. ($191,105,194); 10. March of the Penguins, Warner Bros. $4,382,340, 4 Wks. ($9,306,689).

Return of the Slump
25 July 2005 (StudioBriefing)
The box office returned to its slump over the weekend as two new films produced disappointing results and last week's top attraction dropped 50 percent. The biggest washout was DreamWorks/Warner Bros.' The Island, a film that cost $125 million to make but earned only $12.1 million in its opening weekend. It was director Michael Bay's first box office flop. "We can only hope the film finds its audience in the coming weeks," DreamWorks distribution chief Jim Tharp told the Wall Street Journal. "As to the whys of it, I'm not going to comment." Another failure was Paramount's Bad News Bears, which took in an estimated $11.5 million. Since it reportedly cost only $35 million to make, it will not set the studio back much money, if any at all by the time the DVDs go out. Remaining at the top spot, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory drew about $28.3 million. Close behind was last week's No. 2 film, Wedding Crashers, with $26.2 million, a drop of only 23 percent. OK results were recorded for Paramount Classics' Hustle & Flow, which grossed $8.1 million in 1,013 theaters to place seventh, and Lions Gate's The Devil's Rejects, which took in $7 million at 1,757 screens to place eighth. Making the most impressive showing was the documentary March of the Penguins, which expanded to 695 theaters and took in $4.3 million, putting it into the top 10 for the first time. The film is expected to expand to 1,200 screens next weekend.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, $28.3 million; 2. Wedding Crashers, $26.2 million; 3. Fantastic Four, $12.3 million; 4. The Island, $12.1 million; 5. Bad News Bears, $11.5 million; 6. War of the Worlds, $8.8 million; 7. Hustle & Flow, $8.1 million; 8. The Devil's Rejects, $7 million; 9. Batman Begins, $4.7 million; 10. March of the Penguins, $4.3 million.

Movie Reviews: 'The Island'
22 July 2005 (StudioBriefing)
Director Michael Bay has always taken some satisfaction in the fact that while his action flicks are often derided by critics, they perform like gangbusters at the box office. His latest movie, The Island, may be no exception. The film, which stars Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, is being subjected to a virtual tsunami of negative reviews (but it also receives a few favorable ones, too). Claudia Puig in USA Today describes it as "this loud, sometimes frenetic cinematic assault." Similarly, John Anderson in Newsday calls it "this loud, slick, pointless movie." Joe Morgenstern in the Wall Street Journal writes that it "comes on like an overproduced coma, and leaves you comatose by the end." And Ann Hornaday offers this advice in the Washington Post: "If you find yourself at The Island I have only three words of advice: Vote yourself off." Nevertheless, Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times bestows three stars on the film, even while writing that watching it was like watching a double feature. "The first half ... is a spare, creepy science fiction parable, and then it shifts into a high-tech action picture. Both halves work. Whether they work together is a good question. The more you like one, the less you may like the other. I liked them both, up to a point, but the movie seemed a little too much like surf & turf." And Jack Mathews in the New York Daily News seems to suggest it's simply a movie to eat popcorn by. He writes: "This is a summer movie that knows what it is -- and that that is all it is -- and acts accordingly. It's got a hot premise, some cool sets, attractive stars and action that lets up only when it thinks you're about to surrender."

McGregor Fears Backlash for 'The Island'
3 May 2005 (WENN)
Scottish hunk Ewan McGregor fears he'll be blasted for appearing in upcoming Hollywood movie The Island. The 34-year-old star is convinced his decision to star in the Michael Bay thriller alongside screen siren Scarlett Johansson will ultimately rocket his career to even greater heights. And while he accepts many British film critics will attack his decision to star in a big-budget American blockbuster, he insists he needs to commit to the occasional box office smash to maintain his momentum in the tough h industry. He says, "What I like about my career so far is that it has got really broad variety. The older I get the wider my scope should be. It's funny, in Britain I'll get slagged off for doing The Island, I know I will. People will say, 'What's he doing f**king off to America doing that sh**e?' And on the other hand unless you've done a big American action movie you're not really given any credit."

Beckinsale Blasts Insensitive 'Pearl Harbor' Director
3 June 2004 (WENN)
British movie star Kate Beckinsale hated the Pearl Harbor experience because she was made to feel ugly by the movie moguls behind the blockbuster. The pretty Van Helsing star turned to co-star Ben Affleck to help her deal with awful feelings of insecurity when insensitive director Michael Bay bluntly explained she was picked for the film because she wasn't beautiful. The actress says, "It freaked me out because I was so pleased with myself, having lost the 70 pounds after my pregnancy. I wasn't exactly what they had in mind, and when they publicized the movie, Michael would continue to say, 'We cast Kate because she wasn't too attractive.' I did find that quite upsetting and my self-esteem took a real blow from it... I became quite insecure because I was told a lot that I wasn't pretty enough. Ben Affleck was very open about it. 'This is what goes on, ' he said, and I really needed somebody to tell me it wasn't just me."

Bad Boy Michael Bay?
27 May 2003 (WENN)
Director Michael Bay could be taking the title of his latest film, Bad Boys II, too literally - he is reportedly living up to his volatile persona on-set. The Pearl Harbor film-maker is in the midst of shooting Bad Boys II with the original 1995 flick's stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. According to a source speaking to the New York Daily News, shooting was underway in Miami's Coral Gables neighborhood one day when an elderly man watching the scene succumbed to the heat. Paramedics were still removing the man when, the source says, Bay asked, "Can't you hurry it up?" A Columbia TriStar spokesman confirmed the incident, but denied that Bay showed any insensitivity. The 38-year-old director once admitted to an interviewer, "I yell a lot. I'm very vocal and demanding, but that's because I'm making massive, noisy movies and I need to keep control." But the New York Daily News source says Bay wasn't the only one with an ego. The insider adds, "Will Smith couldn't have been nicer," but Martin Lawrence "could be demanding." When he saw that Smith had a two-storey trailer, Lawrence reportedly insisted on an unprecedented three-storey trailer with a separate area for playing basketball. A representative for Lawrence said his "trailer is a personal matter."

'Bad Boys' Back in Style
20 May 2003 (WENN)
Makers of the new Bad Boys sequel have hit out at reports the big-budget blockbuster is in trouble - needing drastic rework before it is ready for release. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have reunited eight years after the original film scooped $140 million at the box office. But Bad Boys II - due for release in July - was reported to be causing Studio bosses difficulties, because it's too long, too expensive and too violent. A source told American gossip site Pagesix, "The budget was pushed from $120 million to close to $200 million. "This movie was originally scheduled for release in 1997 and went through eight rewrites by 15 writers." But Sony Pictures vice chairman Amy Pascal and Bad Boys II producer Jerry Bruckheimer have laughed off reports of on-set strife. Pascal insists director Michael Bay is in the process of cutting the picture's length. She says, "The movie was in pre-production in 1997-1998. It ended up not happening because there was a scheduling conflict with Will, who had to do Men In Black." And Bruckheimer denies the movie is overly violent, "The movie is R-rated. It is not candy-coated - it is exciting." Rumors the film is set to bomb are also blasted by Pascal, who raves about the sequel. She gushes, "It's one of the most entertaining movies I have ever seen. We had a focus-group screening the other day of 18 people and when we asked them what we should change - everyone said nothing."

'Bad Boys 2' Shuts Down
24 October 2002 (WENN)
Hollywood moviemaker Michael Bay is shutting down filming of the long- awaited Bad Boys sequel for two weeks - to attend a court case. The Pearl Harbor helmer has halted production on the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced action movie for a fortnight beginning October 26. Bay is suing his former stockbroker, who he alleges lost $3 million of his money in unauthorized day trading. Bad Boys 2 stars Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and Gabrielle Union will return to the Florida set on November 11.

Marilyn Manson Scoring 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' Remake
17 October 2002 (WENN)
Shock rocker Marilyn Manson has signed up for his dream job - he's scoring the remake of cult horror classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Manson will compose and record background music for the film, a retelling of the 1974 Tobe Hooper cult classic about a chainsaw-wielding madman and his rural family of cannibals. The new Chainsaw flick began principal photography in July under the direction of Marcus Nispel, who has made videos for Shaggy, C&C Music Factory and the Spice Girls. The movie is being produced by Pearl Harbor director Michael Bay and among the young actors lining up to be victims are Six Feet Under's Eric Balfour and The Virgin Suicides' Jonathan Tucker.

'Bad Boys 2' Causes Traffic Havoc
8 August 2002 (WENN)
Actor Will Smith's latest movie has caused anger among locals in the Florida area where it's being shot. Scenes from the sequel to buddy comedy Bad Boys are being filmed on a section of the main road between Miami and Miami Beach, which carries more than 90,000 cars a day. Drivers have been seeing red since producers closed off the road - known as MacArthur Causeway - at the start of the week to allow filming to go undisturbed. The resulting diversion has led to the 15-minute trip between the city and the island increasing to more than an hour. Resident Robin Statfeld wrote a letter to the Miami Herald to express his outrage, saying, "Apparently those charged with governing and managing our city are so blinded by dollar signs and wood lights that they cannot see how unconscionable it is to close the MacArthur Causeway." Government officials claim people living in the area will benefit from $20 million being injected into the local economy from the film's studio Columbia Pictures - but the move has meant the creation of long traffic jams with drivers sitting in their cars in sweltering heat. Bad Boys 2, which also stars Martin Lawrence, has already caused outrage after Florida authorities decided to let director Michael Bay film in a protected manatee habitat.

Phillippe To Grab Chainsaw
18 April 2002 (WENN)
Hollywood hunk Ryan Phillippe is reported to have signed up to play Leatherface in a remake of 1974 classic horror flick The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The star - whose wife is sexy actress Reese Witherspoon - will have to put on weight, wear dead skin, take to transvestitism and run around hacking up teenagers with a chainsaw for the part. But Hollywood sources say the 27-year-old is keen to take on the role. Production of the film, which will be produced by Michael Bay' Platinum Dunes production company, is due to start this summer.

Director Bay To Go From Infamy To Massacre
31 January 2002 (StudioBriefing)
Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor ) is working on a remake of the 1974 horror classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for his Platinum Dunes film company, Daily Variety reported today (Thursday). The trade paper said that Tobe Hooper, who directed the original film (as well as 1982's Poltergeist), is working with his original co-writer Kim Henkel on a draft of a new script. There were three TCM sequels, the last in 1994 starring Renée Zellweger, Matthew McConaughey and Robert Jacks, which earned a ghastly $94,558.

Pearl Harbor + 60
4 December 2001 (StudioBriefing)
Three days ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Japanese strike at Pearl Harbor, Disney is releasing Michael Bay's blockbuster, Pearl Harbor, on home video. The movie is being released in several packages, including a gift set that includes three documentaries about the Japanese attack and the making of the movie. It also includes a Dolby Headphone Soundtrack option that allows viewers listening to the soundtrack on headphones to experience the "surroundsound" effect of three speakers in front of them and one on each side.

Pearl Harbor Director Goes Back To Basics
13 November 2001 (WENN)
Pearl Harbor director Michael Bay is going back to basics by cutting out the special effects for a more minimalist approach. The Hollywood movie maker, who's also responsible for blockbusters such as The Rock and Armageddon, has created a low budget genre film division called Platinum Dunes, which will help younger directors in their quest for success. The company, which is named after Bay's first student film, is to be run by producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, both friends of the director, and will make films in the $5 million to $12 million price range. Bay explains, "Since Pearl Harbor, I've decided to change things. I've started a commercial division this past summer called - and we're making fun of ourselves with the name - the Institute For Development Of The Advanced Perceptual Awareness. I'm 37 years old and it's time to not just be the guy who does huge movies. I want to branch out, expand and with this low budget division, be instrumental in the careers of younger directors."

Sean Penn Wishes Rectal Cancer On Director
29 August 2001 (WENN)
Actor Sean Penn has continued his lashing out at Hollywood, taking pot shots at popcorn movies in general and director Michael Bay in particular. He rants, "The best moviemakers in the US are now living in Disneyland. The definition of a good film now is one that makes the bank happy, not one that shines a light on people's lives." Of Bay, Penn moans, "You can read about cancer, or you can watch a Michael Bay picture. Those type of filmmakers should be sent running home screaming with rectal cancer...they don't care about the films they make, or about what is going on around them."

Pearl Harbor DVD To Contain Hours Of Added Material
16 August 2001 (StudioBriefing)
The major film studios are continuing to load DVD discs with hours of supplemental features. Disney's Buena Vista Home Video announced Wednesday that it plans to include in its Pearl Harbor DVD release on Dec. 4 a director's cut, a documentary about the Dec. 7, 1941 attack, another documentary about some of the men who were involved in it and who returned to U.S.S. Arizona Memorial for the film's premier, an introduction to the film by director Michael Bay, and interviews with the cast. Meanwhile, today's New York Post reported that Disney is planning to re-release Pearl Harbor in theaters on Aug. 31 in hopes of fulfilling predictions by company execs that the film would gross $200 million by summer's end. The film, now showing on 809 screens, has thus far earned $195.1 million.

Affleck's Pearl Harbor Colleagues Shocked At Rehab Reports
9 August 2001 (WENN)
Ben Affleck's admittance into rehab for alcoholism has shocked the crew who worked with him on Pearl Harbor - because they found his co-star Kate Beckinsale more problematic. The Hollywood hunk checked himself into Malibu, California, rehabilitation clinic Promises, where troubled actor Robert Downey, Jr. was also working through his drug problems last week. But his former colleagues are finding the fact hard to digest. A colleague of the star explains, "He runs fast and loose, and probably parties too much. He certainly never gave anyone a problem when we were making the film. He was always on time, and was all business." But the same couldn't always be said for Pearl Harbor's leading lady Beckinsale, according to another movie worker, who asserts the actress seemed to have a problem getting in front of cameras promptly. The British beauty was reportedly so tardy that on one occasion, director Michael Bay resorted to banging on her dressing room door and demanding she come out and get to work.

Ben Affleck: 'Matt, Are You Straight?'
19 July 2001 (WENN)
Just like in his latest hit Pearl Harbor, Ben Affleck would beat up his best friend if he slept with his girlfriend in real life. In Michael Bay's WW II-drama, Ben and Josh Hartnett have a confrontation over Hartnett's relationship with Kate Beckinsale. "Like in the movie I would give my best friend a good slapping. But seriously, I really wouldn't know what to do. I'm glad to say that such an experience has never happened to me yet. It is tough when your best friend sleeps with your lady. My best friend Matt Damon wouldn't do such a thing. But the first thing I'd ask him if he did would be, 'Wow, Matt! Are you straight?'"

Madison Ave. Woos Film Directors
3 July 2001 (StudioBriefing)
Waving paychecks of $10,000 to $30,000 per day as enticements, Madison Avenue is increasingly attracting top-name Hollywood directors, the Wall Street Journal reported today (Monday). Among the film directors who have recently made TV commercials, the newspaper said, is Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon), who has created commercials for Nike, Coca-Cola, Miller beer and Pepsi One. Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone, it also noted, have directed commercials for France Telecom's Orange mobile phone unit. And Jake Scott has directed spots for British Telecom. Director Ben Younger (Boiler Room) told the WSJ that he often takes on commercials to hone his skills. "I have to stay sharp in between movies," he said.

Movie Reviews: Pearl Harbor
25 May 2001 (StudioBriefing)
Among the major U.S. newspapers, only the Los Angeles Times gives Pearl Harbor a snappy salute. Curiously, the Times' review is not written by lead critic Kenneth Turan but by the newspaper's veteran movie writer, Kevin Thomas, whose taste in films generally runs to independent and foreign-produced fare, not big blockbusters. Thomas calls the film "a superb reenactment" of the events of Dec. 7, 1941 that also provides "an engaging love story" and reels off at "a brisk pace that makes this three-hour war epic seem like half that time." The filmmakers, he concludes, "have given us a Pearl Harbor to remember." Compare those words with these of Glenn Whipp, film critic for the cross-town Los Angeles Daily News: Director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have created a movie, he writes, "that is so clichéd and boring that even the WB television network would reject it out of hand for being too insipid." Stephen Hunter in the Washington Post argues that the movie seems to work when it attempts to evoke old World War II war flicks, but by the end, he concludes, "it becomes the wrong kind of same old story: Hollywood stupidity and callowness, writ large across the sky." In the very first sentence of his review, Joe Morgenstern in the Wall Street Journal describes the film as "a blockheaded, hollow-hearted industrial enterprise," and in his last sentence calls it "a movie without a soul." Several critics praise the scenes of the attack on the U.S. fleet, but Jami Bernard in the New York Times is among the many who conclude, in her words: "An intense half-hour of cool, wall-to-wall combat sequences is sandwiched between hours of a predictable, sappy romantic triangle that is hardly worthy of the epic treatment it receives." Or as Lou Lumenick puts it in the New York Post: "The 40-minute attack sequence in Pearl Harbor is as spectacular as you could imagine -- but come prepared to suffer through hours of soggy, corny, predictable and interminable romantic drama." But even the spectacle of the recreated raid troubles Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times, who asks: "What is the point, really, of more than half an hour of planes bombing ships, of explosions and fireballs, of roars on the soundtrack and bodies flying through the air and people running away from fighters that are strafing them? How can it be entertaining or moving when it's simply about the most appalling slaughter? Why do the filmmakers think we want to see this, unrelieved by intelligence, viewpoint or insight?"

Affleck Tells Why He'll Work "For No Money" On Pearl Harbor
16 March 2000 (StudioBriefing)
Ben Affleck is praising production plans for his upcoming blockbuster film, Pearl Harbor (2000) while at the same time taking a swipe at his last blockbuster film, Armageddon. In a message posted on his Web site <www.affleck.com>, the star writes: "If you had asked me a year ago if I'd be doing Michael Bay's next movie -- and FOR NO MONEY at that -- I'd have said you were crazy. And maybe I am, but I don't think so." (In an effort to trim $10 million off the film's original $145 million budget to satisfy Disney execs, Bay persuaded Affleck and others to take back-end deals; i.e., they'll be paid if the movie makes money.) Affleck goes on to say that when he was originally approached about doing the movie, "I was fully expecting the kind of saccharine, popcorn that was Armageddon (1998)." Explaining his decision to forego an upfront fee for the film, Affleck writes: "We want to make a good movie -- and we want every nickel up on the screen to help tell the story. Ultimitely (sic), I've found, it's a lot more satisfying to make a movie you can be proud of than it is to cash a big check. This time, we're taking the route of the former."

Did Eisner Bomb Pearl Harbor?
13 January 2000 (StudioBriefing)
Joe Roth's exit as Walt Disney Studios chief may have followed a clash with Michael Eisner over Roth's decision last November to greenlight a $145-million budget for Pearl Harbor the Wall Street Journal indicated today (Thursday), citing people familiar with the matter. Reports at the time the go-ahead was announced said that producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay had been engaged in lengthy negotiations with Roth and had finally agreed to financial concessions including a downsized back-end participation and accountability for any budget overages. Nevertheless, nearly two months after the deals with Bruckheimer and Bay were struck, Eisner has yet to clear the film, the WSJ said. (Today's Daily Variety said that Eisner told it that Pearl Harbor (2000) has not been greenlighted.) Moreover, it added, Disney's strategic planning department, which ordinarily is engaged in handling business ventures for the company, has been directed to scrutinize the film's budget, the highest ever authorized for any film.

Report: Disney Film To Cost More Than Titanic
16 September 1999 (StudioBriefing)
The Walt Disney Co. is planning to produce the most expensive movie ever made -- about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, a British newspaper reported today (Thursday). The London Daily Express said that the unnamed film is budgeted at $225 million and will be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay, who teamed on Disney's Armageddon. It is likely to star Gene Hackman in the role of President Franklin Roosevelt and Gwyneth Paltrow in an undescribed role. The Express quoted a source close to Bruckheimer as saying, "The aim is to make the most spectacular and realistic war film ever seen. Bruckheimer's vision is almost megalomanic in its scope. ... We want to top Titanic in the jaw-dropping stakes. A huge tank, similar to the hydraulic technology used in Titanic, is being built to accommodate the sinking of the USS Oklahoma." The Express said that the U.S. military has agreed to provide access to its bases in Hawaii for the film and that veterans of the original action will be employed as technical advisors.

Bay Concedes He Directs With "Target Audience" In Mind
2 July 1998 (StudioBriefing)
Armageddon (1998) director Michael Bay acknowledges that he carefully studies the reaction of his "target audience" at screenings and cuts his films accordingly. "If you're given $135 million to make a film, you better know who your target audience is, " Bay told today's (Thursday) USA Today. Bay makes no bones about his desire to please studio execs. "I know I'm gonna go out there and make them money, " he told the newspaper. "When I make them money, I'm going to get power and I'm going to get my way in terms of doing things where I can branch out."

Mcdonald's Planning First Movie Tie-In For Adults
5 March 1998 (StudioBriefing)
McDonald's plans to launch an extraordinary promotion campaign aimed at adults beginning in early July tied to Disney's Armageddon (1998) and enlisting the film's star, Bruce Willis, the Wall Street Journal reported today (Thursday), citing an internal marketing memorandum. The six-week promotion will reportedly feature a contest in which winners will meet Willis, attend the 1999 Oscars and receive memorabilia from the movie. Additionally, McDonald's commercials will be directed by Armageddon's Michael Bay and use sets and costumes from the movie, the WSJ said. The memo indicated that part of the campaign may be based on the concept "McDonald's is your ticket to movie fun" and may include movie ticket giveaways. According to research, "customers like the concept of getting movie tickets at McDonalds, " the memo observed. "They see a natural and logical connection between movies, McDonald's and Disney."