In My Opinion: Michael Bay

"Losers always cry about their Best. Winners go home and *beep* the Prom Queen."

That is all.

I'm definitely in the minority on this, but Transformers: Dark of the Moon is easily the Best of the series thus far. Bay goes all-out, out-doing everything he has ever done. He tried this with "Revenge of the Fallen" but failed because his vision outreached his grasp. With "Dark of the Moon" Bay is in complete control of his vision. Sure there's the Bay-romance and surreal comedic pit-stops, but the robot action is the best in series. Visually, the film is a powerhouse. The cinematography by Amir Mokri (who shot Bad Boys II) and Bay's choice of using 3D, give the action a smooth, kinetic feel.

It hits a lot of the same beats as 'ROTF' (if you even attempt to think about the plot it won't make sense), but it is a much more satisfying affair. It's almost as if Michael Bay gave the finger to his detractors and packed everything (the love story, the comic relief, jingoism, etc.) into this one movie. That's okay by me though, at least the cliches aren't as insulting as 'Pearl Harbor' and the coherence level is much better than 'Revenge of the Fallen'. The movie does move along at a good pace despite Bay's excesses. But the big kicker is how much this feels like a parody of every Michael Bay movie made up to this point. Bay even apes Spielberg; the Autobot-Goodbye midway through the film may bring up memories of 'E.T.', the final hour in Chicago is a Bay version of 'War of the Worlds'.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is Bay's giant canvas and he has crafted one of the most surreal blockbusters of all time. And while the final hour may not register on a conventional level, by this point in the movie, if you haven't submitted yourself to Bay's world of destruction than this is not your movie. Dark of the Moon is a work of unconventional film art, an amazing technical achievement and is Bay's finest hour in pure spectacle.

Bay's most recent film is in many ways his most thematically satisfying and well-rounded feature to date. It's interesting to see Bay channel the Coen Bros. (Fargo), Tarantino (Pulp Fiction), Scorsese (Goodfellas), a little Oliver Stone (Natural Born Killers: Bay blows that movie away, Stone wishes his movie was as good as this), and the "Florida Backdrop with a True Crime story" reminded me of 2001's 'Bully'. I must also mention 'American Psycho', and how that film's (and book's) protagonist, Patrick Bateman views life in a similar vein to how Wahlberg's Daniel Lugo sees his American Dream. Now imagine all those films on roids' and filtered through the lense of Michael Bay.

'Pain & Gain' is bizarre, funny, immature, exciting, repulsive, fast, touching, shocking, stupid, disturbing, and very true (I was surprised at how faithful it is to the real story, although creative liberties have been taken).

The film is new, it will divide people, but I have a feeling its meaning will deepen and the film will only improve with repeat viewings. This is Bay at his creative and impulsive best. And he has created one of the most brilliant movies ever made about Dumbassery.

The Best thing Bay has going for him with this film, was Steven Spielberg. The guiding hand of Spielberg restrained Bay quite a bit. This plays much like two films. Shia Labeouf and Bumblebee, play like a teenage version of 'ET', while the Military storyline is all Bay. Its not a perfect movie, but its the perfect example of what Michael Bay (and Spielberg?) does best.

An asteroid the size of Texas will detroy the world so Bruce Willis is sent along with Affleck, Michael Clark Duncan, Chick and Steve Buscemi to blow it up. What's not to like? I'm pretty sure this is one of the first movies I remember seeing in a theater. I just remember a lot of destruction. How can anyone forget that?

Bay at his most unrestrained, he seriously throws in everything but the kitchen sink. This movie kicks your ass relentlessly for two and a half hours, not everyone can deal with that and that's ok. There are moments of true brilliance present in this film (Freeway Chase, 360 shootout, Cuban Raid, etc.) This film is an all-out assault, and its a damn good one.

I'll always remember being so psyched to see this in the summer of 2009. Christmas was coming early, but something happened at that midnight screening. I felt like I had been drugged. The whole world around me seemed to change. In the years since I sat in the theater on that warm June morning I've accepted it and realized that it was an important milestone in my life as a movie-goer. But most importantly Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen taught me an important lesson in cinematic expectations. Always have an open mind, especially when dealing with Michael Bay.

I remember seeing this in the theater when I was seven years old. My grandmother who's husband was at Pearl Harbor went too, and she absolutely loved it. I was swept away for three hours. I held my breath during the attack sequence. I rooted for Ben Affleck. I wooed Kate Beckinsale. I cried when Josh Hartnett's Danny, dies. It was an event for me.

Now, my feelings are somewhat different on 'Pearl Harbor'. It's a giant guilty pleasure and Bay's Biggest Soap Opera. Take it or leave it.

An Underrated flick. Bay definitely deserves some credit for finding his best leading lady in Scarlett Johannsen.

Bay was merely spreading his wings. The original Bad Boys is a high-energy formula flick, more restrained than "II" so not as childishly fun, but its fast, efficient entertainment.