Everything I’ve ever seen of Nicholas Hoult makes me think that he’s one of the nicest guys in Hollywood but if this image is anything to go by, I might have to retract that statement! This is the first image from his new movie, Warm Bodies which is based on the book of the same by author Isaac Marion. The film adaption is directed by Jonathan Levine who previously brought us 50/50 starring Seth Rogan an Joseph Gordan Levitt. As well as Hoult, this new movie stars Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry and John Malkovich.

I do love this image though, it looks like it might be a great shoot to be on, especually as they’ve made Nicholas look so different!

This synopsis and image comes via Collider.

Zombies love people, especially their brains. But R (Nicholas Hoult) is different. He’s alive inside, unlike the hundreds of other grunting, drooling undead—all victims of a recent plague that drove the remaining survivors into a heavily guarded city. Now the Zombies roam about an airport terminal, searching for human prey and living in fear of the vicious Boneys, the next undead incarnation.

One day, R and his best friend M lumber toward the city in search of food. There, R first sets his eyes on JULIE (Teresa Palmer), a beautiful human. Determined to save her—first from the other Zombies and then from the Boneys—R hides her in his home, a cluttered 747 aircraft. Julie is terrified, and R’s grunted assurances of “Not…eat” do little to calm her. But when R begins to act more human than Zombie, coming to her defense, refusing to eat human flesh, and even speaking in full sentences, Julie realizes that R is special.

After a few close calls with the Boneys, and with her father mounting an armed search for her, Julie realizes she can’t hide forever. So she sneaks back home, leaving R broken-hearted. Desperate to see her, R decides to comb his hair, stand a little straighter, and impersonate a human long enough to get past the city guards. If only he can prove to the humans that Zombies can change, maybe R and Julie’s love might stand a chance. But with the rampaging Boneys heading toward the city and Julie’s father intent on killing R and his Zombie friends, the stage is set for an all-out battle between the living and the undead.

A genre-bending tale of love and transformation, WARM BODIES is a story about a boy who loves a girl…for more than just her body.

Click the image below to make it grow huge!

An open mind is a wonderful thing, and I approach every film I see with one. Despite the narrative black hole that was Transformers Revenge of the Fallen there was something in the first film which gave me hope that a return to form was the only option open to Michael Bay and his enormous metal army, and it certainly couldn’t be worse than racist robots and roboballs, could it?

Transformers Dark of the Moon is a technical marvel and though the lauded 3D obviously doesn’t make it to DVD the incredible CG creations have never looked better on screen with whole cities crumbling and some excellent stunt work at play here, particularly in a set piece with a collapsing building. Likewise there’s a few new robots taking the field here as we find Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky down on his luck after saving the world, though he does have a stupidly attractive girlfriend and knows all the cool giant robots in town, but with comedy parents in town for a road trip and no luck finding a job we’re all set for Round Three of this planet wide boxing match.

When this one rolled out in cinemas the lines were already drawn and the critical backlash was countered before it appeared by the fanbase, a section of which championed the notion that as a Transformers film it isn’t meant for critics and is best enjoyed with the brain firmly switched off. This is an immensely stupid and troubling comment and its prevalence as a defence the wake of T DOTM finding its way into cinemas is an indication that the film rarely tries to deliver anything other than the usual maelstrom of metal fisticuffs.

It does start off well, and has a nice premise setting things in motion, with the Moon landing mission having a secret purpose. This opening scene is well directed and gives a glimmer of hope that we’ll have more to work with here than usual. Sadly it’s the only original piece in the film and very soon we are back on track with Bay’s patented rapid fire dialogue, complete with some outlandishly terribly comedy insertions which litter the film like an errant child who has had too much ice-cream and shouts childish jokes during a family dinner, and then comes all the all-too-familiar hitting. I know this film has its audience and I’m very happy they enjoyed the film but there’s so little here to engage any emotion other than unrequited lust; it is as if Bay has some sort of contraption similar to Krank’s dream stealer in Jeunet & Caro’s The City of Lost Children and is drawing on the dullest of teenage wet dreams.

And John Malkovich does John Turturro’s Crazy Guy routine this time round so you get that thrown in for free.

I would wish that this was the final film in the series of Big Robots Hitting but I fear we’re due to see more from this sterile world, with Jason Statham’s name being bandied around for a new director to place in the middle of the next mess, and I can see it happening because, as my friend who watched it with me said, in Michael Bay’s world there are no fat ladies to sing.

**~~~ (2/5)

Extras.

There were no extras on the DVD I was sent and that’s just as well.

To celebrate the release of Transformers: Dark Of The Moon coming to DVD and Blu-Ray on 28^th November, HeyUGuys has has hooked up with Paramount Home Entertainment to offer four readers the chance of winning Transformers: Dark Of The Moon on Blu-ray along with a Transformers graphic novel.

From director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, in association with Hasbro, Transformers: Dark of the Moon explodes with high-octane action when a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day threatening to bring a war to Earth so big that the TRANSFORMERS alone will not be able to save us. Introducing British newcomer Rosie Huntington-Whiteley alongside stars Shia LaBeouf (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Josh Duhamel (Life As We Know It), Tyrese Gibson (Four Brothers) and John Turturro (The Good Shepherd) have returned along with a host of new stars including Patrick Dempsey (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Frances McDormand (Fargo) and John Malkovich (Beowulf).  The film also features the voices of Leonard Nimoy (“Star Trek”) and Hugo Weaving (Captain America: The First Avenger).

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon is the 3^rd instalment of the phenomenally successful Transformers franchise from Director Michael Bay and Executive Producer Steven Spielberg, that sees hero Sam Witwicky and the Autobots once again take on the might of the Decepticons.  Starring Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel and Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon is available to pre-order here.

To be in with a chance of winning the movie, simply answer the following question using the form below:

Who directed the movie, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 28th November at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received
• No cash alternative is available

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

If you thought Stephenie Meyer’s treatment of vampires showed a blatant disregard for the age-old myths that preceded it, you should probably steer clear of Isaac Marion’s Twilight-trumping Warm Bodies. And cinemas next August.

Taking everything we know about the walking dead and beating it back into Hell with a couple of Queen-infused pool cues, Warm Bodies is the story of one particular zombie who shrugs off his cravings for human flesh long enough to fall in love with Teresa Palmer.

Writer-director Jonathan Levine is helming the adaptation, with Nicholas Hoult starring as our resident Zombeo, R, alongside Palmer, Rob Corddry, John Malkovich, Analeigh Tipton, Dave Franco and Cory Hardrict.

The first promotional image for the movie can be seen below (via Shock ‘Til You Drop), ahead of the film’s August, 2012 release.

Have you read Marion’s source novel? Think we are being a little premature in our cynicism? Let us know below.

Green Lantern is an unknown quantity to most of us, without years of pop-culture osmosis and numerous previous big screen versions to get us familiar with the Guardians of the Universe or the Planet Oa and the Green Lantern Corps.

Ryan Reynolds is the most recognisable element of DC’s latest blockbuster and the question you need to ask yourselves as the Blu-ray sits on the shelf opposite you is ‘What sets this superhero movie apart from the countless others?’.

Reynolds is Hal Jordan, a seemingly reckless test pilot who is recruited by an intergalactic protection force just as their most dangerous enemy has escaped. Jordan accepts the Green Lantern Corps ring and is flung through space to the planet of Oa, the home of the Corps to train and become one of the universe’s peace keepers. As he begins to understand his responsibility and powers he is overawed and, facing doubts from other members of the Corps, returns to Earth to face another, far more familiar, enemy.

It’s a basic plot, and each character fits nicely into their assigned point in the narrative. Reynolds has a lot of fun with the role as does Peter Sarsgaard as Hector Hammond as Jordan’s friend who lets his jealous (and an alien force) go to his head. For a superhero story that is virtually limitless in its scope this is a decidedly earthbound tale, necessitated perhaps by the anchoring nature of an origin story but director Martin Campbell moves us quickly through the narrative without every letting us enjoy the world we’re in. There is nothing in the way of surprises here, and while it’s a fairly competent and good-looking blockbuster it’s a shallow first look at a world which promised a lot more.

The Blu-ray boasts an extended edition which appears to consist of the entire opening scene involving the young Hal Jordan witnessing his father’s plane crash pasted on to the beginning of the film. It’s a slow start to the film, and looks very odd when the flashbacks to the scene are bizarrely kept in the extended edition and appear twice in relatively quick succession.

There is a rich universe to explore here, one that is not given its due in this film as it becomes a collection of narrative short cuts and superhero clichés stitched together with some CGI. The heart of the problem is a lazy script (a choice example is Kilowog who has never seen a human but refers to an introductory training session as ‘Ring-Slinging 101′), but it doesn’t weigh the story down, just add an air of disregard which is a shame. Mark Strong is, naturally, excellent as Sinestro and it’s hopeful that if a sequel rears its head then he’ll play a larger role.

I have no problem with an unoriginal premise – this is an origin story and they must all take on the elements of responsibility and maturation to varying degrees, where Green Lantern falls short is be teasing us with a thin surface of a far richer world and lurching from plot point to plot point in a mad rush to introduce the world before the sequel (already being developed despite the generally unfavourable reception of this film) tells the more interesting story.

There’s some great CGI with the Parallax attack on the city and the attacks generated with the all important ring being highlights,  though Oa suffers from the same lack of majesty that Asgard suffered from, and Reynolds is a fun Hal Jordan and it never takes itself to seriously. There’s a certain chemistry between Reynolds, Lively and Sarsgaard it’s hard to care when everything is played out with a strangely uneven tone and a lack of spark and wit which brought Thor and Iron Man to the big screen with such success.

**~~~ (2/5)

Special Features:

There’s a solid line-up of extras on the disc, with some excellent behind the scenes, pre-CG, footage as well as the (necesary for most) accompanying material which sets out the vast background and history to the character and this world. In truth watching all of this material throws the finished film into sharp relief and I came away feeling that more could have been done to make this an exceptional comic book movie, something which the sequel will hopefully fulfill should it be made. It’s well put together and as a package the Green Lantern experience feels more complete with these extras and your appreciation for the world may increase, as may your frustration that Martin Campbell’s film aimed high but unfortunately missed its target.

• MMM: Green Lantern’s Light (Focus Pods and PiP)
- Focus Pods:
The Art of Green Lantern
Weapons Hot: The U.C.A.V. Dog Fight
Reinventing the Superhero Costume
Ring Slinging 101
We Are the Corps
Acting Under 10 Pounds of Silicone
Guardians Revealed
When Parallax Attacks
• The Universe According to Green Lantern
• Ryan Reynolds Becomes The Green Lantern
• Deleted Scenes
• Justice League #1 Digital Comic
• Preview of Green Lantern: The Animated Series

**½~~ (2.5/5)

Green Lantern is out on Blu-ray and DVD today.

We’ve featured some of the videos from The Soundworks Collection before and every time they shine a light on a world heard but not seen.

Even today when DVD special features are commonplace there is a growing tendancy for discs to be stuffed with blooper reels and ‘featurettes’ culled from press kits with no actual added value, so we’re lucky then that there are these videos available for free.

Michael Bay’s third Transformers films, Dark of the Moon, has traveresed the inevitable line between disgusted critics and satisfied audiences (with exceptions on both sides of course) but for all the talk of 3D and visual insanity the sound design of the films hasn’t had much attention.

Enter the Soundworks Collection, who have done another excptional job in giving us a look at the people and techniques behind the aural assualt.

Have a look below and check out their homepage for much more.

Soundworks Collection: The Sound of Transformers: Dark of the Moon from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.

After a nifty opening which is comprised of both stock footage and newly-shot film (think JFK meets Apollo 13) revealing that the US moon landing was part of a covert mission to explore a marooned alien vessel from the Transformer’s home plant of Cybertron, we’re back in present day where the surviving Autobots have now settled on earth and act as a convoy of world-scouring do-gooders.

Sam (Shia LaBeouf) has graduated from University and is struggling to find work in the big, wide world. Required to keep quiet about his fantastical adventures with those robots in disguise, he’s frustrated that he has to take a menial post room job offered to him by a maniacal control freak (an initially humorous turn by John Malkovich). Luckily, Sam has a new love (British lingerie model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, making her big screen debut) who we’re introduced to via a roving, pervy camera, which is titled up at her behind as she bounces upstairs to give her new beau a present. Forget talking robots that can magically transform into different disguises, the chances of LeBeouf’s character ever scoring with someone like that far outweighs any of the overtly fantasy elements in the film.

It isn’t long however before Sam’s help may just be needed to save the universe yet again when he uncovers a conspiracy to mount a Decepticon uprising which may implicate the recently resurrected Autobot leader who was discovered in the aforementioned moon mission, Sentinel Prime (voiced by Leonard Nimoy in a nice nod to the 80’s cartoon movie version).

Like May’s X-Men: First Class, Transformers: Dark of the Moon (surely that title must be down to legal wranglings with Pink Floyd?) has an ace up its sleeve with the juxtapositioning of a real world event within a fantasy framework. It’s a nice touch but perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s soon back to the same metal on metal action as the previous instalments. This is not to say that director Michael Bay (shooting on 3D cameras this time around) isn’t able to wring some fantastic moments out of it. Some of the effects work here is truly jaw-dropping. As the Decepticons lay waste to the city of Chicago you realise that how truly epic in scope the film is. You could argue that this is all due to (what must been) thousands of animators who worked on the film, but Bay knows how to shoot action, and the introduction of 3D appears to have reined the director in a little in terms of his normal ratter-tat-tat approach to the edit. What you get are some incredibly impressive Matrix-esque shots where the action beats are delivered in full view and (even more surprising for him) pretty easy to follow for once.

A moment where series regular Josh Duhamel and his crack team of soldiers dive out of their damaged helicopters whilst under attack from flying Decepticons (while huge chunks of destroyed aircraft rain down on them) is as impressive a scene as you’ll see in any big summer blockbuster, but as exciting as all this is, it also highlights the overriding problems with the film. For all its incredible effects and moments, once again, the human interplay, plot twists and reveals just seem really tired and ill-conceived. Even a potentially interesting subplot which involves a secret, decades-old human and Decepticon alliance fails to breathe any real intrigue into proceedings. It’s also maddening to see a whole slew of big talents (some of whom give it their all) fighting a losing battle against a mediocre script. Both returning cast member John Turturro and Francis McDormand are fun here (although it looks like they may have taken a wrong turn when heading to an audition for the Coens) and even LaBeouf is surprisingly strong, and can emote with the best of them when it comes to showing his love and solidarity towards the machines. Not sure what Bay saw in Huntington-Whiteley however, apart from the obvious. She’s no actress, and many of her scenes (particularly towards to end) are extremely painful to watch. Impossible as it may seem, she makes you yearn for those halcyon days of Megan Fox.

It’s pretty darn violent for a kid’s flick too. Robots are decapitated, have their spines ripped out, faces blown apart and generally get pummelled into an oil-splattered pulp. There’s something a little disconcerting about this, and like World of the Worlds before it, actual humans are now annihilated by the robots in full view of the audience.

The film is bound to do huge numbers at the box office in the next coming weeks, but it’s just a shame that even a smidgen of the attention that has clearly been attributed to the CGI and 3D couldn’t have been afforded to the script.

It’s not like Bay does anything new with his own style (that same tired jingoistic vibe is very much present and correct) but even he must have realised that he had to try and transform his jaded audience after the previous effort!

**½~~ (2.5/5)

On Thursday night, Russia’s Red Square in Moscow played host to the world premiere of Michael Bay’s third installment of the Transformers franchise: Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Also at the event were stars Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, and Patrick Dempseyl. Linkin Park were also there to play a gig for the massive audience that gathered for the event.

Patramount have sent over a video from the event which looks amazing and I wish we’d were there. Fortunately for us, we’ll be at a fan screening of the movie today at the BFI in London where MIchael Bay and Rosie will be showing up so stay tuned for photos and our report from that event.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is directed by Michael Bay and stars Shia LaBeouf , Josh Duhamel , Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich , Patrick Dempsey , Ken Jeong , John Turturro , Frances McDormand , Peter Cullen and Tyrese Gibson.

Synopsis: Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

The movie will hit both US and UK cinemas on 29th June.

The footage below has interviews with all the main cast and director Michael Bay. Check it out below.

As we’re getting closer to the 29th June release date for Transformers: Dark of the Moon, we’re seeing the last of the advertising campaign  for what is set to be an immense final instalment in Michael Bay’s Transformers films.

Linkin Park have released via their YouTube page a minute-and-a-half video of footage from Dark of the Moon set to their track, Iridescent, featured on the film’s soundtrack, and MovieWeb have posted another fifteen-second TV spot for the film too.

The video Linkin Park have put up features a lot of the footage we’ve seen in previous trailers for the film, but it also gives us some incredible new footage and some extensions of the clips that we’ve already seen. Whatever you think about the Transformers films themselves, you cannot deny that their visual effects are stunning, and this new video really shows what we can look forward to when the film comes out next week.

The music set to the video works perfectly with the footage. The song opens stripped pretty bare, with Chester’s vocals against a piano, and against these words, we see the Decepticons taking over America. But then this raw guitar kicks in,  with a choir-like “Let it go” sung out, and Bumblebee makes a life-saving catch, and it just makes your spine tingle.

The TV spot is a slightly different affair, and is essentially pretty average. Rather than go for the epic footage like the music video, it goes for a bit of humour instead with the bite-sized Decepticons, one of which is taking a dog for a ride. It isn’t the best TV spot, but worth fifteen seconds to see the second, blue-haired mini Decepticon.

Just like a lot of people will be, I cannot wait for next week to roll around, because I have a feeling that Michael Bay and everyone involved in the film will be bringing us something extra special for what is set to be their last film together. It’s going to be immense. And here are those two videos for your viewing pleasure to whet your appetites.

I always like a nice marketing campaign but it would be nice if Paramount brought out a different style of poster for their new movie, Transformers: Dark of the Moon. All three films have now been the same sort of thing with a Autobot or Deception smashing something up with a city behind them. Have a look at the awesome Potter posters guys and get something cool done or better yet, get Drew Struzan in!

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is directed by Michael Bay and stars Shia LaBeouf , Josh Duhamel , Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich , Patrick Dempsey , Ken Jeong , John Turturro , Frances McDormand , Peter Cullen and Tyrese Gibson.

Synopsis: Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

The movie will hit both US and UK cinemas on 29th June.

Source: Fandango

Beginning with a large chuck of inaudible exposition and a digitally-rendered landscape and trio of characters that even George Lucas would criticise for looking too much like an Xbox game, we’re plunged into the world of the Green Lantern Corps – a collective of peacekeepers from around the galaxy who are having to contend with a new and formidable enemy called Parallax. When one of the Corps’ most revered warriors, Abin Sur, is mortally wounded by their evil cloud-like foe, he navigates an escape pod to the nearest planet (guess which one?).

Upon arrival on Earth, his magic ring (from which the Green Lantern obtain their powers) acts as an intergalactic Sat Nav and sources the nearest human replacement who is worthy of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of the defenders of the universe. Enter cocky test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) who, underneath his overconfident exterior, and haunted by the tragic death of his pilot father he witnessed as a child (cue unnecessary and thoroughly clichéd flashback), struggles with the necessary courage and fearless attitude needed to make a name for himself within the Corps.

Will he be able to rise to the occasion and win back the love of childhood sweetheart and fellow pilot, Carol Ferris (Blake Lively) whilst saving mankind from Parallax and its twisted human host, Professor Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard)?

It takes a real skill and surefootedness in making sure all the elements are present and correct in a origin story, and as Green Lantern is part of the second tier of characters in the DC canon, it’s fair to say that it’s already handicapped to a certain extent as more ground needs to be covered than that of the worlds of Superman and Batman. While a similar property like Iron Man (from competitors Marvel) may have its flaws, it was still able to tell the birth of its hero with a flare and pace which is sadly lacking here.

Even director Martin Campbell, who has previously tackled the beginnings of two icon fantasy characters with favourable results (The Mask of Zorro and Casino Royale), and is usually more than reliable when it comes the shooting and framing of action scenes, seems adrift as the CGI overload threatens (literally at one point) to engulf the screen.

With a reported $8 million spent by the studio to further enhance the effects work in the later stages of post-production, quite where that money has gone is anyone’s guess.The wise Guardians of the Lantern’s universe (who are perched upon steep rock thrones atop of a huge platform) look like mid-90’s digital work. This may have been forgiveable (last month’s X-Men reboot had its fair share of clunky CGI) if attention had been paid to character and plot, but that too is severely in need of a polish.

The cast too, are a mixed bunch. Considering that the makers have assembled a strong  supporting cast, there’s some hit and miss performances here. Lively is ok, but it’s another big screen role which only offers a glimpse of that real star potential she clearly possess. Sarsgaard fares less well, and in a role which would have been enthusiastically offered to John Malkovich 20 years ago, his mad scientist routine is very one note, but this is probably due more to the script’s shortcomings. A parallel between his and Reynolds’ transformations is vaguely referenced visually towards the beginning and there’s even a hint of a possible past love triangle between the three leads (remember, this is a comic book adaptation, so it’s required that the hero, villain and heroine share some kind of emotional connection), but all this is rather worthless when no back story has been properly established, or any kind of character motivation is formed. Sarsgaard has a strained relationship with his senator father (Tim Robbins, unintentionally repeating his turn of ‘American President’ in the second Austin Powers film) and that’s about it really.

Mark Strong is good as Lantern spokesperson Sinestro (appearance-wise, think a beetroot-coloured Spock) and he has a quiet authority and gravitas. It’s just a shame that his world is skimmed over in favour of the duller, earth-bound exploits (something which Thor managed to juggle much more successfully). Jordan’s time on Oa (the Lantern’s planet base) is mercifully short, and the training he receives by members Kilowog and Tomar-Re (voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan and Geoffrey Rush, respectively) barely amounts to a couple of minutes of screen time. This is another big problem with the film. It really struggles to cover the two worlds which it has set up, and events and important plot points are skimmed over and given little time to unfold. There appears to be a large chuck of narrative missing in some cases, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the DVD included cut scenes which almost amounted to the same running time of the film.

Despite all of this, Green Lantern still remains just about watchable, largely due to Reynolds. Like Downey Jr. before him, he’s able to ground the film for an audience, and his main strengths are in dealing with and acknowledging the inherent ridiculousness of his situation. Heaven knows how much worse it may have been if they had cast someone who didn’t possess that lightness of touch the material needed. At one point, he even jokingly channels Christian Bales’ Batman growl in a humorous scene which riffs on the ridiculousness of a Superman-like ‘secret’ identity. The ring can conjure up a tangible representation of anything which the wearer creates in his mind, and this also makes for some entertaining and imaginative moments, particularly one where Jordan references an image of a children’s toy he’s seen earlier, and saves the day. If only the rest of the film was as much fun.

Not quite the mammoth disaster that some are labelling it, nevertheless, Green Lantern is a big disappointment and has to rely constantly on its star to make things work and compensate for a weak script and a director who is clearly ill at ease with CGI. Reynolds should use that magic ring of his to summon up a new agent who is capable of finding him a big-screen role (and potential franchise) worthy of his talents

**~~~ (2/5)

How Michael Bay convinced Frances McDormand and John Malkovich to sign up for the third Transformers film is beyond me, but there are pictures to prove it below, as well as a new TV spot which features Optimus Prime sitting and having a good old think about his life*.

Michael Bay’s 3D robotravaganza is almost upon us and it seems churlish to lower expectations for this film more than the second TF film did but with a few teaser trailers looking ‘good’ chances are that Bay and Co. have learned from their big expensive mistakes.

Here’s a TV spot,

Point those eyes at the gallery and imagine a blzaing sunset with the faint whiff of a heavy rock soundtrack somewhere in the distance. Click them.

Getting all sourcey for a moment, the TV spot came in from Latino Review and the pics flew in from Yahoo via Collider. A chorus of thanks to each and all.

*Not really.

Ever since the release date changed for Michael Bay’s third Transformers instalment changed, it would appear the marketing campaign has too. All the clips and images that we’ve seen in the past couple of weeks for Transformers: Dark of the Moon have been based around the characters in the movie rather than on the robots which were used much more to sell the first two movies.

Thanks to Collider, we get to see a new batch of images for this latest installment and as I said above, all images are based around the characters.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon stars Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Jeong, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, Peter Cullen and Tyrese Gibson.

Synopsis: Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

The movie will hit both US and UK cinemas on 29th June.

Love the image of Michael Bay just sitting and seemingly chilling out while watching his actors. Click the images below to enlarge.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen may have been a pretty poor film but I’m sure one thing that we can agree on was the effects in the movie were bloody brilliant! Like the first movie, those effects were created by a huge host of people who worked for Industrial Light and Magic and Digital Domain. Michael Bay’s third instalment in the franchise, Transformers: Dark of the Moon sees those companies back doing the effects and Paramount have released (via Trailer Addict) a featurette featuring an interview with Industrial Light & Magic visual effects supervisor, Scott Farrar,  who discusses the effects that we can expect to see in this third movie.

This third instalment stars Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Jeong, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, Peter Cullen and Tyrese Gibson.

Synopsis: Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

The movie will hit both US and UK cinemas on 29th June.

No doubt to coincide with the Q&A with James Cameron and Michael Bay and the two news clips we’ve had this week (here and here), Paramount have released this brand new 3d trailer for their new movie, Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

The trailer has come from the official website and will run in 3d ahead of Pirates of the Caribbean although that’s been our here for 3 days now and I don’t beleive it ran before it in the UK. This third instalment has the title Transformers: Dark of the Moon and is directed by Michael Bay and stars Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Jeong, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, Peter Cullen and Tyrese Gibson.

Synopsis: Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

The movie will hit both US and UK cinemas on 29th June.

Source: TF3 Official website

Living in Los Angeles I am afforded certain things that sometimes I feel I take for granted. I live twenty minutes from snow-covered mountains and in the opposite direction, twenty minutes from the warm beaches of the Pacific Ocean. How often do I partake in those activities? Rarely. Sad I know. So one of the things that I try NOT to take for granted is the close proximity to one of my favorite things on this planet. Film.  Just minutes away from my home are the motion picture studios that have created some of the greatest cinematic adventures of all time. So whenever I get the chance to visit the studios I’m quick to respond. One of my favorite studios is one of the oldest working in existence, Paramount. Through those historic gates walked legends of the filmmaking world. Names like Gloria Swanson and Cecil B. DeMille come to mind. However, Wednesday night I was there to see and listen to a couple of living legends in the form of Directors James Cameron and Michael Bay. Not only have these men created the top two highest grossing films, respectively, for Paramount Studios, their mark on the current cinematic landscape won’t soon be forgotten.

Paramount Studios and The Hollywood Reporter sat these two men down for a conversation about the future of 3D filmmaking and HeyUGuys was there to capture every moment.  I know that you really want to know about the 15 minutes of “Dark of the Moon” footage we saw, but before I do that (and I will, in great detail) let me bullet-point some of the great conversation moments from this hour-long event:

• Moderator Jay Fernandez (THR) opened the conversation up with a clip of Michael Bay’s acceptance speech at the 2009 ShoWest Convention, calling 3D a gimmick.
• Bay visited the set of “Avatar” and quickly realized what a nightmare it would be for him to shoot in 3D “Cables everywhere…looked awful” Bay finds beauty in being able to touch actual film and hates the way digital looks. However, he found shooting on 3D to be extremely enjoyable.
• Bay told a story how on his first day on “DotM” he was having a blast with the 3D cameras and figured that production was going to be great, until he got a call on day two saying they had lost all of day one. (Digital footage is stored on hard drives leaving them vulnerable to crashes and the like) Needless to say he wasn’t thrilled.
• Dark of the Moon was filmed in a “transitional period” for 3D cameras and rigs. New technology was being invented but was very “glitchy” and a nightmare for Bays team to work with.  Cameron jokes that shortly after production on “DotM” ended, all the issues had been fixed.  However, after this experience Bay calls 3D a fun tool or “toy” to work with to tell audiences an interesting story. “I had a blast”
• Bay hired Camerons “Avatar” film crew to manage the cameras and they convinced him that he could only complete 10 shots per day with the heavy equipment. Bay generally shoots 50-60 shots per day and said that 10 just wouldn’t fly.
• Bay discusses that the more intimate shots in “DotM” were his favorite to shoot and that the most difficult thing to film was just about everything else.  With his frenetic style he couldn’t pan too quickly or it would blur, the rigs forced him to take his time with shots and he eventually had to dial back some of the 3D when he knew it wouldn’t translate.
• Cameron talks about how shooting 3D for green screen and shooting 3D in the real world are two very different animals.  He applauded Bays work on “DotM” and thinks it’s the perfect project to push 3D forward.
• Both filmmakers call post converted 3D films “Bullshit” (this seems odd since yesterday they announced Titanic was to be re-released in 3d!) and claim that they hurt the forward motion of 3D as a legitimate medium in which to tell stories.  Bay states that if you are going to spend the money to do bad post-converted 3D, why not spend a few more bucks and film IN 3D. Bay stated shooting IN 3D currently adds an additional $30-50 million to a films budget.
• Cameron chatted about how one of the main problems he’s currently having is with the theater chains.  They need to be willing to spend money on brighter bulbs.  “They buy the bulbs but then use half the energy to save money” The audience is then left with a sub-par and dark image.  (Many of you remember that Cameron created 18 different versions of “Avatar” to correct that issue.)
• When asked about a 4^th “Transformers” film, Bay joked that “I can’t say since we’re here at Paramount” but continued with a simple “I don’t know”
• Cameron compares the current state of 3D to the car industry of the early 1900’s and says “There is nothing you can’t do digitally, it just comes down to time and money” He confesses that he hasn’t shot on film since 1997 and has no intention of returning.

 
I feel that’s a pretty good representation of the conversation between these two titans.  I am convinced that between Bay’s vision and Cameron know-how, we are going to see something amazing on screen when “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” is released.  The highlight of the night, of course, was the close to 20 minutes of footage screened just for us.  We caught a glimpse of the opening sequence of the film, the new 3D trailer, (which will be attached to prints of “Pirates: On Stranger Tides”) a montage of money shots and the extended wing-suit scene (part of which we have here). I have described in detail, along with my reactions to the footage, below.

Note: If you want know nothing about Dark of the Moon, don’t read on. If however you want to know certain bits…. go right ahead!

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The opening starts with the iconic Paramount logo as it always has, we track the stars as they form up around the mountain with those iconic metallic sounds accompanying them. The camera then pans into space as we get a Voice Over of Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen reprises his role).  He’s talking about how the Autobots were a peaceful race and that war ravaged Cybertron. As his speech continues, we get the first glimpse of the shear scale of this film.  As the camera pans around Cybertron, you see hundreds of fighting Decepticons and Autobots. We get a glimpse of not only the humanoid robots we’ve come to enjoy, but a great deal of animal bots as well.  We begin tracking a jet very closely as Optimus continues his voice over about how the Autobots were outnumbered and their last hope of survival was aboard this ship. The ship is massive and houses many Autobots fending off attacks from Decepticon jets. However, when the camera pulls away from the jet we take in the sheer size of the planet and its metallic inhabitants. It makes the jet and its enemies seem tiny in comparison.  The jet makes one final push to leave Cybertron just as a Decepticon missile is fired. The missile breaks up into 5 smaller missiles that track the jet as it spins and rotates, leaving us with this beautiful shot of a lone jet amongst the stars and a column of fire and destruction twisting right behind it. The missiles hit their mark and the jet is destroyed. That jet would eventually crash land on the moon (which you see in the trailer).  The next scene is a NASA control room as we discover that the US has been tracking this object falling to the moon.  It’s brought up that Russia has also been tracking the object.  The Great Space Race is born.  We are then treated to a great little mix of actual historical footage of Kennedy talking about landing a man on the moon and a digital re-creation of JFK in the Oval office…think “Forrest Gump”.  It actually looked great.  We learn that the motive to land a man on the moon actually had to do with these autonomous robotic organisms.

The next 10 minutes or so we were treated to a montage cut specially for us.  We get a look at a great many new robots and the sheer scope of the film. Bay is pulling no punches on this one. The shooting style is very unlike Bay, which I think serves the film much better.  The fast and furious way in which Bay shoots would have been a small disaster in 3D and while I think Bays signature is all over this movie, the 3D camera rigs forced him to stay on shots longer, giving us some breathtaking moments. One such moment, which you’ll see a bit in the new trailer in front of Pirates this weekend, is this spectacular slow motion action shot of bumblebee and Sam.  Sam is in the passenger seat when it’s required of bee to begin transforming from car to robot to defend them both. He throws Sam out of the car as he’s transforming. As bee locks into robot mode, he simultaneously tracks Sam, swats away debris and fires off a couple shots. As Sam begins to fall back to the ground, bumblebee transformers back into a car grabbing Sam and placing him back into the passenger seat.  Sam’s reaction when it’s all over is priceless. The scene plays out a lot like a Zach Snyder moment but is on a whole different level. As a Transformers fan, this is one move I’ve been waiting to see and Bay delivered.

The highlight of the night, I think for everyone looking for some awesome visuals, came in the form of the wing suits jumpers. During the discussions Bay admits that he had seen these men flying down mountains and told his people to “get those guys in my office now, I’m writing a scene for them in my next movie!” The newest trailer has a longer glimpse at these daredevils flying through the buildings in downtown Chicago, but we were treated with what seemed like the entire sequence.  Let me tell you right now that I don’t remember breathing at all during this scene.  Bay strapped a 3D camera to the helmet of the lead flyer as they plummeted through the city.  We get a few close ups and a few shots from afar that show you how small these men are in contrast to the skyscrapers and the robots that dwarf them.  The sheer depth of the 3D in this scene is awe-inspiring.  I’ve never felt like I was in a film more then during this moment.  It’s a moment I would warn people who are afraid a heights that they might get a bit uncomfortable during this sequence.  It’s hard to describe but I’m telling you right now, that scene alone made up for the flaws in “Revenge of the Fallen.”

Whether you’re a fan of Bays or not, you’ve got to give this guy some respect for doing something with this technology. Not since “Avatar” have I seen 3D used in such a positive way.  This film is reaching for the stars and I think it might just pull a few down.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is released in the US and UK 29th June.

Ezequiel Gutierrez is the editor for bestgeekblogever.com and Host of The Film Geeks Podcast.

On twitter @ezgoo

Still no robots to be seen in this second clip from the Michael Bay directed movie, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the third instalment in the Transformers franchise. One think that I can promise you however is a rousing speech that will get you, and multiple US Special Forces Marines jumping out of a plane! We also have a new image showing Josh rather beaten up no doubt after fighting numerous angry Decepticons!

This third instalment has the title Transformers: Dark of the Moon and is directed by Michael Bay and stars Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Jeong, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, Peter Cullen and Tyrese Gibson.

Synopsis: Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

As the poster suggests, the movie will hit both US and UK cinemas on 29th June.

Source: Twidvid via CBM

Paramount have sent over the first clip from Transformers: Dark of the Moon. In the clip you’ll see newcomers to the franchise, Patrick Dempsey and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley throwing some dialogue around. This is the first time we get to see Huntington-Whiteley acting. I think from this clip we’ll give her the benefit of the doubt for now but lets hope that it gets a bit better than this. No robots in this one I’m afraid people.

This third instalment has the title Transformers: Dark of the Moon and is directed by Michael Bay and stars Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Jeong, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, Peter Cullen and Tyrese Gibson.

Synopsis: Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

As the poster suggests, the movie will hit both US and UK cinemas on 29th June (notice change in release date!).

It may be in French but let’s face it, we don’t watch Transformers for the dialogue do we? We watch it for the Bayhem and this new French teaser trailer features plenty of that!

This third instalment has the title Transformers: Dark of the Moon and is directed by Michael Bay and stars Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Jeong, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, Peter Cullen and Tyrese Gibson.

Synopsis: Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

As the poster suggests, the movie will hit both US and UK cinemas on 1st July.

Source: Allocine with a nod to ComingSoon.

Paramount Pictures have unveiled the first official one-sheet poster for Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the third instalment in the Michael Bay directed franchise. In the poster we get to see some serious Bayhem with Shia LaBeouf in a usual worried looking pose next to his new co-star, British lingerie model, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley with Optimus Prime acting as overlord while being attacked by those nasty Decepticons!

This third instalment stars Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Jeong, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, Peter Cullen and Tyrese Gibson.

As the poster suggests, the movie will hit both US and UK cinemas on 1st July.

Click the poster to enlarge.

Source: Yahoo