Everyone's favorite Transformers fan (sarcasm intended) Roger Ebert has decided to dedicate a post of his very popular blog to Transformers. His reviews of the movies have fallen just short of absolute hatred so it is interesting for him to claim "I have become fascinated by Transformers." While my review was not flattering, I did find Dark of the Moon to be very entertaining while Ebert wrote "It provided me with one of the more unpleasant experiences I've had at the movies."
His post is to somehow derive the origin of Transformers as a race based on how they were depicted in the last two movies as he makes no meaningful reference to the first while ignoring all non-movie related aspects of the now 25+ year old franchise. It is really just another exercise in expressing his extreme dislike of the Transformers movies. While not nearly as bad as his "Video games can never be art" post, this is another example of him writing on things that is way outside his scope of experience and interests. While part of the fun of a blog (or the internet in general) is having opinions based on vapor, I expect better from Ebert considering his credentials and influence. Anyway the whole bizarre and almost stream of consciousness post can be found here.
Feel free to comment here or there (let him know I sent you) but keep the comments civil in both places. I have no problem deleting the R-rated or just pointlessly mean comments. It takes me a whole lot less time to delete then it takes for you to write.
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Thank you tflamb, for putting this up, because this is it ,this is what i have been saying about these so called critics for a long time. This guy is the lead man of all these so called critics and this is how they actually think, they think that if you don't agree with their philosophies about movies, life, the environment and so on, you must be dumb as a rock and even if a movie is doing well because the people like it but they dont, the movie will be mocked, smeared and punished through the media until they get some of us to actualy agree with them because even though you might like a movie, some people do not want to be seen as liking a movie that was panned by the so called critics, its very sad but its the truth and you better believe they hate bay so bay gets no mercy. I hope now people realy see how these people think and how they influence people through the media, its disgusting that such a teenie tiny group of people have so much access to the media, makes me sick, it really does, but the good news is that most of us wont be swayed by some little group of so called critics, we are smarter then that... thanks for the article
ReplyDeleteEbert is a sad, defeated old man. His reviews over the last few years have become more like self-indulgent rambling. It's too bad, at one point I used to really enjoy his work. I am 100% okay with critics not liking a movie, but they don't need the snarky, belittling attitude. You can call out a movie's flaws without taking personal shots at the movie's audience.
ReplyDeleteI just left my 2nd showing of DOTM, the theater was about 80% full, mostly adults between the ages of 18-50. A number of people in the audience were in suits or appeared to be white-collar professionals.
ReplyDeleteThe audience cheered when Sam rescued Carly, when Bumblebee killed Soundwave and when Prime killed Megaton; the majority of people in the audience clapped when the movie ended. These are the reviews that matter most.
The mainstream critics never gave this or any of the transformer movies a chance. These movies weren't successful because audiences are dumb, they're successful because they are incredibly entertaining.
When I was a little girl my brother had all the Transformers toys. He thought me absurd for wanting to play with him and his friends and usually found a way to throw me off. I was always a lover of the original show, so when the movies started coming out I was a happy girly girl. With all the computer graphical magic available now it's like going to see a magic show every time I go see a new Transformers movie. With the series complete it's now a matter of deciding how to watch them in the future. I own the first one so that's a no brain-er but perhaps I just want to watch not own. When I found out from a colleague at Dish Network that we acquired Blockbuster and that a lot had changed making it not just easier but adding tons of titles and ways of getting movies I was thrilled. Kiosks and no late fees or due dates are the big ones for me but tons of titles so having to watch a movie twice would not even be a remotely possible option. http://bit.ly/jP1NIT Here was my alternative to buying if I wanted it, and sometimes I want to before I decide to purchase a film. Knowing me I'll end up purchasing all of them but I'll rent them first.
ReplyDeleteEbert is such a sad little man. I wish I hadn't read that article, because it was just full of nonsensical ramblings. Leave it to him to "nuke" this movie. It's a sci-fi FANTASY movie. That's what makes it fun. If it all made sense it wouldn't be entertaining. He needs to stop over thinking it.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are completely missing the point here. The article wasn't a criticism or commentary on the movie or Transformers franchise but a tongue in cheek jab at people who believe in intelligent design. He's questioning these seemingly outrageous aspects of the Transformers universe (how far is Cybertron, how does a lifeform evolve into a Camaro, etc) in the same way Evolutionists question our own universe. It's a satirical article intended to show how ridiculous this line of questioning is.
ReplyDeleteSure he may not have liked the movie but let's not overreact here folks. While he's in the movie critiquing business his blog posts are often about more than that. If you take off your Transformers fanboy blinders for a second you'll see that.
Sorry meant Creationists not Evolutionists...
ReplyDeleteI agree...its a completely sarcastic take on the transformers , kind of like Michael Bay's portrayal of transformers in his movies ...same thing..cant rally complain
ReplyDeleteroger ebert is an old filthy ass, never cared his ridiculous reviews..
ReplyDeletetake off your fanboy glasses, here we go again, more insults, we are not dumb we know exactly what he said and what he meant, its this kind of arrogance that makes people sick, like your above everyone, like you know better, this is how people like you and ebert think period, and you are in the minority, trying to justify a guy who insults people who dont think like he does is very sad.
ReplyDeleteya see, this is exactly what i mean, this guy ebert is just so arogant, he thinks that if you believe in intelligent design or a god your just stupid, this is how these people actually think and the fact is NO BODY KNOWS!!, i could give a rats in what he or anyone believes about anything, i dont give a shit, you can always have an opinion about something but just dont insult people who think differently.
ReplyDeleteWell I for one am soo happy to see you put this guy front and center, here for "our" critique ! I, in fact, used to like the old "Siskel & Ebert" show, in which they often disagreed!! Poor Gene Siskel isn't around to disagree with his former counter part today however. I have many problems with the "subjective" biased views of critics...I don't have a problem with their views as such, but the fact that they seem to think their views take precedence over the masses :/
ReplyDeleteBay committed a "double whammy" on Roger Ebert, when he made another TF movie (1) , and then made that movie in 3D (2) !! Something Roger Ebert has been bitching about since 3D first came about.
Some of the most boring, twisted and (what I consider) sick movies I have ever seen, have been raved about by this guy...and yet he trashes movies like these.
A true "PROFESSIONAL" would give different views depending on what audience he is addressing. For example, a movie review directed at an audience who likes heavy drama, and powerful acting, may not like TF3, however, those who love action and spectacle, or those who follow the franchise may find it is well worth the ticket price. (now how hard is that?)
Senseless and needless "personal" trashing of a movie is complete UN-professional BS and tells more about the "individual" (in this case Roger Ebert) than it ever tells about the movie.
The day of the movie critic giving "single audience / personal reviews" needs to come to an end. It is ridiculous and hilarious!!
Thanks so much tflamb for addressing this "issue."
I'm not even going to comment a lot on a guy who uses his "status" to crap on others beliefs,
ReplyDeletejust because he doesn't agree.
How "low brow" is that.
What are we cavemen now? Roger Ebert and his views on what people should think is a JOKE!
He doesn't even possess the credentials to get me to take him seriously.
So he thinks certain beliefs are ridiculous...
Well, I think an aging "old school" movie critic shouldn't be "lecturing" on things he has no concept or background education in. I mean really Roger?...your telling us what to believe now? Pffft...Your a "movie critic" hellooooo !!!
LMAO....nuff said
What really gets me about his post is that, as a critic you should be watching the movie and paying attention to what is going on. Clearly he hasn't paid any attention to the movies, and has instead just decided to blindly bash them. About 90% of what he wrote would have been cleared up, had he watched any of the movies. The entire post was illinformed and clearly just his way of beating a horse that is he's written off as dead. Even though that horse continues to rake in money at the box office, because people some people go to movies for entertainment value instead of historic/implied/moral/deap thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWas this an Oscar worthy film? not by the standards of hollywood.
Was it the most entertaining film I've seen in a very VERY long time? Absolutely
Was it a movie for bitter old men, mid fall from credability? No.
was a nice small article, satire.
ReplyDeletenot sure many understand it, which again makes TF fans look like idiots once more.
^^ aww im pretty sure there is only one idiot in this room buddy :/
ReplyDeleteTaken Directly from wikipedia-
ReplyDelete"In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement"
So basically he's pointing out the shortcomings and follies of the transformers series. However had he ever actually paid attention to the movies he's reviewing he would have caught most of the explanations for the shortcomings or follies that he's complaining about.
Don't get me wrong, there were some major problems in the series (ROTF, hostage situation in DOTM...), but he really doesn't even touch on them. The people talking in the comments accurately hit these issues more than he did in his entire post.
It's called satire, stop being so touchy about the whole thing it making you all look foolish
ReplyDeleteHe is not pointing out the shortcomings and follies of the Transformers series. Him trying to explain how Transformers came to be without understanding basic Transformers facts = Creationists trying to explain how life came to be without understanding basic scientific facts. Get it? And sorry, if you think evolution is something you should believe or don't believe in, like religion, then sorry you deserve to be talked down to. Creationism has been disproven time and time again and doesn't hold up to any kind of scientific scrutiny.
ReplyDeleteNo body on this great green earth should be talked down to, no matter what the hell you believe in, 4:35 pm thats a bad statement and you should be ashamed of yourself, but its good that you said that because the more you talk down to people the more your exposed, and more and more people will just consider you irrelevent to any civil discussion
ReplyDeleteBest review of the movie ever
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/total_bomb_EytV7DoJnE6e4UTuDyqi6N?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=
^^ typical...mad at everyone else because you suck :(
ReplyDeleteAnd to the anon who keeps trying to defend ebert by insulting us and rambling about religion and science, in which he/she surely does not have the credentials to even pretend to be an authority on, I say this:
you poor lonely person :( I hope your life improves..I really do.
But remember it is not our fault that you have to live in your own skin. Stop hating, and go re-think your life :/
And if you respond with more negative hate filled rhetoric, then you only prove our point further...
Yo Ebert....
ReplyDeleteDIE YOU SHITTER!!!!!
according to anon 7:38 everyone who dislikes the movie does so because their lives suck....what a genius!!..
ReplyDeletewow. he found dotm an unpleasent experience. what an idiot he must be.
ReplyDelete@7/07/2011 3:13 AM
ReplyDeleteSorry Anon, thats not what he said! They suck because they were saying it was the best review ever!! They were just Trollin' lol
don't take a genius to figure that out :/
Guess you're no genius lol
sorry anon 9:02, but my comment was based on what Eberth said in his review ("It provided me with one of the more unpleasant experiences I've had at the movies.")
ReplyDeletehttp://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110628/REVIEWS/110629981
and not about what some "trolls" said about the review. guess you are no genious either
One CHIEF requirement of satire is to first UNDERSTAND what it is you're satirizing. Ebert fails at that basic requirement. I thought DOTM ( while SOMEWHAT of an improvement) was a hell of a lot better than ROTF, but it also suffered from some of the same maladies afflicting ROTF, although in shorter supply. In the end, regardless of the issues I have with Bay, and the issues I DO have with Ebert, it would do Ebert some good to know what the hell he's talking about before ATTEMPTING (that's what it was) satire.
ReplyDelete@7/07/2011 11:08 AM
ReplyDeletenice try..your comment was clearly directed at 7:38
...and you spelled "genius" wrong :/
like I sad...
@7/07/2011 4:59 PM
ReplyDeletemy respons was to your comment and you know that very well
happy trolling
@7/07/2011 7:01 PM
ReplyDelete^^ dude , learn how to spell :/
...and as far as "trolls" go, it takes one to know one lol :D !!
happy trolling :D !
This is not the first time Roger Ebert has written about things he "thinks" he knows about.
ReplyDeleteIm sure the failed screen writer who sits on his butt watching movies for a living, feels he is an authority on many things out side of his credentials.
He is an ok guy in my book, however, he does tend to shoot a lot of sh!t. I take him, and his occupation with a grain of salt.
I've gotta say I was one of the few who attempted to defend rotf from pretty much everyone who wasnt a tf fan, repeating what MB said,:"just watch it for the action, its all about entertainment value, etc...
ReplyDeletebut after watching dotm and being immensely dissapointed, right after MB said he wasn't gonna make the same mistakes, I've just realised really how terrible the 2 sequels have been and what a dolt i am for even attempting to defend them.
It's somewhat of a responsibility of TF fans to brainwash themselves and start to believe the films were actually good / flame any negative review.
Once you take a step back and stop trying to defend it againts critics and really analyse the movie compared to any other, the amount of faults -writing/acting, the movies have is ridiculous. Give me a Kings Speech or 127 Hours over 2.5 hrs of 'amazing cgi sequences' anyday.
Then again, personally, the 1st TF was pretty much what A New Hope meant to a kid in the 70's. I remember that was the first movie where i just sat and was 'blown away' with the film (pardon the pun).
So i do thank MB for the first, but am thoroughly relieved it seems his helm of directing TF films are over.
to be honest, i never have and will never care for what he has to say. come to think of it, i dont care for what any critic has to say. the only persons opinion i care for is my own. ebert is nothing more than an old narcistic horses behind that needs to call it a career. he's made it clear on so many occasions that he does not like transformers at all and is no fan of bay either. he's also admitted to having very little to no knowledge at all of transformers which gives him very little to no right to speak or to criticize tf at all.
ReplyDelete