Well. I’ve taken some heat for reviews in the past, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen such… interesting reactions to one of my reviews as I have for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Of course I don’t really care - back in the day it used to bother me when someone flamed me for a movie review, but now I actually get a kick out of it.

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Guns! Robots! Explosions! Robots! Megan Fox! Robots!

You guessed it, Michael Bay and this summer’s super blockbuster, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen are coming at you fast and furious and we have two new TV spots to show you.

As of today, we are less than two weeks away from the premiere of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and as a result, we’re starting to see the final wave of marketing for the movie.

The film premiered in Tokyo, Japan the other day and final touches are being done for the film to make it ready for the opening (or as ready as possible in their overly rushed schedule)

The world premiere of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was held at Roppongi Hills on June 8th in Tokyo, Japan (the film will open wide in Japan on June 19).  Those that appeared for the extravaganza were director Michael Bay and cast members Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Ramon Rodriguez, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and Isabel Lucas, and we have a boatload of photos from the event for you.

Check them out below…

Today we have a pair of brand new photos for Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The first image focuses on main characters Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes and the second photo is a very cool shot of Optimus Prime, heroic leader of the Autobots.

The Sam and Mikaela (played by Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox) image depicts the couple riding a motorcycle. Fox’s character apparently works at a bike shop in this film and I’m guessing this will have something to do with how we’re introduced to the Arcee character who takes the form of a motorcycle (or several).

The LA Times had a chance to sit down with director Michael Bay to discuss his career and next month’s eagerly anticipated Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The conversation touched on the extremely large scope of the film and the difficulties of having it completed in such a short amount of time considering the type of film and post-production work involved.

Over the months, we’ve seen plenty of material show up online for this summer’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Most of these gave us glimpses at the returning characters from the first film and of many of the new additions to the Cybertronian cast.

One of the new characters debuting in this TF2 goes by the name of Sideways and who takes the form of the luxurious Audi R8 while in vehicle mode but until now, we’ve seen so little on him.

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, co-writers of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, talked to the folks over at SCI FI Wire the other day and briefly discussed the Transformers sequel and what we can expect from it in terms of tone, style and comedy.

Kurtzman and Orci, who together wrote the first Transformers and this summer’s Star Trek, say that Revenge of the Fallen has the same tone as its predecessor and that it’ll flow better than the first.

On Tuesday, word spread online that the writers for Transformers and its sequel Revenge of the Fallen, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, would not be writing the third installment in the franchise.

The information originated from the Don Murphy forums were Orci participates regularly and it was here where the writer revealed that he and his partner are done with Transformers.

Agent Simmons, the dumbest character of Transformers and possibly one of the worst film characters ever is brought back as a main character in the sequel, Revenge of the Fallen. He of course is played by John Turturro.

They must really love Mr. Turturro because now it’s being reported that he is playing a second character in Transformers 2 - Or should I say voicing.

He’s in, he’s out, and no he’s in!

Michael Bay you mischievous bugger. Well, we have confirmation that Megatron will be in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

This all started way back in September of last year when some concept art images of a new Megatron vehicle mode appeared online. The images depicted the Decepticon leader in a Cybertronian tank form with his head popping out between the treads - a significant change from his vehicle mode in the first movie.

Tonight MTV aired a “Spoilers” show with new footage from Watchmen, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter 6, Land of the Lost and a behind the scenes featurette from Star Trek. Out of the three, the only one that actually made me look forward to one of these a little more was (believe it or not) Land of the Lost.

We have the clips for you below.

The folks over at Jalopnik, the car information website, have posted a video showing “never-seen-before sneak-peek footage from Transformers 2” as well as a large gallery of images for the concept Corvette Stingray (Sideswipe), An even newer Camaro (Bumblebee) and the new Chevy Trax (Mudflap).

The video is basically a showcase for the Autobot vehicles of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, with an obvious focus on the new GM vehicles featured in the film as it is essentially an advertisement video. There’s not much new in the video itself – I personally just like watching it for that epic music that starts playing half-way through while a convoy of all the Autobots driving together… all of the Autobots minus Ratchet, that is.

Hey gang - well you all know how much I love the last Transformers movie, but despite that I’ve got the brand new official Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (aka Transformers 2) poster for you right here.

Yes, I know you can find this poster on a gazillion other websites, but we have the most detailed look at it right here thanks to the magic of my very basic Photoshop skills!

Enough yammering, check it out below…

It looks like we may finally have some clue as to when the first trailer will hit for one of the most anticipated films of 2009: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It’s looking like at the earliest, we won’t be seeing a trailer until February 1, 2009.

Screen Rant is known for not being the biggest supporter of last year’s summer megahit, Transformers, but I for one am not as negative towards it as most of the SR team. Although the film had its obvious flaws and weaknesses, I enjoyed it overall, especially seeing the second time and onwards.

After my first viewing I was very picky and negative towards the movie but after that, seeing it again allowed me to take it all in and focus on everything rather than the bad parts. That allowed me to look past a few of the issues and I could enjoy the good parts more. And there certainly are some awesome parts – those are the ones that stick out in memory as months go by. And isn’t that was a good flick should do?

IMAX corporation has announced that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will have three sequences shot with IMAX® cameras. So for those of you who like to check out the summer blockbusters on the really big screen, you’ll get at least three scenes specifically tailored for your viewing pleasure, with the rest of the film (up)converted to the IMAX format, but not shot using the special cameras.

Just over a week ago, we found out we would not be getting a full trailer for the sequel to Transformers until next May. And why should we when when the movie is marketed, shared and hyped for free with the simple appearance of a set photo, a fan-made concept shot, or a rumor of a certain Autobot or Decepticon’s appearance?

SlashFilm was good enough to report that the full length trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be premiere before J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot… which doesn’t hit theaters until May 8, 2009.

Now you may be thinking: “But Kofi, that’s only about a month before Transformers 2 hits theaters on June 26, 2009!” And you would be correct: it does seem like a slim window of time in which to lure audiences into the theater.

But then again, a lot of the marketing work for Transformers 2 is already being done… literally as I type this.

[NOTE: The photo that appears at the top of the post is NOT an actual pic of Devastator from Transformers 2. It is a fan-made mock up of what the big guy might ultimately look like.]

So I’ve been informed that there’s not a lot of love around these parts for Michael Bay’s robot extravaganza, Transformers. Now I’ll be the first to admit that Transformers was not without flaws, but come on—seeing your favorite ‘robots in disguise’ transforming in full CGI wonder didn’t send just a little tingle down your back and cause you to gush with 80’s nostalgia?

Ah well, you probably won’t care to hear that the famed ‘Constructicons’ will be a big feature of Transformers 2, and that yes, they will be combing to form fan-favorite colossus, Devastator.

(If you are psyched to hear that news, however, there’s some pretty cool concept art you can check out.)

Granted, I personally hated last summer’s blockbuster smash Transformers. Regardless, news is still news, and I must report…

For those worried about the forthcoming sequel Revenge of the Fallen being the latest in a line of blockbuster tentpoles filming sequels back-to-back, well director Michael Bay has heard your prayers.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly recently, Bay revealed:

“When we were writing the script, I said to the writers, “‘ hate sequels that try to make it to the third movie. Pretend like we’re never having a third movie, so let’s go for broke on the second one. I hate those cliffhangers! Let’s just make this movie stand on its own.’ I really feel this movie is not a forced sequel.”

MTV had a chance to talk to uber-hottie Megan Fox about Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. According to Ms Fox, the sequel will be “10 times as big, 10 times as many set pieces, explosions, and acrobatic stunts.”

She also said that she and lucky boy Shia LeBouf will get to make out a bit in the film, but according to her:

“I don’t know if anyone wants to see that.”

Uh… right.

Due to the writer’s strike, it seems the script for Transformers 2 was pounded out pretty quickly, so it’s going through some, like, rewrites, ya know? Writers are working on:

“trying to do some character stuff for Shia and myself”

Like I totally get that - I’m a big fan of character stuff even in big, gigantic popcorn movies that can trigger epileptic seizures in the audience.

Source: MTV via SHH!

What a world!

[UPDATE: Looks like Jonah Hill won't be involved in Transformers 2 after all. Thank goodness for small miracles, I guess.]

First, he’s drawing pictures of penises as far as the eye can see. And now Jonah Hill (Superbad, Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall) is in “early negotiations” to play Shia LaBeouf’s sidekick in next summer’s Transformers 2.

Early reports indicate Hill will play LaBeouf’s college roomate - a crazed webmaster who runs a conspiracy theory site.

The 2007 Toronto International Film Festival ended recently and the 2008 Sundance Film Festival is just around the corner, and these have gotten me thinking (uh oh!).

I’ve been thinking about why it is that some movies that are so mediocre go on to earn hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office while other films that are just as good (and quite often far better) end up unseen not talked about. While I enjoy a good popcorn movie as much as the next guy, I do tend to hold even action and sci-fi movies to a higher standard than the average 14 year old.

So I find it extremely frustrating when movies that seem to be mediocre or worse make incredible amounts of money and give some directors credibility and the opportunity to pump out more schlock, while other movies that are better go on to make almost nothing and those directors continue to have to fight to get movies made.

Let’s look at some examples from the last 10 years or so…

So there’s been a ton of hoopla over the last couple of days regarding this whole HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray battle and how Paramount/Dreamworks are going to be releasing movies exclusively in HD-DVD format. Well, almost exclusively since Spielberg still wants his movies available in both formats.

What really brought the debate into the news was the fact that Michael Bay stated that he was really not happy with these studios wanting to release his mega-hit Transformers only in HD-DVD format and that he was going to take a stand by refusing to come back to direct Transformers 2.

This week The Weekly Rant covers a wee bit of Iron Man, Live Free or Die Hard, of course I have to talk about Transformers and the goings on of the super-secret J.J. Abrams monster movie with the codename: “Cloverfield.”

By Vic Holtreman

Short version: A schizophrenic and mind numbing movie. Who knew that so much action could be so boring?

I’m not going to spend too much time writing this review because I’m quite sure that it’s irrelevant. Based on the reaction of the audience at the screening I attended, most folks will not agree with this review, will go watch Transformers and leave the theater in a state of bliss.

Me? I just don’t get it.

Over the weekend I actually started to get excited about this movie based on the early reviews that had been coming out. I just checked Rottentomatoes.com and although in the overall category it’s just barely slipped into “Rotten” territory, the “Cream of the Crop” reviewer consensus is still well into “Ripe” (meaning good). Over at IMDB.com the user rating stands at 8.3 out of 10 at the time of this writing.

I can only conclude that all these people are on crack.

Yes, I realize this prediction is a huge stretch (not) and very risky (yeah, right) but I just wanted to say right now and on the record that I think Michael Bay’s Transformers movie is going to rock the box office.

So what prompted such a bold statement?

Holee crap… it seems like every other day another three movie clips and 24 new images come out for either Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer or Transformers.

I refuse to post another video clip or new image from either of these upcoming films here at Screen Rant. Seriously, just how much of these movies do you want to see before you ever set foot in the stinking movie theater?!? I understand the concept of the Hollywood Hype Machine and it’s ever increasing need to beat the last box office record (most money made on a 3.5 day weekend in an odd numbered month during the summer solstice, for example).

I suppose if there’s one thing you can say about Paramount Pictures it’s that they know how to promote an “event movie.”

Over the last couple of days not one but two new trailers (one U.S, one international) for the upcoming Michael Bay-helmed actioner Click to continue "Transformers Trailers Media Blitz"

If you want to catch up on the latest buzz on the upcoming Transformers movie, head on over to Moviefone’s Transformers Blog Beat.

The third item highlights Screen Rant.