In Praise of Michael Bay

Alamo Drafthouse brings 'Pain & Gain' to Baymaggedon on Sunday

"...you love films, it's cool to say you hate Michael Bay. C'mon, Transformers? Transformers 2? Those shitty Platinum Dunes..."

April 19, 2013 Screens Post by Richard Whittaker

Michael Pollan Preaches It

Author is a fantastic evangelist for better ways of dealing with food

"...Michael Pollan on the page is engaging, informative, and persuasive...."

May 29, 2014 Food Post by Rod Machen

St. Michael's Passion

Whose truth prevails at Austin's Catholic high school?

"...St. Michael's Academy is, for the moment, Austin's only Catholic high..."

Dec. 14, 2001 News Feature by Mike Clark-Madison

Page Two: Sitting on the Dock of the Bay Watching the Tide Roll Away

The Chronicle at 35

"...Sea Tattoo Company about a block from our office (Michael Corcoran lived in the back storeroom). We had arranged..."

Sept. 2, 2016 Column by Louis Black

Let's Talk About Sex, Bay-bee

AISD Teaches Kids About the Birds and Bees

"...Planned Parenthood's Michael Hayes guest lectures a health class at Austin High..."

May 2, 1997 News Feature by Roseana Auten

Ambulance

Is it good? No. Is it Michael Bay at his most explodey? Yes.

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza González,..."

April 8, 2022 Movie Review by Sarah Jane

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Optimus Prime finds a new pal in franchise addition Mark Wahlberg.

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola..."

July 4, 2014 Movie Review by William Goss

Transformers: The Last Knight

Stick meet dead horse

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel, Laura..."

June 23, 2017 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Bad Boys II

Bay does it bigger and badder than ever.

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Jordi Mollà, Gabrielle..."

July 18, 2003 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Both ridiculous and ridiculously fun, this is over-the-top robotic mayhem.

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, John..."

July 1, 2011 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Five Things Baymageddon Taught Me

No pain, some gain from last weekend's Michael Bay marathon

"...Syndrome, but I'll concede: After 10 straight hours of Michael Bay movies last weekend, it's hard not to admit..."

April 28, 2013 Screens Post by Richard Whittaker

Pain & Gain

One of the dirty secrets of modern American filmmaking is what a skilled director Michael Bay really is.

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Anthony..."

April 26, 2013 Movie Review by Louis Black

Battleship

Crass and hugely dumb aliens vs. multiple earthling navies: Must mean the start of summer movies has arrived.

"...When is a Michael Bay film not a Michael Bay film? When it's..."

May 18, 2012 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Green sewer-dwellers battle purple ooze. Big, dumb fun

"...and mature me thinks that this sequel to 2014’s Michael Bay-produced cinematic reboot is, on the other hand, something..."

June 10, 2016 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Bad Boys for Life

Not bad, not good, just the same again from the aging action heroes

"...It’s been 25 years since Michael Bay’s original Bad Boys and 17 years since the..."

Jan. 17, 2020 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Bumblebee

Transformers spin-off is (checks notes) wait ... good?

"...fans of the Smiths and people who still believe Michael Bay’s Transformers films are going to morph into a..."

Dec. 21, 2018 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

The Hitcher

This remake of Robert Harmon's original 1986 horror semiclassic serves as a primer in how not to generate suspense.

"...Sophia Bush, Zachary Knighton, Kyle Davis and Neal McDonough. Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes production company continues strip-mining the horror..."

Jan. 26, 2007 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

3000 Miles to Graceland

"...this is meant to represent grizzled thugs Murphy and Michael (Costner and Russell), who are soon after introduced as..."

Feb. 23, 2001 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Team America: World Police

Trey Parker and Matt Stone tame the world with marionettes.

"...been lifted whole from the world of actioneering über-director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. But that’s no surprise..."

Oct. 15, 2004 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Hanna

Hanna is a through-the-looking-glass, arthouse action minimasterpiece.

"...a refreshingly Euro-sleaze vibe. It's the polar opposite of Michael Bay's big-budget, red-white-and-blue explodathons – and all the more..."

April 8, 2011 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

G-Force

In its gadget-lust and obvious Transformers envy, G-Force is a loud and stupid Jerry Bruckheimer production, and its guinea pig spies are similarly crude.

"...as loud and stupid as anything former Bruckheimer collaborator Michael Bay ever cooked up, and its characters’ sketchings are..."

July 31, 2009 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

Hot Fuzz

Simultaneously smart and silly, Hot Fuzz demonstrates that it's not necessary to be a buffoon in order to lampoon.

"...moments from films by the likes of Tony Scott, Michael Bay, and Jerry Bruckheimer, Hot Fuzz shows a great..."

April 20, 2007 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

National Treasure

Odd casting and unimaginative, workmanlike direction make the painfully overlong National Treasure an exercise in mediocrity.

"...Christopher Plummer. Absurdism taken to a new extreme, this Disney-Michael Bay co-production is loaded to the gills with that..."

Nov. 19, 2004 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Michael Bay lends his firepower to this war that's not really a war

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, James Badge Dale,..."

Jan. 15, 2016 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Pearl Harbor

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr, Jon Voight, Alec Baldwin,..."

May 25, 2001 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Armageddon

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler,..."

July 3, 1998 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Transformers

What matters most about Transformers isn't subtext (this is Michael Bay after all), but what happens when big, loud, heavy things bang into other differently colored big, loud, heavy things.

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony..."

July 6, 2007 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

The Island

If you like Maxim, you'll love this latest from adrenaline fiend Michael Bay.

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou, Steve..."

July 22, 2005 Movie Review by Marrit Ingman

The Rock

Explosions and tough-guy heroics rule in this Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer production.

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, Michael..."

June 7, 1996 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Bad Boys

"...Directed by: Michael Bay. Starring: Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Tea Leoni, Tcheky..."

April 7, 1995 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

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