The Transformers Movie worthy of the Big Screen

I liked the Transformers movie. I wasn't planning to go see it as I was never a fan of the toy or the 1980's animated series, but a friend of mine wanted to go and I tagged along. The film has an impressive scale which is easy to appreciate on the big screen. Home TV screens get bigger and bigger, but certain films still require a theatrical viewing and this is one of them. Michael Bay treats the audience with an appreciable degree of respect and he avoids the current trend of throwing in fleeting pop culture jokes that amount to cheap laughs and limit the appeal of repeated viewings. There are a few moments of robot-homiletics that take the viewer into dreckland, but the bulk of the film is dominated by exciting, large-scale action motivated by clear goals.
Shia LaBoeuf does a good turn as Sam, the geek-turned-hero of the story. I think LaBoeuf has become a fairly good actor and is definitely ready for some juicier roles than can be had on the kid's network shows where he earned his acting chops. The animation was outrageously good - the weight implied in the movement made the giant robots believable and they are well integrated with the live-action world. The technical challenge of designing the machine transformations was done with incredible showmanship.
Its the action of the film that seduces you. If you're looking for heart-tugging emotions from these machines, you will find a few attempts withing the course of the film, but you will most surely be disappointed. The film's running time is indulgently long, so hook yourself up to a catheter before you enter the theater or you will be leaving to visit the restroom halfway through. Yes, the use and promotion of General Motors products is blatant, but I've grown numb to that aspect of the business - it's there to stay. At lease the GM product placement caused me to forget that the Transformers are a line of toys available from Hasbro.
The story is what I would refer to as "serviceable" - it gets the job done and provides a framework for the entertainment. You will definitely find films with better, more original story lines and deeper characters and just about everything that we've always been taught is necessary for a successful film. But you can get all of that in books as well as anywhere else. The big screen of a cinema should deliver the thrills and chills of a good circus, and for sheer spectacle and fun The Transformers Movie is one of the greatest shows on earth (for the summer, anyway).

Hansel and Gretel in Stop Motion

CLICK IMAGE FOR CLIP
I saw this stop-motion version of Hansel and Gretel when I was very young and it burned itself into my brain. It's kind of crude by todays standards, and sort of unintentionally nightmarish.

There is a great entry from last year (June 6, 2006) on Michael Sporn's Blog regarding this film.

Another Preston Blair TV Graphics masterpiece

Remember when they used to “pause, for station identification”? If you don’t, then you missed items like this which were used to sex up local TV stations and make them look cool. Sorry about the quality on this. I improved it the best I could. Click HERE to view.

Preston Blair's Air Force Recruitment Spot

Preston Blair did some amazing motion graphic spots for television through the New York animation house TV Graphics, Inc. They are mostly station identifiers (WOR-TV New York, etc.) but this one was for Air Force Recruitment and uses music from the Air Force Jazz Band. Click HERE to view.

More Betty Boop Movie Designs

As per Mitch Kennedy's request, these images show more of the surreal animation ideas that were in the script for The Betty Boop Movie. They were individual moments, though rather than setpieces, so these images were done more quickly and are less well-designed than the others. Koko would have been the wildest character for animation with his ability to morph/stretch. Betty was kind of a sexy muse that would "animate" the world around her - so she would end up dancing with/being chased by/being serenaded by - things that would "come to life".

Mary Blair Meadow Gold commercial

In the early 1950’s, a Little Golden Book was published entitled, “I Can Fly” by Ruth Krauss with illustrations by Mary Blair. The book was popular and caught the eye of someone who thought the little girl and the graphic style would be good for a Meadow Gold advertising campaign. So in the mid-1950’s, a few commercials were made by TV Graphics, Inc. of New York (owned by Mary Blair’s husband, Lee Blair). I have two of them - they are both similar but one is for milk and one is adapted to advertise ice cream. Click HERE to view the commercial.

My First Live-Action Film

"The Civilization of Maxwell Bright" is my first effort at production design for a live-action film. It was one of those low budget "labor of love" projects where the director mortgages his house to raise the budget capital, etc. Although it won some awards, including a Grand Prize at the Florida Film Festival and a Best Actor award for lead actor Patrick Warburton at some other festival, it's hard to find a place to see it. I don't think it is out on DVD yet. A Vancouver BC company called Industry Works is the distributor. Click HERE to view the trailer. The following is the synopsis from the Austin Film Festival:

"Boasting standout performances from Warburton and Roberts, the film tells the story of electronics salesman Maxwell Bright. His relationships with women are explosive and cruel, so he resolves to find his fantasy woman: demure, submissive and obedient. Ultimately he decides to buy a Chinese mail-order bride. When Mai Ling arrives, she attempts to awaken the peaceful Buddha in Max while he introduces her to American luxury, carnality and freedom. Max's entire world spirals out of control when Mai Ling suddenly becomes his only foundation."