Transformers ROTF Co-Writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci Say The Sequel Is Darker.

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Is the Transformers Franchise going Dark for success?

Sci-Fi wire had the interview with the co-writers of one of the biggest franchise releases we will see this summer.

"Actually, I think you'll find that it has all the same tone of the first movie," Kurtzman said. "The story's a little smoother, and it's a little bit darker, so it does dip in there a little bit, but it has all the same humor, if not more than the first movie."

What could this mean? Could maybe Prime not make it through this next one?




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RSVP For The 20 City Transformers 2 Trailer Premiere Event

Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and Movies Posted on Friday, April 24th, 2009 at 2:10 pm by: Peter Sciretta

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Paramount Pictures has released the official list of RSVP e-mails for the 20 city Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen trailer premiere which is taking place on April 29th. If you live in one of the 20 cities and would like to attend the event, send an e-mail your your name and information.

The trailer is attached to a one-time screening of Michael Bay’s 2007 film Transformers. Paramount is also holding a costume contest - come dressed as your favorite Autobot or Decpticon to enter to win a trip to Los Angeles for the premiere of Revenge of the Fallen in June. The movie will be presented in IMAX in the five top markets: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Toronto. No word on if the new trailer will also be presented in IMAX at the selected theaters, but if it is, it might be the first time we see Transformers footage, shot in IMAX, on the IMAX screen.

Click on the flyer above to see the e-mail addresses that you need to RSVP to. Please note that seating is not guaranteed and is available on a first come, first served basis. So arrive really early. Full list of cities/theaters after the jump.

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Update on 'Transformers 2' Trailer Premiere in 20 Cities

Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and Movies Paramount Pictures have let out the RSVP e-mail address for the 20 cities 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' trailer premiere event.

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More info on how to attend the "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" trailer premiere in 20 selected cities has been shared. Paramount Pictures, via Slash Film, have released the official list of the RSVP e-mails to the special event. The e-mail address for each city listed can be seen in the flyer for the event.

It should be noted that seating is not guaranteed and is available on a first come, first served basis. Transformers Live Action Movie Blog, which has sent an RSVP of its own, confirmed the matter, posting the reply to its RSVP. "Thanks for the RSVP for the special screening of TRANSFORMERS. The screening is FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE," the reply message read. "PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY, as this RSVP is to establish an accurate head count and does not guarantee seating. No one will be admitted once the screening begins."

Aside from the RSVP news, Slash Film also noted that there is a change done for the Dallas screening. The screening for "Transformers" in which a new trailer to the action fantasy's sequel will be attached will no longer take place at Cinemark Movies 17. It has been moved to Studio Movie Grill Royal Lane. Still, the screening schedule remains the same. The full list of cities/theaters for the screening has been outed earlier.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is set a year after the end of "Transformers". It follows Shia LaBeouf's Sam Witwicky and Megan Fox's Mikaela Banes as they become the target of attack by Decepticons because of Sam's knowledge about the origins of the Transformers. This DreamWorks action movie will blast off in U.S. theaters on June 24, but before then, its new trailer will hit the big screen attached to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "Star Trek".


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How Hasbro Is Getting Movies Made About Its Toys

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Mattel More Reluctant to Hand Over Brands to Hollywood Talent

by Claude Brodesser-Akner

Published: April 23, 2009

LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- As cash-strapped consumers spend less, Mattel and Hasbro have been feeling the pain in their toy chests. Last week Mattel, the world's largest toy maker, posted a first-quarter loss of $51 million dollars. At No. 2 Hasbro, first-quarter profit was down 47% compared with the same period the year before, to just more than $19 million.

The final touches are being made on a superhero-comedy script based on the long-defunct, elastic-limbed muscleman, Stretch Armstrong.

But thanks to markedly different Hollywood strategies, things may get a lot better a lot sooner at Hasbro. In an April 20 conference call with analysts, Hasbro's CEO, Brian Goldner, said with two summer blockbusters afoot -- a "Transformers" sequel and a GI Joe movie -- Hasbro expects overall increases in sales and earnings this year.

While both toy companies own scores of iconic brands and have aligned with top Hollywood talent agencies in the past couple of years -- Mattel with Creative Artists Agency, Hasbro with William Morris after a stint at Creative Artists -- Hasbro has been more aggressive about rolling the dice and transferring its properties to celluloid.

Hasbro is pursuing a strategy of finding long-term studio homes for its brands and involving top writers and directors early on in the creative process, while Mattel has taken a property-by-property approach that is far less trusting of Hollywood talent -- and has yielded far fewer potential film projects so far.

Hasbro has already had success dusting off its "Transformers" franchise, and GI Joe, another once-popular brand, will blast into theaters this summer, also via Paramount Pictures. But what's truly remarkable is how many other Hasbro properties are being developed with major Hollywood talent.

• Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights," "The Kingdom") is in negotiations to adapt the Milton Bradley naval-warfare game Battleship for the big screen.
• "National Treasure" screenwriters Cormac and Marianne Wibberley are in negotiations to write a script inspired by Parker Brothers' Ouija; "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" director Michael Bay will produce.
• "Bruce Almighty" screenwriter Steve Odekerk is putting the final touches on a superhero-comedy script based on Kenner's long-defunct, elastic-limbed muscleman, Stretch Armstrong.

What these and other fast-coalescing Hasbro titles have in common (see "Tinseltown Showdown") is that they're set up at Universal Pictures in a six-year deal brokered by the William Morris Agency in February 2008.

At the time, Hollywood was skeptical of basing feature films on narrative-free entertainments such as Ouija. But William Morris agents Rob Carlson and John Fogelman had persuaded Hasbro to decamp from Creative Artists and sign at their agency in late spring 2007 by promising a great deal more than just a press release: They would get Universal to agree to make at least at least four movies based on Hasbro properties in six years. And if the studio didn't take steps toward making those movies, Universal would have to pay Hasbro millions of dollars in penalties.

Mr. Fogelman, an agent for 18 years, is also a toy scion: His grandfather was one of the founders of Tyco, which was the third-largest toy company in America when it sold to Mattel in 1997. As such, he knew well that a toy maker could molder in a movie studio attic if precautions weren't negotiated beforehand.

"Historically, Hasbro had 'GI Joe' set up at Warner Bros. for 20 years [in the 1970s]," Mr. Fogelman said. "So Hollywood just gobbled up that intellectual property and then tried to figure out the script."

To skip development hell, William Morris recruited Bennett Schneir, an executive who had spent the past dozen years working for director Robert Zemeckis on movies such as "Cast Away" and "The Polar Express," to serve as Hasbro's Hollywood point man. His job: identify top writers and directors to connect with Hasbro properties.

But why was Universal persuaded by Hasbro's pitch?

"I think what were seeing in the world at large is the power of brands distinguishing themselves," said Universal Pictures Chairman Marc Shmuger, who was previously the studio's marketing capo. "As we're gripped with fear and anxiety, we look for something we can rely on and trust. Look what just happened when we brought back the original cast of 'Fast and Furious.' And so the value of brands has changed, and with the value of brands changing, what the owners of the brands want to accomplish changes too."

Hasbro's Mr. Goldner said, "I quickly realized they value brands like we value brands."

Mr. Goldner's strategy was to "reinvent, reignite and re-imagine" Hasbro brands such as Stretch Armstrong by delivering "immersive entertainment experiences" developed by Mr. Schneir, and then relaunching the toys.

But Mr. Schneir said whether a certain toy or game might make a great movie is better determined by "creative stewards" such as Mssrs. Odekerk and Berg than by suits like himself. As a result, "there's a real enthusiasm and excitement to work with these brands," Mr. Schneir said.

While Hasbro has thrown open its gates to directors and writers, Mattel has been far more wary.

"We like to make sure there's a story that lends itself to the motion-picture genre," said Barry Waldo, VP-worldwide entertainment and consumer products at Mattel. He added: "We don't like to take a brand, lock it up at a studio, and hope that the creative minds can come up with the answer. That's a very scary proposition. ... And the studios respect us for bringing a property to them that's not merely a white sheet of paper that says, 'We don't know what to do with this, but please, help us make a movie out of it.'"

Mattel has announced only three film projects -- one of which insiders say will likely remain in neutral for a while: After "Speed Racer" spun out with producer Joel Silver last summer, Warner is likely less to take another lap with Mattel's car-themed "Hot Wheels."

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A Transformers Game Not Based on the Movies?

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Activsion's enxt big game may have an original story

It seems that no matter how good the Transformers movie games are, they'll always be flawed by the fact they're based on the movies, their constrained by the boundaries of the films storyline. But what about a game not based on the movies?

Activision is working on a Transformers game due for release in 2010. Which makes sense, since they like to exploit their franchises, and exploit them annually.



But there's no Transformers movie due in 2010. Which means the game - apparently being worked on by Activision's newly acquired High Moon studios, the team behind the Bourne Conspiracy game - won't be based on either of the movies.

Which could be good! It could mean High Moon will be given the freedom to come up with their own levels and design decisions. It could also mean that, without a movie to cash in on, they could go and make a Transformers game based on, oh, Gen 1. Or the original film. Or even Beast Wars.

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Seek, and you might find

Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and Movies In animal scientist Temple Grandin's most recent book, Animals Make Us Human, she discusses the "blue ribbon emotions" her colleague, neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp, believes guide human and animal behavior.

These primary emotions (typically rendered in all caps) are RAGE, FEAR, PANIC, LUST, CARE and PLAY. All animals need to experience the positive emotions, and too much of the negative ones leads to all sorts of neurotic behavior.

Perhaps the most interesting of these emotions is SEEKING, which Grandin says is "the pleasure of looking forward to something really good" as opposed to "the pleasure of having something good."

Grandin says SEEKING is such a gratifying emotion that researchers long misidentified the SEEKING system as the brain's "pleasure center." SEEKING - the positive side of wanting, anticipating and being curious about something that's coming up - feels great, even better than actually having the thing.

That's why coming attractions always seem better than the movies themselves. If SEEKING is as good as it gets, then we can't help but be disappointed in the actual experience. (Cue Peggy Lee: "Is that all there is?")

And so, with the cinematic flotsam of the first quarter of 2009 mostly out of the way and with the highly anticipated Watchmen now in theaters, it's a good time to look forward to movies that sound far more interesting than they probably will turn out to be.

For instance, Kyle Newman's Fanboys has finally made it into limited theatrical release, and it should pop up in Arkansas theaters within a few weeks. Chances are either you know a lot about this movie or you've never heard of it. Set in 1998, it's about a group of allegedly grown-up friends who have never outgrown their childhood fascination with Star Wars. Their SEEK systems are being stimulated by the impending release of George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, but they've reason to suspect that one of their number - a cancer victim - won't make it to opening weekend. So they drive across the country on a quest to break into Lucas' ranch and steal a print of the film.

The reviews have been mixed, with some critics observing that Phantom Menace didn't live up to its hype either. Still, I get as many queries about when this benighted, low-budget feature is coming as I do all the other movies mentioned here combined. Maybe soon. Maybe never. Don't get your hopes up either way.

Even James Cameron seems to understand the problems of elevated expectations - while he's been emphasizing the incredible technical complexity of his mysterious years-in-themaking project Avatar (scheduled for a Dec. 18 release), he's also said that he doesn't know if it "will be a great film from a narrative and critical standpoint." What he's promising is that the movie will "be an experience unlike other movies," and that its use of motion capture and 3-D technology will be cool. Having been knocked out by the 3-D effects in Coraline, I'm anxious to see how Cameron raises the ante.

A friend who pays attention to such things considers Coraline the biggest advance in special effects since Cameron's Terminator 2, but the real question raised by the approach of Terminator Salvation is whether Christian Bale's famous intensity (as evidenced by the recently leaked recording of his salty tirade against a hapless crew member) will translate into a brilliant performance. Were it not for the presence of Bale I wouldn't be holding out much hope for this McG-directed installment. It's scheduled for release May 21.

On the other hand, we were more excited about Monsters vs. Aliens (March 27) before we saw its now ubiquitous trailer; Planet 51 (Nov. 20) and Pixar's Up (May 29) may be better animation bets, and I'm hopeful Planet 51 will become my favorite Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson movie.

I'm not especially psyched about Race to Witch Mountain (March 13), which looks, from the trailer, like a banal remake of the forgettable 1975 Disney movie Escape to Witch Mountain. That's not to say it won't be great - I like to wait until after I've seen a movie before reviewing it- but it doesn't do much for my SEEK system.

But that's beside the point - I admit to being intrigued by X-Men: Origins: Wolverine (May 1), even though I haven't really cared much for the series to date, simply because Liev Schreiber is playing Wolfie's nemesis Sabretooth. I understand a lot of comic geek types are upset with Schreiber's casting because they think of him as an intellectual actor. Well boys, Hugh Jackman only looks big on the screen - Schreiber has personally assured me he could take Hugh in a street fight.

The less I say about Star Trek (May 8) the better. But I will say that Chris Pine, the new James T. Kirk, was the worst thing about Bottle Shock, a charming movie with a couple of weak spots. He should do better with this role.

A lot of people are looking forward to Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (June 26), but very few of them are middle-aged movie critics. That doesn't really matter very much, considering that Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox are back, now does it?

The same might be said for

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (July 17), which was pushed back from December. Normally that's not a good sign, but the built-in Potter audience ensures a robust opening weekend, and the fans are enthused by the trailer. So it'll probably be another sturdy installment in the series, which ought to end with next year's Deathly Hallows. Right?

I can't believe we've actually come to this, but G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra opens on Aug. 7. I'm more interested in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, (Aug. 21). Sure, it'll be sadistic and ultra-violent and saturated with movie brat brio and a genuine love for the form.

I'm also still interested in The Road, John Hillcoat's take on the Cormac McCarthy novel, even though it still doesn't have a U.S. release date (it is scheduled to open in Argentina on June 18 and in Finland in October, which can't really be counted as good signs). Another project deferred from last year, Joe Wright's The Soloist, with Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, is scheduled to open on April 24.

I can't imagine better casting than Benicio Del Toro as The Wolf Man (Nov. 6). And I can't imagine how a Martin Scorsese film, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer and Jackie Earle Haley could misfire. So I'm penciling in Shutter Island (Oct. 2) as my pick to click (even though I've heard the Dennis Lehane psychological thriller on which it's based is "practically unfilmable").

I'm also wired for Michael Mann's Public Enemies (July 1), which stars Johnny Depp as John Dillinger and Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis.

Looking even further down the road, I'm really excited about what North Little Rock native Jay Russell will do with Steve Niles' graphic novel Wake the Dead, which should surface in the summer or fall of 2010. And then there's the Farrelly Brothers' The Three Stooges, which may or may not star Johnny Depp as Moe Howard and Sean Penn as Larry Fine. While the Farrellys reportedly have no idea who to cast as Curly, Mel Gibson would seem to be the obvious choice.

I'd SEEK that one out. Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and Movies

Geek Daily: New 'Prince of Persia' and 'Wolverine' Photos, Green Lantern, and Megatron

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The weekend may have belonged to Watchmen, but a few geek tidbits managed to make their way online for Monday. The best comes by way of ComingSoon.net, who caught up with The Green Lantern producer Donald De Line. He denied they were casting Hal Jordan as young as those Anton Yelchin rumors suggested. Jordan will be in his "late '20s, early '30s."

In the category of "eye candy" comes these two new photos of Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince of Persia, courtesy of The Huffington Post and residing now in the gallery. These aren't no paparazzi shots, these are the real candlelit deal:

Gallery: Prince of Persia

SuperheroHype.com also has a new photo of Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, and the official X-Men Origins: Wolverine site has been updated with new character bios and downloadables. The best part? When you go there, Wolverine says his catchphrase. My heart jumped in my chest a little. I won't deny it.

Gallery: Wolverine

Meanwhile, Michael Bay was revealed to be a big fat liar. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen cowriter Robert Orci confirmed on TFW2005 that Megatron returns. Hugo Weaving double-confirmed it to Adelaide Now, and hinted how the character might return: "I think in the last one, doesn't Optimus Prime pick up a little bit of, a little shard of the cube, or the thing that's left, and he takes it with him. Maybe there's something there... but I don't know." Bay was then forced to confess on his official website: "Okay cat is out of the bag. Megatron is back -- but you will only get to see him from the long lost past. We go way back in time as this movie explains the mythology of the Primes. He is not a tank like everyone suggests, but an alien vehicle. But sadly he does not has much screen time." Should you believe him? That's up to you.

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Cramer: Pick Up Some Hasbro at $20

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Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) shares opened lower despite positive comments from CNBC’s Jim Cramer on his Mad Money Lightning Round. The hedge fund manager turned television star believes that everyone is giving up on the toy business and that has created a great bargain in Hasbro’s stock. Cramer recommended that viewers get in a little bit here and then buy more when it goes below $20 per share.

Fitch agreed with these sentiments when it upgraded Hasbro’s stock earlier this year. The ratings agency noted the firm’s leading position in the traditional toy industry with revenues of $4 billion and an improving operating performance. According to Fitch, metrics were also strong with total debt-to-EBITDA at 1.1x and EBITDA-to-interest at a healthy 14x. Meanwhile, the company’s performance in a very difficult fourth quarter was also better than expected.

Hasbro also has very strong liquidity as exemplified by its high cash balances and free cash flows averaging $392 million over the past two years and an unused $300 million revolver that will not expire until 2011. Moreover, Hasbro has no debt maturities until 2017 while management’s goal is to maintain leverage at 1.5x and double digit interest coverage. Combined, these were the reasons cited for the ratings upgrade by Fitch earlier this year.

Going forward, many analysts expect top-line weakness amid slower consumer spending. However, many estimates are already set so low that Hasbro may be able to continue beating earnings estimates given the strong movie slate including GI Joe, Transformers 2, and Wolverine that should help improve results in 2009 and 2010. Shares of Hasbro moved down $0.27, or 1.22%, to $21.80 per share in early trading.

Hasbro provides children’ and family leisure time and entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys. Its offerings include a variety of games, including traditional board, card, hand-held electronic, trading card, role playing and digital versatile disc (DVD) games, as well as electronic learning aids and puzzles.

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Hasbro looking for Costumed TF fans from SDCC

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Monday, March 9th, 2009 10:42AM CDT

Hey everyone,

Seibertron.com received the following message from Hasbro's PR firm, Hunter PR. They're looking for a couple of fans that appeared at San Diego Comic Con last year. If you know how we can get a hold of them, please reply to this post so that we can forward your information along to Hasbro.

Hello,

I’m reaching out to you – the Transformers fan and collectors community – on behalf of Hasbro’s Transformers brand team in hope that you may be able to assist with a somewhat unusual request.

At this past year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, there were two costumed fans in attendance dressed in homemade Transformers movie character costumes – Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. We would like to contact these individuals re: the upcoming ‘09 BotCon in Pasadena. Without knowing their names, we’re obviously having trouble reaching these two fans. And while I know there were many costumed Transformers fans in attendance, I’m told that these two individuals really stuck out, because each of these movie character costumes were very, very good – including metals components, etc.

Would you happen to know either of these fans? If so, please share their name and/or contact info.

Thanks much!
Joe Moscone
Hunter PR

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Transformers ROTF Deluxe Bumblebee And Soundwave Bios

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Sunday, March 8th, 2009 5:32PM CDT

eBay- If you just can't wait to grab these two early release figures before they hit retail, a few weeks in advance of the first retail wave, you can check out each of these auctions for them.

But what's even better, is that the seller, yayabeee, has included quite a few package images that include each characters bio.

You can view the auction for Movie Soundwave, and Movie Bumblebee by clicking on their names, and also you can see a gallery of the auction images by checking out the thread here.

You can see a couple of photos showing the bios below.

"Bumblebee- Having chosen to stay with Sam after the battle for the Allspark, Bumblebee made arrangements to be close to him at all times. It's been a pretty good deal. He gets regular detailing, and as much high-grade fuel as he needs, plus he gets to spend time with Sam and Mikaela. His vocal processors still aren't fully up to snuff, but he and his friends communicate just fine. If he ever misses the action of battle, he can always give Ironhide a call and they can go Decepticon hunting. "

"Soundwave- Stationed in orbit above Earth, Soundwave swiftly taps into every satellite in range. Within minutes, communications, data traffic, weather information, and high-resolution spy photography flood his sensor net. The spill of data fills him with pleasure, and one by one, the humans' systems come under his complete control. From his seat on high, he is in position to control the destiny of mankind without their knowledge...or to run their civilization into the ground.

-Launching "Ravage" missile."

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Who Watches Who Walks Out of "Watchmen"?

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My Tribune colleague Chris Borrelli caught "Watchmen" over the weekend at the Davis in Lincoln Square, and while no two audiences respond to anything the same way...and plenty of people love the film... ... Here's Mr. B.: Never have I seen as many people walk out of a movie as I saw during a Saturday showing of “Watchmen.” The couple behind me argued for 45 minutes about who was who and what was happening and why is that man blue and was this scene happening now or did these events happen in the past and, holy crap, why are we now on Mars; eventually, they gave up and laughed their way through the exit doors. (And they were not shushed.) A father seated in front of me, accompanied by antsy young boys, shifted uncomfortably with every splatter of brain; he sank lower into his seat at the arrival of a nude Dr. Manhattan’s fully exposed Little Dr. Manhattan then gathered up his stuff and bolted during the fairly explicit sex between Night Owl and Silk Spectre in the back of the Owl Mobile – or whatever it’s called. (The movie is rated R.) It’s hard to say exactly when the trickle became an exodus – but maybe a quarter of the theater walked. Indeed, it appears this phenomenon is not unique to Chicago: An extensive report on Popten.net described “mass walkouts” of a New York screening; and corey3rd on hollywood-elsewhere.com claims one-third of his audience bolted, too. So did you notice an unusual number of walkouts at your screening? Or was the audience riveted? Howling in laughter? Snickering? Or stone silent and still, wrapped up in the story? Let us know.

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Column: 'Shopaholic' requires too much faith on too little credit

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"Confessions of a Shopaholic" is a difficult movie to stomach if you are of any of the following persuasions: a New Yorker, a compulsive shopper, a reader of a financial magazine, a person in credit card debt, a person without a job, a small-apartment dweller or someone who is not gorgeous. Taking place, as it does, in "movie New York," with its glittering two-roommate lofts and glamorous magazine offices, "Confessions" requires the kind of suspension of disbelief that would get a screenwriter for an Astaire/Rogers movie fired.

The lasting image is Isla Fisher in an enormous walk-in closet in Manhattan, having just become internationally famous and complaining to her beautiful roommate that another rich and famous magazine writer has everything. Well, who doesn't?

The shopaholic, Rebecca Bloomwood, is a young magazine reporter with massive credit card debt who lucks into a job at "Successful Saver" magazine after a single drunken night of joblessness. She's an instant success, becoming famous in a way that few writers who avoid sexy vampires ever become, and falls in love with the handsome editor of the magazine, who also loves her. In the middle of that there might be a movie, but all of this happens in 45 minutes. No time for conflict.

Eventually her debts catch up to her and she's caught in the debt collector's horn-rimmed sights, but only long enough for the handsome editor to rescue her. It's a movie about how movie heroines are impervious to harm, without a whit of even the most basic will-they-won't-they romantic comedy suspense. The climactic auction wanted only Mickey Rooney to become an "Andy Hardy" let's-put-on-a-show finale.

Fisher is a capable comedian, falling all over herself a little better than the usual romantic comedy leads in those obligatory I'm-a-beautiful-klutz moments, but the script, adapted from the chick-lit standard of the same name by Sophie Kinsella, gives her little to do when she's not tripping over things. Most of the time she's a shrill, insecure presence in the center of scenes, forced to make something up or say something she doesn't understand to keep up the charade of her financial expertise. Julie Hagerty and John Goodman, among other excellent comedic character actors, don't have much to do either, but they do it well. That's the movie, writ small: some good parts, in the form of cameos and set-pieces, but little in the way of form or plot to make a movie out of them.

Like its heroine, "Confessions of a Shopaholic" escapes substantial trouble because there's nothing substantial about it -- it's a mess, but it's the kind of mess that's so light it floats out of the way of any real criticism. What's there is poorly constructed and manages all the verisimilitude and emotional depth of "Transformers," but as a picture about shopping and lucking into a lot of money and a hot guy it's hard to muster 500 words about it, let alone a thousand.

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Today, 'Watchmen,' and 'Attack Of The Show'

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Well, if you'd like to see the appearance, you can. It's ready to embed, and it's below for your viewing pleasure. I can only ever watch about 11 seconds of myself on camera before I get up and run shrieking from the room, so I can't really discuss the appearance itself. I'll say that the experience of doing this sort of thing remains just plain weird. I like all the folks at G4. Good group, and they've had me on frequently over the years to discuss things. They even had me on to make the official announcement when I left Ain't It Cool to come work here at HitFix. When they call, if I'm available, I work it out. I like to help them if I can.

Honestly, when they called to ask if I wanted to come in to talk about "Watchmen," that's all I needed to hear. Sure. Happy to do it. It was only when they sent over a fact sheet that I realized what I'd committed to. I didn't realize David Poland was going to be on the show with me. There was a moment where I reeeeeeeeeally debated not going.

[more after the jump]

I take great issue with the way David has categorized and portrayed my work over the years. I think he's been openly untrue when writing about me, and no matter how many times I've corrected him on certain factual things, he continues to sell his manufactured rap on me because, at this point, that's what he does. He's dug his heels in, and no matter what, he's never going to back off the things that make him wrong. It's been so personal for so long that I have a real problem with civility. There are only so many times you can shake it off when someone writes very personal, very direct attacks on you and your character. And sure enough, I found it uncomfortable to a huge degree to have to sit and wait for the appearance with Poland, and then even to have to small talk afterwards. Overall, while we were on the air, I think all of that sort of went away, and I focused on just engaging in the conversation with Kevin.

A few points.

I have a hard time being patient with talk about box-office, especially on this film. I don't care how much money the film makes, because there's no sequel. There's no spin off. There's no nothing. This was it. Big weird arthouse superhero movie. And they made it. So no matter what, the movie exists, and the other longer cuts exist, and so that's that. What it earns would matter to me if I was getting a piece of it, or if I treated box-office like a statistic that means anything about either (A) the quality of a film or (B) people's affection for that film. And it's not. Box-office is about marketing and scheduling and luck. That's it. The quality of a film and how people feel about that film... that's time. Only time can really shake out the way a film lives or dies, survives or fades. Box-office doesn't mean anything, which is why I don't write about it and why I tune out most of what's written about it. I understand it... but I don't care.

I hate film reviews or film reviewers that use the word "you" over and over in a review. "You don't care about these people. You don't care what happens to them. You don't engage emotionally." Really? Is that an order? Stop telling me what I'll feel. Stop telling me that my reaction is a given. It's not. You may feel it is narcissistic to use the word "I" in a film review; I think it's the other way around. I review a film by expressing what my experience with it is and what my understanding of it is. Whether that's worth anything to you or not is up to you. But when a reviewer uses "you" in a review, it's like they're telling you that they know better than you do, and here's how you should feel... or you're wrong. It's obnoxious.

I love when people throw around numbers that they've decided are real, and there's just no budging them. Talking about budgets is a sucker's game, because I guarantee you that unless you got a number from someone in the actual accounting department, someone with an eye on the actual final total, most of the numbers you hear people discuss are fiction. I wish we'd had longer to get into it, because I'd love to hear David Poland tell me, for the record, what "Watchmen" cost. And "Terminator Salvation." And "Land of the Lost." And "Transformers 2." Because I guarantee his guesses, the numbers he'll use when writing all of his "journalism" for the rest of the year, will be the same exact creative fiction, based on the guesswork and gossip of others, as the numbers he'll attack and belittle when writing about his competitors. David's "Watchmen" budgets of $150 million and up are fantasy-land. Even before the film was a legal hassle, the costs were pretty tightly controlled on the film, and one of the reasons it took forever to get someone to pull the trigger is because every single dollar was negotiated and fought for. The fact that people think this film cost $150 million or more is a good sign for Snyder, who has the ability to make his films look like they cost more than they do. I don't write about budgets precisely because it's like counting sand grains in the desert. Everything's in flux, and unless you have absolute control over those sand grains, it's just empty effort.

And finally, I don't believe the ultimate goal of all drama is to make me "care" about characters, and I don't think the only benchmark of success in a story or a narrative is whether or not I identify with the people I'm watching. I don't care if I like anyone in a story... I just want to be interested. Poland goes on and on about how "you don't care about anyone," but I still don't see how that's even an absolute negative. So what? I'm not really going to empathize with a godlike naked blue energy being, but I'm interested in him. And that's enough. When did every critic in America become a lame development executive giving notes? "Can you try to make his arc more dramatic so he's more likable and we like him more? Maybe have him do things people like. That way they'll like him. I'd like that." Puh-leeeeze.

When Poland says that "Blade Runner" appealed to a lot more people than "Watchmen," it's a completely bizarre and incorrect thing to say. At least "Watchmen" had a big first weekend. "Blade Runner" was a movie that should have had that first big blast when it opened. After all, here's Han Solo and Indiana Jones, in his first big SF adventure movie away from those series, right? And... it turns out... it's a movie... about a mumbling guy with a bad haircut who lives in a city where it rains all the time and he gets his ass kicked by a bunch of girl robots for a while. Then the bad guy dies. The end. And that didn't even open. That movie stiffed from day one. That summer, "Blade Runner" and "The Thing" both died. Just belly up. And I'm sure people could have written articles on those Monday mornings after release, slamming the films, damning the studios for the choices to make them, second-guessing the filmmakers. I'm sure it would have been easy. But it also reduces the entire conversation about film to a tally sheet.

And that's what I don't like. At all.

So I don't think you can "win" an appearance like today's. I just know that I managed to not yell at David, and I think I made my points clearly, and I'm pretty sure they said the name of the site a couple of times. So mission accomplished.

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No variety in this list of the summer blockbusters to watch

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Hair apparent ... Tom Hanks's drowned cat 'do gets another outing in the Da Vinci Code followup, Angels and Demons

Diminishing returns are to the Hollywood summer blockbuster what suspense is to Hitchcock, high heels and hospital scenes are to Almodóvar or scandalous overpricing is to popcorn. With a handful of exceptions, the high point of a tent-pole picture's existence is the first teaser trailer, or even the first teaser poster – the moment when avid fandom can project onto that nearly-blank canvas the wondrous, expectation-surpassing movie that will never be. Then comes the overcooked buildup, the disappointing release and the even more disappointing sequels. Cue Sideshow Bob-style shudder.

This year, diminishing returns seem to apply not just to individual titles but to the industry's entire slate. Of the 15 titles selected by Variety as the summer blockbusters to watch, at least two-thirds are retreads of established franchises, whether as sequels, spin-offs or remakes.

In the sequels and spin-off category there's Hugh Jackman reverting from top-hat-and-tails to whiskers and claws in X-Men Origins: Wolverine; Christian Bale doing franchise duty again in Terminator Salvation; further entries in the Harry Potter, Ice Age, Transformers and Night at the Museum series; and, perhaps worst to contemplate, another turn round the block for Tom Hanks's drowned-cat 'do in Angels & Demons, sired by The Da Vinci Code. In terms of adaptations, there's JJ Abrams's space-babies take on Star Trek; Will Ferrell in a remake of the famously shoddy fantasy TV series Land of the Lost; and a live-action version of GI Joe, partly inspired by the moolah the first Transformers film raked in.

That the studios lean heavily on brands and formulae that have proven profitable is hardly news but it's still dispiriting to see quite so derivative a slate of titles lined up for the summer. So far, the signs are that the economic downturn need not spell disaster for the film industry: box office is actually up. Just like in the Great Depression, right? Yes and no. For all the stories about the Depression being the making of the movies, the early 1930s were highly troubled times for box-office takings. It was only later on, when audiences' means and desires meshed more neatly with Hollywood output, that the golden age kicked in. Perhaps this summer's titles will prove to be the equivalent of well-made comfort food, offering familiar pleasures that audiences appreciate. Over the longer term, however, the industry is likely to have to come up with something new that chimes with the times.

This could be where the few non-franchise titles on Variety's list come in. A couple of them could also fit into the comfort-food category, but in an imaginative, revisionist kind of way. Michael Mann's Public Enemies and Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds are knowing takes on established genres with adult male appeal and period resonance: the gangster picture that took off in the Depression and the war movie that arguably succeeded it. And the Disney-Pixar feature Up – about a man whose house achieves lift-off with balloons – should benefit from the Pixar studio brand; indeed, it is perhaps the only studio brand with audience appeal comparable to that of, say, Universal horror or Warner Bros gangster flicks of the 1930s.

The final two films on Variety's list are comedies: Judd Apatow's latest, Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen as present-day standups, and The Year One, Harold Ramis's Monty Python-style stone-age/Biblical spoof starring Jack Black and Michael Cera. A couple of years ago, it's questionable whether such comedies would have found a place in a blockbuster list. But although they have traditionally been overlooked as both box-office and critical darlings, comedies are cheap to produce and blessedly escapist. At their most successful, there are few other genres that please studios and audiences more. A period of economic strife just might be what's needed for them finally to take their well-deserved place in the sun.

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HASBRO Answers Seibertron's Questions

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Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 5:30PM CDT

Hasbro- The first question submissions for 2009 have been answered. Seems we get a repeat answer when we asked a question related to one of our previously submitted questions, and a very frank answer to one for you movie line collectors!

"1.) Can we expect more store exclusive Generation 1 repaints of movie figures like the new Corvette Sideswipe into Generation 1 colors? Any hints to drop for us on which characters will receive Generation 1 style repaints (Devastator?). Can we expect premium style repaints with the ROTF line of figures as well?


-Whenever we redeco a figure for a store exclusive, one of our first inclinations is to go back and see if there is a way to bring the figure closer to a classic character, especially if it apears unlikely that the figure will be released in those colors otherwise. With Revenge of the Fallen, there are quite a few characters to choose from that have some fairly obvious alternative color schemes that are on our short list of potential items. Premium items are also on the short list because we are are sometimes able to offer a higher number of paint applications on figures if they are offered as store exclusives. While we can't provide exact details on any upcoming G1-based or Premium figures, rest assured that we will be making them whenever they make sense.

2.) Recent confusion with IDW's and HASBRO's answers gives us conflicting information. Will IDW's character Drift be getting his own toy, or not? Would it be a part of UNIVERSE or some other special line? How about other comic original characters getting toys like Impactor or Jhiaxus, which are not repaints? In the back of the Transformers Spotlight Vol 2 Graphic Novel, there is a great design for Nova Prime, which could be made as a toy, any chance of it being made?

-Every year as we develop our toy line, we try to fit in characters that make sense for the brand. With that said, every character, new and old, are always up for disussion. We certainly would love to make a toy after IDW's Drift and will do our best ot fit him into the line at the right time.

3.) Will there be toys of these new Season 3 TF: Animated Characters? What of the rumor that Season 3 is the last season of Animated? Any hints on what is the next on tap after the ROTF line is done, with the supposed end to Transformers Animated?

-There will be new toys of season 3 characters throughout 2009. Unfortunately, we cannot speak to any rumors regarding the animated series at this time."

There you have it, answers to some of our very important questions. Sorry if yours was not submitted this time. Please be sure to re-submit a new question the next time we have the opportunity.

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Frank Welker Returning for Transformers 2?

Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and Movies Director says he might have cartoon voice actor join the cast.
by Jim Vejvoda

March 10, 2009 - Here's some good news for all those fanboys who were peeved that voice actor Frank Welker wasn't hired to voice Megatron in the live-action Transformers movie: he might be lending his voice to another Decepticon in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Welker voiced Megatron in the 1980s animated series, but was replaced by Hugo Weaving in the 2007 film. Now Transformers 2 director Michael Bay has revealed on his blog that "I think I'm going to pursue Frank on Soundwave." Welker also voiced that character on the TV show.

Soundwave's cronies Ravage and Laserbeak are also expected to appear in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Hugo Weaving recently confirmed that he'll be back as the voice of Megatron in the sequel, which opens June 24.

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Thor, Justice League, Transformers 2: March 11th Comic Reel

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THOR

There's new casting rumors about the two lead roles: for the God of Mischief, IESB claims that Josh Hartnett has met with director Kenneth Branagh and wants to give the role a shot because he's never played a villain (Slevin Kelevra doesn't count).

Not enough? Okay, how about this for a Thunder God (if Latino Review is to be believed): standing six foot four, having a meal with Branagh in Los Feliz, it's actor Alexander Skarsgard! Branagh and two unidentified men ate with Skarsgard at Blair's Restaurant, but maybe it was just a friendly meeting between a Shakespearean actor and a statuesque Nordic man. Maybe.

Release date: July 16, 2010.

JUSTICE LEAGUE

We may yet see Common as Green Lantern, if we can believe what director George Miller told MTV. "I'm still attached to the film," he said. "Warner Bros. is waiting to develop the other characters a little bit and then bring Justice League together. After the success of ['The Dark Knight'], it's well known that they will develop the other characters and then bring them together in 'Justice League.' That's a fair way down the track."

No release date announced.

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

Fans were disappointed that Frank Welker wasn't chosen to play Megatron and made their voices heard on director Michael Bay's message boards. His response? "I think I'm going to pursue Frank on Soundwave." 'Nuff said.

Starring Shia LeBeouf, release date: June 24, 2009.

IRON MAN 2

Staying in the realm of heavy metal, Superhero Hype has the first set photo from the Marvel minded movie sequel.

Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle, release date May 7, 2010.

SMALLVILLE

If you're ready to see a second fishnet-clad DCU guest star, you should check out this gallery of set photos at Kryptonsite.

Next episode: "Infamous," March 12, 2009.

DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION

How about seven new pieces of video from the manga adaptation from points around the globe?

Dragonball Evolution: Chi Chi vs Chi Chi @ Yahoo! Video

Starring Justin Chatwin, release date: April 8, 2009.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE

If you like spoilers, this updated early review at We Are Movie Geeks should do the trick for you.

There's also a new trailer for the video game based on the movie at Superhero Hype.

Directed by Gavin Hood, release date May 1, 2009.

READY FOR YOUR CLOSE UP?

If you have the scoop on anything related to comic book movies, TV adaptations or just want to give us a truck full of cash, no questions asked, drop us a line and let's coordinate. You can choose an alias if you'd like, or be mentioned by name -- we honor requests for anonymity. Broadcasting live from Los Angeles, this is your humble scribe Hannibal Tabu saying thanks for your time and indulgence, and The Hundred and Four has got them African drums and them space age rhymes, man!

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Transformers 2's Soundwave May Sound Familiar

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Peter Cullen may not be the only 1980s Transformers cartoon veteran to arrive on the big screen, if a message board post from Revenge of the Fallen's Michael Bay is anything to go by.

Responding to an interview with Frank Welker - the voice of Megatron and Soundwave in the original cartoon, amongst others - Bay wrote

I think I'm going to pursue Frank on Soundwave.

Sudden stunningly-last-minute decision or well-orchestrated reveal to drive the fanboy faithful wild? Who knows, but at least the Michael Bay forum regulars got excited at the news:

Michael is the shiznit!! ask yourself this.. have u been BAYporized?

An Interview with Welker, and One Last Plea to Michael [Shoot For The Edit]

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Welker to voice 'Transformers 2' villain

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Michael Bay has revealed that he wants original Transformers star Frank Welker to voice a villain in the robot sequel.

Welker, who lent his vocal talents to the character Megatron in the animated series, was passed over for the 2007 movie adaptation in favour of Hugo Weaving. His co-star Peter Cullen was recruited for Optimus Prime.

Writing on his Shoot For The Edit website, Bay said that he will "pursue" Welker for the role of Soundwave, a robot who shape-shifted into a cassette player in the original cartoon, in Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen.

Bay last week admitted that Megatron, voiced by Weaving, will return for the sequel.

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The Verdict: Megan Fox Goes Underwater and Tron 2 Spoilers

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Megan Fox Heads to the Comics
Sorry fellas, it's not Wonder Woman or Sinderella, Naked Queen of Bondage Island. In Jonah Hex she'll play a gunfighter opposite James Brolin, and in Fathom she's a champion swimmer and marine biologist (riiight) who finds out she's part of an underwater race.
Verdict: I seem to be the only guy on the planet who's not particularly wowed by Megan Fox. But for the rest of you, there's sure to be lots of swimming. So there's that.

Tron 2 Spoiled by AICN
Ain't It Cool News has the latest from the Vancouver set of the Tron sequel, including a heap of spoilers. Here's one, etiquette be damned: Flynn has a seven-year-old son named Sean. How's that for a bombshell? Oh, for the rest, go here.
Verdict: I loved Tron too, but I'm hardly on the edge of my seat for this one. And now I'm going to look a fool if he doesn't have a son, or he's called Billy.

Stretch Armstrong: The Motion Picture
Next up on the block with Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Monopoly? That's right, Stretch Armstrong, the amazing toy that ... stretched. At this rate I'm holding out for the ball and paddle biopic. Where did paddle meet ball, anyway? And how did the elastic get in on the act?
Verdict: I know Hollywood wants to cash in on any speck of nostalgia they can, but this is just getting sad.

Watchmen as a Saturday Morning Cartoon
Check out HappyHarry's clip of Watchmen as an '80s cartoon (go here and click "Watch This Movie!"). Fine, this is a joke, but you know someone at Warner Brothers is watching it, thinking "Hmmm." (Sorry, "Hurm.")
Verdict: I could watch this show all day. Granted, Watchmen seems to have split the audience in half, and I'm heavily on the "liked it" side. But come on, "Rorschach's friend to the animals -- yeah, when he's not clowning around!" Gold.

Wow, They Weren't Kidding About the "NeverEnding" Part
People of a certain age may remember The NeverEnding Story, a movie about a boy and his magic dog-dragon thing with a neverending theme song by the lead singer of Kajagoogoo. It spawned two sequels, but after 1996's NeverEnding Story III, it looked like whoever came up with the title had finally gotten his comeuppance. Of course, now studios specialize in dredging up old semi-hits, and this one's next.
Verdict: Compared to this, Tron 2 will be like The Godfather I. There will come a day, in the not too distant future, when every single movie, television show, and infomercial of the '80s will have been remade. And then we'll move on to the '90s. Who's up for a Cop Rock movie?

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