Michael Bay Dot Com
Pearl Harbor trailer info
I will post instructions on Saturday (pm) on how you can win an official Pearl Harbor poster. It’s been a long and tired week, so forgive me for not puting up the instructions on Wednesday.
Ok…you’ve been asking for the trailer. This damn trailer has been out on the theaters for the past 3 weeks. Where in the online hell is it? Well, I have some bad news…again.
As many of you know, on 12.01.00 I mentioned that I received official word that the trailer new full trailer for Pearl Harbor was being rescored for the internet and TV, and that at the moment they DO NOT have a date. As of now, Michael is busy editing, trying to make some free time for the holidays (that’s if he has any). I do not know if there will be a new trailer attached to any prints that are scheduled for the Xmas weekend.
Nick at cinemenium.com sent me the following:
“I recently spoke with Disney and asked what the delay was on their trailer for Pearl Harbor. I was told that they will not release the new trailer until……………………mid January. The reason is because of various ‘other commitments’ elsewhere that needs to be taken care of. Whatever that means I don’t know, but they sure know how to piss of a very dedicated and excited fan community.”
I fell the pain brother. So there you have it.
My guess that the Mouse House is either revving up an enormous advertising campaign or it screwing up, or being lazy (which I highly doubt, they have to much $$$ riding on this movie).
As someone said on the message board “I don’t understand why we are still waiting [for the new trailer]. This is possibly the most wanted trailer in the world right now.”
Bruckheimer talks Pearl Harbor
For those of you that haven’t purchased the DVD for “Gone in 60 Seconds,” go out and buy it!! It has lots of cool stuff on it, especially a conversation with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. In it he talks about what a producers does, they also show some behind the scenes of “Armageddon,” and “The Rock.” You get to see lots of shots of Michael at work during “The Rock” and “Armageddon.” Jerry also talks about “Pearl Harbor.” He goes on to say that “you haven’t seen a movie like “Pearl Harbor” in the past 40-45 years…it’s a classic.” He also mentions that “Pearl Harbor” reminds him of David Lean’s movies, and that Michael is “up there” on par with David Lean.
Michael Bay eyeing King Arthur project?
Yes, you read right.
It seems that there is another film Michael might direct after “Pearl Harbor.” (He’s been mentioned as possibly directing “Africa,” “The Gory Details,” and another one that concerns the kidnapping of a high-powered attorney’s wife; the ransom for her safe release is his suicide).
According to Variety columnist Michael Fleming, writer-producer David Franzoni, who concocted Gladiator, is working on bringing the story of King Arthur to the big screen again. An outline for the project was sold to Disney with word that the script is now being written by Franzoni. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is already attached to handle it with word that the film may be Michael Bay’s next after Pearl Harbor.
Disney is attempting to keep a veil of secrecy around the project with word that the coming film will approach the familiar material in a “much different” way. The columnist reports that this new version of the story will be entrenched in reality looking at the politics of the era in a world where the Roman Empire has fallen. This Braveheart-like approach will favor gritty realism over the expected mystical stuff.
Pearl Harbor coincidence
Is this a coincidence? I was browsing through Barnesandnoble.com and came across this book: “Pearl Harbor, 1941″ by Nancy Holder. It talks about 20-year-old Bekah Martin who completes her nurse’s training in San Francisco, her aunt begs her not to return to her sheltered life on the Hawaiian Islands. Aunt Miriam insists that the Territory of Hawaii will look very different after all she’s seen on the mainland. What her aunt does not realize is that Bekah had come to California not to seek adventure, but refuge from the tragic fire that had claimed the life of David MacLaughlin÷her fiance. Bekah now plans to return home and marry David’s twin brother Ian, who shares David’s last name but none of his independence.
On the journey home she encounters Scott DeAngelo, a brash New Yorker and naval ensign. Scott is pushy, opinionated, and overwhelming, and Bekah steels herself against the undeniable attraction that develops between them. That is, until the morning of December 7, when a surprise attack on American airships takes the island by storm, and Bekah is forced to choose between her sense of responsibility and her love for Scott…
Hmmm…is it me or does this sounds like Kate Beckinsdale’s character in “Pearl Harbor?”
If you’re interested in the book, click here.
Pearl Harbor trailer update
I have just receive official word that the new “Pearl Harbor” is currently being rescored for internet and television use. They do not have an exact date yet. And again, if it *does* appear online anytime soon, I will notify you all on the mailing list.
Disney at it again…
I have some BAD news for you guys and gals. Apparently Disney won’t be releasing the new “Pearl Harbor” trailer anytime soon. Nick Medrano at the PH site has been told by the mouse house that it won’t be releasing the new trailer for another 2 - 3 weeks.
Honestly, Disney not releasing this trailer—like NOW—pisses me off a bit. They need all the promotion they can get for this movie. I understand if they don’t want to hype it, but these trialers have gone well with audiences—especially this last one.
And again, if it *does* appear online anytime soon, I will notify you all on the mailing list.
Pearl Harbor poster and other stuff
Tons of you have been asking why I don’t have the new Pearl Harbor trailer. I’ve contacted movies.com ( a subsidary of Disney ), and one of the encoding studios Disney uses, and this is what they’ve said:
“…We do not yet have information on when the new trailer for “Pearl Harbor” will become available.”
“I don’t believe we’ve seen the trailer come through here yet. However, I’d expect it online soon.”
So when I do have it, I will notify you guys and gals ASAP via the mailing list.
…
Here it is. The first “Pearl Harbor” Original Movie Poster. The poster measures 27 x 40 inches and printed on a very strong almost translucent paper. This new printing material is no doubt being used to enhance the effect of viewing the poster in a backlit theatre display frame.
They’re limited. You can find one right now at ebay. Click here. Happy bidding!
I’ve also been told by movies.com (a subsidary of Disney) the following:
Thank you for contacting us. We do not yet have information on when the new trailer for “Pearl Harbor” will become available.
Bruckheimer talk Bad Boys 2
In an interview Jerry Bruckhiemer had with Z.com he had this to say about “Pearl Harbor,” and a possible sequel to “Bad Boys.”
“We’re hoping for PG-13, but that’s going to come down to how Michael puts the movie together and what the rating board thinks of it. If it turns out that they decide it’s an R, what concessions he would have to make to make it a PG-13, that’s a creative decision we will have to make.”
” ‘Bad Boys’ is the picture that we’ve been trying to come up with a story and screenplay that works…
Q: Is Michael Bay going to direct ‘Bad Boys II?’ We don’t know that yet. Once we have a script, we’ll show it to him and if he sparks to it, hopefully heâll direct it.”
When Worlds Collide
For those of you interested in the technical aspects of movie-making—especially photography—go and read this VERY informative interview I found in my old American Cinematographer magazines. It is by far one of the most interesting articles I’ve seen published about how Bay and Schwartzman work. It details the whole photography process in “Armageddon.” This article is waist-deep in technical stuff.
Pearl Harbor trailer description
Just came back from watching “Unbreakable.” Excellent movie.
But, what I really went for was to see the new “Pearl Harbor” trailer. Let’s go directly into the details. The openig shot is of two boys playing on what looks like a toy ariplane made of wood boxes and other stuff. It’s about 3 minutes long. It has the same temp track (Journey to the Line), and some of the footage that was found in the teaser.There is some dialogue, but what is most impressive is FDR’s voice over spoken by Jon Voight. What surprised me the most is that this film doesn’t look like any of Michael’s other movies.
But the the new shots are breathtaking. The one that made people in the cineplex say “WOW” was a tracking shot (from the rear) Michael set up to follow a bomb that is headed for one of the ships. I said “WOW” too. That’s the money shot. It’s the equivalent of the Chrysler building racing down towards the camera. It is awesome!!! There’s also an underwater shot of dead sailors floating in the water with an American flag filled with holes and light beams flashing through. There are cool shots of the Japanese planes taking off the carriers. You have to see it.
As soon as I get the Quicktime files of the new trailer, I will notify you all through the mailing list. So sign up if you haven’t!
Criterion's Beker defends "Armageddon"
In a conversation Salon had with the Criterion Collection’s Peter Becker (the man who created the ultimate DVD versions of “Grand Illusion,” “This Is Spinal Tap” — and “Armageddon”), he defended Criterion’s DVD issuing of “Armageddon” by saying the following:
“Specifically, with “Armageddon”: You’d be silly to overlook blockbusters as a genre and leave them out of a film library. They drive so much. They drive tastes and shooting styles and visual references that appear all over the world in commercials and on TV as well as on movie screens. They’re part of a huge cultural cross-pollination. And special effects are one of the most important aspects of a certain kind of contemporary filmmaking.
The opportunity we had to explore the effects in “Armageddon” was extraordinary. These guys dug a 400-foot hole in the middle of a Hollywood sound stage. It was a mammoth project and a great thing to be able to chronicle. One may choose to say, “What an enormous amount of money to spend on so frivolous an enterprise.” But it occupies an important position on the spectrum of contemporary films.
Michael Bay, who made “Armageddon,” is one of the most masterful directors of that kind. He’s managed to develop a certain style and energy in shooting that is consonant with what people seem to be looking for in these huge blockbusters. He’s an articulate exponent of what he is up to, and he is refreshingly candid. He’s not going to sit there and try to convince you that his and Ingmar Bergman’s intentions are one and the same. He’s trying to make a wild ride and he’s trying to show you how it’s done.
While it may be that there are some who feel it’s uncomfortable to see “Armageddon” on the shelf next to “Amarcord,” they’re both great discs for different reasons. I think there’s an honorable place for “Armageddon” in our collection. It may help us bring in a whole new audience. If we climb too proudly to the top of the ivory tower where we screen only Fellini and Bergman, Godard and Truffaut, Kurosawa, Tarkovski and Pabst, we will find ourselves very soon preaching only to the choir.”
Even people who hate “Armageddon” have to admit that one of the best things about your collection is that it’s not stuffy. In addition to the high art, it’s got some glitz, and it’s got some cult items.
Pearl Harbor trailer feature in "Unbreakable"
Be on the lookout for the new “Pearl Harbor” trailer (not teaser) in the previews for Bruce Willis’ “Unbreakable” which comes out on November 22, 2000. From what I hear, it is “amazing.”
I will post the trailer online as soon as I get it.
Pearl Harbor site
The Official Pearl Harbor site is online. Go check it out at www.pearlharbor.com
Michael Bay Cameo
Got this from the UK site Popcorn. It’s snippet from an extra that worked on the Uk set:
“…The biggest laugh was when Michael Bay appeared on-set dressed like us, complete with slicked-back hair. When the senior British AD asked me if I knew where the director was, I told him he’d just appeared on-set in a costume - much to the AD’s surprise! Seems Mr Bay keeps these little Hitchcockian moments to himself. He sat himself next to Ben, thus insuring himself some screen time.”
So keep your eyes opened, and maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of Michael on “Pearl Harbor.”
Bay Jumps on Kidnap Thriller
NEW YORK — After completing photography on “Pearl Harbor,” Michael Bay’s Disney-based Bay Films has acquired an untitled thriller that Bay and Bay Films veep Jennifer Klein will develop, with hopes that Bay will direct.
The script by newcomer Stuart Alexander concerns the kidnapping of a high-powered attorney’s wife; the ransom for her safe release is his suicide.
The project was bought on the basis of a 25-page outline. Alexander has finished the first draft, with the film being supervised by Disney Motion Picture Group president Nina Jacobson and exec veep Mark Vahradian.
That film could be the next one Bay directs — another candidate is the dark comedy he’s developing, “Gory Details” — but he won’t likely take another feature before the possible SAG strike next summer. His next directing job will be the pilot of “Quantico,” a drama about the FBI Academy for Twentieth TV and FBC, which he’s exec producing with Dario Scardapane, who wrote the script. Klein’s producing as well.
Bay nearly made “Phone Booth,” the Fox 2000 drama with a similar ticking-clock premise. Joel Schumacher is still trying to pull that together.
Though scripter Larry Cohen told this column that Bay disconnected because he wanted to move the drama from its single phone booth location, the director denied it. “Will (Smith) and I were ready to go, taking $500,000 each and backend, but we wanted Fox to put more money in the script to make the words better and the studio wouldn’t. Every actor loved the idea, but if the words weren’t there, that film wouldn’t work.”
That Bay is making new deals under his Mouse pact indicates that there has been some healing of the bruised feelings from when Disney rescinded a “Pearl Harbor” greenlight and didn’t restore it until he and producer Jerry Bruckheimer waived their fees and cut other costs.
That duo agreed to work free until the pic covers its costs. “It was pretty discouraging at the beginning and became an emotional roller coaster,” said Bay. “It was greenlit, then ungreenlit, then greenlit again, meaning I had to hire, fire, then rehire the whole crew. The whole film had a recipe for disaster, with so many locations. We worked with 60-year-old aircrafts, with hundreds of extras in the water around ships with explosives everywhere. But it was the best production experience I ever had, and we finished one day over schedule.”
Bay said the studio allowed him $135 million with an extra $5 million cushion. “There are no hard feelings with the studio. I’m happy the movie got made. I would have been miserable if it hadn’t.” While Bay’s best known for hardware-heavy hits like “Armageddon” and “The Rock,” “Pearl Harbor” will broaden his range. “The thing I really like about the movie is it’s shot with an old-fashioned feel, and women are responding to the love story,” he said.
As Bay zeroes in on the next feature, one he’s now dubious about is the Eric Roth-scripted Jon Peters-produced WB pic “Africa,” about the exploits of Richard Leakey. Said Bay: “After tourists were hacked to death in Rwanda, my girlfriend said no way. I don’t want to rush into another big movie right now. I’d just like to finish this one, do a few commercials, and the pilot.” Alexander was repped by Carlos Goodman of Lichter, Grossman, Nichols & Adler.
Bruckheimer fan page
A cool fanpage dedicated to Jerry Bruckheimer is up. Go to www.bruckheimer.com and check it out. I even like it more than the official Bruckheimer page.
Pearl Harbor: It's a wrap
The production is a wrap, after 90 days of shooting and an expenditure of $135 million. Says producer Jerry Bruckheimer: “It’s coming in right on schedule and on budget.”
Pearl Harbor flash teaser
Click here to view the Japanese Pearl Harbor flash teaser. From what I can read, it says it will premiere in Japan on July 14, 2001. Can anyone translate the text in the flash teaser? If so, please send me an email at nelson@michaelbay.com
Bay confronts loser
Michael and crew should be heading to England towards the end of August. The UK scenes of Pearl Harbor, are to be filmed at an airfield outside the city of Bath, in the south west of England, possible at the RAF airbase in Colerne, which is the nearest airfield according to sources.
I also picked up this humorous piece of info involving Michael from E!:
“Michael Bay, director of The Rock, Armageddon and the upcoming Pearl Harbor, attended the Mission to Mars premiere at the El Capitan in Hollywood recently. And I must tell you that one movie fan on the sidelines acted as abysmally as the performers do in this most painful of Brian DePalma outings (save Jerry O’Connell, perhaps). “Michael Bay sucks!” screamed a rude person behind the ropes. So, Michael darling charged over to the mouther-offer and confronted the jerk, who suddenly backed down and apologized. I declare, more stars should adopt Bay’s butch ways.”
