01.17.01

The correct answer for the Pearl Harbor poster giveaway was:

12 years old. Michael was 12 when he first met his future DP John Schwartzman. The answer was found in a Real Audio file that contained an interview with Schwartzman. You can find it under "Articles/Audio interviews/"Reflections on Michael Bay." You can click HERE to hear the answer.

A lot of you nailed down the correct answer at midnight. So it came down to tenths of a second (to see where you came in, click here). And the winner is:

Jessie Heng-Ho
from Richmond, BC, Canada

Congratulations.

I will be giving away more stuff in the near future, so stay tuned.

[01.04.01]

Just a little reminder that the first correct answer received on midnight (12am) January 5, 2001 will win the official Pearl harbor poster. the question:

"How old was Michael Bay when he met John Schwartzman (his DP)?"

Please send your correct answer along with your name and mailing address to postergiveaway@michaelbay.com
no earlier than JANUARY 5, 2001 12am Eastern Standard Time (-5 GMT).

1.- Here is an article I picked up from the US Navy's web site. It's about the filming of Pearl Harbor on the USS Constellation. They speak with some of the crew and there are some pictures of Michael, Alec Baldwin, and Ben Affleck. Click here to read it.

2.- Click here to see some pictures from the set and aboard the USS Constellation.

Doesn't 01-01-01 look cool? Happy New Year to all you guys & gals.

No major updates today. I'm just writing this little email to tell you that this Pearl Harbor poster giveaway is open to everyone ( US residents and international ). So, as long as you have a name and an address, you qualify!

Due to reasons that people are away for the holidays, the date for receiving the correct question for the poster giveaway has been pushed back to January 5, 2001 12am Eastern Standard Time (-5 GMT). In other words, I will not accept answers before January 5, 2001. (I have already received answers which will be discarded).

Well, the official "Pearl Harbor" site is up and running. Go and check it out. It mentions the "new" trailer will be out around mid January.

Ok, the reasons why I haven't posted any details about the poster is because I was sick. So here we go.

In order to win this poster, you will have to answer a question. The answer is somewhere in this site. You've got to scour this site. Once you think you've got the CORRECT answer, you will have to e-mail me the answer no earlier than JANUARY 5, 2001 12am Eastern Standard Time (in other words, New York time or -5 GMT). Any submission BEFORE the date posted in this paragraph will be invalid and discarded. The FIRST person to send the email with the correct answer wins the poster. The winner's name will be posted on this site. The winner's name and correct answer will be posted on michaelbay.com on January 8, 2000.

Here is the question:

"How old was Michael Bay when he met John Schwartzman (his DP)?"

Please send your answer along with your name and mailing address to postergiveaway@michaelbay.com
no earlier than JANUARY 5, 2001 12am Eastern Standard Time (-5 GMT).

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."

12.08.00

Keep your eyes open. I will be giving away a free "Pearl Harbor" poster. Keep checking back for details.

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.

12.05.00

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.

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.

12.01.00

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.

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.

11.28.00

"...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.

"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 he’ll direct it."

11.25.00

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.

"When Worlds Collide"

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!

11.21.00

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.

I will post the trailer online as soon as I get it.

10.30.00

The Official Pearl Harbor site is online. Go check it out at www.pearlharbor.com

"...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."

10.05.00

BAY JUMPS ON KIDNAP THRILLER

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.

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