I honestly have this twisted cinematic theory that's been looming around my head for quite some time, what if, one day, in the near future, Michael Bay's "cinema" will be re-evaluated and he will be known as a genius that changed the game? I mean, he does have his loyal legion of fans that abide by anything he does. Many of them millenials, the future of film criticism? Also, Bay did invent his own style, he's somewhat of an auteur, his style relies heavily on a mash up of fast cutting, overtly stylized visuals and abundant use of special effects. I did love "Pain and Gain," quite possibly his only movie the last two decades having nothing to do with science fiction. Maybe he should focus more on those kind of stories, it did slightly change my opinion of the guy's filmmaking skills, much of the direction in that film is, dare I say it, really good.
Here's Anthony Hopkins' quote on working with Michael Bay:
“I thought, ‘This guy’s a genius, he really is,‘” Hopkins told Yahoo Movies last week at CinemaCon about his impression of Bay after meeting the director over breakfast to discuss the project. “He’s the same ilk as Oliver Stone and [Steven] Spielberg and [Martin] Scorsese. Brilliance. Savants, really, they are. He’s a savant. [They are] terrific,” Hopkins said. “They’re created by a genius.”
What has been overlooked, though, is that Bay's "style" isn't far off the great silent era of filmmaking, of course not as great, but in that it was important to make every shot completely dynamic to tell a story. Bay's films have always worked on that exact level, which is why they're so popular. Just turn the sound down on something like "Pearl Harbor" and watch it strictly from a visual POV you can completely understand what is occurring in the film itself without and of the sounds or dialogue, because of that dynamic shot. He also knows how to get the most flattering power shot for any actor he hires. Silent cinema courtesy of Michael Bay.
[YAHOO]