Public Address | Cafe | Speaker: Transformers: Less than meets the eye

Public Address

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:55:44 +1200

Discussion from blog post.

Thom James

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:55:44 +1200

Well I have to say I enjoyed the film immensely. Although that's because I went in expecting little, as every one of Bay's previous works has been derisible, appalling shite with a cringe-inducing patriotic bent. It may also have something to do with the fact I saw it on the?

Robyn Gallagher

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:57:07 +1200

When I was a little girl, I had one Transformer (one of those green construction equipment ones), that I think had been bought for me because I was jealous that my brother had some.

The whole idea of Transformers seemed pretty cool, but I never really got into them or?

Lucy Stewart

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:00:16 +1200

As the presumed target audience of this movie (about the right age to have nostalgia for the cartoon, unreservedly geeky) I couldn't disagree more with this review. I liked Transformers because it didn't try to be more than what it was: a movie about giant alien toy robots. Perhaps I'm?

Lucy Stewart

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:02:50 +1200

I should probably also note that while I'm the right age to have watched it as a kid, I didn't, or I don't remember more than thirty seconds of it. I went because the trailer looked cool and stuff blew up. And, lo, the stuff blew up, but the non-explosive?

Che Tibby

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:44:01 +1200

eye-candy.

but i wasn't expecting anything more.

plot holes the size of optimus-prime! but such great action.

although... making bumblee a camaro seriously pissed off 8-year-old me... beetle damnit!

barnaclebarnes

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:05:10 +1200

I think we must have gone to different movies because the Transformers I watched was frickin awesome...

It didn't try to be anything other than a bunch of robots kicking arse which they managed to pull off really, really well. The CG was pretty flawless, the characters funny (in a?

Lyndon Hood

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:41:20 +1200

Sorry but I have to ask...

Joseph Rex...

So, are you JoeKing?

Helen Keivom

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:42:30 +1200

When I was a little girl, I had one Transformer (one of those green construction equipment ones), that I think had been bought for me because I was jealous that my brother had some.

When my 18yo was a little girl, she was so into Transformers that many of her?

Giles Reid

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:12:19 +1200

I'm honestly amazed at how many people thought this was a good movie. Am I that much of an elitist?

There was just so much terrible dialogue, dumb jokes and caricatures (hey look a 'ghetto' transformer who breakdances, "are you the tooth fairy?"), and crazy logic. (Robots that are frozen?

Michael T

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:28:03 +1200

I'm not sure Megatron ever even transforms into any recognisable object.

Are you an idiot? He is still in his Alien form... as an "Original fan" I am sure you would have picked that one up.

Movie rocked. I have more original transformers than you.

InternationalObserver

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:07:42 +1200

Animae characteristically pushes certain themes and tropes to the fore ? supernatural friends, martial mysticism, prepubescent superheroes, secret weapons, what colour the heroine's knickers are.

My first experience of Animae was while visiting Hong Kong in the early 90s. They ran the cartoons afterschool and I was quite perturbed. They?

Andrew Paul Wood

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:30:32 +1200

Die Fanboys!
I so don't care about your weird little adolescent fetishes

Hamish

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:33:41 +1200

I came out with a smile.

I don't really care for your opinions about fanboys – Transformers is before their time and our showing (Embassy Theatre, Welly) was a lot like yours: full of couples and flash looking 20-somethings.

It was fun, and the effects were mind-blowing. Well worth it?

nzMM

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:00:37 +1200

Good points, i don't think you are wrong when you intellectualise certain aspects in isolation... but i still had fun, i laughed and when the fights were slow enough that i understood what was going on, i thought they were really cool.

My main gripe is with the over-detailed robots.?

Ben Austin

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:19:27 +1200

As a man of the right age demographic I can confirm the aforementioned uber robots own the mindspace of my generation. Hell, I even watched beastwars, although not the episode with the plant transformer.

If the popularity of our story on [[http://www.karateparty.org/content/view/387/37/ | the now semi famous giant?

Ben Austin

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:20:25 +1200

*is anything to go by

Keith Ng

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:39:10 +1200

But as the years have gone by, I have come to the realisation that every man I know who is around my age is totally gay for Transformers.

Well, it's tough, when there are no girl Transformers.

The boat might have sailed for this one, but it must have occurred?

InternationalObserver

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:51:03 +1200

I think you've hit upon the reason why today's womin can't clean and cook!

If only we could photoshop those inter-web videos of Paris Hilton. Maybe if today's girls saw her licking a wooden spoon after a satisfying session of home baking, instead of ...

Heck, you might even get?

Kyle Matthews

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:37:20 +1200

The boat might have sailed for this one, but it must have occurred to someone during the 80s to expand their demographic reach with a series of girl Transformers who turned into household appliances that can clean and cook.

A thousand feminists are currently burning their bras in your direction?

Ben Austin

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 11:51:42 +1200

Keith, this isn't quite what you are looking for, but a friend just posted
me a link about a new series of Transformer for Japan. Now I am not sure entirely if there are women transformers in this new group, but I do know that regardless, the transformers require the?

Helen Keivom

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:47:21 +1200

Well, it's tough, when there are no girl Transformers

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elita_One|Elita One is the female Autobot commander on Cybertron trying to liberate the planet from the corrupt grip of the Decepticon guardian of Cybertron, Shockwave. Advised by Alpha Trion, she led a group of female Autobot resistance fighters including Chromia, Firestar,?

andrew llewellyn

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:52:02 +1200

Heh. Thereyago, I assumed the pink one was gay.

tim kong

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:55:17 +1200

Went and saw it last night at the Embassy. $10 Tuesdays – and a sell out from what I could tell. The sounds system there is always outstanding.

Really enjoyed it – as did the wife – who's no fan of nerdy 80's pop culture. Lots of couples there, a?

BenWilson

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 13:47:41 +1200

barnaclebarnes, thx for that OS link. That's classic Wikipedia humour, and ironically, their AI seems to have picked up on it, saying the article's tone may not be up to Wikipedia's high standards (good to see they're working on AI humour too).

As for Transformers, I'm just bitter I blew?

Che Tibby

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 14:38:13 +1200

if it's any indication. i'm thinking about seeing it again.

despite the fact that it's mostly rubbish.

rubbish with giant fighting robots, and humans who don't know their bum from a hole in the ground.

question! optimus prime has a kick-arse laser sword to kill one deceptikon. then doesn't use?

Josh Addison

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 15:59:55 +1200

Screenwriter Jeremy Slater gets it exactly right, if you ask me.

Keith Ng

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 18:29:10 +1200

Keith, this isn't quite what you are looking for, but a friend just posted me a link about a new series of Transformer for Japan...

Hmmm... humanoid robot that requires the kiss of a girl to transform into a big red Dodge pickup truck. Where do you even begin to?

InternationalObserver

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 21:18:04 +1200

... Fantastic Four ... Now there's a reeeally crap flick. ...

So, not even **Jessica Alba** could save it?

Jeremy Andrew

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 09:45:53 +1200

Well, on the recommendation of the PAS hive-mind, I'm taking my sprogs to see Transformers tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they'll like it – "Transformers" was one of the oldest's first words (it took us about a month to work out what he was saying though).

Che Tibby

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:16:29 +1200

hadyn just emailed me this link.

it's to a mysterious preview that screened before some sessions of transformers, and it's causing quite a stir on the web.

i saw the preview. and kid-che says it's FREAKING AWESOME.

synopsis. bunch of people at a party. the lights go out. everyone goes up?

Zeb A

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 18:31:35 +1200

"Animae characteristically pushes certain themes and tropes to the fore ? supernatural friends, martial mysticism, prepubescent superheroes, secret weapons, what colour the heroine?s knickers are."

Alas I must point out a glaring problem with this comment, as it is infact quite untrue. Like live action movies/series, anime has a huge?

Kyle Matthews

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 11:25:48 +1200

it's to a mysterious preview that screened before some sessions of transformers, and it's causing quite a stir on the web.

It's a JJ Abrams move, of Lost fame. Stuff has it here:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4118123a1860.html

Adrian Wills

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 10:46:50 +1200

A few people have made this point here and I have to back them up just to defend this film a little...

We're talking about a movie of alien robots travelling to earth in search ofsome monumental piece of their life blood, and characters who are related because one of?

Jeremy Andrew

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:00:19 +1200

I'm with Adrian, it was a great big-screen, no-brain, shoot-'em-up, action flick. Less gung-ho saccharine patriotism than independence day, more giant robots than the island. Both the kids enjoyed it, the 5 yr old sat more-or-less still through the whole 2+ hours, which is quite an acheivement!

Jeremy Andrew

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:01:37 +1200

Plus Shia Lebouf – they were lucky to get him now while he's cheap – his price is bound to go up fast.
Oh, and Megan Fox is well named.