If you’re a fan of the classic animated “Transformers” series and ‘80s film, you probably aren’t a huge fan of the recent film series from director Michael Bay. And while that series started off as a massive hit, the fifth film, “Transformers: The Last Knight” was the lowest grossing entry to date, and signaled an end to this franchise. Then, last year, “Bumblebee” came along and re-invigorated the franchise for many classic fans (and new ones), leading to hope that those years of Michael Bay monstrosities were behind us.

Continue reading ‘Transformers’ Producer Says ‘Bumblebee’ & ‘Last Knight’ Sequels Are In Development And Will Have “A Little More Bayhem” at The Playlist.

The Razzies suck for a variety of reasons, but if they got one thing right this year, it was dishonoring “Transformers: The Last Knight” with the most nominations. The previously indefatigable franchise stumbled with last summer’s entries, where all of Michael Bay‘s razzle dazzle couldn’t convince audiences to fork over their hard earned cash.

As Screen Junkies hilariously describes it, the film is like watching two Radio Shacks doing Kama Sutra in a hurricane.

Continue reading ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ Honest Trailer: It’s Like Watching 2 Radio Shacks Doing Kama Sutra In A Hurricane at The Playlist.

Tomorrow morning, the Oscar nominations will be announced, but as is tradition, the folks at the Razzie Awards are riding the Academy’s coattails. The group has issued their nominations for the worst that 2017 had to offer, and everyone will argue about these entirely meaningless and pretty dumb awards anyway.

Certainly, you can’t debate their selections for Worst Picture: “Baywatch,” “The Emoji Movie,” “Fifty Shades Darker,” “The Mummy,” “Transformers: The Last Knight” (which earned the most nods with nine) were indeed all regrettable pictures.

Continue reading ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ Leads 2018 Razzie Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

Welcome to another edition of The Playlist Podcast, a discussion about film news and other film and television related items.

On this episode, I’m joined by Playlist Editor-in-Chief Rodrigo Perez to discuss two different news items that have connections to the larger studio discussions that we have been having on this podcast so far this year. We talked on a previous episode about Paramount needing a massive hit, and while “Transformers: The Last Knight” has amassed $268.26 million worldwide since its Wednesday launch, only $69 million of that sum is domestic.

Continue reading ‘Han Solo’ In Trouble & ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ Declines Domestically [Podcast] at The Playlist.

The rest of Hollywood steered clear of “Transformers: The Last Knight” this weekend, with no other major studio planning a big release as Paramount trotted out the latest entry in their blockbuster toy franchise, but they needn’t worried. In a summer where franchise fatigue is riding high, ‘Transformers’ suffered a considerable blow, at least domestically.

$45.3 million was more than enough for “Transformers: The Last Knight” to win the weekend, but the numbers are quite troubling. 

Continue reading ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ Disappoints At Home, But Soars Internationally [Box Office] at The Playlist.

In the past week both Mark Wahlberg and Michael Bay announced that after this weekend’s “Transformers: The Last Knight,” they were both done with the franchise. However, when it comes to the director, we’ve heard this before. After the past couple of “Transformers” movies, Bay had said he was done smashing robots together, only to come back and do it again. And if you don’t think he’ll quit the toy franchise, you’re not alone.

Continue reading Mark Wahlberg Doesn’t Think Michael Bay Is Going To Quit ‘Transformers’ at The Playlist.

At some point, you must know when to say when, realize when it’s time to finally say goodbye. Five films deep into the series, for Michael Bay, “Transformers: The Last Knight” is the bombastic filmmaker’s bon voyage to the franchise and he’s looking to go out on top, bro. However, obviously not registering restraint, Bay also fails to understand the meaning of last call. So, for his grand, overstuffed sendoff the director goes for broke and detonates the biggest fireworks spectacle of his career with characteristic excessive force.

Continue reading Michael Bayhem Reigns In ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ [Review] at The Playlist.

There are few directors who have cried wolf as frequently as Michael Bay. Following “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” the director declared he was done smashing robots together and was ready to pass the torch, only to return and make another entry in the franchise. But after “Transformers: The Last Knight” he swears he’s done.

Continue reading Michael Bay & Mark Wahlberg Say They’re Both Done With ‘Transformers’ at The Playlist.

We’ve now reached the point in the “Transformers” franchise where Anthony Hopkins is dropping by to give the expository dialogue and Josh Duhamel has returned to the series. But if one thing remains the same, it’s Michael Bay’s non-stop assault of CGI.

The new movie plays like one of those History Channel shows where megadorks pontificate about aliens building the Pyramids and revolves around the secret history of Transformers on Earth.

Continue reading ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ Delivers A Big Battle In New Trailer at The Playlist.

If there has been one constant in the “Transformers” franchise, beyond Michael Bay‘s blitzkrieg action, it has been bloated running times. “Transformers: Rise Of The Fallen” clocked in at 2 hours and 24 minutes, “Transformers: Dark Of The Moon” tallied up 2 hours and 34 minutes, while “Transformers: Age Of Extinction” kept viewers in their seats for a ridiculous 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Continue reading Michael Bay Squashes Rumors That ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ Is 3 Hours Long at The Playlist.

Just yesterday, our team at the recently concluded Cannes Film Festival put the finishing touches on their coverage. As per usual, it looked like an amazing time to be at the world’s biggest annual celebration of cinema as an art form. (Of course, don’t forget, the business is always lurking nearby.) We eagerly await those titles to make their way to cinemas so the rest of us boring old regular moviegoers can get in on the fun.

Continue reading 11 Movies To See In June at The Playlist.

I’ve barely been paying any attention to what the heck is going on with “Transformers: The Last Knight,” which will apparently reveal the “secret history” of the robots and involve Nazis or something. All I know is that anytime some marketing for this movie starts to play, my brain starts to tune out.

Mark Wahlberg cashes another paycheck to alternately look astonished and jump into action for Michael Bay‘s fifth turn at the wheel of this blockbuster franchise that everyone complains about, yet continues to make massive piles of money.

Continue reading Mark Wahlberg Discovers The Truth In New Trailer For ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ at The Playlist.

Blockbuster helmer Michael Bay once said he was giving up on the “Transformers” series. Five films later and well, Bay is still directing “Transformers” films. Titled “Transformers: The Last Knight,” the newest is apparently trying to set up some secret legend that reveals the transformers have been around for decades on Earth… or something.

But Bay swears up and down ‘The Last Knight’ is his last film in the franchise.

Continue reading ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’: Anthony Hopkins Introduces Robot Dementia & Hot Rod at The Playlist.

For most people, “Transformers” is just a big, dumb, and often unpleasant franchise that serves as little more than a super expensive toy commercial for Hasbro. But for those invested in the saga of the Autobots and Decepticons, there’s apparently some substance to the proceedings, at least enough to impress the hell out of Anthony Hopkins.

The actor recently caught up with Yahoo, and he couldn’t help but gush about working with Michael Bay. 

Continue reading ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ Unfolds More Mythology In New Trailer at The Playlist.

“A thousand years we’ve kept it hidden,” Sir Anthony Hopkins delivers over Michael Bay’s signature explosive visuals and finishing with a spectacular hero shot of the veteran actor who serves up a boiling hot “secret history of Transformers.” Paramount and Michael Bay dropped a new teaser for the fifth installment of the ‘Transformers’ franchise ahead of the trailer coming next Wednesday, and it’s certainly brimming with Bay: a bloody medieval cross, flaming arrows, a nubile teen complete with perfectly bronzed skin and accompanying dirt, fireballs and warring knights, Mark Wahlberg dodging a maelstrom of debris, hellfire and carnage, and, of course, giant incendiary robots.

Continue reading ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ Teaser Promises An Untold “Secret History” Of The Franchise at The Playlist.

We’re less than a month away from the summer movie season, although you would likely think otherwise if you’ve been to a theater near you lately. With hot titles like “Logan,” “Ghost In The Shell,” “Beauty And The Beast,” “Power Rangers,” “Life,” “Kong: Skull Island,” “The Lego Batman Movie” and, err, “CHIPS” all playing in cinemas near you, it can be hard to differentiate between the sizzling summer selections and the ones that now play at seemingly any point in time of the year, no matter the season.

Continue reading 2017 Summer Movie Preview: Blockbusters And Beyond at The Playlist.

The 2017 CinemaCon extravaganza was once again a whirlwind. But, isn’t it always?

Theater owners grumbled about potential new high priced VOD windows and only one studio (Warner Bros.) even broached the subject during their presentation. There were big stars. There were unrecognizable “stars.” There was a former Vice President and Nobel Prize winner (Al Gore). And there were incredibly annoying entertainment news personalities who were used as hosts for some of the presentations (we’re looking at you Universal and Focus Features).

Continue reading Hollywood Still Has A Huge Diversity Problem And 8 Other CinemaCon Thoughts at The Playlist.

Director Michael Bay said he wouldn’t be back, but here we are, “Transformers: The Last Knight” is in the can and hits theaters this summer. But by all accounts, this REALLY is Bay’s final movie as it appears that Paramount is looking to go all Marvel Cinematic Universe with the franchise and essentially set up a TCU with a Bumblebee spin-off and more. Will it work? Surely the groundwork is laid for it in what is the fifth “Transformers” film.

Continue reading New ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ Trailer Wants You To Fight Like A Girl at The Playlist.

There are few directors whose brand of big and empty mayhem are a perfect match for the Super Bowl, but Michael Bay is one of them. So, naturally, there’s a game day spot for “Transformers: The Last Knight” (lol, that title is still hilarious to me).

This is no longer your kid’s franchise, as things are moodier and grittier than ever as the Autobots and Decepticons once again fight for some reason (sorry, I checked out on the mythology of this series ages ago).

Continue reading Robots Go Boom In Super Bowl Spot For ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ at The Playlist.

It might seem, from a glance, that our 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2017 covers, well, every film coming out in 2017. But that’s far from the truth. We try to keep our annual preview to the films that we’re truly excited about, which means that there’s a lot left on the table. And often, it means that we don’t include some of the films destined to be among the biggest grossers.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2017

We love a great blockbuster, but a tentpole needs to look genuinely promising to make the cut for us, and explosion and CGI fatigue means that plenty of others don’t get there.

Continue reading What Will Be The Biggest Box Office Blockbuster Of 2017? at The Playlist.

It’s that time of year as the most anticipated pieces are still trickling in and all media outlets are looking forward to what comes next in 2017. So, that means newspapers like USA Today are revealing new photos from many upcoming films. Most important to us is a new look at Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” and its young, basically-unknown star Fionn Whitehead — the role of a lifetime for a kid plucked out of obscurity.

Continue reading New 2017 Movie Preview Photos Unveiled For ‘Alien: Covenant,’ ‘Logan,’ ‘Dunkirk’ & More at The Playlist.

It all seemed so quaint back in 2007 when the first “Transformers,” a semi-passable, merchandise-driven blockbuster directed with explosive enthusiasm by Michael Bay, was released. Ten years later, who would’ve thought that not only would this become a massive franchise, but now a goddamn movie universe, with Bay —despite one detour to make “Pain & Gain“— emerging as the shepherd of all things Autobots and Decepticons.

Continue reading Bayhem Is Unleashed In First Trailer For ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ at The Playlist.

I have to be honest, I’ve hardly been keeping up with news about “Transformers: The Last Knight,” mostly because I don’t care. But what I do know is that the next entry in the franchise will be employing some kind of time travel stuff into the narrative, with the medieval era revealed as one of the periods Mark Wahlberg and co. will visit (as clearly indicated by the title).

Continue reading Michael Bay Says Winston Churchill Would “Be Smiling Right Now” About ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ at The Playlist.

There are have been four increasingly unwatchable “Transformers” movies to date, and I can’t for the life of me remember what the plot of any of them are, except that robots show up, a lot of destruction ensues, humans run in all directions, and Michael Bay buys another yacht. All this to say, if there’s an overarching narrative we’re supposed to be keeping track of, I’m lost, and it also doesn’t really matter.

Continue reading Josh Duhamel Returns For ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ at The Playlist.