'Transformers': Can Series Go On Without LaBeouf And Bay?

'If they're going to do it again, they have to attempt it with somebody else,' LaBeouf told MTV News
By Josh Wigler


Optimus Prime in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
Photo: Paramount

Ask the stars, ask the critics, ask your friends: It looks like the universal consensus is that "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is the very best of the bunch. But it also might be the very last of the bunch, at least for director Michael Bay and leading man Shia LaBeouf, who have both announced their intentions to depart the series following this latest battle between the Autobots and Decepticons.

"If they're going to do it again, they have to attempt it with somebody else," LaBeouf told MTV News at the New York City premiere of "Dark of the Moon" on Tuesday night, reaffirming his plans to leave Sam Witwicky right where he is. "We took it to the limit. We tried as hard as we could. I don't think we can turn in a movie that's better than this, really."

The question has been raised before: Can "Transformers" continue without Bay and Shia? From producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura's perspective, it would certainly be tricky. "You can't replace them. You'd have to go about doing it another way, that's what you'd do," he said.

"Another way" is exactly the idea Shia had in mind for how to continue moving the multimedia franchise forward without him and Bay at the helm. "If you want to keep making more 'Transformers' movies, you need another anchor," he explained. "It's different than, like, 'Indiana Jones.' Harrison Ford has an age. He's human. Optimus Prime is going to be Optimus Prime forever. He's never going to grow older. So you just need another human anchor. I think you just need to find it. There's tons of great actors."

But Shia says he won't be that anchor anymore.

"I think I've taken Sam as far as I can, creatively," he said. "We set out to make a certain thing. We wanted to make the best movie we could, and we had three shots at it. On the third one, we did it. I don't think that either one of us wants to return to it and attempt it when it was this good."

That's LaBeouf's perspective, at least, but what does Bay think? When we caught up with him on the red carpet, the Master of Bayhem reflected on not just what the series has meant to him, but what it's meant for fans across the globe.

"I gotta tell ya. It's been a touching moment for me. It's bittersweet for me, having done this franchise for six years," said Bay. "Today we got an urgent call from Make-a-Wish. They said, 'There's a little boy in Texas. He's got two days. He wants to see 'Transformers 3.' So we made a special print. We're flying [the copy] to his hospital room right now in Texas so he can see it. That's the power of these movies. That touches your core, you know?"

Still, for the moment, Bay is busy enough "birthing this one now. The movie's coming out tonight. Let's just enjoy this one!"

It certainly seems as though the fans are following those orders, as are the film's castmembers. In fact, it's one actor in particular who feels the most confident that Bay and LaBeouf aren't done with "Transformers."

"Let me tell you, I'm going to see what I can do. Leave it with me," grinned Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. "The boys listen to me. I've got it under control, people — don't worry. Who knows [if there'll be a fourth film], but you can never say never."

Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666663/transformers-dark-moon-sequel.jhtml

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Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones Unveil Supergroup

Them Crooked Vultures make their debut with a post-Lollapalooza set.
By James Montgomery


Dave Grohl (file)
Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Officially, Lollapalooza ended Sunday night in Chicago's Grant Park, with dueling sets from the Killers and Jane's Addiction. Unofficially, it ended very early Monday morning, across town at venerable rock club the Metro, with a surprise show by Them Crooked Vultures.

To the unfamiliar, the Vultures might seem like an odd choice to close out Lolla weekend ... until you realize that they're made up of Foo Fighters frontman/ former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age mastermind Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin legend John Paul Jones. And their gig at the Metro was their world premiere.

According to some reports, the Vultures actually turned down Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell's request to replace the Beastie Boys as headliners at the festival, opting to debut in front of some 1,100 super-psyched fans at the Metro, rather than 75,000 in Grant Park (tickets for the gig were announced via Foo Fighter/ QOTSA fan clubs). Meaning that, in a lot of ways, this was the most sought-after ticket in town.

Taking the stage just after midnight, the Vultures — Grohl on drums (of course), Homme on guitar and vocals, Jones on bass and keys and frequent QOTSA contributor Alain Johannes on guitar — ripped through 12 songs in 80 minutes, all taken from their upcoming debut, which may or may not be called Never Deserved the Future, and may or may not be hitting stores on October 23 (early "promo" videos touting both those facts were revealed over the weekend to be hoaxes perpetrated by QOTSA fans).

The songs, with appropriately Homme-ian titles like "Scumbag Blues," "Mind Eraser (No Chaser)," "Caligulove" and "Interlude w/Ludes," sounded pretty much how you'd expect, given the band's pedigree. They rocked, hard — Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot described them as "fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty" — delving off into psychedelic, reverb-filled excursions and exploring proggy territory, "both of the old-school Yes variety, and the more modern Tool flavor," according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Jim DeRogatis.

It's not known if Monday's Metro performance was a one-off event for the Vultures — there have been whispers of a full-blown tour, but a spokesperson for Homme had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time. Nor was it clear whether or not they'll have an album out in October.

Early Monday, a Crooked Vultures Twitter account, which had previously posted links to the band's official-looking Web site and the Metro's online ticketing site — posted a link to what appears to be the group's first bit of official merchandise: a Deserve the Future T-shirt. Cost: $30.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1617950/dave-grohl-josh-homme-john-paul-jones-unveil-supergroup.jhtml

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Tom Hanks' 'Larry Crowne': The Reviews Are In

Critics have mixed feelings about Hanks' first directing effort in 15 years.
By Eric Ditzian


Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks in 'Larry Crowne'
Photo: Universal Pictures

Perhaps only the boom-boom-pow theatrics of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," which will be making most of the noise (and the box-office bucks) at the multiplex this weekend, could overshadow a new offering from Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

Or possibly the mixed reviews for their comedy, "Larry Crowne," are helping create a lower profile for the heavily marketed film. Hanks has taken on directing duties for only the second time in his career (his debut was the 1996 nostalgia trip "That Thing You Do!") and recruited Roberts to join in the action. But the results have been met with outright disdain in some corners, with critics scoffing at a lack of laughs and a bland story line. Yet where others see a milquetoast comedy, many reviewers see a skilled director delivering a warm-hearted summer diversion. Read on for those "Larry Crowne" critiques and more.

The Story
"In 'Larry Crowne,' Hanks plays a nice guy who gets fired from his retail job because he lacks the education to qualify him for a management position. This happens despite his countless awards for Employee of the Month. Larry cashes in his possessions, trades his car for a scooter and decides to enroll in a local community college. As his economics teacher, he draws Dr. Matsutani (George Takei), the only character in the film interesting enough to have a movie made about him. As his public speaking teacher, he gets Mercedes Tainot (Julia Roberts), a character who seems to have drifted over from the auditions for 'Bad Teacher.' ... I watched the movie with all the pleasure I bring to watching bread rise. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy watching bread rise, but it lacks a certain degree of interest. You look forward to it being finished." — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The Performances
"The real reason to watch this modestly charming, featherweight bauble is the chemistry between Hanks and Roberts, beloved superstars who make a beautiful pair. 'Larry Crowne' is only their second movie together (after 'Charlie Wilson's War'), but Hanks' noble everyman is an inspired match for Roberts, who plays her character's bitter disappointment with a believable acidity." — Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

The Direction
" 'Larry Crowne' marks Tom Hanks' first work as a director since his delightful 'That Thing You Do!' 15 years ago. And now, as then, the star demonstrates a generous instinct for calm, steady pacing and cleanly framed scenes that acknowledge every character's place in the whole, whether in the classroom, on the streets, or in the working world: When, for example, Larry draws on his Navy skills to take a job as a short-order cook, Hanks the director observes the work of every diner employee with genuine interest. ... It's easy enough to accept the romantic-comedy luck of the two finding each another. It's much tougher, and ultimately useless, to buy everything else about this fairy tale of self-reinvention in a stalled economy." — Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

The Laughs
"The script by Mr. Hanks and Nia Vardalos ('My Big Fat Greek Wedding') is one of those wonders of the cinema: You wonder who thought any of this was funny. The fractious scenes between Mercedes and her stay-at-home husband (Bryan Cranston) are painful, although they do give Larry the opportunity to provide a romantic palliative. Larry's adoption by a group of younger students — all of whom ride eco-friendly motor scooters — is cloyingly, comically clueless." — John Anderson, The Wall Street Journal

The Final Word
"I don't know how 'Larry Crowne' is going to do this summer, but I am surprised at the venom some people seem to have mustered towards it. I found it engaging, constantly warm and funny, and very direct in its ambitions. If you want a break from the barrage of spectacle that crams out theater screens every year at this time, 'Larry Crowne" represents a lovely alternative, and I hope people give it a chance. I'd hate to see Hanks wait another fifteen years to direct again." — Drew McWeeny, HitFix

Check out everything we've got on "Larry Crowne."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666755/larry-crowne-reviews.jhtml

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