Please Stop

Just watched Transformers: Age of Extinction a couple of weeks ago. It was just released on early August in Japan. My expectations were very low. I didn't expect anything. The trailers look okay, but I wasn't expecting much. This is going to be real short.

The story takes place after the events from Transformers: DOTM. Transformers is now branded alien and dangerous no matter whether it is an Autobot or a Decepticon. Now the humans are played by Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor--which is less appealing than Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. Transfomers are now hunted but at the same time a company is making a Transformers army with less cool impact. There's also a bounty hunter who wanted Optimus Prime. I don't know, too many stuff going on.

I'll start with the good ones: Optimus Prime and Bumblebee's new design is cool. Okay that's it. The fact that Age of Extinction spent its first 45 minutes for human exposition story is kinda wtf and infinitely boring. It's cute that they think they have a legit human story to tell. We don't need Mark Wahlberg talking to Nicola Peltz for 45 minutes. The story is all over the place. The characters are bad. They actually lost me when Ratchet was brutally murdered and another part of the interest was lost when TJ Miller was Sodom and Gomorrah-ed. Apart from Prime and Bee, the other Autobots are crap. There's this racist Japanese robot whose design is like a samurai with full battle costume and he speaks like a Japanese person even though he transformed into a Bugatti Veyron. The John Goodman-voiced Autobot is basically John Goodman. The bounty hunter named Lockdown is one of the highlights. It's good and scary with some cool weapons. But the KSI Transformers (the manmade ones) are sleek but the way they transform is shit. The much hyped Dinobots is another bad thing, it made the movie weird--like really weird. I'd rather have Optimus narrate the phone book as the introduction than seeing dinosaurs in the first minutes of a Transformers film. And those obvious product placement Chinese drinks. And the racist thing that every Chinese knows kung-fu/martial arts. God. I really wanted to leave this film at some points--plural--of the film. The Bayhem seemed muted by the fact the story is really bad. Please stop making more of this atrocity. Transformers: Age of Extinction: rated 1/4

PS
This will be my last Japan-based post for 2014. Next post will be Italy-based!

In another note, my now 8-year old tradition continues with my second viewing of Godzilla, which with 2nd viewing doesn't get better. I'd give it a solid 3/4 now.

Tommy C in Japan Y'all

So one of my favorite actors, Tom Cruise (I don't need to mention his films right?), came to Japan about one month ago. As a part of his promotion stunt to visit three cities in one day just like he did in the world premiere (NY, Paris, Rome--if I'm not mistaken), he repeated the same thing in Japan by visiting--in chronological order, Osaka--Fukuoka--and finally Tokyo. I was quite blessed to have the opportunity to go to Fukuoka to see him!

It's a crazy day, and the fan meeting event was held in one of the busiest spots in Fukuoka: Hakata Station, one of the central stations in that city. People were already waiting since 9.00 am in the morning for the event on 13.30. I myself arrived at around 11, when people were already lining up like it was a Disneyland ride. It was the most unstrategic place to hold a fan meeting of any scale, let alone Tom Cruise's fan meeting. Take a look at this crazy pic from above.

By 13.30, people were commuting around like crazy as they are trying to join the crowd although they didn't line up since 9 am. Tom Cruise showed up with director Doug Liman and one of the producer whose name I can't recall. Tom Cruise greeted the people above he also looked unsatisfied with the venue. Even though he's on a stage, most people couldn't see him. Then he climbed onto a railing and stood up there and waved to people. The crowd went nuts. Then he gave a short speech about he love coming to Japan and how the Japanese original inspired the Hollywood adaptation. I loved how he's so humble and kind to the fans--or as the Japanese call it 'meccha ii fan sabisu'. One sentence moved me a lot when he said, "it is my honor to entertain you"

not from my iPhone-duh

He was up there for around 20 minutes in total. Doug Liman was asked questions and the producer too. Then the three of them were given a traditional Fukuoka yukata. And that was it. I think there was a special screening of a bit of the film, I have no idea whether Tom Cruise was there or not. I hope not, because if he did, I'd be so pissed that I didn't 'hunt' him.

Here's to more movie premieres in the future.