TRANSFORMERS

Continuing the Sneaky Cheetah's seemingly hopeless quest to see every Oscar nominated film before showtime!

Nominated for Best Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, and Visual Effects

Arguably the summer blockbuster of the year, Transformers roared it's way to the trifecta of Oscar noms that action flicks can aspire to (VizFx, Sound, Sound Editing). Director Michael Bay has perfected the popcorn flick formula, but almost to the point that he's copying himself. Watch the Rock, Armegeddon, Pearl Harbor and this film and you'll notice a pattern of now cliche shots and sequences that are repeated from film to film. Another thing about all these films is that they're FUN! Damn Fun (even Pearl Harbor which really shouldn't be fun.). I saw this in a crowded theater full of Transformer geeks that actually applauded when Optimus Prime first speaks (a reaction that was much cooler when Yoda pulled out a lightsaber in Attack of the Clones.). I really liked this film then. I thought it didn't sacrifice story for action (as ridiculous as the story was), had some actual character developement, even some humor. I saw it again on a tiny screen on a plane, and my reaction was different. More like indifferent. I've decided I'm not a fan of the Transformers new look (why so bug-like?), and the action scenes are sometimes such an indecipherable jumble of Transformer and close ups, it actually hurt my brain. That being said, the CGI mix between real and computer is top notch. Transformers should take Visual Effects, but not sound or sound editing. They were always cooler toys then cartoons anyway, and that at least hasn't changed.

The Sneaky Cheetah's Grade: B


Sound Mixing: The resume for these guys are redonkulous. It's an honor just to be nominated right? Not to Kevin O'Connell. This is his 20th nomination without ever taking home that little naked statue. His past nominations were for Terms of Endearment (1983), Dune (1984), Silverado (1985), Top Gun (1986), Black Rain (1989), Days of Thunder (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), Crimson Tide (1995), Twister (1996), The Rock (1996), Con Air (1997), The Mask of Zorro (1998), Armegeddon (1998), The Patriot (2000), Pearl Harbor (2001), Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Memoirs of a Geisha (2006), and Apocalypto (2007). Greg P. Russell has 12 noms for Black Rain, The Rock, Con Air, The Mask of Zorro, Armegeddon, The Patriot, Pearl Harbor, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Apocalypto, also no wins. Peter J. Devlin has only one other nomination, for Pearl Harbor with his buddies Kevin and Greg.

Sound Editing: The team of Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins has been nominated twice in the past and won both times, for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and King Kong (2005).

There are four guys on this film up for the Visual Effects Oscar. Scott Farrar won in 1986 for Cocoon and was nominated for Backdraft (1991), Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001) and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005). John Frazier won in 2004 for Spider-Man 2 and was nominated for Twister (1996), Armageddon (1998), The Perfect Storm (2000), Pearl Harbor (2001), Spider-Man (2002) and Poseidon in (2006). This is the first nomination for Scott Benza and Russell Earl.

By the way, the best picture from this film has no Transformers in it at all, just the aptly named Megen Fox.