The MovieByte Podcast #94: He’s Really Slimy

This week, TJ and Chad travel back in time to 2005 to review what TJ considers to be Michael Bay’s only really good film: ‘The Island’. It seems appropriate since Bay’s latest film ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ will be hitting theaters this weekend. You also won’t want to miss Chad’s thoughts on ‘How To Train Your Dragon 2’, some analysis of Young Adult Material and some geeking out about the upcoming ‘Hunger Games: Mockingjay’, Harrison Ford’s injury on the set of ‘Star Wars’, TNG Season 6 Blu-ray, Rian Johnson as director for ‘Star Wars VIII’, ‘The Judge’ trailer staring Robert Downy Jr. and Robert Duvall, and Joe Darnell’s op-ed on marketing films.

• President Snow’s Panem Address — "Together as One"CITIZENS: The Capitol requires your viewing of President Snow’s official Panem Address, "Together As One," brought to you by Capitol TV in stunning 4K.
• Harrison Ford’s Injury May Have Screwed Up Episode VIIUh-oh. Please take out your official Star Wars: Episode VII Salt Lick, but now that it’s been officially revealed that Harrison Ford’s leg is broken, the rumor is he’ll be sidelined for six full months
• Adam Chitwood - TwitterBreaking: What the Harrison Ford Injury Tells Us About the Plot of STAR WARS: EPISODE VII; Han Solo May Use His Ankles in a Scene
• ‘TNG Season 6’ Blu-raySeason 6 is arguably the best season of TNG. The writers that we associate with TNG’s better episodes were all present, the production staff had TNG down cold, the visual effects were at their peak technologically, and the episodes covered a diverse group of subjects and genres.
• Early Buzz for ‘Transformers 4’ Brings More of the SameBut for everything that’s changed about the series, more things have stayed the same — at least if the first reviews are to be believed. Hit the jump to read the early buzz onTransformers: Age of Extinction.
• Rian Johnson Just Announced as the Next Star Wars DirectorRian is best known for Looper, the trippy 2012 time traveler sci-fi action/drama starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis. Rian wrote and directed Looper.
• ‘The Judge’ Trailer has Robert Downey Jr. Fight the Law to Save Robert DuvallEveryone wants to see Iron Man (a.k.a. Robert Downey Jr.) suit up for another Marvel film. Personally, I would enjoy more super hero stuff with Downey, but I’m more interested in the rest of his career.
• Good Films Get Marketing Late In ProductionTransformers 5, along with G.I. Joe 3, Paranormal Activity 5, Hansel and Gretal 2, and Beverly Hills Cop 4 are slated for release in 2016. Color me skeptical about all of the above, since the films in these franchises leave much to be desired. If you’re into these films, you and I would have some serious disagreements.
• The Island — IMDbA man goes on the run after he discovers that he is actually a "harvestable being", and is being kept as a source of replacement parts, along with others, in a Utopian facility.
• The Island — Rotten TomatoesA clone of THX 1183, Coma, and Logan’s Run, The Island is another loud and bombastic Michael Bay movie where explosions and chases matter more than characters, dialogue, or plot.
• The Island — Box Office MojoDomestic Total Gross: $35,818,913 Distributor: DreamWorksRelease Date: July 22, 2005 Genre: Sci-Fi ActionRuntime: 2 hrs. 7 min. MPAA Rating: PG-13Production Budget: $126 million