Michael Bay

Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director. His films are known for their fast paced action sequences and ultra-kinetic cinematography.

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February 17 - 1965 - American - Film director - Film - Cinematography

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His most recent film, The Island, was released in 2005. It was the most high concept Michael Bay movie to date (a sci-fi thriller about cloning) and the first of his movies to , an unusual fate for a director whose first three films collectively grossed over $1,000,000,000.

Related Topics:
The Island - Released in 2005 - High concept

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Two of his films, Pearl Harbor and Armageddon, were nominated for Golden Raspberry Awards.

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Pearl Harbor - Armageddon - Golden Raspberry Award

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Prior to his film career, he directed music videos for artists including Aerosmith, Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, and the Divinyls.

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Music video - Aerosmith - Tina Turner - Meat Loaf - Divinyls

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Bay is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Art Center College of Design. A Film Studies professor of Wesleyan, who met Bay when he was eighteen, wrote an essay about Bay and Armageddon for The Criterion Collection DVD release of that film:

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Wesleyan University - Art Center College of Design - The Criterion Collection

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:It is true that Armageddon, a perfect example of Bay's work, illustrates his "take-no-prisoners" form of storytelling, in which he trusts an audience to figure things out. (One of its strengths is its minimum of dreadful exposition that over-explains the inevitable pseudoscience.) Yes, it gives audiences a lot to absorb. Yes, it cuts quickly from place to place, person to person, event to event. But it is never confusing, never boring, and never less than a brilliant mixture of what movies are supposed to do: tell a good story, depict characters through active events, invoke an emotional response, and entertain simply and directly, without pretense.

Related Topics:
Exposition - Pseudoscience

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