The Art of Cinematography: Megan Fox in Transformers

Long before she began looking like a porn star, before she underwent what many believe to be (regrettable) cosmetic surgery, before giving birth to three kids, before she began a nonsensicle relationship with MGK, before all the box office flops (Jonah Hex, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, Midnight in the Switchgrass) and head-scratching side projects (Legends of the Lost), Megan Fox was every high school boy's fantasy come to life -- half girl next door, half sexy head cheerleader and hottest chick in class.

Fox made the Pop Culture Fiend's Ground Floor List way back in 2004 when she was a regular on ABC's Hope & Faith. Prior to Transformers her most high-profile film role was in the Lindsay Lohan vehicle Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, in which she was memorable as the bitchy, vengeful Carla. 

But with 2007's Transformers, the 20 year old Fox had her breakout role and positively scorched the screen as Mikaela, the ridiculously gorgeous high schooler from the wrong side of the tracks and the object of Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf's) adoration. Mikaela is beautiful but not conceited, and Fox, who at first seems far too sexy to play a high school girl, pulls off a portrayal where Mikaela becomes more down to earth and approachable the more Sam interacts with her. 

In Transformers, Fox's inherent beauty is enhanced and accentuated by the film's director Michael Bay and cinematographer Mitchell Amundsen. Bay's resume' includes Bad Boys, Armageddon and The Rock -- the latter being one the greatest action movies of all time. So whatever you want to say about Bay, the man knows how to shoot churning, frenetic, action. But he also knows how to capture the still beauty of his film's quiet moments. Take a look at this scene from 2001's Pearl Harbor:

It's clear that Bay's cinematographic mastery is not limited to car chases, explosions and CGI'd robots; he is expert at making real people look good -- beautiful in fact. The actors in the scenes above (Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale and Ben Affleck) are all flawless.

And you can say the same about Megan Fox in Transformers. Below are just of the few of the shots that lead one to ask the question titling this blog post.

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Came across an interesting article written by Scott Mendelson over at the Huffington Post asking the question, "Is Megan Fox the Main Draw for Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen? Mendelson correctly points out that as far as the advanced hype for the film goes, "pretty much everything is Megan Fox-related." 

I couldn't agree more. Each day, there seems to be new Megan Fox news, whether it's an interview in Entertainment Weekly, her comments on her relationship with Brian Austin Green, comparisons to Angelina Jolie, or photos of her at Transformers' UK, German, and LA premieres.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. When it comes to Megan Fox, I was in on the ground floor (all the way back to her days on Hope & Faith.) And for the record, I agree with the rest of the universe that she's pretty much the hottest thing walking.

But back to Mendelson's article. He makes an interesting point when he suggests that Fox may prove an exception to the rule that, "women will see a film just because a guy in it is cute, but men rarely do the same for actresses." I pondered this for quite a while and decided Mendelson's premise was true. Through the history of American cinema, whether it was Rudolph Valentino, Troy Donahue, Elvis Presley, or Zac Effron, women have a history of shelling out to see their heartthrobs on the big screen. 

Guys are different. I tried to think of the last time I ponied up for a movie ticket solely based on an actress I had a thing for, and well... I couldn't think of any such occasions. I thought harder and considered the objects of two of my biggest celebrity crushes, Cameron Diaz and Halle Berry, and whether or not I ever saw any of their films strictly based on the fact that they were in it... I hadn't...

Over the years, I passed on many of Berry's films, including Gothika, and even Catwoman, in which she's featured in tight spandex for much of the film. As for Diaz, I did pay to see the chick flicks The Sweetest Thing and The Holiday (but I actually really liked both of those, so I get a pass.) I'm also proud to say I stood my ground and drew the line on seeing In Her Shoes and also plan on missing My Sister's Keeper, opening this Friday. In fact, I'm much more likely to see a movie starring an older or less attractive actress I think is talented and/or has a track record of being in good movies -- actresses like Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Jodie Foster, Joan Allen, and Diane Keaton.

So what do you know?... I'm not shallow after all.

Feeling good about myself, I decided to dive deeper and think back to when I was younger. Turns out,  I actually HAVE gone to see movies purely to check out a hot actress but with one small proviso... nudity.

As a pubescent teenager, horny college student, unemployed post grad with too much free time, and even subsequent to all of that, I paid to see certain actresses bare some skin. I then came up with a collective list of specific examples that included among others:

Demi Moore in Striptease...

Saved By the Bell's Elizabeth Berkley in Showgirls...

 and Elle MacPherson in Sirens...

I embarrassedly admit that like so many other males of my species I stood on line and paid hard earned cash to see all of these, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have if it weren't for the nudity. And yes, I've even made a mental note to check out two upcoming releases -- Fox plays a possessed cheerleader in Jennifer's Body and Jessica Biel is a stripper in Powder Blue...

Guess you can forget what I said about not being shallow...

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