Fireside Chats: Cinemablend’s Eric Eisenberg

I am joined today by a degenerate Mets’ fan, my former co-writer at Geek on Film, and lover of all things film, Cinemablend‘s Eric Eisenberg to discuss everything from the Summer movie schedule to Ghostbusters 3, and argue over Inglorious Basterds‘ Oscar snub.

Amani (Truth From The Basement): We might as well start with the news story of the day; Megan Fox being dropped from Transformers 3. Should we have any hope that this means the sequel will try to redeem itself?

Eric Eisenberg (Cinemablend): Considering Michael Bay’s notorious ego, I’m still not 100% certain he sees anything wrong with Transformers 2 in the first place. Add that to the fact that news is now coming out that Fox left on her own accord, and it kind of looks like they really couldn’t care less about the quality of the movie.

TFTB: I’m sure he’s using the Brett Ratner logic; it made more money than the first so it’s a huge cinematic achievement.

Eric: Transformers 3 will make money, and a lot of it. People didn’t seem to care that the second one was cinematic garbage and it probably won’t stop them from revisiting it. And it’s not as though Megan Fox’s presence was what was driving up the box office. If there is a loser in this whole deal, it’s Fox, which makes her decision to leave all the more questionable.

TFTB: Well I don’t know about that, I know quite a few people that ONLY saw it for Megan Fox’s presence. Not her acting ability to be sure, but we’ll say screen presence. And I definitely don’t believe the spin that she chose to left.

Eric: But what about Jennifer’s Body? That film was sold exclusively by Megan Fox’s chest and it was a bomb. She should be praying that Jonah Hex takes off. Girls that look like her are arriving in Hollywood everyday, hence why it took a grand total of 20 minutes for Gemma Arterton’s name to be thrown in to the mix.

TFTB: Well Jennifer’s Body proved there are limits people aren’t willing to cross even to see Megan Fox, and a Diablo Cody script is one of them. It looks like machine gun horses may be another. As for Arterton, I thought it was just because she’s contractually obligated to be in every terrible summer action movie.

Eric: On that note, I wouldn’t hold out much hope for Prince of Persia.

TFTB: I have a feeling we’ll get to a summer movie review in a little, but since we’re on the topic of horrible movies; which are you more excited for the Magic 8-ball movie or Rubber?

Eric: How can you go wrong with a killer tire? It’s too easy to make a generic movie about a magic 8-ball, a killer tire actually requires some creativity.

TFTB: Especially one named Robert. I’ve been saying for years the Michelin man would be the doom of us all. He’s far too close to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and we all know what happened to him.

Eric: Frankly, I don’t understand why we’ve never seen a copyright lawsuit between them, or at least a Ghostbusters parody commercial from Michelin.

TFTB: It’s coming, what do you think the plot of Ghostbusters 3 is going to be about?

Eric: I don’t believe in Ghostbusters 3. Much in the same way I don’t believe in ghosts.

TFTB: Speaking of Ghostbusters, you interviewed Bill Murray at the Tribeca Film Festival for Cinemablend; your thoughts on how close -if at all- that project is to reality?

Eric: There is no movie. Well, I should actually rephrase that