MTV Movies Blog › Behind The Scenes

By Matt Adler

Since their debut in 1984, the Transformers have seen many incarnations throughout the full range of media, from comics to cartoons, to toys and, of course, live-action film.

With the latest installment of their big-screen franchise, "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon," rolling out into theaters today (June 29), we’re taking a look at the key characters in this summer blockbuster, and seeing how they developed from their classic forms in the original animated series and the comics into the big-screen blockbuster stars they are today.

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MTV Movies Managing Editor Josh Horowitz is currently traveling in Moscow, but this isn't any ordinary excursion—it's more than meets the eye, as he braves cultural confusion and borscht by the bowlful in an effort to cover the world premiere of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" in Russia. These are his stories.

Much like the film I’m here to cover, yesterday was awash in loud colorful sensory concussions. But it didn’t start that way. It started with me wide awake at 3 in the morning watching Piers Morgan on one of the few English language stations in my hotel room. However once the afternoon came around events more than made up for the mundane beginnings.

Last night was a double header of promotional ambition. Paramount certainly pulled out all the stops for their summer juggernaut, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” It kicked off with an opening night red carpet at the Moscow Film Festival. Moscow has a film festival? Sure, why not. And so the dozens of journalists Paramount assembled from around the globe boarded glorified school buses from our posh hotel to head to the green carpet for the big gala.

I assumed my plum window seat literally rubbing legs up to Entertainment Tonight’s Mark Steines. I know… what do you say to that? There’s something endlessly fascinating to me about grown men and women assembling on a bus in a foreign land, not really knowing where we’re going or what the hell we’re doing. We all reverted back to our nine year old selves until the bus driver told us to scram or whatever the Russian equivalent of that might be.

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Tags transformers dark of the moon

MTV Movies Managing Editor Josh Horowitz is currently traveling in Moscow, but this isn't any ordinary excursion—it's more than meets the eye, as he braves cultural confusion and borscht by the bowlful in an effort to cover the world premiere of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" in Russia. These are his stories.

Being in Moscow for a press junket like this should be all gravy, right? What an insane opportunity! Who even goes to Moscow? I don't know anyone!

And yet I've been filled with anxiety since I got here, not over work (well a little bit), not for my safety (though I have heard talk of "rape tunnels"), but more for all I'm missing. I mean, let's be real. I'm probably never coming back here, right? So I should be getting my (er, the studio's) money's worth. Unfortunately between my perpetual sleep fog (aka jet lag) and the work that's kept me sitting in a hotel hallway, I haven't really taken in the sights a ton.

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Tags transformers dark of the moon

MTV Movies Managing Editor Josh Horowitz is currently traveling in Moscow, but this isn't any ordinary excursion—it's more than meets the eye, as he braves cultural confusion and borscht by the bowlful in an effort to cover the world premiere of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" in Russia. These are his stories.

Red Square isn't really all that red. And don't come to Moscow with your own money. These and other revelations will be unleashed in the forthcoming memoir of my junket adventures. Soon to be at the bottom of a remainder book bin near you.

It's Wednesday in Moscow and I'm writing to you from a hallway. Not that I'm complaining... I mean, it's a Russian hallway. But this is what a junket is at the end of the day. Lots of waiting interrupted by short bursts of activity. Currently my biggest concern is my stomach growling during one of my next interviews (this did happen once when I chatted with Vera Farmiga -- neither of us acknowledged it). Anyway, right now I'm in one of those junket lulls, so it's as good a time as any to bring you up to speed on my Russian misadventures.

Yesterday I did a little bit of sightseeing in famed Red Square (just down the street from the hotel). Here's what I learned...

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Tags transformers dark of the moon

MTV Movies Managing Editor Josh Horowitz is currently traveling in Moscow, but this isn't any ordinary excursion—it's more than meets the eye, as he braves cultural confusion and borscht by the bowlful in an effort to cover the world premiere of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" in Russia. These are his stories.

I can now say with absolute certainty that “The Dilemma” is not a good movie. I saw it for the junket in Chicago earlier in the year (if you want to see the best thing that came out of that movie, enjoy this moment where I told Vince Vaughn that he ruined my Christmas) and I’m now on my third viewing thanks to the limited entertainment options on my 10 hour flight from JFK to Moscow. The Ambien hasn’t taken so I’m stuck with the “Just Go With It/The Dilemma” double feature. My only thoughtful analysis at this point is “The Dilemma” could have used more Brooklyn Decker.

But of course none of this has to do with giant robots and that’s why I’m here. Yes, I’m currently journeying in my economy plus seat ($80 for four more inches of leg room!) to a land I truly never thought would come my way. But Paramount and Michael Bay have some kind of spectacle to drop on the planet and you can’t do something like that half-assed, can you? So despite the fact that the last third of the film takes place in Chicago and a relatively short section apparently takes place in Russia (and not even in Moscow I believe), it’s vodka and borscht on the agenda for me this week (more of the former).

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Tags transformers dark of the moon