In 1995, Will Smith and Michael Bay were names known for things that were well outside the realm of blockbuster filmmaking. Oh sure, Bay had done quite a few well received music videos, and Smith was in millions of homes and stereos as The Fresh Prince. But once Bad Boys was released, everything changed. Smith became a huge box office draw and Bay would go on to make five films that contained robots fighting which we covered on this podcast last year. So what happened to the once top billed Martin Lawrence? And why are we getting Bad Boys For Life a mere 17 years following the second installment? Those are among the many things this retrospective featuring myself, Matt, and Michael Guarnieri, will explore. Bad Boys is known as the movie which launched the careers of Michael Bay and Will Smith. But what many don't realize is the skepticism that met the two Hollywood powerhouses when they stepped on that initial set. Bay still has negative things to say about how the studio treated him on his first feature, and Smith has had to be convinced both times to come back with checks that made his accountant very proud. But what about the quality of the movie? And does the $9 million film hold up today. Join myself, Matt, and special guest Michael Guarnieri as we move from last year's Michael Mann retrospective right to two films directed by the one and only Michael Bay. The conversation covers everything from how much credit does Bay's cinematographer deserve all the way to if this was indeed the movie which inspired the much forgotten Cuba Gooding Jr/Skeet Ulrich starring Chill Factor, among many more topics. So, whatcha gunna do, but download the show below! Bad Boys (1995) (?/10, ?/10, ?/10) CLICK ABOVE TO LISTEN NOW! Subscribe to Binge Cast on iTunes