Is'nt the more important question. Why is Michael Bay so successful?
Does it really matter if Michael Bay is an auteur or not. Maybe he just fulfulls a need in the market.
Same reason James Cameron is. People need to see the new "Hollywood Blockbuster".
I blame Star Wars for the advent of the blockbuster. Damn you George Lucas.
Whoa there sparky, let's not compare a great director like Cameron to someone of Bay's ilk, okay...
I would argue that Michael Bay is a far more interesting director than James Cameron if you set aside the quality of their respective films.
I would argue that's insane and that I'll take an inventive director who actually knows how to use his camera over a guy who can't keep the damn camera still for a single second every day of the week.
In my view James Cameron doesn't do much interesting outside of implementing cool new tech and being really good at framing action, but Bay, other than in the Transformers movies is usually a lot more inventive, even when he's overdoing it to the detrement of the film. Some of the shots he gets are incredible, and the way he fetishizes women and military gear, while being terrible in a lot of ways, alone makes analyzing his style of filmmaking more rewarding than with Cameron. At least that's how I see it. Also, The Rock is more basses than any of Camerons movies. You may crucify me now.
I am just more interested in the fact that you are backing the American instead of the Canadian
According to google fight however, you are correct:
http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=james+cameron&word2=michael+bayMichael bay beats james cameron hands down!
seriously however, you are comparing:
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Transformers (2007)
The Island (2005)
Bad Boys II (2003)
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Armageddon (1998)
The Rock (1996)
Bad Boys (1995)
with Transformers 3 (ouch!) on the horizon
to:
Avatar (2009)
Aliens of the Deep (2005)
Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)
Titanic (1997)
True Lies (1994)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The Abyss (1989)
Aliens (1986)
The Terminator (1984)
Piranha Part Two: The Spawning (1981)
Xenogenesis (1978)
with Battle Angel (yay!!!!) and Avatar 2 (eck!!!) on the horizon
and sorry, not even Armageddon, The Rock and Bad Boys combined can compare to either The Terminator or Aliens
(and I do believe that The Terminator is the
12th best film ever made!)