Blog Posts by Mark Deming

Jerry Lewis at this year's Cannes Film Festival (Photo: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)Jerry Lewis has been angering female comedians again, and there's at least one working actor who probably isn't fond of him, either.

The veteran comedian and filmmaker was at the Cannes Film Festival Thursday, doing a press conference to promote his new film "Max Rose." It was the first time Lewis has appeared at the prestigious film festival in twenty years, and most of his public interview was a love fest. But when Lewis was asked about his controversial opinions about women in comedy, he made it clear he thinks ladies should stay out of the funny business.

Jennifer Aniston strips down in 'We're the Millers' (Photo: Screengrab/Warner Bros.)Jennifer Aniston. Dancing very sexy. In her underwear.

Do we have your attention?

That's not the only highlight in the first trailer for the upcoming comedy "We're The Millers," but New Line Cinema are no fools … if a comedy about drug smuggling with a top-notch cast isn't quite enough to draw you in, adding a beautiful woman wearing very little clothing just might seal the deal.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.The poster reads, "It all ends."

The critics reply, "Good. And don't let the door hit you on the way out."

The Wolfpack Saga comes to a close as "The Hangover Part III" opens in theaters Thursday, May 23, and so far reviewers are not being kind to what's being billed as the final installment in the raunchy comedy franchise. Metacritic, a website that collects and evaluates reviews on current movies, is giving "The Hangover Part III" an unfortunate rating of 35 out of 100, showing four positive reviews, twelve that are neutral, and nine negative. And the negative reviews sound not so much disappointed as openly hostile.

In the New York Times, Stephen Holden writes, "The Wolfpack rides again. Or rather, it limps exhaustedly over the tundra in what is billed as the final edition of the 'Hangover' trilogy. Defanged, with glazed eyes and creaking joints, these superannuated party animals try vainly to stir up some enthusiasm during a return visit to Las Vegas, the site of the first 'Hangover' movie. But their heart isn’t in it."

[Related: Original ‘Hangover’ Baby Back for Part 3]

Claudia Puig is no kinder in USA Today. "The players seem like they're going through the motions here," Puig wrote. "[Bradley] Cooper and [Ed] Helms spend their time reacting or making wan snide remarks. [Zach] Galifianakis tries a bit harder, but Alan's strangeness is more distracting than comical."

And Ty Burr, writing for the Boston Globe, says, "'Hangover Part III' is dully straightforward stuff, with none of the jack-in-the-trunk surprises and little of the inspired crassness of the original 'Hangover.'"

While the 2009 original "The Hangover" got generally positive notices from

Benedict Cumberbatch stripped down for 'Star Trek,' too (Photo: Paramount/TBS)

All that talk over Alice Eve's underwear scene has J.J. Abrams on the defensive. On TBS's "Conan" on Wednesday night, the mega director pointed out that Chris Pine (who plays Captain Kirk) was shirtless in "Star Trek Into Darkness." He even brought in part of a deleted scene to show O'Brien that when it comes to showing skin in "Star Trek," Abrams is an equal opportunist.

"You've been taking some heat for a scene – I personally didn’t see what the fuss was about myself, I was quite happy about the scene – there's this scene where Alice Eve, Kirk gets a quick look at her in her underwear," O'Brien said.

"The intent was, it’s Kirk, who is always this womanizing character," Abrams explained. "The idea was, have a beat like that in the midst of all this action and adventure … I don’t think I edited the scene in quite the right way. To me, it was a sort of balance – there's a scene earlier where [Kirk]'s not dressed either – so it felt like it was sort of a tradeoff. But some people did

Luke Skywalker's pants (Everett/Nate D. Sanders)
Pop quiz, hotshot: Your best friend is having a "Star Wars"-themed costume party, and you want your Luke Skywalker costume to be really, really authentic. How much is it worth to you to know you've got exactly the right pair of pants? $36,000, perhaps?

Well, someone believes Luke's pants are worth that much, and they've written the check to prove it. Nate D. Sanders, an online auction house, sold the off-white cotton pants Mark Hamill wore as Luke in the original 1977 "Star Wars" to an unnamed bidder Wednesday for $36,100, as part of a sale devoted to Hollywood collectables.

Relativity Media

"There's only a few things I really care about in life. My body. My pad. My ride. My family. My church. My boys. My girls. My porn."

Joseph Gordon-Levitt doesn't waste any time establishing his character's priorities in the first trailer to his directorial debut, "Don Jon," and just because pornography comes last on the list, don't think it's what he values the least. In fact, the title character spends a lot of time locked in a mental debate, wondering if women in real life could ever make him feel as good as the women he ogles online.

Watch the first trailer for 'Don Jon':

As the trailer opens, Jon Martello, played by Gordon-Levitt, explains what he loves in a fast montage while he pumps iron, does the vacuuming, peels out in a vintage muscle car, snaps his picture with his parents and sister, stops by at confession, watches a football game, makes out with a girl at the bar, and finally spends some quality time alone with his laptop.

Jon has this speech worked out like a mantra,

Robert Redford in 'All Is Lost' (Photo: Roadside Attractions)At the age of 76, Robert Redford is an actor who still thrives on a creative challenge — and he's been handed a huge one in his latest film "All Is Lost": Redford is the only actor on screen for an hour and forty-five minutes, and he says no more than a handful of words.

Redford is receiving rave reviews for his work in the shipwreck-themed saga — which debuted this week at the Cannes Film Festival. He plays an unnamed man piloting a yacht in the Indian Ocean, whose vessel is struck by a shipping container, tearing a hole in its hull. When the man

'Nymphomaniac' publicity photo courtesy of Artificial Eye

So how much Shia LaBeouf are you going to see in Lars Von Trier's upcoming "Nymphomaniac"? Short answer: Less than he said you would, but more than you might want.

LaBeouf is one of several major stars who have signed on to appear in "Nymphomaniac," the next feature from the perennially controversial art-house troublemaker Von Trier. (Other stars include Uma Thurman, Christian Slater, Willem Dafoe, and Stellan Skarsgard; French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg will play the leading role.) The story follows the life of a woman struggling with sex addiction, and both Von Trier and LaBeouf previously promised that the sex in the movie would be the real deal.

"It is Lars von Trier, making a movie about what he's making," LaBeouf told a reporter in the summer of 2012, when he signed on for the project. "For instance, there's a disclaimer at the top of the script that basically says we're doing it for real. Everything that is illegal, we'll shoot in blurred images. Other than