Blog Posts by Mark Deming

Optimus in 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' (Left) and in 'Transformers 4' (Photo: Paramount Pictures)One of the biggest movie heroes on six wheels is getting an overhaul for his next appearance on screen.

Michael Bay has released pictures of the new, updated Optimus Prime, the leading big rig in the "Transformers" series, as the vehicle will appear in truck form in the upcoming "Transformers 4." The new machine looks sleeker and more upscale than before, a vehicle any trucker would be proud to take out on the highway.

Manufactured by Western Star, a division of Daimler Trucks North America, the new Optimus Prime has the traditional dark blue paint job with stylish red flames highlighted by pinstripes, as well as gleaming exhaust stacks that curl up to the sky at an angle from behind the cab, instead of the more functional straight pipes used in the past.

Optimus has a more streamlined look this

Hugh Jackman has to work really hard for those Wolverine abs (Photo: 20th Century Fox)Never doubt Hugh Jackman's commitment to his work – if he has to force down a lot of bland food in order to be Wolverine, then that's what he's going to do!

Jackman has now revealed just how hard it is to prepare himself to play the blade-knuckled mutant in the "X-Men" franchise. Not only did Jackman go through a punishing workout routine to get himself in shape for his character's upcoming solo effort, "The Wolverine," he had to pile on the calories, which isn’t as much fun as it sounds.

"You actually have to eat a LOT, and I'm quite a skinny person," Jackman said in an interview with Sirius XM satellite radio. "So I'm eating ridiculous amounts of food. I quite like everything I ate, but it’s more bland. Chicken breasts, but steamed, no salt. And steamed spinach."

According to Jackman, timing is everything when he's pouring on those calories. "When you're bulking, you're just eating so much food," Jackman said. "What I do is I eat in an eight hour period, it's all the rage this diet now. It's called the 16-8 diet. For sixteen hours of the day, I fast, so I don't eat. Between ten in the morning and six o'clock at night … I eat 5,000 calories. And then I eat nothing … it's more about, 'This is a disgusting amount of food, I can't eat another bite.' I

Daniel Craig, seen here on the set of 'Skyfall,' has sway over the director choice this time (Columbia Pictures)Right when the blogosophere began spreading the news that Nicolas Winding Refn seemed to divulge he's in contention to helm the next Bond movie, a report surfaced saying Sam Mendes is back in the game.

Mendes, who directed "Skyfall" and said he was done with the franchise, is in talks to take on the next Bond film, according to Deadline.

Refn, the director of "Drive," seemed coy on the topic at Cannes when asked whether he was attached to the epic spy series -- leading some to speculate whether he is in contention.

One of Hollywood's favorite guessing games in recent months has been "Who's directing the next James Bond movie?" Other names that have been thrown around include Ang Lee and Christopher Nolan.

Helming a Bond picture has always been a prestige assignment, and Eon

MICHAEL SHANNON as General Zod in Warner Bros. Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' action adventure

There's not much point in being a superhero if you don’t have a super villain to fight, and in a new "Man of Steel" TV spot, we get a better sense of who Superman is up against in this summer's hotly anticipated big screen reboot.

"No matter how violent, every action I take is for the greater good of my people," a menacing, slightly slurred voice says in voice over as we see large scale destruction being rained down upon cities big and small.

Paul Walker was a kid contestant on an '80s game show (Screengrab from NBC)Paul Walker has risen to fame as one of the hunky stars of the high-octane "Fast and the Furious" franchise. But even before he was old enough to drive, Walker clearly knew he had it goin' on.

If you want evidence, it's out there on the Interwebs – Paul Walker's 1988 appearance on the TV show "I'm Telling!" "I'm Telling!"It was a short-lived NBC game show for kids in which brothers and sisters appeared as teams and answered questions about one another, like a strange underage version of "The Newlywed Game" with siblings instead of couples (and thankfully no questions about "whoopie"). Paul, then about fourteen years old, appeared with his younger

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