Optimus Prime's TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION Redesign Unveiled At Hasbro NYCC Party!

During an exclusive party on the eve of New York Comic Con last night, Hasbro unveiled the newest addition to their Transformers toy line, and it was none other than the redesigned Optimus Prime from the upcoming Transformers: Age Of Extinction.

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See Optimus Prime Dodge Explosions In These 'Transformers 4' Set Videos

Transformers 4 is currently shooting action scenes near Adrian, Michigan. The first video here mainly shows the re-vamped Optimus Prime in vehicle mode rolling through some explosions, and the second clip also features the recently revealed Freightliner truck following (or chasing) Prime down the rural road.

Also worth noting are these pics from the Texas set last month of a rusted cab-over-engine truck that bears a heavy resemblance to the classic 1984 version of Optimus Prime. It's probably no coincidence  but looking closer you can also spot traces of faded painted flames, which Bay famously adornes to his big screen versions of the Autobot leader with.

Set for release on June 27, 2014, Michael Bay returns to direct his fourth big screen round of Transformers, whose events takes place five years following the destruction of Chicago in 2011's  Dark of the Moon. The film promises to jump start the series in a new direction with revamped versions of the familiar robotic alien heroes and villains. Mark Wahlberg stars with Kelsey Grammar, Stanley Tucci, T.J. Miller, Nicola Peltz, Sophia Myles, Bingbing Li and of course Peter Cullen (returning to provide the iconic voice of Optimus Prime).

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Has 'Transformers 4' Revealed Ultra Magnus?

"The adventure continues to transform with a very different offering from Daimler Trucks North America," Michael Bay says on his website, revealing the latest sleek cast addition to Transformers 4. "The imposing 2014 Argosy cab-over truck by Freightliner."

The flat nose truck by Freightliner actually resembles a modern version the '80s model of Optimus Prime that Michael Bay chose not to go with when he took the reigns of the big screen Transformers series, but nonetheless resembles another classic blast from the past.

The first character that comes to mind here is Ultra Magnus, which the toy version was identical to Optimus Prime except for the color scheme. The Autobot was the sucessor to Optimus Prime in the cartoon lore, briefly becoming the possessor of the Matrix of Leadership in 1986's Transformers: The Movie, until Hot Rod rose in the ranks by the end of the animated adventure to become Rodimus Prime followed by a whole lot more plot points that may never factor into the big screen story arc. But since Bay says he wants to make TF4 the springboard for the series' new direction, maybe we will see the baton of Autobot leadership passed on.

There is no official word yet on who this will be in the film. Though the ominous color scheme suggests Decepticon over Autobot and leads to speculation that this could be the evil Motormaster, the newest addition is undoubtedly another sleek ride we can look forward to see featured in the next adventure.

You can also check out the previous images Bay has also released of G1 Autobot favorites Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Hound via his website.

Set for 2014, Bay returns to direct his fourth big screen round of Transformers, whose events takes place five years following the destruction of Chicago in 2011's  Dark of the Moon. The film promises to jump start the series in a new direction with revamped versions of the familiar robotic alien heroes and villains. Mark Wahlberg stars with Kelsey Grammar, Stanley Tucci, T.J. Miller, Nicola Peltz, Sophia Myles, Bingbing Li and of course Peter Cullen (returning to provide the iconic voice of Optimus Prime).

SOURCE: Michael Bay Dot Com

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New 'Transformers 4' Character Revealed. Autobot or Decepticon?

Michael Bay revealed another new robot character in its vehicle mode who will be featured in the next year's Transformers 4 starring Mark Wahlberg. As described by Bay on his website:

"Unveiling yet another surprise . . . the extraordinary and exhilarating 2013 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4."

There is no mention of a character name or whether this is an Autobot or Decepticon. As previously reported here, Bay has also unveiled Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Hound and two other four wheeled players yet to be named. Lamborghinis did play a part in the classic G1 series, the Autobots Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were members of the sleek Italian automobile line.

Set for 2014, Michael Bay returns to direct his fourth big screen round of Transformers, whose events takes place five years following the destruction of Chicago in 2011's  Dark of the Moon. The film promises to jump start the series in a new direction with revamped versions of the familiar robotic alien heroes and villains. Mark Wahlberg stars with Kelsey Grammar, Stanley Tucci, Nicola Peltz, Sophia Myles, Bingbing Li and Peter Cullen (returning to provide the iconic voice of Optimus Prime).

SOURCE: MichaelBay.com

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G1 Autobot Hound Confirmed for 'Transformers 4'

Michael Bay revealed a new photo today from his robotic cast of Transformers 4. Today's addition is the G1 Autobot Hound in vehicle form, who will be making his first appearance on the big screen. Hound was a green jeep in his original '80s incarnation and maintains that color scheme for the upcoming film set for a June 27, 2014 release.

Michael Bay On his website Bay described the latest Autobot to the team as "the always rugged and reliable Hound, one of the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles from Oshkosh Defense."

Bay has also released images of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee on his website.

SOURCE: Michael Bay Dot Com

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Bumblebee's Retro Redesign Revealed From 'Transformers 4'

Yesterday we got our first sneak peek images from the set of Transformers 4, specifically at the new looks for Optimus Prime and two other Autobots in their sleek vehicle modes.

Today, director Michael Bay released a still of Bumbleee, who will sport the design as what he describes as a highly modified, vintage 1967 Camaro SS.

SOURCE: Michael Bay Dot Com

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Re-Designed Optimus Prime and Autobots from 'Transformers 4' Revealed!

Michael Bay is currently shooting Transformers 4 in Monument Valley, a desert area in the Navajo Nation near the border of Arizona and Utah. Courtesy of Bay and Yahoo! we now have our first look at the revamped sleeker Optimus Prime and two of his fellow Autobots in their vehicle forms. Bay posted this pic of Prime, which is from Western Star (a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America).

Also on display is a C7 Stingray Corvette and a $2.4 million custom 1,200-horsepower Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse. We don't know yet if these will be new characters or revamps of classic Autobots from the animated shows or comic books lore.

Set for 2014, Michael Bay returns to direct his fourth as yet untitled round of Transformers, whose events takes place five years following the destruction of Chicago in 2011's  Dark of the Moon, and promises to jump start the series in a new direction with revamped versions of the familiar robotic alien heroes and villains. Mark Wahlberg stars with Kelsey Grammar, Stanley Tucci, Nicola Peltz, Sophia Myles, Bingbing Li and Peter Cullen (returning to provide the iconic voice of Optimus Prime).

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PREVIEW: 'Robot Chicken' Season Six DC Comics Special

Robot Chicken, Cartoon's Network's hit Emmy Award Winning stop motion animated show, returns to the Adult Swim airwaves for its sixth season premiere on September 9th at midnight with a DC Comics themed special.

Check out the preview trailer below, showcasing the signature humor of the Robot Chicken creative team and the voices of Seth Green as Batman, Robin, and Aquaman, Neil Patrick Harris as Two-Face, Alfred Molina as Lex Luthor, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Megan Fox as Lois Lane, and Breckin Meyer as Superman.

From Cartoon Network:

"Adult Swim announced today that the much-anticipated Robot Chicken DC Comics Special will officially kick off the sixth season of the Emmy Award®-winning series on Sunday, September 9th at Midnight (ET/PT).

In the Robot Chicken DC Comics Special, Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, in partnership with DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, brings you the awesomeness of the DC Comics universe of characters as only Robot Chickencan, with amazing guest stars and the stop-motion sketch comedy you've come to love after five seasons of the popular Adult Swim series.

The all-star cast includes Seth Green as Batman, Robin and the put-upon Aquaman, Neil Patrick Harris as Two-Face, Alfred Molina as Lex Luthor, Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern, Megan Fox as Lois Lane, Breckin Meyer as Superman, plus Abe Benrubi, Alex Borstein, Clare Grant, Tara Strong, Matt Senreich, Tom Root, Zeb Wells, and Kevin Shinick as co-producer and narrator.

Robot Chicken uses stop-motion animation to bring pop-culture parodies to life in a modern take on the variety/sketch show format. The Emmy Award®-winning series began airing in February 2005 and remains among the top-rated original series on Adult Swim." 

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Film Review - THE DICTATOR ★★★☆☆

I think its safe to say that you know what you are getting into when you commit to see a movie starring Sacha Baron Cohen. The man behind larger than life characters like Borat, Brüno, and Ali G headlines his newest farce with another outrageous persona, but leaves the documentary pretense behind for The Dictator. As hard as he may try, any future attempts at shooting a movie and fooling the common citizen while hiding behind a crazy caricature could be very well be near impossible considering the infamy Cohen has gained over the years through Brüno and Borat.

The actor not only plays his creations on the big screen, but manages to pummel the public by appearing in character to no end on promotional press circuit tours. Cohen went so far this year as to walk the Oscars Red Carpet as Admiral General Aladeen from The Dictator (plus another banner stunt appearance at the Cannes Film Festival).

What goes without saying is that The Dictator is not for the faint of heart or for those easily offended or of a stout politically correct state of mind. Cohen takes to playing on, and running with, every stereotype of Middle Eastern culture imaginable as he re-teams with his Borat and Brüno director Larry Charles.

As Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen, Cohen leaves little untouched concerning taking comic advantage of the themes of terrorist paranoia that have been instilled on the world since 9/11. And if you think for a moment that the very question "Is it okay yet to joke about 9/11?" would not be presented to you here as a moviegoer, you would be sadly mistaken. The guilty scene that takes place during a helicopter tour over the Hudson River (that is briefly teased in the trailer, so you know its coming), goes on far longer in the film.

The plot?  Cohen plays the pampered fascist dictator of the fictional North African country of Wadiya. When he is caught under the United Nation's radar for attempting to enter the nuclear arms race, he travels to the New York City with his trusted second in command and advisor, Uncle Tamir (Sir Ben Kingsley) to assure the council that there are no weapons of mass destruction to be found. Tamir botches an arranged kidnapping and assassination of Aladeen, who then finds himself shaved of his beard and wandering the streets of NYC unable to prove who he really is. Tamir replaces him with one of his lookalike peasant body doubles with plans to have him sign a not-so-benevolent declaration of democracy for Wadiya.

The talented Anna Faris is caught up here unfortunately in a near thankless role as Zoey, a NYC vegan social activist with a pixie haircut, unshaven armpits, and happens to represent everything in a female that the sexist Aladeen has come to suppress. He is a ruler after all who is accustomed to paying to bed celebrities like Megan Fox and Katy Perry. Zoey's insufferable differences to Aladeen of course means he will inevitably fall for her as she becomes the unlikely key for the fallen leader to one up his turncoat former confidant. Sir Ben Kingsley adds the proper bravado to his role as Aladeen's would be over-thrower, but every now again you have to double back when you realize it's Sir Ben Kingsley playing along as the straight man in this vulgar comedy. Megan Fox and John C. Reilly also have memorable quick cameos that add to the fun.

There isn't much here I can say to either sell the film to new viewers or keep away those who will see The Dictator no matter what. But Baron Cohen has easily added another notch on his belt in between his Borat and Brüno improvised 'reality' romps, and the solid scripted performances he's done in Hugo, Sweeney Todd, and Talladega Nights.

If you enjoy his level of classless humor, and I freely admit that I do, you will enjoy The Dictator. It flies by at a scant 83 minutes and there are easily numerous genuine gems and moments throughout the film you will laugh out loud at. Is it offensively hilarious at times? Completely. You may, and should, even feel guilty for some of the laughs (Aladeen plays a Wii version of the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre). Some zingers hit harder than others, and at times its disappointing when the low brow jokes sink so low when the film is completely capable of playing it smart at times. But overall The Dictator delivers and there is more than enough here to keep fans of The Baron entertained.

The Dictator opens in theaters today.

REVIEW RATING: ★★★☆☆
Directed By: Larry Charles

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Sir Ben Kinglsey

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Rated: R
Running Time: 83 minutes

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