Atomic Popcorn brings you yet another Top 10 list! This time we are bring you a list of some of the best on-screen duo’s there are! Below is a list of my top 10 on-screen duo’s of coarse you will have your own opinion. I promise to not use the word chemistry more than 4 times also!

If you all have any ideas for a top 10 list or want to see something specific send us an email at top10@atomicpopcorn.net and we will try and get it up here for you.

Without further ado, here is what I think are the top 10 on-screen duo’s of recent memory.

10. Ben Affleck & Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting- This unlikely duo of two kids from Boston making a movie based on something they wrote. Well the movie was a hit and the duo are still just that in Hollywood. Damon and Affleck both have a great career both behind and in front of them.

9. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys- who can see these guys without at least humming “Bad Boy Bad Boys, whatcha gonna do?” I know I can’t. A great on screen chemistry between these overly large men. The acting is on par with any action flick but these two bring to the table something special. I think they may be channeling a little something from another of our top 10 contenders for Top 10 Duo’s.

8. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction – These extremely violent yet stupid criminals made a movie and a career for a certain Director. While these two came onto the scene quietly, they left with a very large bang after this film. Such chemistry and great writing lead these guy’s onto our Top 10 list.

7. Sam and Frodo in LOTR Trilogy – This unlikely duo has melted ring’s around the world. All jokes aside about being gay lovers, this on-screen duo shares a lifetime of pain and love throughout these films. This duo was something that I don’t we had seen on screen in a while. A true chemistry between two guys in the midst of uncertain times.

6. Brad Pitt and George Clooney in the Ocean’s franchise – two of Hollywood’s leading men, leading the charge for some awesome bank robbing. What more can you want from two Joe Cool’s. Great acting, great suave, these two ooze cool.

5. Tyler and The Narrator in Fight Club – Didn’t we just mention Joe Cool above this, well he is back along side Edward Norton as number 5 on our list. These two really gave us a run for our money in Fight Club. Writing aside, the acting between these two made the movie what it is today.

4. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon franchise – oh my, two entirely different people trapped with one another made these two real men of the 80′s. The boys of Lethal Weapon brought to the screen an on-screen chemistry that not many have or will match. The laughs, the tears, the fights, true brothers ended up on screen with these two crazies!

3. Woody and Buzz from the Toy Story franchise – Yes I am well aware that they are artistically enhanced characters. Yes I am also aware I have a animated feature as my number 3. Without a doubt you have to include Tom Hanks and Tim Allen on this list. Starting as fierce rivals for Andy’s love, they have grown into a duo among the best. The interaction and delivery from this duo brings to life what we only know as animated history!

2. Robert Redford and Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting – Suave and complete. The acting and everything that follows and it includes these guys had it and brought it to the screen. These movies are classics for two reason and the two reason are the men above and below this blurb. These guys we looked at the men of men and rightfully so.

1. Steve Martin and John Candy in Planes, Trains and Automobiles – the funny men of the 80′s paired together to bring to the screen one of the best on screen duo’s ever. With Candy gone we can only assume what could of been but this was and is still a great movie. Due in large, or in whole, to these two completely crazy comedians.

This beautiful Greek revival of a comedy vs. tragedy burned so heavily it was intoxicating.

When writing the film Leaves of Grass, director Tim Blake Nelson could only imagine one actor being such a dynamic presence while portraying a duo of caricatures actually written for the seasoned embodiment that is Edward Norton. The two-time Academy Award nominee (for Primal Fear and American History X) inhabits the role of the brothers Kincaid. Norton, with poignancy and flexibility, seemingly melted into each character. When first gracing the screen as Bill, the audience sees an accomplished man professing some memorable words to his adoring pupils.  His entire goal in life is to achieve and succeed. Raised in a small town in Oklahoma all he needed was to fuel his escape for a better life, until he is tricked many years later into returning for the funeral of his identical twin brother. Even though twins do very much resemble each other physically, life can greatly alter their characters.

As Brady Kincaid, Edward Norton slips into a country marijuana hustler with all the brains and drive to inherit Microsoft. Never leaving the little southern town of Little Dixie, Brady has found himself in a pickle. In and out of trouble with the law, a pregnant wife and a half-delusional mother (Susan Sarandon) were all weights he could not bear until he manifested his most diabolical scheme ever.

The work that went into the costumes that separated Edward Norton’s roles either enhanced his performance or made the comedy much better. You have a silly mullet-haired Brady Kincaid that accurately displays the stereotypical lingo and culture of the South, and then you have his more dapper, clean-cut scholarly brother Bill. Each in his own odd way articulates himself as the sharpest tool in the shed. Being from the South personally, I found familiarity with the setting and the musical score was very precise in this film. Tim Blake Nelson immerses us in this location.

In addition to starring as an intricate character in this film (Bolger), Tim Blake Nelson somehow manages to incorporate love of thought, with Janet (Kerri Russell) as Bill Kincaid’s love interest. He also brings some sharp twists to the story with Pug Rothbaum, a beloved Jewish man to the community who is behind closed doors a poison to humanity (played by Academy Award winner and Golden Globe nominee for Mr. Holland’s Opus, Richard Dreyfuss).

The director stated: “In addition to having this game of twins, Leaves of Grass is peppered with classical, literary and philosophical references. Scattered throughout are allusion not just to Whitman in the title, but to the works of Shakespeare, Catullus, Plautus, Sophocles, Sappho, and many others. We quote a number of philosophers including Epicurus, Aristotle and Socrates. We want people to consider these thinkers vital with ideas that are directly applicable to our daily lives. As Bill says in the films first scene, ‘these people were alive, they thought these things, breathe them into life.’ With any luck, we have done that.”

Indeed he has.

by M.M.

What’s this? A new trailer for Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass with twice the usual amount of Norton? Looks that way. Nelson, known for his off-kilter character work in films like O’ Brother, Wher Art Thou?, Holes and Minority Report, is directing and starring in this story of identical twins who conspire to take on a small-town drug lord together.

The plot synopsis sounds like an action movie, but the trailer is it’s own quirky little beast, with Edward Norton starring as both twins–one a shaggy pot dealer and the other a straight-laced Ivy League professor– and Richard Dreyfuss as the crime boss. Nelson looks to be recycling his usual, scruffy yokel and Keri Russell steps in to add the romantic interest, with Susan Sarandon playing the mother of the twins.

I think this has more than a little of the Coens’ Bros. feel to it, especially some of their earlier, sillier work like Raising Arizona. Nelson himself is a talented and versatile director, having done films as varied as the Othello adaptation ‘O’ and the war film ‘The Grey Zone.’ Norton, whom he recently worked with in The Incredible Hulk, looks to be having great fun with the double role.

Check out the trailer:

The DVD release for The Incredible Hulk is quickly approaching (it’s October 21 to be exact) and the buzz is building as to what’s available on the special 3-disc set . Well we have some tidbits for you all here at Atomic Popcorn. While this rework of The Hulk was much better than the Ang Lee interpretation, it still didn’t hit big at the box office? Any ideas on why? Well enjoy the behind the scenes.

Becoming the Hulk:
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Making of: Casting:
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As said above The Incredible Hulk, staring Ed Norton and Liv Tyler hits shelves on October 21st. Make sure to check out our Incredible Hulk page.

The summer of 2008 will be known as the starting point for something great. This will be the time we look back and see how Marvel Comics was able to take their properties and move them forward into one big movie universe. Some will say Spider-Man started it, but it didn’t start to merge till now, till Iron Man laid the groundwork of something large. The Incredible Hulk builds on this groundwork giving us a movie that fits in with the rest of the movie Marvel Universe but also is able to stand alone and deliver it’s own themes and ideas. For those of you that don’t know the background of the Hulk, here it is in song form. Catchy, isn’t it? One thing to keep in mind is, this isn’t the Ang Lee 2003 Hulk which was a very stylized movie based off of the comic book. Some liked it, some hated it. I was among those that liked it, even if the Hulk didn’t appear till almost an hour into the movie. This isn’t a continuation or sequel either. It’s a “reboot”, a do over if you would like. Marvel took a chance to re-image the Hulk’s world for the big screen and they delivered on this by getting Louis Leterrier on board to direct. He brings a real world feel to the movie that some thought was missing in the 2003 version. Plus he knows how to stage an action sequence and we get to see plenty of it in the 2008 Incredible Hulk. Here is a quick run down of the plot. Doctor Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) was belted by gamma rays and turned into the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno, providing the voice). During the accident, he injures long time girlfriend Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) and her father General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt). Like the TV show, we see Bruce trying to find a cure to remove the Hulk from him. Like the comic book we see Bruce running from the United States military in hope of not being captured and used as a weapon.  Two great tastes that go great together. Assisting General Ross with his quest is Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), on loan to the US from the UK. Blonsky is a warrior that lives for the fight, the adrenalin rush, the thrill of the hunt, and the capture of the prey. He’ll stop at nothing till Bruce Banner/the Hulk is captured. Bruce has help as well in the form of a mystery Mr Blue who is trying to come up with a cure. We later learn that Mr Blue is Professor Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) and he has plans of his own for Bruce’s blood.

Unlike the previous outing, this movie picks up the action right away and we see the Hulk within the first 30 minutes of the movie. Between a roof top chase in South America, a fight between the Hulk and General Ross’ military forces, and a showdown in New York City we get to see tons of action. So in honor of this movie I am going to debut a new feature called “The Good, The Bad, and The Geeky.” The Good:

• Action and lots of action
• True to both the TV version and the comic version
• Bill Bixby is in the movie, keep your eye out
• Cameo appearances by Lou Ferrigno and Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee
• The HULK seen within the first 30 minutes is a plus
• William Hurt did a great job as General Ross; He was on-par with Sam Elliot’s version in the 2003 Hulk
• Ed Norton showed that he was a fan of the source material and respected both the TV and Comic fans with the script that he helped write

What is it about the Incredible Hulk that always seems to cause issues? The first movie came out in 2003 directed by Ang Lee and was considered a box-office bust. Why? The style of the movie was considered too slow by most and the fact that your main character of the HULK isn’t seen till over an hour into the film. When he was shown, the CGI made him look as if Shrek and the Jolly Green Giant had a child together. Add to it the very stylized comic book look and feal that Ang Lee gave the movie didn’t sit well with most audiences. For some reason they all wanted the movie to follow the themes set in the TV show from the 70′s and all forgot that there was a comic book prior to that version.

Now we move to 2008 where a newer version of The Hulk will hit movie theaters in June. This movie is being called a “restart” by Marvel Comics as the story follows the flow of the TV show with hints of the comic book thrown in. They even got a more action oriented director in Louis Leterrir (the Transporter movies) and a good set of writers in Zack Penn (Superman Returns) and the star of the movie, Edward Norton.

So where is the touble with this film? The trouble seems to be between Edward Norton, Louis Leterrir and Marvel Comics.  Entertainment Weekly had a sitdown with Louis Leterrir where he mentioned that all parties were getting along during the filming of the movie. It wasn’t till the edit proces that issues started to rise. It seems that both Leterrir and Norton wanted a “135 minute more contemplative and richer epic” as to Marvel Comics who wanted a “under 120 minutes and action packed” film.

Do you see where I’m going with this? Marvel wants an action movie featuring one of their toughest characters in comics where the director and star/writer wanted to make it more of a movie like the one in 2003.  Needless to say Marvel Comics won the battle but I won’t be surprise if we see two versions of the movie on DVD next Fall – one with the theatrical version and one with the director’s cut.

Adding to the story is that Edward Norton released a statement as he is not granting interviews at this time.

“Every good movie gets forged through collaboration, and different ideas among people who are all committed and respect the validity of each other’s opinions is the heart of filmmaking.

Regrettably, our healthy process, which is and should be a private matter, was misrepresented publicly as a ‘dispute,’ seized on by people looking for a good story, and has been distorted to such a degree that it risks distracting from the film itself, which Marvel, Universal and I refuse to let happen.

It has always been my firm conviction that films should speak for themselves… our focus has always been to deliver the Hulk that people have been waiting for and keep the worldwide love affair with the big green guy going strong.”

Again, the green guy seems to have issues. How will the audience take to the new Hulk? We’ll find out in June.