I must say this is one of my favorite movies of all time. Yes Star Wars and Princess Bride are. While to completely different genres in and of themselves, they share something in common…lightsabers!!

Check out the ingenious work below blending together the lightsabers and one of the best sword fights on film!!

Well what did you think? Do you like? Can you watch Criminal Minds any longer with thinking about him this way?

Star Wars. I don’t need to say more. Below you’ll find some pretty awesome artwork inspired by the most popular series in cinematic history. First up we’ve got a photo series by French photographer Cedric Delsaux that answer the question “What if Star Wars was set on planet earth?” answered in absolutely stunning fashion.

Next we’ve got altered antique plates designed by BeatUpCreations available for purchase via their etsy.com site here. I haven’t got blue hair but I just might need one of these!

Finally a series of reimagined, mashed up posters. See if you can figure place the Star Wars poster with its un-Star Wars inspiration. See the whole series designed by Old Red Jalopy here.

Have you got any Star Wars inspired art? Share it with us, we’d love to see your work!

I must say I would love to see the original saga unfold on Blu. Blu-ray is such an awesome technology and really is now just gaining some legs with the release of LOTR. Recently IGN spoke to one of the Lucasfilm Directors, Steve Sansweet  and he confirmed that the Star Wars films will soon be coming to Blu-ray. While this is not a surprise to most of us, someone inside the compound saying it is nice to hear.

“We have been at work for a couple of years working on—I won’t call it the Ultimate Set because we keep finding stuff—but, a very full set of all six movies on Blu-ray with lots of extra material. We’re finding all kinds of scenes from dailies that have never been seen before. Beyond all of those things that you know about… there are some real treasures.”

When will the set come out? Sansweet says, “We’re not ready to announce exactly when it’s coming out, but it won’t be in the too distant future.”

Steve Sansweet also spoke to IGN about plans to re-release the Star Wars films in 3D:

“George has publicly expressed an interest in doing Star Wars 3D. Right now there are a number of different technologies, there’s some criticism out there about some of the movies that have quickly changed to 3D, so you have to pick the right technology, you have to get it to a cost that makes sense, and you have to have the time of the director and producer — George — to actually go in there, because you can’t push a button and stuff goes in one end and comes out 3D…

“Saying all that, George remains very interested in doing the Star Wars movies, all six, in 3D, and I hope it will happen someday in the not too distant future.”

So what say you? Are you excited that the force will be strong amongst those with Blu? Let us know your thoughts below.

Dreamworks’ How To Train Your Dragon is a great example of everything I love about animated movies. It’s a big, bold, colorful movie that isn’t afraid to blend stylized characters with exquisitely real and breathtaking details.

 Unlike the recent slate of warmed-over kid’s film trying to compete furiously to cash-in on the 3D technology, Dragon swoops in, gathers the technique under its wing and folds it confidently into the final product in such a way that what ends up on screen is just as compelling and exciting as the images that James Cameron brought us in Avatar. The big surprise at the heart of Dragon? It wipes the floor with Avatar in the story/narrative department.

Adapted from the novels by Cressida Cowell, Dragon re-imagines the world of the book slightly to create a land of danger and peril, with hearty, rugged Vikings doing battle with the large, scaly pests of their age; dragons. Right from the outset, the audience is introduced to young Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), a dubious Viking lad who doesn’t have any of the fierce swagger, motley spirit or physical imposition that everyone, including the women of his clan, possess. Hiccup serves as narrator and protagonist, and in a stunning and clever opening sequence we are introduced to his village, his blustery father, Stoick the Vast, and the numerous species of dragon that terrorize their land.

In his world, Hiccup has been taught that killing dragons is one of the greatest feats a Viking can achieve. They are monstrous pests that steal livestock and burn homes, and the whole village has based its social system around their ability to slay them. There are even dragon slaying schools, one of which Hiccup attends when Gobber, the class instructor, coerces Stoick to let him join. His classmates are all true blue Viking whelps who take the slaying seriously, but Hiccup can barely lift a shield.

Among these warrior adolescents is Astrid (America Ferrera) who is far more gifted and fetching in Hiccup’s eyes than her posse, comprised of Snotlout, Fish Legs and the bickering twins, Tuffnut and Ruffnut. When he does manage to capture a dragon, using his own ingenuity, it turns out to be a Night Fury, the most fearsome and secretive of all the species. When it comes to time to kill the beast, Hiccup can’t do it and so he frees the creature, it doesn’t immediately eat him, and a friendship is born.  

The dragon, nicknamed Toothless, is a beguiling and endearing creation. Hiccup mostly observes him at first, from a distance, and eventually realizes the animal has a broken tail wing, which prevents him from leaving the valley. Toothless isn’t a giant, leather-winged monstrosity but rather he’s lithe and catlike, part salamander and part panther, with big yellow eyes and a wide mouth that curiously turns upwards in a snickering smile.

In a wonderful melding of the computer animation and classic cartoon styling, Toothless is both an exaggerated character and a visually realistic one. When he’s running around the valley and standing on his hind legs staring at Hiccup he resembles Stitch, the alien visitor from Sanders and Dublois last film. But when Hiccup is riding on his back, or running his hands across Toothless’ scales, we could be looking at a photographic image, so great is the clarity and detail.

The film works as well as it does, though, not just because of the visual elements but because of the story, which brings the Hiccup and Toothless relationship to the forefront, and forces Hiccup to follow his own instincts regarding right and wrong as opposed to the perceptions of his village. Sanders and Dublois have a strong and sincere handle on odd partnerships in fantasy films. They ran a wickedly comic spin on E.T. in Lilo and Stitch, with a young girl befriending a horribly destructive menace from space and here they evoke the wild wonder of connecting with a force of nature.

I was reminded of the touching relationship between the boy and his horse in The Black Stallion. When Hiccup rides Toothless for the first time, it’s a moment of staggering beauty and visceral excitement, but also one of emotional connection. This aspect energizes and amplifies everything else that happens.

Without giving away the rest of the story, I will say that How To Train Your Dragon hasn’t been conceived as a  tepid kid’s flick or as a joke factory disguised as a fantasy movie. It takes the story it is telling seriously, and the world it presents is a dangerous and formidable one, with all of the teeth left in but never too scary or threatening that little ones can’t participate.

There is a confidence in the work here that is reminiscent of films like The Never Ending Story or, as I said before, Star Wars. The final battle that closes the movie, with dragons soaring frantically through the air, combating a larger more fearsome menace is easily comparable to the assault on the Death Star at the end of A New Hope. There is a unfettered sense of imagination employed here, and although it never hesitates to have fun with the concept, Dragon never disrespects its characters or its audience.

In regards to the characters, Toothless was easily my favorite, but I was also won over by Butler as Stoick the Vast. It is unusual in films of this type for the animation and the voice work to mesh so completely that we buy the character as something more than a ‘cartoon’. Butler imbues Stoick’s Asterisk build and big bushy beard with enough soul and Viking spirit, that even as his bulk is overpowering the film’s frame, his interior is revealing softer, nobler compartments that his son has barely guessed at. It’s amazing and often subtle work, and it echoes the approach taken with the 3D.

Aside from Avatar, this is one of the first times I can wholeheartedly recommend the 3D experience over a 2D one. Although never flashy, Dragon really mines the technology for big thrills, daredevil action sequences and yet reserves the most startling effects for very small, throwaway moments. There is a scene where ash is falling like snow from the sky, and it could very well be blanketing the seats in the theater. It is impressive and never draws attention away from the story.

How To Train Your Dragon is one of those welcome and joyful discoveries that we don’t get often enough; a satisfying and endearing adventure that brings its audience, both young and old, together. It imagines a world that will be worth returning to, over and over, for years to come.

Rating: ★★★★½ 

On this very slow Thursday morning, both at work and on the intrawebs, we were sent a diamond in the rough. The following video has made me laugh for the last 20 minutes. The music may make yours ears start to ooze blood, but the video is something awesome! The reach that Star Wars still has around the world really amazes me to this day. The news about the latest cartoon or a possible live action TV show spawns rumors a million.

But today we bring you something special that a crew of friends put together. This is truly a special treat to all of you Star Wars fans, freaks and newbies out there.

Watch and be amazed at the awesomeness that is Tik Tok!

Let us know what you all think about it below in the comments.

Consider this a continuation of the pursuit of beautiful film-inspired art. We’ve already seen one artist’s interpretation of the Stanley Kubrick classic The Shining now here is another artistic rendition.

And Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park-

Finally this collection of posters simplified an otherwise complex time travel story if only Doc Brown had these in hand he might have saved Marty McFly a lot of trouble. Back to the Future Parts I, II & III-

All of these prints and more can be purchased at SHOOT THE GLASS including a Star Wars series! So what do you think? Anybody buy one of these? Know of any other artists with television or film inspired works, please share them with us!

And then the marine layer parted to reveal the sky above the San Diego Convention Center and there emerged…Friday’s schedule. That’s right, practically 24 hours later, we get one of the more coveted pieces of the schedule. The always official Star Wars day (girls, get your slave leia costumes ready) will include such awesome things such as Warner Bros. Pictures presentations on the remade Nightmare on Elm Street, Jonah Hex, Sherlock Holmes and others.

"..and so God said to me 'My son, make The Terminator'."

There are many other panels, including more television shows like AMC’s The Prisoner, 24, Caprica/Battlestar Galactica, The Big Bang Theory and more you can check out. Of course, you cannot forget all of the special panels centered on Lucas’ Star Wars universe for all of you wannabe wookies. There is always the Cup O Joe (or as I call it, the Joe Quesada show), Focus Features on 9, a panel on District 9 and many many others. Enough jabbering on, check out the Friday schedule here.

Note to the wise, and what seems to be a historic pairing, Entertainment Weekly is holding their Friday night Visionaries panel that will include James Cameron and Peter Jackson. I’ll be attending it, and if your going to the Con I would recommend it too!

Top 11 Bromances

Who doesn’t love a good bromance? Whether it’s homo-erotic overtones or just a friendship with a lot of love and respect for the other, bromances are a special kind of romance. Normally they’re shared between a male and another male, both of whom are straight and play for the right team. We here at Atomic Popcorn (well, mainly me) have decided to take a look at the Top Eleven Bromances in cinema:

11. Point Break – FBI Special Agent Johnny Utah and Bodhi

I love Point Break, and would defend it as a legitimately good action flick. You could make a case for some bromance between Utah and Gary Busey’s Angelo Pappas, but the real love here is between Utah and Bodhi. Utah can’t bring himself to kill or harm Bodhi, so he fires his gun in the air whilst screaming ‘Aah.’ Keanu plays it like he does everything but it’s Swayze who makes the relationship work. Sure it’s a simple film when you get down to it, but that doesn’t make it any less great. Plus, Utah let’s his “brother” go the proper way.

10. Superbad – Evan and Seth

It wouldn’t feel right doing one of these without having this film on here. If Superbad does anything right, it’s the telling of a wonderful romance between it’s two leads. In fact it’s such a great tale of bromance you wonder if Michael Cera and Jonah Hill will eventually engage in full on french kissing. The film itself is hysterical and only enhanced by the homosexual overtones that embody it, particularly when each character goes his separate ways only to look back, longing for the others comfort.

9. Hot Fuzz - Nicholas Angel and Danny Butterman

Some may prefer Shaun of the Dead, but due to my love of action flicks I’m going to go with Hot Fuzz as the better film. As a parody of buddy cop films, there was probably no better duo than Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The two manage to capture two unlikely friends and never delves into homosexual territory even when Angel is holding Butterman (in a nice reference to another flick on this list.) Doesn’t hurt the film is excellent either.

8. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – Kirk and Spock

The quintessential friendship, and one of them is half alien. Yet their relationship is ‘the most…human’ of any science-fiction duo. They’ve battled Romulans, Klingons, and even each other and yet though all of it you can’t help but get teary-eyed at the end of this film when they share one of their “last” moments. Oh, and as much as Shatner overacts, his speech at the end is golden.

7. The Lord of the Rings – Sam and Frodo

If anything, these two are going on here for that Hobbitsexual kiss Frodo lays on Sam in the twenty different endings of this film. Being fair though this is a wonderful tale of friendship that spans all three films. Samwise has multiple times he could just say the hell with it, yet he sticks by Frodo every step of the way. Things get uglier (literally) when Gollum shows up and tries to break this bromance up. As all things, good prevails and Sam sticks with his tied and true friend ‘til the end of it all. The books were better at conveying the relationship, but who doesn’t hear “My Heart Will Go On” when Sam, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin frolic and jump on the bed at the first of many endings to Return of the King?

6. Clerks – Dante and Randal

Before Evan and Seth, and even before Jay and Silent Bob there was Dante and Randal. In Smithian terms, Dante’s the bitch and Randal’s the butch. They really are that couple that should break up yet continue to stay together. Randal does absolutely everything he can to ruin Dante’s life and pester him, but that’s because he loves him so much. Dante knows this, which is why their marriage will be a long and unprosperous one. But really, they are two guys who shouldn’t be friends at all.

5. Top Gun – Peter ‘Maverick’ Mitchell and Every Male

It’s probably true the romance between Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis in this film was thrown in to remind everyone Maverick isn’t gay. True it’s a male dominated cast but it’s never felt so homoerotic than it does here. We have men shirtless playing volleyball (at least “Saved By The Bell” gave us Kelly and Lisa and Jesse in their volleyball match), and a handful of scenes of steamy men in nothing but towels. Not to mention Val Kilmer acts like he’s three steps away from macking out with Maverick in all of their scenes. Being fair, there is a nice friendship between Goose and Maverick which makes the fate of one of them tragic for the other. You just wonder how deep said character was hurt.

4. Lethal Weapon – Riggs and Murtaugh

Many will hail this as the best buddy cop film and they might be right. Everything works, especially the love Riggs and Murtaugh grow to have for the other. Instead of outright hating the other these two take the time to get to know the other and learn what’s good and bad about both. It’s done a lot subtler than recent films like say the Rush Hour series handled it. Edgar Wright said “there’s a real romance at the center of this film” and he’s right. By the end you feel these two have become the best of friends (as seen in the later installments) rather than the script forced them together.

3. Star Wars – Han Solo and Chewbacca

Han Solo has it easy for a number of reasons, the most of all being he’s got a giant tall walking carpet ready to rip arms out of their sockets. It’s always fun to try to guess what Chewie is saying given the responses Han gives to him. There’s levels of a kinship here like when Chewie screams in agony watching his long time friend be frozen in carbonite only to embrace him like a brother when he’s eventually set free. The two always have each others’ back through thick and thin, Chewie going so far as to strangle the life out of Lando for betraying him, Leia and his brother. Granted, I said Kirk and Spock where “the most human” of all science-fiction bromances, but we’re dealing with a Wookie and a human here, not someone who’s part human.

2. The Odd Couple – Felix and Oscar

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau started it all with this 1968 comedy adapted from Neil Simon’s 1965 play of the same name. If anything, it defines “bromance” well with two guys who drive the other absolutely insane but realize they in fact need each other. Writing a buddy comedy without seeing this film is like writing a vampire book without reading Dracula, disrespectful and retarded. It’s influence is felt today including on some of the relationships on this list, not to mention the TV spin-off, sequel, and an animated series.

1. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid

For my money every buddy cop film owes it’s due to this masterpiece. These are two guys who would live and die for the other, fight over the same woman, banter with the other, or robbing banks and trains with a grin. Like love and marriage, you can’t picture one without the other. Newman and Redford are terrific actors and it shines right through here and the pair play off each other wonderfully, so much so they re-teamed a few years later for The Sting. This though, is their defining legacy as a duo and has cemented a legacy that will be felt in the film world forever.