Cool Art: 'Diamond Mines' by Steve Thomas

Whistle while you work with the Seven Dwarfs as they mine for precious gems, with this new Disney travel poster print by Steve Thomas from Acme Archives. 

They are available as limited edition prints (13" x 19" at $89) and canvas (14" x 21" at $225). All come signed and numbered with a certificate of authenticity. 

Go here to buy.

Book Review: 'The Locket Thief' by Daniel Patrick

In the clouds above Dalmacia, the Sky Thieves rule. Robbing, cheating, murdering - their airships buzz around the city like wasps around a jar of honey. One ship above all inspires terror. Its captain, Lendon Sora, has found the prey he's been stalking for a decade and is about to claim his bounty.

Down on the surface, Lara DeLarose is oblivious. Bored with her life at the orphanage, she spends her time searching for new ways to cause trouble until one day she makes a discovery that sends her hurtling into the murky world of the Sky Thieves.

I really enjoyed this from Daniel Patrick. 'The Locket Thief' is the first in 'The Sky Thieves' series, and if the rest of the series is as good as the start then it'll definitely be a series to watch.

The story charts the adventures of Lara DeLarose, our young protagonist, from the roof of the orphanage where we first meet her, and as we follow her adventures aboard the airship 'Robin Hood'. Right from the off, you instantly take to the characters and become totally engrossed in the story, set in a believable world of sky pirates and their airships. In fact, I could easily imagine this as something from Studio Ghibli!

By the end of 'The Locket Thief' I'm very keen to see what happens to Lara and those aboard the Robin Hood on their next adventure. Highly recommended!

***** out of 5

Book Review: 'Michael Whelan's Works Of Wonder'

Michael Whelan is one of my (many) favourite sci-fi / fantasy artists and 'Work's Of Wonder' is a very apt title and showcases some of his well known illustrated book covers. I'm very happy to have got my hands on this book, albeit second hand.

Inside this 108 page hardcover artbook, originally published in 1987, if you're a fan of fantasy or science fiction then you'll probably recognise some of the covers collected in this volume. Covers from the books of authors like Alan Dean Foster, Piers Anthony, Arthur C Clarke, plus of course the covers for Isaac Asimov's 'Foundation' series (Asimov also wrote the foreward), Anne McCaffrey's 'Pern' series and Edgar Rice Burroughs' 'Martian Tales'.

Accompanying each colour panel is a brief paragraph or two that describe what Michael was attempting to do and how the finished artwork turned out, plus some of the initial preliminary sketches as well.

It's perhaps not as in depth as it can be (I have another Michael Whelan artbook on order), but if you enjoy science fiction and fantasy art, then this book is very much recommended.

***** out of 5

Cool Art: 'Die Another Day' by Mike Mahle

Another cool James Bond pinup poster by Mike Mahle.

Cool Art: 'Griz - Rebel Era' Album Cover By Kilian Eng

'Griz - Rebel Era' album cover by Kilian Eng

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Short Films By Neill Blomkamp

With 'District 9' and now 'Elysium' under his cinematic belt, here are a few early short films from director Neill Blomkamp.

'Tetra Vaal' (2004)
Tetra Vaal is a mocked-up advertisement for robotic police.



'Alive In Joburg' (2005)
The film explores themes of apartheid and is noted for its visual effects as well as its documentary-style imagery, that would later be expanded upon in Blomkamp's 2009 feature film District 9.



'Tempbot' (2006)
Directed by Neill Blomkamp and written by Mark Fitzloff. 'Tempbot' is an Office Space-esque spoof.



'Yellow' (2006)
Adidas created a film series celebrating colour, customisation and personal expression. Each director was given a blank canvas to create a short film based on their emotional and creative response to a given colour - Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Pink, Black or White. Neill Blomkamp took on yellow.



'Halo: Landfall' (2007)
Director Neill Blomkamp explores the lives of Marines and ODSTs on a last, desperate mission in a post-invasion Earth - a mission that may secure the salvation, or usher in the destruction of the entire galaxy.

Cool Art: 'Star Trek Generations' by Matt Ferguson

Cool blog CromeYellow is back with their 'Reel Rewind' series of the Star Trek movies. Having previously gone through the original cast Star Trek movies, their attention now turns to the Next Generation series of movies of Jean-Luc Picard and his crew. The first movie is 'Star Trek Generations'.

And with the return of the 'Reel Rewind', there is also a return to a wonderful matching poster from the awesome Matt Ferguson.

You can check out the brilliant poster below, and go here to see what CromeYellow thought of the movie!

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Cool Art: 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' by Godmachine

'Bram Stoker’s Dracula' by Godmachine is available as an 18″ x 24″ screenprint, and in a numbered limited edition of 50. It costs £25.

Go to the FrightFest Originals website to buy the print.

Tracklist For The 'Doctor Who' Series 7 Soundtrack

The soundtrack for 'Doctor Who' Series 7, composed by Murray Gold and performed by the BBC National Orchestra Of Wales and conducted by Tim Foster, will be released on September 9th in the UK. The two CD set will feature 74 tracks featured from Series 7.

Check out the full tracklist below.

DISC ONE
Asylum of the Daleks
  1 They Are Everywhere
  2 Save Us
  3 Dalek Parliament
  4 Towards The Asylum
  5 A Probe In The Snow
  6 Amy And Rory Together
  7 The Terrible Truth

Dinosaurs On A Spaceship
  8 Dinosaurs On A Spaceship / Pterodactyls
  9 Brian
10 Take A Ride On Tricey

A Town Called Mercy
11 Make Peace
12 Welcome To Mercy
13 Out West
14 Gunslingers
15 The Salvation Of Kahler Jex
16 Our Little Town’s Prosecutor

The Power of Three
17 Cubes
18 While We Waited
19 Brian’s Log

The Angels Take Manhattan
20 New York New York
21 I Am You
22 Melody Malone
23 Little Angels
24 My Husband’s Home
25 Hide The Damage
26 Together Or Not At All - The Song Of Amy And Rory
27 Goodbye Pond

The Bells of Saint John
28 Cumbria 1207
29 Monking About
30 Spoonheads
31 Clara?
32 A Turbulent Flight
33 Bah Bah Biker
34 Up The Shard
35 I Might Change My Mind

DISC TWO

The Rings of Akhaten
  1 The Leaf
  2 Something Awesome
  3 Market Day
  4 Merry Gejelh
  5 God of Akhaten
  6 The Speeder
  7 Never Wake
  8 The Long Song
  9 Infinite Potential
10 Always You, Never A Replacement

Cold War
11 Cold War
12 Skaldak

Hide
13 I Am A Ghost

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS
14 A Machine That Makes Machines

The Crimson Horror
15 Crimson Horror
16 Sweetville
17 Thomas Thomas

Nightmare in Silver
18 Hedgewick's World
19 Tiberian Spiral Galaxy
20 Upgrade In Progress
21 The Dream Of Cyberia
22 What A Brain
23 Can’t Win
24 Your Orders Come From Me
25 Other Good News
26 The Impossible Girl
27 Cyber Amy
28 The Emperor’s Wife
29 Some Wednesday

The Name of the Doctor
30 To Save The Doctor
31 A Letter To Clara
32 What Is His Name?
33 A Secret He Will Take To His Grave
34 Trenzalore
35 I Am Information
36 Pain Everlasting
37 Remember Me
38 Glasgow [Bonus track for iTunes]
39 Whisper Men [Bonus track for iTunes]

Kick-Ass Saves Hit Girl - Sweded

This week, the guys from Homemade Movies take on the epic climax from the original 'Kick-Ass' movie, Dustin McLean recreates the rocket launcher explosion using cardboard, fire sparklers and video projectors.

As always you can check out the side by side comparison and the behind the scenes.

Cool Art: 'Indocea' by Fin DAC

'Indocea' is a new print from Fin DAC coming soon. It is an 18″ x 18″ Giclee, signed and numbered limited edition available in 3 colourways (Orange, Purple and Pink), and cost £45 each available for pre-order at Laminate Most Wanted.

Go here to pre-order.
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Orange Edition

Cool Art: Cover Art & Trailer For The Comic Adaptation Of George Lucas' 'The Star Wars' Script

'The Star Wars', an eight-issue comic launching September 4 from Dark Horse Comics, is an adaptation of George Lucas' first rough draft from May 1974 of a story that imagines galactic drama between an all-encompassing Empire, the fledgling rebel alliance forming to fight it, an ancient order of Jedi and the evil Sith warriors tapped to wipe out those Jedi. It's Star Wars, but not as we know it today. If you got a copy of the preview issue on Free Comic Book Day on May 4 you'll have an idea of what to expect.

Princess Leia still needs saving; the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 (who actually talks) are there, as is Chewbacca; and the Jedi mentor-apprentice relationship of Obi-Wan Kenobi and farmboy Luke Skywalker is replaced by that of wizened war vet Luke Skywalker and farmboy Annikin Starkiller. Han Solo is a green lizard and there are no lightsabres, just laser swords.

And there's also a different opening titles crawl (cue John Williams opening theme):

The Star Wars 

Until the recent Great Rebellion,

the Dai Nogas were the most feared

warriors in the universe. For one

hundred thousand years, generations

of Dai perfected their art as the

personal bodyguards of the King.

They were the chief architects of

the invincible Royal Space Force,

which expanded the King's power

across the galaxy from the celestial

equator to the farthest stars.

Now these legendary warriors are all

but extinct. One by one, they have

been hunted down and destroyed as

enemies of the New Galactic Kingdom

by a ferocious and sinister rival

warrior sect, the Legions Of Lettow.

'The Star Wars' is written by JW Rinzler and illustrated by Mike Mayhew and out on September 4 from Dark Horse Comics.

Check out the cover art for the first two issues and a trailer too below.

'The Star Wars' #1 by Nick Runge

Cool Art: Print Club London presents 'Film4 Summer Screen' Art Exhibition at Somerset House

This month sees Print Club London launch their 'Film4 Summer Screen' art exhibition at Somerset House, with 16 new and original screen prints, inspired by the each of the films being screened this year, from some of the most talented and innovative illustrators from the UK and USA.

Some of the illustrators include Joe Wilson, Kate Gibb (creator of Chemical Brothers album artwork), Anthony Burrill, James Joyce and Michael Gillette as well as newcomers Hattie Stewart and Serge Seidlitz.

All the prints are produced in limited editions of 200, signed by the artist and available to buy at £40 each. The exhibition will be open daily until late throughout the Film4 Summer Screen at Somerset House season, which runs until August 23, they also ship internationally.

Go here to buy the prints.

Check out the 16 prints below.

'Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid' by Kate Gibb

Animated Short: What if Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro shared an apartment?

What if actor Ron Perlman and director Guillermo del Toro shared an apartment? Most likely, they'd get into an intense conversation about flip-up sunglasses and outlet malls. At least that's how L/Studio imagines it.

Friendship All-Stars is an animated series following the gloriously mundane lives of celebrity roommates who live in the same apartment building.

Check out another 'Friendship All Stars' video where John Lasseter and Luis Guzman have a Hawaiian Shirt Off!

Subscribe to L/Studio for more videos.


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Kickstarter: 'Future Filmgeekdom: Ain't It Cool with Harry Knowles'

I love people that are passionate in the things that they enjoy!

Starting his Ain't It Cool News website back in 1996, based in Austin, Texas, it's safe to say that Harry Knowles is very passionate about film! Between Harry and his co-writers at Ain't It Cool News, they view, review, analyze, and discuss more films than they can count. And then do it again!

"We care about film history, film futures, the indie industry, the studio industry, the stories behind the movies, the stories behind the stories! And so do the almost 1 million visitors who are on our site daily. If you have ever loved a film, hated a film, wanted to make a film, or are a filmmaker already, then you are one of us."

Season 1 of 'Ain't It Cool With Harry Knowles' debuted on the Nerdist YouTube channel, and earned them an International Academy of Web Television nomination in the process, and now they plan to go indie with Season 2. And that is where this Kickstarter comes in. The $100k funding they aim to raise will allow them to keep the magical movie basement studio set and to improve and expand it to allow a studio audience! Season 2 episodes feature interviews from Wes Craven, Danny Boyle, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Campbell, Fede Alvarez, Jane Levy and Tony Danza already in the can, and an ever expanding slate of guests as they take advantage of the incredible access that Austin provides, from Fantastic Fest to the Austin Film Festival to Butt-Numb-A-Thon to SXSW 2014.

With an incredible studio space, a dedicated crew and an unparalled lineup of guests, along with other major surprises the extra funds from this Kickstarter will help to make this all a reality!

Go here for more information and to pledge to this Kickstarter.



Check out the highlights from the first season.

Sci-Fi Short Film: 'AMP' by Triton Films

'AMP' by Triton Films. Written and directed by Adam Marisett.

10 years after leaving a war his father started, Quinn and Amp live in the slums selling illegal custom-tech just to afford the batteries that keep Amp alive. 

When an old childhood friend tracks him down, Quinn is confronted with the dilemma of choosing to remain idle in a city run by the corrupt Coreley Corporation or finally finish the war he never wanted to be a part of.

Cool Art: 'The Secret of Nimh' by Mark Lone

Odd City Entertainment has teamed up with Mark Lone to produce a poster for 'The Secret of Nimh', the 1982 animated film directed by Don Bluth, that goes on sale tomorrow (August 8).

The poster is a 36" x 24" 10 colour screenprint with 3 metallic inks, in a limited edition of 140, and costs $55. Follow @OddCityNews on Twitter for the exact on sale time tomorrow.

"Being a fan of 80′s animation, I must admit, I wore out my VHS tape of The Secret of NIMH, my favorite Don Bluth movie. I learned so much during the process of making this piece while studying as much as I could from the movie concept sketches and character designs (some even by Don himself). I realized after starting this print that I have always drawn owls (and I have drawn a few of owls) very dark and ominous, much like “the great owl”… it was at that point I recognized how much this movie had impacted my artistic style subconsciously, even when I was a kid. So thank you to everyone involved with the making of such a great movie."

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Trailer For 'Thor: The Dark World'

'Thor: The Dark World' is in cinemas October 30 (UK) and November 8 (US).

Kickstarter: 'Reality Check' - A Sci-Fi Short From Chris Buchal

Do you want to see a sci-fi short that is "visually awesome and emotionally engaging"? One that features a strong female as the lead antagonist, in a study of what someone will do to get ahead, and what they will leave behind to get there, with some time travel thrown into the mix. A tale of violence, love, relationships, deceit, told in a visually-kinetic style, and with a suspenseful story;

Elion (Cora Benesh - City Baby, Portlandia) is an insurance agent who time-travels to check the validity of insurance claims. A job known as “The Watcher,” Elion, has one last assignment as a “Watcher,” which if she can solve will lead to a promotion. 

The reward? Elion will gain the ability to take her own time trip and gain information as to the whereabouts of her missing family, and the inner workings of Reality Check. She discovers along the way that corruption begins on a personal level. A decision she makes in the past will change the course of her future forever.

Billed as "Think "Memento" meets "Minority Report," or "Primer" and "Twelve Monkeys," all within 15 minutes. A style best described as a glass of Hitchcock, a splash of Aronofsky, and a slice of Christopher Nolan", if this is something that you want to see, then 'Reality Check', a Kickstarter project from Chris Buchal, could be something for you!

Check out the pitch video below. And go here to pledge for this project.

To find out more and to stay up to date with 'Reality Check' go to: www.yourfutureissafewithus.com or follow their Facebook page.

New Poster And Trailer For 'Ender's Game'

Not read the book but I did enjoy the unabridged audiobook, and have to say that I'm looking forward to seeing this. Although, once again, it's another trailer that kind of gives the story and ending away, so watch at your peril.

'Ender's Game' is out in cinemas October 25 (UK) and November 1 (US).