Concept Art: How Some Of The Most Iconic Movie Characters Of All Time SHOULD Have Looked

Concept art and early storyboards are fascinating to me, as they often give an insight into what a film was intended to be like during the early stages of development. Things often change, sometimes for the best and sometimes for the worst. One thing is certain, and that whether things get changed or not when you look at these early sketches you are seeing what initially lead to the film getting made. Someone posted a killer Imgur gallery of some dope concept art sketches of iconic movie characters and I must say I am very torn. some of the concept art looks way better than the finished products (Silver Surfer & Spidey come to mind) while others look silly (most of the Star Wars stuff) and was changed for the best. They are all cool, so check em out after the jump...

Class of '63 by Robert Atkins & Simon Gough

I am a sucker for the original X-Men... you know, the real First Class. There is something about those iconic costumes and that team lineup that I just love so much. Angel, Iceman, Beast, Cyclops & Marvel Girl were an amazing team, and having Professor X as a very involved leader only made things better. Artist Robert Atkins puts together a beautifully drawn piece that was colored by Simon Gough. I feel like this piece just works magnificently. Click after the jump to see the piece full size...

5 Reasons X-Men: First Class May Be The Best X-Movie Ever...

L to R: Banshee, Magneto, Mystique, Moira MacTaggert, Beast, Professor X, and Havok

I have been mildly looking forward to Matthew Vaughn's 'X-Men:First Class'. I loved 'Kick Ass', and 'Layer Cake' is one of my favorite movies ever. EVER. This is the guy who jump started the illustrious career of Guy Ritchie as his producer on 'Lock Stock..' and 'Snatch', and helped Daniel Craig become the leading man that would become James Bond (you really have to see 'Layer Cake', it is phenomenal). This guy makes great movies. Point blank. But with the wide reaching cast and the inclusion of some questionable character choices over characters who SHOULD have been in the movie, I was worried that this would be the 3rd or 4th best comic book movie released THIS SUMMER... and that couldn't be further from the truth. 'Thor' was great, but pales in comparison to this wonderful movie. And if 'Green Lantern' & 'Capt. America' are going to beat this one out, we are in for two great fucking movies. This is as perfect a movie as one could expect to see.

Best Friends, Future Enemies: Professor X and Magneto

I know, I know... this seems like high praise. But know this: I do not say any of these things lightly. I am writing this while the movie is still super fresh in my head. I still can't believe HOW good a job they did on it. In classic CCD style, I am going to give you 5 things that the gang in 'X-Men: First Class' knocked out of the box. I will stay away from spoilers (I am a weirdo who still goes to midnight premieres like a teenager, and the movie opens wide today!). Here we go:

5 Great Things About X-Men: First Class

1.  The characters are younger and dealing with their new powers. Most of them are in their late teens or early 20's. Even Magneto and Professor X have a certain newbie sense to their powers even though they are older then the rest of the cast. Yet Vaughn didn't downplay this. He didn't make them perfect little characters who have no problem adjusting to their new found powers.Quite the opposite, they play up their fears and insecurities. This is especially true with Magneto, who Michael Fassbender plays magnificently. He is far from the confident Magneto we have seen Sir Ian McKellan portray so well.... yet their are shades of that future character that can be seen and it makes it awesome. 
2. The powers that these guys and gals display are awesome, but I have to give credit to Vaughn and the rest of the special effects crew for making this movie so visually stunning. I was super impressed with Banshee and Havok. These characters had costumes and powers that are IDENTICAL to their comic book versions, yet their costumes are made more practical. I loved how they showed Banshee's scream and I loved how Havok's energy blasts look very similar to Cyclops's (his brother) eye blasts from the past X movies, albeit it out of control (hence the name Havok).
3. The villains in this movie are just so great. Kevin Bacon is really coming into his own as a villain. This guy has that sinister streak in him that made him such a great piece of shit as a child molester in 'Sleepers', and this is his second awesome villain role of the year (the first was in James Gunn's 'Super', in which Bacon plays an awesome drug lord). I also liked the way Vaughn worked in second and third tier characters like Azazel and Riptide. These guys are real villains from the comics (even if you do not know who they are) and were far better served then rehashing Toad, Blob or Sabretooth. And lets not even talk about the mesmerizing January Jones, who brought the lovely Emma Frost to life. She played her masterfully, and I thought she made the characters skimpy outfits seem very practical and provided some of the best lines of the movie.
4. I also loved the characters that were chosen for this movie. Vaughn had talked about the continuity issues that have plagued this franchise, and he has said this was an attempt at rectifying as much of that as possible. So including characters like Azazel (who will later become Nightcrawler's Dad with Mystique) and Havok (Alex Summers, Cyclops's brother) seems to be a  nod to how those characters will come to be in the X-Men movie universe. There was some criticism for including newer characters from the comic book like Darwin or Angel in a story set in the 1960's, yet I thought this was a genius move. These characters are supporting at best, and they were needed for the roles the play (no spoilers... I swear!). A main character couldn't have filled the roles these two did, so kudos for including a lesser known character to drive the story. At least they stopped making up random characters just for the movie despite the fact there are 100's of characters in the X-Men universe. 
5. Making this movie a period piece was genius. Pure genius. The swinging 60's are in full effect, from Xavier's drinking and womanizing one liners to the awesome short dresses and high boots of Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and Emma Frost (January Jones). I loved the clothing, the look of the CIA agents (black suit and tie, so uniform), and Sebastian Shaw's ever changing look (despite the fact he doesn't age, he changes his hair and dress quite a bit). I also liked the fact that Vaughn embraced the inclusion of alcohol in the movie. There is rarely a scene in which the characters are not drinking, and anyone who watches 'Mad Men' knows that the 60's was all about the scotch and martini's baby!!! I also liked the Austin Power-esque party going on at the Hellfire Club... very well done. The movie felt right, it never felt like it was shoehorned into the 1960's. That was the key to the film for me.

Professor X & Magneto in a strip club with a mutant stripper? This ain't your daddies X-Men Movie!

I hope these 5 reasons help you to choose and see this film. It truly is great. There are some great cameos, key plot developments, and some great explanations for tons of things in the X-Men universe (so that's where Magneto got that helmet... interesting). I will talk about the film more in depth at a later date, but for now I leave you with this: If you want to see a great movie (not a great superhero movie, a great movie!!!) this summer, this is your chance. I hope you take my advice. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

X-Men: First Class Proves It's Quality In The Details

I know some people are concerned over the new X-Men movie. Is it going to continue with the continuity mistakes of it's predecessors, why are certain characters in it, etc. But they seemed to have gotten one thing right, and it's enough for me: January Jones playing Emma Frost!!!

Frost often walks around in lingerie and is the sex symbol of the Marvel Universe. Blonde, buxom, and almost always 3/4 naked, I wondered how they could portray this on the big screen:

So the first step was casting the stunning January Jones (from Mad Men and my dreams) as Frost. The Blonde Bombshell is a perfect fit. Next, they had to slut her up in some lingerie based outfits. Here are a few stills:

Yup... looks about right to me!!! I'm in. Midnight show tonite... whose coming with!!!!

Jennifer Lawrence Does GQ... Good Lawd!!!

Here is Jennifer Lawrence, star of last years Academy Award nominated Winters Bone and the upcoming X-Men: First Class & the soon to be huge Hunger Games franchise. This girl is a hottie... no need to buy the GQ mag, here is the four photos of Ms. Lawrence.

OHC of the Day: January Jones

Whoa... hold on a second. Before I get hit with all types of backlash for featuring January Jones in the OBSCURE HOT CHICK category, at least let me explain my thought process. Sure, Ms. Jones is stunning and has been on the hit show 'Mad Men' for the past four years now. Here is the thing though... I don't watch 'Mad Men' and since that is pretty much all this gorgeous specimen has done besides a bazillion magazine spreads (... and I know I am not the only one who doesn't watch the show), than doesn't that qualify her? 'Mad Men' is the most successful show that I know about that so many people say they want to watch but don't. Maybe it's because its a summer show, maybe because it's on AMC. I'm not sure... but now Season 5 has been delayed. That means more time for January to explore more film projects. In the past off season she has been quite busy and now she has a full slate of movie releases ready for this year. First up on June 3rd, she takes on the role as the sexy Emma Frost in 'X-Men: First Class'... and given the penchant that Frost has for wearing sexy clothing, I am quite excited. Then she will star alongside Liam Nielsen & Diane Kruger in 'Unknown', which is being billed as another 'Taken' type movie for Nielsen (and that one was super successful). Finally sometime in 2011, she has a starring role alongside Nic Cage & Guy Pearce in 'The Hungry Rabbit Jumps'.  That one sounds really crazy. These film projects are what will put January Jones over the top and make that beautiful face much more recognizable.  Eventually, 'Mad Men' will be back for season 5... 'til then try to let these pics tide you over!

***Click Read more below to see more pics of January Jones***

OHC of the Day: Rose Byrne

Most actresses are hoping by the time they are 31 they will be a household name... but this is a new era of Hollywood, and according to Jay-Z 30 is the new 20... if that is true, then Rose Byrne is right where she needs to be. To be fair, most of you guys have seen Rose on the big screen. She has been in a ton of shit. She played a small part as Padme's handmaiden in 'Attack of the Clones', she was in big budget flicks like 'Troy' & 'Knowing', was in Indie fare like Sofia Coppola's 'Marie Antoinette', and is one of Danny Boyle's go-to actresses having appeared in 'Sunshine' & '28 Weeks Later'. She has also been starring opposite Glenn Close on FX's 'Damages', which I have never watched but is always raved about by everyone who does. So her resume is deep. Yet most of you will only be able to recognize her as Aldous Snow's baby mama Jackie Q in 'Get Him To The Greek'. That  is all about to change. She is starring in James Wan's (The creator of the 'Saw' franchise) new horror flick 'Insidious', then she is in the all star, all girl comedy 'Bridesmaids' opposite Kristen Wiig & Maya Rudolph, and the she finishes off the trifecta by portraying Moira McTaggert in Matthew Vaughn's 'X-Men: First Class'. Let's see if you can't match a name to this beautifyl face after those three roles. I don't think that will be the case. Congrats Rose, success has been a long time coming.

***Please click Read more below for more pics of the lovely Ms. Byrne***

I Like The Blue & Yellow Suits, But Thats About It...

Sooooo.... here is the first official picture of the First Class of X Men... you know, from 'X Men: First Class' (See what I did there... that's called clever!!!). I must truly say that I am not at all impressed. Let me take that back... I'm not nearly impressed as I thought I would be. Here it is:

Left to right: Michael Fassbender as 'Magneto', that's Rose Byrne as 'Dr. Moira McTaggart', January Jones as 'Emma Frost', Jason Flemyng as 'Azazel', the kid who plays the Beast as Beast (right), then Lucas Till as 'Havo'k, Zoe Kravitz as 'Angel' (?), Mystique and of course James McAvoy as a be-haired Professor X. (Thank you Topless Robot for those names... jack move son!!!)

What are your thoughts? I am a bit taken aback by Mystique considering how she looks like a downgrade from the previous X franchise movies, and I don't know how I feel about Professor X with hair (weird right?). Tell us how you feel in the comment section below.

OHC of the Day: Jennifer Lawrence

Here at CCD we love ourselves some Obscure Hot Chicks, or OHC for short. Usually these gorgeous women are on their way up the ladder to stardom when we feature them. I have been doing these for quite awhile, and never have I ever come across someone that was so bound for stardom as Jennifer Lawrence. Who s Jennifer Lawrence you ask? Trust me, there is no way you will be able to not know the answer to that in a year. She got her big break on The Bill Engvall Show, where she starred as the Blue Collar Comedians teenage daughter. She auditioned for the roles of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) & Rosalie Hale (Nikki Reed), but didn't get those. Who would have ever thought that missing out on those monster roles in the Twilight franchise might have been the best thing that ever happened to her. Her current breakout role is in Winter's Bone, which I can not wait to see. It screened at Sundance last year and is getting some serious Oscar buzz. She also has the role of Mystique in the upcoming X-Men: First Class, a leading role in the horror film At The End Of The Street, and will star opposite Mel Gibson in The Beaver. Those are some big flicks, and some sure fire hits. Between those films and a potential Oscar nod, Ms. Lawrence is about to be real familiar to all you guys... for know, just enjoy these 40 pics.

***Please click Read more below for more Jennifer Lawrence pics***