Hey! Is X-Men: First Class flying under your radar? Yeah, me too. I don’t think there’s going to be a middle ground with the flick. I appreciate the 1960’s vibe they’re taking, as well as the unique cast of characters. No Scott Summers? Ballsy. That said, the whole thing could backfire in an avalanche of suck.

Today some set photos dropped, featuring some impressive destruction and the inclusion of your favorite X-Vehicle.

Hit the jump for the crappy (in quality) pics. Yeah, I’m selling them hard.

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David O’Russell’s Oscar contender The Fighter hits theaters tomorrow and Paramount Pictures is doing some pretty sweet promotions – for a good cause. The film tells the story of Micky Ward, a boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts, and his junkie half-brother/trainer, Dickie Ecklund. Early reviews are strongly positive and critics are saying the film focuses more on Ward’s conflicts outside of the ring. One critic said it was less “hokey” than Rocky but lacked the intensity of Raging Bull. Sounds good to me.

Paramount did an art show at Gallery 1988 with The Fighter as its inspiration. Now some of the pieces are for sale. There are three different art prints going for the affordable price of $10. For our high-net-worth readers, there are some hand painted boxing gloves that will set you back $400-$1,000. The ones pictured above are by Californian Graham Curran. I love pissed off looking bears, so I love those gloves.

All proceeds from the sale will go to Team Micky Ward Charities. So, buy me those gloves and feel good about it.

I’m excited about The Wolverine. While it isn’t the first thing you’d think of when you conjure up Darren Aronofsky, I’m stoked to see what he can bring to such a huge franchise. He’s got such a unique touch that my naive ass thinks he can bring his own feel to the typically typical huge tentpole movies. Hugh Jackson is totally feeling me.

Slashfilm via EW:

He’s a visionary. I’ve been trying to get Darren since X-Men 3, really. We’ve been talking about this and Wolverine for so long.

[cont]

…we had a meeting about three weeks ago, catching up as friends more than anything, and he just ran a few ideas by me and my eyes just lit up, because already I think this is like a whole new ballgame — just the ideas, the level of depth, and intelligence, and creativity. I think he’s been waiting so long to do a movie in this genre. When he found the script, he said this is it. It’s really exciting.

Jackman and Aronofsky teamed up for The Fountain. And while it’s my least favorite of his movies, it did enough to jerk off my ocular glands that I came out entertained. Let’s see what the duo came bring about in this flick. I mean, Christ, it can’t be worse than the first Wolverine movie.

Visual designer Steve Johnson dropped these Superman designs on his Facebook claiming they were from a Bryan Singer Superman movie that never came to be, or a sequel that never materialized. But over at Comics Alliance, they postulate that these sons a bitches were from a J.J. Abrams movie that never got underway, since they bare the title “Flyby” which apparently he was working under.

I like me some J.J. Abrams. Even more than that, I dislike me some Superman Returns by Bryan Singer. Oh, if only Abrams got a shot. Or maybe the script sucked, I never saw it.

I don’t know. All I do know is that these costumes are way better than the low-riding ass clown outfit Singer had Routh wear. And they’re a zillion times better than the Tim Burton conjured abortions for his flick that never came about.

Hit the jump for the designs.

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..Sort of? Psyche! Total tabloid title there. But yeah, this is a look at Emma Stone with blond hair. Stone, a natural blond is known for rocking a firey mane. But with Stacy being an Aryan posterchild, she took it back to her roots. Literally! LOL, I’m a comedian. Puns ahoy!

But seriously, she looks fucking gorgeous. And very Gwen Stacy. I’m sold, super sold. I was sold before, and now I’m doubling-down. A double order of yes.

Hit the jump for more pictures of her loving ridiculously Gwen Stacy-esque.

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Last month the rumor dropped that the villain for The Dark Knight Rises was going to be Dr. Hugo Strange. The good doctor would be played by Tom Hardy, who could get his Bronson on and act like a truly scary motherfucker. Today those rumor got a be thicker. A bit juicier. A bit more substantial. Something meaty for you to suck on.

In other words, it may have been confirmed.

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Is there a 2011 movie I’m more excited about than Rian Johnson’s Looper? No, dummy. Johnson’s one of the most original and exciting new directors to come along in years. His 2006 debut Brick is infinitely rewatchable and quickly became one of my favorite movies. 2008’s Brothers Bloom was a hit or miss with critics, but I loved it. Johnson’s a master of toying with genre and as a HUGE noir/crime/con movie fan I can appreciate anyone who comes at it fresh and original. With his first two films he covered the hardboiled detective film and the con film. With Looper, my man’s going sci-fi.

Looper is a “dark, violent sci-fi thriller revolving around time travel.” Paul Dano joins Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a Looper, a “low-level hitmen paid to murder people sent back from the future by organized crime bosses.” (via Playlist) Also signed on for the film is Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt. The addition of Dano pleases me. Anyon who can go toe-to-toe with Daniel Day Lewis needs to be in more awesome movies.

Shooting begins early next year in Louisiana so don’t expect to see Looper in theaters until late next year. Can’t f’ing wait.

While everyone is busy sweating Batman rumors, I’ll watch Baby Inception on repeat. You can’t script the amazing pay-off at the end.

Well, we saw this shit coming, didn’t we? I always imagined that Nolan would only be up for three Batman flicks. He’d complete the storyline he wanted to tell, throw the deuces up to everyone, and ride off into the sunset.   This idea of mine was only strengthened by a recent report that Nolan told Bale he’d be like totally done playing Bruce Wayne after the next flick. And then, news came out today where Nolan up and confirmed it.

EW via Slashfilm:

I feel very glad that I’m doing another Batman film. I think it would have been daunting to sit down and write an original script after Inception. I love working within the realm and rules of our Batman world. It’s kind of nice to have someplace to go that I’m super-excited about.

I must say that I’m glad – I’m very, very glad – to be embarking on the last chapter of our Batman saga without any sense of obligation or duty to the studio. They did very well with Inception. So I’m able to go into finishing our story in a very enthusiastic way.

I’m happy as hell with this news. It gives Nolan and the cast to go out in a blaze of glory in their final installment. Wrap everything up, leave their stamp on the universe, and then laugh as they watch other people try and top them. Sure, the franchise ain’t going to die. Way too much money. And maybe Nolan would even have made a better fourth movie than whoever comes next. But as Rendarbones Frankenpepsi says, perhaps there’s something to going out on top. Riding off into the sunset.

Thoughts? Impressions? Hit the comments box.

Sometimes I watch movies without Nic Cage in them. They’re usually really bad. I refuse to suffer alone. Welcome to Omega Sinema.

The Secret of Magic Island is a 1956 kiddie matinee movie from France with a cast made up entirely of animals. And it’s awesome. I don’t need a plot in order to enjoy watching a dog tend bar and a fox wash a rooster, but there is one. A “villainous space-age” monkey steals a good fairy’s magic wand that bestows on him power over the elements. Two brave ducklings travel via hot-air balloon to the monkey’s island to end his reign of elemental terror. I think. See, there is no known English-language print of the movie. The bootleg I watched was in Swedish. It honestly could have been in German (I hate German) and I still would have watched it. It’s the most adorable one hour of anything ever. It’s cutesploitation!

The first 10 minutes consists of a duck driving around a village and delivering mail. The first thing he does? Get drunk at Cafe Billiards! The proprietor of the cafe is the boxer puppy in the above picture. He’s just lamping behind the bar, reading the newspaper, and drinking lager with a duck. This movie rules already! The duck finishes then drives past a house filled with bunnies, then an inventor dog, and then a sawmill run by a pig. It is a fucking paradise.

Then he drops by the home of a kitten playing a church organ…I could just keep going on like this – listing the incredible marvels that await you on Magic Island. But instead I’m going to suggest you hunt down a torrent for yourself. You won’t regret it. Next time you fight with your girlfriend, just put on Magic Island. Next time the results come back positive, put on Magic Island.

It’s a balm for your heart.