Check out X-Men: First Class concept art by James Carson!

X-Men: First Class (2011) has gotten mostly positive reviews, with the site Rotten Tomatoesgiving it a 88% positive rating. The critical consensus is that "with a strong script, stylish direction, and powerful performances from its well-rounded cast, X-Men: First Class is a welcome return to form for the franchise."

James Carson is one of the many artists who helped director Matthew Vaughn visualize the extremely complicated visual effects and sets of the film.

Carson is a professional concept/storyboard artist who's worked on blockbuster movies like Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Spider-Man (2002) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006).
 
Check out the rest of the images after the jump and click to enlarge.

MIB Headquarters

See more of James Carson's illustrations at http://www.jamescarsondesign.com.
 
Click on the links if you want to see more of James Carson's work and X-Men: First Class on my blog.

What do you think of the concept art? If you've seen X-Men: First Class what did you think?  

Official X-Men: First Class Synopsis
Directed by Matthew Vaughn X-Men: First Class is the thrilling, eye-opening chapter you’ve been waiting for...Witness the beginning of the X-Men Universe. Before Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their superhuman powers for the first time, working together in a desperate attempt to stop the Hellfire Club and a global nuclear war. Based on X-Men by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Cinematography by John Mathieson
Production Design by Chris Seagers
Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon

© Copyright 2011 20th Century Fox, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Donners' Company, Marv Films. All rights reserved

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Check out 2001: A Space Odyssey concept art by Harry Lange!

Every Friday I feature artwork from a classic of science fiction film. This week's "Flashback Friday" post is on 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

2001: A Space Odyssey is a masterpiece of science fiction cinema and one of director Stanley Kubrick's greatest works.

Harry Lange - along with Anthony Masters and Ernest Archer - was nominated for the Academy Award for "Best Art Direction" and won a BAFTA thanks to this film.

Hans "Harry" Kurt Lange, who sadly passed away in 2008, was a professional illustrator, film production designer and art director. He worked on many classics of science fiction including on all three of the Star Wars films, Superman II (1980) and The Dark Crystal (1982).

These images are from his site www.harry-lange.org.uk which is run by his son John. These illustrations were also shown in the Museum of Oxford's 2001 exhibition.

Check out the rest of the pictures after the jump (click to enlarge).


Lange, who was a former NASA illustrator, told BBC what it was like to work with Kubrick on the film.

"I was virtually the first person, and the last person, to work on the project with Stanley Kubrick. I got along with him very well. He was an absolute stickler for detail and a good taskmaster. That was fine with me, because I was new to filmmaking.

"I met Stanley through Arthur C Clarke - a friend from my NASA days - who told me he was collaborating with Kubrick on filming one of his stories.

"Late that night, I got a phone call from Stanley, saying he'd like to meet me the next morning at his penthouse overlooking Central Park.

"He looked at my artwork and said: 'I can get better illustrators in New York for a dime a dozen - but they don't have your ability plus your scientific background. Would you be interested in designing the ships for this film?'

"These had to be designed as if they could travel to the edge of the Solar System and beyond."

Compare what the suit looked like in the final film to the concept art:

See more of Harry Lange's work at www.harry-lange.org.uk.

Click on the links if you want to see more of Harry Lange's illustrations and 2001: A Space Odyssey on my blog.

What do you think of the storyboards? If you've seen 2001: A Space Odyssey what did you think?

Follow @filmsketchr

Official 2001: A Space Odyssey Description
A Kubrick masterpiece that spans from the dawn of man to it's title year when an alien artifact is found on the moon. An expedition is launched to Jupiter to track it's origins.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth
Producton Design by Ernest Archer, Anthony Masters, Harry Lange

Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Douglas Rain

Release date: April 2, 1968 (USA)

Official Site: http://kubrickfilms.warnerbros.com

© Copyright 1968 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros Pictures. All rights reserved

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Check out Akira concept art by Howard Lau!

Update: The artist lists the director for this project as Jaume Collet-Serra.

Akira (1988) is a landmark in animated film and they've been trying to make a live-action film out of it for years.

Warner Bros shut down the planned live-action Akira film back in 2012, but Varietyis reporting that Jaume Collet-Serra is in talks to begin production again in 2014. I've shared concept art from Akira before, but now I've found some concept art from when Howard Lau was working on the film. Howard Lau helped design the make-up FX pitch for the telepathic Espers.

Lau is a professional concept and makeup artist who's worked on Hollywood films like I, Robot (2004) and network television shows like Primeval: New World (2012) and Once Upon a Time (2011).

Check out the rest of the images after the jump (click to enlarge).


First, here's Howard Lau's description.

"Part one of a two-part live action American adaptation of the 1988 anime film, 'Akira'. Set in Neo-Manhattan,  Kaneda is a bar owner, who is stunned when his brother, Tetsuo, is abducted by government agents led by The Colonel. Desperate to get his brother back, Kaneda agrees to join with Ky Reed and her underground movement who are intent on revealing to the world what truly happened to New York City thirty years ago when it was destroyed. Kaneda believes their theories to be ludicrous but after finding his brother again, is shocked when he displays telekinetic powers.  Ky believes Tetsuo is headed to release a young boy, Akira, who has taken control of Tetsuo's mind. Kaneda clashes with The Colonel's troops on his way to stop Tetsuo from releasing Akira but arrives too late. Akira soon emerges from his prison courtesy of Tetsuo as Kaneda races in to save his brother before Akira once again destroys Manhattan island, as he did thirty years ago.

"Design: 'The Espers' - three 'children' who are test subjects for the secret project. They have the bodies of children but chronologically are in their late 40's. Their bodies and faces have wizened with age but they haven't physically grown. They are former acquaintances of Akira, and survived his destruction of Tokyo. The Espers include:  Kiyoko,  Takashi and  Masaru (shown).

"Masaru is overweight and is physically confined either to a wheelchair or a special floating chair because of developing  polio  at a young age. He has the power to use  psychokinesis  and is considered the 'leader' among the three espers. He is braver than Takashi and is the first to attack Tetsuo when he tries killing Kiyoko. Masaru looks after the well-being of his friends, especially that of Kiyoko who is physically frail. In the anime, his role is the same as the manga, and the floating chair he rides is used as Kiyoko's transport. He also summons Akira to stop Tetsuo, and when Takashi is caught in Akira's explosion trying to save Kaneda, he and Kiyoko help Kaneda out at the cost of themselves."

Here's the way Masaru looked in the anime film:

Now here's the concept art from Lau.

See more of Howard Lau's work on the film at http://www.howardlaudesign.com

Click on the links if you want to see more of Howard Lau's work and Akira on my blog by Tommy Lee Edwards, Rodolfo DaMaggio, Chris Weston, Jeff Enrico and Sylvain Despretz.

What do you think of the concept art? How do you feel about a live-action Akira film? Do you think it will ever get made?

Official Akira Synopsis
Kaneda is a bar owner in Neo-Manhattan who is stunned when his brother, Tetsuo, is abducted by government agents led by The Colonel. Desperate to get his brother back, Kaneda agrees to join with Ky Reed and her underground movement who are intent on revealing to the world what truly happened to New York City thirty years ago when it was destroyed. Kaneda believes their theories to be ludicrous but after finding his brother again, is shocked when he displays telekinetic powers. Ky believes Tetsuo is headed to release a young boy, Akira, who has taken control of Tetsuo’s mind. Kaneda clashes with The Colonel’s troops on his way to stop Tetsuo from releasing Akira but arrives too late. Akira soon emerges from his prison courtesy of Tetsuo as Kaneda races in to save his brother before Akira once again destroys Manhattan island, as he did thirty years ago.

© Copyright Appian Way, Lennox House Films, Mad Chance

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Check out my review of the Oblivion (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) disc!

The Oblivion Blu-Ray was the top-selling DVD release last week for good reason. The film is stunning.

Released August 6, 2013, I got the special Target exclusive OblivionBlu-Ray because it has an awesome little concept art book included.

The 12-page concept illustration book is worth getting since they inexplicably never released an art book for the film. The images are small, but printed on glassy stock and look wonderful.

The five-clip "Promise of a New World: The Making of Oblivion" series of features are a fascinating insight into the design of the movie. Being a trained architect, Joseph Kosinski was able to help visualize the movie in ways many directors can't.

It also showcases some breath-taking illustrations for the film underscored by the ethereal score.  My favorite feature was "Destiny" which had beautiful illustrations set to music along with director commentary.

• Format: Color, Widescreen, Multiple Formats
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: August 6, 2013
• Run Time: 124 minutes
• ASIN: B008JFUO4U

Special Features

• Oblivion (Blu-ray Format) – The theatrical version of the film on blu-ray.
• Oblivion (DVD Format) – The theatrical version of the film on DVD.
• Oblivion (Digital Copy/UltraViolet) – The theatrical version of the film (digital copy/Ultraviolet).
• Audio Commentary – Feature Commentary with Tom Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski.
• Deleted Scenes
• Promise of a New World: The Making of Oblivion – A comprehensive and thought-provoking multi-part feature covering the making of Oblivion. Includes the following parts.
  
  • Destiny – Looks inside the conceptualization, development and pre-production of Oblivion and the planning that went into the Herculean task of shooting the epic film.
  • Voyage – Follows the creation of the amazing Bubble Ship from its early design conception to its journey around the world.
  • Combat – Explores the film’s ground-breaking action and death-defying stunts, all performed by one of the most popular movie stars in the world.
  • Illusion – Focuses on the film’s post-production and dazzling visual effects.
  • Harmony – Delves into the innovative musical world of M83.
• M83 Isolated Score – Watch the entire film accompanied by the evocative music track.

Here are some images from the illustration book:



It's worth the effort to get the Target exclusive, but if you want to get the standard version and you enjoyed the visuals of this film make sure you pick up the Oblivion (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet)* disc today.

Rating:
Video 5 stars
Sound 5 stars
Special Features 4 stars
Overall: 5 Stars

See more Oblivion concept art and illustrations on my blog.

Official OBLIVION Synopsis
Tom Cruise stars in Oblivion, an original and groundbreaking cinematic event from the director of TRON: Legacy and the producer of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man’s confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind.
 

Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete.  Living and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, his soaring existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

Oblivion will be shot in stunning digital 4K resolution on location across the United States and Iceland.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo
Cinematography by Claudio Miranda
Production Design by Darren Gilford

Official Site: www.oblivionmovie.com/‎

Release date: April 26, 2013

© 2013 Copyright Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Chernin Entertainment, Monolith Pictures, Radical Studios,

*Sales from my Amazon links provide a small commission to help me buy Art Book and Blu-Ray discs for my reviews

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Check out Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer concept art by Daniel James Cox!

I ran into some amazing concept art this week that points to a very different interpretation of Galactus for The Fantastic Four sequel.

Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (also known as 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer) went through many design changes, the most striking being Galactus "Devourer of Worlds."

In the final film Galactus is a massive cloud that engulfs the planet, but I found some concept art by Daniel J. Cox that points to very different interpretations including one called "Planet Devouring Machines." I found the final design underwhelming, so that would have been wild.

Cox is a professional storyboard and concept artist who's worked on big budget movies like The Great Gatsby (2013), Knowing (2009) and 30 Days of Night (2007).

Check out the rest of the images after the jump (click to enlarge).

In the comics, Galactus is a massive dude in a purple suit who literally walks up and drains living planets of all their energy. He first appeared in Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966). When the film's title was announced many wondered if this meant Galactus would appear as well, since Silver Surfer is his "herald." You can't have one without the other.


For comparison, here's what he looked like in the comics.

Director Tim Story, on his MySpace page, said, "There continues to be much speculation about Galactus. Major speculation. We haven't finished the design of him/it so be careful about what you read and believe. Trust me...no one knows. One things for sure, you can expect to see him/it. It will be pretty powerful. I'm having a lot of fun with the concept and believe me - MOST will be satisfied." (Side note: Remember when MySpace was cool? HA!)

That was dated March 01, 2007 and the movie came three months later, so they must have gone through a bazillion designs. Here are some of them along with a couple of designs for Doctor Doom and Silver Surfer.

Daniel said the first one is a personal illustration that "was kinda close to the stuff I did for the FF2 film." The rest are from the production.

Here's what Galactus looked like in the final film.

Source: Wikipedia

See more of Daniel J. Cox' at http://www.danieljamescox.com

Click on the links if you want to see more of Daniel James Cox concept art and Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer on my blog.

What do you think of the concept art? If you've seen Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer what did you think? Would you have preferred Galactus in another form?

Official Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer Synopsis
Catch a wave of "terrific adventure" and "non-stop action" (CBS-TV) in this fun and fantastically entertaining smash-hit! "Invisible Woman: Sue Storm and "Mr. Fantastic" Dr. Reed Richards are about to be married when a mysterious alien... the Silver Surfer... crashes the proceedings and heralds Earth's impending destruction. With time running out, the Fantastic Four reluctantly teams up with the nefarious Dr. Doom in a thrilling effort to save our planet!

Directed by Tim Story
Cinematography by Larry Blanford
Starring Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon

Release date: June 15, 2007

© Copyright 2007 20th Century Fox, Marvel Studios, 1492 Pictures, Constantin Film, Ingenious Film Partners

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