Amir Glinik’s V4 Ferarri motorcycle concept looks strait out of a sci-fi movie. Tron perhaps? The future is almost here. I predict that it will only be a couple years before the Light Cycle arenas are buildt. Check out more photos on 3d-files.

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You know what, this is such a good and simple idea I’m shocked it wasn’t already being done for years. It was announced that Dell computers, as of today, is offering customers the option to buy their computer with a digital copy of Iron Man pre-loaded on their machine. It’s a $20 option.

So you order the computer, and when you crack it open Iron Man is already there. This is a GREAT idea.

Our friends over at IESB give us this:

Movies like Iron Man are now immediately accessible from a Dell computer desktop or laptop — no DVDs or downloads required. Dell plans to expand future entertainment selections and will continually refresh its offerings to include the most exciting Hollywood blockbuster and perennial classic movies. More information about the Dell Movies is available at www.dell.com/movies.

Now, I’m not thrilled with the price of the option (to me $20 for a digital copy is far too steep, especially when you consider that the copany doesn’t have to ship it, print a disc or the packaging and it has no weight). I’m also not thrilled that there is only one movie to choose in your order. However, the principle here it solid. I’m sure at some point (at least I hope) they’ll increase their movie selection and hopefully bring down the price to something like $9.99.

Will this have a serious impact on film distribution? No, probably not, but it’s a nice little addition to the distribution model for the studios to investigate. And all other things being equal, if I was going to buy a PC (I’m a Mac guy personally) and I was trying to decide between a Dell machine and a Gateway machine… I’d go for the one that had Iron Man pre-installed on it… all other things being equal.

The good, right and honorable Kris Tapley of In Contention has put up a list of his Top 10 Paul Newman performances. It’s a good read and a worthy way to remember a dude with chops. Check it out.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is one of the few video games I’ve seen that immediately feels like a movie. I had the chance to watch someone play through the game while I was working, and I kept asking myself - why doesn’t George Lucas make this into a big screen movie?Force Unleashed project leader Haden Blackman tells the Los Angeles Times that “It’s not impossible.”

“Never say never. George [Lucas] has looked to tell new ‘Star Wars’ stories through the games and with the entire Star Wars Expanded Universe, and then he has also shown a willingness to let the characters come into the films. Look at Aayla Secura, a creation in the [Dark Horse] comic books who became part of the theatrical films.”

The Force Unleashed takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, and tells the story of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, who is instructed to hunt down the remaining Jedi. Vader’s ultimate plan is to assassinate the Emperor. I’m not going to go further into the plot, because I would hate to ruin it for anyone. But if you’ve seen the commercials then you know that Starkiller learns the way of the Jedi and has an epic confrontation with Lord Vader.

One of the things that is great about the Unleashed story is that it takes place in the fringe of the Star Wars universe. Sure, some of the minor side characters make appearances, and there is a big cameo by Princess Leia, but for the most part the story avoids stepping on the original film’s toes. We are instead brought to places that we’ve always wanted to see within the Star Wars universe. And the ending inspires and compliments A New Hope without feeling like a forced/inserted plot point in star wars history (ala the Special Edition changes).

What do you think? Would The Force Unleashed make a good movie? Its certainly better than The Clone Wars, or any of the prequel films for that matter. But would George Lucas allow it?

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This morning, the PR people over at Warner Brothers sent us this video message to their fans who have expressed concern and some outrage regarding the delaying of the Harry Potter release. Once again, WB shows that they care and listen to their fans. See the video message below:

Mr. Gervais isn’t out of the running for the Oscars; he just doesn’t have it in the bag. We get this news of clarification from the Oscar lords themselves thanks to the thespian caves of Yahoo:

No doubt the Extras funnyman knows how to crack us up, but reports of him already being a leading contender for hosting duties have been greatly—well, hugely—exaggerated.

“We haven’t made one single phone call,” Larry Mark, who was announced yesterday as a coproducer of the 81st Annual Academy Awards show with writer-director Bill Condon (above, left with Jennifer Hudson and Mark), told me earlier today. “There has been no reaching out.” “We haven’t gotten that far yet,” said Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. “We’re just not there yet.”

I wouldn’t mind Gervais as an Oscars host. I think he’s certainly talented enough to pull it off; I’m just not sure he’s the correct choice this year. Following up a very poor ratings year, I think it may be time to tap Mr. Clooney for the job. He has widespread appeal and the necessary wit to be a successful host.

Eventually, I would like them to give Steve Martin another shot. I enjoyed his hosting and thought his jokes were the best oscar zingers of my lifetime.

International friends - would you like to see Gervais get the gig? If not him, then who?

This Week in DVD is a column that compiles all the latest info regarding new DVD releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Fry’s.

IRON MAN
(Available as single-disc and Ultimate 2-Disc Editions)
While every other comic book movie keeps on edging closer and closer into “dark and gloomy” territory, Iron Man is here to maintain that there’s still some good old-fashioned fun to be had with the superheroes of the cinema world. It’s not flawless by any means, but it is incredibly entertaining, in many ways even exceeding the source material. Plus, Robert Downey, Jr. is such an unconventional casting choice for a superhero that he actually ends up being one of the more interesting action heroes to come around in a very long while.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: Deleted/extended scenes, seven-part making of documentary (’I Am Iron Man’), six-part comic book featurette (’The Invincible Iron Man’), visual effects featurette, Robert Downey, Jr. screen test, and a scene rehearsal with director Jon Favreau and stars Robert Downey, Jr. and Jeff Bridges.

BEST PRICE*
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
$14.99		$13.99
Amazon – $14.99

*Does not include 2-Disc Edition, which costs $22.99 at each of the listed stores (including Amazon).

EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Exclusive mask packaging and additional bonus footage.
Where? Target.

EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Lithograph.
Where? Best Buy.

EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Limited Edition DVD Gift Set ($39.99) includes Ultimate 2-Disc Edition movie, Iron Man mask mini bust and $50 Gift Card to sideshowcollectibles.com.
Where? Best Buy.

EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Access 6 free digital Iron Man comic with art by Adi Granov.
Where? Circuit City.

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL
(Available as single-disc and Three-Disc Unrated Collector’s Edition)
Praise the movie gods for Judd Apatow. Not only has he revived the R-rated comedy genre with modern classics like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, but he’s also managed to pass off his good will to his friends, allowing for them to be recognized in ways they probably never would have otherwise. It happened first with Seth Rogen, which eventually extended beyond just acting to writing as well (Superbad, Pineapple Express and next up there’s The Green Hornet). Now we have Jason Segel doing the same thing with Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in turn bringing us one of the funniest movies of the past year (and also showing he can lead a movie to boot). If that weren’t enough, the DVD (in classic Apatow fashion) is full-on stacked with special features.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: The single disc DVD will include both theatrical and extended versions of the film, cast/crew commentaries on each version, deleted/extended/alternate scenes, a gag reel, Line-O-Rama, ‘Dracula’s Lament’ table read, ‘A Taste for Love’ featurette, raw footage (’Video Chat’), full ‘We’ve Got to Do Something’ music video featured in the film, and the red band trailer. The 3-disc DVD will include all of this, plus (more) deleted/extended scenes, ‘Dracula’s Lament’ mixed version, ‘Puppet Break-Up’ featurette, Sex-O-Rama, Drunk-O-Rama, ‘Russell Brand: Aldous Snow’ featurette, ‘The Letter ‘U’ with Aldous Snow’ featurette, raw footage, ‘Crime Scene’ special features (alternate scenes, ‘Hunter Rush Line-o-Rama’, ‘Sarah’s New Show: Alts’), audition footage, a ‘Cinemax: The Final Cut’ promotional piece, and a digital copy of the film.

BEST PRICE*
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
$17.99	$15.99		$14.99
Amazon – $17.99

*Does not include 3-Disc Edition, which costs $22.99 at each of the listed stores (excluding Amazon, where it costs $19.99).

TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE
A startling and eye-opening examination on torture practices of the U.S. in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Taxi to the Dark Side tells the story of a young, innocent taxi driver in Afghanistan who was tortured and killed in 2002. Winning the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2007 and currently holding a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, this documentary looks to be a must-see for just about everyone.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: A commentary track (with director Alex Gibney), an interview with director Alex Gibney’s father, outtakes (with brief intros), and two TV interviews.

BEST PRICE
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
$24.99		$19.99
Amazon – $19.99

BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER*
Lauded by critics and audiences alike as being both informative and entertaining, this documentary presents an in-depth look at the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the U.S. and acts as an indictment of the twisted American perspective that anything less than the best is not good enough. It holds a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.0 out of 10 on IMDB.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: A behind-the-scenes featurette and deleted scenes.

BEST PRICE
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
N/A	$19.99	$21.99	$19.99
Amazon – $16.99

MY NAME IS EARL (SEASON 3)
As a relatively big fan of the first season of My Name is Earl (and an even bigger fan of Jason Lee), I was disappointed to find that the show’s second season had started to run out of steam. Eventually, I just gave up watching it, only occasionally tuning in out of happenstance. While I may not have seen enough of season 3 to give an actual review, I can say the episodes I did catch certainly didn’t offer much incentive to start watching again. My biggest complaint relates to the treatment of Earl, in that the writers seemed like they were intentionally trying to make this character’s life miserable at every turn. This may just be me, but I just don’t find scenarios like that funny, especially when the character hasn’t done anything to deserve it. I’ve also heard the third season of the show suffered in more noticeable ways, specifically in regards to the writer’s strike and how certain subplots felt severely rushed toward the end. If you caught the whole season, maybe you could help elaborate on this in the comments. Season 3 includes 22 episodes.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: Under The Shell: The Mr. Turtle Commentary, a ‘Those Guys From Those Episodes – Creating The Characters’ featurette, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.

BEST PRICE
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
$32.99			$31.99
Amazon – $34.99

CHAPTER 27
If the scathingly negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are any indication, the only notable aspect of this film is Jared Leto’s dedicated performance, for which he gained 67 pounds to play. The rest, meanwhile, is apparently a massive bore, attempting and failing to give some insight into the mind of the man who assassinated John Lennon without taking the time to realize that the guy wasn’t interesting enough to warrant such an analysis.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: A behind-the-scenes featurette.

BEST PRICE
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
N/A	$14.99
Amazon – $14.99

Other noteworthy DVDs available this week…
Can’t Hardly Wait (Special Edition) – Numbers (Season 4) – Kill Switch – Rest Stop: Don’t Look Back – Pulse 2: Afterlife – An Autumn Afternoon (Criterion Collection)

Discuss: What are you planning to rent or buy this week?

NOTE: Some deals may be in-store only.

Exclusive Retail: Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. ($14.99), 1998 TV movie starring David Hasslehoff and written by David S. Goyer.

$16.99 – Curb Your Enthusiasm (Seasons 1 – 7), Everybody Loves Ramond (Season 1 – 9), Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (Seasons 1 – 4)
$19.99 – Veronica Mars (Seasons 1 – 3), Supernatural (Seasons 1 – 2)

$4.99 – The Italian Job, Collateral, Minority Report, Top Gun, The Island, Sahara, The Warriors (Ultimate Director’s Cut), Clear and Present Danger, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Mission: Impossible, M:I-2, We Were Soldiers, and more…
$6.99 – The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, Half Baked, American Pie 2, American Wedding, The Lost Boys, Smokin’ Aces, Friday Night Lights, Invincible, The Goonies, Goodfellas, King Kong, Full Metal Jacket, Wedding Crashers, Stripes, The Iron Giant (Special Edition), Bridge to Terabithia, Gremlins, Chicken Run, Antz, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit, and more…

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Current Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles star Thomas Dekker is looking to round out his leading man status with a starring role in the upcoming Fame reboot. We get wind of his musical desires from the whistling caves of Yahoo:

Thomas Dekker, the star of Fox’s “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” is in talks to take a lead role in MGM’s remake of the 1980 musical “Fame.”

Dekker is gunning to play Marco, a working-class kid with some gnarly acting chops who is competing with thousands of hopefuls to get into and survive an elite New York public high school for the arts. Dekker started acting at age 6 and comes from a musical family. He sang on the soundtracks of several films in the animated “Land Before Time” video series and has an album, “Psyanotic,” on iTunes.

Fighting Terminators and singing songs of inspiration? Is this young man trying to walk in the steps of Swayze, the warrior dancer before him? I certainly hope so, and who can blame him. You will be hard pressed to find a better role model in america today superior to Swayze.

I am not personally pumped for the Fame remake, nor do I watch the Sarah Connor Chronicles. For those of you that are fans of the show - what are your thoughts on this news?

Paramount and Marvel are happy with the music they’ve been making together and will continue to do so. We get news of their renewed vows from our friends at IESB:

Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom, Inc. and Marvel Studios, a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. today announced an agreement under which Paramount will distribute Marvel’s next five self-produced feature films on a worldwide basis.

The deal, an extension of the original agreement made by Brad Grey when he arrived as CEO and Chairman of Paramount Pictures, includes theatrical distribution in foreign territories previously serviced by Marvel through local distribution entities (Japan, Germany, France, Spain and Australia/New Zealand). The distribution pact capitalizes on Marvel and Paramount’s successful efforts with “Iron Man,” which has grossed $574 million worldwide for Marvel.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. These are wise words, and it’s good to see Marvel adhering to them like scripture from magical golden plates.

This team up is currently working quite well and I have no doubt that they will continue to do so. Marvel just had had a great summer, now we just hope that they continue to do likewise. Greed can cause a world of mistakes, but hopefully they’re able to keep a level head about the money they made, keep their commitment to excellence and stay the course. All we want are quality films, and we will gladly shovel money into their coffers.

Yoda T-Shirt

Marc Ecko’s Star Wars Collection features designer-level streetwear for men, under license from Lucasfilm Ltd. Ecko created a variety of T-shirts and hoodies decorated with iconic Star Wars images mixed with his own edgy, street-culture interpretations. The line is being sold in select Macy’s stores, Macys.com, Marc Ecko Cut & Sew stores and Against All Odds. The guys at Shop Ecko have provided /Film readers with a special discount code — STARWARSFAN8 — which gets you $10 off all purchases over $100, plus FREE shipping, at checkout.

Fett For Real Hoodie

Yoda Say Your Prayers T-Shirt | Imperial Storm T-Shirt

Storm Brewin T-Shirt

More after the jump.

Darth Vader is Dead T-Shirt

The Gold Bikini T-Shirt

Exploding Trooper T-Shirt

Warriors Hoodie

Carbonite T-Shirt | Hunt or Be Hunted T-Shirt

Real Trooper Hoodie

Cool Stuff is a daily feature of slashfilm.com. Know of any geekarific creations or cool products which should be featured on Cool Stuff? E-Mail us at orfilms@gmail.com.

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