Today at Flavorpill, WeMetOnAPlane. We got hungry looking at Guacamole, the Tote. We wanted to watch a new documentary about time travel. We were ready to move into this bonsai tree castle. We thought this massive cluster of 1,902 canoes and kayaks looked unreal. We watched all 22 James Bond movie intros side by side. We felt mushy watching this video of hot guys saying “I love you.” We met a few of your favorite websites’ most eligible, single employees. We read up on the new cinematic face of Polish magical realism. We met a man who lives on his bike. We bowed down to our ancient, spongy overlords. And finally, we felt weirded out that Sony instigated this Whitney Houston album price hike. Cheap move, right?

Luke vs. Darth Vader. James Bond vs. Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Ronald McDonald vs. the Burger King. These are some of pop culture’s most legendary rivalries. But what if these warring icons suddenly put aside their differences and cuddled up for a big, sweet, wholesome hug? That’s the concept behind this adorable series by Berlin-based designer and illustrator Ingrid Aspöck. Maybe our brains have been turned to mush by too much thinking about Lana Del Rey, but we’re not ashamed to say that these sugary drawings are exactly what we feel like looking at as this long Thursday afternoon draws to a close.

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With the recent announcement of a new James Bond boxed set that will include nearly every 007 film that’s been released over the past 50 years, this poster designed by Bryan Lenning featuring pictograms for the titles of each seems rather timely. Sure, Dr. No and Goldfinger are pretty obvious, but can you correctly identify all 24 films? For more Bond-inspired art, head over to Super Punch to check out the other winning entries from their recent contest. [via Neatorama]

Hey, guess what: 2012 is like, four days away. Exciting, eh? Well, aside from that whole Mayan calendar/end of the world business. And that there’s going to be a Presidential campaign all damned year, and the economy’s still in the toilet, and Community is on a “hiatus”… On second thought, 2012 is already looking pretty terrible, and it hasn’t even started yet.

No, wait! There will be new movies! Many, many new movies. And don’t kid yourself: plenty of them are going to be terrible (I mean, there’s a Battleship movie coming out, for God’s sake). But some of them look awesome! So in the spirit of cautious optimism, join us after the jump for a look at ten 2012 releases that we’re genuinely looking forward to.

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Penguin has long been the gold standard for book cover design. But they really outdid themselves with Penguin Bond, a 2008 series of reprints decorated with sexy, mildly psychedelic, ’60s- and ’70s-retro portraits of each novel’s iconic Bond girl. Designed by Michael Gillette, the alluring images are now on offer as limited-edition prints, available in a variety of sizes and prices from San Francisco’s Electric Works – the perfect gift for the Bond aficionado (or stylish horndog) in your life. Click through for a gallery of our favorite covers, and visit the project’s website to see the rest.

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This week, the always excellent Everyman’s Library released a gorgeous new printing of Phillip Pullman’s epic fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials. Not only is it a beautiful edition, but it’s the first time that the three books have been published in one volume, so it is quite a neat little package. Inspired by Pullman’s wonderfully evocative new cover, we’ve collected a few other utterly gorgeous book cover redesigns for your viewing pleasure. Many of these are full backlist redesigns — after all, there’s something magical about a set of books designed to be together — but all of them are, we think, rather glorious. Click through to feast your eyes on these redesigned books, and let us know if we’re missed any of your favorites in the comments! Read More »

1. It’s official: Shooting on Skyfall, the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise, begins on Monday. Joining Daniel Craig for the Sam Mendes-helmed project (which it should be noted, will not connect with Craig’s previous two Bond films, plot-wise): Academy Award winner Javier Bardem, who was previously cast as the villain — although it’s not confirmed yet whether or not he’s playing Blofeld. [via Deadline]

2. “I’m sure it wouldn’t have happened if I were a man. What other people think of me is none of my business but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt my feelings… My mood changes about it depending on the day. In general, you don’t want anyone to say anything bad about you.” – Lana Del Rey discusses her detractors

3. Wu-Tang’s RZA — who scored both Kill Bill films for Quentin Tarantino — is the latest actor to join the cast of his anti-slavery spaghetti Western, Django Unchained. At this point, the star-studded ensemble already includes Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Johnson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anthony LaPaglia, Misty Upham, Gerald McRaney, and M.C. Gainey. [via Variety]

4. The Peter Jackson-directed second Tintin film will not be based on Prisoners Of The Sun, as was previously rumored. Instead, that book may be the plot of Tintin 3, leaving the storyline for the sequel still up for discussion. [via Slashfilm]

5. The world premiere of Edward Albee’s new play Laying an Egg — which was set to makes its Off-Broadway debut in February — has been indefinitely postponed. Explains artistic director James Houghton: “All good things are well worth the wait, and most certainly a new play from one of our most treasured playwrights is no exception.” [via Guardian]

Bonus Buzz: Zach Galifianakis Stand Up From 1999

Now that Bond-23 has a villain in the form of ultra sinister Javier Bardem — a palpably menacing presence in the Coen brothers’ No Country For Old Men — we thought it seemed like a ripe time to look back at some of the best of Bond. The allure that exudes from the thrill-seeking British Secret Service agent with a penchant for gorgeous girls and vodka martinis is obvious, but his fiendish foe is always one of the most highly anticipated roles in each new installment. Another significant legacy of the series, however, is its music and unmistakable theme — sounds indelibly associated with the late maestro, John Barry.

The English composer’s work is synonymous with 007, and Goldfinger boasts one of the boldest and brassiest title numbers in the superspy’s songbook. Shirley Bassey performed the theme tune, which topped the Billboard charts during its heyday. One of the box office hits of 1964, the movie’s most iconic and recognizable image is Shirley Eaton’s sultry character, Jill Masterson, covered head-to-toe in gold paint and cast on a bed in morbid repose. The popularity of the image was so great, that it even made the cover of Life magazine that year. It also graced the cover of many a Goldfinger LP, a unique collection of which are shared below. Revisit Pussy Galore, Sean Connery’s cheeky smile, and other Goldfinger favorites in record form after the jump.

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Javier Bardem, who crafted one of the most chilling screen villains in recent memory with his Oscar-winning turn in No Country For Old Men, has confirmed that he’s taking on another nefarious role: Bond villain. Rumors have circulated for months that the once-and-forever Anton Chigurh was circling the latest Bond movie, known for now only as Bond 23, which will mark Daniel Craig’s third time in the role. Oscar-winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty) will direct.

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As you may have already heard, today the first Thursday in October, and is thus National Poetry Day. In celebration of this beloved writerly holiday, those of us over here in the film corner of your Flavorwire decided to post some of our favorite poems about our favorite subject: the movies. Join us after the jump for a few of our favorite cinematic poems, as suggested by the indispensible volume Lights, Camera, Poetry! (edited by Jason Shinder); feel free to add your own (or what the hell, make one up) after the jump.

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