I don't think I need to tell you how useful and handy a spare 2GB USB Flash Drive can be, especially with our constant need to store photos, music and/or important files so that we can take them with us wherever it is we need to go. Of course, one can opt to purchase a boring, metallic-looking USB drive that certainly gets the job done, but us movie geeks don't roll like that. If there's an opportunity to express our love for all things movie-related, then you bet we're going that route instead.

Which is why we're here to show you these new USB Flash Drives over at Entertainment Earth. Star Wars fans will no doubt get a kick out of the Vader, Yoda, Boba Fett and Storm Trooper USB Drives, while Twilight fans can show their love for that all things Twilight-ish by picking up a USB Drive featuring the Cullen family crest. (Thank god it's not a giant picture of Robert Pattinson's face because that might've freaked me out a little.)

Both sets aren't due till October, though you can pre-order now. Each will run you $24.99. Check out larger images of all the USB Drives below.

"I like being thought of as a toymaker who makes films." In the summer of 1971, George Lucas talked with critic / journalist / scholar Gene Youngblood for a program entitled "George Lucas: Maker of Films," which aired on public television station KCET in Los Angeles. Michael Heilemann of Binary Bonsai has made it available for online viewing, and it's a fascinating watch.

The interview takes place a few months after THX 1138, his first feature, opened and died a quick death at the box office. It would be two more years before American Graffiti ignited the box office and six years before Star Wars changed everything. Young Lucas was already mighty unhappy with the Hollywood studio system. Binary Bonsai provides context for his late 60s ventures, and then in the interview, Lucas says he started the feature-length version of his short THX 1138:4EB in the wake of the freedom created by the success of Easy Rider, but by the time he finished, the studio wanted something closer to the commercial fare of Airport and Love Story.

The program includes snippets from 6.18.67, a behind-the-scenes short doc that Lucas shot while on location for McKenna's Gold in 1967, and Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB, as retitled by USC at the time. Despite Lucas' repeated assertions that he wants to make personal films -- something that his old running buddy Francis Ford Coppola is finally doing -- it seems that he will always be thought of as "a toymaker who makes films." And here he is, in a rare glimpse at the early years of his career.

After the jump: Watch the video!

Sunday afternoon seems like the perfect time to check in on our friends from Worth1000, whose latest movie-related photoshop contest has to do with taking any celebrity image and transforming it into a Star Wars character. You can find an example above; that's Wall-E and Eve as R2-D2 and C-3PO. And they definitely get wackier -- with President Obama showing up as Yoda multiple times, and Princess Leia merging with folks like Angelina Jolie and Kevin Spacey (probably the oddest and most random image of the lot). Ever want to see Elvis as Han Solo? It's in there. And ever wonder what Goofy mixed with General Grievous would look like? No? Well it's in there, too ... with the Please Let Them Never Do This In Real Life award going to an image of Han Solo (as Jim Carrey), Chewbacca (as Jack Black), Luke Skywalker (as Owen Wilson) and Obi-Wan (as Jackie Chan) onboard the Millennium Falcon. Creepy.

Check out some of our favorites down below and the rest over at Worth1000.

I think we can all agree that Han Solo will probably go down as one of the most beloved characters in film history. Granted, he was just an update on an old theme, but we all love a swaggering bad-boy with a heart of gold, don't we? Han has inspired plenty of fan art over the years...not to mention the occasional piece of office furniture, and you would think that fans would have run out of ideas by now, right? Well, not quite, so may I introduce: Han Solo P.I.

Devoted Star Wars fan TheCBVee has created a great little mash-up of scenes of Han Solo repacked as the opening credits for Magnum P.I., and as someone who grew up with the mustachioed private eye, this thing is spot-on (TheCBVee also provided a handy little side-by-side comparison of the original opening and his creation). You've got Alec Guinness filling in for Higgins, Chewie picks up where TC left off, and Luke as Rick, the suave playboy. OK, Luke as the suave type might be a bit of a stretch, but you had to work him in somewhere, right?

See larger image below

Our good friends at Dutch Southern have debuted another funtastic, fanboy-esque t-shirt that you'll probably want to get your slimy little paws on immediately. Their latest shirt, titled "May the Best Prequel Win", shows the characters from the Star Trek prequel and the Star Wars prequels battling it out in colorful, cartoonish fashion. From the site description: "May the Best Prequel Win. I think it already has and anyone that's seen the new Star Trek and what Lucas shoveled out into theaters between 1999-2005 knows the victor. Here's the shirt that shows the battle: Sulu vs. Darth Maul, Spock vs. Obi Wan, Chekov vs. Jar Jar, Kirk vs. Anakin, Uhuru vs. Padme, Scotty vs. General Grievous, Bones vs. Samuel L. Jackson, and the Enterprise vs. the Death Star. Get your very own. Wear it loud, wear it proud." View a larger version of the image below.



I already have two shirts from Dutch Southern, and can totally vouch for them. The shirts are comfortable geeky conversation starters, and I couldn't recommend them more. This particular one was designed by Gimetzco, and it'll run you $20. For more info and to see Dutch Southern's entire collection, head over to their official site.

Our good friends at Urlesque are always coming up with the most random list-y type posts each and every single day -- most of which involve collecting the strangest homemade internet videos and publishing them for your viewing pleasure. I like to think of the site as an online version of America's Funniest Home Videos on acid. And because you love to occupy your time with bizarre movie-related things, Urlesque recently threw together a massive post called Things That Sound Like and Look Like Chewbacca.

Most of the images we've posted before, though there are some cool ones like the baby Chewbacca costumes and the all-LEGO Chewbacca pictured above. What I absolutely loved were the videos of things that sound like Chewbacca. From a filing cabinet to a cat to a vacuum, it's pretty amazing and creepy and a total waste of productivity, but that's what makes it so awesome. Check out two of the videos down below, with one on the front page and another after the jump. Head on over to Urlesque for the rest, and let us know if you have anything lying around the house that sounds like or looks like Chewbacca.

Yesterday was the 32nd anniversary of the original theatrical release of Star Wars, which I had completely forgotten about until Cinematical Editor-in-Chief Erik Davis pointed me to this book. Star Wars: The Essential Atlas by Daniel Wallace and Jason Fry is a "fully illustrated, full-color guide that maps the entire galaxy." It promises to encompass "the entire Star Wars canon, including all the films, and the Clone Wars television series, plus the novels, comic books, video games, and more." The book "is packed with dozens of detailed maps and charts."

My interest in Star Wars ebbs and flows with the years. I was absolutely fanatical / obsessed with the first two movies, but the Ewoks irritated me long before Jar Jar Binks. I very much enjoyed the Thrawn Trilogy novels by Timothy Zahn but could not possibly keep up with all the books that followed. I loved seeing the originals on the big screen again in the 90s but was sorely disappointed that George Lucas felt compelled to tamper with them. Episode I was a real let down, Episode II fell entirely flat, yet portions of Episode III nearly redeemed the whole thing for me. (Go figure.) As a movie, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was fatally boring.

Despite all my mixed feelings, the idea of putting the entire Star Wars galaxy down on paper, complete with detailed maps and charts, appeals to the analytical part of my brain. The book is due out on August 18.

If you had a pet chipmunk hanging around your backyard, would you: a) attempt a dramatic animal shelter rescue, b) ignore it, or c) snap photos of the creature interacting with your old Star Wars action figures? If you're reading this blog, your answer is most likely C -- and one dude (who goes by the name powerpig on Flickr) did just that with the little chipmunk named Billy who hung around his yard.

From powerpig's Flickr page: "On a sunny day back in August, I was out in the yard feeding Billy. He was especially friendly that day, returning again and again for almonds. I decided I would try and pet him while he gobbled up the almonds, and he seemed quite receptive to it. Getting a bit more brazen, I put my thumb and forefinger on either side of his hind quarters and gave him a little wiggle. Again, he didn't bat an eye. That's when it occurred to me that I could probably put an action figure on his back without him fleeing." (Am I the only one who loves his thought process here? Only a geek thinks this way.)

So, yeah, once he got the chipmunk to pose for the above photo, the whole Empire (plus Chewbacca and an Ewok) came out to play with Billy. Check out a few images below, and more over on his Flickr page.



[via Geekologie]

I'll admit it, I'm one of those people who loves to quote movies. Even though I know it can be a little annoying, there are times that I just can't help myself -- but I never claimed to have a photographic memory and I can only assume that I've messed up a few lines over the years, taking a relatively endearing geek trait and turning it into a social faux pas. But, it's good to know I'm not alone, because over at lovefilm.com, they took a poll of the most misquoted movie lines in history and the big winner may surprise you.

So what line have we all managed to mess up? According to lovefilm, it was a line from Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back that took the grand prize as the most misquoted line in movie history. As embarrassing as it may seem, even I was a little shocked to find out that "Luke, I am your father" was never actually spoken in the film. There I was thinking, "But that's the line, right?" -- and no, what Vader actually says to Luke out on the platform is "No, I am your father." (And if you don't believe me, watch the scene for yourself).

After the jump: find out which misquotes cracked the top 5.