Remember the Little Golden Books, the innocuously illustrated children’s book series of nursery rhymes, fairy tales, and ways to learn one’s ABC’s that’s been around since 1942?

Well, Josh Cooley, story artist at Pixar Animation Studios, has been having fun in his free time over the past few years making what he dubs “Inappropriate Golden Book“-style illustrations based on popular films.

Cooley compiled his fun illustrations, which include scenes from Alien, The Godfather, The Big Lebowski, and many more, into one book titled Movies R Fun, currently available through his online shop for $35.

The Godfather – The Coppola Restoration
Blu-ray edition
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, John Cazale, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy Garcia, Eli Wallach, Robert De Niro
Paramount Home Entertainment
Release Date: September 23, 2008

Everyone knows the Corleone family and its members on a first name basis. Everyone speaks the family’s language. Some people even try to make their homemade sauce like them and fail miserably in trying. If I were to say the words “˜toll booth,’ “˜cannoli,’ “˜Sicily’, and “˜horse’s head’ you would know what I was talking about. These characteristics are what make Francis Ford Coppola‘s The Godfather arguably the greatest film ever made.

When watching, whether for the first time or the 100th time, it is like we are entering the Corleone’s dinning room. Their setting is dark, but it’s still inviting, the feeling is intimidating but once we become familiar with it it turns into intimacy. It’s a film that is told entirely from the inside. The outside world of the Corleone family bears little consideration. From the film’s opening lines, “I believe in America,” The Godfather paints an exact replica of American capitalism but adds a few more colors that makes this capitalism seem OK in society. It’s a vivid view of a powerful Mafia family, which wakes up one morning to find their enterprise isn’t as powerful as it once was.

An eternity of films has come to our eyes over the years. Together they’ve formed the foundations by which good movies are built, given us our most cherished filmmakers and performers, inspired generations to dream, and even just allowed people to simply escape to another world if but only for a couple of hours.

But what if some of the most celebrated movies in cinematic history were different? What if your favorite film of all time’s main star was played by someone else? How different would everything be if just one legend never even came to be legend? These are the questions I found myself asking while bored and on an e-adventure one day; I was surprised at just how many massive characters were almost played by other actors.

After my little adventure I decided that I should share these gems with you, my favorite peoples in the whole word.

Before we begin, I came across some amusing casting close calls that probably wouldn’t have affected the film too much one way or the other, but still worth mention. Like, for instance, did you know that the studios originally wanted greatest actor in the world Matthew McConaughey for Titanic, but James Cameron wanted Leonardo DiCaprio? Did you know that Stuart Townsend was offered and Daniel Day-Lewis turned down the role of Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy before Viggo Mortensen was brought in? I didn’t either. I rather enjoy thinking about a Day-Lewis Aragorn. Like Hawkeye from Last of the Mohicans, but with a sweet beard, a sword, and an elven chick by his side instead of Madeline Stowe!

OK, that was fun. Now on with the show… Here’s a look at 12 of the craziest casting close-calls in cinematic history.

Coming to DVD and Blu-ray on September 23, 2008, is director Francis Ford Coppola‘s epic film trilogy The Godfather now being re-released in a 5-disc box set called The Coppola Restoration.

The set includes restored and remastered picture and sound quality for The Godfather, The Godfather II, and The Godfather III, as well as bonus features like feature-length director commentaries, addition scenes, “making-of” featurettes, and much more.

A full listing of features for both standard DVD and Blu-ray is here below, along with the DVD trailer and a behind-the-scenes video.

Hitting theaters this Friday, September 12, is the new Al Pacino/Robert DeNiro action flick, Righteous Kill. To coincide with the release, we here at Geeks of Doom are giving away an Al Pacino-themed prize pack!

One (1) winner will receive:

• a Righteous Kill poster
• The Godfather DVD
• Scarface DVD
• Heat DVD

TO ENTER: Fill out the form below and submit. Entry form is here after the jump.

RULES: One entry per person. All entries must be in by Saturday, September 20, 2008 at 9pm EST. This contest is only open to residents of the United States. No international entries will be accepted. Void where prohibited. Winners will be chosen randomly from valid entries and will be notified by email.