Dawn of the Posters

Time for another round of posters... Some of these are just so amazing. Also, from now on I'm gonna try to track down the designers for these, because I think they deserve more credit for their work.


















First up is the visual acid trip category. This poster for My Blueberry Nights (by Indika Entertainment Advertising) is on the sparkly, highly-saturated bandwagon. Blueberry Nights is full of A-listers, including Norah Jones, but I have to say the movie looks pretty boring. At least the poster has something going for it.

I don't quite know how to describe The Fall, but boring it is not. This is the latest dreamscape by the director of The Cell. The poster (by The Arterie) reminds me of something Salvador Dali would have done - like it or not, it stays with you.


















Up next is the best of the West. These both have a sort of gritty and over-exposed feel to them. Don't let the posters fool you, though - neither film is a Western in the strictest sense. Sukiyaki Western Django is an artsy Japanese take on the genre (think The Ring meets 3:10 to Yuma meets Pulp Fiction). There's nothing revolutionary going on with the poster, but it's very well put-together.

Surveillance, meanwhile, is a rough looking thriller directed by David Lynch's daughter, Jennifer. The rotoscoped look isn't too common with posters like this, and I think the type work adds to the freshness of it.


















These last two are so simple but they still manage to instantly grab you. The X-Files 2 poster (by BLT) made it on here just for creativity (even though it completely defies the laws of physics).

This poster for Funny Games is my favorite of the bunch. It was designed by Crew Creative, which also seems to have the coolest portfolio of the bunch. The concept is so simple, but it has emotion. The positioning of the type is genius! Well done all around.

Posters Reloaded

While we're on the subject of posters, here are some recent ones that I've had my eye on.

















First up is Penelope, who has an ugly nose and less ugly posters. The one on the left is the French poster for the movie. It's probably no coincidence that it's a total throwback to Amélie.

















Is it too early to get excited for the next James Bond adventure? Did I hear a yes? Well, just get excited for the poster then. And I think this German Iron Man poster is better than any of the American ones.

















These are just amazing! On the right is Forgetting Sarah Marshall, from the crew that brought us some of TVs best and shortest lived sitcoms. On the left is a Sundance film called The Wackness. I'll go out on a limb and say it's the first time Mary-Kate Olsen and Method Man have appeared in the same film.

The Art of Bad Movies: Posters

Something that I've come to realize is that very talented people are involved in making even the worst movies.

Do you ever get fired up by a trailer even when you know the movie will bomb? Have you marvelled at beautiful scenery in a film that otherwise bored you to tears? This is a shout out to people who make those moments possible.

Movie posters in particular are an overlooked art form. My interest began with the poster for the 2006 movie Skinwalkers. Does anyone even remember this movie? Me neither, but the poster has stuck with me. I love the use of negative space and how the hair feels alive.

I'm an especially big fan of teaser posters. They're usually more restrained and are made to quickly catch your attention, since you don't know anything about the film yet. One good example is this poster for Lady in the Water. How excited were we for this movie?!
One of these behind the scenes artists is Drew Struzan. Some of the greatest posters from the 80s to today have been created by him. His style of painting is easily recognizable. He's done work for beloved classics such as the Indiana Jones series, The Goonies, and Back to the Future.

The good, the bad, and the... Dolph Lundgren.
But the occasional Heat and Dust, Cutthroat Island, and Dreamscape will find their way into the mix. These are still lovingly rendered and such posters are usually the only redeeming quality of the films they advertise.

So these are some of my favorites. If you have any gems of your own, comment it up.