Sunday, May 20, 2007

Wanted: More Wall Space

If I had more money and a wife that loved movies as much as I do, I would have movie posters all throughout my house. In my bedroom. Kid's bedrooms. In the living room and the family room. In hallways and bathrooms. Hanging from doors and even in closets. I might even have posters on the ceilings. Because to me, a good movie poster is as good as the best piece of art work.



For now, I only have a few posters in my basement.



This is a perfect example of art as marketing. So simple and powerful and I love the type treatment. It's like it's yelling at you.



I really like this poster although I didn't care for Matrix Reloaded. So interesting that they cut off the face. The guns and the flowing coat also made it for me.


One of my favorite movies and I love the communist twist on the design.


Again, this is one of my favorite movies. And I love the European design of this. I'm a big fan of lots of Soderbergh posters. The Limey is also a favorite.

The combination of line drawing and photography has always fascinated me. This poster almost feels handmade. But of course it's excellently designed. Feels very much like Vertigo.


But again, if I had my way. I would love to own all these. And many more.


I saw a series of four of these posters on Hollywood Blvd and I'm bummed I didn't snatch them up right then. I have not been able to find any of them since. I really like how this captures the tone of Fight Club without showing any star photos.


I hate that this line pays off the design so much, because the look holds up so well by itself. I'm sure if I owned this poster and someone commented on it, the only thing I would say is how much I hate that line.


I have a sickness and it's called all things Disney. Before I got into film and ultimately advertising, my dream was to be the next Walt Disney. This is not necessarily my favorite Disney movie, but I love the animation of this film. Borderline chicken scratch in its approach.


I love Saul Bass and this poster is very simple. I love the cut and paste feeling of this. Almost like a ransom letter. And the poster divided into two halves also does it for me. The type is excellent and stands out as a design element rather than just credits.


This is not my favorite Lynch movie, but the photography is incredible. The two stark photos are excellent and I love that they are of different contrasts. I also love the type on this and the use of one color.


I often look for movie posters that never got a general release. This obviously wasn't the poster that was selected to promote the film, which is too bad. It's very feminine and I love the line "Kill Is Love." I also like how the type and illustration surround the photo.


I'm a sucker for medical illustrations for some reason or another. I think I like the humor associated with the illustrations because they try to look human but they come off so cold. Plus, this is such a unique approach to marketing a movie, I would just have to have it.


I love James Bond and I would choose this poster for one reason and one reason only. "Everything he touches turns to excitement." What a great line.


I have to admit I'm not a big fan of the original poster but I couldn't have a bunch of posters throughout my house without having a Carpenter movie in there somewhere. This oversized poster was for sale for months at a used record store here in town and I never got it. True, it would probably just end up rolled up in my basement somewhere but like an alarm system, I would feel good knowing it was there.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some good stuff there.

I've always had a few that I desired but never acquired:

Nashville

I've only seen some of Nashville, but I love the colors of the poster, and the tagline is great.

A Clockwork Orange

I nearly bought a 64 inch tall rendition of this poster. The simplified look and that eye gets me ever time. I've been wanting this one since high school.

Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace

I always thought this poster was awesome, and I wish they had stuck with this theme for Episode II and Episode III (whose teaser poster was simply trying too hard). This was the right idea.

PIPER said...

Nashville is an awesome poster.

I used to have A really cool Clockwork Orange poster that was the scene of Alex with his eyes pinned back and it was all being viewed through a ripped up orange.

When I got it framed, the framer messed up the poster in the corner and it got bunched up.

Then we had a pipe burst in our apartment and some ceiling fell down and hit the poster and cracked it.

It's in a box in my basement somewhere.

PIPER said...

Holy shit,

I just saw the Clockwork Orange poster. Never seen it before. That's kick ass.

Sheamus the... said...

those are some pretty sweet posters man...I used to have reloaded poster except mine was of Jada.
My psoters consist of the smoky green constantine, smoky blue descent, La Femme Nakita german poster, 28 weeks later, Run Lola Run, and Shaun of the Dead.

PIPER said...

I wished that 28 Weeks later was as good as the premise and the poster.

Loved the advertising for it.

La Femme Nikita would be sweet too.

Burbanked said...

GREAT post, Piper, and your posters are terrific - I'm especially a fan of that version of Fargo and have been meaning to get that myself. I never thought about the tagline being redundant before, but you're right that it's pretty superfluous.

I have a few originals hanging in the den - an Empire Strikes Back, a Three Days of the Condor and this really cheesy Earthquake that makes me miss California.

But the one I truly covet is this one.

Anonymous said...

I have a few posters that are currently in the garage awaiting a move into a new home and an office that will have enough wall space...

In addition to the Rushmore poster you have, I also have:

* A Mallrats poster signed by Kevin Smith

* A Dogma promotional 18x20 of Jay & Silent Bob signed by Smith and Jason Mewes.

* Swingers

I really wish that I still had the Edward Scissorhands and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade posters that adorned my wall in high school as well as the original Star Wars poster that I had back in kindergarten.

Two posters that I plan to get in the near future are The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. I absolutely love the Boris Vallejo inspired illustration as well as the nods to Conan The Barbarian/Nat'l Lampoon's Vacation/Evil Dead/Star Wars.

TALKING MOVIEzzz said...
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Anonymous said...

ENTER THE DRAGON has always tickled my fancy. It's a classic. You and I share this love of posters Piper. A nice way to satisfy the fetish are those wonderful Movie Poster books. I think you've seen a few in my library.

Damian Arlyn said...

Ah, one of the joys of being a bachelor! I actually DO have movie posters all over my walls. Those are some good ones you have, Piper. Here are the posters that I own:

Raiders of the Lost Ark

The first (and still best) of the Indiana Jones movies. Also my favorite of all the Indy posters (although the one for Temple of Doom where Ford is standing in the doorway is pretty good too).

The Exorcist

One of the greatest images to be put on a poster (and on film) ever.

Die Hard

Noe necessarily a great poster, but certainly a great movie.

Return of the Pink Panther

Again, not necessarily a great poster but my favorite of all the "Pink Panther" movies.

A Perfect World

I have to confess that in spite of my high regard for Cline Eastwood, I've never actually seen this film, but through a strange quirk of fate (the mother of a friend of mine) I came into possession of this poster... signed by its director!

Octopussy

I own three Bond posters. This one because it was the first Bond movie I ever saw (plus I think it's a great poster).

Goldeneye

This one because it's Brosnan's first (and best) Bond movie... and a great poster.

Casino Royale

And this one because it's Craig's first Bond outing (and a great movie) and because we had an extra one at the video store.

Passion of the Christ

I don't care what anyone else says. I love this film and I love this poster.

Apocalypse Now Redux

Though I prefer the original cut to the "Redux," I still think both are great films.

And last but certainly not least:

E.T.

Schindler's List

These two are not only two of my favorite films (made by my favorite filmmaker) but I think the posters parallel each other quite nicely since they contain very similar images. It took me a long time to notice that.

Damian Arlyn said...

I forgot to mention that I used to own three posters that I (for some stupid reason that I can't seem to figure out) got rid of. The Goonies, Back to the Future and An American Tail. Oh, how I wish I still had them! Not only because I love the posters (and the movies) but because they were all done by one of my favorite contemporary artists (the KING of poster artwork in my book): Drew Struzan!

PIPER said...

Burbanked,

The Butch Cassidy poster is excellent. And it's foreign too which makes it cooler for reasons I don't really know.

Jeremy,

The illustration style of all of Wes Anderson's movies would be great to have in poster form. I need to look and see if that's possible.

Moviezzz,

You are a brave man to admit that you have a Grease 2 poster somewhere.

Damian,

You being a bachelor, I can't imagine you getting much play with the ladies with The Exorcist and Schindlers List around. Great posters, but not really uplifting.

The Raiders poster is classic.

TALKING MOVIEzzz said...
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Damian Arlyn said...

Piper,

You'd be surprised. Women think you're very sensetive if you like a film like Schindler's List. As for The Exorcist, didn't you know that girls dig scary movies? ;)


Moviezzz,

View to a Kill not only had one great poster, it had two great posters (and try to convince me that the second one didn't in some capacity serve as inspiration for the Mr. And Mrs. Smith poster), and although it's certainly far from the best Bond movie (even of the Moore outings), in my book it's still superior to The Man with the Golden Gun.

Good ol' Huey and Christie! Never had posters of them, but I did have the two Michaels (J. Fox and Jackson) hanging in my room. Naturally they were fold-outs from magazines (complete with the creases and staple holes).

Ahh, the 80's indeed.

PIPER said...

Damian,

Isn't it wild that the second View To A Kill poster is illustrated? It just kind of feels strange to me.

And Moviezzz,

I too used to have a Christie Brinkley poster up in my room. I loved that woman.

jayclops said...

cool entry. much cooler blog. it's nice to have landed here. very informative, expecially for someone like me who's recently regained my interest on films and the cinema. I like the opening credits of North by Northwest too. keep it comin'!