Bruno

I’ve been torn about Bruno since the project was announced. I mean, Borat was tons of fun, but a part of the fun was that it felt fresh when it came to the big screen and became a cultural sensation, despite the fact that the show had been going on for a few years in the small screen. Could Bruno possibly be close to as much fun? Wouldn’t it feel like a retread, and with a much less funny character?

Well, we’ll have answers soon enough. But I have to say that the poster only strengthens my ambivalence. On one hand, a laughed when I first saw it. On the other hand, it’s just not as great as the classic poster for Borat. I don’t blame the poster itself, which I think does a lot of things right, but the source material, the character at the center of it all, simply isn’t as funny or memorable as Borat. And no matter how hard they try, and they are trying hard, that is hard to overcome.

Then again, a lot less funny than Borat can still be very funny…

(Via IMPAwards)

Alternate Poster for Taking Woodstock

[removed by request of the author]

So, you have seen the official poster for Taking Woodstock. But now here you see John Malloy’s alternate version which the studio ultimately didn’t pick.

It’s obvious from these two that they always wanted the poster to be quite psychedelic. In the end they went with an image that felt a lot like something you could have actually seen in the 60’s, and more particularly with something that you could see associated with the culture that permeated Woodstock. Malloy’s version lacks that “from the time” feel.

On the other hand, you can actually read the text in the alternate poster, which is a big plus! And overall I think it does make the movie look like a more broadly appealing comedy while maintaining a sense of uniqueness and a strong identity. Like I said before, I fear that the first poster might be making the movie look way more niche than it actually is.

I can see why they went the way they went, but there are (as is often the case) risks involved.

(Via)

The Stepfather Poster

I just can’t resist this 80’s drenched poster for The Stepfather. Is the whole thing (tagline, premise and image) widely over the top and more than a little ridiculous? Sure! That’s why it’s fun!

The Stepfather is, of course, a remake of a same titled movie from 1987, which had a pretty interesting poster too:

The funny thing is that poster actually feels less of its time than the poster for the remake. The poster for The Spetfather II, on the other hand, is pure 80’s.

(Via IMPAwards)

And the Prize for Most Improved Poster Goes to….

I’m not saying this is a great poster, but it is much, much better than the last poster.

The new poster at least shows some humor and creativity in the attempt to convey and sell the movie’s premise. Also: basic skills in the use of colors.

(Via IMPAwards)

Extract Teaser Poster

I guess this trend from a couple of years ago isn’t quite dead yet. Although this is a really painful turn for the genre.

I do have to wonder about the effectiveness of this. Sure, it might get a few giggles. It might get noticed. But it makes the movie appear juvenile and alienates a good part of the audience. And Mike Judge might be the guy behind Beavis and Butt-Head, but his films have generally been a lost smarter than what this poster would indicate.

Then again, the trailer does involve a scene where what the poster implies actually happens to a guy. So it’s not like it doesn’t fit the movie. But by focusing squarely on that, even on a teaser, they might be underselling the movie.

Hopefully the final poster will make a more broadly appealing sell for the movie.

(Via HitFix and IMPAwards)

Brothers Bloom Posters

Ok, first off, this is not an official poster for Brothers Bloom. Instead it’s something the director asked his cousin to cook up. Still, it’s worth posting. Even tough I’m not a big fan of this particular drawing I think it still shows the potential drawn posters have to mesmerize and sell movies. Could we perhaps have a little bit more of this type of thing in official posters? Please?

The drawn poster is, for example, much better at conveying the rollicking trip around the world aspect of the movie than this other, very official poster.

The official poster does have one advantage: the orange umbrellas. No really. The orange on the poster is very lively and the umbrellas are offbeat and rather memorable. Still, not enough to really get one hooked. But at least it is something that will catch your eye, and maybe remind you of that trailer you saw online a while ago and that looked so good.

(Via BrothersBloom and FilSchoolRejects)

Moon Posters

I’m intrigued by these two poster for Moon, both of which I quite like. The one above is new, the one below is the one we had seen before.

Both posters have the same general objective: put the focus in Sam Rockwell’s character and give us a sense of his isolation (the film has him alone in the moon for several years). But the differences are interesting. The older poster used a more technological theme and was fairly loaded with background.

The new one, on the other hand, uses the same image o Rockwell, but strips almost everything else out, replacing them with a black background and concentric circles representing the moon (I guess). I think the bareness of the poster ends up conveying the character’s isolation and loneliness much much better, so that in itself is a big improvement.

But that is not all. The style of the poster is clearly antiquated. Which I myself, as a matter of taste, often appreciate. But beyond making the poster visually different than most other modern posters you are like to see any given day, I think the style also fits the movie and its themes. In part because many people have mentioned that the movie feels like an old fashioned sci-fi, something resembling decades past.

More specifically, the fascination with the moon itself is a bit old fashioned. We’ve been there. We’ve conquered it, in a sense. And now, we don’t care so much anymore. Now we are trying to get to Mars. Or beyond. But the Moon? That lost some of its mystery. But the poster helps us go back to a time when that wasn’t so.

It’s not a broad appeal blockbuster poster. Its not going to convince tons of people to see the movie. But it fits the movie, and makes it seem a little more special.

(Via AintItCoolNews, Thanks to reader PJ for the tip)

Taking Woodstock Poster

Is it possible to get an acid trip just from looking at a poster?

It’s almost impossible to read anything on this poster, with the exception of the title. And even that is a little hard on the eyes. So you might not get the tagline “A Generation Began in His Backyard”. You might not notice that this is a movie directed by Ang Lee. And you almost certainly can’t tell who is in the cast.

On the other hand, you don’t need to read anything to understand the particular moment in history this film takes place on, or its general subject.

But I think the poster ends up being too psychedelic. I kind of love the general look, but this actually seems like a very accessible comedy with some “nostalgia” potential for those of us who spent our life hearing and reading about Woodstock. The poster, on the other hand, seems to telegraph something much more niche, geared towards the hardcore 60’s lovers.

The trailer is, helpfully, much more didactic.

Bonus: The Psychedelic Poster Art of Wes Wilson

(Via RollingStone.com)

Not Really a Movie Poster …

But this play on the classic Bass poster for Anatomy of a Murder amused me, so maybe it will amuse you too.

(Via)

UK and France Represent

Last week I, very lightly, mocked the repetition of some design decisions in the posters for the X-Men series. Well, Today France totally shut me up.

Different characters in every poster! Well, one or two different characters in every poster, but still…

I have to admit that, as far as selling the movie goes, this is probably a decent design. But the decision to use several small variations still amuses me.

(Via IMPAwards)