Pathfinder Posters

When I was younger I used to love the Conan The Barbarian comic books. I especially liked looking at the covers for those books, which generally showed the ripped Conan fighting some new frightening menace.

This poster for Pathfinder reminds me a lot of those covers, and of the covers of the Conan books I went on to read when I was a little older. Perhaps because of that, I really like it. Not sure I would be willing to hang it up my wall. But that is mostly because I’m a little afraid other people might find it a little strange to see a poster like in the bedroom of a man my age. Gotta keep those walls looking mature and dignified!

Now, does it work as a promotion for the movie? I guess it could. But the thing is, this is the kind of poster that calls for an expensive and high profile movie behind it. And the rest of the film’s marketing makes clear that this is not an expensive and high profile movie. I think that this mismatch keeps the poster from adding much to the promotion of the film.

It’s still nice to look at tough. And the other poster is not bad either.

Redline Poster

Hmmmm, I wonder what this poster reminds me of. Oh, that’s right, here it is:

If your poster looks like the promotional material for a video game, consider getting a new poster.

Disturbia Poster

As it has been mentioned elsewhere, this poster is very reminiscent of Hitchcock’s Rear Window. As is, in fact, the whole premise of the movie. I don’t think that is such a good idea, from a marketing standpoint. People don’t want to go see something that seems like a cheap knock off of a great movie.

What the poster should try to do is sell why this movie is unique. Perhaps highlight that it’s set in the suburbs? Or some other distinctive element.

As it is now this looks like the poster for a movie you might watch on the DVD on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Not something you would go to the theaters to see.

Pride Poster

I really hate this poster. Why? Mostly because it’s ugly. The whole stylised blue waves surrounding the faces of the cast makes for an unseemly contrast. And the blue waves themselves don’t really work. They feel weird, out of place, like they belong in a surfer movie.

Also, the poster does little to make you interested in the movie. It doesn’t give us any sense of what the relationship between the characters is. It doesn’t give you any idea as to why you should care about them or about what they will have to go thorough. It basically tells you nothing.

And why is Terrence Howard the only one laughing? It makes no sense.

Now, this poster is much better:

Still a little too bland for my tastes, but it has several good characteristics. It evokes the period the movies takes place in. The positions of the characters hint at their relationships. And their postures and looks tell us these are people that are serious about what they are doing and who are maybe facing difficulties in order to do it. I think that evoking the period is especially important since the movie seems to also focus a lot on this aspect.

So, not great, but definitely not fake wavy things ugly.

Reign Over Me Poster

Oh, I love this poster, so so beautiful.

We get the usual characters interacting stuff. Which is important. It let’s us see that Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle are in it, and that their relationship is central to the movie. But the characters are unusually small and most of the poster is taken by the background.

And what brilliant background it is. Although it doesn’t resort to using any clear landmarks, it is obviously meant to evoke New York City, which is relevant since the movie deals with the aftermath of a loss occurred in 9/11. The city, and the tragedy, loom over the characters. It’s in the background, and doesn’t call attention to itself, but it is undeniably there. Subtle, touching and effective.

And the use of color (or lack of color) is also great. Not only it looks good, but it also portrays the sadness that the characters must be dealing with, while still pointing to the possibility of happier times. There is light (and color) in the end of the tunnel, so to speak.

I can only hope the movie is as subtle, appropriate and touching.

Shooter Poster

If I admit I really liked this poster, will you “shoot” me? I know, I know, silly pun, but I couldn’t resist it.

I did like poster. The pose, the angle, the use of lighting and of the clouds in order to frame Wahlberg, it all amounts to a pretty cool image. The transparent letters in the middle of the poster don’t work, but I would still like to have this one up in my bedroom, so I could take a look at it every once in a while.

Now, I still don’t want to see the movie. But I don’t think any poster could make me feel any different. And this one does a good job of at least keeping the film in my mind.

Also, I really like the way clouds look in general. In case you are wondering, this is not really related to the rest of the post at all.

TMNT Poster

Ok, time for a confession. When I was a kid I had 4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ posters, one for every character. And I loved them. They proudly hanged on my wall for several years.

Now, for a second confession. I actually want to see the new TMNT movie. I managed to maintain myself totally uninterested in the film up until this week. But now, seeing the poster and watching the trailers, I bunch of memories came back, and with them came the long forgotten fondness for the characters. Sigh, I was hoping to avoid that.

Anyways, I guess this means the poster worked for me. But will it work for the kids? It seems a little too dark. Posters for animated movies tend to be more colorful and bright. And I don’t think the young ones remember the turtles, so they really have to sell them on watching it. We’ll see the results of the campaign this weekend, when the film opens.

I leave you with the character poster for Michaelangelo, who was the coolest of the turtles in every single incarnation. Cowabunga!

Opening This Weekend: I Think I Love My Wife

I don’t think this is a bad movie poster. It does portray the basic facts of the movie: it is about a man torn between his wife and a hot other woman, and it has Chris Rock. And the white background is very classic.

Of course, it’s not very inspired. It’s the kind of poster that pretty much anybody could make and there are thousands of others that are just like it. It sells the basic elements of the movie but doesn’t itself add anything. So, it’s not very good either.

Oh, and the tag line? “In Marriage No One Can hear You Scream”? So very wrong. Too clever by half.

Opening This Weekend: Premonition

Some people really liked this poster and thought it was very clever. I guess it is clever, but it is also so damn bland. And the design is only somewhat related to the theme of the movie.

Also, if your movie’s main draw is the fact that it stars Sandra Bullock, sell Sandra Bullock!

I guess the lesson is that a clever idea doesn’t necessarily make for an effective poster.

Opening This Weekend: Dead Silence

Oh, look! It’s a ventriloquist dummy! And there is a creepy finger making the “shush” sign in front of him! Scary!

Honestly, this strikes me as neither creepy enough to appeal to old time horror fans, nor disgusting enough to appeal to the SAW and Hostel crowd. It also doesn’t tell us much interesting about what to expect from the movie. Sure, we know there is going to be a dummy, probably killing people. But that is not enticing enough.

Compare with the original SAW poster:

When I first looked at this poster I immediately knew someone was going to get his leg cut off. Added with a little plot information I soon deduced someone would cut their own leg off. And honestly, that’s what got me into the theater. Call me sick if you want to, but I’m in the general demographic that Dead Silence is aiming for.

One last thing. In the top part of the poster we see the line “From the Writers and Director and Producers of SAW”. That is not a little clumsy, that’s really clumsy. Surely they could have written “From the creative force behind SAW” or “From the makers of SAW”, or something like that. People who care that this movie has the same director and producer and writer as SAW probably already read about it in the Internet.