'John Dies at the End' Rollout

Just a mock-up placeholder, but still a good poster.

Apple has the fairly must-see trailer.

UK Poster for 'Don't be Afraid of the Dark'

Here's a new poster for the October 7 UK release.

Far too edgy (sorry) for American consumers, this is tonally perfect and combines the best elements from previous posters. Elegant, macabre, gothic, baroque.

My only snit is, as with an earlier more orthodox (read: domestic) rendition, the shadow of the banister is not needed and interferes with the ghoul claws. But, the title design is so imaginative you'd hardly notice such a detail. (That the fine print has been moved to the side is also an improvement over the earlier layout). The choice of a serif font fits better as well. Using a period at the end of the tagline is quaint but has the right energy.

Reminiscent of the excellent posters for Tim Burton's work, and probably the best one sheet for this movie. Really makes a statement.

'I Melt With You' Poster

Trailer s an d c lips ha ve bee n capt ivatin g. Poste r i s nicel y p ut toget her. C an't wai t.

Chinese Poster for Christian Bale's 'The Flowers of War'

Set for release in China December 11, 2011

'Margin Call' Gets a New Poster

Claustrophobic, eerie, cadaver color balance, a little weird. Just right.

Best 'Margin Call' poster yet.

Poster for 'New Year's Eve'

Poster works. Well done. I want to not like it, but...

Apple has the new hi-def trailer which also...works. I really really want to not like it, but...

Is it too too to say this movie has a killer cast? Going to make gobs of cash. Gobs...

'War Horse' Poster

Two More Non-American Tough Guys

I was just noticing the leads in the tough-guy mano-a-mano combat movie 'Warrior', which everyone loved but nobody saw, are not American. The main contenders are portrayed by an Aussie (Joel Edgerton, born in Blacktown, New South Wales) and a Brit (Tom Hardy, born in London, England).

So, yet again, despite action set in Pittsburgh, there were apparently no American actors around who were tough enough to make a mixed martial arts movie. The producers had to go all the way to New South Wales and London for believable brawn.

Is this a solid trend? Do all action movies feature a non-American in the too-tough-for-a-domestic-ruffian role? Well, no.

'Abduction'. Hard-core action, gritty stuff. Starring Taylor Lautner. Born Grand Rapids, MI. Doesn't get more American (or tough) than that. Yes?

Anyway. Just saying... Again.

'Man on a Ledge' Poster

Love this kind of plot:

An ex-cop framed turned con threatens to jump to his death from a Manhattan hotel rooftop. The nearest New York Police officer immediately responds to a screaming women and calls dispatch. More Officers arrive with swat and tactical command along with FDNY. The NYPD then dispatches a female police psychologist personally requested to talk him down from the ledge. However, unbeknownst to the NYPD on the scene, the suicide attempt is a cover up for the biggest diamond heist ever pulled.

Okay, the syntax needs work, but... And, the title isn't that hot, but...

PBS Doc 'Prohibition' Will Make its Debut on the iPad

The PBS documentary 'Prohibition' by Ken Burns will premiere on iPhones, iPads, and the iPod. The doc will show via a free streaming video app on the mobile devices before it plays on TV.

From Cnet:

"PBS' strategy of debuting high-profile shows on the iPad and iPhone before television broadcast has been enormously popular with users," Jason Seiken, PBS' senior vice president for Interactive, Product Development & Innovation, said in a statement. "Users of our apps watched more than 52 million video streams last month. The early premiere of the first episode of Ken Burns's and Lynn Novick's much anticipated 'Prohibition' is part of our ongoing mission to provide all Americans with content where and when they want it."

Internet Banner/Poster for 'Miss Bala'

Campaign is looking good.

Spanish Poster for 'Red Lights' (Luces Rojas)

Beats the hell out of the US version...

What were they thinking? Ick.

Trailer for 'J. Edgar'

Apple has a pretty convincing hi-def trailer.

Poster for [REC]³ Génesis

They're already talking [REC]4. Not that I have a problem with that. These have been pretty fresh.

'Red Lights' Poster

So much potential. Great cast. Cool story. Can't wait.

 

New Poster for 'The Mill & The Cross'

More engaging than the first. Apple has a newly cut trailer.

Very original movie. Should be fun on Blu-ray.

Poster for 'Lovely Molly'

From one of the creators of 'The Blair Witch Project', Eduardo Sánchez. The slugline -- A horror/thriller centered on one troubled young woman and the evil power that exists inside of her -- is pretty vague and a little bland, but this might be a good sign.

Avoiding another predictable possessed chick flick won't be easy. It's a good title, though, and the poster looks okay.

Poster for 'Extraterrestrial'

Just plain works. The kind of poster that says guaranteed good time.

'Margin Call' Poster

Liking everything about this movie.

'Machine Gun Preacher' Poster

Tough one to read. Hard to see this movie having mass appeal based on trailers and posters, so far.

I like the layout, but the crucifix motif is a bit much for a mainstream flick. That it's based on a true story helps a lot. Here's Sam Childers (the guy Gerard Butler plays) site. Here's the Wiki page.

This is Sam Childers aka the Machine Gun Preacher with his favorite assault weapon, the AK-47.

'Vamps' Poster

Poster makes a strong statement.

Love the tag: Nice girls suck. It's the only text (not counting the boilerplate) which is angled down, while the title, along with the actors' names, lipstick, and tip of tongue, are all angled up and to the right. Nicely done.

I just get a feeling -- with the cast, including Alicia Silverstone, Sigourney Weaver, and Krysten Ritter, and directed by Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Look Who's Talking, Clueless) -- 'Vamps' could deliver.

Good design, lotta confidence. Looking forward.

'The Retreat' Gets a Poster

I like the cast -- Thandie Newton, Cillian Murphy, Jamie Bell, and the story has that radio mystery thing going on.

Pretty much a rental buttery popcorn guilty pleasure, but my kind of movie.

'The Big Year' Trailer and Poster

With Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson -- you gotta figure. Right?

Apple has the hi-def trailer.

'The Big Year' Trailer and Poster

With Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson -- you gotta figure. Right?

Apple has the hi-def trailer.

New Poster for 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

Who's who? Movie is looking better all the time. Very 70s indie psych-drama look/feel.

Nicely done.

Poster for 'Young Adult'

Don't know what to make of this but it got my attention. That's good...

Besides, anything related to Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman with Charlize Theron -- that's gotta be good.

Foreign (Russian) Poster for 'Drive'

At least I think it's Russian. As with all things 'Drive', looks great. Fantastic.

Another Attempt at a Poster for 'Dream House'

This is a mash up of elements from previous posters a bad sign in itself. Poster works okay but reflects little confidence from Marketing. The faces of all three actors in the reflection are blocked-up -- no detail in the high values -- and tonal values are poor. Sickly green doesn't do anybody any favors. Saturation is bad (even after boosting, as below).

The little girls, very sad to say, are not centered -- they're way off to the right -- which centers them in relation to Daniel Craig's face but, well, his face is off to the right, so the entire poster is lop-sided and looks/feels bad on a subconscious level. It actually looks amateurish. Kind of a slap in the face considering the movie is a major production.

The poster creates exactly the feel you want to avoid. However, I like the tag: "The truth can't stay inside forever" -- thematic, and a nod to both the haunted house genre and plot twists.

In case you were out of the country a couple months back, 'Dream House' got off to a bad start (not counting production problems) with a debut trailer that not only gave away tons of plot elements, but tipped its hand in regard to (possible) subtle spoilers that, if they turn out to be true, wreck the movie for anyone that looks too close.

This picture isn't looking good for a release at the end of September. I expect we'll see more crippled promotional materials.

 

Poster for 'Janie Jones'

Love the inclusion of a vinyl LP. Very cool poster.

Hacker Group Anonymous Targets Hollywood

This from Cnet:

According to multiple reports, the Hollywood Leaks team has announced its intent to target celebrities in film, TV, and music--evidently, folks like Miley Cyrus, Tom Cruise, and rapper Kreayshawn have already been hit. The hackers are looking for dirt, such as nude photos, embarrassing e-mails or memos, scripts under wraps, etc. In general, Hollywood Leaks wants to leave a trail of showbiz carnage in its wake.

So far, the fruits of their dastardly labor include publishing online a list of celebrity cell phone numbers (Cyrus and Ashley Green, Helio Castronoves and Corky Ballas, who both previously appeared on "Dancing with the Stars") and the pre-release script of the movie musical "Rock of Ages" starring Tom Cruise. This morning, they served up Gerald Butler's e-mail address.

With more severe attacks to come.
 

Poster for 'Piranha 3DD'

New Quad Poster for 'The Woman'

I'm loving this movie.

Poster and Must-See Trailer for 'Margaret'

With Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo, and Matthew Broderick. Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, the craftsman behind 'You Can Count On Me'.

The type story that's usually sappy and hard to sit through -- the trailer for 'Margaret', though, is cut like a gem. 'Searing' is a fair word.

Great cast, go-to writer/director for character-driven pieces. Will probably be a hot property come awards season.

Apple has the hi-def trailer -- an absolute must-see.

Here's the poster.