Where in the World is Russell Crowe?

Poster for 'The Next Three Days' with Russell Crowe's face created by snapshots of various locations pinned to a map. (Lean back, it's easier to see from a couple feet).

Very nice. If the movie lives to this poster it'll be excellent.

Now Available on iPhone's Glorious Tiny Screen

Wired sure is enthused about movies that (would) view well on a puny puny iPhone screen (if they were available). I just like the still from 'South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut', which (would) [probably] lose nothing on the tiny tiny screen.

Anyway. Thanks for the heads up.

Edelstein re: Clooney in 'The American'

David Edelstein reviews 'The American':

The American is full of passages with pauses, hidden agendas, minutiae. There are long scenes in which Jack does nothing but construct a weapon to a female client's specification for purposes unknown: a machine gun with the range of a rifle and a device to disguise the shooter's location. (...)

That was where Clooney lived in his last movie, too, Up in the Air, and I get a sense he's trying to deepen his persona. That might be a doomed enterprise. Clooney is naturally gregarious, a disarmingly handsome smoothie with a toasty, caressing voice. He pulled off the brooding thing in Michael Clayton, but he doesn't here.

That's the feel I get from trailers. A moody, intelligent piece with lots of internal acting. My kind of film -- I prefer this over pyro smash and grab movies -- and will probably enjoy it on disc sometime. This is finely wrought to be sure, but it plays on perhaps too small a palette to appeal to a broad audience.

Boilerplate Poster for 'Secretariat'

Wrong approach. Doesn't hold a candle to the first poster:

This one plays up the human drama intrinsic to creating a champion racer. Diane Lane is a natural for this kind of role. Featuring her (and/or John Malkovich) is the way to go.

(Most) people don't know horse racing and don't care about it, but an audience is naturally drawn to a dramatic story. One poster is about running a horse on a track, the other is about human endeavor. A race is exciting, not dramatic. Human endeavor is almost always dramatic no matter what it's centered around.

Disney needs to emphasize the drama of the story in the one sheets. The movie isn't about the mechanics of horse racing, it's about people who struggle to create a champion racer.

Poster for 'The Day the Music Died'

Here's the first teaser graphic for 'The Day the Music Died'. Great title, pretty good graphics -- looks a little too photoshopped, though. I like the near black & white pencil-drawn approach.