Saturday, December 27, 2008

The Best (and Worst) Posters of 2008

It is frustrating sometimes being a movie lover and not living in New York City (oh to dream). I am routinely unable to do a top ten list until June! Luckily for your guys I don't have to have seen all the movies to be able to judge their key art. As anybody who has read Stale Popcorn for longer than a week will know, I love posters. I talk about them a lot. This past year I even did a top 100 countdown and so here on the even of 2009 I present my favourite (and least favourite) pieces of poster art for the year 2008. I'm sure I've missed something that I will regret leaving out (such as the Zoo poster from last year's countdown), but thems the breaks!


(All posters can clicked on to enlarge)
(All posters accumulated at IMP)

THE TEN BEST POSTERS OF 2008
10. Wall-E

Retro animation at it's finest.

9. The Strangers

Okay, so it spoils the film's biggest and best scare - although, so does the best trailer of 2008, side note - but it does everything a poster should: Makes you want to see the movie. If the thought behind this poster's image doesn't get you then you were never going to see it anyway.

8. In Bruges

I love a poster that is playful like this. See also The Bank Job.

7. The Black Waters of Echo's Pond

For all the huss-and-fuss over the poster campaign for last year's Grindhouse, these two posters for an obscure horror flick are the two most retro designs that I have seen recently. From the tea-stained borders, the creases and the hand-drawn aesthetic. All so wonderful.

6. The Wackness

You know you're on the right track with a movie set in the early 1990s when your key art instantly brings back memories of recording mix tapes. Such pitch perfect design here.

5. The House Bunny

No poster made me laugh as much as this poster, which puts Anna Faris front and centre where she belongs.

4. The Dark Knight

I couldn't decide which of these I liked more. The more classically beautiful city shot or the twisted and crazier Joker design. I cheated and used both. They're both excellent.

3. Goliath

I knew I had to rank this poster high because I have no idea what the movie is and yet I feel like I must see it or else I will EXPLODE. A lot of the time posters for these low budget independent movies can be really bad, but sometimes they have the luck of hiring a great designer who can come up with something like this. Another of these nearly made it in for the movie Fix, but it fell just short of the top ten.

2. Dear Zachery: A Letter to a Son About His Father

Just absolutely beautiful. Stunningly so.

1. Funny Games

Was there ever any doubt. Truly a masterpiece.

Now Just For Fun...
(excluding previously mentioned posters)

Best Rip-Off:
The Spirit

For ripping off everything about Sin City.

Best Poster That Could Have Easily Been Terrible:
27 Dresses

Essentially for not being this or this or (heaven forbid) this.

Dreamiest Use of Colour:
Slumdog Millionaire


Best Poster Series:
(Excluding The Dark Knight and Wall-E to be fair!)
No Right Turn

I know they're all fairly simple, but I like these posters, don't you?

Best Saul Bass Impersonation:
Burn After Reading

Runner-Up: Flawless - it would've won if it completely gave in to the idea.

Sexiest Poster:
Elegy

Might as well sell your movie on Penelope Cruz' posterior, no?

Best "Do They Realise?" Moment:
Paranoid Park


Worst Photoshopping:
Sex and the City: The Movie

Or, since the scene is actually in the movie, Worst Non-Photoshopping When Photoshopping Was Necessary?

Unscariest Poster for a Scary Movie:
Dying Breed

Runner-Up: One Missed Call

Worst Backtracking:
August

Ummm... they went from a poster that told you enough to one that doesn't tell you a thing other than "Josh Hartnett wears clothes in this movie" and who wants that, honestly?

Worst False Advertising:
Sex and Death 101

Bridget Fonda circa the early '90s is not in this movie!

Worst "Empty Space" Offender:
Revolutionary Road


Most Unappealing Poster:
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

Ugh, why would I want to see this smug-looking piece of garbage?

The "This Deserves a Better Poster" Award:
WHERE DO WE START?!?
Milk, Revolutionary Road, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Rachel Getting Married, Changeling... etc etc. What a terrible terrible year for Oscar movies and their posters. Literally all of the above were dreadful!


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The First Annual Showgirls Honourary Award for Brilliance in the Face of Ineptitude in Poster Design:
Whore

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And that's that, folks. I can't be bothered doing any more because I'll go blind. What did you think? Did I miss anything? Speak up in the comments, please!