Posters - The New Wave

The Hobbit poster which is rightly called a "tapestry" - simply beautiful!

I have always found posters to be fascinating. As much as I love films, I have always craved after those brilliant fan made minimalistic posters or in some cases the originals of the classics. Let's face it, posters have once again, with the ease of internet, become a top priority for film makers in their marketing campaign. These images on paper are the perfect teasers to any film. Placing a poster of a film on a webpage or as an advertisement is the first step taken by most to get news about the film to the masses. Moreover, it is the poster design that also acts as the first impression for the audience. Make a good and intriguing poster and there is a higher likelihood that a person will click on the link. Obviously, posters at movie theatres are as popular as ever. 


I do feel that Hollywood went through a period in the 90s and early 2000s when posters were not given that much importance. Part of it could be because 90s was when home viewing was at a high and thus there was no such need. Surprisingly, the VHS covers from this time have become quite collectable now due to certain nostalgia associated to them. Also, internet was not as accessible as now, so for a poster design to spread like a virus, it had to be something really really special. 


That has changed over the last few years. More and more film-makers are paying attention to posters and coming up with unique and individualistic designs. A number of times competitions are being held by studios to let the audience design posters for an upcoming movie in what is a perfect marketing and design technique. The popularity of fan made posters (once again, especially the minimalistic ones) probably has something to do with this also. Now, be it a fan made poster or an "original", if it's good then it will be tweeted/ReTweeted or Liked on the internet within minutes.


So, I just wanted to share a few posters of movies that are about to be released that have impressed me for different reasons. They might not have the same "cool" and "hip" factor as the minimalistic ones or even the hard to find Polish movie posters, they are still a positive step towards giving poster design a certain art credibility they so rightly deserve.  

The poster of OZ: The Great & Powerful has a rather fairytale look to it,
but I like how it has a somewhat dark feel to it. 

Very 80s and it should be considering most of the actions stars in the
film are from that era.

The poster would make more sense once you have seen the film,
still it says and shows everything you really need to know. 

It's not the best poster around, still interesting as the skull is
made up of VHS tapes.

A teaser poster that just looks amazing.
Even comes close to be being minimalistic. 

Love the old-fashioned style and the crease as if the
poster was folded. Very Tim Burtonesq. 

I do not know anything about the film, but thankfully the poster design
caught my eye before the star of the film. I'm all intrigued now. 

Sign of a big blockbuster film this poster is. Hotly anticipated
the poster provides just the right dose of excitement.

I like this poster because all you have to do is look at the poster and
you have a fairly good idea what the movie will be about.

Probably my favourite TDKR poster, after that of Catwoman for obvious reasons.
Along with the Hobbit tapestry, this has to be my favourite poster in a long long time. 

  

My VHS Favourites

Till the time I became a Twitter addict, I used to think I was one of the last few people on this Earth who still had a Video Cassette Player and a bunch of VHS Tapes. But, was I wrong or what? I do still think that I might be amongst maybe 10 people in India who actually uses VHS to view movies in this day and age.

My VHS collections isn't huge anymore, around 100 tapes, partially because I upgraded a few movies over time and others just went bad, but I still enjoy watching some movies in the format I first saw them (aside from the theater).

Here's a list of some of my favourite movies that are in my VHS collection. 

Cinema Paradiso - The first ever "foreign film" that I saw and loved. Along with The Last Emperor, it is the only non-Hindi/English film that I remember watching as a child. The brilliance of Cinema Paradiso is that if you ask any cinephile today, there is a good chance that they have seen it and it has had some part in guiding their love towards films.

Grosse Point Blank - I've tried thinking of another actor that could possibly replace John Cusack in this brilliant dark humored film, but honestly no one comes to mind. Cusack plays the character of a hitman going to his school reunion with such über-coolness that were it not for Grosse Point Blank or High Fidelity, he would have never survived the debacle that was 2012.   

JFK - Conspiracy theories aside, the film really is a masterpiece when it comes to a journalistic approach in a film. A great cast and some pretty awesome blink-and-you-will-miss cameos by a number of legendary stars, the film remains of one Oliver Stone’s greatest works.

Love and other Catastrophes - A small indie-esq gem of a film that follows a group of students during one day of their life. Quirky and fun, it works as a lovely little date film.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail - I was officially introduced to Monty Python in college by my History teacher who played the entire Holy Grail in class to especially show the scene of the history professor doing the TV show being killed. For me Holy Grail will always be better than the more appreciated Life of Brian. 

Primal Fear - There was nothing better than watching the entire film unfold before my eyes in the last 10 minutes when all the secrets come to light. There has only been one other film that has had the same effect on me and that one is mentioned below. Story aside, Edward Norton performed brilliantly, and the fact that I had just decided on making Psychology my double major brought about a whole new angle to the film.

Curdled - I haven't heard many people talk about this film. In fact I too was given this tape by a friend who had seen it and thought I would like it. It's a nice psychological dark comedy that has a blood clean-up lady going head to head in a battle of wits with a serial killer.

Reservoir Dogs - It is better than Pulp Fiction any day...and that is a fact!

Rope - My favourite Hitchcock film, I just love how the story, which is a fierce battle of one-upmanship, works so well in the claustrophobic surroundings of an apartment, and to top it all, goes about doing so in extremely long takes. This murder why-dunnit tells the audience everything straight on, yet keeps them captivated throughout. Pure brilliance.

Swimming with Sharks - Kevin Spacey is the boss from hell. Dark, funny, dramatic, if this movie were to be made now, it would have been turned into torture-porn, but thankfully the story along with strong performances is what makes this one of my favourite films. 

The Castle - This Australian gem based on real life events is the story of a family as they fight the government who wants to take over their house to extend a nearby airport. The film is funny and charming, full of eccentric likable character, and is pure Australian gold.  

The Usual Suspects - Yup! It's that other film which has an ending like no other. A film that remained my favourite for the longest time and just the thought of the ending now gives me goose bumps. Brilliant!

Trainspotting - it had me at “Choose Life”. 

Transformers: The Movie - The only film that I own in VHS and DVD format. It might be animated, but it is so much better than any of the live action Transformers we have seen in the last decade. With some great voice support and a strong storyline, Transformers is a must have for any fan of the toys or even anime.

Do you have any VHS cassettes lying around? What are your favourites? Do tell...