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Tag Archives: Posters

Poster(s) of the Week – A Tribute to Bill Gold

23 Wednesday May 2018

Posted by dullwood68 in Movies

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Tags

Bill Gold, Career, Graphic design, Poster of the week, Posters, Warner Bros.

If you had to identify a link between Casablanca (1942) and A Clockwork Orange (1971) – other than that they’re both classics – it’s unlikely that you’d opt for the graphic designer Bill Gold. But Gold designed the posters for both movies as part of a career that began in 1942 with Yankee Doodle Dandy and continued until 2011 with J. Edgar (for which he came out of retirement at the age of ninety).

He began his design career in 1941, working in the advertising department at Warner Bros., and eventually becoming head of poster design in 1947. When the New York offices of Warner Bros. advertising unit was disbanded in 1962, Gold created his own company, Bill Gold Advertising, and continued designing posters for movies as varied as Camelot (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Breathless (1983), and In the Line of Fire (1993). He designed the posters for pretty much every Clint Eastwood movie from Dirty Harry (1971) onwards, and when he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Hollywood Reporter in 1994, it was Eastwood who presented him with the award. Involved in the design and creation of around two thousand movie posters during his near seventy year career, Gold passed away on 20 May 2018 aged ninety-seven. In tribute to Gold and his work, here are ten posters that sum up both his talent and the reason why he was held in such regard by the likes of Laurence Oliver, Elia Kazan, and Ridley Scott.

   

   

   

   

   

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Poster(s) of the Week – A Landscape Collection

13 Saturday May 2017

Posted by dullwood68 in Movies

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Tags

Get Carter (1971), Landscape, Portrait, Poster of the week, Posters, Shaun of the Dead, Steamboat Bill Jr, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Searchers, Tranquility of Blood

When choosing the posters for this particular thread, it’s always the landscape format that I aim for. There’s something so appealing about the format that I can’t help but be drawn to it. In comparison, the portrait format – for me, at least – lacks something I can’t quite put my finger on, which is ironic when you consider that my reviews feature exactly that style of poster. It’s also very difficult at times to do a poster sufficient justice, and though this is a category/thread that is one of my favourites, choosing the right poster is often more of a struggle than it needs to be. As a result, what was meant to be a regular weekly feature has become very hit and miss during 2017, something that I intend to address – though, sadly, not just yet.

In the meantime, here are seven landscape movie posters that are particular favourites of mine. A couple of them are also posters of movies that I have a specific liking for, but all the rest are here on their own merits. So, no commentary or examination of the posters’ and their relative pros and cons, and no other context either. I just think they’re damn good posters.

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Poster(s) of the Week – Josef Fenneker Collection

05 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by dullwood68 in Movies

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Tags

Berlin, Josef Fenneker, Marmorhaus, Poster of the week, Posters

Way back on 1 February 2017, Poster of the Week looked at Der Januskopf (1920), a lost movie by F.W. Murnau. At the end of the post there was this:

NOTE: There’ll be more from Josef Fenneker throughout February 2017.

The idea was to show off more of Fenneker’s distinctive work, and provide some very basic information about the movies themselves. There were meant to be four such posts, but somewhere along the way, what with all the lead-up to the Oscars, and it proving suprisingly difficult to pick out just four posters, the idea got pushed back and back until February was over and done with. But a good idea is still a good idea, even if it gets delayed, and a rethought idea is even better. So instead of four movie posters to admire (or not, Fenneker is something of an acquired taste), here are eight examples of his work, all startling in their own right, and all testaments to Fenneker’s skill as a graphic artist.

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Nerves (1919) / D: Robert Reinert

2317a12edfd58d0e6d75f0709f2ae0a7

The Dictatorship of Love Part 2: The World Without Love (1921) / D: Fred Sauer

rocaille-blog-josef-fenneker-22

The Burning Soil (1922) / D: F.W. Murnau

335901448b0e4b90aa9df74ecc2d73e9

Alcohol (1920) / D: Ewald André Dupont, Alfred Lind

20aac35fb42ba89f07a0a30a661a3770

Nemesis (1920) / D: Carmine Gallone

04-filmposter-fauentzienpalast

Madame de La Pommeraye’s Intrigues (1922) / D: Fritz Wendhausen

ac0046471d5d6e1bb6cd37fe860f5957

A Debt of Honour (1921) / D: Paul L. Stein

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The Devil and Circe (1921) / D: Adolf Gärtner

NOTE: If you’re wondering what “Marmorhaus” (literally “marble house”) refers to, it was a cinema built in Berlin in 1912-13. It was for Marmorhaus that Fenneker designed these and over two hundred and fifty more posters.

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2016 – A Review

01 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by dullwood68 in Movies

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

10 Best movies, 10 Highest Grossing Movies Worldwide, 10 Worst movies, 2016, 2017, Disney, International Box Office, Marvel, Posters, Review

If 2016 had to be summed up in one word, that word would be: Nooooooooo!!

987445

Time and time again we were led up the proverbial garden path, promised so much, and by studios and production companies who must have known that their promises were emptier than the mind of a Republican voter on November 8. Sequels and remakes and reboots that nobody wanted clogged up our multiplexes and taught us to run for the hills in search of movies that didn’t play to the common denominator, and which wouldn’t treat us like sheep.

But luckily there were enough movies that fit that particular bill, and so 2016 wasn’t a total bust, and even though there are many who feel that 2016 was a good year for movies, the negative reaction that surrounded releases such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Ghostbusters (to name but two) was a clear indication that the public wasn’t buying everything they were being told or sold. Inevitably, there was the battle between fans of Marvel and DC about whose product was the best, but it was a waste of time and data bytes: the problem for DC is that Marvel know exactly what they’re doing, and Warner Bros. (who are overseeing the DC Extended Universe) absolutely and positively don’t.

But aside from the continuing glut of superhero movies we were “treated” to, it was Disney’s year, with the top four highest grossing movies worldwide all being Disney-backed productions. The House of Mouse, in acquiring Pixar, and Marvel, and Lucasfilm, has put itself firmly on top of the pile in Hollywood, and there’s no likelihood of anyone toppling them anytime soon. That’s not necessarily a good thing, perhaps, but fortunately for Disney – and for us – they seem to know what they’re doing, and the high ranking for Zootopia is a perfect example.

10 Highest Grossing Movies Worldwide in 2016

10 – Rogue One – $706,054,705

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9 – Suicide Squad – $745,600,054

8 – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – $772,540,251

7 – Deadpool – $783,112,979

deadpool-gallery-03-gallery-image

6 – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – $873,260,194

5 – The Secret Life of Pets – $875,457,937

4 – The Jungle Book – $966,550,600

maxresdefault

3 – Zootopia – $1,023,784,195

2 – Finding Dory – $1,027,771,569

1 – Captain America: Civil War – $1,153,304,495

captain-america-civil-war-6

There were some surprise successes in 2016, with perhaps the top honours going to The Conjuring 2, a muddled, middling sequel that somehow managed to rake in over $300 million at the worldwide box office. Then there was Sully, Clint Eastwood’s under-rated re-telling of the Miracle on the Hudson, starring Tom Hanks and profitable to the tune of over $200 million. And also there was Don’t Breathe – made on a budget of $9.9 million and finding enough favour to bring in over $150 million. Conversely, there were several movies that proved unable to recoup even their production budgets, movies such as Snowden, Free State of Jones, and Keeping Up With the Joneses (though that shouldn’t be a surprise with the last one).

Looking ahead to 2017, there are enough superhero movies on the horizon for one of them to claim the top spot again, though which one is more open to debate than in 2016. Away from all the spandex, it’s even harder to predict which movies might break  free of any box office preconceptions, though it would be hard to bet against the likes of War for the Planet of the Apes, or Dunkirk.

If there was one area where 2016 did excel, it was with its movie posters. There were some great examples seen throughout the year, and sometimes they were the best thing about the movies they were promoting (Alice Through the Looking Glass, for example). Here are six of the best:

005-movie-poster  kubo-and-the-two-strings-kubo-legenda-samuraize-jpg

eeusb5b4l9c93vt9py84af  alice-through-the-looking-glass-poster-02

jungle_book  assassins-creed_wikimedia

If 2016 reminded us of any one thing it was that when movies are bad, they’re really bad. It was one thing to realise that the reboot of Ghostbusters was unlikely to work, but it was also unlikely anyone realised in advance just how unfunny it would be (except for maybe the cast and crew). Time and again, movies that were hyped to the skies and back again proved disappointing at best, and cruelly exposed at worst. Three sequels did their best to ride roughshod over their predecessors – even Ride Along (2014) is a far better movie in comparison with its sequel – and Anthony Hopkins appeared in a brace of “thrillers” that gave new meaning to the phrase “overwrought”. Elsewhere, Sacha Baron Cohen appeared contemptuous of his fans, the Earl of Greystoke was tasked with looking realistic against a constant backdrop of CGI vistas and jungle foliage, Blue Steel was shown to be a tired relic from fifteen years ago, Jackie Chan made one of the most poorly edited and assembled movies of the year, the Ghostbusters reboot had to rely on overseas ticket sales to recoup its budget, and the worst movie of the year – by a huge distance – trampled repeatedly over the legacy of one of British TV’s finest comedy series. What a year, indeed.

10 Worst Movies of 2016

10 – The Legend of Tarzan

maxresdefault

9 – Ghostbusters

8 – Misconduct

7 – Zoolander 2

ZOOLANDER NO. 2

6 – Skiptrace

5 – Grimsby

4 – Ride Along 2

web1_ridealong4

3 – Solace

2 – Independence Day: Resurgence

1 – Dad’s Army

maxresdefault-1

To be fair, there were worse movies made and released in 2016, but it’s equally unfair to pick on the likes of, say, Steven Seagal – seven movies released, all of them bad – because his movies are made on modest budgets, with modest ambitions, and with a minimum of effort. They’re never going to be anything more than what they are, and weirdly, there’s a strange “nobility” in that. But the movie’s on the 10 Worst list aren’t made by the likes of Seagal or his direct-to-video compatriots, they’re made by people and studios with resources and actors and crews that should be able to make better movies. And the most annoying thing about it all? That they just don’t care, as long as we pay to see their movies.

Thank heavens then, that there were plenty of movies to shout about in 2016. All were varied, distinctive, and most importantly, able to connect with audiences on an emotional level – yes, even Captain America: Civil War. They were all beautifully shot, edited and assembled, provided enough thrills, laughs and teary-eyed moments for another twenty movies, and featured some amazing performances – step forward Amy Adams, Paula Beer, Julian Dennison, Kate Beckinsale, and Géza Röhrig. And if all that wasn’t impressive enough, the movie at Number One created its own visual and aural languages in order to tell its story, an incredible achievement at a time when the majority of movies made won’t take even the smallest of risks on their way to the screen.

10 Best Movies of 2016

10 – Love & Friendship

laf-scene3

9 – Everybody Wants Some!!

8 – Kubo and the Two Strings

7 – Zootopia

disneys-zootopia-is-for-the-furries1

6 – Captain America: Civil War

5 – Life, Animated

4 – Frantz

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3 – Arrival

2 – Hunt for the Wilderpeople

1 – Son of Saul

son-of-saul-stalone

Of course, Son of Saul was released in 2015, but with release dates as they are in the UK, it was never going to be seen back then. It’s likely that 2017 will see the same thing happen, and a movie (or maybe more) making their way into the Top 10. With the likes of Toni Erdmann and Elle still to be caught up with, as well as A Monster Calls and Silence newly arrived at UK cinemas, it’s encouraging that 2017 looks promising already.

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Poster(s) of the Week – Hammer Studios Part 2: Dracula

27 Tuesday Sep 2016

Posted by dullwood68 in Movies

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Tags

Dracula, Exploitation, Hammer, Movies, Posters

You can say what you like about the quality of Hammer’s horror output between 1957 and 1976 (and you could say quite a lot), but where they did excel was in the luridness of their promotional materials, and particularly their posters. Their series of Dracula-based movies are a great case in point, with their exaggerated declarations of terror, vivid colour schemes, damsels in partially-dressed distress, and arresting depictions of violence. Back in the late Fifties and on through to the early Seventies, Hammer mastered the art of the exploitation poster (and in time the art of the exploitation movie), but rarely as effectively as they did with their Frankenstein and Dracula movies. Here, in the second of a two-part Poster(s) of the Week, are the terribly sensational posters used to advertise a series of movies that got worse and worse the longer the series continued. What’s interesting is the way in which the posters mirrored the lacklustre content and declining success of the series, with the later entries being represented by posters that are nowhere near as eye-catching as their predecessors. Nowadays though, and despite Hammer’s recent resurgence, these movies are still the focus of much nostalgia and appreciation. And the same can be said for their posters.

dracula

the-brides-of-dracula

dracula-prince-of-darkness

dracula-has-risen-from-the-grave

taste-the-blood-of-dracula

scars-of-dracula

dracula-a-d-1972

the-satanic-rites-of-dracula

the-legend-of-the-7-golden-vampires

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Poster(s) of the Week – Hammer Studios Part 1: Frankenstein

20 Tuesday Sep 2016

Posted by dullwood68 in Movies

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Exploitation, Frankenstein, Hammer, Movies, Posters

You can say what you like about the quality of Hammer’s horror output between 1957 and 1976 (and you could say quite a lot), but where they did excel was in the luridness of their promotional materials, and particularly their posters. Their series of Frankenstein-based movies are a great case in point, with their exaggerated declarations of terror, vivid colour schemes, damsels in partially-dressed distress, and arresting depictions of violence. Back in the late Fifties and on through to the early Seventies, Hammer mastered the art of the exploitation poster (and in time the art of the exploitation movie), but rarely as effectively as they did with their Frankenstein and Dracula movies. Here, in the first of a two-part Poster(s) of the Week, are the terribly sensational posters used to advertise a series of movies that got worse and worse the longer the series continued. What’s interesting is the way in which the posters mirrored the lacklustre content and declining success of the series, with the later entries being represented by posters that are nowhere near as eye-catching as their predecessors. Nowadays though, and despite Hammer’s recent resurgence, these movies are still the focus of much nostalgia and appreciation. And the same can be said for their posters.

the-curse-of-frankenstein

the-revenge-of-frankenstein

the-evil-of-frankenstein

frankenstein-created-woman

frankenstein-must-be-destroyed

horror-of-frankensteinfrankenstein-and-the-monster-from-hell

Next time: Hammer Studios Part 2: Dracula

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Poster(s) of the Week – The Secret Life of Pets (2016)

24 Friday Jun 2016

Posted by dullwood68 in Movies

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Advertising, Buddy, Chloe, Duke, Gidget, Illumination Entertainment, Max, Mel, Pops, Posters, Snowball, Sweetpea

Illumination Entertainment’s latest attack on our heartstrings and wallets asks the question seen below:

The Secret Life of Pets

“They” are the various pets whose activity and behaviour is the focus of The Secret Life of Pets. In creating the following posters, Illumination have given us a chance to get to know these characters ahead of seeing the movie, and have also given us an indication of what to expect from each of them. It’s a clever touch, and there’s even room for a couple of movie in-jokes as well.

Gidget  Max

Buddy  Chloe

Sweetpea  Pops

Snowball  Mel

Duke

Which one is your favourite? Let me know by leaving a comment.

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Poster(s) of the Week – People Places Things (2015)

22 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by dullwood68 in Movies

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Gray Williams, Jemaine Clement, People Places Things, Posters, Promotional material

Right now it seems that it’s small, independent movies that have the best advertising, with posters proving particularly innovative. Earlier this year there were several posters created to support the release of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and now there’s a similarly effective collection available for People Places Things. Here are some of the posters available at the moment, starting with what might be regarded as the more traditional approach (on the left) and its Australian counterpart (on the right):

PPT8  PPT7AU

To be honest I don’t think either poster works that well. The first shows the main character, Will, with a space where his heart should be, but if you’ve seen the movie you’ll know that’s not one of Will’s major problems. But his relationship with his twin daughters is very relevant and its nice to see them feature so prominently.

However, it’s the range of posters created by the artist Gray Williams that give a better sense of the movie and what it’s about. Clever, witty and just all-round great to look at, they’re great examples of reflecting on a movie and its subject matter, and being entertaining all by themselves.

PPT1  PPT2

PPT3  PPT4

PPT6  PPT5

I’m not sure about that last one, though it’s certainly different, and the speech bubble with the title inside it is pretty awful, but the rest are definitely eye-catching. My favourite is the fifth poster because it perfectly represents Will’s situation in the movie (and yes, the kite is entirely symbolical). Feel free to let me know which one catches your eye, or even if none of them do.

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Poster(s) of the Week – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

08 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by dullwood68 in Movies

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Advertising, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Poster of the week, Posters

If you’ve seen Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, then you’ll have a better understanding of the posters that were designed as part of the movie’s online advertising. Each one has an individual focus, and they all reference something or someone that happens in the movie. They’re clever, follow a pre-determined and consistent format, and for me, form one of the best representations of a movie in quite a while. See what you think, and if you feel like it, let me know which one is your favourite.

Me  Earl

Olivia Cooke  Hot Girls

Friendship  Freaks

Obvious

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