Tumblr'd Posters: Part 1

If you follow my tumblr (which you totally should - sometimes I post neat stuff there), you'll have noticed that a couple weeks ago I ran movie posters for two days.  The ones that showed up are some of my favorites, and now I'm going to tell you why!

Pulp Fiction

What's so great about this is how thoroughly it exemplifies the feel of this movie.  I'm not a Tarantino fan and I really didn't care for Pulp Fiction, but this poster is brilliant - it looks like the cover of a pulp novel from the 50's or 60's, which, let's face it, is the tone the film is working in as well.  It's a perfect example of the sort of poster I like to see: something which gives you a taste of what the movie will be like without spilling any of its secrets.  The poster should make you want to watch the trailer, which should make you want to watch the film, and (no matter how I feel about Pulp Fiction specifically) I think this poster does that.

American Beauty

This tells you nothing about the film but is intensely memorable.  Even though none of the skin shown is exactly obscene, it's a lot of skin, and broken up by that red rose makes it feel a little bit scandalous without being overtly dirty.  Splashing the rose on there is also really lovely after you've seen the film and know how the rose imagery keeps coming into play, but here it's just enough to make sure you know this isn't a porn flick.  It's also interesting because that stomach clearly does not reside on either Kevin Spacey or Annette Benning - but it's important enough to make it on the poster.  I would want to see it just to find out who all that skin belongs to.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I've had many issues with Tim Burton recently, but I confess to loving this one of his - the candy colors and Burton's macabre sensibilities and Depp's manic performance all gelled in a way that was pretty irresistible like chocolate. This poster lets you know it's really Depp's show - the kids are great, but no one really stands up to Depp's childlike, over-excited and overly fragile flamboyantly likeable candyman.  He's not Gene Wilder and he's not meant to be, and that's fine.  The poster, with his whimsical pose, top hat and velvet tails against that wonderful sunset background and frilly text, let you know this is a whole different story.

V for Vendetta

This image clearly calls back to the comic book roots of the story, and also recalls propaganda posters from World War II.  Both ideas give you a pretty good sense of what you're in for while still leaving you utterly unprepared - I enjoyed reading the comic, but mostly as an educational experience.  In my opinion the film leaves it utterly in the dust, re-validating a dated story and slotting a talented actress into an almost unbearable roll (Evie in the book is completely vile and I couldn't stand her).  The text in the upper corner almost disappears into the sun ray artwork, but putting part of it on V's black hat gives you the more important message.  I also love how V's hat is partially covering his face, which is already covered by his mask; it reinforces V's message in the film about ideas while also giving the viewer a taste of what Evie feels when she questions his identity - who is this guy?  In the end we know it doesn't really matter, but here it works to instill a curiosity about the film and the character.

Stay tuned for Tumblr'd Posters: Part 2!