Category Archives: Flix Posters

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Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi thriller ELYSIUM’s Poster & Trailer Spotlight

Boy oh boy! I’ve been looking forward to this film for quite some time now. In case you didn’t know already, I’m a huge fan of District 9 which was a surprise to me as I didn’t even know much about it when I saw it on the big screen. Well, it’s been over three years since I saw that film and finally, South African director Neill Blomkamp and actor Sharlto Copley are re-teaming for another sci-fi thriller.

I was kind of hoping that Copley would have the leading role this time around, but I understand that with a much-bigger budget, they’d need a movie star. So we’ve got Matt Damon in the lead instead. Check out the awesome poster of him with all that robotic stuff attached all over his body!

ElysiumTeaserPoster

I originally thought this was a follow-up to District 9, as I’ve outlined on my Upcoming Flix Spotlight post a year ago. But now it’s clear that this film has a new storyline that’s not related to D-9 universe, though it still carries a similar social issue theme. Now, this film was first scheduled for release in March before being pushed back to August. I don’t think it’s a sign of trouble though, I think that’d give Blomkamp to release some viral marketing for it like he did for D-9 which was a smart move.

Now finally, a trailer!!

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WHOAH!! I’m even more intrigued now after seeing this. I really like the look of this and the apocalyptic story looks very promising and thought provoking, with all the visual and thematic elements every sci-fi lovers would love. Blomkamp is working again with Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital so it’s to be expected that the special effect is going to rock! Even right off the bat, I like the stark contrast between the perfect world of the Elysium space station and the left-behind slum that is the Earth. I read that Blomkamp shot the Earth footage in Mexico City, and everything on Elysium in Vancouver.

Per IGN, like Blomkamp’s previous film, this one has a similarly impoverished and segregated society, but this time along economic lines rather than species. Where District 9 was a sci-fi allegory for racism, Elysium is about economic disparity.

In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes, a hard line government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that if successful will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds.

Here are four more details I learned from this HitFix article, which summarized the SONY press preview event in L.A. with Blomkamp, Copley and producer Simon Kinberg:

  • Damon’s character is Max, an ex-con who’s working a factory job on Earth. A radiation leak prompted him to be cast off by the authoritarian government. He knows the only way to get rid of the toxic radiation is in Elysium, and he has to find a way to get there.
  • The robotic stuff on his body, and that data port on his head is the result of self-modification Max did as a mechanism to hijack security information from an Elysium citizen.
  • Sharlto Copley plays the bad guy, Kruger. He is an Elysium operative who lives on Earth, waiting to be activated. When an attack on an Elysium citizen occurs, he gets the signal.
    CopleyFoster_Elysium
  • Jodie Foster plays a Senator, as Foster herself described in Movieline as “… the person who controls who gets to come in [to Elysium] and who doesn’t. She’s methodical, her antagonism has a point.” She also mentions that Elysium is an international place, as its residents comes from all over the earth.
  • Blomkamp said that 2/3 of the film would take place on earth and 1/3 in Elysium to emphasize further that the space station is truly a fantastical place every human being aspire to live in.

Elysium is out in theaters on August 9, 2013. I can hardly wait!
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On a related note, two years ago, I wrote this post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama pitch where some humans live in another planet whilst the remaining earth population struggle to survive.
Check it out and let me know what you think :D

Are you as stoked as I am about this one? What do you think of the trailer?

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007 Chatter: Bond 50th Anniversary Minimalist Posters

007CHATTER

I haven’t done a 007Chatter nor poster post in a while, so might as well hit two birds with one stone. Besides, when I saw this last week I just couldn’t resist sharing them. Thanks to The Huffington Post for the tip. These minimalist posters were designed by the creative duo Clif Watson and Maria Taylor of Herring & Haggis design company.

23 James Bond Films,
23 Days,
23 Poster Designs.

Each day, leading up to the U.S. premiere of Skyfall, we watched a film from the 50th Anniversary blu-ray collection and created a poster design for it.

Here’s what they came up with for Skyfall:

Skyfall_MinimalistPoster

I LOVE the organic simplicity of the design, it’s decidedly un-Bond-like, forgoing the usual stereotypes of the glitz and glamor of the super spy. Watson was quoted by the HP article said this about their approach on the design: “We agreed early on that we would avoid the typical Bond marketing subject matter. No girls, cars, guns or martini glasses allowed!”

Primarily a typographical and color exercise, each design utilizes a map to highlight the key location from 007′s mission. What a brilliant idea! Very clever and creative, I love how the use of colors also convey the mood of each film.

Here are additional favorites of mine from their collection [click on thumbnail to see a larger version]:

The posters are no longer available to purchase, unfortunately. But you can view the entire poster collection on their site: 007.herringhaggis.com.

Fans are getting more and more creative in designing posters of their favorite films. Here are more beautiful fan-made ones I found on Skyfall:

I also love this illustrations of all the Bond actors I found on Filmofilia site. Not sure who created it, but it’s one of the best I’ve seen and each Bond sketch actually resembles the actual actor, which is quite a feat. Even in a form of a drawing I still love Timothy Dalton most ;)

BondActors_Illustrations

Anyway, I’m quite looking forward to the Bond 50th Anniversary tribute at the Oscar ceremony this year. Not sure what’s actually going to be featured or whether all of the Bond actors will be there [oh wouldn't that be nice?], but for sure new mama Adele is going to sing the Skyfall theme song! Does this mean Roger Deakins would finally win an Oscar in his 10th nominations? I sure hope so!

Well hope you’ve enjoyed these posters. Which ones do you like best?

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Posters Spotlight: Cool Minimalist Posters of The Avengers & The Dark Knight Rises

The comics world are colliding right before us come May 4th. As many of you already know, the third trailer for The Dark Knight Rises will be shown in front of The Avengers on its release in two weeks! I think it’s a win-win for DC, Marvel AND us moviegoers, I mean both movies are hugely anticipated and certainly there’s room for two major blockbusters this Summer. It’s not the first time DC is using a Marvel movie to promote their product, as back in 2008, the third trailer for The Dark Knight was shown in front of Iron Man.

Anyway, since my pal Terrence is dedicating his Time to Vote Tuesday to Christopher Nolan, I figure I’d highlight some of my favorite minimalist posters from the two of this year’s surefire blockbusters from DC and Marvel.

The Dark Knight Rises

I love the simplicity of these two posters, stark and no-frills but delivers its maximum impact. The small amount of red against mostly black & white design emphasizes its significance, Bane’s red eyes look pure evil and that trace of blood from Batman’s mouth is a chilling hint of what’s to come to our hero. I like that clever tagline signifying the end of Nolan’s trilogy as well as the downfall of a legend. Brilliant!

Click each poster to see a larger version

Source: ComicBookMovie

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This one has a vintage look to it that I love, it’s gritty and has that dark, edgy quality about it that fits the vision that Nolan’s created for the dark knight. DEVIANART designer Ryan Luckoo is so darn creative to create Bane’s mask out of the skyline of Gotham, complete with the two bats making up the eyes. LOVE it!

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Since the Bane/Batman face-off is going to be a huge part of TDKR, naturally some designers like to mix the two together in the design, like this one by Chaz Russo that I think did a pretty darn good job in keeping it simple and uncluttered. Bane’s eye just looks so menacing even being drawn in a simple way, and keeping with the broken glass theme is awesome.

The Avengers

Now, I think creating a poster with sooo many characters are definitely tricky. Truth be told, I don’t really care for any of the official poster design of this movie. But these minimalist posters actually did a much more attractive design than the official ones, and the retro look makes it even more compelling. I much prefer these than the glossy, overly-photoshop-ed versions the studio churned out.

I LOVE everything about this design. The blue color is fresh and retro-cool, and the silhouettes perfectly captures each character’s superpowers and personality. Man, I’d love to get this one for my entertainment room!

Source: DeviantArt

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This one somehow makes me think of a design for an International Summit or something that’d be hanging off of a UN office. But hey, the Avengers is not only global, it’s across all kinds of universe so I think it’s fitting. I LOVE each details of each character, it’s vibrant without being overwhelming and it even has a heroic vibe to it.

Source: LiveForFilms

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This one I could see working well as t-shirt or buttons for each movie. I love that each is color-coded and also has a vintage vibe to it. I’d love to see what it’d look with all of them together as ONE poster though, maybe have the ‘A’ of the Avengers logo being prominent and the small icons underneath it or something?

Source: OrangeInks

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What do you think of these, folks? Any other TDKR or Avengers poster that caught your eye?

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Poster of the Week: indie romance drama HERE

Boy I haven’t done a poster post in ages, nor have I paid Impawards site a visit recently. But a couple nights ago I came across this gorgeous poster of Ben Foster’s upcoming romance drama HERE. I first saw the trailer over at Castor’s post last week and the story appeals to me. It’s rare to see a full-on romance that isn’t a rom-com or something dark and depressing these days.

I love the unconventional layout of this poster, and the shot and colors have that dreamy, melancholic feel. It seems to suggest that the movie will be well-photographed of Armenia as it was shot on location.

Here’s the premise:

Cartographer Will Shepard hits the road for his latest job: to create a new, more accurate satellite survey of Armenia. During his assignment, he forms a bond with an Armenian expatriate and art photographer.

I quite like Ben Foster, I think he’s one of today’s brightest young actors. I first saw him in a small role in X-Men 3 and then in 3:30 to Yuma, both of which showed what he’s capable of. I haven’t seen him in a drama so I’m looking forward to seeing what he’d do with that. He kinds of reminds me of Ryan Gosling when he was doing The Notebook, but I kind of like Foster more as he’s still somewhat obscure (for now anyway).

This is also Braden King’s feature film debut and it’s been previewed in 2011 Sundance and Berlin Film Festival. One of the Sundance reviews praised the film, “Visually sumptuous and with areal literary beauty in both its narrative structure and dialogue…” Sounds like one of those films where the location is almost a character in itself.

Will this be a journey worth taking? I’d be willing to give it a try if it ever comes to my neck of the woods.

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What do you think folks? Does this movie appeal to you?

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Counting Down to 2012 – Top Five Favorite Posters of 2011

Three more days until 2011 wraps, folks… so between now and the end of the year, I’ll do various top five/ten list that’ll end with a year in review.

Today, I’ll share my favorite official posters of movies released this year. I’m not including posters for movies released next year and beyond, but if I did, ScarletSp1der’s #1 favorite would make my list. So anyhoo, here are five posters I wouldn’t mind hanging in my entertainment room:
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5. My Week With Marilyn

I haven’t seen the film yet and I’m not even a big fan of Marilyn Monroe, but something about this poster just works. It makes me curious to learn a bit more about what’s going on in that scene depicted in the poster, so in a way the design is quite successful. A lot of movie posters seems motionless with just people’s heads photoshopped together, this one gives a glimpse of the action happening in the subject matter’s life and I find that intriguing.

4. Page One Documentary

Another one I haven’t seen but it’s just so well-designed! I normally despise posters with promo quotes on them but in this one it seems like a cohesive piece that complements the main image.

3. The Artist

Ah the artistry of this whole project… If you’ve read my review, you know I’m enamored by the film, and this poster is just as gorgeous as film. I love the simplicity, it’s dramatic and elegant. That tiny dab of red stands out nicely against the black and white design.

2. Tree of Life

The main draw of seeing Tree of Life— or pretty much any Terrence Malick’s films—is the glorious visuals. So why not tantalize people with them… Can’t choose? Well just show as many as one could in one poster!! Fortunately, whoever designed this did it beautifully and an otherwise super busy layout actually looks beautiful to behold. I enjoy seeing every tiny picture, though if you look too closely you might get a spoiler or two :)

1. Midnight in Paris

I never would’ve put Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Owen Wilson walking along the Seine together… that’s my initial reaction when I saw this poster. But y’know, once I saw the film this design just grew on me. The amount of celebs in Woody Allen movie certainly is star-studded indeed, and the Parisian scenes definitely did not disappoint (my friend Castor even created a travel guide post inspired by the movie!). What I love most about this poster is the colors… I’m a huge fan of blues + yellow mixed together. It’s just downright gorgeous and makes you want to book your next vacation to the city of lights pronto!
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By the way, I also saw this minimalist version someone posted on Flickr. I think it’s pretty cool though not as dramatic as this Van Gogh-inspired one.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS:

I was gonna include the Tinker Tailor poster on my top 5 list but realized that it’s technically not an official poster. It’s part of a series designed by Paul Smith for charity, you can see the rest on this post. I think they deserve a mention though as they’re so excellently crafted.

As for Ghost Protocol, I think it’s brilliant that the designer choose to highlight the major highlight of the film, that is Tom Cruise scaling that Burj Khalifa tower! It’s an awesome scene indeed, so the promise of this poster definitely delivered!
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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

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So what are some of your favorite posters of 2011? 

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Conspicuous Poster & Trailer of the Week: Snow White & The Huntsman

A few months ago, I compared the two upcoming Snow White adaptations. One is now called Mirror, Mirror, directed by the visual maestro Tarsem (whose film Immortals is out this Friday) and the other one is by first-time director Rupert Sanders.

I’ve said before that I’m more interested in the Tarsem’s version, and as you can see in the recently-released stills, the costumes look beautiful. But after hearing more about the Sanders’ version, and seeing this new three-way banner, I’m slightly more intrigued now.

Click for larger version

Here’s the plot per The Film Stage:

In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron) out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power.

Apart from Kirsten Stewart, I quite like the cast. For one, I think Charlize Theron has that icy-cool demeanor along with her stunning good looks that makes her a perfect evil queen. Julia Roberts just doesn’t seem to fit in the role, though I reserve judgment until I see a trailer at the very least. Hemsworth already proved his chops as a leading man in Thor, so I’m good w/ him as the prince. I’m also intrigued by the Lord of the Rings look to the costumes and the coloring and style of the banner also reminds me a bit of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. It’d be interesting to see a gritty take of a classic fairy tale. Hopefully this won’t be another Red Riding Hood!

Ok, here’s the trailer:

Woof! Color me impressed. I like it! It’s definitely darker than what I had imagined and Charlize definitely makes for a ruthless but stunning evil queen. Hemsworth looks good, too, though it’s not too much of a stretch from being the Thor‘s Son of Odin. Again, I’m going to defer judgment about Kirsten until I see the whole film, but at least she doesn’t look as mopey as she is in Twilight here. I hope the film looks as good as the trailer.
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So what do you think, folks? Interested in seeing this one?

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Flix Poster of the Week: The Cold Light of Day

Cavill on the set of The Cold Light of Day

Please note: This is a re-post from a year ago as the new poster has just been released today, as well as new details on the movie.

This movie wouldn’t have been in my radar had it not been for my affinity for Henry Cavill. Could 2012 finally be Henry’s year? After being passed over so many times in iconic roles (Superman and Bond, among others), I sure hope so! I’m so glad he finally nabbed starring roles in a pretty substantial project, the other one being Tarsem Singh’s fantasy flick Immortals as the mythical Greek warrior Theseus.

When I first heard about The Cold Light Of Day months ago, I thought it’d be a small little indie thriller. But since then its profile’s significantly gone up since Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver join the cast!

I was asked to remove the original poster I found though I really like it. It’s probably made before the cast were confirmed, but I kind of like it. The color scheme and composition immediately grabbed my attention and no floating heads. Now we’ve got this one that’s released today, 11/6/11, and it’s not as creative but I’m so glad to see Henry front and center as a leading man!


Here’s the updated synopsis per LatinoReview:

When Will Shaw (Cavill) arrives in Spain for a weeklong sailing vacation with his family, the stressed young business man is not in a holiday mood. His startup company just went under and his tense relationship with his disciplinarian father Martin (Bruce Willis) only makes matters worse. But when the family is kidnapped by what turns out to be intelligence agents hell-bent on recovering a mysterious suitcase, Will suddenly finds himself on the run. His whole world turns upside down when Martin reappears, revealing he is an undercover agent tangled in an intergovernmental web of lies and secrets. During a clandestine rendezvous, Martin is killed by a sniper, and Will must find a way to get the rest of his family back alive.

With the kidnappers counting down the hours, the Spanish police breathing down his neck for a murder he didn’t commit and a cadre of U.S. assassins on his trail, Will flees through Madrid, racing to piece together a conspiracy as labyrinthine as the city’s ancient streets. Who can he trust? Who killed his father? And where is the mysterious suitcase that seems to the key to getting his family come safely? In his quest for answers, Will finds Lucia (Veronica Echegui) – a half-sister he never knew he had, who is determined to help him. Bound by their shared kiss, the siblings are a force to be reckoned with, but can they overcome the massive odds against them before it’s too late?

According to the press release posted on Collider site, principal photography had already begun last month, and the film is set and filmed entirely in Spain, and  will be shot over ten weeks in the Community of Valencia and Madrid as well as several weeks on the stages at Ciudad de la Luz studios in Alicante. French-Tunisian director Mabrouk El-Mechri is helming the project, he did the Jean-Claude Van Damme’s biopic JCVD which was surprisingly well-received (85% of rottentomatoes!)

I’m definitely liking the cast, especially Weaver as a villainess will be fun to watch. It’s scheduled for release on April 6, 2012. Can’t wait to see the trailer!

What do you think folks? is this something you’d be interested in seeing?

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[Fan-Made] Posters of the Week: Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises

I wanted to do a poster post and there’s nothing that interest me from Impawards site. But a few days ago I came across these two awesome fan-made posters of two of my most-anticipated superhero flicks! I’ve posted fan-made posters before, like this broken-glass one for The Dark Knight Rises, as they’re often much, much cooler than the ones the studio churned out.

There are a plethora fan-made ones for Nolan’s final Batman flick, but I’m guessing there’ll be more popping up for Man of Steel as well in the coming months. This is the first one I’ve seen so far that looks pretty darn cool. I really dig the color scheme and the decidedly-darker tone instead of the usual bright and buoyant sentiment of Superman. According to ComicBookMovie site, the artist is Daniele Moretti.

Image courtesy of comicbookmovie.com

Instead of Photoshop-ing Henry Cavill’s head on to it, the designer went with a comicbook style, but the figure is clearly inspired by the now super-buff Brit’s on-set photos wearing the suit. There’s even a helicopter in the background, and from this new set of action shots, for sure there’ll be some helicopter rescue scene in it somewhere.

Now, this one for The Dark Knight Rises is set in the same bluish tone as these official versions for the second film.

Image courtesy of Shockya.com

I LOVE this, the rainy setting makes it even more dramatic and the bat signal amongst the futuristic-looking skyscrapers is a nice touch. It almost have the same theme as the Man of Steel one in that our hero is surveying the city below with the cape blowing in the wind.

Now I hope the official posters will be even better. We’ve seen this awesome teaser for TDKR, but I’m most curious about the Superman one. If anything, they should be as cool as the posters for Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns (I especially like this one), but perhaps a bit darker and grittier.…

What do you think folks? If you’ve seen other fan-made posters you think are awesome, please do share the link!

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Posters of the Week: Red Lights

I saw this on my weekly Impawards.com visit and it immediately grabbed my attention. I first heard about this project from my friend Novia, a.k.a. the world’s biggest Cillian Murphy fan, on her Cillian’s project update post. This marks the second movie Cillian does with Red in the title, the first movie I saw him in happens to be the thriller Red Eye. Anyway, here’s the official plot per IMDb:

Centers on a psychologist Margaret Matheson, and her assistant Sally Owen, whose study of paranormal activity leads them to investigate a world-renowned psychic.

Check out the creepy yet enigmatic poster below. The simplicity of it is striking and those cryptic symbols kind of make you wonder what it’s all about. I particularly like the darker one which is the Spanish version. Plus, the name of the pretty stellar cast stands out more.

Spanish director Rodrigo Cortés recently directed the well-received Buried, a one-man-show thriller which cajoled the mighty buff Ryan Reynolds to flex his acting muscles instead. This time Cortés has quite a few high-profile actors to work with, I’m curious to see Cillian with Sigourney Weaver. As for De Niro, any movie with him in it these days don’t guarantee anything really, so he’s not exactly a selling point for me. Rising star Elizabeth Olsen—who looks just like her famous twin sisters Mary-Kate & Ashley—is also part of the cast. She’s apparently been making waves lately in Martha Marcy May Marlene.

Turns out there’s a teaser trailer already out, check it out:
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What do you think folks? Interested in this one?

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Top Three Posters of the Week: The Deep Blue Sea, Iron Lady, Another Happy Day

Happy almost-Friday, everybody. Feels like it’s been ages since I’ve done a poster post, and my weekly visit to IMPAWARDS site is long overdue.

Well, here are three that caught my eye …

The wife of a British Judge is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot.

Please, don’t get this one confused with the shark thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson, ahah. I presume nobody gets eaten by the big fish in this one :D

I’m usually not into films that seems to glorify marital infidelity, though there are some beautifully-filmed ones that I have come to appreciate in the past. One thing that came to mind right away as I saw this poster is The English Patient, which also stars two talented Brits Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas. In fact, the film still below seems to be directly inspired by the one in the Oscar-winning film. Don’t you agree?

Anyway, I think this poster is quite sensuous and romantic, there’s that euphoric look on Rachel’s face, what’s Tom doing to her, ahah. I quite like Tom ever since I saw his fine performance in Thor and Rachel is always lovely. But because of the subject matter, I most likely just rent this one if I’m feeling up to it.
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A look at the life of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power.

Wow, is there anything Meryl can’t do?? She just keeps one upping herself year after year. She’s got to be the go-to actress for any biography of middle-aged famous characters, she satirized Vogue’s editor Anna Wintour perfectly in The Devil’s Wear Prada and phenomenally-portrayed Julia Child in Julie & Julia. This time she’s tackling one of the world’s most famous leaders and from just seeing the photo and the trailer, she not just nails the look but the accent as well. There ought to be a documentary on her life called ‘I Don’t Know How She Does It’ which I’m sure will be more bearable to watch than the Sarah Jessica Parker’s rom-com. Anyway, I think the poster is pretty clever, though it’s the striking resemblance between Meryl and Margaret that grabbed my attention.
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A wedding at her parents’ Annapolis estate hurls high-strung Lynn into the center of touchy family dynamics.

Simple design with tons of negative space often stands out amidst a mostly-busy layout of movie posters. Is that supposed to be a gold ring around the silhouetted guy or an inflatable swim bubble?? I’m curious enough to make me find out what it’s about. The IMDb description doesn’t really explain much, but I’m intrigued by the cast. I haven’t seen Ellen Barkin since one of those Ocean movies. I might rent this one once it arrives on DVD.

What do you think of these posters? What movie poster(s) caught your eye this week?