Movie posters can rise to level of works of art, can be tame or daring. They are of course advertising. A good poster makes you want to know more about the movie and the more you want to know the more you’ll want to spend your money to see the film. With that in mind, we’ve assembled our favorites of 2011, broken down into fancy categories for your reading and viewing pleasure.
The Classic Revisited
Cowboys and Aliens
Think Gary Cooper in High Noon striding down the dusty street of a small Western town, ready to fight, ready to die, ready to meet his fate. It’s the classic image of the lone wolf, the hero who stands alone, yet won’t back down. In this Cowboys and Aliens poster, the Old West is just a little skewed. In one hand our iconic cowboy holds the expected weapon of choice in the Old West, but on his wrist he has a weapon that the Old West never could have imagined.
The Artist
The image takes us back to classics films. Pick any leading lady or leading man from the golden age of cinema and plug them into this poster. Bogey and Bacall, Tracy and Hepburn, any famous leading lady and leading man would be proud to be the focus in this beautiful poster.
The Bold and the Beautiful
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Harry Potter versus his arch nemesis in a literal face off. The contrast of Harry, grown up and a little worse for wear, opposite the barely human Voldemorte, face to face, ready for their final confrontation is a worthy image for the end of Harry Potter’s journey from innocent wide eyed eleven year old to world weary teen wizard taking his last stand against evil.
The Tree of Life
This one photo combines the human and the cosmic mystery of Terence Malick’s film about the meaning of life that raises more questions than it can answer. Which is exactly as it should be. From birth to death and every moment in between.
Simple but Effective
Shame
A movie about a man whose life is spinning out of control because he’s addicted to sex. How can the mess of his life be conveyed? A messy unmade bed, the covers pulled back as if he just had another loveless one night or maybe more like a one hour stand is minimal and to the point.
Margin Call
In the age of the Occupy movement and bank bailouts, this one jagged line sums up the greed that caused the financial crisis. It’s something an Occupy protester would carry as a protest sign. A clean, stark image.