Movie posters need to be immediately appealing to lure the potential customer into the cinema. Some though go way beyond appealing and are really artistic. I will share some of my favourites in this blog, aiming for a grouping of twelve around a certain theme. The theme for today's post is minimalism. The image above is made by Photofunia.
Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)
The poster for this Kershner American neo noir mystery-thriller film starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones is rightfully claimed as one of the best of that decade. Minimal and effective.
Duets (2000)
I have never seen this 2002 Bruce Paltrow road trip movie, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis, but the poster design is both brilliant and charming. A real eye catcher.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) Thurber's 2004 sports comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, starring Vince Vaughn, Ben Stille and Christine Taylor, is
one of my favourite comedies of the century so far - and one of the few
movies I bought on DVD for repeated watching. It is hilariously over
the top in all aspects and amazingly funny. The poster is a brilliant
creation as well.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
David Frankel's 2006 comedy-drama The Devil Wears Prada, starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, is very good, and the poster is even better. A stylish design, forsaking the stars' faces for an image that has become an icon.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Christopher Nolan's 2008 Batman flick, starring Christian Bale, Heather Ledger and Gary Oldman, is far better than anything I've seen in the genre - Heather Ledger was absolutely superb as the Joker. There were several posters for the movie, but this one stands out for me, especially how the bat symbol doubles up as the Joker's make-up/blood smeared mouth.
Nymphomaniac (2013)
This poster for the 2013 movie Nymphomaniac by Lars von Trier, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stellan Skarsgård, is as minimal as they
come, and manages to be subtle and unsubtle at the same time. Apparently
it was judged too risky by some, as other versions have been made in
which the symbol is only used small in the title (instead of the letter
o).
Spectre (2015)
This 2015 Bond movie, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daneil Craig and Léa Seydoux, was frankly disappointing after the stunning Skyfall, but the minimalist poster is one of the best in the franchise.
Spotlight (2015)
This poster for the biographical drama Spotlight, directed by Tom McCarthy, and starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams, is as minimal as they come - and stunningly effective.
Ferdinand (2017)
Computer-animated comedy adventure film movies like Ferdinand will not end up on my "to
view" list, but the movie poster is excellent, from the minimal design to the pinned poster gimmick.
Overlord (2018)
The description of this Julius Avery movie, starring Jovan Adepo, in the IMDB started off as I expected, but then took a
left turn: "On the eve of D-Day, American paratroopers are dropped
behind enemy lines but find themselves fighting against supernatural forces,
part of a Nazi experiment." No, thanks. The poster though is right up my
alley, minimalist, diagonal design, and clever duplicating images
(blood droplets doubling up as parachutes).
Incredibles 2 (2018)
Incredibles 2 is a 2018 American computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. Another poster for this movie already featured in the previous Movie Posters post. I love the unique approach of this one.
Ad Astra (2019)
Ad Astra is a James Gray science fiction movie, starring Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones and Ruth Negga is a good recent example of how a minimal image can immediately captivate one's attention.
Copyright statement: posting lower quality movie posters is deemed fair use.
