Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest

Recently a Comic-Convention was held in California, the biggest of its kind. If you're a sci-fi fantasy nut, you either were there, or wished you were. Screenings of new movie trailers, meeting some of hollywood's biggest stars and all types of memorabilia could been found within the walls of the San Diego Convention Center. Any information on the upcoming sequel to the extraordinarily popular Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean was eagerly anticipated by many. A minimal amount of teaser posters for the sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest were given out to only a select few who attended. The poster features conceptual art intending to give us a look at perhaps a transformation of a ship captain into a mutated part octopus, part lobster man-thing. Other then eBay, the only other place you're going to find this poster is Movieposter.com.

Corpse Bride

For those of you who are srict impulse buyers like myself, after seeing the advance poster for Corpse Bride, I think you will agree that this outstanding piece of film art would belong on any wall. I choose to write about posters that stand out in the sea of printed material out there. When i saw this poster come in, my eyes immediately lit up. Not many posters get it all right, the combination of color, font, effect use of white space, all those elements that hit a cord in your mind that instinctively draws you to the image. I saw Nightmare Before Christmas when it first came out and I loved Edward Scisscor Hands for its out of this world imagary.





There is also a banner that shows us a few of the other characters that live in this dead world and more of the eary scenery.







Tim Burton keeps me coming back for more of his non stop creative rollercoaster.

Brothers Grimm

Grimm times for the movie making industry calls on desperate measures. Bring in a supernatural tale of monsters and demons, and add Matt Damon as their vanquisher and you could just entice audiences back to the theater going experience. The Tale of the Grimm Brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm, originated in Germany as 2 story telling siblings captured the hearts of children in Europe. The tale of the Brothers Grimm has been told over and over, on streets, stage and later on film in 1963. Remaking this account of the real life story tellers has Matt Damon and Heath Ledger traveling through Europe, scamming villagers into believing that the supernatural is out to get them and only the Brothers Grimm can protect them. Eventually, myth becomes reality and the sly duo is put to the test when a true power confronts them.

There are 5 1 sheet advance posters for this film. The first featuring the main characters, Jake and Will Grimm, and the others showcase some examples of the Gimm tales. Catchy phrases known well to all at the top of each poster. An ere scene of little red riding hood skipping through a dead forest and what seems to be the evil step mother of sleeping beauty are just some of the examples.

Here are the advanced styles.

March of the Penguins

By far the hottest selling poster right now at movieposter.com is the regular one sheet for the documentary on the Emperor penguins of the Antarctic, March of the Penguins. This film appeals to children of all ages and despite the brutal heat, cools the soul as it depicts the migration and mating patterns of the gentle birds. The poster contains beautiful vibrant colors and gives us an example of the relationship between a mother and child penguin. Not many documentaries make it to the big screen, film creators take a chance when they apply their effort and resources in making them. This may push National Geographic to reward their fans with more tales of reality.

Dark Water

The stunning Jennifer Connelly is currently in the spotlight, doing the circuit of talk shows trying to promote her new film Dark Water. It would seem that this film is a year late to come out. The mediocre success of modern day horror flicks has prompted the makers of "The Ring" to create yet another supernatural tale of haunting ghosts terrorizing the occupants of an old apartment. Suspense works on many levels, and the story line doesn't necessarily need to be entirely original for the special effects team to get their point across.





From the trailers, Dark Water seems to have all the same elements that made people jump in their seats for The Ring. I personally think that believing what you're seeing on screen is what is important for scare factor. The Japanese release of The Ring titled "Ringu" to me contained no more suspense then the Little Mermaid. A bit of black makeup under your eyes doesn't make me believe you're dead, I just won't get frightened by something I can see in a crowd in a concert. Dark Water, much like the American release of The Ring, depicts ghosts that fade in and out of reality, act and look like they are indeed dead, and that is what will scare my pants off.

Jennifer Connelly as of late is showing us the many sides of her acting ability. Leading in A Beautiful Mind and now delving in the horror genre. She seems perfect for this role.

Other Jennifer Connelly posters:

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

Other then a pay for what you get deal on ebay, the only other place you are going to find the advance 1-sheet for the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, is Movieposter.com. The poster hit our shelves this week and we were all excited to get the poster up on our site. Many emails have come our way requesting the poster and we look forward to making all the Narnia fans out there happy.




I took a look at the trailers and behind the scene footage provided on the apple trailer site, and it looks like they are putting a great effort into detail for the costumes and characters. They mention creating 60 different species that grace the lands of Narnia. Visually, this film will most likely give the Lord of the Rings a run for its money. I wouldn't doubt if this film won a few academy awards for its trouble.

Anyway, happy long weekend to all those in Canada.

King Kong

The king of all monsters, King Kong hits a theatre near you this coming Christmas, and with Peter Jackson behind the wheel, you know this is going to be good. I have seen a teaser trailer on the net and I am extremely excited to see the NBC trailer tonight at 9 pm. Kong has long been a favorite of the monster movie genre for children of all ages. The awesome power of the giant ape, mixed with the sensitive generosity, turns King Kong into a hero rather then a foe of the human race.





The Original artwork featured on posters from the 30's depict a brutish menace, void of fear for the humans that enslave and try to destroy the unnatural ape. We know from the original story that Kong is captured and put on display for paying customers who dare to witness the bizarre. The 1st teaser poster doesn't really give any hint into the story line or even an image of what Kong might look like. The text looks like it could be etched onto the side of a cave wall, or as some people assume, written on a curtain.





The film itself was shot on the beautiful island of New Zealand, the same place as the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We know there will be a Skull Island, home of Kong, amongst the jungle life of the south pacific. We also know that the film sets itself in the 1930's, which keeps true to the original story. Nothing is worse then trying to include a story in which the timeline doesn't permit, a la Godzilla 2000. Rumors say that Andy Serkis ( voice and motion of Gollum ) will use his talent to mold Kong into a walking, jumping, smashing, lifelike character on the screen, rather then the claymation ancestor of the original film.





So for all you Kong fans, or anyone looking for the next blockbuster worth seeing at the theaters, check out the NBC trailer tonight on any NBC owned station from 8:55 to 9:03.

Size does matter!

... and I'm not talking about that god awful Gozilla movie from 1998. When it comes to collecting movie posters, size can be the determining factor, whether it be collecting large size original pieces, or buying smaller pieces to fit that perfect spot above your dresser.

A few years back, the main focus of poster collecting was the bigger the better. Collectors couldn't wait to find their next 6-sheet or 3-sheet, owning a "piece" of the theaters they remember going to as children was worth any cost. Once people realized how rare the larger sheets were, it became a race to get as many as you could find, from all corners of the globe. The movie poster collecting trend has seemed to almost reverse itself. People are always asking where they can get smaller versions of posters, right down to 11 x 17 inches, pushing big poster companies to find means to get their hands on the desired sizes. In this post, I will outline the different sizes posters came in and will look at some of the reasons for the dimension changes.

Since the explosion of modern cinema, theaters went to great lengths to spruce up their lobbies in hopes of attracting weekly visitors. Having an extremely large banner high up on the lobby walls, advertising the movie of the week was the best way to get a mass of eager eyes to dedicate their following Friday evening to another night at the theater. Before the invention of the light box, the 6-sheet was the main advertisement for the movies. For those tighter spaces, the 3-sheet was used in the 6-sheets place. Measuring 81x81 inches, the 6-sheet often came in 4 pieces, but it is not uncommon to find them in halves instead of quarters.

6-Sheet




3-Sheet



As theaters became more glamorous, long narrow windows and skinny corridors were built to add atmosphere. Film studios scrambled to come up with sizes of posters to fit in these tighter spaces and so window cards, half sheets and door panels were created. The smaller sizes gave studios the opportunity to advertise many more of their films which now demanded larger budgets to produce. Poster size dropped from the 6-sheet down to 40x60" and 30x40". Half sheets measured at 28x22" and inserts at 14x36" looking more like large scale bookmarks. Window cards were positioned at the box office beside the ticket window as a last glance of what was to come.

40x60"



30x40"



Insert - 14x36"



Window card - 14x22"



Half Sheet - 28x22"




The traditional 1-Sheet has long been the favorite of collectors. Movie posters today are made primarily 27x40" and most often are printed on both sides to allow light from the theaters light boxes to shine through. If you are a serious collector and are looking for rare 6-sheets, 3-sheets, half sheets and inserts, movieposter.com is the best source for these items. No one on the net has the selection of vintage film art we have.

Remembering the 80's

Whenever I have trouble finding anything on T.V. to watch I know that my DVD collection is always there for me. Reminiscing my childhoood, I went out and picked up some movies that I remember watching in my early days.

Growing up in the 80's, coming home after school to watch the Transformers with a big bowl of fruit loops was daily ritual for me. Television, playing in the park, and watching movies was pretty much all I cared about. Being a little tyke, I didn't get to see too many films at the actual theater, but my mother was an avid renter of videos from the local "Video 99". She would bring me in the store and I got to eat the complimentary popcorn while she browsed the new release section. Periodically I would glance over at the adult section and stifle a laugh.

Many of the movies that were released during the 80s featured kids and teens in adventurous situations and I quicky related to the characters. I still get a chill up my spine when i see a commercial for Back to the Future, or Stand By Me on TBS. Movies like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Goonies and Roger Rabbit all stand out in my mind and will always touch the heart of any 80's baby.

Working at a poster store, I am blessed to be reminded daily of the joy I felt as a skinny kid wearing short shorts and my Thundercats t-shirt.

Just for you 80s babies out there, I'm posting my favorite collection of movie posters from the best decade yet ;)

X-Men 3

When we last saw the X-Men, they were trapped in their airplane, Gene Gray was stopping an enormous tidal wave from crashing down on them, All had seemed lost. From what we know reading the comic books and watching the afternoon cartoons, is that this is only the beginning in a new chapter for the group of mutants. There are so many characters in the X-Men world, we have only witnessed a fraction. Surely by the end of X-2, fans expect to see the dark phoenix arise. From reading the short cast list provided by imdb.com, I am extremely excited to see characters like, Juggernaught played by Vinnie Jones (of Snatch, and Beast played by Kelsie Grammer (of Cheers and Fraser).




Set to be released May 2006, the X-3 plot is still under development, the cast not entirely picked. We have been however given the first Advance teaser poster, and what a teaser it is. One thing is certain, that wolverine played by Huge Jackman is involved in this sequel. We see Wolverine's 3 claws prominent on the face of the poster. The X-Men advance posters never really gave us much to work with before when it came to predicting the story or mood of the film. The advance posters for X-1 and X-2 showed us little more then the "X" logo branded by Marvel.