Welcome to a World Without Rules

The marketing campaign for The Dark Knight has hit it out of the park yet again.
by Larry_Chimp_Man

With less than three months until release the marketing for The Dark Knight is really starting to heat up. The unveiling of a new trailer is imminent, viral campaigns are going stronger than ever, and photos and press from the flick are being spread all over the net. Today Warner Bros upped the ante, revealing a new poster for the public to feast on. Check it out below.



The art of the one-sheet, or movie poster, is easily one of my favourite parts of the cinema experience. It's the perfect piece of film memorabilia, providing a window into the movie it portrays. This new poster for The Dark Knight is no exception. It's visual and symbolic but is able to stay open for interpretation. Christian Bale's Batman looks badass as always, especially in the new suit, as the blazing emblem above menacingly glares down at him. And, while there's no trace of The Joker in this poster just seeing the signal aflame is enough to bring him to mind.

The Dark Knight has really made its mark when it comes to quality posters. The marketing team has continued to one-up previous posters with each new release, something to be proud of considering the excellence of the initial teaser sheet. It's incredibly hard to pick a favourite out of the lot and I'll probably end up buying them all.

What do you guys think of the new poster for The Dark Knight? Which TDK poster have you named as your favourite? Post a comment and let us know what you think.

The Dark Knight hits theatres on July 18th. Are you ready for a world without rules?

Cheers.

Subscribe in a reader

New Spirit Poster

A new poster for Frank Miller's film adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit has hit the net.
by Larry_Chimp_Man

I was initially excited for a Frank Miller-directed The Spirit. Miller is a visionary in the comic book world and I was interested to see how he would translate the iconic character of The Spirit to the silver screen. My anticipation began to rise as Gabriel Macht, Sam Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, and Paz Vega all signed on to do the film. It's all been downhill from there. First it was the announcement that Miller would shoot the flick in sheer green-screen environments. Then it was revealed that Miller had changed the traditional colour-scheme of The Spirit from blue and white to black and red. Then the Sin City-esque teaser posters came out. Then the piss-poor set photos.

Now we have an official one-sheet. It's gritty, it's dark, it screams Frank Miller. Check it out below.



I have no problem with changing details when adapting a book, comic, whatever. However, I do have a problem with changing the tone of the source material. Will Eisner's The Spirit may have been chock full of noir and crime drama, Miller's got that down pat, but it was also lighthearted and romantic. Eisner's stories were often comedic and rarely dipped too deep into dark themes or disturbing content. That's not to say Eisner steered clear of gritty stories, he didn't, but he grounded his Spirit in a world where slapstick violence and comedy were key.

Frank Miller's vision of The Spirit doesn't seem to match. It's as if the writer/director picked up the character and plopped him down in his Sin City universe. It's a disgrace to the source material and it's a sign of disrespect o the deceased Will Eisner.

What do you guys think? Am I being too harsh on Miller or do I have a case here? Post a comment and let me know what you think about the above poster and Miller's vision for The Spirit.

Cheers.

Subscribe in a reader

Will Eisner's The Spirit - Poster Campaign

"My city screams. She is my lover. And I am her Spirit."
by Larry_Chimp_Man

This is pretty cool. LionsGate Films have released images of a pretty cool three-poster campaign for Will Eisner's The Spirit. The posters are effective while separated as individual one-sheets but strike home as a real tease when brought together as a landscape image. Check them out below.



I'm certainly excited for this flick albeit a bit unsure whether or not comic icon Frank Miller can direct a quality feature film. Regardless of Miller's filmmaking abilities the cast will make this film work. Gabriel Macht will make a great Spirit and Samuel L. Jackson should be a treat to watch as The Octopus. Scarlett Johanssen, Eva Mendes, Jaime King, and the talented Paz Vega will form the film's female cast.

Will Eisner's The Spirit hits theatres on the 16th of January next year. Check back to MediaZEALOT as we'll keep you up to date on the film until then.

Cheers.

Subscribe in a reader

Pineapple Express Poster

The official one-sheet for the upcoming Rogan/Apatow comedy has hit the net.
by Larry_Chimp_Man

JoBlo.com has posted the first official poster for this summer's comedy heavyweight. Check it out below.



I think the above poster is pretty damn sweet. I absolutely hated the Pirates of the Carribbean posters that came out in this style but it really works for Pineapple Express. The one-sheet portrays everything you need to know about this flick; Comedy and action. Although, some may confuse Pineapple Express of being a spoof film with a poster like this as it feels a lot like a one-sheet we've seen before only with a comedic twist. Regardless, I think it's a pretty sweet one-sheet.

The David Gordon Green-directed and Apatow-produced Pineapple Express hits theatres on August 8th.

Cheers.

Subscribe in a reader

First X-Files 2 Poster

Fox has released what appears to be a teaser poster for this summer's currently untitled X-Files sequel.
by Larry_Chimp_Man

Twentieth Century Fox has released the first official poster for what's presently being called X-Files 2. Check it out below.



It's a pretty simple poster but conveys all the information it needs to; Mulder, Scully, an X, and the release date. I'm glad Fox refused to use colour on this poster. I'm a big fan of black and white posters but it's quite rare to see them these days. The grain on the poster is also quite well done.

What do you guys think of the poster? Post a comment and let me know your thoughts on it.

The X-Files sequel hits theatres on July 25th.

Cheers.

Subscribe in a reader

Final Two Iron Man One-Sheets Revealed

Paramount has released images of what is to be the final two posters in the film's campaign.

The final two Iron Man one-sheets have been revealed and it they look terrific. Paramount's marketing team has done an amazing job with the film's posters so far and these two continue that trend. Check it out below.



I'm really digging the first poster's dark image of Iron Man offset by the floating heads on the right. The poster has a great natural sense of balance and looks great. Robert Downey Jr and Terrence Howard have a very stoic look about them and Jeff Bridges is just too intense to ignore. This is one of the best one-sheets I've seen so far this year. Hopefully I can pick one up on eBay to add to my collection.



The second poster isn't as strong but is still quite effective, albeit very similar to the first. Why Paramount would release two almost-identical posters is beyond me. If I were the movie studio's marketing team I would have chosen to use only one of the above one-sheets, not both.

What do you think of the final two Iron Man movie posters? Post a comment and share your opinion.

The Jon Favreau directed Iron Man hits theatres on May 2nd.

Cheers.

Subscribe in a reader

Official Wall-E One Sheet

Pixar has released the official movie poster for their next big animated release.

The final theatrical poster for Pixar's Wall-E has been released and will most likely start showing up wherever posters are hung in the next few weeks. Check it out below:



This is a much better poster than the boring white teaser Pixar released a few months back and really sets a good tone for the animated film. While the movie has been getting a ton of buzz leading up to it's June release I'm still not sold. Then again, I've had a really hard time buying into most of the CG-animated films released over the past few years, they just aren't my thing.

Wall-E lands in theatres on June 27th.

Cheers.

Subscribe in a reader

Love Guru Poster Revealed

Mike Myers returns to live-action for the first time in five years.

Funny-man and all around groovy dude Mike Myers will appear in his first film in over half a decade come June 20th. The Canadian actor has avoided the camera for quite some time, choosing to voice Shrek and attend numerous amounts of Toronto Maple Leaf hockey games instead of act. This will all change come June when Myers' first live-action film since 2003's The Cat in the Hat hits cinemas.



The Love Guru is the title of the film and features the likes of the aforementioned Myers, Jessica Alba, Ben Kingsley, Justin Timberlake, and Verne Troyer (Mini-Me). Myers, who co-wrote the film, plays an American man with a mustache raised by Indian gurus. The flick follows the character as he returns home to the States to help rectify the career and love-life of a professional hockey player.

It doesn't sound like a very appealing flick to tell the truth. I'm sure it'll make some cash at the box-office because of the people involved but I don't see it making a big splash. However, it is good to see Myers back acting again. He's got two other films slated for release in 2009 and will voice the lovable green monster once again in 2010's Shrek Goes Fourth.

Click HERE for a closer look at the poster.

Cheers.

Subscribe in a reader