Control

I Caught an advance screening of Control -- prolific rock photographer Anton Corbijn's directorial debut feature about the rise and fall of Ian Curtis, vocalist for Joy Division, perhaps modern rock's most influential band. It's a great film and I eagerly await whatever Corbjin follows this up with.

I had read Touching From a Distance, the book which the film is based and Deborah Curtis' heartbreaking and downright depressing account of life with Ian long ago and while not all made it to the movie, I felt that film captured the essence of the book.

Control begins documenting Curtis' early life; idolizing musical heroes such as David Bowie and Iggy Pop (look for visual hints of Todd Hayne's Velvet Goldmine!). Musical ambitions drive him to join a local band in the thriving Manchester scene but soon everyday fears and strong emotions that fuel his passion music begin to eat away his psyche. He marries young and with a newborn daughter in tow he is distracted by infidelity and inability to handle the pressures of touring. When Ian is diagnosed with epilepsy, guilt and depression kick in the strain, and ultimately desperation -- literally -- take hold. Ian surrenders to these pressures and is in the end, consumed by them.

Corbijn's approach in directing spoken scenes is kept subtle, recreating a drab and dreary mid-70's era England. It is during the musical numbers that Control takes hold of the viewer. Sam Riley's interpretation of Ian Curtis in performance is spot on while the rest of the band cast as Joy Division must be given credit for having learned to play the songs and sounding (and looking) just like the real thing. The sound mix explodes out of the screen with intensity as the band play early gigs on screen. Surprisingly Corbjin didn't serve as cinematographer but his visual style is present throughout the film and is perhaps it's best asset.

Since this blog is about movie posters I have to mention that no studio-issued images (that I know of) have surfaced on this film yet. The attached visual comes from the movie's underdeveloped website but I do think it captures the mood of the film. Hopefully something will be issued soon. I am specially looking forward to see if any additional images surface from Corbjin's initial Joy Division shoot, which happened the day after the band's London debut. We'll have to wait and see. Control opens in limited release on October 10.

Pixar Posters

I must admit, I didn't grow up watching Disney. So, while I understand the historical importance for films such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Bambi," and the like, I honestly couldn't care less. I do admit I have a soft spot for Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty but mostly in part because of the amazing artwork; specially Beauty's expressionistic layout and backgrounds really stand out, for an animated film from 1959. That being said, I have not missed a Pixar film yet in the theater (still must catch Ratatouille before it vanishes). Toy Story 1 and 2, to me are their weakest films. These two - Finding Nemo and The Incredibles - to me, are works of art. Nemo goes to infinity and beyond when it comes to storytelling. Artwise, CGI-produced water never looked better. I could go into how well done the sealife has been recreated, but I will assume all of you have seen this film already. Artwise, The Incredibles reminds me of Sleeping Beauty mostly due to the film's intentional retro/futuristic look that like Sleeping Beauty, I am sure will stand the test of time 30 years from now. So, these one sheets. Got them pretty cheap on ebay. They will certainly go up in price as the films age... Both seem to be printed on vynil base/stock since they are both double sided, clearly designed to be displayed in a lightbox frame. Nemo's image is way too busy for my tastes, reducing the main characters a great deal but I guess they had to fit the characters in the image to sell the title of the film. What can I say about The Incredibles that hasn't been said already? Not a thing. The image is perfectly created to sell the film as well as its title. I think there was an advance created for this film.. I can't remember if it was an "I" in a circle..? Does anyone remember?

Your suffering will be legendary...even in HELL!!

... that was my favorite line from this film. During the summer of 88, an even BETTER image of Pinhead was plastered in most subway stations with less text than the image you see here. That was my favorite poster for this film. Alas, any subway poster from that time is really difficult to come by so this one sheet, in so-so condition will have to do for now. Lots of posters came in this week. Hopefully I'll be able to share soon.

Lone Wolf & Cub

I wasn't lucky enough to see Lone Wolf & Cub in its truncated form, known as "Shogun Assassin" in the states. During the 80s, I faithfully read the comic, and quickly fell in love with it. It was one of the first tastes of manga that I had; soon to be followed up with Mai: The Psychic Girl, also by the same writer, Kazuo Koike. Well, now I've read and SEEN the Lone Wolf and Cub movies so I could not pass up the original Japanese theatrical for the first (of six) films. Cost a pretty penny, but it was worth it.

Jaws 2

There are a few movie images from my childhood that can bring me back to a specific point in time.
This Jaws 2 advance/teaser poster is one of those images. I remember the setting sun... the shark fin that previously gave me the chills during the first Jaws... but the sheer terror this one sheet made me feel as a kid has yet to be equaled. Finally, it is part of my collection, as is the final theatrical version. Dunno about you, but I think Jaws 2 is more fun than the first. :) Just remember that girl water skiing? LOL

Transformation

I took in an advance screening of Transformers yesterday.. I wasn't too crazy about the original teaser poster, you know, the one with that mechanical eye staring down at earth? Then came these two pictured here, "Protect" and "Destroy," with the main non-human characters from the film. I love them both but I could not find a double sided version of "Protect". Was it even produced? Paramount/Dreamworks then hastily put together a final version of the poster adding the main human and robot characters. I saw that at the Ziegfeld lobby tonight and I wasn't too thrilled. I'll stay with "Protect" and "Destoy" for now. I wonder what the Japanese posters are like...

Super Fuzz Busy!!

I know it's been ages since I've posted.. since then I've been travelling for work.. and pleasure. More on that later. I am planning on starting to post some images again in the next few days.. some really cool stuff I've gotten in the last month or two. Let's begin with Hostel 2. I've seen this film twice... I have to admit the first time I sat through it, I really didn't enjoy it... I kinda missed the comedic elements of the first film and then the first kill doesn't happen until maybe 45 mins in... and on top of that, one death left me really... disturbed. Yes, me, mr. horror fan found something disturbing!

Then on weds, thanks to my good old LGF rep, I was invited to the NYC premiere of the film, with most of the cast in attendance. Anyhoo, sitting through the film a second time gave me the opportunity to really grasp the film's subtext behind all the extreme tortures being shown on screen. Eli Roth and co did provide some insight as far as the narrative and the themes explored in this sequel and I was pleasantly surprised that I agreed with mostly everything. I still think the end is stolen right out of Takashi Miike's FUDOH, but, that's another story...

After the lengthy Q&A some of the cast stayed behind to sign stuff and of course I brought along two of the four available posters for Hostel 2 (see pics).

This screening was sponsored by the Museum of the Moving Image and unbeknownst to me Hostel 2 is just the first film in the IT'S ONLY A MOVIE: HORROR FILMS FROM THE 1970s AND TODAY program that's running from June 16-July 22, 2007. The selection is slim but still worthwhile catching if you haven't seen some of these on the big screen. I'll probably be at a couple for sure.

Neon Bible

So I managed to get on a guest list for last Thursday's Arcade Fire show at Judson Church.
I have the leaked record so I was pretty familiar with the songs.. It was fantastic, actually much better than the record. Only problem.. the sound set up was kinda weak for the cavernous church, so when the band started their set the sound was muddled and swampy... that was fixed by the third song in. I can't wait for the band's return to the city in May.

The set list was:

"Black Mirror"
"Antichrist Television Blues"
"No Cars Go"
"Haiti"
"Black Wave/Bad Vibrations"
"My Body is a Cage"
"Windowsill"
"The Well and the Lighthouse"
"Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)"
"Rebellion (Lies)"
"Intervention"
------------------
"Neon Bible"
"Wake Up" (performed in the middle of the crowd)

Call it off!

It's been a dry spell for posters.. between work and taking in a new puppy, I've had no time to go in search for my old cinema treasures. I am on the hunt for anything to do with Grindhouse so if you see anything, do lemme know.

Last Monday I went to see Peter Bjorn & John. Boy that was a great show... and I'm really getting into going to Mercury Lounge to catch shows. Yes, nowadays with NYC music blogs dominating the scene it makes getting tickets for shows the like of Peter Bjorn & John, The Fratellis and other up and coming rockers extremely annoying. But it's something we have to live with by being here in NYC.

In The Mood...

I never got to see In The Mood For Love during its original theatrical run. Doing so left me feeling terrible after reading all the appraisals and accolades for Wai and DP Christopher Doyle. I did happen to catch it years later during a Wong Kar Wai retrospective at the Walter Reade Theater and the only word I could find to describe it then was "Brilliant". I've not wanted to see it on DVD ever since because I think it just won't be the same as seeing it in a darkened theater. It's also hard to describe -- for me -- what one feels after seeing it... would one have to be (or have been) in love? Or does it create a feeling of longing to love? I don't know. What I do know is that no other one-sheet has been able to capture the essence of the film as the Japanese poster. I know I keep bragging about Japanese posters but, really.. IT'S SO GOOD! My search for it is over, once again thanks to ebay.

Don't go out there!!!

Wow at last! Got my paws on this awesome Japanese Dawn of the Dead Director's Cut poster. Apparently it's a bit rare since there were only but few screenings of this version in Japan just when interest in the film spiked up again in the late 80s with the italian splatter film boom. I like this one much more than the theatrical original.

The ride is over...

Well it was a cruel summer and I haven't posted as often as I wanted to. I have gotten a few goodies since the last post and I'll be displaying them over the next few days as I get a chance. First up - The Hitcher.

The US one sheet is classic. C. Thomas Howell's eyes on the rearview mirror, while Rutger Hower's sillohuette stands in back of him waiting to hitch a ride. That poster gave us enough information of what was to come. This Japanese version, although not as creative in style still works for those have seen the film.

Why I'm... I'm Mrs. Voorhees, an old friend of the Christy's.

I started watching the Friday the 13th series of films recently. I won't go into whether they're 'classics' or just trash, i'll leave that up to you. What I will say is that the main poster image from the first film has always stayed on my mind. I think it's a perfect example of how the artwork carries the message of the film. Ok, in this case it's "KILL THE KIDS", but I love how, when I was a kid and saw the poster art, it created this sense of dread.. I wondered, should I even WANDER into the theater? It was a bold move for a kid -- AGE 9! But it gave me the balls to walk into others future 'classics'. This poster, an original, is in mint condition, albeit, folded, like many of its time along with the nss number. A keeper! I need to find my Final Chapter advance..

Look up...

I went to an advance screening of Superman Returns this evening. While I was never thrilled with the advance teaser poster (just that "S") when I saw the final poster I was really impressed with the image that was chosen as it never seemed the way Supes had been depicted in the posters for the prior films. Apparently it was influenced by an Alex Ross painting and in the film, I was glad to see these images being used frequently. I think it shows Superman at peace (at least for a while) and contemplating his next moves. I picked up the final version of the poster (2-sided) at Chiller a few weeks back. A great purchase I think..

My art... keeps me sane.

Early Cronenberg posters are difficult to come by. Just by chance I found it somewhat cheap.. I am assuming this one-sheet is the release version of Scanners. I've seen another with a bizarre design that I don't like. I think it was the old laserdisc cover too. THIS ONE, however, is classic. Watch this movie and you'll know that Michael Ironside was destined for cult stardom as Revok.

Can you cure me?

Today I got the one-sheet of The Elephant Man. Anyone who doesn't love this movie just doesn't have a heart.. ALTHO...... I love his one-eyed hood.. and it's so much like young Jason's in Friday the 13th Part 2. In any case, seek out the film if you haven't seen it.

I am the Nightrider. I'm a fuel injected suicide machine.

One of my most memorable experiences ever in a movie theater was Mad Max. I must have been 8 or so because it was shortly before I migrated to the US from Dominican Republic, my movie-island paradise. Well now, this beautiful Japanese one-sheet is mine. There are two of them. I hope to find the second issue poster some day.

What's wrong with killing?

Lots of new posters have arrived.. These are ultra special to me. Battle Royale remains unreleased -- but an American remake is on the way. While I really love the first film, for obvious reasons, it does have its flaws... the second film however, terrible is just too kind a word. I only got it to accompany it's big sister, BR.

Melt With You

They keep coming in... just got in Piranha, Incredible Melting Man and Creepshow. I certainly love the Piranha poster; the other two I got because I really love those movies. I am still waiting for the day Melting Man makes it to DVD with a decent transfer. On a trip to the UK I picked up the R2 DVD but it just doesn't cut it. Melting Man doesn't look chocolately gooey as I recall at the movies in one of my earliest movie experiences...

Pablo

Pablo's my #1 horror buddy outside the USA, and like me, he collects posters and all sorts of trash related to horror... so let me post for him some of my latest acaquisitions. He'll think I'm insane...