Film School Rejects » Movie Marketing

Aussie ‘Antichrist’ Poster Will Cut Your Mind in Half

Dr. Cole Abaius — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:43:06 +0000

I’ve already heard too much about Antichrist. Whether it be from critics twatting all over twitter about it or from random people talking about what scissors are used for, I’ve sadly overheard things that I’d rather not know before heading into a darkened theater.

So I plan on saving you all from that fate. Luckily, knowing nothing about the movie as you hopefully do, this poster is still incredibly creepy.

[Clicking Makes it bigger!]

Your guess is as good as mine as to what that string-esque entity under the scissors is. Shoelace? Skinny stain? Mini-umbilical cord?

I know what I’m crossing my fingers for? Thank goodness the Aussies can handle a little abstract marketing.

What do you think?

Source: ShockTilYouDrop

4 Gorgeous New ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ Posters

Dr. Cole Abaius — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:03:18 +0000

Everything that comes out about this movie looks absolutely breathtaking. So kudos to the marketing department. Soon, it’ll be time to see if Where The Wild Things Are lives up to the expectations that it’s been building for itself.

Adding to that expectation pile is a series of new character posters that look fantastic:

[Clicking on the images makes them slightly larger]

I cannot wait for October 16th.

And is it just me or does Judith look a little bit like a horned Falcor from The NeverEnding Story?

Just me? Thought so.

The Deeper Meaning of The ‘Law Abiding Citizen’ Poster

Robin Ruinsky — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:56:02 +0000

The new poster for the Gerard Butler/Jamie Foxx thriller Law Abiding Citizen has appeared over at Cinematical. The poster depicts Foxx against a mottled gray to white background and Butler against blood red. Both actors look out from the poster, intense, focused and clearly on opposite sides in this story about murder, justice denied and revenge.

Are these just arresting images or visual metaphors or both? Butler against the blood red backdrop is obvious. His character is a man whose wife and child are brutalized and murdered in front of him. Left with what he sees as no choice he turns to violence to exact his revenge on the system and the people in it.

Foxx is trapped in a no man’s land of black, white and gray. He’s the cool rational cog in a legal system that doesn’t always serve up justice, but often settles for the expedient deal.

This looks like an interesting film filled with explosions not only from special effects, but from the two actors who go head to head. It’s a game of cat and mouse gone ballistic.

Law Abiding Citizen opens on October 16.

What do you think of the poster? Are you looking forward to the film?

Exclusive: Carla Gugino Spells and Sells ‘Trouble’

Dr. Cole Abaius — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:10:49 +0000

Earlier in the year Neil and I raved about a movie that hit SxSW like a blonde bombshell and threatened to disrupt civilization as we know it. Then a little while later, I rejoiced that it was getting distribution because I predict more than a few people will really dig just how crazy and wonderful Women in Trouble truly is.

Now, with this teaser advert FSR has managed to procure, I’m reminded yet again that the movie is coming to a theater near you (and me) with all of its foul-mouthed, over-the-top ridiculousness and a whole slew of beautiful women who get into a lot of trouble.

The picture of Carla Gugino in the ad also seems to be staring into my very soul and begging me to propose marriage to her. Or just to go see her movie. Clicking on the image makes it much, much bigger:

Not too shabby. Kind of a cool little advertisement that definitely relies heavily on the beauty of the star to draw you to it. I think a few creative directors will shudder at the thought of three different fonts on a single ad, but I always love seeing the “Freaks and Geeks” font used for other projects.

Hopefully we’ll be hearing more and more about the flick as we get closer to November. A full scale trailer wouldn’t be out of the question, and so far I’ve had trouble putting into words the absurdity and cleavage-levels present in this thing so hopefully we’ll get some moving pictures to tell a few thousand words. But in the mean time, I’ll let Carla Gugino (as Elektra Luxx) explain why hers is the best-selling celebrity vagina on the market:

Written and directed by Sebastian Guiterrez, Women in Trouble features the incredible talent of Carla Gugino, Connie Britton, Adrianne Palicki, Marley Shelton, Cameron Richardson, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and there are even a few men involved (like Josh Brolin and Joseph Gordon-Levitt). It hits theaters in November.

What do you think?

Zombies, Nazis, And Ass Oh My! New Viral Marketing For Dead Snow

Rob Hunter — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:21:12 +0000

The video below really doesn’t need much in the way of setup. Just know that it’s viral marketing for Dead Snow, the upcoming Nazi zombie flick from Norway. Got it? Zombies. Nazis. Viral marketing. Okay… proceed.

Makes you want to rush out and eat some Norwegian ass doesn’t it? (Cause the movie is about flesh-eating zombies see…)

So how long did you last? Did you make it to the 1:11 mark when the actual marketing appeared? Or the 2:06 mark with the glitter and nipples? Thanks to Twitch for the heads up on the video, and for doing the research necessary for me to tell you the ass above belongs to model/reality-show-alumni Linni Meister. I did try doing a Google search for her, but it seemed stuck on the Pictures setting so all I found were pics from her sex tape.

Did the video convince you to go see the movie?

‘The Expendables’ Assault the Cannes Skyline

Neil Miller — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:55:54 +0000

Not too long ago — mere minutes, I know — I wrote about a brand new photo from Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming actioner The Expendables. I also included a few small shots of some promo art that has shown up in Cannes this week for that large, world-renowned film festival that is happening. Moments later I got a tip from a little birdy that Twitter-holic Lauren Benz Philips has been posting images in her Tweet-stream, images that are much bigger and much more badass. And as I feel obligated to share anything in the realm of badass, I have rounded up said photos for you below.

The Expendables is currently shooting in various locations in South America. It hits theaters April 23, 2010.

Cannes Banners: A Christmas Carol, Lovely Bones, Shutter Island

Neil Miller — Mon, 11 May 2009 21:14:21 +0000

Our friend and neighbor Alex Billington over at First Showing has made the long trek out to the south of France this week to attend the Cannes Film Festival. And to start up his coverage, he’s taken some pictures of the banners that line the walkway of the Croisette. Included in his snaps are new banners for a few very highly anticipated upcoming films: Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones, Robert Zemeckis’ A Christmas Carol and Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island. You can see these banners in the image below as well as a few others over at First Showing by giving the image a click.

New Sherlock Holmes Photos And Trailer Announcement

Rob Hunter — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:07:00 +0000

The best Sherlock Holmes movie ever made remains Murder By Decree which stars Christopher Plummer and James Mason as the famed duo in search of Jack the Ripper. It’s a fantastic and creepy mystery from the director of A Christmas Story and Porky’s. The Michael Caine/Ben Kingsley comedy Without A Clue is a close second, but there’s a good chance that ranking may change this December when Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes hits theaters. USA Today has posted an early look at the upcoming possible blockbuster including new photos, a screen description, and news about the film’s first trailer… which is scheduled to premiere in front of Terminator Salvation on May 21st.

Robert Downey Jr. stars as the master detective with Jude Law portraying his dapper sidekick, Dr. John Watson. The film also stars Rachel McAdams as a wily lass and Mark Strong as the villain. This adventure is seen by many as a re-imagining due to Holmes’ bare-knuckle boxing and general rowdiness, but much of the story actually takes it’s lead from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original tales and inferences. It also looks to be a male bonding/buddy movie similar to the new Star Trek film from JJ Abrams. No, really… go with me here.

What people fell into the trap of doing in the past is thinking that by making Watson dumb, they made Homes smart,” Law says in refernce to the duo’s yin-yang relationship. “I mean, Holmes is a genius. He has this autistic savant quality and eccentricity that doesn’t need highlighting. And what I love in Guy’s concept, and what we developed, is the idea that they are each one-half of a whole. Watson is the one who keeps him on track. Watson is very sensible, always checking whether they’ve got their pistols and they’re loaded. He keeps what could be a very wayward individual straight. They are very dependent on each other.”

See? Very Kirk and Spock-like don’t you think? And that can only be a good thing as Star Trek is about to launch a new franchise in a very big way. Head on over to USA Today for more quotes and scene descriptions, and check out the new photos below. (Thanks to IESB.net for the heads up.)

New Bruno Promo Images Will Haunt You

Dr. Cole Abaius — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:22:30 +0000

WHY?

I feel like I displayed a certain amount of eloquence with my above statement and see no reason to go into further detail. We just got these promo images in the old email box, and they have me asking questions about my life. How I got here. What I’m doing with it.

More importantly, it has me wondering how these particular images will be used as promo images. Is this it? Are these bare images promoting the movie or will they someday feature awkward text that tells people what movie they are shilling?

My questions remain unanswered.

What do you think? Stop thinking that!

Cool New Poster for ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ Peeks At You

Neil Miller — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:39:06 +0000

Yahoo Movies has debuted a brand new poster for Spike Jonze’s highly anticipated film Where the Wild Things Are, adapted from the children’s book of the same name by Maurice Sendak. The film follows the story of Max (Max Records), a young boy who escapes his own harsh reality by dreaming up a land of mysterious creatures known as “wild things.” These wild things will be voiced by James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker, Lauren Ambrose and Catherine O’Hara.

Where the Wild Things Are hits theaters on October 16, 2009.

One More ‘Star Trek’ TV Spot and Poster for the Hyper-Road

Neil Miller — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:35:53 +0000

The marketing blitz for Star Trek, the J.J. Abrams directed reboot of the beloved franchise, has been well under way for the past few weeks. And seeing as the film hits theaters on May 8th, I would assume that we haven’t seen the last bit of flashy marketing for this decidedly flashy movie. But as far as I’m told, this will be the final theatrical poster. Why? Because it’s in hyper-drive. Seriously, check it out below:

Also new today is a TV spot posted by the folks over at The Movie Box. It shows a bit more footage, including a little dialogue from Zoe Saldana as Uhura. She’s wondering if Chris Pine knows what he’s doing as Captain Kirk — as are we. Though, we’ve got confidence that he can pull it off. Also, there is another shot of Simon Pegg’s one line in the movie (that’s not confirmed, but we’re pretty sure). Check out the new spot below:

Five International Star Trek Posters, One Theme: Snore

Neil Miller — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:25:41 +0000

Lately Star Trek has been rocking our world with all sorts of awesome — including a very intense TV spot last week — but these new international posters are well, bad — save for the one in which the Golden Gate bridge is about to be pummeled by an energy beam. They feature the same one or two images just photoshopped together differently, with different languages laid over them, again, save for the one at the bottom (which is awesome). One could call it lazy marketing, but then again we aren’t talking about 5 domestic posters here, these are going to be released in different countries — namely the U.K., Germany, Australia and Italy respectively.

Have a look at the new posters below — U.K. version courtesy of Empire, others courtesy of ScreenWeek. Despite these obvious marketing follies, the film will likely rock when it hits theaters on May 8, 2009.

What do you think of these fancy new posters? Any of them making it to your wall space?

Check It Out: 14 New Terminator Salvation Photos

Neil Miller — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:25:00 +0000

Late yesterday the folks at Columbia Pictures released 14 new photos from their upcoming international release Terminator Salvation. And before you get confused, just know that Columbia has international distribution and Warner Bros. is putting out the film here in the states. Anyway, these photos made their way over to our friends at Slashfilm. And by the transitive property of the internet, we now have them in a gallery below. Just click to enlarge.

Terminator Salvation hits the ‘ole cineplex on May 21, 2009.

Discuss: Is Graffiti a Viable Means of Film Marketing?

Paige MacGregor — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:33:24 +0000

Is Warner Bros. paying street marketing teams to vandalize public property in New York City? Well, when put that way, it sounds like something the film industry monolith wouldn’t want to own up to. Whether or not they’re responsible, the words “Who Watches the Watchmen?” have appeared in spray-paint on walls across the big apple, inviting the question of whether Warner Bros. is responsible or if renegade street vandal/comic book geeks have taken to the night to publicly display their excitement over this week’s theatrical release of the highly anticipated Watchmen movie.

Better yet, it begs the question of whether advertising like this is effective. On one hand, it places the name of the film squarely on the minds of anyone who gets a glimpse. On the other hand, it’s too esoteric to reach anyone who wouldn’t have been going in the first place.

Some interesting photos of the famous Hiroshima Lovers silhouettes painted next to advertisements for The Veidt Method and more scrawling of the enigmatic rhetorical question of watching Watchmen have also surfaced in Toronto, that’s most likely related to the underground publicity stunt/geektastic orgasm of spray-painted excitement seen across NYC.

Hat tip to our friends at /Film who compiled the pics from flick users: davesbu, kellan, andrewdkeller and twitpic users bonerjamz and HermitHomeboy.

What do you think? Is marketing like this actually hitting an audience? Is that audience targeting going to translate into box office receipts?

6 Minutes to Midnight Site Unlocks World of Watchmen

Adam Sweeney — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:11:16 +0000

In our anticipation of Watchmen’s Friday release, we offer you another appetizer, an interactive site that gives exclusive footage of the film. If you click the image above you will be transported over to 6 Minutes to Midnight. The latest of the viral marketing delights from Zack Snyder’s adaptation of the greatest graphic novel of all-time, 6 Minutes to Midnight, offers you a chance to take a Rorschach test of your own in hopes of uncovering knowledge about the Watchmen characters, at least how our favorite sociopath Rorschach sees them. For each correct answer, you get an exclusive peek into the world of the Watchmen. Try and pretend you won’t be on the site for at least thirty minutes.

To follow along with our week long coverage, check out our Watching the Watchmen homepage.

Do you have your Watchmen tickets yet? What has been your favorite viral marketing piece so far for the film?

Film School Rejects » Movie Marketing

Aussie ‘Antichrist’ Poster Will Cut Your Mind in Half

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