Top 10 Posters of 2010

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Well for once I'm not doing a two for one Top 10 list. Why? Because I want to stretch this out at least to the end of the week. That and I feel posters, trailers, soundtracks and most anticipated films all deserve their own spotlight. But fear not double feature lovers, for I will be combining my best actor/actress lists together, since I figure that that would be appropriate.

Anywhoo...this post is dedicated to the thing most people notice about a film right off the bat: it's poster. Whether officially done by trained professionals or unofficially by fans with the blessing of the studio, posters are a large part of selling a movie to the masses. Trailers are great and the large media junkets all films go on are great too, but when I walk into a theater one of the first things I notice are the posters hanging on the wall or sitting on a stand. Good posters catch your eyes and great posters make you interested in the film, maybe even if you had no intention of seeing it by name or stars alone. So I say we honor the great posters of 2010 and give credit where credit is due.

10. The Human Centipede-

Arguably one of the most disturbing movies in recent history, The Human Centipede also had an equally disturbing poster. The bloody handprint, the screaming man, and the grimy door paint a portrait of the film that stuck with you. It became abundantly clear that this was a bleak and twisted film with an extremely creepy tagline: "Their Flesh Is His Fantasy."  Whether you love, hate or refuse to watch the movie, one of the things that sticks with you is this poster.

9. Piranha 3D-

Yes it is a Jaws rip-off but it's also a damn good poster. The piranhas all look menacing as they rush toward the viewer and the grindhouse style type print only adds an air of camp to the film. The water gets increasingly murkier as it reaches the bottom of the poster giving the illusion that all is bright and happy on the surface, but underneath is dark and menacing. My favorite thing though is the half drawn piranhas in the way back and in the bright spots because it gives the illusion that there are thousands of these guys. An awesome poster for an awesome movie.

8. Get Him to the Greek-

Many people love the American version of the poster, with Russell Brand giving the horns to the viewer whilst leaning over a confused and bewildered Jonah Hill, but I much prefer this International poster because it gives you more of an idea of how different these two characters are. Hill is standing there, messy suit, unshaven and looking disheveled while Russell is still in party mode swinging on a chandelier above half naked women. A great portrayal of a great movie.

7. Predators-

This fan made poster for the latest Predator film caught me the first time I saw it. While it doesn't show off the badassery of the Predator like the other posters do, I feel this poster gives the viewer a better idea of what kind of alien the Predator is. The human prey are obviously on guard, anxious for one of those creatures to pop out but little do they know that they are being watched by what they are trying to destroy. The infrared vision is awesome and it gives the Predator a sense of mystique. When will it attack? See the movie to find out.

 6. The Next Three Days-

The collage on the board that plays a pivotal part in the movie is a great backdrop for the poster. The collage, along with the map and the doodles showed how focused and concentrated Russell Crowe's character was on getting his wife out of jail. You could say he lost himself in his work. That plays out pretty well for the poster since that's basically the tagline and the collage coming together to make Russell Crowe's face only accentuates that idea. It's a great poster and a very original design.

5. Rabbit Hole- 

Rabbit Hole has yet to be released where I live but that doesn't take away from the fact that this poster is awesome. It's very classy and each section shows off a very different emotion as it goes from completely wrecked to happy (or happy to wrecked). It helps that Nicole Kidman has a very expressive face that can do all these different, subtle emotional changes. And Eckhart over on the right even has his own bit of a change as they both meet in the middle as a happy couple. Very well made poster.

4. Inception-

The Inception posters were all basically throw a dart and you'll end up on an amazing one. Some like the jagged edged one, some like the main theatrical poster with them all standing while the road comes up but for me this tsunami wave made up of the city coming down on them while they stand on a building is the best. It really shows the scope of what they are dealing with and the challenge that lies ahead for them. The sun/light source really adds a nice "light at the end of the tunnel" feeling to it as well.

3. Black Swan-

The first and most famous poster for Black Swan didn't really grab me to be honest with you. Natalie Portman in extremely heavy make-up staring through you didn't really tell me anything except it has Natalie Portman and it's about Swan Lake. But then a bunch of new posters came out, more abstract then the previous ones but they gave a better example of what the film really was. This one in particular has the literal Black Swan but inside is a demon-esque Portman doing typical ballet moves, which represent the feathers. It's a dark and foreboding poster and one I have proudly displayed at my house.

2. Buried

As a giant Hitchcock nerd this poster stuck with me, feeling very reminiscent of his older work with films like Vertigo. The spiral grabs you instantly and pulls you into the middle, the smallest part, where Reynolds lies. At first it's hard to make out he's even there but as you get closer he becomes more recognizable and it really gives you a feeling of how confined and trapped inside a small place he really is. It's simple, yet elegant and one that everyone seemed to love.

1. Scott Pilgrim vs the World

While not an official poster for the movie, this unofficial poster for Scott Pilgrim vs the World received Edgar Wright's blessing and was soon seen at select screenings. It jumped at me immediately, telling me everything I needed to know about the film in the most stylized way possible. It shows the exes, it shows Ramona, it shows Pilgrim fighting and through it all is a theme of hearts and breaking. It feels very graffiti/street art in style and the expressions on all the characters faces sell the poster, along with the bright, but retrotastic colors. An amazing poster for an amazing movie.


Well that does it for Best Posters. What were some of your favorites? What about my choices? Stay tuned for my most anticipated, my favorite trailers, soundtracks and performances in my Best of 2010 special.