2014 Oscar Predictions

 

That I only realized a few days ago that the Academy Awards were this Sunday can't be a great sign, either for my attentiveness or the nominated films, which just haven't filled me with the same level of enthusiasm as last year's crop of contenders. And moviegoers unfortunately seem to be agreeing, as the majority of the films have seen far less of a box office bump than expected. It seems like just yesterday everyone was furiously debating Zero Dark Thirty, arguing whether Argo was a worthy Best Picture winner and speculating at Jennifer Lawrence's chances of taking home Best Actress. For me, there's been little of that excitement surrounding this year's race and I've even been a bit let down by some of the more popular nominees.

The good news is that this race is the most unpredictable it's been in a while, with the eventual Best Picture winner hardly set in stone, even as we head down the final stretch.  But as much as we all like to complain that our favorites are left out, these are some great films here, and we should be thankful that the Academy (for all the criticism they receive) do shine a much needed spotlight on quality work. As for the actual show, I just hope it isn't a slog and we're in for some real surprises. Having not yet seen all the nominees, I'm mostly dispensing with the "should win" in favor of attempting to get inside the mind of an Oscar voter (as scary as that seems) and predicting what will.  Below are those predictions, along with some accompanying analysis for the major categories.

*Predicted Winners

*Updated 3/2/14

BEST PICTURE
“12 Years a Slave”
“American Hustle”
“Captain Phillips”
“Dallas Buyers Club”
“Gravity”
“Her”
“Nebraska”
“Philomena”
“The Wolf of Wall Street”

*American Hustle feels like it's out of the game, having peaked too early and lacking the necessary substance to take home the big prize. With Nebraska and Dallas Buyers Club, their nominations are reward enough, while "Philomania" definitely won't be runnin' wild on Oscar night. The overpraised Her just isn't the type of movie that wins Best Picture. The Wolf of Wall Street completely deserves it but is too polarizing and Captain Phillips is unfortunately most voters' second or third choice. This leaves two contenders that each face some obstacles. 12 Years a Slave covers a topic that might be too difficult for (primarily white, older) voters to stomach and Gravity is an effects-driven 3D movie that doesn't hold up as well at home. What's promising for its chances is that while the film's set set in space, it isn't science fiction, nor does it contain a single idea worthy of discussion afterwards. Sadly, this makes it an ideal winner.

When in doubt, the Oscars always go for the safest, least offensive choice. In theory, the uplifting Gravity should take it. But something's stopping me from picking it. I just can't see the Academy choosing a big budget, high-grossing, 3D space movie as Best Picture. There's just not enough depth to it. 12 Years is important, epic and historical and we know from past years that's a "can't miss" proposition for voters. They can feel good about themselves rewarding it, while Gravity picks up all the technical awards and Cuaron wins for Director.

BEST DIRECTOR
David O. Russell, “American Hustle”
Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity”
Alexander Payne, “Nebraska”
Steve McQueen, “12 Years a Slave”
Martin Scorsese, “The Wolf of Wall Street”

*Cuaron's going to win this and I'm not so sure how I feel about that considering his direction of Bullock actually prevented the actress from giving a performance that would've insured her a second Oscar. Also, with these types of effects driven vehicles, we're never sure how much of its success can be attributed to the visual effects team. In this case, it's likely a lot. But no other director here (aside from maybe McQueen) stands much of a chance. David O. Russell's day is coming. Just not yet. The Best Picture and Director categories "usually" match but I'm thinking this will be one of those strange years we have a split. The situation definitely call for it. 

BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale, “American Hustle”
Bruce Dern, “Nebraska”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave”
Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

*Alright, alright, alright. For McConaughey, this Oscar will be as much a reward for The Lincoln Lawyer, Magic Mike, Bernie, Killer Joe, The Paperboy, Mud, The Wolf of Wall Street and that little show he has on HBO as it is for Dallas Buyers Club. He's essentially getting a career achievement award for three years worth of work in which he resuscitated a career clinging to life support. Few would argue he deserves it. So does Leo, but McConaughey's riding all the momentum now. He can put this Oscar on a mantle where it'll await company from the Emmy he'll  receive for True Detective, which most will be watching instead of this telecast.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Barkhad Abdi, “Captain Phillips”
Bradley Cooper, “American Hustle”
Michael Fassbender, “12 Years a Slave”
Jonah Hill, “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”

*This one should be wide open, but it isn't. In a perfect world, Jonah Hill would win, but most voters probably think a second nomination is reward enough for now. No biggie. In a couple of years he'll probably be nominated for his role as suspected 1996 Olympic park bomber Richard Jewell (in a movie I've been patiently waiting 18 long years for someone to make). So there's that to look forward to. But this one belongs to Leto, who's playing a transgender with AIDS. With a part like that, does it even matter how the performance was? There's also a built-in comeback story, with the actor/musician having not made a film in 6 years. He'll win easily.

BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams, “American Hustle”
Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”
Sandra Bullock, “Gravity”
Judi Dench, “Philomena”
Meryl Streep, “August: Osage County”

*Even more of a lock than Best Actor. It's Cate Blanchett's to lose, regardless of whatever Woody Allen did or didn't do twenty years ago. Bullock won too recently. Streep's mandatory inclusion for anything is starting to become the Academy's longest running joke at this point. Dench is actually a bigger threat than people think, while 5 (!) time nominee Amy Adams is probably Blanchett's stiffest competition. She won't win though. Blanchett's performance is just too strong. That they're rewarding an excellent actress who deserves recognition is just icing on the cake. This outcome was a foregone conclusion months ago.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave”
Jennifer Lawrence, “American Hustle”
June Squibb, “Nebraska”
Julia Roberts, “August: Osage County”
Sally Hawkins, “Blue Jasmine”

*In a category famous for upsets, this is the night's closest race. Any of these women can win (well, except Julia Roberts). It's really between J-Law and Nyong'o and it's very, very close. On one hand, I can't see them giving Lawrence an Oscar two years in a row. Then again, it's Jennifer Lawrence. But you'd figure this is as good a category as any to reward 12 Years, while also endorsing a promising newcomer. I'm going with Nyong'o but using a pencil. I could easily change my mind before the show.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“American Hustle” – Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
“Blue Jasmine” – Written by Woody Allen
“Her” – Written by Spike Jonze
“Nebraska” – Written by Bob Nelson
“Dallas Buyers Club” – Written by Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack

* I guess we'll leave the debate as to whether Blue Jasmine should even qualify as an original screenplay for another time. This is very close between American Hustle and Her, with the latter having an edge since Jonze's script is ultimately what that film's best remembered for. With Hustle, it's more the performances. I'm not even that big a fan of Her but will have to admit the screenplay is incredibly inventive and intelligent. If it deserves to win anything, it's this.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Before Midnight” – Written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
“Captain Phillips” – Screenplay by Billy Ray
“Philomena” – Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
“12 Years a Slave” – Screenplay by John Ridley
“The Wolf of Wall Street” – Screenplay by Terence Winter

*This and Best Editing are the categories Captain Phillips really has a chance at. But once again you can file a potential 12 Years victory here under "it has to get something else," if it also wins Best Picture.  Similarly, Adapted Screenplay seems like a worthy consolation prize should the film fall short in the bigger categories.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Grandmaster” Phillipe Le Sourd
“Gravity” Emmanuel Lubezki
“Inside Llewyn Davis” Bruno Delbonnel
“Nebraska” Phedon Papamichael
“Prisoners” Roger A. Deakins

*This seems as good a time as any for the Academy to create some kind of separate category for effects driven films. Of course, the big joke is that we already have that category. It's called "Best Visual Effects." I'm just not sure how comfortable I am having the great Roger Deakins lose for the 11th time to a movie mostly shot on sound stages against a green screen while other deserving contenders like Spring Breakers, Rush and The Bling Ring are left out altogether. It just seems more like technology than cinematography. I'm fine with them honoring it. Just not here. Which means Lubezski will probably win.


BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Alone Yet Not Alone” from “Alone Yet Not Alone”
Music by Bruce Broughton; Lyric by Dennis Spiegel
“Happy” from “Despicable Me 2”
Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams
“Let It Go” from “Frozen”
Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
“The Moon Song” from “Her”
Music by Karen O; Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze
“Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen; Lyric by Paul Hewson

*Now that everyone has heard Pharrell's "Happy" and knows how good it is, it's kind of unbelievable voters would even consider giving this to anything else. But that's the Academy for you. Frozen's probably winning, even if I hope I'm wrong. It also wouldn't surprise me if U2 pulls this off given the prestige factor. This and the Documentary category are the only instances where I can honestly say the Academy infuriates me by consistently failing to nominate the best contenders and making head-scratching decisions on an annual basis. Luckily, the original songs are actually being performed on the show this year. I just wish (with the exception of "Happy") that they were better.


BEST ANIMATED FILM
“The Croods”
“Despicable Me 2”
“Ernest and Celestine”
“Frozen”
“The Wind Rises”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Michael Wilkinson, “American Hustle”
William Chang Suk Ping, “The Grandmaster”
Catherine Martin, “The Great Gatsby”
Michael O’Connor, “The Invisible Woman”
Patricia Norris, “12 Years a Slave”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“The Act of Killing”Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
“Cutie and the Boxer” Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher
“Dirty Wars” Richard Rowley and Jeremy Scahill
“The Square” Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer
“20 Feet from Stardom” Nominees to be determined

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
“CaveDigger” Jeffrey Karoff
“Facing Fear” Jason Cohen
“Karama Has No Walls” Sara Ishaq
“The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed
“Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall” Edgar Barens

BEST FILM EDITING
“American Hustle” Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten
“Captain Phillips” Christopher Rouse
“Dallas Buyers Club” John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa
“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger
“12 Years a Slave” Joe Walker

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“The Broken Circle Breakdown,” Belgium
“The Great Beauty,” Italy
“The Hunt,” Denmark
“The Missing Picture,” Cambodia
“Omar,” Palestine

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
“Dallas Buyers Club” Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews
“Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” Stephen Prouty
“The Lone Ranger” Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
John Williams, “The Book Thief”
Steven Price, “Gravity”
William Butler and Owen Pallett, “Her”
Alexandre Desplat, “Philomena”
Thomas Newman, “Saving Mr. Banks”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“American Hustle”
Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Heather Loeffler
“Gravity”
Production Design: Andy Nicholson; Set Decoration: Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard
“The Great Gatsby”
Production Design: Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn
“Her”
Production Design: K.K. Barrett; Set Decoration: Gene Serdena
“12 Years a Slave”
Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Alice Baker

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
“Feral” Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden
“Get a Horse!” Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim
“Mr. Hublot” Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
“Possessions” Shuhei Morita
“Room on the Broom” Max Lang and Jan Lachauer

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
“Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)” Esteban Crespo
“Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)” Xavier Legrand and Alexandre Gavras
“Helium” Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson
“Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)” Selma Vilhunen and Kirsikka Saari
“The Voorman Problem” Mark Gill and Baldwin Li

BEST SOUND EDITING
“All Is Lost” Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns
“Captain Phillips” Oliver Tarney
“Gravity” Glenn Freemantle
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Brent Burge
“Lone Survivor” Wylie Stateman

BEST SOUND MIXING
“Captain Phillips” Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith and Chris Munro
“Gravity” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick and Tony Johnson
“Inside Llewyn Davis” Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland
“Lone Survivor” Andy Koyama, Beau Borders and David Brownlow

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Gravity” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds
“Iron Man 3” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick
“The Lone Ranger” Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier
“Star Trek Into Darkness” Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton
 

2014 Oscar Nominations (Reaction and Analysis)

While I didn't watch the live announcement this morning of the 86th Annual Academy Award nominees by new Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Thor himself Chris Hemsworth, a couple of things jumped out at me when I saw it later. First off, this might mark the only time in Oscar history when all of the nominees' names were properly pronounced. Bonus points for impossibly nailing the correct pronunciation of "Chiwetel Ejiofor" and even deftly handling the tongue twister that is best original song nominee "Alone Yet Not Alone" from...Alone Yet Not Alone. Though in the case of the latter, it's unlikely anyone would have noticed or cared as its nomination is one of the bigger head-scratchers in a famously problematic category. That said, these two should read these every year and it's always fun to listen and compare the audience reaction to certain nominees (video below). As always, the entire list can be viewed at Oscar.com, but let's get right to it because there were more than a few interesting (if not entirely shocking) snubs and surprises. Overall, this slate is pretty satisfying for fans of great movies.

 
-WOLF! The Academy does right, giving The Wolf of Wall Street extremely well-deserved nominations for Picture, Director (Scorsese), Actor (DiCaprio), Supporting Actor (Two-time Oscar nominee Jonah Hill!) and Screenplay (Terence Winter). I guess that whole alleged controversy amounted to nothing. They could stomach it. And you have to wonder how close Margot Robbie came to getting in for Supporting Actress, which would have been a great surprise. Either way, this clearly peaked at just the right time.

-Robert Redford SNUBBED for All is Lost. You'd figure voters would be foaming at the mouth to reward the legend with his only competitive acting Oscar in the twilight of his career so something definitely went wrong here beyond just its disappointing box office haul. I know Redford's blaming the studio, and while that may be true, he wasn't exactly lighting the campaign trail on fire. That's just not him and you can't help but respect it.   

-Inside Llewyn Davis SNUBBED for Best Picture, Best Director, and most surprisingly, Best Actor. Of all the omissions, this one stings the most. We knew the film was difficult and now we found out just how difficult it was for voters who probably lacked the patience for a movie that takes multiple viewings to fully absorb. They usually fall all over themselves to acknowledge the Coens (even nominating A Serious Man for Best Picture a few years ago) so this clearly didn't connect for them. If history's taught us anything, it's that this snub is likely to be the best possible outcome for its legacy.

-A controversy that didn't amount to nothing was the one involving Disney's whitewashing of Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks, which was so blatant that apparently even sappy Academy members couldn't take it. Emma Thompson is shut out. 

-David O. Russell's American Hustle cleans up, doing just as well as Silver Linings Playbook last year. Director and Picture, plus acting nods for Bale, Cooper, Adams, and Lawrence. Suddenly, it's a major threat.

-Tom Hanks SNUBBED. Him not getting in Supporting for playing Disney is a surprise, but not as surprising as his snub in the Best Actor category for Captain Phillips, which got an unexpected Best Picture nod. And to think just a month ago we assumed Hanks was a sure double nominee this year.

-To quote Leonardo DiCaprio, "Philomania" is certainly running wild, as Philomena gets in for Best Picture, Actress (Judi Dench) and even Screenplay.     

-It looks like Spike Jonze's Her wasn't too hip and offbeat for voters, as it gets in for Picture and screenplay. Joaquin Phoenix was always a longshot so no real shock at that exclusion.

-Did not expect to see Dallas Buyers Club nominated for Best Picture.

-Was it me or was the most shocking nomination, Julia Roberts for Supporting Actress in August: Osage County?

-We've finally found something Oprah can't influence. Given the film's lukewarm reception, her suppporting snub for Lee Daniels' The Butler can't really be considered anything resembling a surprise.

-This proves Meryl Streep can get in for ANYTHING. She just has to show up on set. That's it. These movies exist only for her to be nominated.

-Jared Leto's supporting nomination is proof that you're never completely out of the game. Sometimes all it takes is one role.  

-Nebraska does better than expected, not only getting the Best Actor nod for Bruce Dern but receiving nominations for Best Picture and Best Director for Alexander Payne.

-Gravity does about as well as expected, but at least it didn't get a screenplay nomination. That would have been a joke.

-Typical yearly embarrassment in the Documentary category, with Blackfish and Sarah Polley's Stories We Tell getting snubbed. In the case of the latter, the unusual format may have played a role, but honestly, both these exclsions are inexcusable.

-No big pop stars in the Original Song category, as Taylor Swift, Coldplay and Lana Del Ray are snubbed. U2 has this one in the bag for their Mandela contribution, but once again we're probably in for a boring show in terms of musical performances. Don't even get me started on how "Please, Mr. Kennedy" from Inside Llewyn Davis was deemed ineligible.

-McConaughey's really starting to look like the frontrunner right now, which should upset no one. Best Picture is more of a question mark. 

The Best (and Worst) Movie Posters of 2013

So, it's time. Which movie poster will join the ranks of The American, Funny Games and The Master as my choice for the year's best? It's always fun to look at how trends in movie poster design emerge and evolve, but a fairly unsettling one surfaced in 2013. This shouldn't come as a surprise since we've been building toward it for a while now, but it's impossible not to notice how few mainstream movie posters warranted mention or even runner-up status on anything other than a WORST list. Just scrolling up and down the page, you'll see a shocking amount of titles most of the general ticket-buying public have never heard of, much less seen. And that's definitely not their fault.

More money on the line frequently means a studio is less likely to take the risk accompanied with hiring an artist or experienced creative mind to handle the print advertising for their film. The result is a bunch of suits deciding what we want as a marketing committee airbrushes and photoshops performers' heads and bodies to the point of unrecognizability. The notion that posters just ain't what they used to be was recently touched on by Movie Geeks United co-host Dean Treadway on the show and in his must view 200 Favorite Movie Posters list on Filmicability, which provides valuable insight into what makes for a truly great print, citing some terrific examples that span the decades. I'd agree that poster art has turned the corner in over the past few years, provided you know where to look. The best ones make it impossible to divorce yourself from the experience of watching the movie every time you lay eyes on them. And yes, many have made a difference in nudging me toward titles I never would have checked out otherwise. The choices below hopefully represent the cream of the crop, along with some others that are unfortunately scraping the bottom of the barrel.

 

The Best...



10. Diana

Okay, so the movie was supposedly pretty terrible. But I wouldn't blame anyone for being excited for a Princess Di biopic based based on this simple,stark poster that makes great use of negative space while doing something creatively interesting with its placement of title and credits. In this case, showing Naomi Watts from a distance and even kind of downplaying her star value might be a positive since we all know the actress's physical resemblance to the late Princess of Whales is minimal at best. But here, from this angle, in that pose, she's her double. Based on this classy image, if I didn't know any better, I'd think this movie does for Diana what Gandhi did for Gandhi. False advertising? Probably. Smart advertising? Absolutely.


9. Salinger

In case you didn't hear, JD Salinger was a pedophile who was once married to a Nazi.  At least that's according to Shane Salerno's much maligned documentary that treats rare sightings of the late, reclusive author with the bombast of a Discovery special on Bigfoot. Everything turns out to be info you wish you could unhear, and while the sensationalistic presentation seems to be the very antithesis of what the author stood for in his work, this poster isn't. Yes, it was probably easy to design. Yes, it's obvious. And yes, it's plagiarism (insert sound of author rolling in his grave). But what's most surprising is that they were smart enough to do it. There couldn't have possibly been a cleaner, more respectful design for the film, which of course is a cruel irony considering the treatment of its subject. Salinger would have a good laugh at this. Before suing them. 



8. Computer Chess

This low-budget, 80's set satire depicting a chess tournament pitting nerdy computer programmers against each another wasn't the easiest watch for me, despite it being frequently heralded as one of the year's best. But I love this U.K. quad poster, which was designed by Atari 2600 cover artist Cliff Spohn. The man responsible for the classic box art for Asteroids, Defender and Video Chess actually came out of retirement to design this and it's hard to argue it wasn't worth it. Poster art doesn't get much better than this. Chalk it up as another win in the column for hand drawn illustration. It almost makes me want to revisit the film in hopes that I'll be proven wrong and see something that even slightly resembles the greatness hinted at in this design. The movie is different and one-of-a-kind. I'll give it that. But the poster? Even more so.


 
7. Short Term 12

So many questions. Where's the kid going? Why is he draped in an American flag cape? Why is he screaming? Who are these people chasing him? A poster is supposed to tease and you want to find out more. I kind of know the answers to a couple of these just based on reviews and write-ups but now it apparently must be seen (as if the presence of the always awesome Brie Larson wasn't already enough). Grabbing images from the film or capturing characters in motion have resulted in some real disasters (just see worst list below) but this print is basically a clinic on how it can be done right. From the yellowish filter used, to the positioning, size and font of the title, to the screaming kid coming right at us, this is a winner all-around. And I do like that effect of the title being blinded out by the sky. There were also some impressive illustrated prints for the movie, but this easily takes it. Quietly one of the best reviewed movies of the year, you definitely feel every bit of that promise bursting through here.



6. Afternoon Delight

This little seen indie made some waves when Quentin Tarantino revealed it as his favorite film of 2013 back in October. While the verdict's still out on that, I can at least get on board with its poster, which easily amongst the most eye-catching. You just can't go wrong with neon. If there were an alternate neon version of every poster I wouldn't complain, but this is a reminder that it really only works as a novelty that can best be appreciated under the right circumstances. Bringing in a stripper to spice up your marriage qualifies. This has been done better before, but there's no denying this is top notch work, sparking interest in a movie where there would have been none.  



5. Nebraska

The most predictable entry on this list is no less effective because of it. It's a simple, haunting silouette of Bruce Dern that tells us exactly what the movie's about, while simultaneously revealing nothing. While it remains to be seen whether this can be said for the film itself, if this were done in color it just wouldn't have carried nearly the same impact. I also really like the 70's style credit presentation on the bottom, which is fitting considering everything we've heard about the character-based, throwback style of Alexander Payne's latest. The design is so simple that it's a wonder there aren't more posters like it. But that's probably a good thing since it only makes this layout seem that much more unique and inspired.



4. Rewind This!

Appropriately, the influence of old school, hand drawn posters are on full display with a one-sheet that would look great in anyone's den. I'd tell you this is documentary about about the impact of VHS and home video, but it's not even necessary. This design tells you all that and more. This "kitchen sink" 80's throwback approach doesn't always work and has honestly been a bit overused of late, but when it's called for, as it is here, few styles can match it. Besides the art work being quite a few notches above what we'd expect and the illustrated design style matching the time period and subject being covered, it just looks immensely cool. Anyone longing to be transported to the '80's when videocassettes ruled the day needn't look any further. Also love the retro futuristic font style of the title. Whoever this unknown artist is really nailed it.

  
3. Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie

One of the big highlights of Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie are cleverly animated vignettes that  randomly appear during the documentary, which profiles the rise and fall of the controversial eighties talk show host. What you see above is that animation in all it's glory. The film makes a damn good case that he's the forefather of trash TV and a precursor to the Glenn Becks and Jerry Springers with footage that's shocking even by today's standards. Brash, obnoxious and in-your-face, there's no better image that encapsulates the loudmouth who briefly turned TV upside down with his confrontational antics. It's the only poster on this list that's actually kind of scary, presenting a caricature that certainly doesn't veer far from reality. The use of the red, white and blue for the titles is brilliant and unnerving. Yes, it kind of recalls Pink Floyd The Wall poster but not nearly enough to claim it's doing any more than paying tribute. When did documentary posters get this good?


 
2. Escape From Tomorrow

Lawyer up. If it wasn't enough that filmmaker Randy Moore covertly (and illegally) shot a black-and- white horror movie on handheld cameras and iPhones at Disneyland and Disney World, the poster basically rubs the company's noses in it with an image that defaces the company's historic iconography. Disney did the right thing by ignoring it, as a long, drawn out legal battle would have just brought more attention to the film while making them look like bullies. As a result, the movie flew under the radar and kind of faded away. But this poster never will. It's basically a masterpiece in promotional design and I still can't believe they got away with it. Using Mickey's hand and even cribbing the classic Disney font. Talk about asking for trouble. The colors and details here are tremendous enough that this would be able to fool anyone into thinking that Disney's branching into R-rated horror. And yet it's so clean and simple, with a tagline that absolutely kills. "Bad Things Happen Everywhere."  No wonder this is going for big bucks on eBay. It's worth every penny.



1. Spring Breakers

As divisive and polarizing a film as Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers was, it seemed the one thing everyone could agree on was that it was one of the most beautifully shot movies of the year. Even those who considered it a piece of trash (and many did) at least had to respect the technical expertise that went into it and admit cinematographer Benoit Debie is owed an Oscar nomination for the neon colored nightmare he engulfs viewers in. At the start of the year a top contender for my favorite poster would have been that first creepy Spring Breakers teaser you see below. Then I saw this. Again, grabbing a screenshot and plastering it on a poster is problematic in most cases, but this isn't most cases. Alien's oceanside serenade to the girls is undeniably the defining visual moment of the film, coming during what's easily the most memorable sequence. That the marketing team had the wherewithal to know that and use it on the poster is impressive enough, but it's really the colors and the Ralph Steadman style title font that takes this to the next level. You don't see typography like that every day, but it fits perfectly here. Talk about the replicating the experience of watching the movie. This is the movie. All of it. Captured perfectly in a single, unforgettable image.

Runners-Up...

And The Worst...

Well, that didn't take long. Riding high after last year's Silver Linings comeback, DeNiro's back at it again, cashing those checks. But look how many big names he's dragged along with him this time (though Heigl probably deserves it). And, hey, doesn't this Robin Williams role look familiar? Amanda Seyfried's expression is priceless and accurate: "Get Me Out of Here."

                                Coming soon to V.O.D. and Redbox. A movie. Starring three airbrushed people.With a happy ending.

You're marketing a movie called The Lifeguard starring Kristen Bell and your only job is to place a photo of the actress in a swimsuit on the poster. And you mess it up! You'd never know from the above image, but the movie isn't a romantic comedy and nowhere near this sunny and cheerful.

An attempt to go artsy and minimalistic goes haywire with this design as that thing hangs helplessly in the air. If not for the title I wouldn't be able to properly identify this as a little girl and figuring out she was on a swing took even longer. Whatever it is, it sure doesn't look comfortable. As if "From The Producers of The Kids Are All Right" wasn't enough of a warning to keep me away. 

                                                            Well, you can't say the title isn't oddly appropriate. Love that tagline.

How fitting is this? It's as if Stallone and DeNiro each realized their posters are so bad separately that they'll combine forces to really give us the worst imaginable. While it's not quite THAT bad and some of the alternates for this are actually pretty decent, this is still embarrassing. And what's with all that text? 

It was tough choosing exactly which character poster from The Incredible Burt Wonderstone was (un)worthy of placement here. I'm kidding. I immediately picked Alan Arkin's. Just look at it. It's Alan Arkin. As a magician. Named Rance Halloway. I kind of want to see this now.

Fred Claus, Four Christmases, Couples Retreat, The Dilemma, Lay The Favorite, Delivery Man, The Internship. You'd have this expression too.

Finally, one of 1999's lowest grossing, action packed thrillers arrives on DVD and VHS. Paranoia is available for a limited time only at participating Best Buy locations for the bargain bin price of $2.99. Act now and you'll receive this free theatrical poster, which features the first image of TRON 3.0, starring Liam Hemsworth.  

Maybe the sloppiest, laziest poster of the year. And that's saying something. At least the ones above are interestingly bad in a fun way. Nothing of the sort is true about this. Glum and poorly realized in both idea and execution, it's bland enough on its own that photoshopping the three additional actors in there seems like excessive punishment.  

What's sad about this is that Iron Man 3 is surprisingly entertaining. It deserved a really good poster. Instead, it predictably got the treatment every other Marvel film does. I actually even prefer this instead.

See above. But far worse. Just look how much is going on here, and yet it's still impossible to make out any of it. If i didn't know better. Is this a parody of a superhero movie?

What do you get when you combine the posters of Iron Man and Transformers? Apparently this one for Pacific Rim. There were so many bad ones for this that they were basically interchangeable. All these summer blockbuster posters look exactly the same. Same colors. Same title font. Same explosions. I'm convinced there's just one guy sitting in an office somewhere designing these for every studio.

poster images via impawards.com