The 11 Best Movie Posters of 2008

Attached to a medium defined by motion and sound, I am amazed by the power that movie posters have in representing films as still images. Some of the most successful posters are as memorable for me as the movies they promote, and often evoke powerful memories of my viewing experience long after I leave the theater. With that in mind, I thought I would share some of what are in my mind the most striking and well-executed movie posters of 2008. I couldn't pick just 10, so I thought I'd turn my speakers up to 11.

11. Waltz With Bashir

I love the color contrast of this image, as well as the piercing gaze of its central figure. The fires falling from the sky, the machine gun held clear of the water, and the gaunt men watching a scene we do not see make this poster very compelling for me. I can't wait to see this tonight! Click here for more information about the meeting.

10. Kabluey

This image is just funny, plain and simple. How can you not laugh at a depressed blue blob staring at its feet on the side of the road? The color contrast is really powerful here too; the orange tones that so nicely evoke a remote country feel make the blue cartoony figure really pop off the page.

9. The Eye

I think I would have ranked this higher if I didn't find it so utterly creepy. However, I think it is the most graphically sophisticated in terms of its execution, as the fingers emerging from the eye are so convincingly integrated into the image.

8. The Memory Thief

I know absolutely nothing about this movie, and yet I very much want to see it. This is a straightforward case of dazzling graphic design. The contrast of yellow details against a mainly black-and-white composition communicates a great deal of information about the movie, and presumably the spread of World War II history over the internet and digital media. 

7. Choke

A cool color scheme and provocative imagery make this movie seem very appealing indeed.

6. Gran Torino

This poster is all about Eastwood. Nothing more, nothing less. How can you pass on a movie with this guy's iconic profile on the cover? The answer is you can't. The lighting is also incredibly striking, and reduces his face to a mere sliver. Very cool.

5. The Dark Knight

The print campaign for this movie was staggering in its scale and diversity of imagery; the collage styling, Joker scribbles, and menacing bloody smile make this poster my favorite of the bunch.

4. Water Lilies

The expressions on the faces of these young girls communicate a growing and unembarrassed maturity with a splash of irreverent indecency. I love the way the colorful tendrils divide the two girls and weave their way around the almost lustful eye of the girl on the right. This poster stands out in my mind for the brilliant simplicity of its composition and its eye-catching colors.

3. Ballast

I want to know everything about this boy. His angelic expression mingles a deep melancholy with a plea for help that really draws me in to this movie. I love the way his face fills the whole image, and how the title leaps out of the deep black shadows in this stark color scheme.

2. Man On Wire

Composition is again the name of the game, as it communicates the vastness of the space occupied by a solitary wire walker in an image as iconic as the buildings it depicts. I love the soft blue light of early morning in this picture, and the way it imbues a dreamlike quality to the image. A beautiful photograph in any context. I also like the choice of such a short and sweet critical response and its appropriateness for the image.

1. Funny Games

I've just realized how prominently human faces have featured in this list, and should say without a doubt that this is by far the most striking. It evokes an incredibly specific tone not of sadness but rather of wholly exhausted terror. The texture of the photograph seems to have been softened slightly, giving it a painterly quality and a classic feel. I think the placement of the text is very intelligent, and love the weight of the bottomless black looming at the top of the page. I need to see this movie.

What posters made an impact on you in 2008?