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?

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The 10 Best Movies of 2008

Happy New Year everyone! I hope your night was as raucous as mine. Now that we've entered 2009, and since any self-respecting movie blog has to have a year-end 'best of' list, I've put together a list of my favorite movies of 2008. 

10. The Wackness

A sweet story of summer love and a friendship forged over burning joints, The Wackness thrives on the quirky performance of Ben Kingsley as a therapist who prefers his bills to be paid in dime bags, not dollar bills. Josh Peck also shines in his first real screen role as Luke, a lost teenager finding his way in the sweltering last months before college. A very fun watch.

9. Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood's latest effort is a small gem. Hilarious from beginning to end, this is a poignant story of an old man reconnecting with the world against a backdrop of suburban gang violence. If you don't mind a constant stream of racist epithets (so frequently used and delivered by Eastwood with such deadpan tone that one can't help but laugh), this is absolutely worth the price of admission.

8. Synecdoche, New York

Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut is a busy movie, cluttered with layers upon layers of art imitating life. Philip Seymour Hoffman turns in yet another terrific performance, and his attempts to understand his own life through theater make for a compelling story.

7. Rachel Getting Married

A very honest movie about the impact of a struggling former addict on her (very alt) family. Anne Hathaway succeeds in becoming completely loathsome as Kym, Rosemarie DeWitt (who is currently stealing my heart on TV in Mad Men) shines as her sister, and a cameo from TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe completely steals the show.

6. In Bruges

Colin Ferrell and Brendan Gleeson kept me rolling in the aisle in this hilarious story of two mobsters forced to hide out in the beautiful (but 'fucking awful') Belgian town of Bruges. Complete with shootouts, botched drug deals, lots of liquor, and an angry midget, this one is a barrel of laughs until the action runs out of control in the final reel.

5. Vicky Cristina Barcelona

For me, 2008 was the year I fell in love with Woody Allen, and Vicky Cristina was the movie that really set me on the path. Javier Bardem simply smolders on screen, particularly when together with the equally excellent Penelope Cruz. Scarlett Johanssen still can't act, but her counterpart Vicky , played wonderfully by the jaw-droppingly beautiful Rebecca Hall, is a treat to watch as she struggles to fit new excitement into her carefully planned life.

4. Ballast

In his directorial debut, Lance Hammer turns in a very sharp story of a broken family struggling to find its feet after the suicide of one of its members. Featuring terrific performances from non-actors, Hammer's film hits a home run with stunning images of the wintry Mississippi delta.  

3. Man On Wire

By far one of the most captivating and entertaining documentaries I've seen, Man On Wire uses the conventions of the heist movie to frame the story of one man's dizzying walk between the World Trade Center towers. Director James Marsh shifts effortlessly between the suspenseful break-in by Philippe Petit and the feats of wirewalking that led him to the towers, and Petit lights up the screen with his hilarious personality. But this movie's greatest achievement is the way in which it revives the towers as wondrous symbols of human imagination. In 45 minutes of wire-walking, Petit wrings art from the ordinary and reminds us all of the thrill of realizing a dream.

2. The Dark Knight

The latest (and greatest) Batman movie blurs the line between art and big-budget entertainment, but its success has little to do with the caped crusader. From the serpentine darting of his tongue to his maniacal laugh, Heath Ledger invests the Joker with a jubilant malice so profound you nearly forget this is supposed to be about Batman; as he himself says, he loves his job, and we love to watch him do it. His performance is quirky, hilarious, and unforgettable. I don't usually like Aaron Eckhart, but he is terrific here as Harvey Dent. The frequent references to terrorism--shaky homemade movies, exploding hospitals, and firemen silhouetted against burning buildings--firmly root the movie to the present and the trend of dark superhero movies made for dark times. The Dark Knight is gripping from beginning to end, and Ledger's historic performance makes his loss all the more tragic.

1. Summer Hours

I had the tremendous pleasure of catching this beautiful movie at the New York Film Festival, and was completely won over by it. Directed by Frenchman Olivier Assayas, whose acclaimed earlier works have jumped to the top of my Netflix queue, Summer Hours is a touching story of three siblings and their families working to move on after the death of their mother. Assayas delivers a thoughtful reflection on the difficulties inherent in the modern family, the role of art in society, and the seemingly growing gap between generations. Gorgeous camerawork and subtly powerful performances make this a true pleasure. I can't recommend this one strongly enough.

Disagree with my picks for '08? Think I left something out? Take all the shots you want in the comments. Bring it on. Here's to another great year of movies!

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