Another month has passed, so it’s time for a poster round-up! If you are looking for the previous entries of this exciting new column, you won’t find them. That’s because it’s an exciting new column! Each month we take a look at the most recent quirky posters from around the world, and offer up our witty opinions on them. It’s the validation that studios everywhere have been craving, and the Google bait that we know we need.
Green With Envy Vs. The Fuzzy Pack
Almost quietly slipping in under the radar was the viral campaign for The Muppets, cleverly marketed as a new romantic comedy starring Jason Segal and Amy Adams. Complete with a faux trailer that also debuted this month, this was for all intents and purposes a perfect campaign for a rom-com – except that it wasn’t. Our favourite fuzzy friends appear when least expected, just as they do in a similar trailer parodying The Hangover: Part II. Disney have released two posters to go along with their viral masterpiece.
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Who doesn’t like Muppets? It’s a no-brainer that this is going to have a massive cult audience, and with the huge list of cameos set to make appearances, how could it possibly go wrong? Despite being the first theatrical outing for the Fuzzy Pack since 1999’s Muppets From Space, Muppets have long had a great tradition of parodying the entertainment industry, and the Green with Envy poster and trailer is a pitch-perfect campaign to take unsuspecting Saturday-night punters into the crazy world of the Muppets. The Fuzzy Pack trailer (and poster) is not quite as good, but it certain lampoons the zeitgeist.
Mother’s Day Vs. Father’s Day
Just when you thought that every possible occasion had been plundered by the horror boffins, we have our mums and dads to watch out for now. Mother’s Day is a remake of the 1980s Troma film, largely banned around the world for themes of sadism, rape and violence. Not sure how this is going to work in these more sanitised times, but the presence of Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II through Saw IV) behind the camera is sure to attract genre fans. Father’s Day is Troma’s own response to the remake of their 1980s film.
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Richard says:
There’s really no competition here. Where the Mother’s Day poster is a carbon copy of pretty much every Photoshopped horror movie poster since the mid-1990s, Father’s Day is a piece of art. This isn’t the only poster for Father’s Day either, with at least two other alternates being just as groovy as this one. However, hands-down this evokes the best of b-movie classics and exploitation gems all the way up to Machete. As a bonus I’ve included the original 1980 poster to the right, complete with the tagline “I’m so proud of my boys – they never forget their mama”. Oh how times have changed!
Friends with Benefits: Subtle Vs. Not-So-Subtle
After star-making turns in The Social Network and Black Swan respectively, Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis are following in the footsteps of Kunis’ co-star Natalie Portman (No Strings Attached) and heading straight for a romantic comedy about a pair of friends who run into trouble when they add sex to the relationship. Despite the sexy subject matter, the US poster (right) errs on the coy side, while the Australian/international poster (left) is as subtle as a sledgehammer.
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Richard says:
Still not sure whether the idea of J.T. and Meg Griffin sharing the screen excites or fills me with childlike dread, but only one of these posters appears to be aimed at bringing sexy back. This begs a further question: if J.T. brought sexy back, where was it and what were we doing before he rescued it from a faraway land? Regardless of whether you are looking at the poster that has a confused-looking Timberlake, or the one that implies he will be inserting his finger repeatedly into Mila’s affirming hand, we know one thing for sure: they will get together at the end of the movie.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: 2009 Vs. 2011
The most completely unnecessary sequel is tempered by the fact that David Fincher (The Social Network) is behind the lens on this one, and a very slick trailer was also released this week. The original poster for for the Swedish version of the film reflected the original title of Stieg Larsson’s book “Men Who Hate Women”. There is, of course, a third type of poster, the highly stylised version of the original film as released international. However, these two posters below seemed to be most analogous: both posters feature Blomkvist and Salander staring into camera, although the new Fincher poster features a slightly less clothed Lisbeth.
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Richard says:
Really? Daniel Craig has his arms around a naked Rooney Mara and he still can’t crack a smile? Clearly it’s warmer wherever they are too, because the original cast are fully clad AND have a roaring fireplace. This has been one of the best-selling novels around the world for the past few years, and the highly successful Swedish trilogy of films has found its way to film fans around the world. Fincher’s reputation is key here, and the poster for the new film is clearly aimed at making it look sexy for US audiences: as sexy as a story that contains anal rape and torture can be. On a side note, neither actually has a dragon tattoo. Either way, we trust Fincher implicitly and this is one to watch out for early next year in Australia.
