Ken Taylor's "Sucker Punch" Movie Posters

I was going to write something about a non-Mondo poster, but this one seemed a bit more timely. Love him or hate him, Zack Snyder has certainly created some visually spectacular films, and it looks like Sucker Punch is going to continue that trend. I was a huge fan of what he accomplished with Watchmen (flaws and all), and am looking forward to seeing what he does with his latest. Add Alex Pardee to the mix, the insanely talented artist who did some of the concept work and marketing materials for the film, and it doesn't even matter if it makes sense, at least we know it's going to be pretty.

Sucker Punch - Regular Edition

Sucker Punch - Variant Edition

Ken Taylor really hit this one out of the park. And while I'm not nearly as invested in the characters of Sucker Punch (because I've never seen the film), I honestly think this print is even more expertly executed than his Hellboy II artwork, which I thought was great and quickly purchased (and previously wrote about). As usual, my favorite elements of Ken Taylor's work, at least with his recent output, has been his depiction of the otherworldly and unusual. Needless to say, this poster doesn't disappoint with the Pardee bunny-emblazoned mech, the gargoylish dragon, and the rather creepy gas mask wearing stranger - it's a wonderfully strange design.

Mondo also decided to whet our appetites with some info about the Zack Snyder Director's Series (taken from Mondo's announcement email):

"We are pleased to announce that we will now be working with Zack Snyder on a Director's Series of posters and to kick it off, we had Ken Taylor do this unreal poster for his newest movie SUCKER PUNCH. Take a look at Zack's filmography and you can easily see how this is a perfect match for us. We'll eventually have posters for DAWN OF THE DEAD, 300, LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS and WATCHMEN, but the only question is, who will be doing each?"

Is anyone else as excited as I am about the possibility of a Dawn of the Dead, 300 or Watchmen poster?! Those could be amazing!

These posters will be available sometime tomorrow (3/25 - probably around 9 AM Pacific) through Mondo at a random time. Ken Taylor’s Sucker Punch poster measures 24” x 36” and was printed by D&L Screen Printing. The regular version is limited to an edition of 285, while the variant is limited to an edition of 105. To find out more about the artist you can visit his site or buy some of his prints from Beyond the Pale. Best of luck!

Giveaway - The Fighter by Adam Hanson

UPDATE: Random.org has picked a winner and it's Casey Guldberg! Congrats Casey! He'll be receiving "The Fighter" and a mystery print later this week. Thanks for entering everyone! I'd also like you all to know that your kind words about Posterocalypse mean a ton to me, and your feedback has me thoroughly excited about continuing to build this site up. I've got a lot more posters to hand out, so be on the lookout for another giveaway in April. Thanks for reading!

It worked pretty well last month, so I figured I try it again. In an effort to cut my poster collection down to a reasonable size I'm holding another Fighter giveaway.  Today's giveaway will include the following:

The Fighter - Adam Hanson

If I Told You I'd Have to Kill You

(1) The Fighter movie poster by Adam Hanson
(1) Mystery print

The mystery print could be anything, but chances are pretty good that it won't be cooler than The Fighter print, which I originally reviewed in January.

Unfortunately, since I'm the one paying for shipping this contest is only open to readers in the US (sorry everyone else, international shipping can be expensive and complicated). The only thing you have to do to win is leave a comment with your email address and your full name (middle name not needed) and on March 31st I will randomly pick and email the winner to get his or her shipping address. Entries are limited to one person per household. Thanks and good luck everyone!

James Bacon's Shadow of the Colossus-Inspired Prints

I picture myself at an AA-type meeting and addressing the room with my introduction, "My name's Darren, and I've never played Shadow of the Colossus." And the room responding, "Hi Darren." Yeah, I'm that guy. The guy who never played one of the most innovative and beautifully crafted games ever made (or so I hear). I swear one day I'll play the game (I promise), but for now I've got the impressive artwork of James Bacon to fill that void in my heart. Out of the six Shadow of the Colossus posters James created, one for each colossus, I wanted to write about my two favorites.

Valus

I think this may be my favorite of the batch. I also think this is the same colossus that's on the cover of the game. The dude looks pretty badass. The play between light and shadow is really impressive here - on the one hand, you can't see a lot of detail, but on the other hand, you can easily imagine exactly what Valus would look like from the silhouette and the little detail James lets slip through. The "Valus" art print is available through James Bacon's Imagekind storefront in a variety of sizes.

Gaius

Alright, maybe this one is my favorite - I can't tell anymore. I love that the "Gaius" art print so perfectly conveys the title's unique gameplay (or so I assume). I also really dig the cogs that make up the body of the colossus, it reminds me of a twisted version of the Iron Giant. If this artwork is any indication of the type of game Shadow of the Colossus is, I'm in for a treat. You can find all of James's art, including his "Gaius" print through his Imagekind store.

James also has some really great movie posters (I especially like his Sunshine and Hero posters). To find out more about the artist be sure to visit his blog, his design portfolio, and of course his store. FYI I just found out that Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are being re-released (in high-def!) for the PS3 later this year. Let the waiting game begin…

Kevin Tong's "Dune" Movie Poster

I was going to wait until all of the David Lynch inspired prints from Phone Booth Gallery were up at their website and then write a post about my favorites, but Kevin Tong's entry was just too good to miss. This is also, believe it or not, my first post about a Kevin Tong print. I'm as shocked as you are!

Dune

My first foray into Mr. Lynch's filmography was the very bizarre Eraserhead, followed by Blue Velvet, Elephant Man and then Dune. To this day I still don't really understand all of it (I've never read the book), but it's clear that the cast and crew made something very special, and a little bit weird. Much like the film, Tong's poster has so much going on that it can be a bit intimidating from a distance, but from what I've seen of the close up shots (which can be found at Kevin's Tragic Sunshine), this poster features some absolutely jaw dropping detail. I especially love the sand worms weaving in and out of the scenery, Captain Picard as Gurney Halleck, and that yellow-orange hue that so perfectly captures the arid deserts of Arrakis.

Since one paragraph certainly doesn't do this poster justice, I figured I would include some of Kevin's inspiration in his own words. This snippet was taken from his blog, to see the entirety of his walkthrough head over to Tragic Sunshine.

"My goal was to create a time-line of events embedded in sedimentary soil layers, starting with the beginning of the film, up to the part where the main character confronts the monstrous sand worm. The events in the film are epic and would go down in history. Just like how our archeologists find the stories in the soil, so would archeologists in the universe of the storyline."

Unfortunately, this poster already sold out on Phone Booth Gallery's online store, but fear not, for more will be available through Kevin Tong's site at a future date. Kevin Tong's signed and numbered Dune poster measures 18" x 24", was screen printed with four colors on Lemon Drop French Paper, and is limited to an edition of 100. To keep up with the drop details be sure to follow Kevin on Twitter, Facebook and Tragic Sunshine. Now how do I end this post? A picture of Sting wearing a blue diaper? Nah, too childish. I've got it.

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when my fear is gone I will turn and face fear's path, and only I will remain." - Paul Atreides

Yep. Glad I went with a classy quote and not a ridiculous picture of Sting. It would be immature to even link to it. Yep.

Dan Sherrat's "Goodfellas" Movie Poster

I came across this poster earlier today thanks to my handy dandy RSS reader and immediately fell in love. Now I’ll freely admit that Goodfellas isn't my favorite Scorsese film (I’m more partial to Taxi Driver and Casino), but it’s still a fantastic film and is obviously the work of a master filmmaker. I’ve written about the talented Mr. Sherrat before, but I’m more than happy to write about him again, as he’s clearly a superbly talented chap.

Goodfellas

In an alternate universe, if Goodfellas was an animated feature, and Scorsese was some sort of bizarro Miyazaki who only worked on animated gangster films, this is exactly what the film’s poster would have looked like. Alright, so I may have gone off the reservation a bit on that one, but a man can dream. Dan has done a great job recreating the dichotomy between the naive daydreams of a mobster-obsessed teen using Ray Liotta’s aspirational narration, and the dark, bloody underbelly of the violent and uncontrollable reality of crime with the dark and oh so bloody pistol. Alright, it’s official, I’m most likely reading way too much into this. Bottom line, this is a stunning poster, and if you’re anything like me, you can’t wait to hang this on your wall.

Dan Sherrat's Goodfellas poster is available through his Shop Reworking Titles blog for £20 (roughly $32). The poster measure 594 mm x 420 mm (or 23.4" x 16.5" for US readers), and from what I can tell does not appear to be a limited edition or screen print. Be sure to check out Shop Reworking Titles for more prints and his Eat Sleep Live Film feature, where he talks about a few of his designs. It looks like he also hosts a portfolio of his work at heartstrand.co.uk.

SXSW Movie Posters Commissioned by Mondo

As promised (although a few days late), my reviews of the remaining SXSW Mondo posters...

Hobo with a Shotgun - Jeff Proctor

I may have already mentioned this, but damn, Jeff Proctor has to be one of my favorite new artists. I love his photo realistic approach and the man just has a knack for gore. Need proof? Check out all of his zombie-related art, it's beautiful stuff. Need more proof? Look at his freaking Hobo with a Shotgun poster! I showed this picture to my girlfriend in a fit of nerd pride and she said she immediately felt like vomiting - a job well done in my book. I'm really hoping this makes it on to Mondo's site next week (3/20 - 3/26), so I can purchase one with extreme prejudice. Make sure you're following @MondoNews to keep up with the release details. To see more of Jeff's work head over to his website MakeNonsense. If you missed the coming Mondo sale, I'm guessing a few of the posters will be available in two or three months down the road through his store as well.

Paul - Tom Whalen

I really want to like Paul the movie, I really do. I mean, you've got Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Seth Rogen. Can't go wrong, right? I just have a sneaking suspicion that this movie is going to be a let down. Paranoia aside, Tom Whalen has created a lovely poster for the film. While this definitely isn't my favorite of the SXSW Mondo posters, I do really like his depiction of Paul the alien in the center of the frame high above the roving RV. So much so, in fact, that I almost feel the image would be stronger without Simon and Nick in it at all. I'd love to see Whalen tackle an E.T. poster. How great would that be? The Tom Whalen Paul poster will go on sale sometime next week through Mondo. To see more of Whalen's incredible art head over to his blog at StrongStuff.net.

The FP - Regular Edition - Tyler Stout

The FP - Variant Edition - Tyler Stout

Who could have created these posters? It's not like they've been completed in a particular artist's trademark style or anything…oh wait. Yes, these absolutely beautiful FP posters highlight exactly why Tyler Stout is so sought after in the poster world. The level of detail and dedication to recreating these characters is astounding. When I first laid eyes upon this poster I had to ask myself, what the hell is The FP? Thankfully my friends at MUBI were more than happy to answer that question in the form of a synopsis (taken from the SXSW events schedule).

"Accompanied by his brother JTRO, Beat-Beat Revelation champion BTRO must compete for the pride of their hometown, Frazier Park (The FP). His opponent: ruthless fighter and trash talker, L Dubba E. L Dub not only defeats BTRO, he sends him to an early grave. L Dub's instant climb to power has forced The FP to fall into disarray. Crazed with anger, JTRO vows revenge. After a crash course in the ancient techniques of Beat-Beat from master BLT, JTRO challenges L Dubba E. Their battle to the finish, born of lust, power and revenge, will leave only one man standing."

I am SO completely in. Hearing the plot of this film somehow makes this poster even more incredible. My favorite touch might have to be the Dance Dance Revolution style arrows surrounding the title. I want this poster, I want this movie, I want both of these things immediately. And as usual, I tend to gravitate toward the regular versions of Tyler's posters because they're so colorful and fun. I'm not going to lie, I go crazy when someone like Tyler Stout does posters for a huge franchise like Star Wars, but I get even more excited when he does something for a small independent film like The FP or Best Worst Movie. This and Proctor's Hobo with a Shotgun poster might just be my favorite two of the festival. If you'd like to learn more about Tyler Stout checkout his website, and be sure to follow Mondo's Twitter to stay in the know about the Stout FP movie poster drop, which by the way is happening sometime next week.

Hesher - Alan Hynes

This is probably my least favorite of the bunch, but it's still better than 99.9% of the posters put out by movie studios (ironically, the film's official poster is pretty amazing). From what little I know about the film, anarchist-cum-pyromaniac Hesher (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) inserts himself into a family's life for better or for worse. Sounds pretty awesome in my opinion. Alan Hynes, whom I've previously written about, has created something foreboding here, and is definitely playing with Hesher's fiery personality and approach to life. With that said, I definitely feel like I'm not getting the whole picture with just this jpeg to go on. To learn more about Alan Hynes, be sure to head over to his GigPosters.com profile (the man has 114 posters to his credit over there, talk about being prolific). Like the rest of the SXSW posters that Mondo commissioned, the Hesher movie poster by Alan Hynes will be released sometime next week at a random time through Mondo's website. Be sure to follow @MondoNews to get an exact drop time. Check it out!

Now if you don't mind, I need to get back to Dragon Age 2. It's kind of incredible...

Todd Slater's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Movie Posters

Just a warning, the next two days are going to be packed to the brim with Mondo goodness. Today I'll be writing about the soon-to-be-released (as in tomorrow) Close Encounters of the Third Kind poster by Todd Slater. Tomorrow, I'll be babbling about all of the amazing SXSW Mondo posters that were not part of the Duncan Jones Director's Series (I already wrote about those two). As much as I love to write about other companies, there's just no denying that the vast majority of art that comes from Mondo deserves to be covered - it's beautiful stuff. Now let us venture into the world of science and fiction and behold the intricate design that is Slater's Close Encounters.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Regular Edition

Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Variant Edition

I hate to admit it, but I haven't seen Close Encounters in years, lots and lots of years, probably at least ten. With that said, this poster is immediately recognizable, probably even to those that have never seen the film. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that my first reaction to seeing this poster was a lot like seeing the alien ship for the first time in the film - slack-jawed bewilderment and delight. Todd Slater packed so much detail into these images that seeing them online can in no way do justice to the level of attention that was paid to the pixel-precise construction of these spacecrafts. If you've seen some of Todd's other work (I'm thinking of his "Overworld" art print and Band of Horses gig poster), then you probably already understand just how much fun this guy seems to have with the minute. Ultimately, this poster can be appreciated as both a brilliant piece of eye candy as well as a tribute to one of the best sci-fi films around, something most movie posters don't have going for them. Wow, I really need to watch this movie again!

Todd Slater's Close Encounters of the Third Kind print will be released at a random time tomorrow (3/11) through Mondo's website. Both posters measure 24" x 36", are hand numbered, and were printed by D&L printing. The regular blue version comes in an edition of 300, while the rare yellow variant comes in an edition of 70. As usual, be sure to follow @MondoNews for the drop details and it probably wouldn't hurt to have your lucky rabbit's foot handy. Also be sure to check out Todd Slater's website toddslater.net.

PaleyFest Posters Curated by Gallery 1988 Part 2

As promised, here are a few more of the beautiful PaleyFest posters.

Parks & Recreation - Mike Mitchell

Does this poster remind you of anything? If you rudely shouted out, "Casablanca!" Without raising your hand, you're right. Well done Mr. Manners. Mike Mitchell, an artist whose poster work I've proudly hung on my wall before, was tasked with creating an image honoring one of the best television comedies on air right now, Parks & Recreation, and has surpassed even my highest expectations. I love, love, love that he decided to place Nick Offerman's Ron Swanson (easily the best character on the show) in the forefront. It's a tie between Danger's The Walking Dead and Mitchell's Parks & Recreation, but this poster is definitely in my top two of the bunch. The poster will be available for purchase on site at PaleyFest tomorrow (3/9) and the remaining stock will be available through Gallery 1988's site. Head over to Mike Mitchell's website and store to be amazed.

Eastbound & Down - Derek Deal

I had never heard of Derek Deal until today, but after looking at his site and perusing his store, I'm the better for it (check out his Wilhelm Scream gig posters)! Derek pays tribute to what is without a doubt, one of the craziest, most in-your-face, badass, selfish assholes around - Kenny Powers. I haven't caught the second season of this show yet, but I do own the first season and play it whenever I want to laugh or am feeling particularly mean spirited (this show is mean - that's one of the reasons I love it). This poster pretty much says it all, it's loud (green and yellow), it's made to look like a baseball card and it's literally flipping the bird at the viewer - perfection, thy name is this poster. Again, make sure to check out Derek's site and store for some great artwork, and be sure to regularly visit the G1988 blog for online release details. This poster will be sold at PaleyFest on Thursday (3/10) and whatever is left will be sold through Gallery 1988.

Freaks and Geeks / Undeclared - Phantom City Creative

I feel like it was just yesterday that Phantom City Creative was a brand spanking new design studio and now they're all over the place! First, my congrats go to Phantom City Creative for putting out some of the coolest and prettiest poster designs in recent memory. And second, my congrats (again) go out to Phantom City Creative for doing an amazing job on this Freaks & Geeks / Undeclared poster. I really like how the artist tinted this image with green and yellow, it reminds me of an old photograph that's lost some color with age or sun damage, but is far from forgotten. Be sure to check out the Phantom City Creative website, as well as their Etsy store. By the way, have you seen what they've done for Twitch? It's fairly awesome! This poster will be available at PaleyFest on Saturday (3/12) and will probably be on sale the following day at Gallery 1988's store.

That's all folks. When the Glee poster is unveiled, depending on if anything else big is hitting that day, I may or may not do a part 3. Have a great night!