Jesse Philips' "Transformers 3" Movie Posters

Honesty time. I was never a huge fan of Transformers growing up. My cartoon of choice was always G.I. Joe, and my favorite character was Snake Eyes. I didn't really discover the Transformers until the mid 90s when I caught Beast Wars one day after school. I'm not sure what I liked so much about Beast Wars, but I have a feeling it had less to do with ongoing battle between the Maximals and the Predacons, and more to do with the awesome (at the time) CGI look of the show. Here comes another hit of that sweet, sweet truth. While I did enjoy Beast Wars, I never really got back into the Transformers universe, and that includes watching any of the films. To this day I've seen a snippet here and a snippet there, but I've never seen the entirety of either film. So I write this post not really having that much familiarity with or love for the universe occupied by the Autobots and the Decepticons, but rather for the exquisite artwork on display in these posters.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Regular)
Jesse Philips
18" x 36"
Not available for purchase - Limited to 3,000

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Variant)
Jesse Philips
18" x 36"
$45 - Limited to 240

Jesse Philips has created a beast with this one! The construction of the transformer, Optimus Prime Sentinel Prime [thanks go out to reader Robert for the correction], is made up of so many intricate pieces that it almost looks like an engineer's blueprint. The microscopic detail of the circuitry that powers this robotic creation is kind of mind blowing in its minuteness. I'm also a huge fan of how Philips approached the title; by putting the Transformers at the top of the poster, and the number "3" at the bottom somewhat out of sight, he made this print look less like a movie poster and more like a trippy art print. My only critique would be the odd color choice, but there's no denying that the image pops with its oranges, yellows and reds.

This is kind of an interesting release, because the regular version of the Transformers 3 poster, limited to an edition of 3,000 (maybe "limited" isn't the right word), is part of a promotion that Paramount is running in collaboration with Mondo. Unfortunately, the standard Transformers 3 posters will ONLY be available for people who see the midnight screening at the Arclight Hollywood. Yeah, I know that definitely stings a little given the caliber of artwork, but fear not online community, for you shall have a chance to grab one of the variants tomorrow. On Wednesday (6/29) Philips' variant Transformers 3 poster will be available at a random time on Mondo's website. The poster is limited to an edition of 240, measures 18" x 36", costing $45. To stay in the loop I highly recommend following @MondoNews. I think it's also important to point out that the 3,000 regular posters will be an offset prints, while the 240 variants will be screen prints pulled by D&L Screen Printing. As I understand it, offset printing is usually only appropriate for high volume printing (3,000 posters for example) and uses plates and rollers (think newspapers, magazines, one sheets), while screen printing is best for low volume printing (240 for example) at a much more affordable price and pushes ink through a screen onto the paper (think pretty much everything Mondo has ever done). I'll be very interested to see what type of paper the offset printed posters will be on and their overall quality. My fingers are crossed! To learn more about the artist Jesse Philips check out his portfolio and website at jessephilips.com.

Fernando Fro Reza's "Brazil" Movie Poster

I haven't covered every Fernando Fro Rezza print to date (although I have written about his work before), but it's safe to say I'm pretty much floored by everything the man comes out with. His newest release, honoring the cult classic Brazil, is no different. Much like Brazil, a very strange and unique film, there's something quite off kilter and disquieting about this print.

Brazil
Fernando Fro Reza
11" x 17"
$30 - Limited to 50

I like Fernando's work for many of the same reasons I like Olly Moss' work. They're both great at using and manipulating iconic images, often transforming them into multiple-layered masterpieces. They both also happen to use simple color palettes, but almost always end up creating something quite complex. Fernando's Brazil poster captures that strange Terry Gilliam magic by employing jutting angles, creepy baby masks (seriously, Jason's hockey mask and Michael Myers' halloween disguise have nothing on Gilliam's creation), and a well honed sense of the bizarre. It's ultimately the artist's mix of day dreams and nightmares, and of symmetry and disproportion, that clearly show Mr. Reza knows exactly what he's doing.

This signed and numbered poster is currently available through the website Uber Cool Stuff for $30. The print measures 11" x 17" and is limited to an edition of 50. I have a feeling this is a giclee and not a screen print, but I'm not certain. To learn more about Fernando be sure to visit his portfolio and blog, where you can purchase a bunch of his prints, which runs the gamut from The Dark Knight Rises to Rugrats to Doctor Who. Good night everyone! I'm off to file a complaint with Central Services.

Martin Ansin's "Cronos" Movie Posters

UPDATE: All sold out. It's been refreshing having Mondo posters on sale for longer than 30 seconds. Let's keep it up!

I've been holding back this post because I wanted it differentiated from Horkey and Zouravliov's fantastic The Devil's Backbone prints, but now that the release date is almost upon us it's time to talk about Martin Ansin's beautiful Cronos posters. For the uninitiated, Cronos is a Guillermo Del Toro film about an antiques dealer named Jesus who finds a mechanical scarab that provides it's owner with eternal youth, at a very hefty price. It's a great film and happens to be Del Toro's first feature length creation. It's with this knowledge that Ansin's poster carries an even greater importance, because not only is this a celebration of the film that introduced Guillermo Del Toro to the world, but it also marks the end of his Mondo Director's Series (a sad day indeed).

Cronos (Regular)
Martin Ansin
24" x 34"
$45 - Limited to 340

Cronos (Variant)
Martin Ansin
24" x 34"
$65 - Limited to 120

I'm not sure which version I like more, but wow, these posters are gorgeous. The background cogs that make up the life-giving (and stealing) scarab are stunning in their detail and construction, and the jutting mechanical arms/needles represent the very definition of the word "sinister." Adding a bit of levity to the poster's darker tone, it's hard not to smile when seeing Ron Perlman hold up one of his many potential nose job cards - what a wonderful touch. It's posters like these, and pretty much everything Martin does, which begs the question: Why can't Ansin do every Mondo poster? Hyperbole aside, both the regular and variant edition would make striking additions to anyone's collection. And if you haven't seen Cronos and you enjoy the work of Guillermo Del Toro I highly recommend picking it up.

These posters will be available tomorrow (6/24) through Mondo's site at a random time. Strangely, both Cronos posters measure 24" x 34", a rather odd size, but these prints are worth a custom framing in my opinion. The regular version is limited to an edition of 340 and will cost $45, while the variant is limited to an edition of 120 and will cost a slightly steeper $65. If you want to know the moment these posters drop you should definitely be following @MondoNews and if you're a fan of the artist (Ansin is my absolute favorite artist in Mondo's stable) be sure to visit his portfolio at martinansin.com.

Crazy 4 Cult: Cult Movie Art (2011) Book Review

I've lived in Los Angeles for about five years now, and I only found out about Crazy 4 Cult about three years ago, but for the first time last year I actually got to see the show in person. Needless to say, it was an incredibly exciting and fruitful (if crowded) experience. There's something really rewarding about being able to see one-of-a-kind movie-themed artwork before the Internet gets its hands on the images and decides to make it a viral sensation (deservedly so) on every film and poster blog the world over (Posterocalypse included). It's even cooler when the artwork in question is for one of your favorite films. Yep, last year's Crazy 4 Cult was a blast and I imagine this year's, brilliantly titled "Crazy 4 Cult 5: I'm Getting Too Old for this Shit," will be even bigger. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it this time around, because I'll be out of town for much of the show's duration. Meaning many pieces of the artwork I may have had a chance to purchase, will be proudly hanging on someone else's wall. With that said, I received something last weekend, that officially went on sale yesterday (6/21), and has managed to somehow fill the 18" x 24" void left in my heart (what can I say, I've got a big heart). The item in question is a book, and that book is of course Crazy 4 Cult: Cult Movie Art.

Crazy 4 Cult: Cult Movie Art Cover "Mushroom Cloud-Layin' MF" Billy Perkins Inspired By: Pulp Fiction

"Necesito Más Cerebros" Frank Gonzales Inspired By: Dawn of the Dead

I know that the first part of this review has mostly just been me prattling on about myself with nary a word really spent talking about Crazy 4 Cult: Cult Movie Art, but that's because there's not really all that much to say. This book is brilliant in just about every single possible way. Besides an introduction by Kevin Smith, who's enjoyment of dick jokes seems to know no end, the book is very light on text. Instead, Titan Books and Gallery 1988, the publisher and curator of Crazy 4 Cult: Cult Movie Art respectively, let the artwork speak for itself. And speak it does, having been to the Crazy 4 Cult show only once before (as was previously stated ad nauseam) I was blown away by the sheer creativity on display. Freaks, A Clockwork Orange, Dawn of the Dead, Jaws, Pulp Fiction, Goonies, Harold & Maude, it's all here. And much like the show, the book features a diverse range of artists and artistic styles from polymer clay figures and graphite on matchbooks (yes, matchbooks) to acrylic on wood and screen prints on archival paper.

"The Parking Ticket"
Scott Listfield
Inspired By: Star Wars

I'm not going to lie, this book hurts my soul just a little, because it reminds me of what I'll be missing out on this year, but I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you that Titan Books' Cult Movie Art is probably one of the classiest and coolest ways one could celebrate the geek art culture, which thanks to Gallery 1988 and others like it, is currently thriving. One last thing before I get off my soapbox, the majority of the art books I own focus on one artist, which is great if you love the work of that one artist, but not very helpful if you want to discover anyone new. Crazy 4 Cult: Cult Movie Art is in complete opposition of that, because not only is there a huge cast of artists including many names you will and won't recognize, but at the end of the book each and every artist (that has a digital presence) has their website listed. This artist directory allows both new and old fans alike to learn more about these very talented people. That alone would be worth the price of purchase in my opinion.

"Henry" Paul Barnes Inspired By: Eraserhead

"Positive Surrender" Yoskay Yamamoto Inspired By: Akira

If you're at all interested in movie-themed artwork then Crazy 4 Cult: Cult Movie Art is the book for you. A word of warning though, if you're not already infected, there's a very good chance this book may start you down the (often expensive) rabbit hole known as art collecting, and before you know it you'll be taking down all of those family pictures to make room for a family portrait of The Shining cast. The book is available right now through Amazon and is surprisingly affordable at $23. I'd highly recommend making a blind purchase of this title, you won't regret it.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Coming Soon - Crazy 4 Cult (2011) Book Review

I meant to write a proper review for this amazing book today, but to be honest I didn't get any sleep yesterday, and am thoroughly exhausted. This means two things, first, the full review will published tomorrow (promise!), and second, in anticipation of tomorrow's review I wanted to briefly tell everyone about the must have book of the week/month/year. Bottom line: if you're a fan of Posterocalypse (I know one day I'm going to misspell the name of my own website, if I haven't already), if you're a fan of Gallery 1988, if you're a fan of Mondo, if you're a fan of art, then this is the book for you. And it's available today!

Crazy 4 Cult: Cult Movie Art

Seriously, Crazy 4 Cult: Cult Movie Art is absolutely amazing and should be picked up by anyone and everyone who considers themselves a moving pictures enthusiast. It's surprisingly affordable at around $23 (at least at the time of this writing), especially given the fact that it's a fat hardcover, the paper is super high quality, and the art is indescribable in its awesomeness. As a side note, this book is put out by Titan Books. These are the same people who put out the wonderful Art of Drew Struzan and The Art of Hammer; both incredible art books for us movie poster geeks, so clearly they're doing something right. More to come tomorrow!

Gallery 1988's "Camp Firewood" Art Exhibit

If you've ever seen Wet Hot American Summer, then you understand the comedic genius that was unleashed when this film first played. David Wain and Michael Showalter's absurd and hilarious spoof on the summer camp genre has, since it's birth in 2001, accumulated a massive cult following (me included) for very good reason. And who seems to absolutely thrive when dealing in the strange, the niche, the irreverent and the entertaining? Why, Gallery 1988 of course! And so they hosted the amazing "Camp Firewood" show, an art-filled celebration of the film on its 10th anniversary. I, like the majority of people reading this (I'm guessing), couldn't make it to the gallery in person, but you can bet when the prints were released online I was one of the first to peruse the remainders of their Wet Hot inventory. What I've included in this post are my three favorite posters that still happen to be available through the Gallery 1988 website (as of the writing of this article).

Dear Gournal... - Adam Limbert

Adam Limbert's "Dear Gournal..." print is the perfect tribute to this stellar comedy. I've got to give it to Limbert for the "gournal" reference in the title, I had completely forgotten that that's what Paul Rudd's character, Andy, called his journal (thanks Internet) - and good pull Adam! It's a fairly minimalist poster, but as we all know, a poster doesn't need to be packed to the gill with content to be awesome / fantastic / great. The "Dear Gournal..." print is available through Gallery 1988's online storefront for $40. The signed and numbered print is limited to an edition of 35 and measures 12" x 18". For more on Adam Limbert be sure to check out his website and portfolio at adamlimbert.com.

I'm Gonna Go Hump the Fridge - Joshua Budich

It hasn't been very long since I was singing the praises of another Budich piece of pop culture candy, but it seems he's done it again with this amazing print titled "I'm Gonna Go Hump the Fridge." For those of us that have seen the film, this image should bring back a lot of very funny memories. I'm not really breaking any new ground by saying that Christopher Meloni's performance (yeah, the guy from Law & Order: SVU) as Gene is easily one of the best things about Wet Hot, but the truth must be set free. Budich's wonderful print is still somehow available for only $30 through Gallery 1988, is limited to 50 prints and measures 12" x 24". To see more of Joshua's artwork, visit his website and store where you can purchase some excellent prints. While you're there, you should probably subscribe to his mailing list, you know, just cause.

Coop - Rich Pellegrino

Gene - Rich Pellegrino

Rich Pellegrino's portraits are always a delight to see. I'm not sure if it's the color, the painting style, the characters' expressions, or all of the above, but the paintings seem to be absolutely bursting with life. To pick up one of these fantastic prints ("Coop" or  "Gene") it will only cost you $15 ($15!) from the Gallery 1988 website. The prints measure 8.5" x 11", but the actual images measure 5.5" x 5.5", with both portraits limited to an edition of 25. Both prints are signed and numbered. To learn more about Rich Pellegrino head over to his portfolio and blog.

That's it! Visit the Gallery 1988 site for more information and plenty of other great prints and paintings still available. Tomorrow, I'll be taking a look at a very cool book for one of my favorite art shows. 

"The Devil's Backbone" Movie Posters by Aaron Horkey and Vania Zouravliov

UPDATE: All sold out! I hope everyone was able to get one.

I'm finding it a little hard to contain my excitement right now. For those not following @MondoNews, Mondo announced two very incredible posters from three very talented artists earlier today. I'm only going to focus on the first poster, since it'll be available tomorrow, but rest assured (I'm sure you were at the edge of your seat), I'll do a write up of Ansin's Cronos poster as the release date approaches.

The Devil's Backbone - Regular

The Devil's Backbone - First Variant

The Devil's Backbone - Second Variant

First things first, I'd like to address the film. The Devil's Backbone has all the trademarks of an amazing Del Toro film. By that I mean, it's in Spanish (I love pretty much every film the man has ever made, but his Spanish films, in my opinion, represent the best of his work), it's a period piece (these types of films just seem to exude timelessness), and finally it feels like an incredibly personal work of art from a master storyteller. I'm trying my best not to turn this into a review of the film, so I'll just sum up my thoughts on The Devil's Backbone by saying this: go watch this movie right now - it's a cinematic delight in every conceivable way. On to the posters. What to say, um, Vania's and Aaron's poster is pretty much perfect. Seeing work like this, and their previous collaboration on Mondo's Dracula poster, makes me kind of wish Horkey and Zouravliov did every print together. Both artists bring something different (but equally important) to the table. Aaron Horkey is able to create elaborate frameworks and typographic treasures that seem to be from a different universe altogether, with sharp but eerily organic line-work, while Vania Zouravliov has an uncanny knack for crafting nightmarish visions, in this case a fetus with spina bifida, that appears to have leapt out of a Victorian era tale of terror (i.e., it fits Del Toro's sensibilities perfectly). When these two artists come together, as talented as they are, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If there was one thing I could change, I would have made the second variant's sinister crimson colorway the main edition, if only so more people could get their hands on the gorgeous red version.

The Devil's Backbone posters will be available tomorrow (6/17) through Mondo's site at a random time. The regular version comes in an edition of 350 and will cost $60, while the first and second variants will both come in an edition of 90 and will cost $90. All of the posters will measure 24" x 36" and were printed by D&L Screen Printing. For the exact drop time be sure to follow @MondoNews, but most importantly pray to the gods of F5 for the gift of dextrous typing and a fast Internet connection. To check out Vania Zouravliov's other work you can visit his portfolio or his online store. Good luck!

Phantom City Creative's "Scarface" Movie Posters

UPDATE 2 (6/22): These posters are officially sold out.

UPDATE 1 (6/20): The Phantom City Creative Scarface posters will be available through Tommy Good on Wednesday (6/22) after 4 PM PST according to Inside the Rock Poster Frame. Happy hunting!

Posterocalypse favorite, Phantom City Creative, has crafted yet another wonderful movie poster. This time for the Astor Theatre’s art partner (artner?) Tommy Good. The film in question? The Pacino starring, mountain of cocaine friendly Scarface. Yeah, this one's going to be popular.

Scarface - Regular Edition

Scarface - Variant Edition

I’m really excited to see that Phantom City Creative has started having their work screen printed, and I can't even imagine how insanely gorgeous these posters are going to look up close. What I really love about these images is that the artwork can be enjoyed on two distinct levels, the first being the indignant and fatigued expression on the face of everyone’s favorite drug kingpin Tony Montana, and the second being the supporting cast of seedy characters that make up Tony’s facial scar (I tried to think of some sort of Scarface pun, but I got nothing). To repeat myself ad nauseam, this print is going to look amazing in person! And if one bloody Scarface poster wasn’t enough, how about two? Phantom City Creative has made both a regular (light) version and a dark variant of their already viral Scarface design.

These posters will be available through Tommy Good sometime next week, so as usual, if you want to get the exact drop time I'd recommend subscribing to their mailing list and following @ThisIsTommyGood. Although both posters will measure 18" x 24", the regular version is limited to an edition of 200 and is going to cost $33, while the variant is limited to an edition of 60 and will cost $53. If you at all dig this artwork, be sure to head over to the Phantom City Creative's website and store to see what other goodness they've cooked up. If you happen to miss the release at Tommy Good, there's still a chance that the artist may have a few APs for sale, so be sure to follow @PhantomCityCrtv and sign up for their mailing list to get the scoop on future Phantom City Creative releases.