Yes, more posters from Watchmen. I thought we had seen the last and best poster but here’s more and they are both pretty cool. The second poster listed here is the IMAX version which does often prove to be one of the last posters issued. It is a very tough choice to say which of these posters, including the one in my last post, is the best of the bunch. Now if we can just weed out the fake posters between now and the time the movie is released… The movie comes out March 6, 2009.

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Ron Howard is expected to reach into his bag of tricks and come out with another hit.* His team fill that bag with some good things because Ron Howard is doing alright. Now they have to all pull together and take a swing at the highest office in the land. Their target is Tricky Dick himself and their aim is at the 37th president.

Screenings in the US have shown the film adaptation of the play has yielded a mixed/positive reaction from critics. There were no outright pans it seems (the closest was a mixed review), however even the glowing reviews indicate that its chances of being a Best Picture frontrunner have been dimmed – mostly due of all things to do with Howard’s direction.

Howard’s rather frustratingly straightforward direction has had many reviewers up in arms. Howard has always had a rather hands-off approach. By doing so, sometimes you end up with just people standing and talking. With a movie like this one that style could prove fatal.

What helps that lack of direction are facts. Actual historical facts. In some sort of weird voyeuristic deja vu watching this talky and rather stoic movements. People in the age group pulled in by the movie feel as though they are vested in this information and this quirky window to the past will fill in the holes they weren’t privy to the first time around.

I like the weird feeling that makes the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. I do feel like I’ve seen it before but I know I haven’t. Watching the exchanges between Frost/Nixon, I knew right where it was going. Nothing could stop it. Eventually I’m watching the president admit he did what he did because, according to Nixon, “it’s not against the law if the president does it.“

*The movie will not will Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It really isn’t a typical Oscar film. That is where Ron Howard’s directing comes in. What AMPAS would like to see would be more mystery and intrigue rather than this battle between two men. If you’re a 1970s fan then you’ll love this film all the more.

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The Smith family is a typical bored married couple. They lead their lives fairly separately but scheduled and regimented. Their respective phones ring and we find out that they are agents hunting leads and they are leading a secret life. Their next mission – kill each other.

There are some great fight scenes in the film but the best are between Angolini and Pitt.In the later parts of the film they are forced to team up to stay  alive. We find out what kind of agents they are. Funny scenes abound. And more explosions happen.

In the end this is a good movie. I like it, not because it is such a shooting film, but because their chemistry is so good it is very easy to buy into the characters that Jolie and Pitt worked so hard for us to watch. The actors are so comfortable that their acting is natural. ***/****.

I like the poster plan here. There are about 14 different versions that I like. There are loads of posters where one is there and the other one not, or the simulation that one is there and the other is not. My favorites are the ones where they are together since that is what I’m spending my movie money on. 

In a nutshell this is the story of the Duchess of Devonshire. She had a very controversial and lavish lifestyle from marrying at the age of 17 to a much older man who expects nothing less from his new bride than 18th century aristocratic behavior and for her to bear him a male child. Georgianna, the Duchess, is not complying. She enters into society, uses her beauty to advance a political undertone and indulge her own whims whatever they are and at whatever the cost to herself. Her actions eventually undo her wants and when the Duke exerts his wealth and power he brings to bear the power of an 18th century man over a woman.

The story is a tragic tale that looks absolutely stunning. Keira Knightley is beautiful as the Duchess. She has been in more than one period piece where her look is akin to wearing drapery. Though very uncomfortable looking in the 18th century garb, Knightley plays it well and appears as though she were made for the costumes. She plays opposite Ralph Fiennes as the Duke and holds her own.  The film is a large undertaking for relatively new director Saul Dibb, who also wrote the script for the movie.

The film is surprisingly good. At first glance it looks like a total bore, but once Knightley hits the screen there is no doubt your attention is going to be held. There is no urgency to run out to the theater for this one. Save your money and watch it on HBO. **/****.

As for the poster it depends on whether you like to look at Keria Knightley. It is a little disappointing that even with an 18th century period piece that the poster designer couldn’t find a scene that was usable. The poster is pretty, but could have been so much better.

This is the true story of a college journalist who goes to work for a Washington magazine known for factual and political articles. While he works for the magazine he continues to turn in fiction which they keep publishing until it is finally realized what he is doing and then he is confronted. The  fact that the movie is based on true facts and real people is the draw here and with story after story that he turns in you’re further and further lured into his world due to his likeability.

Hayden Christensen plays the lead role of Stephen Glass who turns in seemingly true but later proved false stories. He does a great job though he is a bit wooden which seems to be his style of acting. Peter Sarsgaad really stands out as one of the editors that discovers what has happened to the magazine. His acting stands out and he delivers a solid performance. Another stand out here is Hank Azaria who plays another editor in the film. Azaria does a brilliant job here playing straight which we rarely get to see from this Simpson’s television alum.

Shattered Glass is a surprising little film from new director Billy Ray who is better known for his sceenwriting that his direction. I’m sure when they signed on Christensen who was coming off playing Darth Vador in the Star Wars series, they were thinking big hit. The movie stayed small. Even though it might be a small film, it is really quite good and you should catch it if you have the chance. **/****.

The poster for the most part is what you would expect. It is a total face concentration on Christensen since he was the draw of the film. He’s a pretty boy so his close up is pleasing, but these headshots of the 2000 movies, this one is 2003, is getting old fast. I can only hope the next decade brings us some better design, especially on these smaller films where everything has to be double the effort.

If you have even seen a single poster or commercial for this movie you know the plot. Teenage girl gets pregnant and deals with it. She deals with it in a smart upbeat and quirky way with loads of funny lines, plenty of quotable teenage banter and cool pragmatism. So it’s pretty unrealistic. She gets pregnant after a one night stand. When faced with abortion she decides instead to have the baby and finds a couple on her own to adopt the baby. Now comes the nine months and the moments to string together a teenage comedy smarter than most.

Winning 2007 Best Screenplay Oscar, while handling 3 other nominations, was incredible for this small comedy made for only $2.5 million. This is typically unheard of for the Academy.Much of the success of this film is placed on the shoulders of the films young stars Michael Cera and Ellen Page. Along with proven director Jason Reitman, the hot light of Hollywood shone on this movie certainly due to the three of them.

There is no doubt this movie is funny and good for some belly laughs. The topic matter is controversial. Writing is fresh, hip and witty. But in the end the film still feels like a small comedy and the surprise is still socking that it has won so many awards across so many agencies. It’s funny though. ***/****.

The poster is good since it conveys the movie’s story pretty quick Some of the International posters offer a broader range, but I think it is the first style from the U.S. with the orange stripes that appeals to most people.