Dork Art: Matt Ferguson's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Yesterday I posted the latest trailer for Matt Reaves's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and already master pop artist Matt Ferguson snatched an insta-icnonic moment from the film for his latest poster print.  One image and BOOM!  Man is done for, this is truly the Planet of the Apes.  I am all a tingle for this film.  I immediately want to marathon the original films.  July can't get here soon enough.

--Brad

Dork Art: Paolo Rivera's Winter Soldier

This beauty first caught my eye via Harry Knowles Instagram stream yesterday, and it took only a little over six hours for it to storm all over the internet.  Hopefully the retro espionage vibe doesn't just end at the artwork, and the latest Marvel sequel will deliver a cape crusading 3 Days of the Condor.  The artist is Paolo Rivera, a comic book regular that Marvel Studios used to produce wrap posters for the casts of both the first Captain America and the third Iron Man (seen below).  Same deal this time.  As of right now there is no intention of mass producing replicas, but you can bet dollars to donuts that the next convention you attend will have bootlegs for sale.  Not condoning it, but...when the studio offers no other options...

--Brad

Dork Art: Austin Purser’s Travel Posters

    I love retro travel posters.  There’s a wonderful, hopeful exuberance to their simplistic and colorful technique.  They put me in a certain mood, a mood I enjoy living in.

    So, seeing these awesome retro-style travel posters to various literary lands and worlds is quite nice.  I think Austin Purser has captured the flavor quite well, and I like the variety of locations he’s chosen.

     Anyone looking for a Christmas present for this Dork could sure do worse (hint: I'd love to see Yuggoth this time of year).

-Matt

All You Need Is Retitled!

Tom Cruise's badass looking mech suit movie, All You Need Is Kill has been quickly retitled for Comic Con to the painfully banal Edge of Tomorrow.  Is this a good idea?  Hollywood is obviously afraid of the grammatically bizarre handle, but I think it was just strange enough to put butts in the seats.  Cruise is a questionable commodity these days (similar to Johnny Depp); where once there was name recognition, Cruise's celebrity is no longer enough to bring the crowds to the big screen.  For me, fan of Cruise or not, the below image of The Great One in a mech suit running from a giant wall of fire is plenty reason to put butt in chair.  And I love the crazy of the "All You Need Is Kill" title.  Edge of Tomorrow?  That sounds like a lameass Disney side attraction.  They better bring it to San Diego, but whatever your brain surmises in Hall H means nothing come game day.

--Brad

Spike Lee's Oldboy Gets A Poster!

This is certainly one of my most anticipated - or feared - films of the fall, but I gotta give props to this screengrab poster for Spike Lee's Oldboy remake.  I certainly don't believe that this redo will reach the levels of depravity of the original film (Elisabeth Olsen certainly won't be succumbing to one particular revenge), but I love the nemesis pairing of Josh Brolin & Sharlto Copley.  I could watch those guys all day long, and I know they can reach the levels of rage experienced in Chan-wook Park's neo classic.  The trailer will launch Wednesday, but those who haven't experienced the terror of the original should do so immediately.  I often cite it as my A No. 1 Revenge Film.

--Brad

Dork Art: William Shatner is The Punisher!

Now this is an alternative universe I should seriously be a part of; Etsy artist Sean Wilkins dares to ask what a 70s era William Shatner would do to the Marvel Universe.  And can you think of a better Kingpin than Ernest Borgnine?  Absolutely not!  I also really appreciate the gender swap of Garth Ennis' beastly Barracuda.  Job well done sir.  Roger Corman would have shot the hell outta this in the Philippines.

--Brad

Dork Art: La Boca's King Kong

I'm just a week away from seeing the original King Kong on the big screen as part of the Alamo Drafthouse's Beasts vs Bots festival.  I cannot wait to see the great ape take to the Empire State Building!  Withoutadoubt, one of the all time great movies.  Looks like Dark City Gallery & the London Film and Comic Con feel the same way as they've commissioned La Boca for this beautiful print.  Obviously, it'll be on sale at the convention but there is no word as to when it will hit the Dark City online store.  Hopefully soon cuz I need this beast.

--Brad

Dork Art: Escape From New York

I'm about halfway through my Martin Scorsese-a-thon and I'm already thinking that John Carpenter is gonna be my next director obsession.  Having devoured They Live twice already this year, and thumping my car stereo with the Assault on Precinct 13 soundtrack, my brain is simply ready for his pop cowboy aesthetic.  Anyway, it's late at night and I just stumbled upon this kickass dork art from Big Ode Ideias.  Bravo sir, you gotta em all in there.

--Brad

Dork Art: Pacific Rim Fan Posters

We're just a few weeks away from Guillermo Del Toro's BEASTS vs BOTS robo-fisting extravaganza, Pacific Rim and the internet is all a flutter with anticipation.  Fan Posters are popping up all over the place; I found these three over at Slash Film's latest Page 2.  The top one is obviously my favorite with it's "Filmed in Toro-Vision" tagline.  Having just got out of a Gojira screening last night, I'm more pumped than ever to devour this flick.

--Brad

Dork Art: Pacific Rim

I just made a terrible pack with a group of friends - we agreed not to see Pacific Rim until the very last night of the San Diego Comic Con.  That means I'll have to wait nine days......uh.....I don't think I'll be able to last - shhhhhhh, don't tell them.  I've gone on a complete blackout regarding Guillermo Del Toro's latest.  I've seen last year's Comic Con footage and the first two theatrical trailers.  That's it.  I want nothing to be spoiled.  I'm even holding off reading the graphic novel prequel till after.  I am super excited.

There has been a lot of Dork Art surrounding this picture too.  Recently the IMAX poster was unveiled - a solid piece - and Odd City Entertainment announced a series of fan posters to be sold as we get closer to the big day.  However, the absolute best piece of Dork Art has to go to Matt Ferguson's Jaws homage.  "They're Gonna Need GIANT Robots!!!!!"  Yer damn right.  And I'm gonna need that on my wall pronto....

--Brad

Dork Art: Prince of Darkness

Oh yeah!  Scream Factory is bringing another Carpenter classic back to life in Blu Ray this September; Prince of Darkness may not strike the heart of pop culture in the same fashion as The Thing, Escape From New York, or even They Live but it certainly takes a solid stab at the End of the World sub-genre.   Donald Pleasence certainly captures the proper grandiose dread, and it's fun to see Simon & Simon's Jameson Parker making his break for startdom - should have ditched that 'stache man.  And along with the stunning HD transfer we're also getting this nifty bit of art from Justin Osbourn.  Never thought this flick would get such a nice treatment.  Well done, Shout Factory.

--Brad

The Japanese Tonto Poster

Why do I love this Japanese poster for The Lone Ranger?  I certainly have a fondness for the old Japanese posters for The Man With No Name trilogy.  Something about Spaghetti Westerns scrawled with Japanese lettering just seems right.  Tonto here looks really menacing too, the hatchet ready to swing.  But the trailers don't jive with the Lone Ranger movie I want.  And yes I most certainly want a Lone Ranger movie.  Loved the original series as a kid and I even dug the (hindsight being 20/20 atrocious) 80s adaptation.  But do I want a Captain Jack version?  No.  Still, I gotta support the genre I love and I will be there opening night.

--Brad

Dork Art: Sam Peckinpah's Superman & Friends

While stumbling around the internet looking for info on Sam Peckinpah, I ran into this rather amazing Superman poster from the Fringe universe - the deviant artist is AtomTastic and he must be a good friend of Walter Bishop.  Sometimes I really wish I could visit that mirror world, a universe in which Kris Kristofferson's Supes went up against the diabolical Robert Duval.  A true clash of titans.  And after I got finished that obvious masterpiece I could devour the sweaty filth of William Friedkin's Drive.  Just as violent as Nicholas Winding Refn, but soaked in a boozy grime.  A nasty, five o'clock cinematic atrocity.  Oh photoshop, you are a wonderful tool of fandom.

Dork Art: Mondo's Iron Man 3

As they've done with every Marvel movie a week out, Mondo has unveiled their Iron Man 3 poster...or posters.  The above one comes to us from artist Martin Ansin, measures 24 x 36 & will set you back $50 (the variant running the typical $75).  The poster featured directly below is from Phantom City Creative, measures 24 x 36, and costs a pretty $45.  Frankly, I'm not in love with either of them.  In fact, I think the IMAX Midnight Release print seen at the very bottom has them both trumped.  The general problem with these pre-release posters is that the art stems only from the trailer imagery.  They feel more like teasers than full-on celebrations of the films.  You look at the prints Mondo did for The Monster Squad or Battle Royale, and those images encompass the whole film.  These are little more than press releases.

--Brad

"Time To Meet The Devil!" - 2nd Only God Forgives Trailer Delivers Heads On Platters

A little more of the revenge plot is revealed in this second trailer for Ryan Gosling & Nicholas Winding Refn's Drive follow-up.  Kristen Scott Thomas looks like one pissed off mama, and demands a special delivery from Gosling.  I say pay the woman.  With each new glimpse of this film I get a stronger sense it's presence on my 2013 Dorkies.  As much as I'm looking forward to Star Trek & Pacific Rim, Only God Forgives is building itself as the film to beat this summer.



--Brad

"This Aint' Going To Kill Me." - Matt Damon Gets Strapped for Elysium Trailer

The below trailer for Neil Blomkamp's District 9 follow-up gave me goosebumps.  More beastly, hot, angry science fiction social commentary filtered through bloody techno combat.  Yes please.  Maybe I enjoyed Kiss Me Deadly & The Big Heat a little too much cuz Matt Damon feels like a Film Noir brick of a heavy here.  The way he stomps through this trailer, grimacing.  The man is going to do some damage.  And Sharlto Copley's insane cyber samurai?  I heard great things about his performance coming out of last year's Comic Con.  A definite 180 from the shrinking violet mutant of District 9.  This certainly popped to my most anticipated films of the year list.

--Brad

London Burns as Earth Falls - New Star Trek Into Darkness Poster

Look.  I'm super stoked for Star Trek Into Darkness.  And I certainly don't want to bitch & moan in relation to my all time favorite tv/film franchise.  But I'm not really digging all the Earth bound destruction focus of the ad campaign or Benedict Cumberbatch's scowl face.  I get it.  Earth is usually in peril every other Star Trek film, but I want this series to celebrate space and exploration.   Another Khan punch em up story following the Nero punch em up story is disconcerting.  I'm starting to sound like Matt here, and that's no good either.  I'm just saying - stars, ships, space, Trekking.  We'll wait and see what Into Darkness actually offers (JJ Abrams' mystery box offers little clues), and if this new rebooted universe is only action-bang-bang-whiz than it's pretty good action-bang-bang-whiz and I guess I could be perfectly happy with that.  But I want a little more thought from Star Trek.

--Brad

Sofia Vergara Blasts Here Rack - New Machete Kills Character Poster

So...that's something.  Robert Rodriguez seems to be seriously pushing the insanity for this Danny Trejo sequel - he's got to top the Gatling Gun Harley and the large intestine bungee cord.  I guess I enjoyed the first film and the Grindhouse double feature, but they always felt like pretenders to the throne.  Especially when you compare them to something like Jason Eisner's Hobo With The Shotgun or better yet, Neveldine/Taylor's Crank 2: Hight Voltage.  Or even Rodriguez's Desperado.  How come none of his follow-up films feel as genuine as that flick did?

--Brad

Iron Man Gets Its Iron Patriot Poster

I love the Iron Patriot design in the comic books, but I never much cared for that Norman Osborne nonsense that stemmed out from the Secret Invasion nonsense.  And I'm happy to see the paint job appear on Don Cheadle's War Machine armor.  Curious to see how it plays out in the new movie but I doubt it's anything more than simple military hurrah.

--Brad

New Iron Man 3 Poster Drops

I really love the promise of this latest poster.  Looks like The Mandarin is really going to give ol' Shell Head a beating and I can't wait to see Robert Downey Jr take those licks.  Shane Black knows how to put his characters through the wringer and I think the only way you can get beyond the mega blockbuster sensation that was The Avengers is to put a serious hurt on its main player.  Hope Gwyneth makes it out alive, but I wouldn't count on it.

--Brad