Check out the blockbusters, the indies and the hand-drawn alternates we’ve chosen in the gallery below!
Best Posters of 2014
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Birdman
The Birdman campaign was quite ingenious at imparting the complex themes of the film, which centers on former-star Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), who is burdened with proving himself a capable actor while his faded career as a superhero actor looms over him both metaphorically and literally.
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Break Point
Even I have to admit I'd never heard of this indie flick (featuring Oscar-contender J.K. Simmons), which premiered at this year's SXSW. The poster art, worthy of Saul Bass, is compelling and witty, using the tennis racket as a perfect grid to impart the emotional upheaval at the heart of this sports comedy.
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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Now this is how you sell a blockbuster. The imagery of ape leader Caesar riding his stallion across the ruins of San Francisco may not capture the thoughtful tone of Matt Reeve's hit sequel, but it captures its revolutionary spirit in spades.
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Delivery: The Beast Within
We don't have to explain what this little-seen found footage horror film is about, because this evocative image tells you everything you need to know, i.e. some strange fruit is brewing in that belly… the devil's fruit!
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The Editor
The first of two hand-painted posters on this list by award-winning designer Akiko Stehrenberger, this one deftly recalls the classic Italian Giallo thrillers The Editor is spoofing. Murder, madness and unintentional humor were par for the course in the genre, and the only difference this poster has is it's purposefully silly (and even a little bit creepy).
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Godzilla
Gareth Edwards' remake of the 1954 classic stayed true to the monster's roots as a cautionary tale of the horrors of nuclear escalation as well as a poignant allegory of Japan's trauma after the August 1945 atomic bomb strikes. Seamlessly weaving the iconic figure of Godzilla with a mushroom cloud in retro art style was a masterstroke.
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Gone Girl
Another POSITIVE example of what Photoshop can do given the right artistic sensibilities. David Fincher's OCD fingerprints were all over Gone Girl's unilaterally brilliant campaign, and this French poster epitomizes the synchronicity between the ads and the director's vision.
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Guardians of the Galaxy
Harkening back to the days when studio movies were sold on action and character as opposed to big floating Photoshop heads, the #1 movie of the year scored an awesome one-sheet that boasted the movie's colorful crew unashamedly. We think this bold, almost Star Wars-ian poster played a big part in the film's awareness and success.
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Inherent Vice
This author is not a particular fan of Paul Thomas Anderson's movie, which substitutes disjointed acting exercises over humor or coherence. However, we very much want to see the movie this painted banner poster advertises, which gives more vibrant life to the coo coo bananas spirit of the characters than the film itself.
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Interstellar
Christopher Nolan's vast epic was also in many ways a contained family drama, and this artwork by Kevin Dart given out at IMAX screenings of the film encompasses that dichotomy beautifully. It's simple, mysterious, and true to the adventurous spirit of the film.
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The Interview
A hilariously perfect parody of North Korean communist propaganda art. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's controversial comedy may be the lightning rod for current hack attacks on Sony Pictures, but it was almost all worth it just to hang this poster on your dorm room wall. Really.
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John Wick
Simple, direct and just a tad clever is a great way to describe this ridiculously fun Keanu Reeves actioner, as well as this "to the point" poster art, which is the one the studio wisely decided to use as their release one-sheet. Dig that letter "O."
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Listen Up Philip
Painted by actress/artist Anna Bak-Kvapil (The Color Wheel) and designed by Teddy Blanks, this is a very modern piece that would feel as apropos hanging in the MOMA as it would at your local art house. Hopefully this painting will be incorporated into the Blu-ray release as well, as it would be a shame to see this Jason Schwartzman-starrer wind up with a quickie Photoshop botch job on home video.
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The Maze Runner
We're pretty sure the first idea pitched at the design conference for this movie was, "Hey, let's do the letters as a maze!" As on-the-nose as it sounds, the work here is crisp and dynamic, drawing us into the world of the YA adaptation. Plus those ivy vines really tip it in the net.
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Men, Women & Children
Done in collaboration with Mondo and BLT Communications, this hand-drawn poster imparts the central conceit of the film's theme of isolation in the age of communication. It was ballsy to sell Jason Reitman's movie based on this artwork as opposed to Adam Sandler and Jennifer Garner's actual faces, and it definitely did not pay off at the box office, but it's an outstanding piece.
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The One I Love
Another snazzy painting by the great Akiko Stehrenberger, and though it looks like Mark Duplass and Elizabeth Moss are yuppie zombies rising from their watery grave, the Sundance favorite is actually a romantic dramedy. We like the poster anyway.
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The Quiet Ones
This minor supernatural horror hit rocked one of the most bizarre-yet-eye-catching visuals we saw all year. If you saw this poster from two blocks away with your glasses off, you would still recognize it as The Quiet Ones, which is the mark of some pretty rad design skills.
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The Signal
Although a little on the derivative side, this "Twilight Zone"-esque sci-fi thriller announced a promising talent in the form of writer/director William Eubank. The trippy design of the film's sinister laboratory was given an appropriately disorienting introduction via this image.
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Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's return trip to this well ran dry this time, but just because a movie is slaughtered by critics and ignored by audiences doesn't mean it can't have a sweet teaser poster, right? This one stirred some controversy after it was banned by the MPAA, much to the puzzlement of actress Eva Green. "I'm not naked," she told Vanity Fair. "It's suggested. I find it really sexy, actually. It's kind of beautiful. But if it shocks people I don't know what to do about it."
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Willow Creek
Famed pop surrealist artist Alex Pardee –a key designer on Sucker Punch- gave Bobcat Goldthwait's Bigfoot-themed found footage horror movie a memorably nightmarish illustration. Note the pose is the same as the infamous 1967 Patterson-Gimlin footage, a nice touch.
