06 September 2010

New Blog

The World of Cinema blog has moved over to No Agenda Films, a blog that presents a weekly film based on the topics of the No Agenda Podcast.

11 March 2010

2009 Yearbook

Here are the posters of note that were discussed in the 2009 Yearbook show.  The episode and companion film list will be posted shortly.


I don't know if Steven Soderbergh is involved in the creation of the posters for his films, or just intelligent enough to hire creative people to handle the marketing...either way, his films consistantly have great designs.  Traffic, The Limey, Bubble, The Informant!, Full Frontal, Che, the list goes on and on.




This documentary took an interesting angle in that it ignored the devious nature of creating "good" advertising (that people can be made to want shit they don't need) and just focused on the art of creating good design.  The poster needs to fulfill the ideas presented in the film and I think it succeeds wonderfully.


Simple. Iconic. What else do you need?  I especially like the lack of names (and there are great creative names behind this film) anywhere near the name of the film.  The tag line is perfect too.  It conveys a sense that this film is officially a children's film, but there is a kid in all of us, so really, it's a film for everyone.


Speaking of a lack of vanity.  When a movie star of the Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks or George Clooney variety are in a film, I'm always impressed when the marketing department/company goes with a poster that does not include a head shot.  This one goes one step further in that the three main characters are on the poster, but in silhouette.  And on top of that, Mr. Clooney has his back to us. 


A British comedy about how far a miscommunication between two governments can go...this is exactly the poster design you go with for this film.  The only thing better is the trailer.





A documentary about the industrial food system we have here in this country and what it is doing to our health.  Once again, what other image do you go with to convey the odd nature of industrializing something that is natural to this world.  A cow with a barcode.  A brilliant, simple and terrifying design. 



At first glance I thought this teaser poster for 9 was original and very creative...then I remembered the "What is the Matrix?" poster from years ago and the creativity points when down a little bit for 9.  I still like the idea though.  Any poster that doesn't include the title of the film gets my attention, which is probably the intent.


To continue with the 9 theme...this poster was just plain creative and intriguing and original.  The target practice element was inspired and once again, the total lack of vanity this poster displays gets it extra points.  Actually, all the posters made for this film are fantastic.

06 March 2010

2007 Yearbook

Each year has a corresponding Dispatch episode (http://www.theworldofcinema.com/) that gives an overview of the year in film that was...

2007

Dramas (Not ranked)
There Will Be Blood
Prag (Prague)
Zodiac
No Country for Old Men
Into the Wild
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Gone Baby Gone
The Bothersome Man

Comedy (Ranked)
1. Knocked Up
2. The TV Set
3. The Ten
4. Reno 911!: Miami
5. Superbad

Documentary (Not Ranked)
A Map for Saturday
No End in Sight
The 11th Hour
Your Mommy Kills Animals
Kurt Cobain About A Son
The King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters

27 February 2010

2006 Yearbook

2006
 
Each year has a corresponding Dispatch episode (http://www.theworldofcinema.com/) that gives an overview of the year in film that was...
 
This year seemed to be a very strong year for documentaries, at least the ones I was able to see.
 
Documentary
Henri Langlois: Phantom of the Cinematheque
Why We Fight
Jesus Camp
Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon
American Hardcore
Before the Music Dies
 
Drama
The Departed
Children of Men
I am the Angel of Death: Pusher III
The Fountain
Brick
L'Enfant

Comedy
Idiocracy
Clerks II
Beerfest

20 February 2010

2005 Yearbook

Each year has a corresponding Dispatch episode (http://www.theworldofcinema.com/) that gives an overview of the year in film that was...

The journal entry I have for this list was March 2, 2006.  It is a combination of divided up by genres as well as number ranked.

2005

Drama
1. Syriana
2. A History of Violence
3. Good Night and Good Luck
4. Brokeback Mountain
5. Lord of War

Comedy
1. The 40 Year Old Virgin
2. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
3. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
4. The Wedding Crashers

Forien
1. A Hole in My Heart
2. Cache
3. Brothers
4. Kings and Queen
5. The Edukators

Documentary
1. The Future of Food
2. Grizzly Man
3. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
4. Murderball
5. Popaganda: The Art and Crimes of Ron English

13 February 2010

2004 Yearbook

Each year has a corresponding Dispatch episode (http://www.theworldofcinema.com/) that gives an overview of the year in film that was...

As asserted in the 2004 Yearbook episode of WOC, this was a fantastic year of film that rivals 1999 in my book. I divided up this year’s best into four categories and each category is ranked.


2004

Drama
1. Primer
2. Before Sunset
3. The Aviator
4. We Don’t Live Here Anymore
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6. Madness and Genius
7. Kinsey
8. Sideways
9. Spartan
10. The Village

Comedy
1. I Heart Huckabees
2. Team America: World Police
3. Club Dread
4. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
5. Silver City
6. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
7. Mean Girls
8. Harold and Kumar go to White Castle
9. In Good Company
10. Saved!

Documentary
1. The Corporation
2. Control Room
3. In the Realms of the Unreal
4. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
5. Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear & the Selling of American Empire
6. Super Size Me
7. Farmingville
8. Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism
9. The Agronomist
10. The Fourth World War

Foreign
1. Last Life in the Universe
2. Maria Full of Grace
3. Kopps
4. Carandiru
5. The Motorcycle Diaries

06 February 2010

2003 Yearbook

Each year has a corresponding Dispatch episode (http://www.theworldofcinema.com/) that gives an overview of the year in film that was...


This year I went with seperate lists of Fiction and Documentary and I went back to actually ranking the films.


2003

Fiction
1. Elephant
2. Le temps du loup (Time of the Wolf)
3. Lilja 4-ever (Lilya 4-Ever)
4. Dom durakov (House of Fools)
5. Elsker dig for evigt (Open Hearts)
6. The Shape of Things
7. American Splendor
8. 21 Grams
9. 28 Days Later
10. Old School

Documentary
1. The Weather Underground
2. The Fog of War
3. Capturing the Friedmans
4. Spellbound
5. Seeing is Believing: Handicams, Human Rights and the News