Another movie post.

Basically three-quarters of my blog posts have been about movies.  I'm really that lame.  Anyway, new DVD's are coming out this Tuesday, among them two big Oscar names:  Slumdog Millionaire and Doubt.  The latter of these was a must-see for me as a self-described Meryl-ophile...I won't give my review of the movie itself (suffice to say that the acting was phenom but some plots are just meant to stay on the stage), but rather I'll focus on the graphic design aspect of the film.  Here are the two covers released for Doubt's DVD debut:

The designs clearly demonstrate two different moods pertaining to the plot as well as the actors involved.  On the left we have something of a trinity going on where our eyes are drawn to the two most famous faces, Meryl and Philip Seymour Hoffman, before going to Amy Adams, who is the lesser-known star on the rise.  Because of the way we've been conditioned in our culture and the Z-pattern we follow from left to right, we see Meryl, then Philip, and lastly Amy.  The tone of the cover is also noteworthy, as it is shadowy and somber, two words that could very accurately describe the overall tone of the film.

The second cover doesn't seem to illustrate any sort of celebrity hierarchy, save for the part where Meryl Streep's name is highlighted at the top for her nomination.  The images themselves only serve to illustrate the plot of the movie, which features Amy Adams' character being torn between the diverging stories given by PSH and Meryl.  The color (or lack thereof) in this second design is stark, harsh, and dividing, with black-clothed figures against a purely white backdrop.  There is no hint of the "shadowy" or "somber" tones of the previous piece, which is perhaps a less honest portrayal of the movie itself.  That said, graphically speaking I'm fonder of the second cover.  I find the layout to be more interesting, and if I knew nothing about the movie, I would be more likely to pick it up for closer inspection as opposed to the first.  I mean, if it didn't have Meryl, that is...her movies could have blank covers and I'd still be interested.  Point is, I prefer the second.  Thoughts?  Agree?  Disagree?

A book turned movie

If you’ve ever read any of the books in the “Confessions of a Shopaholic” series, you know more or less what to expect in the movie. But even if you didn’t, the poster can more or less lead you in the right direction.

The poster starts by capturing your attention with the bold red color, which is of course very dominant. In our culture, his color can also represent several facets of this movie. For example, this movie is categorized under drama, which could be predicted based on the color red’s connotation with drama. This color can be closely associated with clothing and accessories because it’s so popular with women choosing what to wear, which is definitely something this movie revolves around, seeing as how the main character is obsessed with shopping. Furthermore, red is a very vibrant and passionate color, not unlike the main character.

The simple lettering in grayscale contrasts with the rest of the poster, but without distracting its audience too much from the picture that basically encompasses the movie. The picture of the girl dressed in what is obviously a carefully-chosen outfit and carrying several shopping bags represents the movie because shopping is her passion.

Also, the “From the best-selling novel” was probably placed in all caps because it is likely to get readers of the series to want to see it. Although this isn’t usually my type of literature/film, I read some of the Shopaholic books one summer, so when I saw this poster, it caught my attention. I am not sure I’m interested in watching the movie, but if I had enjoyed the series more than I did, I probably would’ve chosen to go see the movie, as well.