Category Archives: Artists & Illustrators

Maira-culous!

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I recently had a delightful day attending the Maira Kalman exhibit at The CJM to launch her new book, Various Illuminations of A Crazy World.

Kalman, whose colorful illustrations have brightened both The New York Times (via her amazing And The Pursuit of Happiness blog) and The New Yorker covers for years, has never done a movie poster before (I don’t think!). However, she has collaborated with Animal House pal, Rick Meyerowitz, on several projects, including the famed Newyorkistan cover below (left), which cleverly spoofed Saul Steinberg’s legendary 1976 “View of the World” (right).

Not that she needs the work — but here’s hoping that Wes Anderson or some quirky indie film snaps her up soon to do their next print campaign!

How The Wes Was Won

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The Criterion Collection DVD artwork for Wes Anderson’s films reminds me a lot of Maira Kalman, except they were done by Ian Dingman (Bottle Rocket) and Wes’s talented bro, Eric Chase Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic).

EMoviePoster Trifecta!

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There’s an International/non-U.S. poster sale ending today at EMoviePoster.com and I thought I’d showcase some of my favorite, but strange and wonderful artists.

In this corner, the Danish drama king, Stevenov…

Then there’s the Polish purist, Andrzej Krajewski…

And last but not least, the French leg-man, Jouineau Bourduge…

Risky Businesses

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Speaking of Jouineau Bourduge, aside from doing many other 60’s, 70’s and 80’s classics, he is also credited with the French version of Risky Business (far right), as seen below in this poster comparison.

But I’m a little confused: is that supposed to be sexy or just misogynistic since the car is driving over the women (and not vice versa like in the USA and Italian one-sheets)?

Send Me An Angel(s)!

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81-year-old design legend, Milton Glaser, of I Heart NY fame, is at it again with another poster for Tony Kushner’s latest off-Broadway production of Angels In America…

Alterna-Tati

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Like Hitchcock, Jacques Tati wasn’t afraid to insert himself into his movies as his Monsieur Hulot character/profile was finely cultivated and featured prominently in many of these alternative versions of posters from various countries.

Here’s a more detailed poster comparison for Trafic (of course, not to be confused with Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic).

Bodacious Tatis!

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Jacques Tati, the French filmmaker known for his playful, experimental films of sound and color, was one of the first directors to make Modernism funny. Although his movies aren’t exactly a barrel of laughs, the wit and style is abundantly clear (even if I did fall asleep in college during a screening of Playtime). The fact that he is often mentioned as one of the greatest directors of all-time even though he only made six feature films is a legacy in itself.

But I’m sure this masterful minimalist would’ve been bored to tears with all the fawning and retrospectives, so let’s not talk and just sit back and enjoy the ride…

RIP: Harvey Pekar (1939-2010)

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Famous crankypants cartoonist, Harvey Pekar, passed away today at the age of 70.

Although he couldn’t sketch his way out of a paperbag, his collaboration with R. Crumb and several more of the industry’s top illustrators brought his comical, curmudgeonly autobiographical stories to life, culminating in the critically-acclaimed American Splendor (2003).

Corben’s Horrors

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Besides his work on Phantom of the Paradise (below), notable comic book illustrator, Richard Vance Corben, also did some gruesomely handsome work on Heavy Metal and the aptly-titled, Spookies. Similar in style to fellow fantasy phenoms, Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo, Corben garnered a strong following for his underground comics and short films.