Posterized Propaganda December 2011: Numbers and Faces

“Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” is a proverb whose simple existence proves the fact impressionable souls will do so without fail. This monthly column focuses on the film industry’s willingness to capitalize on this truth, releasing one-sheets to serve as not representations of what audiences are to expect, but as propaganda to fill seats. Oftentimes they fail miserably. December is here and the posters are many. With studio releases being pumped through NY and LA during the holidays for award consideration, the number of films coming out this…

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REVIEW: The Ides of March [2011]

“My name is Molly” To someone with limited interest and knowledge in politics like me, it seems an intriguing choice for a self-described political liberal who backed Barack Obama on his presidential campaign like George Clooney to tackle the subject matter of Beau Willimon’s play Farragut North. Based in part on the 2004 Democratic primary run of Howard Dean—who Willimon worked for—it depicts an idealistic, platform-driven candidate with an integrity the American public can rally around. With Shepard Fairey influenced posters of his visage, Clooney’s Governor Mike Morris appears to…

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REVIEW: Exit Through the Gift Shop [2010]

“Street art was poised to become the biggest countercultural movement since punk” One of the final sentiments in mysterious street artist Banksy’s documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop is the most telling statement spoken in the entire film. Who is the joke on? It’s a question that unfortunately leads to the answer of everyone, but especially those who consider themselves artists. We all know how subjective our craft is; whether the work is accepted or not, though, good or bad, as long as it elicits a reaction, we like to…

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