Posterized! Picks of the Week

This is an ideal poster, as it clearly conveys the film's tone while maintaining ambiguity about its plot. Is Joseph Gordon-Levitt shaving his head for the Army or in preparation for chemotherapy? Although the answer is apparent now, the poster still creates suspense by building anticipation for the scene depicted — a scene that is now ingrained in our consciousness thanks to this poster. This is what all posters should aim for — indelible, iconic, instantly recognizable images.

This image makes the eerie suggestion that a home is an organism, almost genetically intertwined with its residents. In that sense, a haunted house is a host turning the tables on its parasites.

With its "Once upon a time" tagline, this poster also underscores the subtext of haunted house films — the fear of the past. In addition to offering this somewhat fresh take on poltergeist-plagued houses, this poster acts as a satisfying nod to "The Shining" and the young ladies who stalked the hallways of that film's haunted hotel. It is just as important for a poster to have this familiarity as it is for it to exude originality.

A panicked woman presented out-of-focus? Sure, it evokes some curiosity, but after first glance, it evaporates from memory. The concept is simply flat. Plus, blurring is a rather cliched technique for evoking mystery. It's a cop-out, a sign that the designers were rushed or simply out of ideas.

Coming Soon: Oct. 7

Remember how excited I was about the "Drive" poster? I'm even more excited about this one, an ad that works in more ways than your head can spin from Sunday.

First, its central image concisely conveys the duality of man (Men are universally handsome in cinematic reality, so behind every morally conscious Ryan Gosling is a devilish, corrupt George Clooney). Secondly, this poster not only provokes thought about politicians' hot air and self-importance, but about the entire "Me Generation" or, as I call it, the Facebook generation, which exploits communication more for personal gain than to truly connect with other people. Sure, this film may not make any statements about those subjects, but the fact the poster is provoking thought about them, or anything for that matter, makes it a valuable piece of art.

Gosling seems to be associated with interesting, arresting posters lately. So be sure to keep an eye on him. I wonder if the quality of these posters is directly correlated to the quality of his films. Something to ponder as you roam the lobby of your local cineplex. Do good films breed good posters? If not, name some good films with bad posters and vice versa. I may very well mention your selections in next week's column.