My Movie Poster Collection: H

Remember that you can always click on the images themselves to see them (hopefully) larger:

HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (Woody Allen, 86). Folded, GIn his history of very minimal one-sheets, Woody Allen's okay to this emotional, positive, familial-love-exuding image must stand alone is its sheer happiness. It's an interesting counterpart to his stark image of three troubled sisters on the Interiors one-sheet. This just goes to illustrate the two vibrant sides--one spooky, the other hopeful--to this wonderful filmmaker.

HANNIE CAULDER (Burt Kennedy, 71). Folded, FI've never seen this film, but I couldn't resist getting this poster, because it dares to surround the eternally hot Raquel Welch with three hoarilly grizzled character actors: Jack Elam (up top), Strother Martin (left), and Ernest Borgnine (right). Impossible to hate this poster.

THE HARD RIDE (Burt Topper, 71). Folded, VG
Nice ass. That's all I gotta say. It's ridiculous, yes, but, yeah, nice ass. She knows it, too!

HARDCORE (Paul Schrader, 79). Folded, VG
A great negative space one-sheet, with a line that's not said in the film, but which is understood. I love that Scott is only included in a high-blood-pressure box. What a movie this is. Derivative, perhaps, but wholly engrossing, with an excellent cast, script, Jack Nitzsche score, and sharp, heartfelt direction from Schrader. Hardcore is a timepiece, to be sure.

HARRY AND TONTO (Paul Mazursky, 74). Folded, review poster, VG
One of Mazursky's most emotional movies about the American landscape. And the king film for cat/movie lovers.

A HATFUL OF RAIN (Fred Zinnemann, 57). Folded, VG.
Perhaps THIS is the oldest movie poster I have. Never seen it, but I know Michael V. Gazzo (the writer who later appeared in and was nommed for an Oscar for his supporting performance as Frankie Pentangeles in The Godfather Part II) was the Tony-nominated writer for this stage play/movie about heroin addiction. I adore this poster, by the way--especially for the CINEMASCOPE logo...

THE HAUNTED PALACE (Roger Corman, 63). Folded, VG.

THE HEARTBREAK KID (Elaine May, 72). Folded, 2 copies, G
An ugly piece of art for a brilliant movie about not knowing what you really want, and when you really want it.

HEARTS OF THE WEST (Howard Zieff, 75). Folded, G
Great cast, superlative one-sheet (Bridges, Arkin AND Andy Griffith?). I've never seen the movie, because it seems impossible to lay one's hands on, but I've always heard loving things about it.

HEAT (Paul Morrissey, 72). Folded, P
My only Andy Warhol-related one-sheet. It's banged up pretty bad, but I think the damage makes it look better. It's also oddly-sized. But how can one ignore buying a poster that has Sylvia Miles cuddling up to Joe Dallesandro?

HEAVEN WITH A GUN (Lee H. Katzin, 69). Folded, VG
I've also not seen this movie, but was sold by the outrageous title and the time-lapsey photos on the one-sheet.

HEAVEN CAN WAIT (Warren Beatty and Buck Henry, 78). Folded, G
One of the greatest examples of movie poster art ever, painted by Birney Lettick. I used to have a pre-release poster (rolled) that contained only the art, and no words, but I lost in in a flood (shit, I hate being reminded of that).

HEAVEN'S GATE (Michael Cimino, 80). Folded, VG
I really want the pre-release poster of this massively underrated, villainized film. It's a shot of Kristofferson, in black-and-white, backlit by the sun (like the tiny central image here, only bigger, and with the newspapered backdrop of the titular gate). But for now, this original release one-sheet will have to do. If you EVER get a chance to see this movie on the big screen, in its director's cut, see it! Forget what the naysayers and history have to impart!

HER ALIBI (Bruce Beresford, 89). Rolled, VG.

HERBIE RIDES AGAIN (Robert Stevenson, 74). Folded, VG
I bought this 'cuz it's cute. Tell me I'm wrong.

HICKEY AND BOGGS (Robert Culp, 72). Folded, G
Is this one of the best films directed by a one-time-only filmmaker? I'd say so. Plus, you got a screenplay by Walter Hill and two ass-wholloping lead performances. Hickey and Boggs is the 70s cop movie you haven't seen, which you need to see.

THE HIDDEN (Jack Sholder, 87). Folded, video poster, G
A 50s-flavored not-so-guilty pleasure, straight from the 1980s.

HIGH ANXIETY (Mel Brooks, 78). Folded, VG
Mel Brooks falling though the vertigo? With that hilarious title song running through my head? HAD TO HAVE THIS! To wit: "High anxiety / Whenever you’re near / High anxiety / It’s you that I fear / My heart’s afraid to fly / It’s crashed before / But then you take my hand / My heart starts to soar / Once more / High Anxiety / It's always the same / Oooh, 'Xiety / It's you that I blame / It's very clear to me / I've got to give in / High anxiety / You win."

HIGH FIDELITY (Stephen Frears, 2000). Rolled, NM
A pop-culture listmaker such as myself had to include this one-sheet in his collection. Props to the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night album cover reference!

HIGH ROAD TO CHINA (Brian G. Hutton, 83). Folded, NM

 
HILLARY AND JACKIE (Anand Tucker, 98). Rolled, 2 copies, NM
Faces-only poster bore me usually, but when the faces are Rachel Griffith's and, especially, Emily Watson's (my god, those eyes of hers), I tend to make exceptions.

THE HIRED HAND (Peter Fonda, 71). Folded, G
An underseen low-key western, directed by Fonda himself. And with Warren Oates in tow, too!

 
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (David Cronenberg, 2005). Rolled, NM
This is a Cronenberg movie I respect more the more I see it. The poster was perhaps the best ad image of its year. I'd like to see more playfulness with focus fields like this one-sheet features so well. And I add: I always found amusing the film's double-meaning title.

THE HOSPITAL (Arthur Hiller, 71). Folded, Style B, G
Hideous artwork...I'd prefer to have the simpler style A one-sheet. But I admire the movie, written by Paddy Chayefsky. It certainly provides the finest directorial moments from Arthur Hiller (only his work on 1979's The In-Laws comes close to besting it).

HOT SUMMER NIGHT (David Friedkin, 57). Folded, NM
What the hell? Is this real? Did they really hang this up in theater lobby's in the late 50s? Wow! And wait...that's not Leslie Nielsen there, is it? I've never seen this movie, but the first chance I get to, I will! An unparalleled one-sheet! I will not give it up.

HOT FUZZ (Edgar Wright, 2007). Rolled, NMOh well...not great stuff here, but I revere the two stars and director Edgar Wright. The movie ain't nearly as good as Shaun of the Dead, but I'm still on board as a fan.

HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS (Dan Curtis, 70). Folded, VG

HOW HIGH (Jesse Dylan, 2001). Rolled, NMThis may be the king of all post-Cheech-and-Chong pot comedies. Wait... Half-Baked probably comes first, now that I think about it, and Smiley Face comes in at third place. But, whoa, do I love this movie!

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING (David Swift, 67). Folded, VG
Beautiful 60s retro stuff going on here. And Bob Fosse's name is on it! Yay!

HURLYBURLY (Anthony Drazan, 98). Rolled, VGThe only scene I liked in this movie was Anna Paquin's one-moment appearance as a NYC call girl. But I dig the poster, if only because it includes her and Garry Shandling.

My Movie Poster Collection: I

Remember that you can always click on the images themselves to see them (hopefully) larger:

I WALK THE LINE (John Frankenheimer, 70). Folded, VG
I bought this at first glance. I had never heard of the movie, but the sight of a golden-age actor (Gregory Peck) giving what for to a hippie-age actor (the beautiful Tuesday Weld) is too dynamic to ignore. I saw the movie after I bought this. I liked it alright, but I wondered if something more authentic could've been had. Still, an amazing poster, with a strong shout-out to Johnny Cash.

I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND (Robert Zemeckis, 78). Folded, VG
I LOVE this movie. It's my movie. It's my baby. And the poster is yellow and bright, and it has terrific copy, and it features Wendy Jo Sperber, Theresa Saldana, Eddie Deezen, and Nancy Allen. What the frick?? This was a must for my collection.

IDA (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2013). Rolled, M

AN IDEAL HUSBAND (Oliver Parker, 99). Rolled, VG
I like the movie, and the stars, but I dislike the poster. ZZZZZZZ--zaaa? Wha? Don't bother me, I'm sleeping...

THE IDIOTS (Lars Von Trier, 98). Rolled, VG
Another unfortunately ugly movie campaign. I understand why it is as such, but it don't make for a convincing sale. Nevertheless, the movie is outstanding.

I'M ALL RIGHT, JACK (John Boulting, 59). Folded, VG
Is this the oldest poster in my collection? Going 52 years old--pretty elderly for a piece of paper, it seems. This early Peter Sellers (supporting) vehicle is a classic of British cinema, but I found it deadly dry...maybe I needed to be British to appreciate it. Or maybe I wasn't in the mood. It happens, y'know?

INHERENT VICE (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014). Rolled, M.

INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch, 2006). Rolled, NM
It was a miracle I got this poster, but I did. I think there were very, very few of these produced (at our pre-screening at the Plaza in Atlanta, Lynch offered to whatever # ticket-buyer a special door prize: a silver-signed copy of this poster. It's cleanly pressed on thick card stock, with strange art that punches much differently up close than it does from far away. Thus, it regularly creeps me out maybe more than any other David Lynch one-sheet. Also, outside of Eraserhead, the poster is the most rare of Lynch's movie graphics. Love that I have it.

  
INNOCENT BLOOD (John Landis, 92). Rolled, NM. 

INSIDE MOVES (Richard Donner, 80). Rolled, VG
This looks like it was done by one of the great poster artists...maybe Drew Struzan. But I can't find any info on who did it. No matter. Even if the poster sucked, I'd have to get it, because Inside Moves is absolutely one of my favorite sleepers. I interviewed director Richard Donner back in 1985--in one of the most unusual ways, sitting on a park bench in downtown Atlanta--and he revealed to me that it was his personal favorite of any of the works he'd done up to that time. There you have it. It's now released on DVD, so view it forthwith!

THE INSIDER (Michael Mann, 99). Rolled, NM
An incredible movie, one that gets better with each viewing, somehow. The one-sheet reflects this quality. It's perfectly designed. I won't part with it.

INTERIORS (Woody Allen, 78). Folded, VG
One of Woody's most majestic one-sheets, with elegant typography and an obvious photographic reference to Ingmar Bergman. The shot included is the final shot of the film, and it is superb. "RENATA: The water's so calm. JO: Yes. It's very peaceful."

INTO THE NIGHT (John Landis, 85). Folded, G. A forgotten entry into John Landis' ouvre, unjustly so.

IRMA LA DOUCE (Billy Wilder, 63). Folded, G
My copy has a FOR ADULTS ONLY sticker pasted on it. Saul Bass may have done this poster art; Billy Wilder can't remember (which is not as surprising as it should be). That said, no one has any proof the art belongs to Bass. But what do you think?

IS PARIS BURNING (Rene Clement, 66). Folded, VG
Wow! This one-sheet is outstanding! So much crisp to read copy and jagged graphics to take in! I really, really love this piece. And the movie is underrated--huge cast and on-point crew does well with a script co-written by Francis Coppola and Gore Vidal!

My Answers to the Good Professor.

Geez, I just haven't been able to sleep all night. Not after reading PROFESSOR DAVID HUXLEY’S LABORIOUS, LICENTIOUS SPOTTED-LEOPARD LABOR DAY FILM QUIZ on Dennis Cozzalio's consistently terrific Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule. The questions were just too surprising, thought-squeezing, and weird to get out of my head. So I had to reply to them here. You can read the rules over at SLATIFR, and leave any contributions you may have there, or here. I hafta say: This was a helluva lotta fun!


1) Classic film you most want to experience that has so far eluded you.
Jerzy Skolimowski's Deep End or Paul Williams' Out of It.



2) Greatest Criterion DVD/Blu-Ray release ever
I would have to say Fanny and Alexander, just because it's my second favorite movie of all time and I waited two decades to see it in its full version. But their dazzling collection of Brakhage films comes real close to besting it, for much the same reason. Seeing each of these on Blu-Ray might blow my eyes out.

3) The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon?
The Maltese Falcon, of course. Much more precisely directed, obviously more intelligible, and the supporting cast--Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, and Elisha Cook Jr.--seals the deal.

4) Jason Bateman or Paul Rudd?
Paul Rudd, definitely, if only for that one amazing scene in Wet Hot American Summer where, at Janeane Garafalo's insistence, he phony-laboriously cleans up the plate of food he just sent sailing onto the cafeteria floor. Brilliant stuff.



5) Best mother/child (male or female) movie star combo
It's hard to argue with Ingrid Bergman and Isabella Rossellini, now, isn't it?

6) Who are the Robert Mitchums and Ida Lupinos among working movie actors? Do modern parallels to such masculine and no-nonsense feminine stars even exist? If not, why not?
There could be some modern Robert Mitchums and Ida Lupinos out there, but present-day ideals of what's considered "movie star" good-looking have changed from that period. For instance, most male stars these days were initially cast in breakthrough roles because of their boyish good looks. Problem is, they STILL look like boys (Cruise, DiCaprio, and the like). They don't look like they could stick someone in the gut with a bayonett like Mitchum and, say, Lee Marvin (really) did. And, likewise, most female stars look like little girls and are shunted away from great parts once they STOP looking like girls (and, anyway, screenwriters are not crafting tough parts for women like they did in the 40s and 50s). The most dangerous-looking, square-jawed men out there are Jon Hamm, Jason Statham, and Tom Hardy, I think. And it seems like Charlize Theron, Rose McGowan or January Jones could do a tough moll like Lupino, but they don't have her quirky mouth.

7) Favorite Preston Sturges movie
For the movie itself, I'd say Sullivan's Travels. But for pure laughs, I'd go with The Palm Beach Story.

8) Odette Yustman or Mary Elizabeth Winstead?
Odette Yustman? Wait, lemme IMDB her...okay. Odette is a little bit prettier but, man, she's been in a lotta movies I refuse to see. At least I've seen Grindhouse and Live Free or Die Hard (both of which I enjoyed). And I plan on seeing Final Destination 3 and Scott Pilgrim, so I give Winstead the win.



9) Is there a movie that if you found out a partner or love interest loved (or didn't love) would qualify as a Relationship Deal Breaker
I once broke up with a woman after I took her to see A.I Artificial Intelligence. She hated it, because she was a school teacher and couldn't brook all the cruelty being heaped on the boy. I kept telling her "But he wasn't a boy...he was a robot." I thought this was an essential starting point to a deeper conversation. No go. Her refusal to even discuss the movie made me see red, so I stopped calling her. I was no more beset with viable female alternatives then than I am now (which is to say: none). So, these days, the deal-breaker movie would have to point to some larger issues underneath by which I could not abide. Say, for instance, if she cheered at Michael Moore Hates America. Get my drift?

10) Favorite DVD commentary
I have to list three: (1) the hysterical fake commentary delivered by "Kenneth Loring," artistic director of "Forever Young Films," on the 2001 DVD release of Blood Simple; (2) Martin Scorsese's adoring remarks on the 2004 DVD release of Robert Wise's The Set-Up, and (3) Ronald Neame's honest and complete accounting of the making of The Poseidon Adventure on the special 2-disc edition.

11) Movies most recently seen on DVD, Blu-Ray and theatrically
DVD: Player Hating, Maggie Hadleigh-West's deeply moving bio-doc of Brooklyn hip-hop artist Half-Mil. Theatrically: The Kids Are All Right, Winter's Bone and Inception--on the same day, in the same theater. VHS: The Great Santini. Never seen a Blu-Ray.

12) Dirk Bogarde or Alan Bates?
Hmmm...this requires a refresher course. With Alan Bates, I've seen and liked Whistle Down The Wind, Georgy Girl, Zorba The Greek, Far From The Madding Crowd, The Fixer, Women in Love, The Go-Between, An Unmarried Woman, The Shout, The Rose, Britannia Hospital and Gosford Park. With Dirk Bogarde, I've seen and liked Victim, The Servant, Darling, Accident, The Fixer, Oh! What A Lovely War, Death in Venice, The Night Porter, A Bridge Too Far and The Patricia Neal Story. Though I think Bogarde's performance in The Servant is the best out of the two bunches, I'll give the edge to Alan Bates for his slightly more powerhouse resume.

13) Favorite DVD extra
The 70 minute audio-only interview with Stanley Kubrick on the 2001: A Space Odyssey two-disc special edition DVD/Blu-Ray. I waited my whole life to hear the man speak at length; until this disc's release, he was a visage without a voice. Hearing his dignified Bronx accent was, at last, a mystery revealed.

(What an incredible photo here, by the way: Kubrick, on NYC's 42nd Street, with the words "THE MIRACLE" on his left and "BELIEVE IT OR NOT" on his right!)

14) Brian De Palma’s Scarface—yes or no?
I'm embarrassed to say that, when I first saw Scarface in the winter of 1983, my 17-year-old self considered it the movie of the year. I went back two weeks later and wondered what the hell I was thinking. Never before or maybe since had a movie fallen from my good graces so quickly. It's a cultural touchstone, yes, and it should be seen. But, although Pacino is often amusing in it, it's a shithole movie.

15) Best comic moment from a horror film that is not a horror comedy (Young Frankenstein, Love At First Bite, et al.)
"We're gonna need a bigger boat." Jaws. The audiences in 1976 invariably screamed with laughter, because it was the perfect line to hear after jumping out of our skins upon seeing Bruce for the first time.

16) Jane Birkin or Edwige Fenech?
I haven't seen one Edwige Fenech movie; her corner of the filmmaking world is not my deal. Jane Birkin, then, if only for Blow-Up, Evil Under the Sun, A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries, and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

17) Favorite Wong Kar-wai movie
In The Mood for Love.

18) Best horrific moment from a comedy that is not a horror comedy
Malcolm McDowell pulls a sheet back and discovers what sort of medical experiments he's submitted himself for in Lindsay Anderson's O Lucky Man!


19) From 2010, a specific example of what movies are doing right…
Looking at Mad Men, Louie, and Breaking Bad (and certainly the upcoming Boardwalk Empire), the real talent is shifting over to long-form storytelling on TV. It seems like a great move, too, because TV is bravely telling the tales we long to get from movies, and in finer points. Only the much-contested Inception has astonished me in cinemas this year. I'm certain that will change next week when I begin reporting on the New York Film Festival's offerings.

20) Ryan Reynolds or Chris Evans?
Ugh. What a choice. I guess Ryan Reynolds, though I still hate looking at his meatball mug. He was okay in Adventureland, though, and I'm hoping Buried will be good. (POST NOTE: Buried WAS good. Reynolds has a bonafide notch on his belt.)

21) Speculate about the future of online film writing. What’s next?
I concur with Tony Dayoub's answer to this question. I have a hard time writing for no money, and can easily see myself reducing my input on this blog down greatly once work comes my way. That said, and again, speaking for myself, when that day comes, I might just settle down to do a weekly podcast rather than spending hours on writing. I could then transmit just as much passion for the subject in a fraction of the time, though admittedly not as eloquently. (Or am I fooling myself? Is my writing as good as I hope it is? I can't tell...no one leaves comments on my site. I often feel I'm writing for no one but myself.)

22) Roger Livesey or David Farrar?
Roger Livesay. His performance in A Matter of Life or Death is astonishing.

23) Best father/child (male or female) movie star combo
Ryan O'Neal and Tatum O'Neal, forever together in Paper Moon.

24) Favorite Freddie Francis movie (as a director)
As director, I'll easily go with his version of EC's Tales From The Crypt (though I was one of the few who liked his adaptation of Dylan Thomas' The Doctor and the Devils). But he's really had more impact on cinema as a photographer. There, the contest is close, but I'll go with his work on Jack Clayton's The Innocents over his also-perfect lensing of David Lynch's The Elephant Man.


25) Bringing Up Baby or The Awful Truth?
The Awful Truth. Not even a second thought about that.

26) Tina Fey or Kristen Wiig?
Tina Fey. She seems smarter, and I like that little scar on her mouth (she still has that, right?)

27) Name a stylistically important director and the best film that would have never been made without his/her influence.
How could Bob Fosse have made All That Jazz without Federico Fellini showing him the way?

28) Movie you’d most enjoy seeing remade and transplanted to a different culture (i.e. Yimou Zhang’s A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop.)
How about a Bollywood version of Pennies From Heaven?

29) Link to a picture/frame grab of a movie image that for you best illustrates bliss. Elaborate.
If I may cannibalize a previous blog entry, for my Cinema Gallery collection:

First love's pure bliss in A Little Romance. (George Roy Hill, 79; PHOTOG: Pierre-William Glenn). The absolute soaring of my heart--really, it was beating out of my chest--upon first experiencing this moment when I was 12 years old will never, ever, ever leave me. The feeling returns every time I see the film again.

30) With a tip of that hat to Glenn Kenny, think of a just-slightly-inadequate alternate title for a famous movie. (Examples from GK: Fan Fiction; Boudu Relieved From Cramping; The Mild Imprecation of the Cat People)
I have been chomping at the bit to contribute to this always-hilarious meme (thanks, Glenn), so I'll give it a try with five titles:
A Few Prefer It Rather Warm
Das Sub
To Mock A Killingbird
The Gospel According to St. Ides
Outhouse Five

Did I pass?