My Movie Poster Collection: C

As always, click on the poster for a larger image: 

THE CANDIDATE (Michael Richie, 72). Folded, F
Terrific image, with political newcomer Robert Redford having his face obscured by bubble gum. Still one of the most intelligent movies about politics around (perhaps even more relevant today), with an Oscar-winning script by Jeremy Larner. I love this poster, too, for its lack of a tagline, though its notation at the bottom is memorable enough: "This advertisement has been paid for by Warner Brothers, who would love for The Candidate to be a winner." Brilliant.

CANDY STRIPE NURSES (Alan Holleb, 74). Folded, G
A "sexy" movie I remember seeing at the drive-in as a kid. May have been my first glimpse of some tit. The crazy explosion between the woman's legs (with the guy on the motorcycle flying) makes me smile!

CAPE FEAR (Martin Scorsese, 91). Rolled, P
The artwork, by John Alvin, may be a tad overdone (something about those eyes, which are obviously not De Niro's), but still, I think this remake is one of the few that actually betters the original, because the conflict between Cady and the family he's terrorizing is made more primal and moralistic.

CAPRICORN ONE (Peter Hyams, 77). Folded, VG
A great poster for those moon landing deniers. Not a movie that holds up, though. My second poster with a boxed-in image of unusually self-satisfied co-star O.J. Simpson, who's now quite literally boxed in, thankfully.

CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU (Carl Schultz, 83). Folded, VG
A low-key little Australian movie that I have a little affection for. Great title, by the way.

CARNY (Robert Kaylor, 80). Folded, G
One of the most unfairly overlooked movies of the 1980s. Gary Busey's performance out of clown makeup is highly amusing, and IN the clown makeup, is radically frightening. Great supporting cast in this one--Elisha Cook, Meg Foster, Craig Wasson, Kenneth MacMillan, Tim Thomerson, Woodrow Parfrey, Burt Remsen, Teddy Wilson and George Emerson as the unforgettable Fat Man. Plus, this is probably the only time you'll get to see Jodie Foster in a corset, and Robbie Robertson in a lead role. The director has disappeared but, boy, does he have a handle on this grimy world.

CARRIE (Brian De Palma, 76). Rolled/folded, G
A classic poster, because it knew what the film's classic images would be. I like, too, that it mirrors the split screen in the equal-measures sweet and horrifying central prom sequence.

CASUALTIES OF WAR (Brian De Palma, 89). Rolled, VG
Not a classic, either as a poster or as a film. Sean Penn's face here is ridiculous.

THE CELEBRATION (Thomas Vinterberg, 98). Rolled, VG
I usually don't like these faces-only posters, but somehow this one works (maybe because of its jagged quality). Or maybe it's because I love this movie beyond words.

CHANDLER (Paul Magwood, 71). Folded, VG
Warren Oates looks like a donkey here, and that's why I bought it.

THE CHANGELING (Peter Medak, 79). Folded, G
A terrific horror film, with a memorable tagline. I only wish the art was a little sharper, but it'll do.

CHILLY SCENES OF WINTER (Joan Micklin Silver, 81). Folded, VG
You can really feel United Artists, nearing Heaven's Gate bankruptcy, scrambling to get this poster out there. The inset photo of Charles and Laura together looks sloppily pasted on. In reality, the poster doesn't look as bad as it does here. But, as this is one of my top 20 movies of all time (and the first one I chose to review on this blog), I have to love, love, love it.

CISCO PIKE (Bill L. Norton, 72). Folded, VG
This is a prime example of great 70s graphic design. The colors, the layout, the type, the writing, and the movie itself (nearly) are all perfect.

CITIZEN'S BAND (A.K.A. HANDLE WITH CARE) (Jonathan Demme, 77). Folded, VG
All-type posters are extremely rare and extremely strange, and attractive, to me. This is one of the strangest out there, particularly since the movie has an incredible cast (Paul Le Mat, Candy Clark, Charles Napier, Ann Wedgeworth, Roberts Blossom, Bruce Magill, Marcia Rodd, and Harry Northup) and an equally terrific Altman-esque sweep. Another forgotten movie I wish more people would see. How ANYONE went to see it, with this poster, is a mystery.

THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN (Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 95). Rolled, VG
Absolutely gorgeous one-sheet for an absolutely stunning film. No complaints here.

CLAIRE'S KNEE (Eric Rohmer, 70). Folded, VG
A treasure. Not only is this my second favorite Rohmer (after The Green Ray/Summer), the one-sheet perfectly illustrates its subject's premise better than any other poster I can think of, at least at this moment.

THE CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR (Michael Chapman, 86). Folded, P
Perhaps the best poster ever for the worst movie ever. My copy has a tiny imperfection in it, but I love it just the same. When I look at it, no thoughts of the movie come into my head; it's just simply a fine work of art.

CLUELESS (Amy Heckerling, 95). Rolled, VG
I feel so wistful now, thinking of the relative innocence of this movie. Really, when it came out, I thought Alicia Silverstone was going to be a great movie star. Still, when I look at Heckerling's movie, I wonder why it never happened, cause Alicia is so vibrant in it. Seeing the plumper, cuter Brittany Murphy there makes me sad. I really liked her. RIP.

COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER (Michael Apted, 80). Rolled/folded, G
Perhaps the very best musical biopic ever produced, with Sissy Spacek transformed into Loretta Lynn right before our eyes. As much as I love Tommy Lee Jones in this film, I'm glad he's only slightly included here (even though it's almost as much his movie as it is hers).

THE COLLECTOR (William Wyler, 65). Folded, VG
Creepy poster, creepy film. I admire the simple tagline, and the inventive slicing of the main image.

THE COLOR PURPLE (Steven Spielberg, 85) Rolled, NM
Great poster art by John Alvin! Excellent condition. Wish I loved the movie more! 

COMA (Michael Crichton, 78). Folded, G
I bought this poster simply because I love that shot of Genvieve Bujold wandering amongst all those strung-up coma patients. I do have a deep affection for the film, too--it's Crichton's most suspenseful production. By the way, excellent logo!

CONRACK (Martin Ritt, 74). Folded, G
The young Jon Voight. I still can't understand his genetic connection to Angelina Jolie, beyond those lips. Superb movie, by the way, based on the teaching career of its Georgia-born author, Pat Conroy, as you can discover reading the type on the poster.

CONTACT (Robert Zemeckis, 97). Rolled, G
Not a poster I like--too plain--but I do cherish this brave film...at least, most of it (I dislike the visual treatment of the ending).

THE CONVERSATION (Francis Ford Coppola, 74). Folded, F
Excellent on all counts. I don't think I could ever give this poster up, even if it does have a small tear in it. 

COOKIE'S FORTUNE (Robert Altman, 99). Rolled, VG
Another late-career lamo one-sheet for Robert Altman. Still, it's Altman, and I have to have it. I do like that the late, lamented Patricia Neal is featured on here, though. That might be a first in her career.

COUNTDOWN (Robert Altman, 68). Folded, VG
Still one of the few Altman movies I haven't seen. The poster is extra two-tinted cool, though, and printed on non-glossy paper, which I always find to be a plus. And I love anything to do with astronauts...

CRASH (David Cronenberg, 96). Rolled, G
Again, red and black--always a winner. This very well may be the best Cronenberg poster out there (his one-sheets tend to be on the dull side). That bizarrely censored image of the nude Deborah Kara Unger is enough to take your mind off the less creative four-red-faces design at the top.

CRIES AND WHISPERS (Ingmar Bergman, 73). Folded, review sheet, VG
Unlike many poster collectors, I think review sheets are fun to have, because they can provide you with lots of reading as they're hanging on your wall. And who wouldn't want to read about a great movie like this?

CRY FREEDOM (Richard Attenbourough, 87). Folded, G
I don't care for this film, but somehow the poster's artwork keeps me hanging on.

CUJO (Lewis Teague, 83). Folded, G
Dull coloring for an intermittently effective horror semi-classic.

CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION (Woody Allen, 2001). Rolled, VG
Ugh. I have this only because I'm a Scorpio.

CUTTER AND BONE (A.K.A. CUTTER'S WAY) (Ivan Passer, 81). Folded, VG
This might be one of the rarest pieces in my collection, since it's for a movie that has a cult following under the title of Cutter's Way. This is a BETTER poster than the Cutter's Way version, which should tell you how much the then-beleaguered United Artists screwed up in promoting this wonderful modern noir title. See this film immediately, if you haven't already.