If you’ve ever met either of us (or stepped into our respective apartments), you’ll realize two things very quickly:
- We’re huge nerds
- We’re huge movie poster nerds
What started as a love for artists like Drew Struzan and John Alvin and a general appreciation for good art has slowly turned into a joining of a larger community, which we are both very grateful for. Friends and fans and Facebook groups keep us posted about the latest offerings from pop culture galleries like Mondo, Bottleneck and Hero Complex … relieving our wallets of substantial amounts of money and relieving our walls of blank space.
2017 was an incredibly strong year for that aforementioned community, both for limited edition screenprints and for mass-produced movie key art. Artists like Rory Kurtz (I, Tonya and Baby Driver), Paul Shipper (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) and James Jean (mother!) made the leap from relatively niche poster galleries to the lightboxes of AMCs and Cinemarks, a very refreshing change amidst the current trend of blue and orange photoshopped monstrosities.
But there were only 10 (give or take) that were the best over the past 365 days, the majority of which one (or both) of us were lucky to get ahold of and hang on those walls.
Let us know if you agree and which ones (if any) you ended up with!
Darth Vader (Portrait) by Mike Mitchell
He saved the best for (near) last. After a marathon run through the main characters and some of the best background creatures of the Star Wars universe, Mike Mitchell finally gave the fans what they were clamoring for: Vader, himself. With red-tinted lenses reminiscent of Episode 4 and gloss mixing with grime, Mitchell’s portrait rendition of the Dark Lord of the Sith’s helmet is powerful and foreboding and, simply, incredible.
Blade Runner Commission by James Jean
With the release of Blade Runner 2049, the original film received some significant art traction, with several groups commissioning pieces from their favorite artists to see new interpretations of the classic. With a very high buy-in, the James Jean release made huge waves when first revealed after printing, catching many people off guard (and for good reason).
Halloween (Variant) by Matthew Peak
A welcome surprise in 2017 was the reintroduction of Matthew Peak to the poster universe. A prolific and talented movie poster artist in the 1980’s, Peaks teamed up with BNG several times during the year to screenprint some of his most iconic images (from The Nightmare on Elm Street series) and reveal some brand new imagery. This Halloween poster is one of the latter, using spot varnish to highlight Michael Myer’s knife and the terror lurking beneath it.
Alien (Variant) by NC Winters
A fun game: give NC Winters the name of any creature and watch how he turns that monster or alien into a totally unique work of art. Jason and I both had the opportunity to see that in action at MondoCon 2016, requesting a Xenomorph and Greedo, respectively. And his first foray into Mondo movie posters proved to be no exception. The incredible detail and attention he gives to Giger’s monster is breathtaking. (Painted, one-of-a-kind remarques have added even more to the image for a few lucky fans at MondoCon and San Diego Comic Con.)
Baby Driver (One Sheet) by Rory Kurtz
The first (but, spoiler alert, not the last) Rory Kurtz nod on this list, this original one-sheet produced for Edgar Wright’s incredible Baby Driver was the first mass-produced poster of the year that hearkened back to the “good old days” of painted works of art that lined theatres before a movie’s release. It would be even higher on our list if we could figure out how to block out Kevin Spacey’s face on the top left of the image, after what we learned about him later on in 2017.
The Thing by Jason Edmiston
Living in Dallas sometimes makes it tough for us to make the trek to Austin or Los Angeles or New York for the latest special screening or gallery show. But once a year, however, that all changes when Texas Frightmare comes to town. Mondo has been bringing special limited releases for the past few years and their offerings at Frightmare 2017 were no different. Hosting a screening at our local Alamo Drafthouse (with cast and crew in attendance), Mondo revealed two versions of this incredible painting by Jason Edmiston. Originally created for his MondoCon 2016 gallery show with Ken Taylor (where we interviewed him), Edmiston and the team at Mondo really elevated his original piece with incredible typesetting and color. (The remarques he has been doing for very special editions of the piece are equally incredible, including one of John Carpenter, himself. One day.)
Civil War by Tyler Stout
One of our favorite artists tackling one of our favorite Marvel movies, the Mondo release of Tyler Stout’s latest addition to his MCU series is one of his best. When I look at the print on my wall, I still remember the day that they surprised us all by announcing the release (and how hard it was to get this print, finally resorting to winning the artist’s AP lottery after the fact). The print, like many of Stout’s work, tells the story of Civil War effectively, focusing on the iconic airport fight, a scene taken straight from a comic book splash page.
mother! and The Shape of Water by James Jean
Who would have guessed that James Jean’s painted work translates incredibly to movie posters? I mean, we could have. Creating lush backgrounds and haunting detail, Jean’s work for two of the most important modern directors is almost equally important, paving the way for more pieces of beautiful art to be showcased in multiplexes for 2018 and beyond.
Ex Machina (Mirror Variant) by Rory Kurtz
Rory Kurtz is the golden child of the poster community. His second entry onto our list demonstrates one of his first uses of adding something … extra to his variants. While his regular version of the print (a MondoCon screening exclusive) is also incredible, it is the addition of the variant’s printing on foil that takes this print to new heights. An immediate sell-out upon release, we are very excited to see what Mr. Kurtz brings to the table for 2018 (and how much “Kurtz Hurtz” we’ll feel after not being able to buy any of them.)
2001: A Space Odyssey by Matthew Woodson
The absolute best of the year, no question. Premiering at MondoCon 2017 (and acquired by Jason before they sold out on the first day), Woodson crosses theme and art print, as well as an expert use black gloss paper, to show (not tell) what Kubrick’s classic means. And, paired with a similarly stunning companion piece, this is the one print of the year that joins the ranks of some of the seminal classics that Mondo has produced over the past decade.
Woodson’s “2001” includes a gaffe that haunted Kubrick — movie lights reflected in the leopard’s eyes.