Anyone who has visited either my home or my old college dorm knows that I like a good movie poster. I would wallpaper multiple rooms in them if I could. Here are some of the best-looking movie posters of this past year that adorned the lobby walls of your local west side Chicago movie theaters. Just to note, I held this list down to just movies appearing in 2012, even though plenty of great looking posters and marketing materials are already out for 2013 movies. Refer to the slideshow for the matching images to go with this list.
1. Argo-- Ben Affleck's third directorial effort and sure-fire multiple Oscar nominee has a very clever poster with the shredded paper reconstruction look, alluding to a key plot element. It's a combination of cool elements that stands, for me, as the best of the year.
2. Looper-- This poster for Rian Johnson's sci-fi thriller is simple and extremely effective to show the inevitable comparison between the two leads. The debris/smoke in the middle is a nice touch.
3. Skyfall-- I really like the unconventional credits placement and the extend-beyond-borders pose and logo for this huge James Bond hit. It's simple, but different from the usual extravagant Bond poster.
4. Django Unchained-- Quentin Tarantino's teaser poster is solid, simple, and a good throwback to symbolism being the strength of a good poster over pretty faces.
5. The Master-- The long-winded P.T. Anderson movie might be crap, but the posters shed light into the intrigue and picked your interest. My favorite is the inkblot one seen above in the slideshow.
6. Killing Them Softly-- The series of posters for Brad Pitt's crime drama really hammered the point home of the crumbling America setting. The best is a blown-away Statue of Liberty see here in this slideshow. Like Django Unchained, symbolism reigns.
7. The Paperboy-- This little-seen Lee Daniels film starring Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, and John Cusack in a bayou potboiler boasted the perfect 1970's homage and an interesting use of pink for its poster.
8. The Cabin in the Woods-- The Joss Whedon horror twist uses a very clever play on art with few clues into its own mysteries.
9. Casa di mi Padre-- Will Ferrell's Spanish-language comedy is another excellent 1970s homage right there with The Paperboy.
10. Haywire-- Steven Soderbergh's spy thriller employs a very creative use of hues and shapes while setting the stage for the female dominance in the movie.
11. Zero Dark Thirty-- This film's poster had simplicity that made you stop and read between the lines, literally, while walking the theater lobby.
12. Moonrise Kingdom-- I love the light of this one from Wes Anderson. That yellow tint and fun font follows you from the poster into the movie itself.
13. The Dark Knight Rises-- Like the other posters of the trilogy, this might be a massively PhotoShopped creation, but it hammers home the movie's high impact story and villain.
14. Safety Not Guaranteed-- The poster for this fine independent comedy perfectly uses an effective plot preview with no need to show floating heads or movie star images. The classified ad is enough to grab your curiosity.
15. Silver Linings Playbook-- While the side-by-side couple thing is normally done to death, this asymmetrical delivery with the football X's and O's style in between is a nice change of pace.
16. Wreck-It Ralph-- The 8-bit graphics are perfect!
17. John Carter-- While the mega-budgeted Disney movie overall was not marketed well, this is a great painted image of an interesting new world.
18. The Man with the Iron Fists-- Like Haywire, this poster has a nice use of shapes and imagery to promote its gaudy violence.
19. The Expendables 2-- This badass hero shot is better than The Avengers hero shot poster. Carnage, bullets, and explosions personified!
20. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel-- Finally, to cap off this list, the simple, sweet, and elegant flowers of India give this warm-hearted film a good vibe.
Stay tuned to this site for more "Best of 2012" editorials and content! Thanks for another year of letting me bring you movies, reviews, and fun!
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