Eric Garza, Creative Director
In no particular order…
THE GRADUATE by Rory Kurtz
This is likely my favorite movie poster of the year. Expertly rendered and carefully thought out. This poster just works. Rory has come out swinging and I can’t wait to see what other tricks are up his sleeve in the new year.
DAZED AND CONFUSED by James Flames
James has an innate ability to narrate a scene visually. Here we have Mitch laying on his bed, headphones on listening to his Foghat 8-track, after a day/night that he will not soon forget, just taking it all in. It’s a quiet scene that’s beautifully rendered and cleverly incorporates many iconic elements (of which there are several) from the movie sprinkled across the bedroom. We’re gigantic fans of Richard Linklater and his films. He’s a real Texas treasure and getting to curate a show celebrating his work is a true feather in the hat of 2016.
THE VVITCH by Aaron Horkey
This is an amazing piece of art for one of our favorite movies in recent memory. We gained a new cultural icon in Black Phillip and I’m so thankful we have a piece of art celebrating him from the hand of Aaron Horkey. It’s rare that Aaron includes human figures in his work and it’s always a treat when he does. Even with something as a minor as a few hands/arms, their submission and devotion to Black Phillip is palpable.
C-3PO by Mike Mitchell
The colors! The textures! Everything about this piece is stunning. Mike is a master at what he does and it’s been a joy to see him play in the Star Wars sandbox all year.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Set by Tom Whalen
The InfoRama series was a lot of fun to work on and produced several pieces that could’ve easily been featured here. Tom’s approach to treat this set by focusing on four iconic TMNT eras is next-level good. It’s a testament to Tom’s talent (and the IP itself) that these work so perfectly together as a unit despite spotlighting four very different representations of these characters. Thrilled Tom obliged me by making using Donnie for the film version. Fun game: when you see Rob, show him a random turtle and ask him which one it is. He’s usually got an ~10% chance of success.
MULHOLLAND DRIVE by Tula Lotay
We’ve wanted to work with Tula Lotay for some time and I’m glad we were able to check that box this year. This poster enchants and pulls you in with its dreamlike color and aura. Like a spell that can’t be broken leaving you disoriented and hypnotized.
ALIEN by Jay Shaw
This is a tough nut to crack. When you have a recognizably iconic creature design, instinct tends to suggest not going the opposite direction. Jay’s approach to design and concept is unparalleled. He makes it all look too easy. And when he told us he wanted to print this one on "X-Ray" paper…
UNDER THE SKIN by Matthew Woodson
Woodson had an absolute banger of a year. From Bone Tomahawk to Nice Guys to Drive to the triptych of Netflix Marvel heroes. Not to mention the work he did on his own - give him a follow on IG if you don’t already (@ghostco). Under the Skin though... top to bottom, from concept to execution… the guy is a wizard. Bravo, Mr. Woodson.
JAWS by Phantom City Creative
Justin Erickson/Phantom City Creative is an absolute treasure. I mentioned last year when discussing Nicolas Delort’s Jaws poster, how tough it is to do something great for this film with such an iconic original poster by Roger Kastel, as well as the handful of great solutions we’ve done in years past. Erickson confidently stepped up to the plate and delivered a home run, but on top of that he gave us a page worth of concepts that all could’ve been winners. It’s tough to make the “dual image” thing work, but here he's done it beautifully.
THE CONJURING by Randy Ortiz
This is probably my favorite modern horror film. Randy has really honed in and perfected the marriage between his charcoal style and how to replicate that in a screen printed medium. The results are stunning and this artwork is straight up creepy. No better match of artist and subject.
