101 Best Movie Posters Commentary

I was informed via email that the Only Good Movies blog/site had used my negative review of The Shining as the featured link for their entry of the movie on their 101 Best Movie Posters countdown. I'd never heard of these guys, but they asked nicely for a callback link, and they offer brief movie reviews, while I've got posting gaps to fill here. Therefore, a commentary on their countdown, and likely irregular inclusion in my new Linkypeux section. Follow the link above to actually view the posters and read their reasoning.

101. The Son of the Sheik: Fairly erotic for a silent picture. Motion picture, I mean. If static figures talk to you, put down the greeting card or seek professional help.
100. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005): Simple, but I've always liked the use of negative space here.
99. Scream: Terrible choice here. Generic as hell.
98. Terminator 2: Ahnold on a bike with a shotgun on my nerves.
97. King Kong (1933): Offhand, I can't think of a bad Kong poster, as they pretty much all feature a gigantic agitated gorilla, a hot blond, and phallic imagery. I think I prefer the '70s poster though, if only for the nostalgia from its appearance in many of my earliest comic books.
96. Papillon: Awesome. This was at a video store I worked at, and this art never failed to catch my eye.
95. Taxi Driver: Never really did it for me. I prefer the mirror shot.
94. The Rocky Horror Picture Show: We've discussed this.
93. Tootsie: Not bad. Never wowed.
92. The Blair Witch Project: Love it or hate it, you've got to admit this poster is not only iconic, but the text still takes hold of your imagination.
91. Escape from Alcatraz: Eastwood has been blessed with some excellent posters in his day. Just look at The Gauntlet alone.
88. Punisher: Yeah, one of the Bradstreet numbers. No, please.
90. Pretty Woman: So very '90s, but damned if it doesn't work.
89. Swingers: Forced perspective FTW.
87. The Man Who Fell to Earth: It's Bowie. 'Nuff said.
86. Evil Dead 2: They chose the first and my favorite of many options.
85. The Mummy (1932): Ohhh, yeah!
84. Clockwork Orange: Not the version you're thinking of, but still great.
83. Alcatraz Island: Never seen it before, but gorgeous art.
82. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: You know you wanna shudder.
81. Bringing Out the Dead: An underrated film whose DVD cover needed this striking image.
80. Spider-Man: I hate these heavily shopped autumnal duds.
79. City Lights: That's just plain art, poster or otherwise.
78. The Untouchables: This one has been lifted for lots of other films for a reason.
77. Matrix: Very memorable and instantly identifiable, yet still kinda stiff and shitty.
76. Freddy vs. Jason: vs. entertainment.
75. La Dolce Vita: My subjective opinion is irrelevant. This is objectively stunning.
74. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York: This looks like a Mad Magazine Fold-In. It reveals Al Jaffe's anus.
73. I was a Teenage Frankenstein: Weird. Not bad, but weird.
72. Andy Warhol’s Bad: Did I stroke to this in my youth? It looks like a Penthouse Forum illustration.
71. Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!: Excellent! Brand new/you're retro.
70. The Italian Job (1969): The O.G.
69. The Flower of My Secret: Unfamiliar, but good.
68. Pink Floyd The Wall: Another one that unnerved the shit out of me as a kid.
67. The Howling: Nice pairing with The Wall. Nowhere near as effective, but still solid.
66. Airplane: Goofy, but that's the point.
65. For Your Eyes Only: Ohhhh, yeah. See Andy Warhol’s Bad above. The British quad is even better.
64. Rocketeer: They show off the excellent teaser poster, much better than the theatrical version.
63. Ghostbusters: Who you gonna call indeed!
62. High Plains Drifter: Eastwood again. Still The Man. I'd also take this one over any of the Leone flicks.
61. Oceans 11 (1960): Nifty French version.
60. World Trade Center: Too on the nose.
59. Marlene: Nice.
58. Halloween: You know the one. The pumpkin knife. Aw yeah.
57. The Shawshank Redemption: Solid, but never wowed me.
56. M.A.S.H.: A justified classic!
55. Mississippi Burning: A new variation to me. A bit too "slasher film," but the floating heads and flaming crosses general edition isn't very interesting, either.
54. Office Space: Not great, not lousy.
53. Frankenstein (1931): Duuuude!
52. Metropolis: I've seen a number of posters for this film, none bad. The movie makes me sleepy, but the visual inspiration is A-1.
51. Dirty Harry: Eastwood again. The tagline is retarded, but the picture works.
50. Dinosaur: Ugh. See gee eye.

You'll have to click the link to see the rest, which are typically more solid than the ones here. There's two more Eastwoods, thought they get repetitive with the big guns. Rock a little Every Which Way But Loose or something. Also, the justifiably forgotten Brando version of Island of Dr. Moreau in the top five is bug fuck crazy talk. The top two bear this out.