24x36: A Movie About Movie Posters (2016) User Reviews

Wanted so much more out of this

[Mr-Fusion · 5/10 · 5 November 2021]

If you've seen anything on movie advertising, you know what you're getting with 24x36: celebration of the art form, a brief history, all of that . . .

... kind of.

The effort is made and the usual suspects are present - Drew Struzan, John Alvin - for the most part (no Saul Bass??). But that accounts only for the first third of the movie; the remainder is devoted to Mondo and its contributing artists, third-party scarcity, etc. It is a tonal shift to be sure, and that narrative swerve sucked the air right outta this thing. I would argue that Mondo is an industry unto itself, and might deserve it's own documentary. In this particular case, it's a competing interest.

Couldn't get past the title at first

[Dredd13 · 5/10 · 29 April 2017]

So I finally got past the title. It's a phenomenally crappy title, given that the standard "movie poster" size is a one-sheet, which is 27"x40/41"

The trick is this movie spends way more time focusing on "unofficial" movie-related screen-prints which *are* 24x36, which is a bit of a disappointment. I'd rather they spent more time documenting the history of movie posters and the stories behind those posters, than focusing on some random artists doing unofficial work.

A Fun Trip Down Memory Lane

[jasonisageek · 7/10 · 18 August 2017]

I don't know how this one flew under my radar, because movie posters are one of my many passions, and a documentary about just that very thing would have immediately stuck in my head. But alas, I somehow missed this one. And I'm not entirely sure how I came across it now, but it looks like it was released back in 2016, but I guess it's never late than never. So let's dig in.

I think the topic of movie posters, and their ever-changing and evolving style is such a brilliant idea for a documentary. It's a topic that's rarely ever discussed anymore, except when complaining about the prices that any new Mondo release goes for. As for the state of movie posters in general, it's pretty sad, and I know I'm not the only one who really dislikes where they are right now with the big studios. Movie posters used to be an art form, just look at any of them beginning with the 20's going on through the 80's. Each decade offered a different style, but each very much an artistic endeavor, with the work being done in the 80's being a critical and commercial high point. Once we got into the 90's, it all started to change, with photography creeping into the format more and more and hand-drawn or painted artwork going out the window. And it's only gotten worse with Photoshop, where every single new film is either a floating head of the star, or a badly rendered collage of images from the film. Just look at most of Marvel's superhero films. Though I am loving DC's Wonder Woman marketing campaign and their colorful almost art deco approach to her posters, as well as Kong: Skull Island's classic artistic approach.

Personally I found this documentary to be highly enlightening, and thoroughly entertaining. It's not perfect, but a very fun way to spend 2 hours of your life, especially if you're an artist or collector of movie memorabilia. For the most part, I really enjoyed it, but I felt that it devoted too much time to the state of modern-day posters today rather than the art and skill of it in decades past. Meaning, a good chunk of this film's running time is pretty much spent on Mondo and other's like it, which is cool because they are the ones who reinvigorated the "hand-drawn movie poster" movement, but I really would have liked to have learned more about the older posters and their artists, which they do touch on early on, but I guess not enough for my liking.

At the same time it was interesting getting to see in person the artists that I currently follow, some of who's work adorns my walls, and their thoughts on the current movement and where it's headed. It also brings up an issue that I have with these new posters, and that's the flippers who buy the extremely limited quantities out within seconds and immediately flip them around for ridiculous fee's on eBay in a matter of minutes. I knew I wasn't the only one who had an issue with this and I was glad to hear from the artists themselves how it pretty much makes them sick that some (flippers) are only in it for the money and take so much away from the collectors who just want one to hang on their wall, not for profit. It's good that most new companies out there that do the same thing are mass producing them instead of limited runs of 100 like Mondo, that way anyone can get one if they want. I like that idea.

Definitely worth a watch and it's a fun one at that. Just wish so much time hadn't been spent on the current movie poster crisis, and instead focused on the classics and their lasting appeal compared to the over- Photoshopped nightmare we're currently in. But I get it, trust me I do. There's a resurgence and an urgency and art about the movie poster format and it's because of companies like Mondo and others. Hell, I still try to grab one from time to time because some of them are just too killer. One thing's for sure, watching this will definitely get you into wanting to track down some old favorites, or even check out what new artists are doing with them these days. www.robotGEEKSCultCinema.blogspot.com

A review for the clueless who are wondering why they should watch a movie about movie posters

[rooprect · 17 February 2019]

My review is positive, but I can't add much that hasn't already been said by other reviewers who are more knowledgeable. So instead I'll offer a perspective that hasn't yet been covered here.

If, like me, you know NOTHING about movie posters (aside from maybe recognizing the iconic Jaws image of a buxom beach beauty being stalked by an underwater creature that can only be compared to a Mesozoic dinosaur) and are simply interested in this title because the subject is so bizarre you figure it has to be a hilarious mockumentary, then unfortunately you'll be disappointed. "24x36" is exactly what it claims to be, no more, no less, "A movie about movie posters."

But don't run away yawning just yet. Although I thought this film missed a great opportunity to approach the subject in a fun, cheeky and dramatic way (like "Ambassadors of Hollywood" about people who make a living by dressing up as movie characters and strutting down Hollywood Blvd for tips), "24x36" still delivers. It's informative without getting over the heads of newbies, and by appealing to our sensibilities as art lovers, it proves its point that movie posters are an equally important part of art culture. My only gripe is that it just hits the subject head-on as if you, the moviegoer, specifically want to see a movie about movie posters.

In that respect, parts seemed a bit dry to me, since the entire 82 min experience is composed of interviews with people you don't know, and, with the exception of one charmingly quirky character (I can't remember his name, but he's the artist who talks about getting a gun and ending it all), all the interviewees are normal people. In other words, no drama, no suspense and no real mystery.

Before you yell at me "This is a documentary, not Orson Welles' The Third Man!" let me point out that it's possible to have an informative documentary whilst having a little fun at the same time. For example, Orson Welles' own "F for Fake" is a documentary about art forgeries, and Welles manages to draw us into a clever little story, and ultimately a wonderful practical joke payoff, while also approaching the subject very seriously. Another great example is "King of Kongs", a documentary about a videogame tournament that weaves a heart-pounding rivalry between the 'good guy' and 'the douchebag'.

Here in "24x36" they flirted with this dramatic approach in the way they suspensefully introduced "Rob" the eccentric director of Mondo. Before we see a stitch of him, we get a slew of people talking about him and his bizarre behavior. Next we see him but only half of him, not his face, only his lower half dressed in a flamboyant rose colored suit that looks like something out of Prince's hand-me-downs. A+ for that style of filmmaking; I would've liked to see more of that stylistic approach just to spice up the show a bit.

Instead most of this documentary is straightforward. There are some real gems of information, and there are a couple of individuals whose opinions on movie posters, and art in general, are extremely thought-provoking. But unless this documentary has your full attention, it's easy to find your mind wandering a bit, just as it would during an 82 minute college lecture.

In the end, I was satisfied with having learned a lot which gave me a much deeper appreciation of the archaic (yet still going strong) art of movie posters. It's a well made documentary with good edits and eye catching visuals. But if you were hoping for a quirky, offbeat, humorous documentary, I would first check out the aforementioned "Ambassadors of Hollywood" (comic con fans), "King of Kongs" (80s videogames), "F for Fake" (art forgeries), as well as my favorite documentary ever, about a has-been 80s metal band attempting a comeback, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil".

Movie art

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 4 November 2017]

A film of two halves. We see the development of film posters as advertising to sell movies. It was not regarded as art. We see the work of notable poster artists of the recent times. John Alvin, Richard Amsel, Drew Struzan. People who worked on Jaws, Star Wars, ET, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, Alien.

In the 1990s, the art of the film posters declined. We got floating heads lit in various ways. The film posters showed you the stars of the film, such as Face/off. Horror movies were no different. Exhibitors, video shops wanted the faces of the stars. Even if a director wanted some fancy art work he would discover that power ultimately lay with the film executives and they all went for something identical.

The second half of the film was about money. The value of old film posters, the rare ones exchanging for thousands and those companies recreating posters for classic films whether it is done legitimately or not. Some companies such as Mondo have been instrumental in the resurgence of movie artwork.

An interesting, novel subject matter but I felt lacking somewhat. I wanted more on the history of the film poster.

Two different films - I was into one of them

[rmgaspar-49er · 6/10 · 16 December 2021]

It depends on what you expect from the title, which could be seen as a bit misleading. I was jumping up and down in the first 30 min, with the history of movie posters, great examples, the artists who were big. How illustrations were great, but lost space. I thought they would go then into the bad models that generate 300 similar posters nowadays...but then it drifted away.

The so-called "second movie" is about illustrations and artistry. Models created as an alternative to the official posters, and how there is a market and a community around these models. It's certainly a good topic, full of art and value, but not connected to what I expected. Probably better posters than the original, art, but...another thing. It becomes "a movie about posters that could be *the* movie posters (but aren't)".

I just don't think it ended the discussion of how the industry has dealt with posters. That was just a great introduction to bring the alternate world as the main course. If you are into it, you should really this doc.

Finally A Film About A Little-Known Area of Film

[gavin6942 · 8/10 · 7 November 2016]

A documentary exploring the birth, death, and resurrection of the illustrated movie poster.

Early on, the film tells us a great truth: posters are often more iconic than any one scene of a movie. "Jaws" comes to mind, as do others, where it is the poster that has become the popular image. And yet, do any of these names sound familiar: John Alvin (1948-2008), Bob Peak (1927-1992), Reynold Brown (1917-1991), Richard Amsel (1947-1985), Drew Struzan (b. 1947). Probably not, though they were the giants of the poster art world.

The studios saw the posters as advertising, not art. And while that is true in the strictest sense, it left many great artists unappreciated. More often than not, no signatures were allowed on the posters, and the work from the earliest years in now anonymous. Who painted the great posters of Frankenstein's monster? We will never know.

As anyone who lived through the 1980s-1990s knows, in the late 80s, there was a shift to photography, with the idea that artistic posters might suggest an animated film. This claim that pops up again and again, and sounds absurd on its face, but one scene actually has a focus group looking at posters and making the exact same comment.

The "art" in poster art took a dive in the 1990s, leaving us with "floating heads" and the same layout was used over and over again. For horror fans, this was evident in the teen horror films ("Scream", "Last Summer") and has not really stopped. Even the more creative posters today seem to rehash the same poses and images over and over and over. Is poster art dead? No. Because "24x36" covers a longer history, a new trend. Not just the history of lithographs and the decline of posters, but its new resurgence thanks to the rise of Mondo, its eccentric leader Rob Jones, and the new art from specialty Blu-ray labels like Scream Factory and Arrow Video. And this generation of artists, such as Gary Pulling, are not anonymous.

"24x36" is a much-needed piece of film history. There are many biopics, and there have been focuses on the special effects. Those behind the scenes are finally getting their due. But what of the painters and sketch artists who really drove the images into our collective, pop culture imagination? Now their story can be told!

Feature-length infomercial for Mondo poster collecting

[bob-308-356367 · 4/10 · 25 July 2020]

First off, I'll say that I enjoy documentaries about artists making art. As one myself, I have skin in the game and like seeing process stuff. But that's not what I expected here. I rented this title assuming it was an actual documentary about the history of film posters. But after it briskly covers that in the first 20-ish minutes it spends the rest of its running time hyping Alamo Drafthouse/Mondo, the posters they make and the collectors that love them. This was a real bait and switch, and it does real disservice to anyone interested in movie posters and their history. It's also incredibly lazy filmmaking. This isn't a documentary; it's lipservice to fandom. And when it starts talking about what Mondo posters are worth on the secondary market it becomes a very crass exercise. I kept expecting there to be an 800 number at the bottom of the screen saying "Order now!"

When I think of all the people still living that they could've talked to and didn't. It's like they decided, "Let's go to Austin," and that's it. And you see the blown opportunities all over it. They have Bill Stout, a guy who's done some amazing posters. Did they talk to him about those posters? Nope. Never even mentioned that he's done any. They have Joe Dante, a living encyclopedia. Do they bother talking to him for more than a couple of moments? Nope. Does Drew Struzan get any screen time? Nope. OK, there already is a feature length documentary about him, but a cameo? Nothing? If it's about the resurgence of illustrated poster art, does it extend beyond anything Mondo does? Is the UK's Graham Humphreys featured? Nope. Just one blown opportunity after another. Call this "Mondo: The Art of Groovy Posters". I paid for a documentary; I got a feature-length commercial.

A must for anyone starting the hobby!

[redneckdevil · 10/10 · 4 May 2017]

Finally got round to watching this on Sky last week and loved it, was nice to here artists talking about there work and likewise from the fans,For someone new to the print hobby it gave a fair bit of information about the hobby itself.I liked that it didn't just focus on official prints but had a good mix of both official and unofficial work.

infomercial for mondo

[marcag · 3/10 · 3 April 2021]

First 30 minutes is about real posters for classic movies. The rest focuses on new posters for old movies. These are not real posters imho. The movie turns into a commercial for mondo, the company that sells these posters. Was hoping to see more about development of movie posters in hand with creating of the movie.

Decent half-hour intro to Posters and then little more than a fan film

[gortx · 17 December 2020]

The first half hour or so of 24x36 is a fair enough, if cursory, overview of the history of movie posters. The Documentary focuses mainly on the 50s to the 80s and such artists as John Alvin, Bob Peak, Reynold Brown, Richard Amsel and Drew Struzan and includes some interviews with an about them (including some vintage footage). Movie poster collectors and dealers are also interviewed. But when the movie turns to towards the late-80s and 90s and the era where photo-shopping photos rather than original painted artwork started to dominate, it takes a sharp turn. Director Kevin Burke becomes enamored with Mondo, an offshoot of the Alamo Drafthouse and turns over his movie into a veritable infomercial. Mondo specializes in producing original pieces of art geared towards cult and fanboy movie favorites - Star Wars, Lord Of the Rings, Tarantino, Carpenter etc.. Some of the posters are no doubt striking, but, when you see collector after collector talk about how you can 'flip' a limited edition $60 poster into thousands of dollars in a matter of hours it kind of shows how misplaced the priorities are (for both these so-called 'fans' -- and this Doc itself). If the Mondo section was a little side diversion that would be one thing, but, instead the bulk of the rest of the movie mainly revolves around all the knock-off and cash-in artists who were 'inspired' by the Alamo company. The gold rush in Nostalgia posters is breathlessly detailed -- setting aside the fact that almost none of these works ever actually end up being used to promote actual films. At the very end, we see how a few of these Nostalgia posters have been used to sell mainly re-issue DVDs and Blu Rays, and in rare cases, an actual movie or two (usually tiny indies). 24x36 certainly has some eye-catching art to view, but, it's a messy Doc about a subject that is worthy of a proper Documentary.

8.6?

[tinmc-13302 · 2/10 · 26 April 2017]

A fascinating subject poorly documented.

Some horrible audio at least distracts from the complete over use of adobe after effects.

Almost all the interviews are unbelievably badly recorded, it almost seems like they forgot to bring a mic and just did it all in camera.

Some of the animated posters are a nice idea but it gets old quickly.

Still watchable but could do with a few fixes here and there.

Love old posters, this film, not so much

[Pegasus-10 · 3/10 · 3 April 2022]

Wanted to see more of the posters, maybe by decades (not re-imagining old ones.) The interviews were mainly tiresome. Don't care how the people came to be poster artists. Repeated ideas and interviewees who speak poorly (and look like they didn't expect to be in a documentary.)

amazingly inarticulate people

[odradek5-673-169082 · 3/10 · 17 June 2023]

Yes, it's 20 minutes of a bad documentary about the nature and history of movie posters and the rest is a bad documentary about people talking about their business.

What's amazing is how inarticulate they all are. It's as if they have had a few drinks and are put on the spot with a question they've never thought about before. It's not just that they can't put a sentence together, they can't even say what they mean---they have to act things out like little plays because they can't find the words (that they would have stumbled over anyway). My favorite was the guy trying to say that the business expanded exponentially: "It went whooo!", using his hand to suggest an airplane. In some parts, it's completely opaque. For example, when they are talking about obtaining rights, it's all "They were like uhhh, and we were like ohhh..."---I couldn't make sense of any of it. Are they for or against this? If they can't put it into words, maybe they don't even know what they think.

I gave it three starts because, before the infomercial begins, there was a little bit of talk about movie posters, although it's mostly, "Gee whiz, look at this"---no significant history, technique, or back story. What were studio poster departments like? They don't seem to care.

I've rarely been so disappointed by a documentary.

Bait and Switch on the Subject Matter

[gulag · 5/10 · 30 March 2022]

So I just watched 24 X 36. As it is not a bad documentary. But ironically on many levels the film is promoted as something it isn't. That is, everywhere on the packaging and in the copy it is sold as a survey of the history of film posters. (Granted the trailer mentions 'fans' recreating movie posters.) This is what I was interested in. But this really isn't the subject matter of the doc. The largest part of the film deals with the Mondo posters and the collectors market for alternative posters. But actual film poster history is given a short shrift.

For instance, Saul Bass is mentioned as the most important graphic poster designer of all, yet only in conjunction with a Mondo poster artist wanting to remake a version of Saul Bass's poster for Hitchcock's Vertigo. Less than a minute of screen time. And no information about Saul Bass is given at all, including why Bass is so important. Early movie posters are glanced over in a few scant minutes, as mostly made by unknown artists. Yet I wanted to see a discussion on film poster history. The only two periods mentioned in 'any' depth are the 50s and the 80s. And the 80s come across as some sort of apotheosis, which it wasn't.

Then comes the all-consuming nightmare of bad photo manipulated headshots of stars that has continued into the present. And while you get a few people discussing the change into this truly catastrophic mode, the important reasons for why this happened are largely omitted in the rush to get to this films true purpose; the collectors market for alternative film posters. If this had been titled the Mondo posters movement I certainly wouldn't have bought the Blu-ray.

I was hoping to see anything about foreign film posters. Or on the amazing posters made in Poland or the Czech Republic during the Iron Curtain era. But I know why this happened, for the very same reason that the poster art has degenerated into digital photoshopping. By current era documentary filmmaking logic you can't do an actual history of something, you need to tell a specific story. And the history of film posters is not a personal story. But the modern artistic film poster recreation phenomenon is. . But hey then sell THAT. It shouldn't have been sold '...as a movie about movie posters'

Like I say, not a bad documentary, yet it was a bait and switch on the subject matter. And it will probably take a long time before someone can tackle this subject again.

And why is the actual poster for the film such a muddled piece of art?

Nostalgiafest

[name99-92-545389 · 5/10 · 6 March 2021]

To add to the other reviews, the sole engine driving this documentary is nostalgia. Which is a real shame...

I watched hoping to learn something about the business side of movie posters. After all, through some cultural osmosis we can all look at a movie poster and, with 95% accuracy, judge the genre, the valence, the budget, the extent to which we will or won't like it. That's a pretty impressive communications medium! And it has been getting more and more efficient; the posters are, in some "what should I expect" sense more accurate than ever, with very few attempts (in my experience) to deliberately portray the movie as something it's not (less so, substantially, than the trailers).

So I would find fascinating a documentary about that, about how companies, artists, and the public, all evolved this implicit communication. With surrounding issues like -- how much do movie posters vary from one country to another, and why? How many are tried before the final one (or few) are chosen? Are there any stories of notoriously poor poster choices (or exceptionally good ones)?

But this movie is none of that; it's wall to wall nostalgia. The movie posters from the childhoods of everyone interviewed were the best, things have gone downhill since then, a few brave renegades are making things better by (in some fashion) recreating that nostalgia. It's mildly interesting in the sense that it's always entertaining to see a few minutes of someone spending vast amounts of energy on something you consider pointless or actively misguided (honestly I not only think today's movie posters are astonishingly sophisticated compared to the 70s or 80s, I also think they're more attractive on average). But that mildly interesting can sustain 20 minutes or so, not this full documentary.