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Feb 26, '08 7:15 AM
for everyone

So I was looking for some stationery yesterday, so naturally I went to my local book store. I couldn't get what I was looking for, so I spent a while looking at the DVDs (I'm almost positive that book stores will be the cities of the future; all they need to do is offer lodging, and possibly a pub, and there'll be no reason to leave). While I was there, I noticed a trend appearing on newer DVD boxes.

The formula goes like this:
Close up headshot of lead actor either staring at or facing a point 20% from the front + (1 part perplexed expression + 3 parts steely determination) + an explosion somewhere on the case = success.

Here it is in Michael Clayton:

And again in Déjà Vu:

The Constant Gardener had a fire instead of an explosion, but it's still colourful, hot and dangerous:

Although Die Hard 4 deserves a bit of slack, as nobody ever expected it'd have anything else on it's cover:

And whilst you may think this is a recent phenomenon, I've done some research and it turns out that films have been following this formula for years, it's just that nobody has noticed:

Tags: films

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26 CommentsChronological Reverse Threaded

skinflaps wrote on Feb 26

jinbish wrote on Feb 26, edited on Feb 26

You're right. This trend is worrying. I much prefer Struzan's style of cover art / poster... Some classics:

Star Wars Poster,
Blade Runner : Poster
Raiders of the Lost Ark: Poster

(all with Harrison Ford...!?)

(Well spotted on the Citizen Kane front. I hadn't noticed that cheeky wee explosion before...)

sallybrother wrote on Feb 26

Citizen Kane-the (other) Director's cut

subtractadddivide wrote on Feb 26

Adds detail to algo -
+( Main actor's name/writer/director (all threee) - CAPS
+ RAVE reviews
)

Ha, Deja Vu... Seen it!

drcurry wrote on Feb 26, edited on Feb 26

One possibility: primary buyers of DVDs are guys, and while they want to be sure it is an action movie, not some soppy chick flick, having the hero staring out at them would trigger the male fight-or-flight response, not exactly the kind of reaction you want a potential buyer of a DVD to have. (And boy are they going to be pissed when they get The Constant Gardener home!)

How are DVDs marketed to women, one wonders? I'm guessing eye contact, lots of accessories and pink. Let's see...

unabubba wrote on Feb 26

I loved The Constant Gardener. Beautifully done, totally believable.

drcurry wrote on Feb 26

Hated the book - good plot twists, unbelievably bad ending. And unbelievable, for that matter. I thought they might fix that in the film, but no such luck.

"Absolute Friends" was even worse - a Cold War plot repurposed. The actions of the protagonists made no sense, even given limited knowledge.

unabubba wrote on Feb 26, edited on Feb 26

I was disappointed by "The Quiet American"
I thought they might have actually found one.

You're right about Gardener. He would have just gone home and tried to live a normal life, rather than try to right a massive wrong. It's not in the nature of such people to take risks. "Blood Diamond" suffered the same problems. People wish they did these things but they don't.

Throw out the whole movie industry with its crap plots and happy endings.

drcurry wrote on Feb 26

unabubba said

He would have just gone home and tried to live a normal life, rather than try to right a massive wrong. It's not in the nature of such people to take risks.

I could see the English part of him getting really pissed off, in that passive aggressive way they have (Hi, po!), at the massive injustice of it all, and wanting to tilt at the giants to do something about it. But then to just go quietly and knowingly to a certain death, without even making sure that anything was published first, that made no sense whatsoever, and was completely out of character.

And "Blood Diamond" was a an undisguised advertising campaign for the diamond cartel. The real message of the film was "don't buy diamonds that don't come from Debeers."

skinflaps wrote on Feb 27

unabubba wrote on Feb 27

Can someone do something about the crappy, stilted bullshit that is the Oscars?

Has anyone got Osama's number? WE can ring him and get it removed next year.

drcurry wrote on Feb 27

Um, UB, it's a TV show. As with the day-time soaps, the paid advertising for exercise bikes you will never use, and the televangelicals, no one is forcing you to watch it!

unabubba wrote on Feb 27

Oh, I don't watch it. I just think it should be deleted from the array of trash the Earth produces.

skinflaps wrote on Feb 27

Sod the Oscars, I want to watch that bellydance dvd!

Comment deleted at the request of the author.

drcurry wrote on Feb 27

Actually, her "belly dance" on the video of that song was pretty lame (having seen some real belly dancers, and even comparing it to the dance movements of other singers on past MTV videos, for example, Paula Abdul) (in her prime, that is - haven't seen her on that talent program).

jinbish wrote on Feb 27, edited on Feb 27

drcurry said

Paula Abdul) (in her prime, that is - haven't seen her on that talent program

Comment deleted at the request of the author.

cawze wrote on Feb 27

I thought this was about DVD cases, it isn't it's about the cover inside. The formula to a nice DVD case is slim and use both sides; and no snap tabs.

evilmasterfoo wrote on Feb 27

I am always disappointed in DVD cases especially when the original theatrical poster was usual allot cooler. Look at the original poster on the movie Unforgiven

Now look at the dvd cover

One is dark and menacing. While the other has disembodied floating heads! What the hell!

drcurry wrote on Feb 27

They're clearly putting the star's faces on the cover, for those people who cannot remember the names of their favorite actors. Or maybe cannot read. Probably the latter.

skinflaps wrote on Feb 27

One of my favourites.