The minimalist movie posters that gained some popularity a while back have reached a new degree of cool with the release of the Quentin Tarantino series by artist Ibraheem Youseff. The most famous were the Star Wars and Back to the Future trilogies which were both quite clever, but my favorites up until now have been the genius minimalist posters for Jurassic Park and The Shining.
Now, Ibraheem Youseff has created the limited edition Quentin Tarantino series featuring mostly-amazing minimalist posters for Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bil Vol 1, Kill Bil Vol 2, Death Proof, and Inglourious Basterds. What, no My Best Friend's Birthday? I'd also liked to have seen partial Tarantino's like True Romance, Natural Born Killers, Four Rooms, From Dusk Till Dawn, Sin City, and a Grindhouse double-bill get the minimalist treatment. I think I would have actually broken down and bought a Grindhouse print. I'm still debating a few others. Full size prints are for sale at Youssef's site, IbraheemYoussef.com for $95 (smaller prints for $32). As I mentioned, the series is limited, so if you like them, you'd better act now. They come signed and numbered by the artist.
Minimal Inglourious Basterds poster by Ibraheem Youssef
Minimal Death Proof poster by Ibraheem Youssef
Minimal Kill Bill posters by Ibraheem Youssef
Minimal Jackie Brown poster by Ibraheem Youssef
Minimal Pulp Fiction poster by Ibraheem Youssef
Minimal Reservoir Dogs poster by Ibraheem YoussefMy biggest problem with most of these minimalist posters, including the Tarantino series, is that you have to be familiar with the film in order for them to make sense. While that is arguably the most appealing element for movie geeks, I'd be more impressed to see a minimalist poster that could actually work in theaters. A poster that pulled of the minimalist vibe but didn't require any knowledge of the finished film to be appreciated would be awesome.
Death Proof is probably the only of these Tarantino posters that works on this level. In that sense, the Pulp Fiction poster may actually work better for Kill Bill. The best example of these not working would have to be Kill Bill and Jackie Brown, where even fans of the films are sometimes left scratching their heads (The Jackie Brown poster would actually work as a theatrical poster for Up In the Air). The others would dumbfound the uninitiated, but are instantly recognizable to fans. My personal favorite is far and away Reservoir Dogs, which is ironic because, even though it is among my least favorite of his films, I am strongly considering a purchase. It is just too cool.
By the way, if anyone is wondering, I am all for the re-working of Tarantino's work on Youssef's part--just as long as Tarantino gets a free set of posters.
Visit Ibraheem Youssef's site to purchase Tarantino prints and view other works like a minimal Curb Your Enthusiasm poster.
