Look, it’s time to face facts; modern day movie posters are unbelievably lame.  Unless you just have a particular fetish for floating heads, you probably recognize that the occasional great movie deserves something better than just a collection of floating heads of the movie’s top-billed cast on its movie poster.  I know I think so, and by the looks of it, Matthew Chojnacki, author of more than one book about this kind of pop media art, thinks so as well.

He is so convinced, in fact, that he scoured the interwebz and put together more than two hundred independently created, unofficial movie posters for his upcoming book Alternative Movie Posters: Film Art from the Underground.  The biggest requirement for inclusion beyond being awesome was no official license from the subject studio—that is, the poster must come from the virtual underground of the internet.  And thanks to the The Verge, we have a few examples of some of the inclusions.

These examples favor some science fiction classics but have more than a few dramas in the mix.  The point is, that if you have not seen any one of these films, then you have a new homework assignment.   Put down your Miley Cyrus-Justin Beiber mash-up and sign up for a quick study on some of the more significant and enjoyable movies of modern times.

Now let’s start it off with Bambi, which understandably looks a lot like The Deer Hunter and understandably so.

Then we come to Beetlejuice, which does not read like home stereo instructions.  If only you could call in the ghostest with the mostest to fix Tim Burton…

Do you like the (artificial) owl?  If you can’t stay awake through one viewing of Blade Runner then you are (most) likely an empathy-lacking replicant and in need of retirement.

Chances are that you probably have seen at least one of The Avengers movies, and this poster makes Iron Man look like Master Mold.  Game. Set. Match.

Jennifer Connelly matches wits with David Bowie in a Jim Henson-powered near freak-out, make sure you channel your inner child so as to be properly warped by Labyrinth.

Jacque Cousteau has nothing on Steve Zissou, and this is your chance to become a junior member.

There is only one concept that knows no language barrier, and that is a dying Murphy turned RoboCop, so make sure that you don’t work for Dick Jones.

Awesome Movie Posters from the Underground are Awesome

Back in 1987, the entire universe was stunned by the public disclosure of RoboCop, or as some know it, The Man Who Be a Robotized Cop Starring Peter Weller.  That 1990s powerhouse of cinema achievement and fusion of movie genres would be followed by multiple film sequels, TV series, comic books, and even video games.  Each attempt to reignite the magic of the first film struck audiences like another wound to the mighty but fallen RoboCop.

The year is now 2013. The ghosts of failed RoboCop sequels have been summoned.  There is to be a new fusion of man and machine. A new addition to law enforcement’s virtual arsenal.  A new RoboCop. Also, there will be a new ED – 209.  Both are to be featured in the new movie with new origins.

To help usher in the next-gen, modern-day Frankenstein, we have the combined credibility of Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, and one Michael Keaton.  Keaton is, of course, intimately familiar with acting while masked by a famous icon of fiction.

Originally, RoboCop fought criminals, corruption, bureaucracy, toxic-waste monsters, and the mean streets of Detroit.  He even used stairs against a giant killer whale-looking co-worker.  But this new Robocop faces a much tougher enemy: the footsteps of history.

Certainly, the legacy of RoboCop, and all that it entails, could easily fell the most well-meaning remake.  And thus, this new RoboCop’s mission  prime directives are clear.

1. Serve the public trust by wearing the metal mantle
2. Protect the innocent by projecting the legacy of RoboCop
3. Uphold the law, the law of the urban jungle

And of course…

4. *CLASSIFIED*

Here is the trailer:

Only 2014 will reveal the true nature and hidden directive of this new RoboCop movie, but even dead or alive, we will never forget the enduring icon that is RoboCop.

Dead or Alive, Here is the New <i>RoboCop</i> Movie

RoboCop & Detroit.  For some, the two are synonymous.  In recent years, Detroit has struggled to redefine itself through various car commercials. However, one thing has been missing, the ever vigilant RoboCop.

Fortunately, through one of the most relentless Kickstarter campaigns ever and with a dogged refusal to give in to the wishes of Detroit’s municipal government, RoboCop will once again rise out of the ashes of Detroit.  Never mind that upcoming film remake, this Robocop will be part man, part machine, and all bronze statue.

Nearly $68,000 crowdfunded dollars are being poured into the 10-foot colossus.  The source comes licensed from MGM via Fred Barton Productions, which will supply you with a 1:1 scale RoboCop for your house for a mere $7,900. After working through multiple production phases involving 3D laser scanners and fabrication machines, the project has reached the point where the final product can be glimpsed.  Behold!  The bronze cast will come from this form and maintain this look.

One detail remains unset.  At the project’s inception, it seemed like the statue would have to settle in whatever location would be willing to have it.  Fortunately, the tenor of the search for the statue’s exact home has almost completely changed.

Since the project leader, Imagination Station Detroit, vets possible sites, the future of Detroit as the home to a giant bronze RoboCop seems secure. Sadly though, while RoboCop is poised to stand watch over the Motor City, chances of another giant statue, say of ED-209, seem slim as there are several flights of stairs between ED-209 and a giant bronze ED-209 statue.

Don’t forget to check out exactly how Peter Weller feels about the project:

Detroit is the Once and Future Home of RoboCop