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We live in interesting times. It is now possible to buy the wonderfully cheesy 1976 King Kong ripoff A*P*E on blu ray. Yes, now you can watch a man in an ape suit wrestle a sedated "giant" shark for twenty minutes in glorious 1080p high definition.
But you still can't be the original un-messed with versions of The Original Star Wars Trilogy on blu. There ain't no justice.
By the way, I'm sure the fact that Kong: Skull Island premieres in theaters this week had absolutely NOTHING to do with the timing of this blu ray release.
Hey, it's time for another installment of "DVD Doppelgangers," in which I search the video store for DVD covers that are a little too similar to be a coincidence.
First up we have the 2009 horror film The Collector. It had a pretty cool premise: a burglar breaks into a home, only to discover someone far worse is already inside, torturing the family who lives there. He too becomes trapped inside the house, and has to rescue himself and the family from... the Collector.
Unfortunately, what could have been an above-average horror movie with a unique plot played out like a lame made for TV Syfy movie that somehow ended up at the cineplex by mistake. Not worth your time.
Next we have the 2009 horror movie Blood Creek. I've not seen this one and I know nothing about it, except that it was directed by Joel Schumacher. He's the guy who put nipples on the Batsuit in Batman Forever and Batman And Robin, so it has to be good, right?
The main font and layout is quite different on this DVD cover, so I'll give the designer credit there. But the big image of the back of the big giant scary head right in the middle-- sorry. I'm calling the Concept Police.
Welcome to another installment of "DVD Doppelgangers," in which I search the video store for DVD covers that are a little too similar to be a coincidence. I've got my eye on you, lazy graphic designers of the world.
Tonight we have the DVD cover of the excellent horror-comedy Zombieland. I really liked this movie a lot, and if you've not yet seen it, I highly recommend it.
Next we have the DVD cover for Vampire Killers. Once again, even though I've not seen this movie, it seems familiar somehow...
Let's examine the cover more closely...
• Muted, almost black and white desaturated color palette? Check!
• Ominous stormy sky? Check!
• Reddish title, set in all caps and angled at 8º? White text above said title? Check and Check!
• Hero dressed in black, holding shotgun against shoulder? Check!
• Ancillary characters arranged behind hero? Check!
• Mud splatters along the bottom to give the cover a grungy "grindhouse" feel? Check!
• Altering the original cover art to mimic a high-grossing recent American release and hopefully ride on its successful coattails? That's a BIG check!
Vampire Killers is actually a recent British release, and just for fun, here's a look at the original DVD cover art. As you can see, if you don't get too distracted by the top of the cover, the title is actually Lesbian Vampire Killers. I'm assuming that it's about killers who eliminate lesbian vampires, and not about vampire killers who happen to be gay. I'm also assuming the title was changed to something less provocative so as not to offend Aunt Bee and her prudish coven of church ladies here in America. Would society really have reverted back to the Bronze Age if a DVD called Lesbian Vampire Killers was released to stores? Sometimes I wonder about the future of this country. But that's a post for another time.
It's said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. What about a "blatant ripoff?" Is that considered flattering as well?
Here's the DVD/poster art for the movie Burn After Reading. I saw the movie in the theater when it came out and liked it a lot. I was also a big admirer of the poster art, and studied it while waiting in the lobby. Something about that layout and the 1960s hand lettering really spoke to me.
Apparently I wasn't the only one impressed with the poster. Here's the DVD cover of I'll Believe You. Even though I've not seen the movie, something about the cover seems familiar... I just can't put my finger on it. Other than the layout, the number and arrangement of boxes containing actor's faces, the title in the middle, the names listed across the top, the similar font, and the call out quote box on the left, they're totally different.
But this cover has a flying saucer on it, so there's no way it can be swiped from Burn After Reading.
By the way, despite what the designer of this poster would like you to think, that font is not hand-lettered like the Burn After Reading title. It's called "Addled" or "Ad lib," and is freely available all over the internet.
Then we have the DVD cover for The Maiden Heist. It too seems familiar, but again, I can't quite figure out why. As you can see, the boxes containing the actor's faces are separated by colored dots, so it can't possibly be a ripoff.
Once again they've used a free internet font to simulate the hand-lettering of Burn After Reading. The identical Es and Is are a dead giveaway.
Stay tuned for more DVD Dopplegangers!
First up we have the 2009 horror film The Collector. It had a pretty cool premise: a burglar breaks into a home, only to discover someone far worse is already inside, torturing the family who lives there. He too becomes trapped inside the house, and has to rescue himself and the family from... the Collector.
Next we have the 2009 horror movie Blood Creek. I've not seen this one and I know nothing about it, except that it was directed by Joel Schumacher. He's the guy who put nipples on the Batsuit in Batman Forever and Batman And Robin, so it has to be good, right?
Tonight we have the DVD cover of the excellent horror-comedy Zombieland. I really liked this movie a lot, and if you've not yet seen it, I highly recommend it.
Next we have the DVD cover for Vampire Killers. Once again, even though I've not seen this movie, it seems familiar somehow...
Vampire Killers is actually a recent British release, and just for fun, here's a look at the original DVD cover art. As you can see, if you don't get too distracted by the top of the cover, the title is actually Lesbian Vampire Killers. I'm assuming that it's about killers who eliminate lesbian vampires, and not about vampire killers who happen to be gay. I'm also assuming the title was changed to something less provocative so as not to offend Aunt Bee and her prudish coven of church ladies here in America. Would society really have reverted back to the Bronze Age if a DVD called Lesbian Vampire Killers was released to stores? Sometimes I wonder about the future of this country. But that's a post for another time.
Here's the DVD/poster art for the movie Burn After Reading. I saw the movie in the theater when it came out and liked it a lot. I was also a big admirer of the poster art, and studied it while waiting in the lobby. Something about that layout and the 1960s hand lettering really spoke to me.
Apparently I wasn't the only one impressed with the poster. Here's the DVD cover of I'll Believe You. Even though I've not seen the movie, something about the cover seems familiar... I just can't put my finger on it. Other than the layout, the number and arrangement of boxes containing actor's faces, the title in the middle, the names listed across the top, the similar font, and the call out quote box on the left, they're totally different.
Then we have the DVD cover for The Maiden Heist. It too seems familiar, but again, I can't quite figure out why. As you can see, the boxes containing the actor's faces are separated by colored dots, so it can't possibly be a ripoff.
