View Obscura

Fathom Events has a great lineup of classic films screening throughout the year. Here are a few that Terri and I are planning on seeing. North By Northwest 65th Anniversary May 19th & 22nd An advertising executive (Cary Grant) finds himself in a lethal cross-country chase after being mistaken for a spy. Nominated for three Academy Awards®, including one for screenwriter Ernest Lehman, the film also features iconic performances by Eva Marie Saint and James Mason.

Tonight while I was going through some of my files I stumbled upon a group of images of some lobby card and poster designs I created for my online store Atomic Robot Comics (previously View Obscura Comics). I used to sell  prints of these in sizes from 8 x 10 inches to 24 x 36 inches. They actually sold quite well but when my family moved I couldn't find a local printer so that part of my business simply went away. Recently I did find a new printing company but after a four year absence I found that there wasn't much of a market for these anymore so I never added them back to the store. I had a lot of fun creating these and I chose some of my favorite movies as subject matter. On of my favorites is a Creature From The Black Lagoon lobby card that I created from some of the elements the original lobby set that Universal produced in 1954 combined with an publicity image I had. To add some style to the piece I included a green and black rendering of a photo that the late actor Be...

Through his rear window and the eye of his powerful camera he watched a great city tell on itself, expose its cheating ways...and Murder! Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’ (1954)  From Pop Horror What does it mean to say that an artist has changed your life? It would mean that he or she, somehow with their art, permanently shifted your perception of the world. It’s a rare occurrence when this happens, and there are few artists throughout history who have been capable of achieving such a feat for me… and Alfred Hitchcock is one of them. I can safely say that the man changed my life. Hitchcock made me afraid to shower and afraid of heights, and with one particular film he made 65 years ago, he made me afraid of my neighbors. It’s astonishing to think that Rear Window (1954) is as old as it is because it still holds up so well. Having recently revisited the film in preparation for this piece, I was surprised by how relevant and relatable the film remains. I think that sentiment spe...