Ever wonder what the Batman franchise might look like if Neil LaBute wrote and directed it? Comedy Central’s Matt Tobey did too.

Anyone raised when the VCR became a common household item and VHS was still king is sure to remember those long walks down the seemingly endless aisles of the local mom and pop video store – those clunky, oversized plastic treasures beckoning to be rented, taken home, and enjoyed in the comfort of one’s own living room. The striking artwork on a number of those clamshell cases was so luridly vivid that it seemed to dare the indecisive movie lover to pass it by, such was the case with the cover of Don Jones killer-in-the-woods frightener The Forest – the image of two crazed eyes peering wildly from behind prickly branches and hand firmly clutching hunting knife hinting at horrors that might make the average viewer give up camping for the foreseeable future.

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Ahh, nothing like some new Drew Struzan goodness to start off the week. Feast your eyes on the final Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull one sheet, brought to you by one of the industry’s best and brightest illustrators.

The artwork was unveiled at USA Today this morning and looks to be one of the hottest Internet news stories of the day.

As far as its quality goes, Struzan once again delivers a solid design, with major emphasis on the extraterrestrial influence as can be seen in the glowing crystal skull, though the illustration is a bit less graphic than expected — with less of the artist’s patented outlining on display. Other than that — love that Marion smile, as well as the return of the jungle theme once equated with the series’ art before the dusty settings of The Last Crusade.

After the jump, enjoy a bigger version of the new ad art, along with a refresh of the already released teaser poster.

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Got a high-octane action flick (perhaps of the comic book variety) that you’re looking to sell to a multiplex crowd and wondering what music to slap over that seizure-inducing, seven-frames-per-cut-maximum trailer… might we suggest the track “Hell Above Water” by the now-defunct UK electronica-goth legends Curve?

Perhaps one of the most under-appreciated and influential techno-based bands of the 1990s, Curve was the collaborative creation of guitarist Dean Garcia and Toni Halliday, and created atmospheric music that could be at once ferocious, vulnerable, sensual, and hypnotic. Don’t believe us? Take a listen to any Garbage album and try to deny that it’s a more mainstream reworking of the exact same musical model. As enjoyably poppy and radio-friendly as the music of Garbage may be, it sounds downright anemic compared to the overwhelming sonic assault of their primary influence.

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Inspired by the Kung Fu Flicks series I had previously posted about and still lamenting the lack of fun choices on Detroit area movie screens, yours truly has partnered with Synapse Films and the Emagine Theaters to cook up a mondo bizarro movie series that is absolutely guaranteed to overload your cerebral cortex with some of the most outrageous cult films ever produced!

Every Thursday evening in April, Detroit area moviegoers are invited to come out to the Novi Emagine and experience the seedier side of cinema as we present a series of $7 double features featuring everything from punk rock zombies and flesh-eating schoolgirls to alien parasites, demonic heavy metal bands, debauched detectives, and gore drenched winos!

This isn’t Rodriguez and Tarantino’s Grindhouse folks… this is the REAL DEAL!

The complete schedule follows the jump.

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Well here it is — the Jones trailer the world has been waiting for. And how hot is it? Smokin’ says us. As far as scorecards go, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’s action looks huge — with lots of Indy swinging, whipping, running and dishin’ out quips as only he can. Spielberg also serves up an iconic silhouette shot (which he references in the official site’s latest video on Jones’ trusted fedora) and goes lengths to remind audiences that this aging action star still has a whole lot of fight in him. Oh yes, and for all of you scared of a certain young actor screwing things up — the good news is that Shia LaBeouf is hardly in the 1:45-minute trailer, though curiously, so is Karen Allen. One thing is for sure, there are plenty more surprises left in this sucker. In a day and age when Hollywood spoils everything online before a film even is released, it’s good to know that one of the most anticipated flicks of all time still has some guarded tricks up its sleeve. The countdown has begun — let May 22nd not come fast enough!

Click here to see the tease in wondrous HD.

UPDATE 2/15/8: For anyone that was wondering just what the heck was going on with Ray Winstone’s CG waistline at the 57-second mark, Ain’t It Cool did some digging and stumbled upon some E.T. rerelease-styled computer trickery. It seems that the filmmakers might’ve been forced by the MPAA to erase out a group of soldiers that were pointing guns at our favorite fearless archeologist and his new British buddy. If that’s not bad enough, an American flag was also added into U.S. teaser as well. Photographic proof can be found at the link, along with a path leading to the International trailer.

The Kung Fu Flicks series at National Amusements theaters is well underway, and moviegoers are having a hell of a good time at the local multiplex. The projected video (occasionally VHS in origin) has been at best poor-to-adequate, the dubbing atrocious, and the action ridiculous… and the viewers can’t seem to get enough. On the heels of their successful “Attack of the B Movies” series in the summer of 2007, programmers at National Amusements were looking to keep the spirit of the drive-in alive on local screens by expanding the scope of their series’ to include some of the strangest kung-fu movies ever committed to celluloid. Whether you’re into kung-fu or not, one would be hard pressed to deny that they’ve accomplished their goal with this series featuring a truly gonzo programming schedule and a nifty little selling gimmick.

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Few in the movie industry have had quite as big of an impact as John Alvin, renowned poster designer, whose death at the age of 60 has once again sent us down nostalgia lane as we look back on glorious ad art gone by. The Internet Movie Poster Awards have a statement from his family, with other sites chiming in with their own memorials. Here at AMG, we’d like to commemorate Alvin’s life with this collection of his work, spanning such films as Cape Fear, Gremlins, E.T. as well as a host of others. His legacy will live on in his superb illustrations and deft design schemes that made him a go-to guy for the likes of Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks and Walt Disney Animation during its successful run in the ’90s.

Most recently Alvin was featured in the Blade Runner Collector’s and Ultimate DVD editions, both of which dedicated a feature to the iconic ad art of the groundbreaking film. Click through the jump to see what made Alvin one of the most highly regarded draftsmen in the business.

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