Be Careful

Kerry Haggard of Commerce, Georgia was sentenced recently to 6 ½ years in prison for selling fake movie posters as the real thing. He had a New York City printing company make copies of movie posters, such as The Mummy, Frankenstein, Murders in the Rue Morgue and others, he then sold them on Internet auction sites as  authentic movie posters. His scheme was eventually discovered and he was charged and sentenced. Still, many people were fooled by these posters and lost a good deal of money because of Haggard. So, I figured now would be a good time to post some tips to keep in mind if a movie poster purchase is in your future. Yes, I’ve written about this before, still it is a good idea to know what to look out for, so that you won’t be fooled.

Know What You Are Buying
Do as much research as you can on the poster you want to purchase. Google images of the poster and search for information about the movie in question. Sometimes the actors pictured or other features in the poster can increase or decrease the value. If you going to buy a movie poster from a movie that was made before 1980, you need to learn what the dominate sizes were, how many versions of the poster were used during the film’s initial release, whether the poster was rolled or folded, if it has a National Screen Service (NSS) number and so on. There are two websites that I want to mention that can help a collector learn about movie posters, one is Movie Poster Grading Company (http://www.mpgrading.com) and the other is the Learn About Movie Posters website(http://www.learnaboutmovieposters.com/).

The Movie Poster Grading Company was established so that movie posters can be authenticated with a tamper proof tag that lists identifying aspects of the poster such as the title, size, grading, history and other information. This website has a list of known fake movie posters. So, it is a good idea to check out this site before you buy a movie poster. The Learn About Movie Posters website has information about poster sizes, publicity photos and stills from movies, as well as information about preservation of the movie memorabilia and the different kinds of movie posters used in different countries. The more you know about movie posters, the less likely you are to be fooled by a fake.

Ask Questions Of The Seller
A reputable seller, whether online or bricks and mortar welcomes any and all questions, even the dumb ones. If you aren’t getting any answers, you don’t like the answers you are getting or you have a feeling that something isn’t right, don’t deal with the seller.

If A Deal Fell Through, Don’t Feel Bad
If for whatever reason, you weren’t able to get a particular movie poster and you still have your money, don’t feel too bad. If you couldn’t come to an agreement on price or other features, then it was for the best that you didn’t make that purchase. That isn’t to say that the other party was out to cheat you. Still, when making a purchase of an item like a movie poster, things should feel right. If they don’t, shake hands and walk away. Somehow you’ll get the movie poster of dreams. You just need to be patient and educated.

If Something Is Too Good…
Yes, it is cliché, yet true. If you find a Bride of Frankenstein movie poster at a flea market, more likely than not, it is a fake. If someone offers to sell you a Casablanca movie poster for $99.99, more likely than not, it is a fake. While technology helped someone like Haggard to produce a fake movie poster, educating yourself can go a long way in preventing you from being fooled by those who sell fakes.

Of course, my advice remains to not to purchase a movie poster for investment purposes, rather to purchase it for your own personal enjoyment. You can’t go wrong when you buy something that you like.

NOTE: I am not endorsing any company that authenticates movie posters, nor am I endorsing any website that has information about movie posters.  The websites and companies mentioned in this blog entry were listed for informational purposes only.

Sources:
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=247420

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-11/frankensteins-fraudster-sentenced-to-6-dot-5-years-in-prison

http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20120412/NEWS/120419957/1008/sports?Title=-A-look-at-movie-posters

Movie Poster Grading Company http://www.mpgrading.com

Learn About Movie Posters http://www.learnaboutmovieposters.com/

Famous or Infamous Movie Lines

Sometimes movies can generate lines that are just as well known, if not more so, as the movie itself. So, I’ll use this blog entry showcase some memorable movie lines.

“Never tell me the odds.”
Was this quote from:
A.)   Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
B.)   Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
C.)  Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

The answer is B. After escaping via the Millennium Falcon from the ice planet Hoth, Han Solo and Chewbecca take Princess Leia and CP3O, through the Hoth asteroid field in the hopes of alluding Imperial forces. Of course, this is a very tricky maneuver. How tricky? CP3O states that the odds of success are 3,720 to 1, at which point Solo says to not to tell him the odds. Come to think of that’s better odds than hitting the million dollar plus lottery.

“In your eyes, the light, the heat. In your eyes, I am complete.”
Which movie was this line from:
A.)  Say Anything (1989)
B.)  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
C.)  Porky’s (1982)
The answer is A and it isn’t a line of spoken dialogue. It is a line from the Peter Gabriel song In Your Eyes from his album So. Gabriel’s song was the song playing from John Cusack’s character’s boom box as a way to serenade Ione Skye’s character. This song then ended up becoming the love anthem of many a lovesick Generation X’er.

“Do you mind if my friend sits this one out? She’s just dead.”
This line came from:
A.)   The Mechanic (the 2011 version)
B.)   Thunderball (1965)
C.)  Ocean’s Eleven (the 1960 version)
Yes, B. Really, you didn’t recognize it as one of James Bond’s famous one liners? I could do a whole blog entry on Bond’s one liners, since there are so many of them and they’re all so clever. Say, now that’s a thought.

“I gotta see about a girl.”
Which Oscar winning movie did this quote come from:
A.)   Titanic (1997)
B.)   The Lion King (1994)
C.)  Good Will Hunting (1997)

C. In case you don’t know, Good Will Hunting won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay in 1998. This line was spoken by Robin Williams’ character as he was describing the time he first saw his wife. He and his buddies had tickets to the World Series and they were about to go to the game when he saw the girl who was “The One”. He gave his ticket to his friends and said, “I gotta see about a girl.” Wouldn’t it be nice if more guys were as willing to let go of their sports obsession the way Williams’ character did?

“Play it again, Sam”
A.)  Casablanca (1942)
B.)  Christmas In Connecticut (1945)
C.)  None of the above

It’s C. Actually the line goes:
“Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.’ ”
Don’t believe me, go to http://www.afi.com/100years/quotes.aspx and scroll down to number 28 or put Casablanca on your Netflix queue and see for yourself.

“Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!”
I’ll make this a little easy for you. Which Laurel and Hardy film is this from:
A)    Pardon Us (1931)
B)    Sons of the Desert (1933)
C)   Bonnie Scotland (1935)

The answer is B.  Stan and Ollie want to go to the Sons of the Desert (their fraternal club) Annual Convention in Chicago. Their wives won’t let them go. So, Stan hatches a plan whereby a “doctor” (actually a veterinarian) prescribes a Hawaiian vacation for Ollie, without the wife, to calm his nerves. Of course, Stan has to go along to watch over his friend in need. The wives buy it, the boys go to Chicago and no one is the wiser. That is until a few days later when news comes along that the boat the boys are supposedly on has sunk. To kill time until the rescue reports come in, the wives go to the movies. It is at the movies that they see a newsreel featuring Stan and Ollie having a grand ol’ time in Chicago. While the wives are at the movies, the boys return home. I’m sure you can guess what happens next.

“You’re free of the carbonite.”
Yes, this is not a well known quote, still it might be known by certain cognoscenti. So, is this from:

A)    Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
B)    Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
C)   The Last Starfighter (1984)

The answer is B. If this still doesn’t ring a bell, let me describe it for you. A masked bounty hunter who earlier brought Chewbacca to Jabba the Hutt sneaks into Jabba’s lair late at night. The bounty hunter goes to where a carbonite frozen Han Solo hangs. The bounty hunter presses a few buttons and pulls a level and Han Solo is freed from the carbonite. “Who are you?” Solo asks the figure whose voice unfamiliar to him and he can’t see, since being frozen in the carbonite temporarily blinded him. The bounty hunter removes the mask (which also has a device to disguise the bounty hunter’s voice) to reveal that she is Princess Leia and answers “Someone who loves you.” Now do you get it?

So, memorize this list and weave these quotes into the conversation, the next time you are at a gathering. Not only will you look like a knowledgeable cinephile, your friends will be amazed at your knowledge, the object of your affection will want to be with you even more and your enemies will have to submit to your superiority.

Actually, none of these things will happen. Still, it doesn’t hurt to have these quotes handy. You’ll never know when you’ll need them.

Sources:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hoth_asteroid_field
http://videosift.com/video/Say-Anything-boombox-scene-In-Your-Eyes http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059800/quotes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119217/quotes
http://www.afi.com/100years/quotes.aspx (Numbers 28, 50, 60)
http://www.laurel-and-hardy.com/
http://www.screenplays-online.de/screenplay/67  (Scroll down to page 14)