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Cinematical has just received these four exclusive character posters for The Men Who Stare at Goats, which hits theaters this Friday, November 6th. And yes, we freely admit that it sorta freaks us out to see four dudes eerily staring down goats in the above (and below) posters, partly because we never ever thought we'd be premiering posters that feature George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey all staring at goats, but also because, well, Spacey looks like he wants to make out with the animal.

Based on the book by Jon Ronson and directed by Grant Heslov, The Men Who Stare At Goats follows a reporter (Ewan McGregor) who stumbles across a fantastical story about a secret unit in the US military that employs paranormal powers in their missions. Reviewing the film from Fantastic Fest, Cinematical's William Goss called it "unpredictable" and "amusing", and after you scope out the four character posters below, feel free to check out the trailer after the jump.

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Cinematical has just received this exclusive new poster for Sherlock Holmes, due in theaters on Christmas Day. No more reserved stuffiness for this detective -- there's not a magnifying glass and classic hat in sight! Talk about a poster that boils the feel of a film down to one snazzy collection of images. Color us not surprised -- Robert Downey Jr.'s confident smirk alone is enough to tantalize, but there's also Jude Law with the campy and inquisitive Watson brow and a background of images ranging from a bottle of poison (cyanide, not any sort of booze) to faded glimpses of Rachel McAdams and Mark Strong. As the trailer and now this poster attest, Downey Jr. and Law are itching for roguish fun of a whole new flavor.

Set in 1891, Guy Ritchie's take on the famous detective finds Holmes and Watson battling an evil cult leader named Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), whose devilish schemes could give the crime-fighting duo their toughest challenge yet. "Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country" (read the full synopsis after the jump). Of course, with a depravity that knows no bounds as he brawls and flirts his way to the truth.

Sounds like the perfect roguish antidote to sappy holiday fare, doesn't it? Click on the image below to view the full poster.

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The scariest movie coming out this year isn't about a murderous psycho or a ghostly demon who terrorizes a couple in their own home. It's Chris Smith's (American Movie, The Yes Men) documentary Collapse, where one man uncannily outlines the dark path our nation and world are heading down. He's no Nostradamus talking about the "great bear from the east" or anything, he's just a normal guy using the same facts and figures available to everyone.

The exclusive poster might only feature the back of his head, but once you hear Michael Ruppert talk (he's a bit like The Smoking Man on The X-Files), you'll realize why the truth is much scarier than fiction. The movie opens in New York on 11/6, Los Angeles on 11/13, and will be released on cable video on demand on the Cinetic FilmBuff channel on 11/15. Bug your provider now if you don't already get it -- this is one you definitely don't want to miss.

Check out the full poster by clicking the image below.

A dizzying array of elements are involved in creating a movie poster -- everything from contractual requirements dictating the size of the stars' names to psychological studies on which colors and fonts produce which emotions in viewers. But Ron Henriques at Latino Review suggests there might be more to it. In a very amusing article -- or an infuriating one, depending on how seriously you take it -- he shows multiple examples of what he considers racist "rules" in the way minorities are shown in posters.

For example, Henriques says it's only OK for a minority (he's mostly talking about African Americans) to brandish a gun in a movie poster if they're cops, secret agents, or FBI. What's more, he says, the posters tend to make it clear that the person is in law enforcement, either through costume elements or in the text on the poster, lest observers think he's a criminal. (White people, he implies, are allowed to hold guns on posters without being identified as cops.) "Perhaps this will change in time if the powers that be will get over their fears that minorities brandishing weapons on a simple movie poster is going to make their kids go postal," Henriques writes, making it hard to tell whether he's exaggerating for the sake of humor or whether he really believes that that's what movie marketers believe.

Another of his observations: Minorities brandishing weapons often have their faces partially obscured from the poster. He shows American Gangster, Smokin' Aces, and Matrix Reloaded as examples; in each case, the black actors' faces are cut off just above the nose. But in fairness, so are the white actors' faces.

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Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for The Spy Next Door, starring everyone's favorite martial arts maniac Jackie Chan as a secret agent undercover and acting like a mild-mannered guy who, while babysitting his neighbor's kids, winds up having to fight off secret agents after one of the kids inadvertently downloads some secret code. Don't you hate it when that happens? You meant to download the latest episode of The Office on Hulu when all of a sudden you end up accidentally hacking into the Pentagon? Oh internet, you so crazy.

Also starring in this War Games meets Spy Kids meets Adventures in Babysitting-type action-comedy are Billy Ray Cyrus and George Lopez, and Brian Levant (Jingle All the Way, Snow Dogs, Are We There Yet?) is the man behind the camera. As an added bonus, Moviefone just premiered the trailer for The Spy Next Door in conjunction with our poster premiere, so after you check out the art, head after the jump to take this sucker for a ride.

The Spy Next Door hits theaters on January 15, 2010. Click the image below to view the full poster, and watch the brand new trailer after the jump.

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In Me and Orson Welles, Zac Efron plays a scrappy young actor who manages to get on Orson Welles' good side and earn himself a part in Welles' stage production of Julius Caesar. For a while, anyway. The film, set in the '30s, is directed by Richard Linklater and offers plenty of talent, both big name -- Claire Danes and Efron, natch -- and smaller ones that are on the rise, like Zoe Kazan.

James Rocchi reviewed Me and Orson Welles at TIFF in 2008, and had plenty of good things to say about it: "Linklater gets the tone of a behind-the-scenes comedy drama just right, the flurry of activity on-stage and the "noises off," the parts played when the lights are up and the roles played when the theater is empty.... Me and Orson Welles won't find a mass audience, but the audience that does will find it has a lot to recommend it."

Check out the exclusive poster premiere for Me and Orson Welles by clicking below, and make sure to check out the film when it hits theaters on November 25th. You can also watch the trailer after the jump. Enjoy!

Does anybody remember movie novelizations? They've made a bit of a comeback in recent history, but whoo boy was I a fan of them back in the '80s. Of course, as an adult that love has turned into nostalgia, and to this day, my Lost Boys novelization holds a prominent location on my bookshelf. But I'm not the only one with a soft spot for those books, because over at Spacesick they have won my heart by creating the "I Read Movies" series. Granted, these books don't exist (and how I wish they did), but you have to love these retro covers they've created for everything from Shaun of The Dead to Ghost Dad.

We do plenty of poster launches around here, but sometimes it seems like we just don't see the same effort being put into our movie one-sheets like we used to. You know you're in trouble when fictional book covers are more impressive than your average studio marketing campaign. But before I start to sound too much like a crotchety grandpa, I'm going to focus on the positive and that's where the fans come in. Take a look around and you'll see some pretty awesome work being done, so we can only hope that some of that creativity rubs off on actual studio releases.

Check out some of our favorites in the gallery below.

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It's time for The Notebook fans to grab a box of tissues and plan for their Februaries and romance-filled Valentine's Day dates. Cinematical has just received this exclusive snuggle-centric poster for Dear John, which just so happens to be the latest adaptation from Notebook scribe Nicholas Sparks. Directed by Lasse Hallström (helmer behind The Cider House Rules) Dear John stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, and will be hitting screens on February 5.

This time around, Sparks' story focuses on a soldier home on leave (Tatum), and the "idealistic college student" he falls for during her Spring vacation (Seyfried). Over the course of seven years, they must face his increasingly dangerous deployments, seeing each other face-to-face rarely, but keeping the affair alive through overseas love letters that "eventually triggers fateful consequences." War movies might be the sore vein to tap in Hollywood, but something tells me this flick will fly free of those restraints.

Check out the full poster by clicking the image below.

Click image below to view full poster

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for The Missing Person, a noir mystery from writer/director Noah Buschel that premiered at Sundance earlier this year. Michael Shannon (Oscar nominee for Revolutionary Road) stars as a detective hired to tail a man, only to find out that he's a missing person presumed dead after 9/11. The detective must then decide whether he should bring the man back to his old life against his will.

James Rocchi reviewed The Missing Person in Utah and had glowing words for the film: "It showcases a lurching, hunched, quietly lived-in performance by Shannon but offers more than just that performance. It has the knowing, humane touches of Paul Auster's brilliant urban fiction but still manages to rope in familiar crime genre characters like the rich widow, the collaborating cabbie, the wanted man, the ethical crimelord, the unethical businessman, the femme fatale and -- most importantly -- the sad-sack, mercenary-but-moral private eye."

The noir is slated to hit theaters on November 20. View the full poster by clicking the image below.

[via Cinema Retro]