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Great Showdowns
The Great Showdowns
Since the beginning of time, there has been struggle. The epic clash of being against being. Han vs the green fellow. Chief Brody vs the very large shark. John McClane vs broken glass, and many, many more....
Scott Campbell's acclaimed Great Showdowns series, showing strangely good-natured confrontations between his favorite movie characters, finally gets the book collection fans have been demanding!
Whether it's Ripley vs the Alien Queen or Spinal Tap vs an undersized model of Stonehenge, these memorable moments of melee deserve to be celebrated. Behold, The Great Showdowns.
Scott Campbell's acclaimed Great Showdowns series, showing strangely good-natured confrontations between his favorite movie characters, finally gets the book collection fans have been demanding!
Whether it's Ripley vs the Alien Queen or Spinal Tap vs an undersized model of Stonehenge, these memorable moments of melee deserve to be celebrated. Behold, The Great Showdowns.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2012
1 person is currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Scott C.
16 books17 followersScott Campbell (born December 28, 1973), known professionally as Scott C., is an American artist and production designer, known for his work for LucasArts and Double Fine Productions.
Source: Wikipedia.
For books by Scott C. authored as Scott Campbell, see his other author page.
Source: Wikipedia.
For books by Scott C. authored as Scott Campbell, see his other author page.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 14, 2016
Calling all movie buffs. This one is for you.
There is no great story that does not have a conflict or struggle that needs resolution, and this little book showcases some of the great showdowns in movies. This book has no text. The showdowns are represented by lovely, whimsical watercolors, and you really have to be a movie buff to get all the references. There are quite a few I did not get. This is a fun art book that would make a perfect gift for movie fans.
There is no great story that does not have a conflict or struggle that needs resolution, and this little book showcases some of the great showdowns in movies. This book has no text. The showdowns are represented by lovely, whimsical watercolors, and you really have to be a movie buff to get all the references. There are quite a few I did not get. This is a fun art book that would make a perfect gift for movie fans.
February 26, 2017
Love the artwork on this and trying to identify the movie or show.
May 24, 2017
Hilarious, although there were a few showdowns where I was left to decipher the origins through Google.
Read
September 26, 2024lol. Lmfao even
January 6, 2025
Campbell's showdowns are brilliant. It's a lot of fun being taken on a ride through so many different films.
October 11, 2012
To my shame, I’ve never been all that much of an art geek. Now, that isn’t to say that I don’t appreciate artwork because I do. I’ve been reading comic books and graphic novels for well over four decades, so I can look at some forms of drawing and painting and coloring, and I can certainly get jazzed about what it takes to put something like that down on paper for others to see, much less evaluate. But art museums and the like? I just never caught that ‘bug.’ I couldn’t say why. It could be that I just never understood the ‘inspiration’ behind the successful artist; thankfully, Scott C’s artwork in THE GREAT SHOWDOWNS isn’t lost on me.
Clearly, Scott C is a film nerd, much like so, so many of us today. His particular obsession – even highlighted in his brief ‘intro’ in this small coffee-table-style book – is conflict as depicted in film … because, after all, what would the art of storytelling be without conflict? There’s no film to be had without it, and Scott C – in all his grace – has latched on to some wonderful metaphors in his watercolor illustrations here. Quite a bit of his inspiration is drawn from truly great motion pictures – THE SHINING, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, DR. STRANGELOVE to name but a few – but one can see by perusing his illustrations here that he genuinely loves good film. And who doesn’t?
It’s his style that’s immediately accessible that makes THE GREAT SHOWDOWNS such a winner as a collection. There’s absolutely nothing highbrow about any of it. In fact, it’s refreshing uncomplicated – almost crude scrawling, in some cases – given life through basic watercolors. And even though he’s given new life and examination to moments of conflict, everyone – even inanimate objects – are brought to life with a slim smile. These are kid drawings, but they’re done in such a way that they unquestionably bring out the kid in each of us.
And I think that’s because movies – at their core – can be so universal. As Scott C reminds us in his intro, we experience them together – collectively – in their dark. We laugh at them together. We cry at them together. We cringe at them together. It’s arguably the single-greatest collective experience left to the highly independent experience we call “life,” and, with his clever illustrations, we’re kind of reminded of those subtle moments, those memorable characters, that we all first experienced as a group in the dark. He’s a truly remarkable artist – there’s not a lot of flash and sizzle here, just some basic scribbling, colors, and those inescapable skinny smiles everywhere – and I’d encourage you to pick up and, seriously, enjoy this brief accounting of his work.
THE GREAT SHOWDOWNS is published by Titan Books. It includes a clever and brief – much like the artist’s approach to his work here – foreword by Neil Patrick Harris, as well as an introduction to the work by the painter himself. For the record, the only thing that’s missing here is a key – something that could identify precisely what film or program inspired the work – and I throw that out only as a suggestion should there ever be a second draft; for folks like me who, perhaps, haven’t seen every flick rendered so winningly here, it would’ve been nice – even a bonus for using the neat li’l book for trivia contests – but it certainly isn’t absolutely necessary. Without much effort, I think I recognized well over 90% of what’s depicted here, and that’s without even having seen some of the motion pictures.
HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION. It’s a rare opportunity to peek inside the mind of a creative artist, but THE GREAT SHOWDOWNS – even with its brevity – shows the utter genius of Scott Campbell at work. His simple yet elegant watercolor illustrations cut immediately to the heart of conflict as seen in film – be it the Alien Queen facing off against a heavily-mechanized Ellen Ripley in ALIENS or the likes of John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson threatening the smiling young punk from PULP FICTION. Who knows? If you look close enough, these paintings might even make you think about the film (the artist’s original inspiration from his work) in a whole new light, and THAT is nothing short of an amazing accomplishment when measured up against the painter’s preferred plainness. It’s brilliant, and I’d encourage art fans, film nerds, and just plain good old-fashioned geeks to run out and pick up a copy today.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the good folks at Titan Books provided me with a review copy of THE GREAT SHOWDOWNS for the expressed purpose of completing this review.
Clearly, Scott C is a film nerd, much like so, so many of us today. His particular obsession – even highlighted in his brief ‘intro’ in this small coffee-table-style book – is conflict as depicted in film … because, after all, what would the art of storytelling be without conflict? There’s no film to be had without it, and Scott C – in all his grace – has latched on to some wonderful metaphors in his watercolor illustrations here. Quite a bit of his inspiration is drawn from truly great motion pictures – THE SHINING, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, DR. STRANGELOVE to name but a few – but one can see by perusing his illustrations here that he genuinely loves good film. And who doesn’t?
It’s his style that’s immediately accessible that makes THE GREAT SHOWDOWNS such a winner as a collection. There’s absolutely nothing highbrow about any of it. In fact, it’s refreshing uncomplicated – almost crude scrawling, in some cases – given life through basic watercolors. And even though he’s given new life and examination to moments of conflict, everyone – even inanimate objects – are brought to life with a slim smile. These are kid drawings, but they’re done in such a way that they unquestionably bring out the kid in each of us.
And I think that’s because movies – at their core – can be so universal. As Scott C reminds us in his intro, we experience them together – collectively – in their dark. We laugh at them together. We cry at them together. We cringe at them together. It’s arguably the single-greatest collective experience left to the highly independent experience we call “life,” and, with his clever illustrations, we’re kind of reminded of those subtle moments, those memorable characters, that we all first experienced as a group in the dark. He’s a truly remarkable artist – there’s not a lot of flash and sizzle here, just some basic scribbling, colors, and those inescapable skinny smiles everywhere – and I’d encourage you to pick up and, seriously, enjoy this brief accounting of his work.
THE GREAT SHOWDOWNS is published by Titan Books. It includes a clever and brief – much like the artist’s approach to his work here – foreword by Neil Patrick Harris, as well as an introduction to the work by the painter himself. For the record, the only thing that’s missing here is a key – something that could identify precisely what film or program inspired the work – and I throw that out only as a suggestion should there ever be a second draft; for folks like me who, perhaps, haven’t seen every flick rendered so winningly here, it would’ve been nice – even a bonus for using the neat li’l book for trivia contests – but it certainly isn’t absolutely necessary. Without much effort, I think I recognized well over 90% of what’s depicted here, and that’s without even having seen some of the motion pictures.
HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION. It’s a rare opportunity to peek inside the mind of a creative artist, but THE GREAT SHOWDOWNS – even with its brevity – shows the utter genius of Scott Campbell at work. His simple yet elegant watercolor illustrations cut immediately to the heart of conflict as seen in film – be it the Alien Queen facing off against a heavily-mechanized Ellen Ripley in ALIENS or the likes of John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson threatening the smiling young punk from PULP FICTION. Who knows? If you look close enough, these paintings might even make you think about the film (the artist’s original inspiration from his work) in a whole new light, and THAT is nothing short of an amazing accomplishment when measured up against the painter’s preferred plainness. It’s brilliant, and I’d encourage art fans, film nerds, and just plain good old-fashioned geeks to run out and pick up a copy today.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the good folks at Titan Books provided me with a review copy of THE GREAT SHOWDOWNS for the expressed purpose of completing this review.
June 25, 2013
I first discovered Scott Campbell's work around the time LOST ended. There was a gallery show full of art inspired by the show, and Scott created a bunch of his showdown pieces with Lost characters that I immediately fell in love with. His style was simple while still being quirky and unique. I've been following his blog ever since, and he never fails to produce combinations of people and things that make you laugh, smile, or think. I particularly love that the characters always have such happy expressions on their faces, regardless of whether they are Carrie at the prom or the wall Andy Dufrane chipped through to escape Shawshank.
I particularly enjoyed this book because there were a number of pieces I had never seen before. I don't always recognize the movie his work comes from, so sometimes, I wish that there was an answer key of sorts, to let you know what you're missing. However, part of the fun remains the joy at being able to recognize the scene you're looking at.
My particular favorites from this book are probably Edward Scissorhands vs the dinosaur topiary, Buddy the elf vs. Miles "call me an elf one more time" Finch, the Titantic vs the iceberg, Han vs Greedo, and the aforementioned Andy Dufrane vs the Shawshank wall.
I particularly enjoyed this book because there were a number of pieces I had never seen before. I don't always recognize the movie his work comes from, so sometimes, I wish that there was an answer key of sorts, to let you know what you're missing. However, part of the fun remains the joy at being able to recognize the scene you're looking at.
My particular favorites from this book are probably Edward Scissorhands vs the dinosaur topiary, Buddy the elf vs. Miles "call me an elf one more time" Finch, the Titantic vs the iceberg, Han vs Greedo, and the aforementioned Andy Dufrane vs the Shawshank wall.
February 11, 2017
Oh man, not only are these brilliant, but this is basically my sense of humor to a T. My favorites haev to be the ones for Heathers, The Professional, and Trainspotting. Although Misery and Se7en are genius. Ahhh these are just too good.
December 16, 2012
My sister bought me this for my birthday and it cracked me up. Flipping through its pages was like having a conversation about my favorite movies with an interesting stranger at a party. Plus it has a foreword by NPH. The book is a series of paintings that depicts great showdowns in film history. Despite the theme involving fights everyone depicted is incongruously cheery and adorable, which is where a lot of the humour comes from. He even manages to make A Clockwork Orange look cute! A lot of the paintings also made me laugh out loud when I saw who Scott pitted against each other: Spinal Tap vs. tiny Stone Henge, the Titanic vs. the iceberg, Willy Wonka vs. all the children. There were some that I didn't recognize, but that's just something for me to look forward to. As I watch more movies and look back at this book, I'll recognize more and more. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/
February 3, 2013
What would be a good name for a Goodreads List of books of content that you could easily find online?
Not to say that's a bad thing. I do think there's something more appealing about flipping the pages of The Great Showdowns as opposed to scrolling down and clicking through pages of Scott C's Tumblr feed for it. And I didn't even know about this at all until spotting it on the shelf at the library, anyway. Maybe my best argument for opting for the book would be that if you are introduced for the first time to Campbell's charmingly simple character watercolors via the website, you run the risk of getting so hooked to wanting to see more and more that by the time you've seen them all it's already the next morning and you have not slept at all. The hardcover, on the other hand, gives you a more reasonable dosage.
Not to say that's a bad thing. I do think there's something more appealing about flipping the pages of The Great Showdowns as opposed to scrolling down and clicking through pages of Scott C's Tumblr feed for it. And I didn't even know about this at all until spotting it on the shelf at the library, anyway. Maybe my best argument for opting for the book would be that if you are introduced for the first time to Campbell's charmingly simple character watercolors via the website, you run the risk of getting so hooked to wanting to see more and more that by the time you've seen them all it's already the next morning and you have not slept at all. The hardcover, on the other hand, gives you a more reasonable dosage.
March 3, 2013
Scott C. is one of my big art crushes. While Amazing Everything is the better book for a look at his art in general, The Great Showdowns is just fantastic and adorable and is a perfect book for movie lovers and for people who like Scott C. (Both of which could be applied to me with equal facility.)
The only downside is that The Great Showdowns contains basically no text outside its introduction and foreword, meaning that there's no index or key to what movies the illustrations are of. This is simultaneously sad and exhilarating, because it means the book doubles as a fun game of Name That Movie.
The only downside is that The Great Showdowns contains basically no text outside its introduction and foreword, meaning that there's no index or key to what movies the illustrations are of. This is simultaneously sad and exhilarating, because it means the book doubles as a fun game of Name That Movie.
April 3, 2016
The Great Showdowns es un libro de ilustraciones de vocación cinéfila donde el autor siempre repite el mismo esquema. Toma una película y recrea una caricatura de los personajes que van a tener un enfrentamiento, uno frente a otro, siempre con un estilo minimalista, caricaturesco y amable, aunque con un poso de mala leche a lo Family Addams.
Así contado no parece gran cosa, pero mueve a la sonrisa y al juego con el lector (porque a priori nunca se aclara a que película pertenece cada ilustración, y no siempre es obvio).
Realmente simpático. Ah, y si os gusta, sabed que hay más entregas después de este.
Así contado no parece gran cosa, pero mueve a la sonrisa y al juego con el lector (porque a priori nunca se aclara a que película pertenece cada ilustración, y no siempre es obvio).
Realmente simpático. Ah, y si os gusta, sabed que hay más entregas después de este.
November 19, 2015
Other than the forward and introduction there are no words, not even the titles of the movies being represented, so I can't say it was much of a read, but I love, love, love the artwork. Simple and goofy and in many cases hilariously spot on. My wife and I were able to name every movie fairly easily except for (3) which we had to look up to confirm: "True Romance", "Fiday" and "Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill".
This is a great book for anyone who loves movies.
This is a great book for anyone who loves movies.
July 3, 2016
This caught me in a whirlwind of pop culture throwbacks. The subtle, harmonious portrayal of popular showdowns from my favourite films was a breath of fresh air!
Although, going through the collection did feel like a tedious game of charades at times, and had the illustrations been accompanied with a classic line from each film, that would have made it all the more engaging.
Although, going through the collection did feel like a tedious game of charades at times, and had the illustrations been accompanied with a classic line from each film, that would have made it all the more engaging.
November 8, 2012
when it comes to single-panel depictions of the premier confrontations in popular culture - from the adorable to the diabetes-inducingly adorable - you would be hard-pressed to find a more worthy champion than Scott C.'s "The Great Showdowns." even the ones that i don't get, i like.
July 8, 2015
What a interesting concept! The art here appears to be childish, but comes off as brilliant with its simplicity. I only missed about 5 or so, but some required quite a bit of thought.
Where's the next one?
Recommend!
Where's the next one?
Recommend!
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July 7, 2015
3.5 - the best part about this book is that while most of these characters are dying or about to be... everyone is smiling. Or everything - the titanic page has both the ship and the iceberg, both wearing huge grins.
A fun read.
A fun read.
December 10, 2012
Amazingly simple art. Any nerd would love this.
December 31, 2012
Fun, cute, clever.
January 2, 2013
So much fun and amazing!
February 10, 2013
These are hilarious as always. However, the colors in this print collection are greatly reduced from their original glory. They don't even look as good as the web versions.
April 7, 2013
neat, I got almost all of them.
August 17, 2014
This is a nice book to have at your house because you can show it to your guests and have them guess at the movies. There's still a few I haven't figured out.
September 23, 2014
Simple drawings that convey the gist of a great number of movies. Funny!
February 17, 2015
Fun and endearing little images that ooze charm and will make you want to rewatch every film ever.
July 5, 2016
Boníssim. I punt.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews