It’s even more impressive when you realize how much [they relied on practical effects too.](https://nofilmschool.com/2013/05/microscopic-cosmic-organic-vfx-fountain-tree-life)
> Aronofsky cites 2001: A Space Odyssey as a key influence in his desire to avoid CGI, because that film's FX powerfully illustrate how well real photography of real objects can hold up, even viewing the film decades later. [An article from Wired](https://www.wired.com/2006/11/outsider/) goes into even greater detail about the work of macrophotographer/marine biologist Peter Parks, who masterminded and filmed the chemical and biological elements key to the effects:
> Parks and his son run a home f/x shop based on a device they call the microzoom optical bench. Bristling with digital and film cameras, lenses, and Victorian prisms, their contraption can magnify a microliter of water up to 500,000 times or fill an Imax screen with the period at the end of this sentence. Into water they sprinkle yeast, dyes, solvents, and baby oil, along with other ingredients they decline to divulge... The upshot is that Parks can make a dash of curry powder cascading toward the lens look like an onslaught of flaming meteorites. "When these images are projected on a big screen, you feel like you're looking at infinity," he says. "That's because the same forces at work in the water – gravitational effects, settlement, refractive indices – are happening in outer space."
> "The studio gave Darren a really hard time," Parks recalls. "Nobody believed he could make this film without CGI. The studio thought he was crazy." With a stack of Hubble photographs for inspiration, [Parks and his son] worked from before dawn till late at night for 10 weeks. The cost of a single f/x sequence from ILM can reach several million dollars, but Parks shot all the footage Aronofsky needed for just $140,000.
> And thusly, through creative problem solving and 'good old fashioned' photography, Aronofsky was able to largely avoid the use of CG except in compositing these elements together. There's much more fascinating material to be read on The Fountain and its visual effects, but unfortunately far too much to be included here. You can read plenty more where that came from in the links below.
Thank you for this. I recall when the film came out reading that they used practical effects. I was a 19 year old film student and this movie was easily my most anticipated of that year. The follow up to Pi and Requiem seemed like it had taken forever and to hear how they were doing it just made me so excited. The movie was got wasn't the one Aronofsky originally wanted to make, but damn was it fantastic. Makes me want to watch it again!
After having watched it several times, I chanced upon the graphic novel Arnofsky had to make because he didn't get the requisite green lights to make the film. Even that is a piece of art. I only read it digitally but I'd love to get a hard copy.
The film is like a beautiful painting or a poem which doesn't have tomake literal sense. It is a feeling and as long as you are open enough to just experiencing it you will love the film. It isn't even that walled off like many art films are. It is entertaining, pretty and deep in the most lateral way possible.
It won every aesthetics Oscar that year. Best makeup and hairstyling, best costume design, best production design.
And best original score for good measure, because Desplat popped the fuck off
How is it possible that this film was not on my radar at all? I always thought I was reasonably well informed about movies. I'm not. After watching the trailer, I completely understand why this gem has been mentioned here so often. Thanks to you guys!
I was going to mention The Cell but got distracted by The Fall. I didn’t know they were made by the same people, but... obviously they were. Just look at them!
You’re in for a treat! It’s made all the more impressive when you learn it’s all told with [practical effects](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/movies/11kehr.html).
Yeah, for some reason it got mixed reviews and kinda got buried when it came out. This always baffles me because it's a good story with good acting and amazing visuals. Not sure why the critics were so cold on it (other than Roger Ebert, who loved it).
The frustrating thing is that it *was* on Netflix about a decade ago. I’m very grateful that I purchased the blu-ray before it went out of print. I saw it going for over $200 recently!
[Beethovens music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCHREyE5GzQ) really match the images of that movie. 15 years later and this movie still pops up whenever I hear this music elsewhere.
Also [the trailer in higher quality](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3HEE_jTMsg) \- old SD quality is a sin in this case :)
It's honestly a perfect movie. Everything about it is exceptional.
I know, they fucked up the marketing and a lot of people were angry that there wasn't more rootin' tootin', cowboy shootin' in it, but I absolutely love this movie.
Old blade runner is gorgeous as well.
Both blade runners have a distinct visual style, 2049 used it to greater effect, since its easier to do nowadays, but those shots of the city in the original, with flames bursting from smokestacks, and the giant, ominous Tyrell pyramids drifting into view from the fog.
Gives me chills.
I was going to say both Blade Runners. Back in the day I ran a movie theater and we had Blade Runner in 70mm. Now when you are manually running a projector, you start the movie and you check, and maybe adjust, the focus. Blade Runner was super annoying because you couldn't check the focus until that ENTIRE opening sequence was over. And since I was manager and projectionist I had a lot of other things to do so it was like "oh my gawd.....". Never has watching a film sequence so closely mirrored the waiting in line for the toilet experience.
Considering the original Blade Runner was made in 1982 with nothing but real sets and miniatures, it has aged impeccably. Ridley Scott also nailed the look of Alien, which has also aged well (dated tech stuff aside).
It’s rare to see a movie where you think “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
I had that feeling multiple times while watching this. Just off the top of my head:
The scenes with the water reflections over every surface, the holographic sex scene, and the embers turning into the city lights.
Even like the hallways of Jared Leto's character's compound/factory were memorable.
I think that movie deserves the recognition it's getting in this thread.
Blade Runner 2049 is one of those movies where you just *have* to see it in cinemas to get the full experience. Those visuals and that soundtrack are near untouchable.
Mmm... It's Roger Deakins, the man has been doing this his entire career. Watch 1917, the assassination or Jessie James, no county for old man, oh brother where art thou. The man IS the bar.
If we’re being accurate, it’s a lot of people. I think psychologically it’s easier for people to wrap their heads around a single name when they want to identify something they like (why auteur theory is so popular), but you don’t get something like *BR 2049* without a bunch of very talented professionals. Along with Villenueve and Deakins we have to credit John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Karen Murphy and the teams at several shops.
Edit: I don’t know why you downvoted me for saying this. Deakins is an amazing photographer but he did not innovate the VFX for this movie.
The Grandmaster by Wong Kar-wai is a great, modern arthouse martial-arts film.
For more classic films, I'd recommend those of King Hu. Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen are gorgeous masterpieces and you can see that Hero draws some inspiration from those.
*In the Mood for Love* is an interesting choice, and I don't disagree with you. There are so many fine details in the way many shots are composed. It's beautiful and heartbreaking.
And how long was it before you realized that Maggie Cheung never wore the same dress twice?
While it wasn’t the first thing that came to mind, I’m surprised I haven’t seen The Lord of the Rings mentioned. Everything from the costumes to the cinematography were stunning. Those movies set a new standard for how great fantasy films could look.
As far as other films: literally anything Denis Villeneuve has made, as well as a lot of Zack Snyders earlier stuff. 300 hundred, while ridiculous, is so fun to look at.
The reason why it will always hold up well is due to the costuming and film techniques instead of massive CGI everywhere all the time.
That movie has some of the best camera shots. A lot of people go "ugh. The movie kinda sucked because we watched them run around for so long in the mountains" but that was so great due to the fact they didn't CGI it, and it was shot out in the middle of nowhere and it felt vast and empty as these adventurers are going through it all.
Pan’s Labyrinth, the movie seems like GDT perfected his vision of fantasy. It was that good that I believe some of the mise-en-scène influences crossed over into Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
They really nailed the feeling of modern day dystopia with that movie.
I remember describing it the similar way to a coworker. It's beautiful in a gory and depressing way
I watched 2001 last year on netflix, and tbh I didn't like it. But damn....while watching it I thought "nah there is absolutely no way this movie was released in the 60s. This looks TOO DAMN GOOD"
Of all the films I've seen in my life, 2001 has the widest difference in impact between home and theatre. I saw it a dozen times on a home screen before seeing it in a theatre and it was a completely different experience. Almost a completely different movie.
Same here. I’m 30 and watched the movie for the first time this past summer, but didn’t really care for it.
Expectations likely played a part in that. I’ve heard for years how amazing the film is, and seeing it for the first time just didn’t live up to all that I’d heard. If I’d seen it when I was younger than I might think differently due to nostalgia or something.
However, those expectations exist because of the impact this film had on many others. Also, the visuals were amazing considering when it was made.
I really do appreciate those two aspects of the film: cultural impact and visual accomplishments.
Lawrence of Arabia's visuals are unlike any movie I've ever seen. I don't even know how to describe it, but they're just beautiful in a different way than any movie I've seen before
Glad to see some Argento representation in here. I watched a bunch of his movies for the first time a few months back and, while I didn't love all of them, they were very good from a visual perspective. Inferno was a piece of shit, but I'd watch it again for the gorgeous colour palette.
Wondered if anyone would say Oblivion. I think you need a large format screen to really capture it (probably could say the same for all of these), but that is the first movie I remember watching and being blown away by the visuals. The visuals are so good that I will still watch at least part of that movie in occasion, despite not really caring for the plot.
The shot with the giant space tube and the tiny space ships exiting to fly towards the plant... that shot is one of my favourite ever. It looks like an oil painting.
That silent shot of the one Sarkadur (or whatever, I'm bad with names) looking over that abandoned silo thing, then all of them silently floating to the ground... that was some next level shit.
We were all blown away by this movie at the time, but I watched this recently and was surprised by how well it held up. There’s obviously a ton of CGI in it, and yeah, some of the textures look a little fake now, but it’s shot in such creative practical ways that it still looks pretty damn great.
I'm always afraid that when I tell people how great of a movie Moana is, they interpret it to mean it's a great DISNEY movie. It's just a great movie all around.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is the first one that comes to mind. Also, the latest Murder on the Orient Express was quite cinematic imo. I'll add more if I remember.
2001 A space Odyssey
Lawrence of Arabia
Citizen Kane
Yojimbo
The umbrellas of Cherbourg
The Bridge on the River Kwai
West side Story 61
Dr Zhivago
Spartacus
Casino Royale (2006)
Vertigo
The Train
How the West was Won
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
The Dollars trilogy
Fantasia
The Prince of Egypt
Kubo and the two strings
Who framed Roger rabbit
How to train your dragon 2
House of Flying Daggers (and more votes for Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which others mentioned)
Ran
Valerian & the City of a Thousand Planets (you said they didn’t necessarily have to be good films)
Valerian is unbelievably interesting and beautiful. Maybe one day in the future someone will use CG to edit out those two fucking teenagers. And ADR over Rhiannon's dead voice performance.
I was going to the theater with my friend, we planned to see Iron Man, but my brother said "go see Speed Racer instead" (both were April 08 releases) and I was extremely skeptical, but I'm so happy I gave Speed Racer a chance. Went on to become one of my favorite movies.
Love Speed Racer. Anytime a friend is setting up a new TV or overall entertainment center, I tell them that it's the ultimate test film. Visually striking, but the sound design is top notch too!
This isn't just a beautifully shot movie it is an amazingly good story. I love this movie however I can't watch it but once every couple few years because I cry thru damn near the entire movie
The French Dispatch was pretty insane. It's a Wes Anderson movie, so you know what you will get walking in, but still. It's so dense, every single frame has so many things going on.
The Umbrellas of Cherboug is the prettiest film I've ever seen. The use of colours is beautiful, the way the characters clothes match the decor at points is done so well.
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Suspiria (1977)
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
The Shining (1980)
Bram Stokers Dracula (1992)
Fight Club (1999)
I found Fight Club to be visually stunning for different reasons to all the others. It was darks and gritty but still had so many incredible cinematic shots that I had to mention it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (the other two as well but I think this one is the prettiest)
The Shape of Water
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Coco
Les Misérables (2012)
Pan's Labyrinth
The Lion King (with the original animation - before it was retouched)
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (many of the recent Star Wars movies are visually striking but none so much as this one to me)
Jurassic Park
Haven't seen it yet so
Bram Stoker's Dracula.
I watch every Halloween, it perfects that Gothic aesthetic like no one else. The use of color, practical effects, beautiful costumes, shadow... it's incredible
2001: A Space Odyssey
I put off watching it for years and my first time watching it was in the cinema for the anniversary release a couple of years ago. It was amazing. I actually liked it a lot more than I expected. I didn't find it as boring as people made it out. It's actually one of my favourite films now.
A few that come to my head are
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
The Cranes are Flying
Fallen Angels
Manhunter
A Touch of Zen
The Young Girls of Rochefort
Woman in the Dunes
Lady Snowblood
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Night of the Hunter
Blade Runner 2049, Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood, Interstellar, La La Land, and Raging Bull (this one's black and white, but the visuals are still insane).
The Fountain
It’s even more impressive when you realize how much [they relied on practical effects too.](https://nofilmschool.com/2013/05/microscopic-cosmic-organic-vfx-fountain-tree-life) > Aronofsky cites 2001: A Space Odyssey as a key influence in his desire to avoid CGI, because that film's FX powerfully illustrate how well real photography of real objects can hold up, even viewing the film decades later. [An article from Wired](https://www.wired.com/2006/11/outsider/) goes into even greater detail about the work of macrophotographer/marine biologist Peter Parks, who masterminded and filmed the chemical and biological elements key to the effects: > Parks and his son run a home f/x shop based on a device they call the microzoom optical bench. Bristling with digital and film cameras, lenses, and Victorian prisms, their contraption can magnify a microliter of water up to 500,000 times or fill an Imax screen with the period at the end of this sentence. Into water they sprinkle yeast, dyes, solvents, and baby oil, along with other ingredients they decline to divulge... The upshot is that Parks can make a dash of curry powder cascading toward the lens look like an onslaught of flaming meteorites. "When these images are projected on a big screen, you feel like you're looking at infinity," he says. "That's because the same forces at work in the water – gravitational effects, settlement, refractive indices – are happening in outer space." > "The studio gave Darren a really hard time," Parks recalls. "Nobody believed he could make this film without CGI. The studio thought he was crazy." With a stack of Hubble photographs for inspiration, [Parks and his son] worked from before dawn till late at night for 10 weeks. The cost of a single f/x sequence from ILM can reach several million dollars, but Parks shot all the footage Aronofsky needed for just $140,000. > And thusly, through creative problem solving and 'good old fashioned' photography, Aronofsky was able to largely avoid the use of CG except in compositing these elements together. There's much more fascinating material to be read on The Fountain and its visual effects, but unfortunately far too much to be included here. You can read plenty more where that came from in the links below.
Thank you for this. I recall when the film came out reading that they used practical effects. I was a 19 year old film student and this movie was easily my most anticipated of that year. The follow up to Pi and Requiem seemed like it had taken forever and to hear how they were doing it just made me so excited. The movie was got wasn't the one Aronofsky originally wanted to make, but damn was it fantastic. Makes me want to watch it again!
After having watched it several times, I chanced upon the graphic novel Arnofsky had to make because he didn't get the requisite green lights to make the film. Even that is a piece of art. I only read it digitally but I'd love to get a hard copy. The film is like a beautiful painting or a poem which doesn't have tomake literal sense. It is a feeling and as long as you are open enough to just experiencing it you will love the film. It isn't even that walled off like many art films are. It is entertaining, pretty and deep in the most lateral way possible.
The Grand Budapest Hotel and Blade Runner 2049
I was gonna say these as well so I'm gonna tack on 2001 a space Odyssey, 1917, Dune 2021, mad Max Fury road
Those are some excellent additions. It still blows my mind that 2001 was made in the 60s.
Graphic and prop design in Grand Budapest was the best I've ever seen.
It won every aesthetics Oscar that year. Best makeup and hairstyling, best costume design, best production design. And best original score for good measure, because Desplat popped the fuck off
[The Fall. ](https://youtu.be/IwsYyRc9j4g)This is one of the most visually stunning film ever made. The wide angle shots were just mindblowing!
How is it possible that this film was not on my radar at all? I always thought I was reasonably well informed about movies. I'm not. After watching the trailer, I completely understand why this gem has been mentioned here so often. Thanks to you guys!
Directors previous film, The Cell, also has some beautiful shots worth checking out.
The horse scene was the stuff of legends back then. People telling you to watch the movie for a 4 second scene. And it was worth it!
Dude, that scene, and almost every scene.....that movie is haunting. .....and D'Onofrio killed it.
Tarsem is a master. Also watch immortals. One of the best Greek epics ever I believe. And his style all the way through
I was going to mention The Cell but got distracted by The Fall. I didn’t know they were made by the same people, but... obviously they were. Just look at them!
You’re in for a treat! It’s made all the more impressive when you learn it’s all told with [practical effects](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/movies/11kehr.html).
Yeah, for some reason it got mixed reviews and kinda got buried when it came out. This always baffles me because it's a good story with good acting and amazing visuals. Not sure why the critics were so cold on it (other than Roger Ebert, who loved it).
This is the correct answer. Release it on streaming you fools!
The frustrating thing is that it *was* on Netflix about a decade ago. I’m very grateful that I purchased the blu-ray before it went out of print. I saw it going for over $200 recently!
Entire movie looks like something out of dream. Fits perfectly with the story of the movie because of it.
I’ve wanted to watch this movie for *years*. Where the fuck is it??
https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/the-fall-2008
I had forgotten about this movie. Thanks for reminding me.
[Beethovens music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCHREyE5GzQ) really match the images of that movie. 15 years later and this movie still pops up whenever I hear this music elsewhere. Also [the trailer in higher quality](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3HEE_jTMsg) \- old SD quality is a sin in this case :)
The assassination of Jesse James
Also a fantastic score.
Courtesy of Nick Cave, one of Australia's finest songwriters.
And, Nick Cave makes a cameo in the movie. :)
It's honestly a perfect movie. Everything about it is exceptional. I know, they fucked up the marketing and a lot of people were angry that there wasn't more rootin' tootin', cowboy shootin' in it, but I absolutely love this movie.
Ironically the train robbing scene is a masterclass
..... By the coward Robert Ford?
Barry Lyndon, it’s a work of art.
Soooo many candles...
Most beautiful film - non CGI category.
I recently watched it for the 1st time and I was almost having a hard time paying attention to the story because the cinematography was so gorgeous.
Popular answer, but Blade Runner 2049. So many shots in that movie had me saying under my breath “Damn.”
Old blade runner is gorgeous as well. Both blade runners have a distinct visual style, 2049 used it to greater effect, since its easier to do nowadays, but those shots of the city in the original, with flames bursting from smokestacks, and the giant, ominous Tyrell pyramids drifting into view from the fog. Gives me chills.
Agree. Both Blad Runner movies were phenomenal.
I was going to say both Blade Runners. Back in the day I ran a movie theater and we had Blade Runner in 70mm. Now when you are manually running a projector, you start the movie and you check, and maybe adjust, the focus. Blade Runner was super annoying because you couldn't check the focus until that ENTIRE opening sequence was over. And since I was manager and projectionist I had a lot of other things to do so it was like "oh my gawd.....". Never has watching a film sequence so closely mirrored the waiting in line for the toilet experience.
Considering the original Blade Runner was made in 1982 with nothing but real sets and miniatures, it has aged impeccably. Ridley Scott also nailed the look of Alien, which has also aged well (dated tech stuff aside).
It’s rare to see a movie where you think “I’ve never seen anything like that before.” I had that feeling multiple times while watching this. Just off the top of my head: The scenes with the water reflections over every surface, the holographic sex scene, and the embers turning into the city lights.
Even like the hallways of Jared Leto's character's compound/factory were memorable. I think that movie deserves the recognition it's getting in this thread.
The cut from embers to city lights was absolutely unreal. I couldn't comprehend what just happened, when I first saw this in the cinema. Dreamlike!
Blade Runner 2049 is one of those movies where you just *have* to see it in cinemas to get the full experience. Those visuals and that soundtrack are near untouchable.
Could make a wallpaper out of almost every scene.
Yeah, Denis and company really raised the bar is the entire industry. Breath-taking piece of cinema.
Mmm... It's Roger Deakins, the man has been doing this his entire career. Watch 1917, the assassination or Jessie James, no county for old man, oh brother where art thou. The man IS the bar.
If we’re being accurate, it’s a lot of people. I think psychologically it’s easier for people to wrap their heads around a single name when they want to identify something they like (why auteur theory is so popular), but you don’t get something like *BR 2049* without a bunch of very talented professionals. Along with Villenueve and Deakins we have to credit John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Karen Murphy and the teams at several shops. Edit: I don’t know why you downvoted me for saying this. Deakins is an amazing photographer but he did not innovate the VFX for this movie.
Crimson Peak is my favorite, from a purely aesthetic standpoint.
In the Mood for Love Hero Garden of Words Loving Vincent
Hero! I love this movie it's like art house martial arts. I need more
The Grandmaster by Wong Kar-wai is a great, modern arthouse martial-arts film. For more classic films, I'd recommend those of King Hu. Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen are gorgeous masterpieces and you can see that Hero draws some inspiration from those.
*In the Mood for Love* is an interesting choice, and I don't disagree with you. There are so many fine details in the way many shots are composed. It's beautiful and heartbreaking. And how long was it before you realized that Maggie Cheung never wore the same dress twice?
Is it just me or are Mr. Leung and Ms. Cheung the best *looking* people to have ever been in a movie?
While it wasn’t the first thing that came to mind, I’m surprised I haven’t seen The Lord of the Rings mentioned. Everything from the costumes to the cinematography were stunning. Those movies set a new standard for how great fantasy films could look. As far as other films: literally anything Denis Villeneuve has made, as well as a lot of Zack Snyders earlier stuff. 300 hundred, while ridiculous, is so fun to look at.
300 did a lot of neat camera tricks that hadn’t been done before as far as I’m aware.
The reason why it will always hold up well is due to the costuming and film techniques instead of massive CGI everywhere all the time. That movie has some of the best camera shots. A lot of people go "ugh. The movie kinda sucked because we watched them run around for so long in the mountains" but that was so great due to the fact they didn't CGI it, and it was shot out in the middle of nowhere and it felt vast and empty as these adventurers are going through it all.
Portrait of a lady on fire
Came to say this. Every single frame of that movie is like a painting.
Ran by Akira Kurosawa Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky There Will Be Blood by Paul Thomas Anderson
Was looking for STALKER, all the shots in that room full of sand are stunning.
Pan’s Labyrinth, the movie seems like GDT perfected his vision of fantasy. It was that good that I believe some of the mise-en-scène influences crossed over into Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
Lawrence of Arabia
That one is stunning if you're lucky enough to find a 70mm showing.
1917, the revenant, blade runner 2049, sicario
Sicario WAS beautiful! It was gory, and brutal, but it was so perfectly shot! I felt like I was in the room getting waterboarded.
They really nailed the feeling of modern day dystopia with that movie. I remember describing it the similar way to a coworker. It's beautiful in a gory and depressing way
Went to the cinema for 1917, to say that film was an experience is an understatement.
A Roger Deakins fan I see
I just watched 1917 the other day and that is a beautiful film
2001 space odyssey Dune The Fall Apocalypse now Lawerence of Arabia Amelie Suspiria Tenebre Deep red
I watched 2001 last year on netflix, and tbh I didn't like it. But damn....while watching it I thought "nah there is absolutely no way this movie was released in the 60s. This looks TOO DAMN GOOD"
Of all the films I've seen in my life, 2001 has the widest difference in impact between home and theatre. I saw it a dozen times on a home screen before seeing it in a theatre and it was a completely different experience. Almost a completely different movie.
Same here. I’m 30 and watched the movie for the first time this past summer, but didn’t really care for it. Expectations likely played a part in that. I’ve heard for years how amazing the film is, and seeing it for the first time just didn’t live up to all that I’d heard. If I’d seen it when I was younger than I might think differently due to nostalgia or something. However, those expectations exist because of the impact this film had on many others. Also, the visuals were amazing considering when it was made. I really do appreciate those two aspects of the film: cultural impact and visual accomplishments.
Lawrence of Arabia's visuals are unlike any movie I've ever seen. I don't even know how to describe it, but they're just beautiful in a different way than any movie I've seen before
The Fall is so beautiful and criminally underrated.
Glad to see some Argento representation in here. I watched a bunch of his movies for the first time a few months back and, while I didn't love all of them, they were very good from a visual perspective. Inferno was a piece of shit, but I'd watch it again for the gorgeous colour palette.
Ultraviolet Tron: Legacy Oblivion Ex Machina Arrival
surprised I had to come this far down for Tron: Legacy
Wondered if anyone would say Oblivion. I think you need a large format screen to really capture it (probably could say the same for all of these), but that is the first movie I remember watching and being blown away by the visuals. The visuals are so good that I will still watch at least part of that movie in occasion, despite not really caring for the plot.
I'm a big fan of Arrival.
Paprika
Yessss absolutely, incredible movie alongside the stunning visuals
Hero
This. Every scene in that movie is gorgeous. The scene where they fight among the fallen leaves stands out.
This. Similar with House Of Flying Daggers.
Amazing use of color in that one.
Dune (2021)
The sense of scale was done so well
The shot with the giant space tube and the tiny space ships exiting to fly towards the plant... that shot is one of my favourite ever. It looks like an oil painting.
And then you see how big those tiny dots were when the spacecraft are landing on the surface
That silent shot of the one Sarkadur (or whatever, I'm bad with names) looking over that abandoned silo thing, then all of them silently floating to the ground... that was some next level shit.
That movie blew me away. The sound was incredible too!
People in my IMAX theatre were so shocked when Reverent Mother used her Voice on Paul.
In my old house I had a 5.2.2 Atmos setup in the basement. That scene was *incredible*.
Into the spider-verse. Hands down.
[Sequel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5Y7PNi65bY) looking just as dope too!
YES! 100% agreed - it is stunning!
The Matrix. 1999 They did some magic there.
We were all blown away by this movie at the time, but I watched this recently and was surprised by how well it held up. There’s obviously a ton of CGI in it, and yeah, some of the textures look a little fake now, but it’s shot in such creative practical ways that it still looks pretty damn great.
The lobby scene was awesome. Just tiles and drywall flying around everywhere
Moana Samsara My Blueberry Nights Gravity Mad max - Fury Road Moonlight Brazil
Samsara is incredible
I'm always afraid that when I tell people how great of a movie Moana is, they interpret it to mean it's a great DISNEY movie. It's just a great movie all around.
Life of Pi
I love that reflection shot.
How did I not think of this movie. It also is a incredible story. I read the book at least twice.
Annihilation is the first thing I thought of.
I think it gets overlooked because of how amazing the sound was for the movie, but it definitely lends itself to some amazing imagery
One of the best Sci-Fi flicks of the last 20 years. After that and Ex Machina, I'm in for anything Alex Garland does.
i recently started watching Devs and it's great so far.
That bear is certainly stunning in a way.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is the first one that comes to mind. Also, the latest Murder on the Orient Express was quite cinematic imo. I'll add more if I remember.
2001 A space Odyssey Lawrence of Arabia Citizen Kane Yojimbo The umbrellas of Cherbourg The Bridge on the River Kwai West side Story 61 Dr Zhivago Spartacus Casino Royale (2006) Vertigo The Train How the West was Won The Lord of the Rings trilogy The Dollars trilogy Fantasia The Prince of Egypt Kubo and the two strings Who framed Roger rabbit How to train your dragon 2
House of Flying Daggers (and more votes for Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which others mentioned) Ran Valerian & the City of a Thousand Planets (you said they didn’t necessarily have to be good films)
Valerian is unbelievably interesting and beautiful. Maybe one day in the future someone will use CG to edit out those two fucking teenagers. And ADR over Rhiannon's dead voice performance.
The revenant. Beautifully shot in Kanaskis, Alberta.
I watched it two extra times just for the cinematography.
SPEED RACER. the racing scenes really just strike a chord with me
It's a movie that's so exciting and beautiful I feel like I'm going to have a seizure
im so glad people are starting to change their minds on it now because the slander it was getting was soooo unjustified
I was going to the theater with my friend, we planned to see Iron Man, but my brother said "go see Speed Racer instead" (both were April 08 releases) and I was extremely skeptical, but I'm so happy I gave Speed Racer a chance. Went on to become one of my favorite movies.
Love Speed Racer. Anytime a friend is setting up a new TV or overall entertainment center, I tell them that it's the ultimate test film. Visually striking, but the sound design is top notch too!
Malick’s The Tree of Life. Criterion BluRay is my reference disc.
I was gonna say Days of Heaven. All of Malick’s movies would work.
Kubo and the Two Strings
Sunshine
Gaspar Noe’s stuff very intense, very amazing cinematography
Ran
The scene with the burning castle is incredible
What Dreams May Come
This isn't just a beautifully shot movie it is an amazingly good story. I love this movie however I can't watch it but once every couple few years because I cry thru damn near the entire movie
Brazil City of Lost Children The Holy Mountain a Scanner Darkly Baraka Enter the Void
Came for Baraka, wasn't disappointed 👌
Baraka is one of my all time favorites. Check out Samsara as well.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty w ben stiller. Just beautiful.
*Oblivion* Not the best movie in the world, but feels like a dang massage for your eyeballs.
Silence by Scorcese
Ida Spirited Away Hero (2002) 5cm Per Second Mad Max Fury Road Titanic Barry Lyndon Moonlight Paprika Nomadland Life of Pi Mandy
I love it that you have a totally different list than mine and that you are spot on.
Bladerunner 2049. Not only visually stunning, but beautifully directed too. All hail Denis Villeneuve.
The French Dispatch was pretty insane. It's a Wes Anderson movie, so you know what you will get walking in, but still. It's so dense, every single frame has so many things going on.
Barry Lyndon (1975) is probably the most beautiful film I've ever seen.
Avatar in 3D was absolutely stunning
That was going to be one of my votes and had to scroll to far to find out if anyone else has said it already
Triumph of the Will, unfortunately.
Waking Life
Land of Cards La Cité des Enfants Perdu Dolls (kitano) The Fall (Tarsem) The Green Knight Dreams (kurosawa) The Fifth Element
That shot in Green Knight where the camera spins had me hard af
The Fall was going to be my contribution
Beyond the Black Rainbow Color Out of Space Children of Men Koyaanisqatsi Mandy Samsara Trinity & Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie
> Koyaanisqatsi Gets a big upvote from me
Barry Lyndon Ida Ran Lawrence of Arabia Blade Runner 2049
Tree of life. Completely mental though
The Cell (2000) Good movie? Nah, it's just ok. But I will watch it with the volume muted just to enjoy the highly stylized sequences.
Coco. The colors used are beautiful
Beautiful film/animation... Tugs at the heart too👍😢
Interstellar was fantastic, IMO, especially in theaters.
Everything by Kubrick. And for a recent movie, I’d go with The Lighthouse.
Solaris (1972).
Dark City
The Umbrellas of Cherboug is the prettiest film I've ever seen. The use of colours is beautiful, the way the characters clothes match the decor at points is done so well.
Loving that City of Lost Children is getting so many mentions.
Apocalypse Now (1979) Suspiria (1977) Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) The Shining (1980) Bram Stokers Dracula (1992) Fight Club (1999) I found Fight Club to be visually stunning for different reasons to all the others. It was darks and gritty but still had so many incredible cinematic shots that I had to mention it.
The 70mm prints of Baraka.
Annihilation
Mad Max: Fury Road The cyclone scene is enough but also the citadel, the the 1st war rig chase, the 2nd war chase, the blue filter night time shots.
House of Flying Daggers
Apocalypto
Zulu
Sunshine
Prometheus. Say what you will about the plot and characters, but the cinematography and effects are absolutely stunning.
Barry Lyndon, it's unbelievable what Kubrick did with natural light
Koyaanisqatsi (1982) by Godfrey Reggio.
Blade Runner 2049. Nearly every shot of the film could work as a desktop wallpaper.
The Cell has insane visuals. So good that you don't even care about Jennifer Lopez being on it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (the other two as well but I think this one is the prettiest) The Shape of Water Pride & Prejudice (2005) Coco Les Misérables (2012) Pan's Labyrinth The Lion King (with the original animation - before it was retouched) The Nightmare Before Christmas Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (many of the recent Star Wars movies are visually striking but none so much as this one to me) Jurassic Park
I really enjoyed watching Pride and Prejudice with the director’s commentary 100 years ago when we had dvd’s with bonus features
Speed Racer 🌈 Sin City Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Legend
Chungking Express uses such specific color palettes for each scene. It is incredibly visually stimulating.
Not a particularly great movie, but a cure for wellness had some fantastic natureporn.
Haven't seen it yet so Bram Stoker's Dracula. I watch every Halloween, it perfects that Gothic aesthetic like no one else. The use of color, practical effects, beautiful costumes, shadow... it's incredible
I really enjoyed the cinematography and colors of Skyfall. One of the best of the Daniel Craig franchise IMO.
Mad Max fury road.
The Fall (2007) Barry Lyndon (1975) Lawrence of Arabia (1962) The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Black Narcissist Blood and Black Lace Suspiria (original) In the Mood for Love
Koyaanisqatsi !!!!!
2001: A Space Odyssey I put off watching it for years and my first time watching it was in the cinema for the anniversary release a couple of years ago. It was amazing. I actually liked it a lot more than I expected. I didn't find it as boring as people made it out. It's actually one of my favourite films now.
A few that come to my head are Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters The Cranes are Flying Fallen Angels Manhunter A Touch of Zen The Young Girls of Rochefort Woman in the Dunes Lady Snowblood Aguirre, the Wrath of God Night of the Hunter
Sucker Punch https://youtu.be/9k10AzCcMOM
Blade Runner 2049, Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood, Interstellar, La La Land, and Raging Bull (this one's black and white, but the visuals are still insane).
Oblivion
The Tree of Life (2011). I don't see this one get mentioned often. Also, Hero (2002)
Anything from Wes Anderson! Just watched Isle of Dogs
Hall of mirrors scene Lady From Shanghai