Pick ONE movie for cinematography excellence

Here's a list of some I find remarkable:
- House of Flying Daggers
- Hero
- Kill Bill
- The Matrix (for narrative in particular)
- Ong Bak (for martial arts)
- Casablanca (for anything 4:3)

EDIT: I saw some mentions of LOTR back there, and I've got to disagree. After watching the Matrix exclusively for cinematography, LOTR looked like a slapped together incohesive mess in comparison. I don't know what happened with the sequels, but everything save the SuperBrawl (at the end of Revolutions) paled in comparison to the original.
 
Niebs_2022 said:
hey...i remembered that my aunt is good freinds with Ron Fricke, the director/cinematographer. i just thought that was neat...
DUDE! That's more than neat! That's like crazy awesome...
You are one degree of seperation away from a genius...
Okay, I'm gonna cast my vote..."Baraka"...bet yall didn't see that one coming :)
I'm sure "Megalopolis" will be right up there with it, I wonder when it'll be completed?
 
My choice for the movie with excellent cinematography is Santhosh Sivan's - The Terrorist
I will strongly recomment it for anybody who especially like low budget 35mm cinematography.

Cheers!
 
Ok, I read only the first 8 pages of this thread so I'm not sure this has been said yet, but my vote would be for "In The Mood For Love" Chris Doyle captures the intimacy of a 2 foot doorway like none else. The slow-motion shots of Maggie heading down the stairs to the noodle stand. WOW! I'm in love with most of his work. Hero and Infernal Affairs included. I would have to throw in a vote for City of God as well. Amelie, Goodfellas. Hey who started this cruel thread anyways! You can't pick one...

Jonathan-
www.guerilla35.com
 
If I were to pick top five movies in terms of their cinematography they are:

Lawrence of Arabia
Godfather
Children of Men
Fight Club
Casino royale (optional)
 
Call me crazy, but I like lucas films for lighting. Episode 3 sticks in my mind as something that will be appreciated after I'm dead :)

JF
 
BLade runner.
Crash.
Seven.
Children of Men.
City of God.
The Island. (bad movie but looks so good.........)
Crouching Tiger......
Hero.

(yet Cinematography is a loaded subject because 50% of it is set design)
 
I really love Conrad Hall's sense of lighting (Road to Perdition/American Beauty) But for overall cinematography, I loved how Lubezki handled Y Tu Mama Tambien. He didn't draw attention to the cinematography, rather he let it flow and tell the story without the style stepping on the story.
 
In the mood for love
Hero
House of flying daggers
Memoirs of a Geisha
Mission Impossible 3 (the colors were amazing)
The Others
 
I thought I'd chime in with American Beauty. Nothing terribly fancy, just looks beautiful. I love the dinner scene - great wide shot that lasts much longer than I would have thought it should, but it works!
 
Tarkovskys Stalker went trough all the possible obstacles a movie can go and it still looks absolutely beautiful with very little budget. You can pause the movie at any time and its always like looking at a painting. Lightning, camera movement and composition are simply masterful. Tarkovsky also just doesn't make pretty pictures, he also gives them meanings.

What also manages to appeal to me as a indie moviemaker is that everything in that movie could be done with a minimal budget.
 
I haven't seen a lot of those movies suggested, but I did think that What Dreams May Come is one of the best films. I also have to admire the look of Tim Burton's films, like Big Fish, Batman, Edward Scissorhands.

This is where you guys will laugh- Electra is the one I love to watch. I have found it is better with the volume down low, and good music in the background... but it is just so visually stunning. I love the oversaturated colors, the dreamlike quality of some of the scenes. It's a shame the lines are so-so, and the story a bit weak.
 
Ooh!
The Lie Aquatic is great for shot composition, and has neat scenes with changing light, i.e. power outages. Has some great dolly shots in it, ooh lala!

Also, if you want to spend some money go see 28 weeks later. Holy eff that opening scene is neat.
 
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