Recommend some visually stunning movies (in whatever way).

[SenorBeef]

So, I'm gonna have a good quality tv/dvd/etc. setup this weekend for the first time ever. I want to spend a lot of time just lounging around and watching movies that will wow me with the new setup.

So, if there any movies that you say "wow, I'd just love to see that on a really nice tv" or "wow, I'm glad I have a really nice tv to see that", that are just visually stunning in some way, be it effects, cinematography, whatever, please recommend them.

[skaterboarder87]

MATRIX! Helps if you have a good sound system too ;)

Next would be Lord of the Rings.

Third, Star Wars: Episode 1 (Bad movie, good effects).

[Lobsang]

The Cell.

Very very interesting surrealism

[Icarus]

Lawrence of Arabia

Black Narcissus

The Last Emperor

[Lobsang]

Third, Star Wars: Episode 1 (Bad movie, good effects).

Episode 2 (Better movie, better effects).

[Eternal]

[/i]Blade 2- There's a lot of flashiness in this movie, and a lot going on visually.

[i]Saving Private Ryan -not really flashy, but can definitely be appreciated more with better visual quality or bigger screen.

Total Recall -I can't say exactly why, but it's one of the first things I thought of for some reason.

[Fnoonf]

For epic sets and general massiveness:
Fritz Lang's Metropolis
Braveheart
Blade Runner
Dark City
Gattaca

For dreamy, immersive weirdness:
Amélie
Waking Life
What Dreams May Come

For some action madness:
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Blade 1 and 2
Snatch
Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels

And for some plain old-fashioned quality cinematography:
The Man Who Wasn't There
The Silence of the Lambs
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Seven
Cries and Whispers
The Godfather Trilogy

And just for fun:
Toy Story Parts 1 and 2
The Emperor's New Groove

Oh, and to really stretch your system to the maximum limits of its capability, Clerks.

If Clerks looks good on your setup, I wanna come over to your house.

[Max Carnage]

Moulin Rouge is an incredible feast for the eyes on a good tv. Perfect for showing off your system.

[skaterboarder87]

Originally posted by Lobsang
Episode 2 (Better movie, better effects).

I think you meant
"Episode 2 (Slightly less bad movie, but still terrible; better effects) ;)

[scr4]

Try Spirited Away (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0245429) or any other anime by Hayao Miyazaki.

[chula]

First of all, you're in the wrong forum. Should it annoy you that I pointed this out, send your complaints here (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=162998). :)

I recommend City of Lost Children. It's by the same director as Delicatessen and Amelie, and it's the most visually stunning of the three.

I also second Lawrence of Arabia and The Last Emperor.

[Stoid]

Ju Dou - exquisite to look upon. Takes place in a Chinese dye mill, the story of an unfaithful wife. Just gorgeous.

[TVeblen]

Moderator's note:

This is better suited to Cafe Society. Moving it on over....

TVeblen,
IMHO mod

[El Elvis Rojo]

Well, most of them have already been mentioned, so yeah, buy everything by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (he's the guy who did Amelie, City of Lost Children, and Delicatessen. All three of his movies are just visually AMAZING!! He also did Alien Ressurrection, but I wouldn't hold that against him.

If you like music videos, get a collection of Bjork videos. Those things are fucking amazing. I also love the Tool set that came out. I'm sure I'm going to butcher the name, but the stop motion/claymation style they have was influenced by The Brothers Calaminov or something like that. Very dark, cryptic, and fascinating stop motion. I'll try to find the proper name for you (unless someone else out there knows who I'm talking about).

the anime Metropolis is wonderful.

And, of course, The Adventures of Baron Munchaussen and Brazil. Although I'm not a terribly big fan of the latter, these two are Gilliam's best movies, and are both absolutely stunning.

Blade Runner is also really impressive visually. And really good.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

I have to agree with The Adventured of Baron Munchaussen, but the most visually stimulating movie I have ever seen is Toys with Robin Williams and Joan Cusack. The story was a loser, but wonderful for the eyes.

[Equipoise]

I second The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition, preferably) and Moulin Rouge.

Also,

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Superbit!

[FranticMad]

Memento
Temptation of a monk (some scenes are visually exquisite)
Dark City

[Tuckerfan]

Koyaanisqatsi! Koyaanisqatsi! Koyaanisqatsi! Koyaanisqatsi! For All Mankind!

Koyaanisqatsi is a visual documentary with soundtrack by Philip Glass there's been half a dozen threads about it, great film!

For All Mankind is a documentary about the space program directed by the screenwriter for Apollo 13 (another good choice). Totally stunning, plus the commentary tracks include interviews with various Apollo astronauts.

[Hampshire]

Try any of the Pixar films; ToyStory 1&2, Bug's Life, Monsters Inc,
or Dreamwork's Shrek.
Sound effects are perfect since they are all post-production and the resoultion doesn't lose anything when blown up on a projection tv.

[Davebear]

If you want color, try The Fifth Element. It's a standard test disc for testing a system's color calibration, and reasonably entertaining. If you can get the SuperBit edition, it's even better. If you want to see what black-and-white should look like, try Citizen Kane or The Maltese Falcon, both absolutely gorgeous discs.

[joshmaker]

Of the movies that have been listed here: Brazil, Blade Runner, Citizen Kane, Dark City, What Dreams May Come, and Waking Life are all visually amazing.

To suggest an old classic: The Third Man, starring Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten, is set in the visually stunning city of Vienna, still partly in ruins from World War II, and features some of the most beautiful film noir style cinematography ever captured on film. (Not to mention great acting and a fantastic script)

http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/greatmovies/third_man.html

[Malthus]

Originally posted by Tuckerfan
Koyaanisqatsi! Koyaanisqatsi! Koyaanisqatsi! Koyaanisqatsi! For All Mankind!

Koyaanisqatsi is a visual documentary with soundtrack by Philip Glass there's been half a dozen threads about it, great film!

For All Mankind is a documentary about the space program directed by the screenwriter for Apollo 13 (another good choice). Totally stunning, plus the commentary tracks include interviews with various Apollo astronauts.

I second Koyaanisqatsi. Pure visual genius.

[Landshark]

I'd say 2001: A Space Odyssey - Directory Stanley Kubrick and his crew did some great things visually in this, especially considering it debuted in 1968. And I think it still holds up visually today.

[Mockingbird]

Originally posted by Malthus
I second Koyaanisqatsi. Pure visual genius.

I will third that and add that it has taken YEARS to get this released on DVD. I would love to see people buy this in droves and prove that it was worth it for them to release it.

[Crusoe]

The Fifth Element
The City of Lost Children

[CheapBastid]

I'm also on board with:
City of Lost Children
Blade Runner
What Dreams May Come
Munchaussen
LotR:FotR

Legend seems to have been left out though.

[ChaosGod]

Titanic

[twickster]

Anything by Ken Russell, who was a sucker for a cool visual -- I'd especially recommend The Boyfriend, for its all-round surrealism.

Another guy who can do a good visuals is David Cronenberg -- how about M. Butterfly?

[Shoeless]

Anything directed by Terry Gilliam (Brazil, Twelve Monkeys, etc).

[grendel72]

I'll second City of Lost Children, and any Jenuet movies...
Ma Vie En Rose is an insanely brightly colored movie with some cool special effects.
Godzilla vs. Biollante and Wrath of Daimajin are two giant monster movies from Japan that look absolutely amazing, seriously.
Velvet Goldmine is pretty dang colorful, and it has a nekkid Ewan McGregor in it as well.
Suspiria is quite colorful as well, although it's a fairly violent horror movie and that might not be your cup of tea.

[FranticMad]

Casablanca. Almost every frame is a worthy of being made into a poster. The lighting is superb. It has some artistic ideas in its use of light and shadow. Camera angles are interesting and almost always suit the storyline. Considering how quickly it was shot, director of photography must have been a natural genius.

[FranticMad]

Castaway, if just for the airplane scene. Must be seen on a large cinema screen to be appreciated. I was literally in awe.

[smaft]

Nobody's mentioned it yet, so I thought I'd throw in Ridley Scott's Legend. It's not necessarily a great movie, but it's visually amazing. You'll want to see it on the biggest screen you can.

[Shirley Ujest]

Horseman on the roof Visually lush. I cannot really recall the plot to much as there were subtitles involved.

[ant22783]

koyaanisqatsi. Is that correct spelling? I Usually see a movie that I like a few times but I only had one chance to see this and it was at least 20 yrs ago. All I remember about it was that you should watch it.

[NightRabbit]

Man with a Movie Camera by Vertov is an oldie, but very visually impressive. A film before its time!

[lout]

Days of Heaven

[RealityChuck]

Days of Heaven (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0077405). The most visually stunning film every made. I'm not talking cheap flash; I mean one amazingly beautiful shot after another. Good story, too. Take a look and see why Hollywood considers Terrence Malick a genius.

[Evil Captor]

Microcosm
those 50s technicolor spectaculars, especially Westerns with great scenery -- How The West Was Won, etc.
Any Star Wars movie

Also a couple of softcore nekkid recommendations:

The Mistress Club
Playtime

In both cases, the leads have gorgeous bodies and they're beautifully photographed. I didn't really think the Mistress Club was all that hot, I just noticed its leads (whom I've seen photographed less effectively in other Skinamax films) looked especially gorgeous in Mistress Club. Playtime, OTOH, is very sexy for a Skinamax film.

Taken is a hardcore flick with a more mature Ginger Allen that has an excellent outdoor sex scene set on a lakeside, very nice color.

Also, there's a Jenna Jameson pirate movie XXX that's got some nice pirate ship shots, but it's not that well cinemagraphed.

[ftg]

Watched Taxi Driver last night for the first time in a long time. Still visually stunning on the small box. (Saw it in a Real Theater 20+ years ago.)

[lout]

It is interesting to note that Terence Malick translated Martin Heidegger's The Essence of Reasons (Vom Wesen des Grundes) for the University of Illinois Phenomenology series.

Malick's films -- esp. Days of Heaven -- make me think of certain passages from Heidegger, such as this, from What is Called Thinking:

"The presence we described gathers itself in the continuance which causes a mountain, a sea, a house to endure and, by that duration, to lie before us among other things that are presents...The Greeks experience such duration as a luminous appearance in the sense of illumined, radiant self-manifestation."

[stockton]

Wim Wenders. Wings of Desire. Paris, Texas.

Fargo might be cool, too.

[lightingtool]

The man who wasn't there - Cohen(sp?) brothers

Down by Law - Jim Jarmusch (and tell me what Tom Waits is saying!)

For that new sound system, and a trip to the 80's, Top Flight

[kathij]

I agree with most of the suggestions. I would include Kenneth Brannagh's (sp?) Henry V, which has got one of the most gorgeous battle scenes ever. I agree that The Third Man is a wonderful, beautifully shot classic. If you like black and white films, I would add Raging Bull--it's one of the most amazing films ever. Love the look of Blade Runner, City of Lost Children, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

An amazing if quirky (and probably not available on DVD) Chinese movie is Green Snake.

There are bunches more, of course, that I can't think of right now. Depends on what you're in the mood for.

[vl_mungo]

Yeah gotta agree with Fargo... all that nothing was pretty impressive.
Apocalypse Now's helicopter scene is one of my favorites
Casino Royale is a godawful movie with some of the coolest sets ever.
There's some beautiful scenes in The Ice Storm.
and let's see... one more
Koyaanisqatsi is pretty much just cool visuals

[well he's back]

Days of Heaven (I once drove 2 hours to have the chance to see this on a theatre sized screen)

LOTR:FOTR

Those would be my top two choices. Excerpts from some really good Disney animation - like Pinochio - can be appreciated for the beautiful visuals. On the other hand, even tho parts of The Sound of Music and Doctor Zhivago are quite pretty, they are still hard to sit through...

[Eonwe]

The Mission with Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro. It's been a really long time since I've seen it, but some beautiful scenery shots and such, as well as being just a great movie.

[HPL]

D.W. Griffith's Intolerance. Some parts are so-so, but others (The Sequence in Ancient Babylon in particular), are very visually impressive.

[pervertatoid]

Requiem for a Dream. If you're into weird movies, you may even like it. But to watch that on a nice, large setup...

If you haven't seen it, but have seen Snatch, then I can tell you to look for the "scene transitions" (for lack of a better term) that are similar to that which you see in Snatch when Avi (Avy?) Flies from New York to England and back. The "pill pop, bottoms up, slam glass down" transition. There are a few (drug-related, watch for the pupils dilating) transitions similar to that in Requiem for a Dream which I found to be beautiful, artisically. Especially loved the use of colors.

I thought the movie was pretty cool, and Lux Aeterna, the movie's theme music, is beautiful as well.

[pervertatoid]

Oh yeah, and I definitely agree with City of Lost Children and Delicatessen (though I've only seen part of Delicatessen), and though I haven't seen Amélie at all, I'd be willing to bet it'd be worth it, too.

[Mothchunks]

Braveheart

[cookeze]

Manon of the Spring

Akira Kurosawa's Dreams

[sirtonyh]

I'll throw my vote behind Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon & The City of Lost Children. Any of the Pixar animations are great, as is Shrek and Chicken Run.
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and her Lover is visually stunning, as are most Peter Greenaway movies.

[The Scrivener]

You can't go wrong with the recommendations already forwarded, but I

Elvira Madigan, set in the Swedish countryside during summer and fall.

Out of Africa, The Gods Must Be Crazy, Walkabout, and Picnic at Hanging Rock for their African and Australian backdrops.

Ran, Akira Kurosawa's epic adaptation of King Lear set in feudal Japan, has stunning court and battle scenes.

For sheer mayhem and distorted, stylized (or uglified, if you will) cinematography, there's (for starters) Altered States, Alien 3, Fight Club and Three Kings.

Stanley Kubrick was arguably the greatest visual stylist ever: 2001, Barry Lyndon, The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut have distinctive looks. He also took over the direction of Spartacus, which has some great battle scenes.

Others: Interview With the Vampire; The Ninth Gate (dir.: Roman Polanski) and the Bonds On Her Majesty's Secret Service (ooh, that first ski chase!) and Goldeneye in particular.



Damn, I feel like watching a visually stunning movie right now! :)

[Larry Bee]

Baraka (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005M91K/qid=1045433628/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-9107643-4455946?v=glance&s=dvd)

[kathij]

Yeah, Ran. And Seven Samurai is pretty spectacular as well.

[Ike Witt]

Originally posted by cookeze
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams

I was going to suggest this as well. It is due to be released on DVD in March. I can't wait.

[Toffe]

Kurosawa and visually stunning films and nobody's mentioned Dersu Uzala yet?

OK. Dersu Uzala. It's about a Soviet officer mapping the Siberian wilderness and his developing friendship with a hunter there. The shots of Siberia's forests are amazing.

[irishgirl]

Platoon
Full metal jacket
Mulholland drive
Leon
Taxi
The Sound of Music
The Wizard of Oz
Akira...i like my manga big and loud.

The Pianist will be wonderful (when it comes out on DVD)

[KarlGauss]

I mentioned Zulu in the other thread about the best war movies. To a very large extent, it is one of the best because of its visual impact. Red British uniforms, Zulu tribesmen, the landscape of South Africa, all in sweeping cinematography.

[prisoner6655321]

2001: A Space Odyssey. Arguably the most beautiful movie ever made.
All other Kubrick movies.

How can anyone miss BLADERUNNER!

The Cell (gorgeous movie!)

If you like City of Lost Children and Bladerunner then you have to see:
Dark City
Brazil

And I would like to point out that if you want to see the glory of any "visually stunning" movie, you have to see it as the Director intended, which is the widescreen/letterbox edition.

I'm definitely increasing my netflix list with this thread. Great thread!

[prisoner6655321]

2001: A Space Odyssey. Arguably the most beautiful movie ever made.
All other Kubrick movies.

How can anyone miss BLADERUNNER!

The Cell (gorgeous movie!)

If you like City of Lost Children and Bladerunner then you have to see:
Dark City
Brazil

And I would like to point out that if you want to see the glory of any "visually stunning" movie, you have to see it as the Director intended, which is the widescreen/letterbox edition.

I'm definitely increasing my netflix list with this thread. Great thread!

[well he's back]

Got to add another - "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" - A Eurasian film, I saw it 30 years ago so can't remember the country, or probably the correct title. But I still remember the stunning visuals.

[singular1]

Bram Stoker's Dracula is gorgeous. The saddest part is that there aren't any extras on the DVD. I'm hoping they come out with a collector's edition someday.

[Shayna]

I came in to recommend Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (http://us.imdb.com/Tawards?0072684) (winning Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration & Best Costume Design), but I see that The Scrivener already has, so let me 2nd that nomination. You have to like "period pieces", though, as it's set in 18th century Europe. And, you have to have a long attention span, as it's a 3 hour movie. But it is gorgeous. As one viewer wrote: "It is in actuality a moving painting if there ever was one. This movies strongest point is its wonderful cinematography by John Alcott. With its pioneering lenses the movie is easily the most beautiful ever made."

[PunditLisa]

Crank up the receiver and put in Top Gun.
Legends of the Fall has beautiful location shots.

[tullius]

Ridley Scott's The Duellists (1978).


Interesting story, spotty acting (Harvey Keitel, as always, is great, but Keith Carradine never seems believable saying most of his lines as a Napoleonic officer), but the photography is absolutely stunning. As a movie it's a B, as a series of paintings an A+.

[Gr8Kat]

I have to second (or third?) the anime Metropolis. The computer generated art is not only stunning, but the handdrawn art is almost seamlessly integrated. It's a wonder to behold.

If you like more traditional animation, I'd imagine that Disney's The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast would also be a treat. I know they knocked my socks off in the theater.

[Jberto]

I've always liked the cinematography of Peter Weir's films - Gallipoli, Fearless, Witness.

Dark City and The Matrix are good examples as well.

[Tangent]

A River Runs Through It

[pervertatoid]

I realize this is way late...but...I can't believe Pleasantville wasn't mentioned...I can't believe I didn't mention it. Heh...beautiful with the colors and black 'n' white mixed like that...

[Pantone Swatchbook]

Cant believe no one's mentioned Titus! A remake of Shakespeare's bloodiest (and worst) play, filled with strange anachronisms (Mussolini-esque fascist architecture, 1930's era technology juxtaposed with Medieval culture, etc).

[aaaaaarrgg]

yeah i know these are already mentioned but they are WORTH repeating, if solely for reinforcement!

koyaanisqatsi
amelie
moulin rouge
william shakespeare's romeo + juliet
pleasantville
run lola run
the matrix
the lord of the rings, the fellowship of the ring
the fifth element
what dreams may come

enjoy!

[even sven]

I am Cuba,

It's a Soviet-Cuban coproduction that was banned by the Soviets immediatly after it was released for making all the stuff it was supposed to be condemning look too good, and it was not really seen anywhere until some movie star unearthed it in the eighties. Now they stock it at the local Blockbuster.

It is THE most beautiful use of black and white film ever. I watch well over a hundred movies a year in school, and I have never seen anything as stunningly perfect as I am Cuba. It took my breath away.

[Seven]

I always thought Pitch Black was a stunning visual work. The script is so-so, but it sure is pretty to watch.

[beajerry]

Gilliam's Brazil


Kurosawa's Dreams


Kubrick's 2001, A Space Odessey and The Shining


Lynch's Blue Velvet

[MissBungle]

Girl on the Bridge

[G. Cornelius]

To the votes for Kurosawa, I'd add Kagemusha (http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?PID=1265249&frm=sh_google). I have not seen the DVD myself though.

[ArrMatey!]

If no one's mentioned these yet-

Kurosawa's 'Ran', if for the battle scenes alone. Fantastic stuff.

Also from Kurosawa, 'Dreams'. Visually completely amazing.

(Yes, I wanted to be Kurosawa when I grew up. Got a problem with that?)

[ArrMatey!]

Okay. So they were all suggested earlier.

I AM NOT AN IDIOT!

Okay, yes I am. :p

[Umbriel]

The movies directed my Miami Vice maven Michael Mann back in the '80s were visually very striking. Manhunter (the original movie version of Thomas Harris' Red Dragon) and The Keep particularly come to mind.

The latter is a badly muddled version of a pulpily entertaining F. Paul Wilson horror novel set in Nazi-occupied Romania, but great eye candy throughout. Two brief matte shots in particular must have been just jawdropping in a theater -- one as Scott Glenn's character passes through a border checkpoint, and another sequence where German soldiers exploring a tunnel reach a huge underground chamber, and the camera seems to fly back in a continuous shot hundreds of feet through the cavern.

[Dewey Cheatem Undhow]

It's been said before, but for my money nothing says "visually stunning" like Lawerence of Arabia.

[Trigonal Planar]

For sure:

2001: A Space Odyssey

But what about......

The Truman Show? That stunning scene at the end(!!)

Pleasantville? Awesome colouring effects.

Amadeus? Cool cinematics with all those theatre scenes, and you can test your sound system!

AND, how could anyone miss Jurassic Park???.

[Windwalker]

Ah, no mention of Snow Falling on Cedars? Breath-taking visuals that overshadowed the story, but I didn't really care; the movie as a whole seemed like a haunting poem. The specific story fades, but the visual artistry remains evocative and emotionally charged in my mind to this day (more than a year after seeing it).

[ArrMatey!]

Have to recommend Kurosawa's Dreams. Visually so amazing, made my jaw drop.

[Balduran]

I saw City of Lost Children and Babe 2, and I think they used some of the same locations.

In addition to all the great reccomendations, I will add Shanghai Triad. Actually, I can't remember if the whole movie has good cinematography, but there were some really nice "magic hour" scenes in it.

[ddgryphon]

For epic sets and general massiveness:
Fritz Lang's Metropolis
Braveheart
Blade Runner
Dark City
Gattaca

For dreamy, immersive weirdness:
Amélie
Waking Life
What Dreams May Come

For some action madness:
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Blade 1 and 2
Snatch
Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels

And for some plain old-fashioned quality cinematography:
The Man Who Wasn't There
The Silence of the Lambs
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Seven
Cries and Whispers
The Godfather Trilogy

And just for fun:
Toy Story Parts 1 and 2
The Emperor's New Groove

Oh, and to really stretch your system to the maximum limits of its capability, Clerks.

If Clerks looks good on your setup, I wanna come over to your house.


That's a great list! I'll just second it, because there's little I would add to it.

[RitzyRae]

Wow. The lists are endless. And these are great for cinematography:

The Patriot
American Beauty
The English Patient
Forest Gump
JFK
Dances with Wolves
Doctor Zhivago
Indiana Jones (all)
Fiddler on the Roof
Romeo and Juliet
Cleopatra
Ben Hur

And I second:

Lawrence of Arabia
Out of Africa
Spartacus
Braveheart
Amadeus
and almost everything else everyone said...

HAVE FUN! :D

[Rex Fenestrarum]

I too second (or third or fouth) Amélié. It's one of the most stunning movies I've ever seen. It doesn't push the boundaries like many of the movies mentioned here, but every time I see it, I just can't believe that every single frame of Amélié is composed perfectly. It's also a great example of good uses of CGI.

Others have recommended Brazil. While I concur in theory, you really want to buy\rent the Criterion version. I believe the "regular" $15.99 version of Brazil has the stupid "Love Conquers All" ending that showed only in American theatres. The Criterion has this version, the version that showed in theatres in every other country, as well as Terry Gilliam's "definitive" version.

[Telemark]

Winged Migration

[august9]

I can't understand that noone has mentioned Hero (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299977/) yet! Granted, the story is rather thin (it's a sort of fairy-tale or legend), but the visuals are absolutely stunning - it's doing with colour, what black and white film does with light and shadow.

[plnnr]

"Laura," directed by Otto Preminger and starring Gene Tierney, Clifton Webb, and Dana Andrews. Made in 1944, but very, very stylish noir and with really beautiful photography.

And I don't think anyone's mentioned Gone With The Wind yet - but your system would have to be REALLY good to do it justice. It is best seen on a big screen, in a beautiful old theater, with someone you love (and who loves old movies).

[Hunter Hawk]

I'll second Baraka, but my first recommendation would be Cremaster 3. I don't think you can get the whole thing on DVD, but you can get one segment (titled "The Order"). You'll find it pretty damn confusing, but I wouldn't worry too much about that.

[kasuo]

One Hour Photo.

Heck, throw in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within to see how it's like.

[Jonathan Chance]

Winged Migration

I'll second this. I saw it at the local CC on Friday. It's brilliant.

Using ultralights and remote control gliders and helicopters it records birds of all sorts migrating over the course of a year.

The scenery is excellent and varied. But the most amazing thing is how graceful and well-designed the birds look in flight. Even the best looking duck or goose looks ungainly walking along the ground but up in the air from three feet away...that's a well-engineered shape for flying. All the clumsiness melts away and they're beautiful.

Try it if you can find it.

[Kalhoun]

Heaven's Gate. Yeah, yeah...I know it's widely considered to be the worst movie in the history of film. Well, I disagree. It's just beautiful.

Another one that is quite striking visually is The Reflecting Skin. It's the first thing I ever saw Viggo Mortensen in, and it's a real mind-blower. Not for the squeamish. It's actually quite disturbing. But really, REALLY beautiful.

[ianzin]

Gone With The Wind.
Terminator 2.
Finding Nemo.

[kellner]

Hero (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299977/) or The Straight Story (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166896/)

[don't ask]

Another vote for Winged Migration which I have recently seen. Its other charm is the limited dialogue.

[Nanook]

Anything with Gregg Toland's cinematography (Citizen Kane, The LIttle Foxes, etc.)
Raise the Red Lantern for its formal composition
Hello, Dolly! for it's incredible period detail and depth-of-focus (always something going on in the background)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Pinocchio or Beauty and the Beast for its brilliant and beautiful animation.
The Ten Commandments for breathtaking color.
Lawrence of Arabia (superbit version only)
The 6 hour+ Russian version of War and Peace by Bondmarchuk (sic)

[FriarTed]

I haven't noticed any mention of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE yet

[Sam Stone]

The Right Stuff.

[Oy!]

Well, Blade Runner was the first thing to come to mind, What Dreams May Come the second, and Friar Ted just beat me to A Clockwork Orange. However:

Excalibur

and for animation: Dinosaur