When I first got my DVD player, well before most, I used to try an convince people how much better the picture quality of VHS was by playing the trailer to Dark City. The whole movie is wonderfully filmed.
That sound you may have heard just now was James Wong Howe, sighing in his grave.
Titus, starring Anthony Hopkins
Hmm…pretty much anything by Ridley Scott.
Maybe Wild Orchid and When Night is Falling. (Might not be that great for family movie night, though.)
The Thin Red Line was pretty gorgeous. I didn’t think it was that good of a movie, but it’s very pretty to watch.
The Star Wars prequels. Natch. (Watch 'em with the French dialogue and no subtitles if you have to, but you shouldn’t miss 'em.)
Speaking of Akira—I’ll suggest Last Exile; Metropolis and Steamboy on the anime front.
Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Ghost in the shell: Stand alone Complex (TV series)
Anything by Myazaki
Count me with those who automatically associate Days of Heaven with this question.
I have wanted a book of still photographs from this movie since it first came out.
“The Searchers” is full of drop-dead gorgeous imagery of Monument Valley and environs.
“The Satan Bug” is this totally boring sf flick but it has the most eye-popping visuals of a full-bore Populuxe 1960s ranch house set in the middle of the California desert (first house in a new subdivision or something). The movie itself is a total waste in terms of plot, acting and characterization, but it’s been on cable and I can’t help watching it every time it’s on …
with my EYES!!!
For beautiful outside views, try Open Range. Great movie, too, and I’m not even really a fan of westerns. Predictable plot overcome by spectacular dialog and Oscar-quality acting at every turn, right down to the scenes with relative unknowns in tiny roles.
For truly original cinematography, try Sin City (though Mickey Rourke’s excellent job is not enough to compensate for this violent and nasty moralistic tale) and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (predictable but fun 40’s newsreel throwback done entirely with a blue screen).
Oh believe me I got loooooooove for the black & white movies - its just one thing that jumps out at me about my tv is how vibrant the colors are. Not a diss at the style, I promise.
Good call on Sin City Malienation, that was actually the first movie I watched when I got this sucker. I can’t believe I left it off my list, I absolutely love the look of it. It might be the most visually stunnimg movie I have ever seen.
I thought about mentioning this. I agree about the visuals, and the overall quality of the movie as well. I think I would have loved the movie when I was 12 or so.
Miller’s Crossing is ten times a better movie on a plasma screen than on a regular TV.
I never saw Blue Velvet in good quality, but I think it would play well.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Yearling, Duel in the Sun.
Silent Hill
Since you already mentioned Kubrick’s 2001, let me also recommend Barry Lyndon and Spartacus (especially for the climatic battle scenes). Some other older titles you may want to include are Vertigo, Shane, The Big Country, and the first two Godfather movies.
Also, I would strongly urge you to reconsider your bar on black & white movies because you’ll be missing out on such visually stunning films like Night of the Hunter, Hud, The Last Picture Show, Paths of Glory, Portrait of Jennie, Touch of Evil, Raging Bull, Psycho, and (obviously) Citizen Kane.
Black Robe
Visually impressive and much superior to Dances With Wolves as a movie experience.
Lawrence of Arabia provides a different kind of visual experience, but it’s very thirst inducing.
The Duellists, the landscapes are stunning.
Now I have to go find MirrorMask, it sounds and looks fantastic!
The Shining
Master and Commander: Far Side of the World
Amelie
Gladiator
Winged Migration
I think we watched all of the above movies within a couple of weeks after getting our plasma screen. Visual stunners, all of them.
I would vote for many that have been named already. One not yet mentioned that is visually stunning (in more ways than one) is 9 1/2 Weeks along with other films by director Adrian Lyne who somehow manages to produce a liquid feeling to many scenes. The lighting and cinematography are stunning.
Kim Basinger isn’t bad either. At least she wasn’t 20 years ago.
I just did this with our new DLP big screen.
Moulin Rouge for stunning colors. Even if you don’t like the movie (which is one of my favorites) watch the love song montage scene and any of the dance scenes. Better than the Fifth Element even because the colors are more saturated.
Mirrormask was disappointing because of the shadowed corners. I liked the movie, just not the way it was approached cinematographically.
Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams is also amazing. The wildflowers. The faces of the returning soldiers in The Tunnel. Can you tell I watched this last night?
The Movie, Orlando, had some pretty amazing cinematography. Not a bad piece of Cinema at all.