Best Film (cinematic) Aesthetically and by plot

[ChrisP]

Inspired by a recent thread in the film forum about Aronofsky that seemed to move to Goddard eventually, if you had to reccommend one film for the aesthetics of it and one for the plot which would you reccomend? Bonus points (which are worth nothing except maybe a high five if you ever come to Saskatoon) if you pick the same film for both.

P.s. If this isn't clear you only get to pick 2 films max!

 

[hipsterdufus]

I REALLY like "In Bruges" for both the cinematics and the plot. Absolutely beautiful film. I bought the blu-ray and it's one of the best movie purchases I've ever made.

 

[Mohan]

For aesthetics it would have to be "in the mood for love", absolutely beautiful, I could watch it without subtitles (and I don't speak Cantonese) and still be transfixed.

I really can't make up my mind what my favorite plot is.

 

[filmtwit]

"Yojimbo" is one of the more perfectly shot scope B&W films of all times.


Haskell Wexler's natural cinematography is always worth watching, see;
"Who's Afriad of Virginia Wolf"
"Bound for Glory"
"Matewan"
"Secret of Rowen Inish"
"In the Heat of the Night"
"Medium Cool"

 

[steamer]

Kubrick's much reviled Barry Lyndon for aesthetics, and Chinatown for plot

 

[efix]

"Barry Lyndon" by Stanley Kubrick. Fascinating pictures, great story. One of my all-time favourite movies. Alternatively "2001: A Space Odyssey", but purely for aesthetics here -- the plot continues to elude me ...

 

[efix]

Kubrick's much reviled Barry Lyndon

Oh darn, you beat me to it 😛

 

[Paolo Bonello]

A beautifully funny and wonderfully cinematic film I recently saw was "Micmacs" Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet who also did "The Delicatessen". Even with subtitles I was in stitches laughing at the very engaging and entertaining plot. The cinematography is pure art. It will not disappoint if you have never seen it.

 

[PhillipAbbott]

For aesthetics it would have to be "in the mood for love", absolutely beautiful, I could watch it without subtitles (and I don't speak Cantonese) and still be transfixed.

I really can't make up my mind what my favorite plot is.

I'll definitely second that, and also Wong Kar Wai's "Chungking Express"

Then also for aesthetic's I'd have to add Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven" (or really any Malick).

That's already two, but for narrative, my favorites would be either "Stroszek" or "Fitzcarraldo" by Werner Herzog, but those don't really fit everyone's tastes.

 

[geotrupede]

Fitzcarraldo, Woyzeck and Kasper Hauser are all great!
But I would also suggest "M" in the restored version 6 x 6 (square movie !!!!)
G

 

[astrosecret]

Days of Heaven probably. Colossal Youth is also aesthetically fascinating.

 

[maclaine]

"Barry Lyndon" by Stanley Kubrick. Fascinating pictures, great story. One of my all-time favourite movies. Alternatively "2001: A Space Odyssey", but purely for aesthetics here -- the plot continues to elude me ...

2001 makes MUCH more sense if you read the book, particularly the ending, which is absolutely confounding in the movie if you haven't read the book. Arthur C. Clarke and Kubrick collaborated on the book and movie at the same time in what may be one of the earliest examples of that kind of "multimedia" storytelling, with each one playing to the strengths of that particular form.

I was going to say 2001 as well for my "aesthetic" choice, but in thinking about it more, I'd have to say Blade Runner. For a film that's 30+ years old, it's amazing how forward thinking it was. Whereas 2001 has more of a "retro future" vibe these days, our world seems to just keep getting closer and closer to the future Blade Runner portrayed (for better and for worse). It's also a film that is still being ripped off to this day, and I think it's safe to say that its influence on science fiction visuals is stronger than either 2001 or the original Star Wars films, despite their own important contributions.

Plot-wise, I'm having a hard time deciding on just one. For story purposes, I tend to lean more towards documentaries, as I don't generally watch fictional films for things like the story. Even the best films tend to rely on the same themes over and over, and of course big budget Hollywood garbage barely relies on any plot at all in favor of stunning (though sometimes empty) visuals. Movies by folks like the Maysles Brothers (Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter, Salesman) or a film like Hoop Dreams tell stories that are so compelling and based on real people, that I find them much more engrossing than a bunch of pretty people reciting someone else's lines. That's just me, though.

 

[Nate Butler]

A single film for plot and aesthetics (look, style, cinematography)? 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Edit: Seeing that Kubrick is already well-represented in such few posts, I'll go with my favorite non-Kubrick movie, There Will Be Blood.

 

[maclaine]

A single film for plot and aesthetics (look, style, cinematography)? 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Edit: Seeing that Kubrick is already well-represented in such few posts, I'll go with my favorite non-Kubrick movie, There Will Be Blood.

I'll second There Will Be Blood. I think P.T. Anderson has made some of the best looking films of the last 10-15 years. I was pleasantly surprised when I watched Punch Drunk Love a while back. I don't know what I was expecting, but it sure wasn't what I saw, and that's a good thing. The use of color in that movie is gorgeous.

 

[plummerl]

I'd have to go with Dr. Strangelove.... or Pulp Fiction.... or Casablanca.... or Citizen Kane.... or ....

This list could go on for quite a while.

 

[River Dog]

I'll pitch "Lawrence of Arabia" for both.

 

[kevin m]

Some really good recommendations already, including the surprising Punch Drunk Love.

I've been really into B&W cinematography lately, and I'd like to recommend a director that doesn't get mentioned much: Kenji Mizoguchi, and his movie "Ugetsu" in particular. It's the first movie that comes to mind when I think of a film where the cinematography and the story-telling are so tightly wound that the two can't be separated. The movie is half adventure film, half ghost story, and the way the camera is used - long takes and natural wipes - makes the transitions between the two so seamless that it has the effect of drawing you into the story and creating an almost dream-like state in the viewer (somewhat similar to a Tarkovsky film, but much more traditional.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTM0eb0VCnU&feature=related

 

[kevin m]

Another excellent B&W film that's more well-known is Night of the Hunter. Hard to believe that Charles Laughton never made another film....!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFzTBPy7nl8

 

[hipsterdufus]

Another excellent B&W film that's more well-known is Night of the Hunter. Hard to believe that Charles Laughton never made another film....!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFzTBPy7nl8

+1 to "Night of the Hunter". Great, creepy movie. Beautifully shot, too!

 

[mtargz]

It is impossible not to nominate Louis Malle's masterpiece, "Ascenseur pour l'échafaud" (Elevator to the Gallows).

It answers for everything I could ask of a film: Beautiful cinematographic work that became synonymous with the Film Noir genre, a tense, well-told story that involves a perfect crime and a camera (trying hard not to spoil, but a must-see for any film-buff), a pretty woman (Jeanne Moreau in her prime) in a fast car and, of course, the heart-melting soundtrack by Miles David.

"Ascenseur pour l'échafaud" gets my vote on both questions.


For colour-work, I'd have to say Almodovar's "Volver" gets my support.