If we're doing 21st century, the short list would contain the likes of Fury Road, Prometheus, BR 2049, possibly Interstellar, possibly Inception.
Edit: Throw some No Country For Old Men in there.
ElJeffe on
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Pretty Americentric list, which I guess is to be expected. Still, I think The Conformist in the top 10 is a really good pick. So much of why that film works is because of Storaro's lighting and camera work. There are some films on that top 100 that were going to look good in the hands of a competent DoP (rather than a master) simply because of excellent production design.
No films from 1928-1938 is disappointing.
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Tynnanseldom correct, never unsureRegistered Userregular
I'd probably put The Last Jedi up there too. That it was as visually impressive as it was wound up being overshadowed by Rian Johnson personally murdering the pets and close relations of franchise fans.
I'd probably put The Last Jedi up there too. That it was as visually impressive as it was wound up being overshadowed by Rian Johnson personally murdering the pets and close relations of franchise fans.
Both TFA and TLJ and visually stunning. The Falcon escape scene in FTA had me in tears.
Citizen Kane
2001
Lawrence of Arabia
Rashomon
Raging Bull
You just got epic dab’d
Dammit, that's also not a bad list.
You have failed me.
(I actually don't recall the cinematography in Raging Bull. 2001 is gorgeous, though, even if I find it boring as snot for large stretches.)
I also agree 2001 is rather boring but to me best cinematography are the movies where you think of the look more than the story or anything in it, a good performance or music or what have you. First thing I think of is the look. That's why the only thing that might compete with Citizen Kane is possibly, possibly, Paddington 3.
Raging Bull fits this because while it isn't even in Marty Score's top three overall, it's known for the boxing and the slow-mo shots but the entire thing is like perfecting the camerawork of the 40's and 50's. That scene where DeNiro walks over to beat the shit out of Pesci and the chaos and then cutting to the TV static, mwah.
This is why I would put Oldboy so high up on my all-time list too; it's not even the best in Chan Wook Park's revenge trilogy let alone his top 3 movies (JSA #1, I'm a Cyborg #2, Lady Vengeance #3) but it totally owns everything to do with camerawork and the flow of the film to the point where that hallway fight is just the extra cherry on top, it was already doing amazing things without that scene, like the dude doing that weird yoga or when the dude gets scissor'd lolz cut it out
Especially not TFA. Like TFA has a couple of nice scenes, but it also has a bunch of really dull, boring interiors with nothing interesting going on to differentiate it whatsoever.
Like there's just nothing interesting happening here at all, and there's way worse looking scenes than this one:
A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
Master and Commander was a beautiful movie that looked, in certain frames, like a renaissance painting. Grand Budapest Hotel is probably Wes Anderson's best looking movie, but YMMV if his style bounces right off you.
BR2049 is probably the most gloriously shot movie I've seen for a decade or more. I'm still astonished about that film.
Leviathan
Millennium Mambo
Colossal Youth
Kaili Blues
Songs From the Second Floor
Story of My Death
Miami Vice
The Assassination of Jesse James
Hard to be a God
The New World
I'm sure there's stuff I'm overlooking, but I think most of those I'd have trouble leaving off.
21st century cinematography masterpieces
Spiderman into the spiderverse
Sunshine
Gravity
Zodiac
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Leviathan
Millennium Mambo
Colossal Youth
Kaili Blues
Songs From the Second Floor
Story of My Death
Miami Vice
The Assassination of Jesse James
Hard to be a God
The New World
I'm sure there's stuff I'm overlooking, but I think most of those I'd have trouble leaving off.
I submitted an entry to Lego Ideas, and if 10,000 people support me, it'll be turned into an actual Lego set!If you'd like to see and support my submission, follow this link.
Only God Forgives was also purty, though also stupid and masturbatory.
I submitted an entry to Lego Ideas, and if 10,000 people support me, it'll be turned into an actual Lego set!If you'd like to see and support my submission, follow this link.
Leviathan
Millennium Mambo
Colossal Youth
Kaili Blues
Songs From the Second Floor
Story of My Death
Miami Vice
The Assassination of Jesse James
Hard to be a God
The New World
I'm sure there's stuff I'm overlooking, but I think most of those I'd have trouble leaving off.
It's the fishing documentary, yeah. The best use of go-pros yet; a purely sensory piece of cinematography that abstracts very real environments to the point of bewilderment. There is some ambiguity about the title, though. There's also a 2014 Russian film that's pretty well known too.
I'm sure there's stuff I'm overlooking, but I think most of those I'd have trouble leaving off.
I can't speak for most of your picks, but Miami Vice was a lesser version of Heat and Collateral in my opinion. Both far surpass it in terms of story and action and visuals. I would go with Collateral over Miami Vice if I had to pick a 21st Century pick, but Miami Vice is a lesser entry in Michael Mann's filmography, much less film as a whole.
The sky was full of stars, every star an exploding ship. One of ours.
Here's the trailer for Velvet Buzzsaw, the Netflix film starring Jake Gyllenhall and directed by Dan Gilroy, who worked together previously on Nightcrawler.
Jake Gyllenhall plays an art auctioneer whose sight is beginning to go bad, and that's all I knew about it before watching the trailer.
Oh, Miami Vice is definitely not a great film (I don't think Hard to be a God is either). But it's either that or Public Enemies if I'm picking stuff that looks fantastic and also unlike anything else before it. I might be persuaded to go with Public Enemies actually, just because its formal decisions build a kind stylistic anachronism; so many period pieces try to match the remembered visual textures of their time and that one goes in the opposite direction. A lot of people criticized, or continue to criticize Mann's preference for very digital looking cinematography, but I think it's the most interesting thing he's pushed as a filmmaker. He can keep repeating his romantic brand of tortured masculinity, but I'm watching his films for their visual (edit: and sound!---he's extremely conscious of sound design) decisions primarily.
Having rewatched FA and TLJ, yeah, I'll second how completely boring it looks. TLJ has such a great style and excellent use of colour comparatively. Whatever your thoughts are on it it is very confidently shot. Force Awakens is just.... there. The only memorable moments are near the end with the attack on Star Killer base and the fight in the woods. JJ has some weird camera choices as well that make some scenes look cheap as hell (dutch angles for no reason especially).
Mann is somehow able to shoot mundane, tedious things like a jet plane taking off against the sky and make it seem compelling and new. Kind of like how Lynch is able to make familiar things seem sinister.
I wanted to throw Lord of the Rings into the ring but since it’s already been mentioned I have no choice but to instead reveal my very spiciest cinematography take
Les Misérables (2012)’s much-vilified cinematography is goegeous, bold, and an excellent homage to Passion of Joan of Arc
Having rewatched FA and TLJ, yeah, I'll second how completely boring it looks. TLJ has such a great style and excellent use of colour comparatively. Whatever your thoughts are on it it is very confidently shot. Force Awakens is just.... there. The only memorable moments are near the end with the attack on Star Killer base and the fight in the woods. JJ has some weird camera choices as well that make some scenes look cheap as hell (dutch angles for no reason especially).
JJ just isn't a very good filmmaker, beyond the lense flare issue, he just isn't that interesting.
His true strength lies in advertising really. Bitch about the mystery box all you want as a form of getting hype in the internet age its great. It just sucks as anything else. Any story that hinges upon it will suck by default because there is no way anything a film-maker can make anything that matches the mystery people have made in their minds.
Not being hyped about IX because I know the ad campaign will be great, but everything else will be less then average.
The sky was full of stars, every star an exploding ship. One of ours.
For that list of Lawrence of Arabia, Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now, Citizen Kane and The Godfather:
Working from a concept of cinematography focusing on usage of movement, depth of field, lighting, saturation and color, I'm not sure I'd put the Godfather or Apocalypse Now on that list. Both of them feel very visually "samey" in my mind. They seem like they made the list for sound, acting, direction and special effects.
Lawrence of Arabia has ridiculously long shots that do awesome work evoking the desert. I think it also gets to cheat with the focus it can put on Peter O'Toole.
Citizen Kane is basically famous for its cinematic ingenuity and lighting techniques.
Blade Runner provides a visually interesting world that occasionally holds on its bleak, smokey, solitary indoor scenes for too long. But I can see it on the list.
For the 20th Century, I feel like Barry Lyndon deserves special mention for Kubrick basically using the best lenses ever made to shoot actual candlelight to evoke the time period (I'd probably even put The Shining above 2001 for cinematography). Saving Private Ryan basically prompted decades of desaturated, controlled shakey-cam war movies by itself (Schindler's List as an honorable mention). Joan of Arc is probably up there too, but I don't think it deserves top 5.
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AstaerethIn the belly of the beastRegistered Userregular
The Godfather really is famous for its cinematography. They don’t call Gordon Willis the Prince of Darkness for nothing.
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TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
Saving Private Ryan was my #6 for 20th Century because it really did change everything for war movies (and video games).
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jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
No award for Taken 3?
World record most cuts within 10 seconds! You barely even notice!
Switch Friend Code: SW-3944-9431-0318
PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
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AtomikaLive fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered Userregular
I can’t nominate Les Miserables simply because how much the cinematography works against the energy and performances
It’s a beautiful thing done badly
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AtomikaLive fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered Userregular
edited January 2019
Man I don’t like disagreeing with @Tenzytile , but much like @Astaereth and David Fincher, I don’t think we’ll ever come to terms about the merits of Michael Mann.
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Edit: Throw some No Country For Old Men in there.
No films from 1928-1938 is disappointing.
Sicario, Arrival perhaps?
That movie is the kind of film that gets people interested in making movies.
I still think It Follows is one of the best shot movies of recent years.
Id say interstellar or inception but not both
I don't think arrival was all that interesting on that front.
Some 21st century contenders:
Fury Road
The Proposition
Life of Pi
Inception
*cough* speed racer
Both TFA and TLJ and visually stunning. The Falcon escape scene in FTA had me in tears.
I also agree 2001 is rather boring but to me best cinematography are the movies where you think of the look more than the story or anything in it, a good performance or music or what have you. First thing I think of is the look. That's why the only thing that might compete with Citizen Kane is possibly, possibly, Paddington 3.
Raging Bull fits this because while it isn't even in Marty Score's top three overall, it's known for the boxing and the slow-mo shots but the entire thing is like perfecting the camerawork of the 40's and 50's. That scene where DeNiro walks over to beat the shit out of Pesci and the chaos and then cutting to the TV static, mwah.
This is why I would put Oldboy so high up on my all-time list too; it's not even the best in Chan Wook Park's revenge trilogy let alone his top 3 movies (JSA #1, I'm a Cyborg #2, Lady Vengeance #3) but it totally owns everything to do with camerawork and the flow of the film to the point where that hallway fight is just the extra cherry on top, it was already doing amazing things without that scene, like the dude doing that weird yoga or when the dude gets scissor'd lolz cut it out
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Like there's just nothing interesting happening here at all, and there's way worse looking scenes than this one:
It's not bad, but it's certainly not great.
BR2049 is probably the most gloriously shot movie I've seen for a decade or more. I'm still astonished about that film.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
Leviathan
Millennium Mambo
Colossal Youth
Kaili Blues
Songs From the Second Floor
Story of My Death
Miami Vice
The Assassination of Jesse James
Hard to be a God
The New World
I'm sure there's stuff I'm overlooking, but I think most of those I'd have trouble leaving off.
Spiderman into the spiderverse
Sunshine
Gravity
Zodiac
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The sound work in that movie was fucking incredible in the theaters.
Gorgeous movie.
-The Fountain
-Werckmeister Harmonies
-Scott Pilgrim
-Grand Budapest and Moonrise Kingdom
-Zodiac
-Children of Men
-Lord of the Rings
-Hero
-Drive
Only God Forgives was also purty, though also stupid and masturbatory.
Pretty sure they're talking about this
Which I would agree with. No dialogue, just haunting images that propel a (admittedly simple) narrative.
I can't speak for most of your picks, but Miami Vice was a lesser version of Heat and Collateral in my opinion. Both far surpass it in terms of story and action and visuals. I would go with Collateral over Miami Vice if I had to pick a 21st Century pick, but Miami Vice is a lesser entry in Michael Mann's filmography, much less film as a whole.
Jake Gyllenhall plays an art auctioneer whose sight is beginning to go bad, and that's all I knew about it before watching the trailer.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
Les Misérables (2012)’s much-vilified cinematography is goegeous, bold, and an excellent homage to Passion of Joan of Arc
JJ just isn't a very good filmmaker, beyond the lense flare issue, he just isn't that interesting.
His true strength lies in advertising really. Bitch about the mystery box all you want as a form of getting hype in the internet age its great. It just sucks as anything else. Any story that hinges upon it will suck by default because there is no way anything a film-maker can make anything that matches the mystery people have made in their minds.
Not being hyped about IX because I know the ad campaign will be great, but everything else will be less then average.
Working from a concept of cinematography focusing on usage of movement, depth of field, lighting, saturation and color, I'm not sure I'd put the Godfather or Apocalypse Now on that list. Both of them feel very visually "samey" in my mind. They seem like they made the list for sound, acting, direction and special effects.
Lawrence of Arabia has ridiculously long shots that do awesome work evoking the desert. I think it also gets to cheat with the focus it can put on Peter O'Toole.
Citizen Kane is basically famous for its cinematic ingenuity and lighting techniques.
Blade Runner provides a visually interesting world that occasionally holds on its bleak, smokey, solitary indoor scenes for too long. But I can see it on the list.
For the 20th Century, I feel like Barry Lyndon deserves special mention for Kubrick basically using the best lenses ever made to shoot actual candlelight to evoke the time period (I'd probably even put The Shining above 2001 for cinematography). Saving Private Ryan basically prompted decades of desaturated, controlled shakey-cam war movies by itself (Schindler's List as an honorable mention). Joan of Arc is probably up there too, but I don't think it deserves top 5.
World record most cuts within 10 seconds! You barely even notice!
It's like staring into a strobe light.
PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
It’s a beautiful thing done badly
Hot Obvious take: Maybe Tom Hooper doesn't actually know what he's doing.