Movies with Best Cinematography

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indie_director
Hey so, I just finished watching Kill Bill. Anyone who has seen it I think knows it has some amazing effin cinematography. You know, camera movement and placement. So here's what I want to know from you guys: What movie( s ) do you think has/ve the best cinematography. What film has the most innovative or interesting cinematography.

Here's another one. Cool movie moments. Like in Kill Bill vol. 1, when
O-ren Ishii and her bodyguards walk into the club, and that music plays. That's a pretty cool moment. So answer both questions. Happy Dance

DeVi| D0do
There is one really wicked shot in War of the Worlds (2005) when the family has stolen the van and is driving along the highway or whatever. The camera starts inside the car on the right side and focusses on the characters as they discuss what's going on. The car then swerves and the camera pulls back out of the right window and we see the van racing through stopped cars. The camera then comes around to outside the left window and focusses on the characters again as the talk some more and the camera continues to move right around the back of tha car and around to the front doing an almost-360. Finally the camera goes in through the front windscreen glass to a close up of Ray.

Wow, that was a long description... but a great piece of camera work. By having that one long sweeping shot Speilberg was able to have quite a bit of dialogue and not lose any tension. Very nicely done.

Ya Krunk'd Floo
I think the cinematography in 'Punch-Drunk Love' is very original. For sheer beauty, you should ch-ch-check out 'The Thin Red Line' by Terence Malik. It's incredible. Also, anything by Kubrick.

jaden101
road to perdition has some amazing cinematography...

hero is also amazing

Cinemaddiction
Agree with Kubrick. In particular, Jack Nicholson's snow romp in "The Shining". Tracking from the front, while he's lumbering through the snow. Scary shit, and of course the framing w/ the elevator o' gore.

I didn't like the movie, but the opening sequence of "Touch of Evil" was sweet. It's heralded as some of the best visual narrative ever caught on film.

Mandorallen
Unbreakable had some of the best cinematog. I have ever seen.

that also goes for the pianist and saving private ryan.

Collateral wasn't bad either.

Deano
2001 space odyssey

Cinemaddiction
Originally posted by Mandorallen
Unbreakable had some of the best cinematog. I have ever seen.

that also goes for the pianist and saving private ryan.

Collateral wasn't bad either.

M. Night's a great DOP. His framing goes unmatched, i.e. Father on the stairs in "Signs".

Mandorallen
yup,

the village

unbreakable

signs

sixth sense.

ragesRemorse
Tim Burton usually always has some nice cinematography in his films. An excellent example is sleepy hollow. MAn on fire also had some nice cinematography.

indie_director
I agree with Devil DoDo on the WOTW shot, and especially Jaden and Hero, that was a great movie.

MildPossession
Oh god I loved how that film was shot, amazing to look at. Looks like Scott has gone with that type of cinematography/art direction for Domino too, can't wait.

Read someone say it was like a 'cinematic strobe light' the way the editing was done in the film, he was complaining, but I thought it was sublime to look at.

DeVi| D0do
Don't know if this is to do with cinematography, but I love the colours in House of Flying Daggers.

On Signs: I don't like how all the shots looked set up. And I understand the reasoning behind doing this, but to me it just came off as kinda gimmicky. But maybe that's just me...

WindDancer
There are three films that I really think have incredible great cinematography. And quality directing of course. Very rare and rather hard to find on DVD. Also they are some of my personal favorites.

Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker

David Lynch's Eraserhead

E. Elias Merhige Begotten

All three films are visually subconscious and dreamlike. Memorable scenes and rather haunting images.

MildPossession
Eraserhead isn't rare, but good call, wonderful film.

ragesRemorse
darren aronofsky has great talent in this deparment. pi, and requiem for a dream were great. Pi did become tedious, but things became refined by requiem

MildPossession
Requiem For A Dream is just dreamy to look at. Music score is just amazing too.

ragesRemorse
yeah, it does feel like a really vivid dream.

bilb
yeah some of the shots in Requiem are quite amazing... Its one the main things that makes that movie stand out IMO

GCG
agree with reageremorse on Man on Fire.

i would include City of God in there as well at the Amityville Horror of 1979. Some of the camera rotations seemes impossible

Ya Krunk'd Floo
Oh, shit! I forgot about 'City Of God', 'Collateral' and 'Hero'! They are all beautiful films...

I think that scene with the wolf in 'Collateral' is breath-taking. When I saw it on DVD for the first time, I kept replaying that visual poetry.

'City Of God' is amazing. It looks like the movies been over-exposed to the sun...Positively sun-burnt.

Tony and Ridley's films are always great to look at...'Blade Runner', 'Gladiator', 'Kingdom Of Heaven', 'Top Gun', 'Matchstick Men', 'Legend', etc, etc, etc...

DeVi| D0do
Totally agree with City of God... it has an amazing look.

MildPossession
The exposure to the sun just reminded me of Pitch Black, that is a beautilful sci-fi film to look at. Wonderful uses of colour.

evildeaddesigns
I loved the cinematoraphy in...............
The Chainsaw remake and Kill Bill 2.

evildeaddesigns
Also Conair

evildeaddesigns
lol.............................. and The Shining.

DeVi| D0do
http://images.killermovies.com/forums/styles/blue/edit.gif



Don't know if this has been mentioned... Memento had nice cinematography.

Rapscallion
I thought Citizen Kane and Million Dollar Baby both had fantastic lighting, and cinematograqhy.

SleaterKinney32
I love the cinematography in Amelie.

MildPossession
Amelie is wonderful, any of the director's work is wonderful to look at.

SleaterKinney32
I agree with that. Especially the cinematography in The City of Lost Children. I still have to see A Very Long Engagement, have you seen it? And if so, is it good?

MildPossession
YEs it is good, see it!

Cinemaddiction
I ended up getting it in a BOGOF offer. Going to check it out soon, and I've never been disappointed in Jeunet. Not even "Alien: Resurrection", which I think is underrated.

MildPossession
I like Alien Resurrection also.

SleaterKinney32
That's another I have to see. Although it never really did catch my eye I have to admit. I'll check it out though.

KillTheLight
Lawrence of arabia had some beautiful cinematography

BackFire
All Kubrick movies, particularly Paths of Glory, 2001, and The Shining.

Requiem for a Dream

Irreversible

Sin City

Citizen Kane

MildPossession
Irreversible, I could not stand the camera work in some scenes, you know where the camera goes all over the place, round and rouns, awful.

SleaterKinney32
Hey, I have a new one.

Sin City.

The Highlord
Thats right BF tho I would like to mention Barry Lyndon IMO just as nicely done as Paths of Glory, 2001, and The Shining

DeVi| D0do
Memento has great cinematography.

SleaterKinney32
Memento's beautiful.

general-pain
Schindlers List has some great cinematography, in particular the liquidation scene where it shows the outside of the ghetto and can see flashes of gun fire.

Dresta
Raging Bull

shockimebones
The Lord of the Rings films have nice cinematography i think, beautiful colours in some places.

BackFire
Originally posted by MildPossession
Irreversible, I could not stand the camera work in some scenes, you know where the camera goes all over the place, round and rouns, awful.

The style wasn't for everyone, however it did increase the intensitity of the already overly intense feel of the film.

Plus there are other parts without the crazy spinning camera that were very well done as well.

LiL nAstY GirL
I have to say Sin City

MildPossession
Backfire - I liked the rest of the work in the film, just not the spinning crazy camera shots.

KillerLady
Monsoon Wedding --it's really such a beauty...

Whirlysplatt
Apocalypse Now - without a doubt

Murray
Sin City
Memento
and the first LOTR. The slow motion is glorious.

Solo
Slow Motion is under the Special Effects department not the Cinematography department.

Murray
Oh.......my bad. It still has great slow motion.

KharmaDog
Collateral, Unbreakable, Sin City, Lawrence Of Arabia, all previously mentioned, all wonderfully shot.

I also love the way Last of the Mohicans was shot, excellent job there.

Solo
I just got done with Baraka which really hit me hard. It's absolutely astonishing, the visuals are the greatest I've ever seen. It blew me away, it's fantastic.

EPIIIBITES
I was just gonna say Baraka when I saw there was a new post! How did that work?

Well here's a couple more...

Traffic - Use of film grain coming over the border n' such...wow.

Gangs of New York - The into, the Four Points gangs round up, etc...can't take my eyes off the first 10-15 mins of that movie...luscious.

Casablanca - Great lighting and camera angles in the club, etc...beautiful.

Raising Arizona - Some of those highway shots with the biker n' all...gosh!

Final Fantasy: Advent Children - It should still count...difference is it's a virtual camera. Regardless, the shots are impressive.

And can't believe no one's said Raging Bull yet - No particular example...it's all good.

DeVi| D0do
Originally posted by Dresta
Raging Bull

stick out tongue

EPIIIBITES
Oops...missed it...worth a second mention anyway.

BackFire
How could I forget, Texas Chainsaw Massacre! Amazing Cinematography, especially for a horror film.

Dusty
Mulholland Dr.

jaden101
fateless

and anything by sam mendes

systemshock2
I just saw "Commandments" and it has some truly beautiful cinematography. Most of the movie is shot where there's a strong focus on the center of the picture, then the surrounding edges either fades out or has a darker tone. Very nicely done.

Solo
Originally posted by Dusty
Mulholland Dr.
thumb up
Everything by Lynch would sum it up.

Dusty
Originally posted by Solo
thumb up
Everything by Lynch would sum it up.

Just great use of storytelling, visuals, and sound effects.

Appearance of man behind winkies. Need I say more?

EPIIIBITES
JFK...blows me away every time I watch it.

SpaceMonkey
Lord of the Rings

Rapscallion
i really liked the cinematography in Lawrence of arabia, raging bull, schindler's list, To kill a Mockingbird, Saving private ryan, Munich, and road to perdition. LOTR, Hero, Milion Dollar Baby, American Beauty, city of god, the constant gardener, and collaterall get honorable mentions.

Ultraman Baltan
"Kamen Rider The First" has some impressive scenes of cinematography.

Ya Krunk'd Floo
All of Michael Mann's movies are mesmerizing.

~Da Rev~
Natural Born Killers.

In the beginning when they're ruffing up that diner and he shoots at the fat lady and the camera tracks the bullet then the bullet screeches to a halt and then the next thing it shows is blood splattering on the walls.

Rapscallion
Originally posted by Ya Krunk'd Floo
All of Michael Mann's movies are mesmerizing.

true. although i wasn't as impressed with miami vice. (the film or the cinematography)

Quincy
I really liked Unbreakables cinematography

Sfoster
Originally posted by Solo
Slow Motion is under the Special Effects department not the Cinematography department.
I have to disagree with this... Slow motion is very much a part of cinematography! It's not a post thig, it's not always a special effect... If a scene or peice of a scene is shot in slow motion, it is cinematography. If its added in post, it's an effect... Anyway.

Diving bell and the butterfly

Sfoster
Kinda nice to revive this old thread! Lol

siriuswriter
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by Alfonso Cuaron. That had amazing cinematography.

roughrider
Ridley Scott has made the most visually gorgeous films of the past few decades. I think I could single out Legend (1986) and the cinematography by Alex Thomson as maybe the most stunning of all his films.

Ascendancy
Syriana was pretty good. The entire Bourne Trilogy; part of that was also the direction, but the way it was shot pulled it all together.

Patient_Leech
Originally posted by siriuswriter
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by Alfonso Cuaron. That had amazing cinematography.

He's a great director. I was gonna mention his film Children of Men. I love the way that film is put together. They went to great lengths to have longer shots without edits.

srankmissingnin
Anything directed by Terrence Malick

maheshbalan
God Father has best cinamatography

maheshbalan
Benhur (1956) Ten commandmanets (1959) best cinematograophy

0mega Spawn
Nosferatu

sumitsha270
I agree with Pirates Of The Caribbean......really cool and awesome

siriuswriter
I just watched it, and in the first five seconds I knew it would be a good cinematography movie - Hugo.

the ninjak
Originally posted by 0mega Spawn
Nosferatu

Dude. Whatever beef we had in the past is erased.

You have awesome taste.

Bobby_Fette
What about 2001: A Space Oddessey.

Is that best direction or cinematography?

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