One of my favorite movies of all time, Manhunter, directed by Michael Mann. It is the first (should have been the only) adaptation of Thomas Harris' Red Dragon. That scene with Will Graham and Jack Crawford in Crawford's office when Will Graham finally puts it together is AMAZING. It gives me goose bumps every time I see it. Incredible movie.
I would have to say that one of my most amazing movie experiences was seeing a free pre-screening of The Matrix before it was released in theaters at the Student Union building in undergrad. No one had ever seen it before. I had gotten stood up by my friend and wound up going myself. Everyone thought it was going to be another Johnny Pneumonic. That first scene rolls out and Trinity lays out three cops in about as many seconds. There was stunned silence. Then a girl about two rows back shouted, "You go girl!" Everyone cheered.
I would have to say that one of my most amazing movie experiences was seeing a free pre-screening of The Matrix before it was released in theaters at the Student Union building in undergrad. No one had ever seen it before. I had gotten stood up by my friend and wound up going myself. Everyone thought it was going to be another Johnny Pneumonic. That first scene rolls out and Trinity lays out three cops in about as many seconds. There was stunned silence. Then a girl about two rows back shouted, "You go girl!" Everyone cheered.
Sansho the Bailiff
Wizard of Oz
Spirited Away
Tokyo Story
Rear Window
The Grapes of Wrath
Mystic River
Shawshank Redemption
Wizard of Oz
Spirited Away
Tokyo Story
Rear Window
The Grapes of Wrath
Mystic River
Shawshank Redemption
Excellent post, Matteo. You always come across as very articulate and intelligent, so I enjoy reading your thoughts on films. I just wish you shared them with us more often.
As for your personal choices, the ones that I've seen are mostly excellent. The Elephant Man, for example, is one of the most moving films I've ever seen. Knowing that John Merrick once existed and suffered such deformities and ostracism makes the film even more powerful. I struggle not to cry every time I watch it.
I've never seen Detachment, but if it's powerful enough to appear on your list then I definitely think it's worth watching. It surprised me to see The Girl Next Door on your list. I read the book a few years ago and it's by far the most disturbing thing I've ever read. I finished it in two sittings because I couldn't put it down despite my horror and disgust. Days later, I was still depressed and couldn't stop thinking about it. I thought the film adaptation was rather average and tame compared to the book, but I can see why it would appear on your list. For similar reasons, Irreversible remains one of my most powerful movie experiences.
Generally speaking, however, when I think of the most powerful movie experiences I've had, it's usually due to awe and amazement more than an emotional response. For me, films of great ambition and enormous scope are usually the ones that pack the most powerful punch. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now, Fitzcarraldo, Seven Samurai, and Once Upon a Time in the West are some of the first films that spring to mind. After the credits rolled for each film, I sat in stunned silence, still enthralled and immersed in the experience, knowing that I had witnessed one of the crowning achievements in cinema. Watching Gravity last year in IMAX-3D also gave me that same feeling. As everyone streamed out of the cinema, my friends asked me what I thought of the film, but I was still too speechless to respond. It felt like I had just watched a film thirty years before its time, a film with effects so groundbreaking that our current technology couldn't account for it.
Other powerful movies experiences:
Pulp Fiction: Immediately became my all-time favorite film and opened my eyes to the wider world of cinema and its boundless capabilities. Also triggered my transformation from simple movie lover to passionate cinephile.
Requiem for a Dream: Due to past experiences, movies about drug addiction and obsession often strike a chord with me, and this remains the best I've seen on the subject. There's a sequence near the end of the film that always twists my stomach into a knot.
There Will Be Blood: A modern-day masterpiece. I was fortunate enough to catch it in the theater and PTA's masterful direction and Day-Lewis's all-time great performance resonated with me for months afterward.
Eraserhead: By the time the climax arrives, I feel like my mind is tottering between reality and fantasy, my grip on sanity tenuously slipping away. If I watched this movie on repeat, over and over and over, I'd end up in a mental institute. The most psychologically disturbing film I've ever seen.
The Last Temptation of Christ: I'm from the southern United States, smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt, where seemingly everyone's a Christian and there's a steeple at every turn. Even though I'm not religious, I grew up with it and had to go to Bible study and all of that as a kid, so perhaps that's partly why this film resonates with me so strongly. I think all films about Jesus, regardless of personal beliefs or the quality of the film, are powerful to an extent simply because of the story being told. For me, Dafoe's exceptional performance and the vulnerable, humanistic portrayal of Jesus in this film feels the most honest and relatable. Atheist, Agnostic, whatever, I'm always moved by this film, which I think is one of Scorsese's most underrated and under appreciated. I rank it second in his filmography behind only Taxi Driver.
As for your personal choices, the ones that I've seen are mostly excellent. The Elephant Man, for example, is one of the most moving films I've ever seen. Knowing that John Merrick once existed and suffered such deformities and ostracism makes the film even more powerful. I struggle not to cry every time I watch it.
I've never seen Detachment, but if it's powerful enough to appear on your list then I definitely think it's worth watching. It surprised me to see The Girl Next Door on your list. I read the book a few years ago and it's by far the most disturbing thing I've ever read. I finished it in two sittings because I couldn't put it down despite my horror and disgust. Days later, I was still depressed and couldn't stop thinking about it. I thought the film adaptation was rather average and tame compared to the book, but I can see why it would appear on your list. For similar reasons, Irreversible remains one of my most powerful movie experiences.
Generally speaking, however, when I think of the most powerful movie experiences I've had, it's usually due to awe and amazement more than an emotional response. For me, films of great ambition and enormous scope are usually the ones that pack the most powerful punch. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now, Fitzcarraldo, Seven Samurai, and Once Upon a Time in the West are some of the first films that spring to mind. After the credits rolled for each film, I sat in stunned silence, still enthralled and immersed in the experience, knowing that I had witnessed one of the crowning achievements in cinema. Watching Gravity last year in IMAX-3D also gave me that same feeling. As everyone streamed out of the cinema, my friends asked me what I thought of the film, but I was still too speechless to respond. It felt like I had just watched a film thirty years before its time, a film with effects so groundbreaking that our current technology couldn't account for it.
Other powerful movies experiences:
Pulp Fiction: Immediately became my all-time favorite film and opened my eyes to the wider world of cinema and its boundless capabilities. Also triggered my transformation from simple movie lover to passionate cinephile.
Requiem for a Dream: Due to past experiences, movies about drug addiction and obsession often strike a chord with me, and this remains the best I've seen on the subject. There's a sequence near the end of the film that always twists my stomach into a knot.
There Will Be Blood: A modern-day masterpiece. I was fortunate enough to catch it in the theater and PTA's masterful direction and Day-Lewis's all-time great performance resonated with me for months afterward.
Eraserhead: By the time the climax arrives, I feel like my mind is tottering between reality and fantasy, my grip on sanity tenuously slipping away. If I watched this movie on repeat, over and over and over, I'd end up in a mental institute. The most psychologically disturbing film I've ever seen.
The Last Temptation of Christ: I'm from the southern United States, smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt, where seemingly everyone's a Christian and there's a steeple at every turn. Even though I'm not religious, I grew up with it and had to go to Bible study and all of that as a kid, so perhaps that's partly why this film resonates with me so strongly. I think all films about Jesus, regardless of personal beliefs or the quality of the film, are powerful to an extent simply because of the story being told. For me, Dafoe's exceptional performance and the vulnerable, humanistic portrayal of Jesus in this film feels the most honest and relatable. Atheist, Agnostic, whatever, I'm always moved by this film, which I think is one of Scorsese's most underrated and under appreciated. I rank it second in his filmography behind only Taxi Driver.
Thank you very much, Captain Spaulding, I appreciate the kind words mate. I've always enjoyed reading your posts, too. You have an excellent grasp for the medium.
I have not read The Girl Next Door, but if the film is, indeed, tame in comparison, then I might have to give it a reading. Of course, why I would want to subject myself to such dejection and sorrow is even beyond me, but I appreciate any work - regardless how emotionally deleterious it may be - that can impact you in such a way. I find it strangely fascinating. But yeah, the film dispirited me beyond believe. It's truly tragic and harrowing.
Detachment is a film I almost always instantly recommend. I connected with it on an extremely profound level, but even those that may not find it emotionally involving can probably appreciate its ambitious and rather unconventional stylistic approach.
I can definitely see what you mean when it comes to powerful experiences and its relation to large-scale projects. Like your wonderfully described experience with Gravity, I was completely overwhelmed and stunned after watching 2001: A Space Odyssey in orgasmic 70mm a few weeks back. That feeling where words literally can not describe how you feel is cinema at its most gloriously effective and impacting. That is cinema. I have yet to see Gravity, however, but my local IMAX still screens it (albeit infrequently), so I might have to reserve my viewing until then because, apparently, watching it in 3D is an unmatchable experience. I agree with your addition of Apocalypse Now, especially that immersive opening sequence.
Pulp Fiction is what triggered me from 'simple movie lover to passionate cinephile', too. It's a work I still consider a favourite and one that holds a special place in my film heart. I also wholeheartedly agree on Eraserhead. That's simply one of the most evocative, expressive and absorbing experiences of my life. Lynch draws you into this decaying, industrialised, crumbling world so seemingly and keeps you trapped there. The imagery is simply remarkable. The sound design is simply remarkable. The photography is simply remarkable. The film is simply remarkable.
I also agree with There Will Be Blood. How I would love to see it in theatres like you did. I'd say it's PTA's most complete and accomplished work, purely from a technical level (Punch-Drunk Love is my personal favourite of his films). It's a simply a fantastic character study that manages to transcend all customary conventions on how to tell a tragic and epic story. I must get to The Last Temptation of Christ. I watched it many years ago but remember so very little. Your write-up has intrigued me greatly, so I may bump it up on my viewing list. Again, thanks for the reply.
Watched "The Hunt", Danish film the other day and have been thinking about it since, especially the next day.
Amazing how a life can be turned upside down all due to a child's misunderstood comment to an adult.
Amazing how a life can be turned upside down all due to a child's misunderstood comment to an adult.