Which movies have aged like fine wine? (either in their message or cinematography)
Which movies have aged like fine wine? (either in their message or cinematography)
I recently saw 'Don't Look Now' (1973). Good picture, a little slow perhaps by today's standards but worthy of any movie enjoyer's time! So this movie was shot in Venice. Venice itself being an already beautiful spot to film even today. The way we get to look in a time capsule of Venice in the 70s makes the movie that much better!
People in the 70s could not in fact appreciate it the same way we do now. Concurrently we also can't do it for today's movies. Some movies can only be truly appreciated over time is what I believe. This matter can be expressed in both the movie's message or, as I did, its cinematography. Hence my question now to you.
I saw Alien 1 just a couple of weeks ago for the first time and I was amazed how good it still looked. The design of the spaceship and the alien itself still looked amazing in 4k on an OLED TV. And also the story still seemed like a fresh idea. Of course there are moments with stupid acting people, but all in all the decisions made felt plausible and logical, not the normal stupid horror movie group. And also the story twist came (for me) as a real surprise and not like a thing you knew after the first 5min. (And I'm also surprised that after all these years it's still a surprise, cause everybody knows the alien but not the story of the first movie?)
Alien 1 is in 4k?
Yes, I think it was the 40th Anniversary release. Aliens is also supposed to be getting a 4K release soon.
Film is actually capable of holding way more detail than 4k. This is the crux of complaints when cinema projectors started to change from film to digital. I love it when old films get remastered in ultra high definition. It makes you realize that what the original audiences actually saw was much more high quality than what we associate with old films, like grain, burn spots, blur and stretching distortion, etc.
The Matrix Still looks great and works as a trans allegory
Gattaca Getting more prescient with each year
Gattaca Getting more prescient with each year
It's kind of crazy how CRISPR turns the predictions on their head.
Every day, Idiocracy is getting further from absurd comedy and closer to documentary.
Welcome to Costco. I love you.
Idiocracy
IDK why but, I feel like Idiocracy and Wall-E take place in the same universe
I personally feel Wall-E is unrealistic, because clearly at some point they decided to have robots do everything, and the people simply get to lounge around, get fat, and have all their worries cared for. This represents a society where technology made work unnecessary for humans, and generally most humans reap some benefits of it.
This would never never happen. No. The robots will take the jobs, the rich will get richer. We will be left on earth to die horribly.
The Thing is a god-damn perfect horror movie, and it hasn't aged a day.
Nearly everything Terry Gilliam made has aged very well for me. He creates strange and interesting visual worlds that never really seem dated because they all sort of exist in their own time-space.
Also anything Jim Henson company touches seems to become immortal. Dark Crystal and Labyrinth are masterpieces.
And to a lesser degree Don Coscarelli has made some pretty timeless films. Beastmaster is still very watchable.
I was going to mention Brazil because it's one of the great distopian films. And I don't know how to describe 12 Monkeys, it's just really good.
Jurassic Park. Those dinos beat many of today’s CGI films. Mixed in with the animatronic ones they just blend in so well. The story is simple (to quote Dr Malcolm) God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs. There are so many quotable lines, as shown just now, and the music is pretty unforgettable too.
IMO, the early 90s was a golden age for movie effects. There was CGI but it was so primitive and expensive it was used sparingly. Like you mentioned that blend of practical and special effects was amazing.
Another great example of this is Terminator 2. They obviously used CGI for the T-1000 but then they actually flew a helicopter under a highway overpass, drove a semi-truck off a bridge into the LA river, and blew up an office building.
I would say a lot of Spielberg's work. It just doesn't seem to age. I watched Munich a few weeks ago, and to me it could have come out yesterday. Same for Saving Private Ryan or Schindler's List.
Demolition Man, they even predicted exactly how covid would work and when.
12 angry men is like a Life Pro Trick sitting unused since 1957
It aged so well because the scene and camera work are relatively simple but the writing and acting are absolutely stellar.
This is a fantastic film. I love it. Hitchcock's Lifeboat is another great film that only has a single setting.
2001: A Space Odyssey still holds up pretty well both technically and narratively.
That movie pissed my ex off. 23 minutes before there was any dialogue. Should have known then and there the relationship was doomed.
Little known fact: the visual effects look so good because they shot the mattes and all elements ON THE SAME PIECE OF FILM. They’d shoot the matte, put the film in storage, build the set, then shoot the scene on top of that.
The original Blade Runner(1982)
That sparse and bleak mood will never age. Poses excellent dilemas and moral questions about cyborgs too.
Also Citizen Kane. I watched it a couple of years ago because of it's position in film history. Yes, it is that good of a masterpiece.
I feel like Citizen Kane is only good with a little bit of prep. Most people are watching movies for an entertaining story, and it doesn't have that by today's standards.
I took a film history class in college and we spent a week learning about the framing, lighting and symbolism used throughout the movie BEFORE we watched it, and I had never appreciated the movie until then.
The original Blade Runner(1982)
Except for sexual assault scene.
Dang. I had to watch this scene again. Definitely not consentual. Shes like running out the door before he steps in front of her.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
They Live is pretty awesome.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
My vote goes to trading places, because it had both aged incredibly well (a tale of class solidarity against evil eugenics-peddling billionaires), and incredibly poorly (a story about nondiscrimination with that damn train scene right in the middle).
I'd also like yo mention RoboCop and American Psycho because their satirization of American hyper capitalism has only gotten more accurate. It really is depressing that we have the exact same social issues that we did in the 80s.
I'm trying to get the young lads at work (early 20s) to watch movies like Trading Places. All they want to watch is Fast n Furious.
Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965) — hard to say anything without spoiling the plot
Blair Witch Project (1999) — I just admire how great idea / concept extended beyond the movie itself. No-one can ever watch it again for a first time during ‘99 but it is iconic and great as a case study of having almost no budget and making something really impactful / special
Her (2013) — this one is my answer for the same question but asked in 2061..
Appreciate the love for BWP. I really enjoyed it when it came out. My friends/family all made fun of me, parroting the usual criticisms.
Oh! I didn’t see it when it came out. I saw it around 2002 — and let’s just underline one thing here, some people in my family can really pull proper pranks. With this movie (all this is not happening in the US) my cousin made the whole introduction for me and others “this movie is not actually a movie, it was not played in many cinemas, it was banned almost instantly, you can not buy it or rent it, I ordered this tape via a magazine about unresolved police investigations from around the world and this is just a montage of what was found there.. I saw it only once, it is pretty disturbing, weird. I don’t believe in anything supernatural but fuck, this movie makes me question some things now..” — like.. come on! I heard and read so many different versions of this story from others and their experiences almost always boiled down to the same conclusion for me, the movie was just a possibility to make everything around the movie so much more impactful than the movie in itself, urban legend for creating more urban legends. Next level sneaky move. On the other hand, “Yeah I saw it, it’s all fake and made up, someone explained to me how it’s all a hoax, really nothing special, stupid, boring and not scary at all” — how circumstances can change everything.
The other, similar one was during “The Ring” where my uncle was calling from his cellphone on their home landline every time the phone rang in the movie. They were so boggled about it to the point where they were rewinding the movie to test it.. They didn’t finish it. One of family legends was born on that night..
I saw Her and thought it was an instant classic but was floored people I recommended it to thought it was dark or unrealistic or other things. It was almost contemporary when it came out!
The movie It's a Wonderful Life still holds up pretty well.
So does Casablanca.
It still is hard to save up $5000.
This is a very interesting situation.
Sneakers
Maybe more relevant today than it was then.
Cosmo was right.
Willow. It's beautiful, fun, scary. It's full of flawed people being good to each other.
It's really quotable and has a handful of interesting twists.
Willow has a few great performances. Val Kilmer knocks it out of the park, and Billy Barty is wonderful as the "High Aldwin".
The Wicker Man (1974) is better every year and every viewing. That island gave him every chance to mind his own business.
It also helps that the 2006 remake is hilariously bad in contrast.The only thing it gave us, is some quality time with Nicolas Cage and the bees.
I absolutely love the 70s Wicker Man!! It’s weird in the best possible way with Christopher Lee jamming it up to 11.
Whole Britt Ekland thing though.. was kind of pervy. Films possibly dont do that as much now as people go to P***hub.
Citizen Kane is still a wonderful film with well-drawn characters, great cinematography, and a relevant message: If you have a hole in your psyche, wealth alone won't fill it.
Just re-watched Jumanji 1995 and I thought it held up mighty fine! Some of the CGI is lighted a bit flat, the monkeys specifically (and they get some real screen time too so you can judge extra harshly and at your leisure, but all of the perfomances are at least good and most are great or exceptional. I Also love the plot idea and it's executed really well.
Fellow lemmings, for me, it's "Barbie", a movie that aged beautifully over the last uh, 8 months, and its message is as relevant today as it was when it was released July 21st of 2023.
So you drink 'wine' that is less than a year old? A bit odd imo.
It's a novelty account. They promo the Barbie movie whereever possible.
Network
Ben-Hur
Office Space
If they changed office space so that they were working on the 2038 issue instead of the Y2K issue, and gave them smartphones, it would strike all the right chords today that it did when it came out.
the charlton heston one?
We watch ben hur every year around easter. There's a tiny problematic element in the whole brownface thing
I saw Being There about 10 years ago, and it was made 35 years before that. It is a masterwork.
Absolutely. I saw it for the first time maybe a year ago and went in not knowing anything about it, not even the synopsis, and that was the perfect way to experience it. What a ride.
The Sixth Sense is a fantastic movie. None of the stuff Shamalan came up with after are really worth it, but this first movie is wonderful.
I kind of love the TV Series he made, Wayward Pines.
I like that one, you find out that the dude in that hair piece the whole time, that's Bruce Willis the whole movie.
Whoa man, spoilers!
I watched the kill bills last week again after not having watched them since they originally came out. It still feels fresh, both in dialogue and action, score cinematography great. Incredible that some lost the brilliance in Tarantino's penchant for a bit too much blood in a few scenes. It would be like not appreciating the Sistine chapel because there are nude angels depicted.
It would be like not appreciating the Sistine chapel because there are nude angels depicted.
That happened as it was being painted. The guy was then incorporated in the work as a nude demon who's genitals were censored by a snake biting them off. He complained about his depiction to the Pope, who politely and snarkily told him to fuck off.
Messer Biagio, you know that I have from God power in heaven and on earth; but my authority does not extend into hell, and you must have patience if I cannot free you from there.
Dark City
I don't want to give anything away for people, so I'll just say that I never really appreciated the climax/ending part. It was pretty good up until that. I actually couldn't help but start laughing the first time I saw it, which I doubt was the intended reaction. Basically the movie turns into schlock.
This movie needed an hour or so of extra plot to make a better ending. It's like they ran out of film and had to wrap up faster than anticipated. It's still an amazing and captivating film.
Dude just watched this! It slappeddd
Just watched Mulholland Dr. Years ahead of MeToo.
The scene where she auditions for the studio execs, delivering the performance of a lifetime is so enrapturing and creepy. A perfect movie, maybe Lynch's best.
Definitely. Silencio!
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962). Timeless in is commentary on both child actors and being a damn good movie. Everything about the makeup makes the absolute most of the restricted grayscale palette. Definitely recommend it if you're looking for a good thriller somewhat akin to Misery.
I think of both Baby Jane and Misery as horror movies (although I admit I hadn't realized how similar they are until your comment). It's almost a 60s version of torture porn. The ending is utter delusional madness. I agree, though, that it's a great movie in every way.
I'm sending a letter to Daddy!
One not mentioned yet that instantly popped into my mind is "Chinatown" (1974), which seems to retain all its' power and intricate excellence as time goes by.
From 1959, Godard's "A Bout De Soufflé" still has the power to amaze, to disorient in a playful way. It manages to still feel fresh, even in black and white.
Slap Shot. Crumbling hockey team, crumbling lives, a crumbling town, a crumbling American steel town, in the crumbling American Dream.
I watched Cop Land (1997) for the first time a couple of months ago and thought it was pretty good and rather timely. Corrupt, racist, domestic abusing police who refuse to live in the community they work is a theme that never really gets old. I think it would likely been seen as too 'on the nose' if it came out now.
That's a super underrated Sly film. It feels a lot like the original Walking Tall.
I'm going to tweak the OP a little bit to drop my movie unpopular opinion that I haven't gotten to share here and say:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a damn fine, and more importantly, fun, addition the the franchise that deserves maybe a tenth of the hate it gets online. It's pulpy, it's cheesy, the writing swings between passable and unbelievable, and the plot is all of the place, both in tone and in narrative, but you know what: SO ARE ALL THE INDIANA JONES MOVIES!
I honestly think that if that vine swinging scene never left the editing bay that movie would be looked back on a lot better.
I envy your opinion and sadly cannot share it. It's ok, I'll just love the first three and take it as it comes.
Yeah, no.
I'll defend the fifth one, even if the opening feels like you're watching somebody play a Naughty Dog Indiana Jones game, but not the fourth.
The fucking CGI gopher alone is enough, let alone the swinging with the monkeys bit or the fridge nuke. And even if you take all that out, it's just not very good.
1 > 3 > 2 > 5 >>> 4
Contrary to popular opinion, the infamous fridge scene is good. The second half of the movie is forgettable.
Cabinet of Dr Caligari. Peak Expressionist cinema with a solid story
Rosemary's baby 1968
Turns out, its about spousal abuse.
Still Hits soooo hard.
One of my fave movies!! Was listening to a noise rock band called Today is the Day at about 4 am one morning as I suffer with insomnia and "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIS EYES!!?" comes through the headphones.
Gold Diggers of 1933 - pre-Hayes Code and funny! It’s fast talking and much of it came across as modern to me.
Zardoz.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Greed is a poison.
Shawshank Redemption The Great Escape The Good the Bad and the Ugly Clerks
Meadows' Dead Man's Shoes still gives me the same effect it gave me when it came out. Practically went straight to DVD at the time, cant find it on streaming.
I'd add True Romance, Night of the Living Dead, Barbarian, Conan (last two are nothing alike, LOL!)... it doesnt have to be big budget to be timeless..
Speaking of time... Time Bandits. Fuckng amazing movie!
Road to Perdition has some of the best cinematography I have ever witnessed.
Scrolling through this thread reminds me if the good ol' days of the r-word site, before Spez smegged it all up. Nice post, Fat Tony.
Bob Roberts. It's more relevant than ever!
I usually don't watch old films but Flight of the Phoenix is an old B&W survival film set in a desert
It's one of the tensest things I've seen for years, I was literally on the edge of my seat at one point
Star Wars. The original one. It came out when there were no computer generated effects, and the effects still look incredible, even today.
I recently watched Scarface for the first time, and if I didn't know it was a movie made in the 80s, I wouldn't have guessed... IMO it still looks quite good even in today's standards.