Most Mindblowing/Ambitious films ever made

[Electrofarce]

There might be another thread for this but I could not find it.

Anyways list some of those films that just left you completely awestruck. The real mind numbers.

Mine would go as follows:

1. Enter the Void (my all time favorite movie. like nothing i’ve ever
experienced)

2. Memento

3. The Fountain

4. Inland Empire (Took me 5 watches, and then I finally understood it. Insanely weird movie.)

5. A Scanner Darkly

6. Franklyn (Underrrated to death, but fantastic)

7. The Machnist

8. Brazil

9. The Man from Earth

10. Watchmen (Another underrated gem)

 

[darkseid26]

Last I've seen... Tree of Life

 

[DocHoliday]

2001: A Space Odyssey

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

I think it would be fair to say Rashomon was probably one of the most groundbreaking movies made.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Oh, it's not even really a question to me, it's obviously 2001: A Space Odyssey. There's been plenty of ambitious films made, but this one is the grandaddy of them all.

 

[darkseid26]

Love me some 2001.

I might add, Avatar was pretty ambitious on the technical side.

 

[Crockett]

The Tree of Life - It's incredibly ambitious even for a Malick film.

Inland Empire - Close to three hours of Lynchian goodness, some are comprehensive but most of the time is not but you're in for a ride.

2001: A Space Odyssey - An explanation is not needed.

 

[flickchick85]

Definitely agree with all the Tree of Life and 2001: A Space Odyssey claims.

Brazil, Memento and The Fountain as well.

And while I wouldn't really call his films "mindblowing" or groundbreaking, it's hard to talk about ambition in filmmaking without bringing James Cameron into the conversation. Titanic and Avatar belong in that discussion for their scope and technological ambitions alone. As would, I'd imagine, the first Toy Story, and possibly some of the work of George Lucas as well, but I think that's getting into a totally different discussion. But when I first saw Titanic, I was actually left awestruck by the scope of the thing. Same thing happened with Lord of the Rings.

Blade Runner pretty much blew my mind when I first saw it, too.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Come to think of it, you could probably list several Akira Kurosawa movies. They also had an effect on what many people will probably list in thread. Star-wars for example. The Usual Suspects. For A Few Dollars More. Stuff like that.

Within the movies there were some fairly mind-blowing technical effects as well. In Ran a scene which involves a tower getting burn't down was physically built and needed shot in one take. The final sequence of Throne Of Blood with the arrows hammering toshiro Mifune are still mind blowing to the point you say to yourself "how did they do that?" and that's a movie from the 1950's. In the Seven Samurai there is a subtle but effective effect of having the weather gradually deteriorate after each wave of bandit attack to the point that the final fight takes place in piddling rain.

 

[Electrofarce]

I've been meaning to see Tree of Life. Looks mesemerizing.

I forgot to add Irreversible to my list. It may be one of the most disturbing movies I've seen, but it is truly a masterpeice both technically and stylistically.

There is a particular scene involving a fire extinguisher (if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about) that is very gruesome, but it displays some of the best digital effects I've ever seen in a film.

And I agree Avatar (even though it gets alot of hate) was a watershed moment for visuals in film.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

And I agree Avatar (even though it gets alot of hate) was a watershed moment for visuals in film.

But it still looks fake as hell in alot of places. Like a Playstation video game.
In Jurrasic Park and Terminator 2 the blend with reality is more convincing imo and even today still holds up incredibly well. That was what, 1992-1993?

 

[The Morningstar]

I wouldn't say Inland Empire was mindblowing. More like mind****ing. I'm a fan of Lynch, but IE was too much for me. Mulholland Drive is where it's at.

And I guess 2001 is undeniably the top choice.

I'll throw Blade Runner into the mix. Also maybe Kingdom of Heaven, the directors cut anyway. Pretty ambitious and ballsy considering the political climate at the time.

 

[Electrofarce]

I disagree. I think the textures, lighting, everything looks incredible imho. And I don't think any scene looks like a playstation game, or even a videogame cutscene. I think it was all exceptionally rendered. But it was very colorful, which automatically makes things look less then real.

But I really don't want to get in an argument about that. We all have our views. Let's get back to the discussion.

 

[Electrofarce]

I wouldn't say Inland Empire was mindblowing. More like mind****ing. I'm a fan of Lynch, but IE was too much for me. Mulholland Drive is where it's at.

I agree Inland Empire is much stranger. It's like a Lynchian wonderland, while Mulholland Drive is a bit easier to digest. I love both films though (even though it took me multiple viewings to understand both films fully). Kubrick and Lynch are arguably the kings of headf**kers.

 

[Rocketman]

Two of the most obvious choices:

[YT]AGZiLMGdCE0[/YT]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGZiLMGdCE0

[YT]QNE2hNmmT3A[/YT]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNE2hNmmT3A

And shame on all of you for not mentioning them sooner!

 

[terry78]

Citizen Kane. Cliche it may be to choose it. It's a pop culture icon, but how many people have actually really sat down and watched it from start to finish?

 

[Secret Fawful]

Ghost in the Shell

End of Evangelion [even if I don't like the movie, it fits perfectly]

Millennium Actress

Paprika

Akira

MindGame

Metropolis [the original]

The Fountain

Hobo With a Shotgun

Citizen Kane

Blade Runner

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Once Upon a Time in the West

Once Upon a Time in the Revolution

El Topo

Brazil

Sin City

Shaun of the Dead

Hot Fuzz

Kill Bill

The Matrix

Star Wars

The Dagger of Kamui [an epic that spans two continents]

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Walt Disney's Fantasia

Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

Alien

 

[Electrofarce]

Citizen Kane. Cliche it may be to choose it. It's a pop culture icon, but how many people have actually really sat down and watched it from start to finish?

I had to watch it for my Study of Film class, and it really is a movie everybody should see once. But for me it just wasn't "mindblowing". However, it had a great use of symbolism.

 

[hopefuldreamer]

A Clockwork Orange

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest

Moon

Sunshine

12 Monkeys

The Prestige

Fight Club

Special

Primer

District 9

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Source Code

 

[Electrofarce]

Two of the most obvious choices:

[YT]AGZiLMGdCE0[/YT]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGZiLMGdCE0

[YT]QNE2hNmmT3A[/YT]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNE2hNmmT3A

And shame on all of you for not mentioning them sooner!

I enjoy both of these films, but I feel they aren't as abstract and ambitious as some of the other films mentioned. While both had some groundbreaking effects work and interesting original plots, the storytelling of both was very linear and didn't really require an abstract train of thought.

Don't get me wrong though, I still love both of these movies.

 

[Electrofarce]

A Clockwork Orange

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest

Moon

A Clockwork Orange was insanity! Especially for the time.

And Moon was fantastic. One of the best sci-fi films I have ever seen.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

I enjoy both of these films, but I feel they aren't as abstract and ambitious as some of the other films mentioned. While both had some groundbreaking effects work and interesting original plots, the storytelling of both was very linear and didn't really require an abstract train of thought.

Don't get me wrong though, I still love both of these movies.

I wouldn't exactly call them original. Memento, The Matrix and Inception's whole "what is reality" thing was done in Rashomonabout 50 odd years before they existed. Like Inception, Rashomons ending is never really clear what the real reality is. So the ending Nolan fanboys seem to chirp on about isn't really original or groundbreaking either. It's just more mainstream, so more people have seen it. Same with the Matrix. The Whole "we are inside an alternate reality" is a really old concept. The main thing that made the Matrix stand out was the visual effects, which saying this, might have been ripped off from something else. Wouldn't be surprising.

 

[Incrediblejeff]

Among the ones not mentioned "We are the Strange".It's a animated CG,2D,Stop motion film.That's pretty wild,and it's free(legally) on youtube.

 

[DACrowe]

A short list of what popped into my head (I'm taking heed of both words for truly ambitious films, as well as those that are "mindblowing"):

2001: A Space Odyssey
A Clockwork Orange
Psycho
Gone With the Wind
Citizen Kane
Ben-Hur
Apocalypse Now
-The Godfather
Schindler's List
Saving Private Ryan
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Memento
Inception
The Prestige
The Sixth Sense
Fight Club
Raging Bull
There Will Be Blood
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Seven Samurai
Roshomon
8 1/2
Being John Malcovich
Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind
Requiem for a Dream
Network
Black Swan
Alien
Blade Runner

There are more but I'm stopping now, as it's hard because there are two types of films to be listed in this thread.

 

[Watchman]

2001: A Space Odyssey
Paths of Glory
All Lynch
Enter the Void
Tree of Life
Schizopolis
Videodrome
Brazil
Solaris
Stalker
Playtime
F is for Fake
Last Temptation of Christ
Blow Out
Network
Straw Dogs
The Wild Bunch
Last Year at Marienbad

And, of course, The Room.