Along with having a lot of great films pop up over the past year, there's been plenty that have taken us to awe-inspiring heights with their visual cues. While stories can compel us to think of things in a strange context, it is the visuals that we are often left with more. In today's entry, I will be looking at the various films that I considered to be visually stunning front-to-back and prove that cinema is about more than story. Whether the imagery runs majestic or cartoonish, these are the ones that most resemble the limits of cinematography in 2014.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
There's a lot of travesties to account for if this film doesn't just sweep every set design award out there. More than any other film this year, it created its own universe with bright, popping colors that were at times a storybook brought to life. Beyond everything else, the cinematography is just gorgeous and the incorporation of different animation styles and aspect ratios makes this one of the most cinematic movies of the year, if just for sheer ambition. The film is such a masterpiece that writer Matt Zoeller Seitz is already scheduled to release a book dedicated to its architecture, which he calls the equivalence of a layered cake. This is very much the case, as who wouldn't want to chew this scenery?
Ida
On the flip side of the beautiful cinematography is Ida. The film is very much a minimalist black and white film that gets mileage out of scenery. Almost every shot in the film is worthy of a portrait, rich with symbolism and beauty. There's plenty of reasons why it is the most successful foreign film of the year. The most notable is that it incorporates the basic achievements of cinema and turns them into a masterclass. The coldness in the winter scenes radiates through the screen and makes us catch a cold. Of course, the simple story about a nun discovering that she is Jewish allows room for one to meditate as scenes of trees flow by. This is an all around great movie and one that could be studied for tips on perfect cinematography.
The Immigrant
It feels like it was shot through a nostalgic lens. This tale of immigration in the 1920's America is one of the underrated gems that flew under the radar. It is a shame because along with a wonderful story and excellent Marion Cotillard performance, it is just spectacular to look at. Rich with hues, the rustic feel has a shine that makes everything seem more hopeful than it actually is. The heartbreaking story at the center is made more poetic. Also, the final shot of the film in which two differing perspectives are shown in a single frame is one of the great wonders of the year. How they pulled off the shot is a thing of wonder and beauty. It also helps that the film is also one of the best dressed and features probably the best looking Ellis Island scene since The Godfather: Part II.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Let's be honest right now. How to Train Your Dragon 2 is the best looking CG animated film in a few years. From the moment that its characters fly through the air, things become immediately clear as to why this film is leagues ahead of everyone else. Beyond the character designs, the film takes great pride in giving background details a definition that is both clear and adds to the epic scope. The film soars thanks to its feeling of grandiosity. The amount of creativity and action that goes into this sequel makes it one of the most beautiful and successful films that Dreamworks has ever produced. It will leave you awestruck as it showcases the uninspired lows that most every other CG animated film passes for.
Under the Skin
It has been awhile since a film has incorporated transparent imagery so perfectly. While the film is largely shot in a guerrilla tactic by using real scenarios, it does so in a cold and isolating way that emphasizes the loneliness themes that boil underneath the surface. It also helps that in moments of confusion, the scenes overlap each other creating images that serve more as collages than individual shots. Thankfully, it adds to the poetic, alien feel that the film already has and makes everything surrounding it all the more eerie.
Interstellar
The problematic third act aside, this is one hell of a movie. From the dusty Earth scenes to the stretches of outer space, Christopher Nolan takes us to a wondrous new world. Even if the planets and constellations are based in actuality, few films have felt this epic while feeling like they were all within a scope. It is a film that rewards large screen viewing, as it creates an understanding of depth and peril. This is a beautiful blockbuster that has so much to offer. While it has faults, looking amazing and breathtaking isn't any of it.
Foxcatcher
Bennett Miller delivers yet again with an unrepentant look at the underside of the American Dream. Taking place predominantly at the cold and rustic Foxcatcher Ranch, the film feels continually unwholesome with its detached feeling. The characters almost seemed trapped in this cloudy, murky atmosphere and are unable to ever truly escape the guilt. Thankfully, the cinematography of the natural woods surrounding the area feels unsettling and creates the town into a prison of sorts with John Du Pont as the warden. It isn't a horror movie, but the way that it uses atmosphere, you'll often mistake it for one in the best ways possible.
The Double
Richard Ayoade made a grab bag of a movie with The Double by combining everything from noir lighting to Terry Gilliam's rustic office spaces. The film is rich with making the place feel like a character unto itself. It is never properly lit and everything about it seems unsettling. However, it is still a beautiful, authentic feeling movie unlike anything else that came out this year. If nothing else, it feels assured in its randomly thrown together properties in ways that shouldn't work. Richard Ayoade manages to make a film of note that makes us wonder just how long it will be until we recognize his brilliance.
Night Moves
With Meek's Cutoff, Kelly Reichardt proved herself to be a director to watch out for. She didn't have the talkiest films, but she had some of the most meditative and beautiful moments. In her follow-up, she takes to the woods and unleashes activists. The results aren't as successful, but they're just as beautiful, especially the natural scenery that floats by the characters as they row away from a bomb. Even the condensed truck ride back captures a certain beautiful paranoia that is more powerful than any long exposition. This is a film that may not have the most original of stories, but its cinematography and atmosphere is enough to get lost in and wish that it never ended.
Gone Girl
The easy complaint to be lobbied at this film is that it feels, sounds and behaves very blandly. While this is true, it is only the perfect hat trick in David Fincher's scheme. The story itself is supposed to be bland until the second act twist uproots everything you thought. As a result, there is depth to the blandness and it leaves a very questionable view on everything on screen. While Gone Girl may not have the most flattering cinematography, it has one of the best conceptually executed on this list in ways that will take you by surprise and leave you wondering what exactly you just witnessed. The final product is unnerving and beautiful as a result.
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