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Sunday, December 16, 2012

Top 10: Most Beautiful Movies

1:  Moonrise Kingdom.  Just watched this last night, and wow.  Every frame in the film could be a photograph, and the 60s clothing and color palette works wonderfully in the northeastern island setting. It's also pretty funny.


2:  Marie Antoinette.  The candy colors.  The over-the-top wardrobe.  The modernish rock music.  All taking place in Versailles.  How could this have not been visually awesome?


3:  Avatar.  An entire world, its creatures, and language created from thin air.  It's like watching another person's dream (which is their total, uninhibited imagination at work).


4:  Moulin Rouge.  Beautiful people, beautiful medly's of pop music through the years, a beautifully tragic love story, set in the beautiful town of Paris in the middle of the Bohemian Revolution where things like truth, beauty, freedom, and love are celebrated, and directed by Baz Luhrman.  What more could you ask for?


5:  The Two Towers.  Another sci-fi entry, this time for the sweeping cinematography of the untouched corners of New Zealand, perhaps the most perfect casting of actors ever, one of the most epic battles ever to grace the screen, and the haunting cry of a violin that captures the sadness of a civilization.


6:  Zorro.  Mainly for the costuming.  Layers upon layers of old-time, frilly Spanish clothing clothe another beautiful cast.  And also for the stunts.  The only one Antonio Banderas didn't perform himself was the part where he hurls himself over a horse and kicks a villain off the horse next to his.


7:  500 Days of Summer.  So indie, but charmingly so.  Vintage clothes and the people the clothes are on take the spotlight, with lovely little illustrations denoting the day interspersed throughout.


8:  Up.  It was hard to pick just one Pixar movie for this list, with movies like Finding Nemo and The Incredibles in the line-up, but Up really takes the cake.  The imagery of a house flying through the sky under a thicket of balloons directed by the weathervane is purely wonderful and the speechless montage of Carl and Ellie's life is heart-achingly jaw-dropping.


9:  The Dark Knight.  Unlike the rest of the movies on this list that use lots of color, this entry sticks to the darker palette to match its darker content.  The joker's highly patterned, and extreme high quality wardrobe adds to his controlled rage and crazy personality.  His greens and purples are the only colors in the film, besides the color of blood and fire.  Like I said, dark content.


10:  Chocolat.  A chocolate shop in a little french town.  Vienne, the vibrant newcomer to the quaint town, has a delectable wardrobe of high-waisted skirts and red shoes that make her stand out even more than she already does.  Then Johnny Depp and the river pirates come in all their bohemian glory, and together, they change the townsfolk to color-loving, joyous people as well.  Also features a beautiful performance by Judi Dench as a crabby old woman.


(photos collected from googleimages)

2 comments:

  1. Great list. I would add Pans Labyrinth. Crazy beautiful but with undeniably dark undertones that sometimes aren't so subtle.

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  2. Ah yes I forgot about that one. Haven't seen it in a long time, might have to rewatch it soon

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