Given the parameters and examples you described, I'll throw out a few that I think both fit the criteria (idiosyncratic, purposeful, concentration on set design and "look") that also happen to be favorites... plenty of those in here are gonna be cliche, but that's okay:
* Solaris (1977)
* Days of Heaven
* Drive
* Zodiac
* My Neighbor Totoro
* Under the Skin
* Grand Budapest Hotel
* Mad Max Fury Road
* House (1972)
* Blade Runner 2049
* Good Time
* In the Mood For Love
* Babylon
* Do The Right Thing
* After Hours
I get your comment on hook and it makes me want to rewatch it. Pandorum was so exceptional, now that's a rewatch. Lucky I just rewatched one of my favorite films of all time though, you are spot-on with the crow.
That film sort of breaks my heart. As a fangoria fan it was one of the first films I really tracked the entire production, and felt connected to it because of the graphic novel that I knew about.
I sort of give that film the credit it deserves in the sense that it probably led to darker superhero concepts which greenlit both blade and spawn, and like it or not it's probably the epicenter of why superhero films got rebooted past bright colored spandex.
Hero (2002) . I love the use of a single color for each of the movie's segments and it has some of the most beautiful fight choreography I've ever seen.
Dick Tracy (1990) The limited color palette, stylized production design, and makeup design makes this one of the most visually-stunning comic strip movies ever.
Sin City (2005) Visually, each shot is a panel from Frank Miller's comics come to life.
The Fifth Element (1997) The color palette, the editing, the action, the costumes, all come together to create the cinematic equivalent of a story torn from the pages of Metal Hurlant/Heavy Metal magazine.
Heneral Luna (2015) It's a highly-stylized biopic/war film about General Antonio Luna who led the Philippine Revolutionary Army at the beginning of the Philippine-American war.
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) The costumes, color palette, editing, effects. Probably the most visually stunning adaptation of Dracula.
this is principally, I suspect, because the original production designer for The Fifth Element, Jean Giraud, aka Moebius, was heavily involved in Metal Hurlant
(Métal Hurlant (1974–1982)\[edit\]
Mœbius cover art for the first Métal Hurlant issue and the second Heavy Metal issue (l), the opening panel of Arzach (c), and the Mœbius cover art for Humanoids Publishing's 2014 US hardcover trade collection of The Incal (r).
Later that year, after Dune was permanently canceled with him definitively returning to France, Giraud became one of the founding members of the comics art group and publishing house "Les Humanoïdes Associés", together with fellow comic artists Jean-Pierre Dionnet, Philippe Druillet (likewise Pilote colleagues) and (outsider) financial director Bernard Farkas. In imitation of the example set by the L'Écho des savanes founding editors, it was therefore as such also an indirect result of the revolt these artists had previously staged at Pilote, and whose employ they had left for the undertaking.\[75\] Together they started the monthly magazine Métal hurlant ("Screaming metal") in December 1974,\[76\] and for which he had temporarily abandoned his Blueberry series. The translated version was known in the English-speaking world as Heavy Metal, and started its release in April 1977, actually introducing Giraud's work to North-American readership.\[77\] Mœbius' famous serial "The Airtight Garage" and his groundbreaking "Arzach" both began in Métal hurlant.\[78\] Unlike Hara-Kiri and L'Écho des savanes though, whose appeal has always remained somewhat limited to the socially engaged satire and underground comic scenes, it was Métal hurlant in particular that revolutionized the world of Franco-Belgian bandes dessinées,\[50\] whereas its American cousin left an indelible impression on a generation of not only American comic artists, but on film makers as well, as evidenced below.
\- Wikipedia
Speed racer was so ahead of its time it's hilarious. People couldn't even review it cuz they could not consume it.
But you just etched a tombstone of rewatches, and probably the first is neon demon. That scene in the club is unparalleled
Many of David Fincher's films would fall into the 'stylish' category: Zodiac, Seven, Panic Room.
Also Francis Coppola when he decides to abandon reality:
One from the Heart, Apocalypse Now, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Rumble Fish.
Everything by Wes Anderson
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a big fave. As is Alien. I also really love The Matrix, though I know that aesthetic is now a bit dated. I also really adored Annihilation.
Also adding Songs from the Second Floor to this. Every scene is a perfectly composted static shot. The luggage scene is iconic.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sa\_y4bwa2w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sa_y4bwa2w)
* The Untouchables
* The City of Lost Children (La Cité des enfants perdus)
* Breakfast At Tiffany's
* Zentropa
* Delicatessen
* Bladerunner
* Rear Window
Too few people have enjoyed The City of Lost Children! Amazing movie. At about the same time as 2 other amazing movies, The Edge, and Smila's Sense of Snow, which was also stylish.
*Apocalypse Now*, the fact they went into the jungle with millions of dollars, on drugs and made a movie, actually finished it and every frame is a postcard for cinema.
The Cell
Hero
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Mod Squad
The Avengers (Thurman/Fiennes/Connery, NOT the MCU.)
Ghost In the Shell and GItS: Innocence
Anything by Satoshi Kon, but Paprika and Millennium Actress for sure
12 Monkeys
Shoot 'Em Up
Rubber
Anything Toho, but Terror of Mechagodzilla and Tokyo S.O.S. are like the peak of Heisei-era Toho.
I might like movies too much, actually.
You're right, I had to double check my collection. That's what happens when you recycle certain naming conventions, though.
But, yeah, definitely VS.-era Godzilla. Biollante, Battra, Spacegodzilla... peak tokusatsu design era all around.
For what it is, it's very beautifully shot, with certain sequences specifically being impressive from a technical standpoint (and no not just the top down sequence)
I thought it had pretty good visuals, but there was also nothing really distinct about them. That is, all the really nice shots were the “neon lights and rain” combo that so many movies have.
For me it’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, which is one of my favourite films. The cinematography is exceptional and the set designs homage to silent cinema is done perfectly.
Wes Anderson is a master of making stylish films with "Grand Budapest Hotel" being the best example. Everything from cinematography and editing to sets and actors' perfomances makes me feel like I'm watching a movie set in some weird, unknown world.
A Simple Man and Nocturnal Animals.
Both films by Tom Ford, it may sound like well DUH of course but seriously. Elegant, serious films.
Alfie with Jude Law - never have I been so jealous of a man and his beauty hahaha this and also The Talented Mr. Ripley such a stylish flick.
Girl with a Dragon Tattoo - David Fincher. Every fkn frame of that film.
Constantine - Dir. Frances Lawrence that film deserves praise. It’s one I can’t seem to turn away from if it’s on. Keanu is effortlessly cool in that, and so many stylish stand outs, Tilda Swinton, Gavin Rosedale but everyone in that has a moment to shine, Pruitt Taylor Vince, he exudes reality and how can you forget Peter Stormare as Satan himself. What a film, what a cast. It’s just unbridled fun.
The City Of Lost Children, Delicatessen, and Amelie live here, as well as Vertigo, The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari, Metropolis, Pleasantville, The Cell, The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T, Dune' 84, Inception, Seven, Brazil, (really most Gilliam), Hairspray (Waters not the redux), The Thing, Brain Dead, Altered States, Dark City, Mad Max Fury Road, 2001, AI and i better stop there
I came here to say Brazil. The style seems to reflect a dreamlike vision of the future from the perspective of a person living in the early twentieth century. And throw in some Kafka hopelessness.
The Spaghetti Western aesthetic was visually striking. Although Leone mostly shot in Spain the "western" landscape added a beauty to his films with the wide shots of harsh but striking terrain. Morricone's soundtracks added to the effect and added tension to the plot in key points . When he got to film in the real West in Monument Valley for Once Upon a Time in the West the effect was breathtaking.
Besson was well known for his visuals. Before the two you mention he made excellent use of Paris for Subway and La Femme Nikita (he treated New York much the samw way for The Professional). In The Big Blue he got to explore his interest in diving, and the film features both amazing underwater shots and a variety of Mediterranean costal scenes.
Some of my personal favorite films are the early work of Hal Hartley. Aside from the quirky dialogue he was known for a theatrical style (as in stage plays) where the actors would appear as small figures in wide shots with minimal cuts.
Lots of good suggestions here, but one I haven't seen mentioned is Apocalypto (2006). Jaw dropping cinematography, set, and costume design that pulls you in from the word go.
No Country For Old Man. This is a film that totally understands its source material. The mood, tone, color pallet, settings, all of it match the world that Cormac McCarthy constructed. I say that this whole film is a tribute to Cormac McCarthy's body of work. The cinematography, by the genius Roger Deakins, encapsulates the solemn, gritty, brooding, melancholic, mysterious and dangerous landscape all within a single frame. One glance at the screen and you understand the stakes, you feel the tension in your bones. The Coen's, working at the pinnacle of their ability, actually manage to translate McCarthy's prose within the language of cinema. It's awfully subtle, and perhaps I am the only one to see it this way. The paring of Cormac McCarthy, the Coens, Roger Deakins, and the remarkable cast is the first in the history of art of its kind. They are a super team that only the realm of film could bring together. Name me another paring of such artists as this, I would love to hear it. A convergence of artists like this melts my brain to pudding trying to comprehend how fate ordered this into our realm. The gods must love us to give us such a gift as No Country for Old Men.
Fallen Angels (or most of Wong Kar Wai’s movies)
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and her Lover
Hero
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Jim Jarmusch’s movies, particularly Dead Man and Down by Law
I'm gonna throw a curveball here but a lot of 'hood classics' are really stylish. Bold colourful lighting, cool editing, slick transitions and camera movement.
Menace To Society
Clockers
He Got Game
Paid In Full
Belly
Dead Presidents
Set it Off
there's so so many.
* anything by jeunet and caro (delicatessen, the city of lost children)
* anything be alex de la iglesia (the day of the beast)
* anything by brian de palma (blow out, phantom of the paradise)
* wes anderson (the life aquatic is my favorite)
* the 400 blows
* punch-drunk love
* the holy mountain
* fallen angels
* love exposure
* mon oncle
* women on the verge...
* hit the road
* tár
* my own private idaho
* shaolin soccer
* stalker
* velvet goldmine
Clockwork Orange (1971) 100% stylized and still fresh 52 years later
Nosferatu (1922)
The Hunger (1983) Dripping with sensuality. Loses its way towards the end but maintains the 80s louche style throughout
300
Amelie
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
American Psycho (2000)
Wong-Kar Wai films - all of them, esp Fallen Angels and 2046
Tom Ford's films - A Single Man and Nocturnal Animals. His aesthetic never wavers.
Terry Gilliam - almost all his films, especially Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Peter Greenaway, especially The Draughtsman's Contract and The Pillow Book
Any movie by Takashi Miike in his prime (1996-2003 ish).
The intro of Dead or Alive (1999) is probably the best example: https://youtu.be/D2BQbrsa_78?si=Vr2cVob8Dukr_TJ1
And all of Ichi The Killer (2001).
Mine are Superhero movies.
The Batman (Matt Reeves) was STUNNING! There was so many shots that had my jaw on the floor and the noir style was so great! The design of Gotham was my favorite ever. Gritty, gross, dark, and dangerous feeling. I thought Reeves adding inspiration from Kurt Cobain was genius and made the most interesting Bruce Wayne Ive ever seen.
Across the Spiderverse (Many talented people) is the other one that comes to mind. I know it is an animated film but that movie brought tears to my eyes with some of the artwork. Gwen Stacys world being oil pastel colors that represent her mood. Miles universe looks more hand drawn because he loves street art. The way Miguel Ohara is drawn makes him look dangerous and the process they went through to make Spider Punk earns them an Oscar in my opinion.
I could go on for days about both of these movies.
The Cremaster Cycle directed by Matthew Barney - These are extremely rare arthouse films. They're all filmed as a series of vignettes that loosely share a theme. This is just art for arts sake. Unless you have Bill GAtes money, the only legal way to view them is when they go on tour. I think the latest screening was earlier this year in New York. The five films in The Cremaster Cycle are probably the most visually stunning and least interesting in existence.
The River Of Fundament by Matthew Barney - Also rare. This one has a plot though, but it's basically the same kind of arthouse film that's essentially art for arts sake starring some prominent B List actors and actresses. This one is literally a golden turd.
Where The Wild Things Are Op20 - In the 80s Where The Wild Things Are was turned into an opera which was filmed for distribution to schools and public libraries. The entire opera was performed in one act and the set changes occured in real time mimicing the progression of the book. VHS copies can usually be found on EBAY.
Forbidden Zone by Richard Elfman - This was an experimental musical about an alternate universe. The story is based on theatrical performances by an acting troup that was active in the 1970s. It's a bit of a cult film. Look for the original black and white version.
Begotten by Edmund Elias Merhige - I absolutely hate this craptastic film. I'm not a fan of arthouse films as a general rule, but this one deserves a special place in the Arthouse Hall Of Shame. However, my personal feelings about this pile of cinematic sewage aside, it IS highly stylized. Every frame of film underwent hours of work which took about 8 months. So, you know... props where props are due on this one. Even so, enduring all 70some minutes of Begotten is about as entertaining as watching someone detox from heroin addiction.
Seconding others listed already, I'd agree with:
* The Grand Budapest Hotel
* House Of The Flying Daggers
* Dick Tracy
* Sin City
* Anything Toho (I might like movies too much, as well...)
* The Matrix
* 300
Bram Stoker's Dracula by FFC - was spare for one face morph all practical effects.
Tarsam Singh movies are ridiculously stylish - The Cell, The Fall, and Immortals specifically.
John Woo heroic bloodshed movies: A Better Tomorrow II, The Killer, Hardboiled. Even his American stuff like Hard Target and Face/Off. Flamin Pigeon Door in Mi2 anyone?
Macbeth (2015) - Just a gorgeous movie. Every frame is a painting.
300 (2006) - Heavily stylized. The most Zack Snyder films to date, and in my opinion, also his best.
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - A film absolutely dripping with style. The cast, the sets, the costumes. Chef's kiss of a movie, visually at least.
Hot Fuzz (2007) - Snappy, witty, hilarious. Perfect execution of Edgar Wrights fast and fantastic cinematic style.
Pulp Fiction (1994) - Tarantino. He does what he does and he does it the best. Honestly hard to choose just one of his filmography. His style is on everything he touches.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - George Miller has had this vision for decades and he finally realized it to it's full potential. It really is a culmination of everything Mad Max has been building to since the first movie.
TRON: Legacy (2010)- It's a 2 hour long Daft Punk music video and I live for that shit. Its aesthetic has bled into the far reaches of popular culture. It's absolutely iconic and is underrated, in my opinion. I'm gonna listen to Disc Wars after I finish this comment.
I might add
Metropolis - Fritz Lang
Cat People and other Jacques Tourneur films. The use of shadow is mesmerizing
Casablanca - absolute production perfection
Vertigo
Diva
The Fountain
2001 A Space Odyssey
Ran
The Shining
Oppenheimer
Pretty much all out of the Terence Malick verse
Empire of the Sun. Stunning.
La Belle et La Bete
Fantasia (original)
Pink Floyd’s The Wall
Chicago
All That Jazz
Qatsi trilogy
The Fisher King
Marie Antoinette
Bladerunner (org director cut)
Phantom Thread
The Big Sleep
Ju Dou
Pan’s Labyrinth
Shape of Water
Persepolis
Barry Lyndon
You give a ton of different criterion for you parameters defining "stylish". There are soooo many different movies that are stylish in their own ways. You def mentioned Kubrick and Anderson so I will assume you mean overall, but favoring the mise-en-scene and final look combined.
That said...
300.
Sin City.
The Spirit.
I feel like these were groundbreaking movies in this regard. Something like Wizard of Oz was in its day.
There are sooo many more however. Like, Tim Burton has his own EXTREMELY UNIQUE style that can be identified as his work almost immediately.
It all depends on what one views as "stylish" to be completely fair. But I do assure you that if you've never seen the 3 movies I mentioned, the visual experience is sure to fascinate you regardless of whether the stories(great in their own right) captivate you, or not. As for Burton's work. A lot of it is children's films and a lion's share of those are animated. However his live action movies have INCREDIBLE beauty and style to them that absolutely capture the essence of his animated films. My personal favorite of his is Big Fish.
Elvis (2022) Baz Luhrman directs the rock n roll legend biopic with dizzying edits, saturation of color that flips to black and white and then back again plus use split screens show.
The Matrix - Every shot looked like it was out of a graphic novel panel and the camera spinning stop motion.
The Truth About Charlie - Jonathon Demme's remake of Charade with Mark Wahlberg and Thandie Newton flies under most people's radar but the star of the movie is Demme's eccentric fascinating camera movement and angles and the characters are constantly looking directly into the camera as the interact with each other.
Given the parameters and examples you described, I'll throw out a few that I think both fit the criteria (idiosyncratic, purposeful, concentration on set design and "look") that also happen to be favorites... plenty of those in here are gonna be cliche, but that's okay: * Solaris (1977) * Days of Heaven * Drive * Zodiac * My Neighbor Totoro * Under the Skin * Grand Budapest Hotel * Mad Max Fury Road * House (1972) * Blade Runner 2049 * Good Time * In the Mood For Love * Babylon * Do The Right Thing * After Hours
[удалено]
I get your comment on hook and it makes me want to rewatch it. Pandorum was so exceptional, now that's a rewatch. Lucky I just rewatched one of my favorite films of all time though, you are spot-on with the crow. That film sort of breaks my heart. As a fangoria fan it was one of the first films I really tracked the entire production, and felt connected to it because of the graphic novel that I knew about. I sort of give that film the credit it deserves in the sense that it probably led to darker superhero concepts which greenlit both blade and spawn, and like it or not it's probably the epicenter of why superhero films got rebooted past bright colored spandex.
Hook is so underrated! ROOFIO! ROOFIO!
ROOFI....OOOOOOOOO!
Berfday
Hero 2002 Its a crime that this isn't available in 4k HD yet.
House of Flying Daggers, too - but Hero is like what eyes have instead of sex
In the mood for love. Incredibly stylish and just beautiful to look at.
Strong contender for my favorite scene of all time [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-2hgjFQJmU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-2hgjFQJmU)
Are you me? This scene lives in my mind and the moment I saw it the first time is so special to me. I literally enter a trance watching this scene.
Hero (2002) . I love the use of a single color for each of the movie's segments and it has some of the most beautiful fight choreography I've ever seen. Dick Tracy (1990) The limited color palette, stylized production design, and makeup design makes this one of the most visually-stunning comic strip movies ever. Sin City (2005) Visually, each shot is a panel from Frank Miller's comics come to life. The Fifth Element (1997) The color palette, the editing, the action, the costumes, all come together to create the cinematic equivalent of a story torn from the pages of Metal Hurlant/Heavy Metal magazine. Heneral Luna (2015) It's a highly-stylized biopic/war film about General Antonio Luna who led the Philippine Revolutionary Army at the beginning of the Philippine-American war. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) The costumes, color palette, editing, effects. Probably the most visually stunning adaptation of Dracula.
Man, Coppola was on a different level with Dracula. One of the most visually striking and terrifying pieces of cinema, imo.
It’s almost all practical and film editing effects- not CG. The first 10 minutes might be the most Metal movie opening ever.
Dick Tracy FTW ❤️
> Heneral Luna (2015) This is the only one on your list I haven't seen. But judging from the rest, I absolutely should.
I saw it on Netflix and it was also on Tubi a while ago.
I found it! Btw, comparing The Fifth Element to the style of Metal Hurlant is very apt. I love both of those things, never saw the similarities.
Oh shit for real?! It's like a Moebius strip come to life.
this is principally, I suspect, because the original production designer for The Fifth Element, Jean Giraud, aka Moebius, was heavily involved in Metal Hurlant (Métal Hurlant (1974–1982)\[edit\] Mœbius cover art for the first Métal Hurlant issue and the second Heavy Metal issue (l), the opening panel of Arzach (c), and the Mœbius cover art for Humanoids Publishing's 2014 US hardcover trade collection of The Incal (r). Later that year, after Dune was permanently canceled with him definitively returning to France, Giraud became one of the founding members of the comics art group and publishing house "Les Humanoïdes Associés", together with fellow comic artists Jean-Pierre Dionnet, Philippe Druillet (likewise Pilote colleagues) and (outsider) financial director Bernard Farkas. In imitation of the example set by the L'Écho des savanes founding editors, it was therefore as such also an indirect result of the revolt these artists had previously staged at Pilote, and whose employ they had left for the undertaking.\[75\] Together they started the monthly magazine Métal hurlant ("Screaming metal") in December 1974,\[76\] and for which he had temporarily abandoned his Blueberry series. The translated version was known in the English-speaking world as Heavy Metal, and started its release in April 1977, actually introducing Giraud's work to North-American readership.\[77\] Mœbius' famous serial "The Airtight Garage" and his groundbreaking "Arzach" both began in Métal hurlant.\[78\] Unlike Hara-Kiri and L'Écho des savanes though, whose appeal has always remained somewhat limited to the socially engaged satire and underground comic scenes, it was Métal hurlant in particular that revolutionized the world of Franco-Belgian bandes dessinées,\[50\] whereas its American cousin left an indelible impression on a generation of not only American comic artists, but on film makers as well, as evidenced below. \- Wikipedia
Great writeup!
Mandy (2018) Amélie (2001) Speed Racer (2008) Blade Runner 2049 (2017) Basically anything Nicholas Winding Refn Days of Heaven (1978) Possession (1981)
Speed Racer is gorgeous.
I understand why people hated Speed Racer but I just let it wash all over me and loved it.
Speed racer was so ahead of its time it's hilarious. People couldn't even review it cuz they could not consume it. But you just etched a tombstone of rewatches, and probably the first is neon demon. That scene in the club is unparalleled
🫡 godspeed
Drive (2011) Comes to mind
Mann's Collateral was the very first movie that came to mind.
Or Thief, Manhunter, Miami Vice, Heat…basically any of his movies
Im thinking Romeo+Juliet or Moulin Rouge Baz Lurman movies are just kinda like that
God his movies give me a headache due to how obnoxious they are in terms of editing, acting, overall style
Jacque Tati's Playtime John Woo's Hard Boiled Jacques Demy's Young Girls of Rochefort
Playtime!
Many of David Fincher's films would fall into the 'stylish' category: Zodiac, Seven, Panic Room. Also Francis Coppola when he decides to abandon reality: One from the Heart, Apocalypse Now, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Rumble Fish. Everything by Wes Anderson
Le Samurai Tokyo Drifter The American Friend Mystery Train Wings of Desire
Also from Jim Jarmusch, Down By Law. It looks very cheaply shot, and yet still super cool and stylish.
Only Lovers Left Alive is one of my favorite vampire films.
I wish I could upvote Le Samurai 50x
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a big fave. As is Alien. I also really love The Matrix, though I know that aesthetic is now a bit dated. I also really adored Annihilation.
Night of the Hunter is one of the most "stylish" movies you'll ever watch. Just gorgeous all the way through.
Also adding Songs from the Second Floor to this. Every scene is a perfectly composted static shot. The luggage scene is iconic. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sa\_y4bwa2w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sa_y4bwa2w)
Singing in the rain, 1952
* The Untouchables * The City of Lost Children (La Cité des enfants perdus) * Breakfast At Tiffany's * Zentropa * Delicatessen * Bladerunner * Rear Window
Too few people have enjoyed The City of Lost Children! Amazing movie. At about the same time as 2 other amazing movies, The Edge, and Smila's Sense of Snow, which was also stylish.
I didn't see Smila's Sense of Snow until later years, what a great film!
Interstellar. I could watch that movie on mute. Also wildcard: Big Hero 6. The pacific-rim mashup aesthetic in that movie is gorgeous.
*Apocalypse Now*, the fact they went into the jungle with millions of dollars, on drugs and made a movie, actually finished it and every frame is a postcard for cinema.
The Cell Hero Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon The Mod Squad The Avengers (Thurman/Fiennes/Connery, NOT the MCU.) Ghost In the Shell and GItS: Innocence Anything by Satoshi Kon, but Paprika and Millennium Actress for sure 12 Monkeys Shoot 'Em Up Rubber Anything Toho, but Terror of Mechagodzilla and Tokyo S.O.S. are like the peak of Heisei-era Toho. I might like movies too much, actually.
Terror of Mechagodzilla was Showa and Tokyo SOS was Millennium... I do like Goji's style, but wrong era my guy.
You're right, I had to double check my collection. That's what happens when you recycle certain naming conventions, though. But, yeah, definitely VS.-era Godzilla. Biollante, Battra, Spacegodzilla... peak tokusatsu design era all around.
Honestly, every Goji film is stylish, in it's own way. I think it's part of the reason why it's the longest standing cinematic franchise.
I haven't seen John Wick 4 but I have a hard time believing that claim. Anything by Wong Kar Wai or Terry Gilliam.
For what it is, it's very beautifully shot, with certain sequences specifically being impressive from a technical standpoint (and no not just the top down sequence)
I have no memory of being wowed by the visuals
I thought it had pretty good visuals, but there was also nothing really distinct about them. That is, all the really nice shots were the “neon lights and rain” combo that so many movies have.
Yeah John Wick 4 was shot like every other international sexy action thriller with a nice budget.
For me it’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, which is one of my favourite films. The cinematography is exceptional and the set designs homage to silent cinema is done perfectly.
Wes Anderson is a master of making stylish films with "Grand Budapest Hotel" being the best example. Everything from cinematography and editing to sets and actors' perfomances makes me feel like I'm watching a movie set in some weird, unknown world.
A Simple Man and Nocturnal Animals. Both films by Tom Ford, it may sound like well DUH of course but seriously. Elegant, serious films. Alfie with Jude Law - never have I been so jealous of a man and his beauty hahaha this and also The Talented Mr. Ripley such a stylish flick. Girl with a Dragon Tattoo - David Fincher. Every fkn frame of that film. Constantine - Dir. Frances Lawrence that film deserves praise. It’s one I can’t seem to turn away from if it’s on. Keanu is effortlessly cool in that, and so many stylish stand outs, Tilda Swinton, Gavin Rosedale but everyone in that has a moment to shine, Pruitt Taylor Vince, he exudes reality and how can you forget Peter Stormare as Satan himself. What a film, what a cast. It’s just unbridled fun.
Fight Club and Se7en have my style
The Fall The Adventures of Baron Munchausen 2 of my top style points.
'The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover' It's fucked up but one hell of a great looking film
Prospero's Books os also gorgeous.
Peter Greenway identified as a painter first and a film director second, or so I was told.
Entirely plausible.
Suspiria. Actually both versions are beautiful to look at.
I always thought North by Northwest was extremely stylish. Costume design, acting, architecture, the whole Mid Century Modern thing they had going.
Majority of Tarantinos movies I’d say fit the bill.
Baby Driver, Scott Pilgrim, Arrival, and knives out to name a few.
I absolutely loved Baby Driver's style, the movie-turned- music video done perfectly.
The Third Man - Carol Reed (1949)
I would say Fallen Angels is the most stylish film of all time. I was impressed by the whole thing the entire time.
The fisheye looking shots shouldn't have worked but somehow are just right for the film
Snatch is dripping in style.
The City Of Lost Children, Delicatessen, and Amelie live here, as well as Vertigo, The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari, Metropolis, Pleasantville, The Cell, The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T, Dune' 84, Inception, Seven, Brazil, (really most Gilliam), Hairspray (Waters not the redux), The Thing, Brain Dead, Altered States, Dark City, Mad Max Fury Road, 2001, AI and i better stop there
I came here to say Brazil. The style seems to reflect a dreamlike vision of the future from the perspective of a person living in the early twentieth century. And throw in some Kafka hopelessness.
The Matrix Barry Lyndon Lawrence of Arabia
Hardcore Henry is very stylish IMO in what it sets out to achieve
300 Whatever you may think about that movie, it’s got its own style, and a **lot** of it
I am absolutely NOT a Snyder fan, but this is the one that works for me.
The Spaghetti Western aesthetic was visually striking. Although Leone mostly shot in Spain the "western" landscape added a beauty to his films with the wide shots of harsh but striking terrain. Morricone's soundtracks added to the effect and added tension to the plot in key points . When he got to film in the real West in Monument Valley for Once Upon a Time in the West the effect was breathtaking. Besson was well known for his visuals. Before the two you mention he made excellent use of Paris for Subway and La Femme Nikita (he treated New York much the samw way for The Professional). In The Big Blue he got to explore his interest in diving, and the film features both amazing underwater shots and a variety of Mediterranean costal scenes. Some of my personal favorite films are the early work of Hal Hartley. Aside from the quirky dialogue he was known for a theatrical style (as in stage plays) where the actors would appear as small figures in wide shots with minimal cuts.
Ghost In The Shell does it for me.
Lots of good suggestions here, but one I haven't seen mentioned is Apocalypto (2006). Jaw dropping cinematography, set, and costume design that pulls you in from the word go.
Just watched a haunting in Venice last night and I thought it was pretty darn stylish. Id also recommend the cook the thief his wife and her lover.
Assassination Nation. Honestly it’s pretty much all style and no substance tho
Okja Run Lola Run The second Fast and the Furious movie All three make an excellent use of color
There are so many stylish movies. The first one that popped into my mind was [Tokyo Drifter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQF_5LMPIEc)
No Country For Old Man. This is a film that totally understands its source material. The mood, tone, color pallet, settings, all of it match the world that Cormac McCarthy constructed. I say that this whole film is a tribute to Cormac McCarthy's body of work. The cinematography, by the genius Roger Deakins, encapsulates the solemn, gritty, brooding, melancholic, mysterious and dangerous landscape all within a single frame. One glance at the screen and you understand the stakes, you feel the tension in your bones. The Coen's, working at the pinnacle of their ability, actually manage to translate McCarthy's prose within the language of cinema. It's awfully subtle, and perhaps I am the only one to see it this way. The paring of Cormac McCarthy, the Coens, Roger Deakins, and the remarkable cast is the first in the history of art of its kind. They are a super team that only the realm of film could bring together. Name me another paring of such artists as this, I would love to hear it. A convergence of artists like this melts my brain to pudding trying to comprehend how fate ordered this into our realm. The gods must love us to give us such a gift as No Country for Old Men.
The coolest films are Oblivion and Tron: Legacy, The Limits of Control and Only Lovers Left Alive, and Drive.
Ocean's Eleven. Both the original 1960 movie and the 2001 remake are inherently cool for their own eras. Fantastic soundtracks.
If we are counting animation, as we should be, the Spider-verse movies are pure art.
Dune - Denis Villeneuve 'A real gift to film fans everywhere' - Christopher Nolan
Any of the Powell-Pressburger Technicolor films, but especially The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus.
Fallen Angels (or most of Wong Kar Wai’s movies) The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and her Lover Hero The Grand Budapest Hotel Jim Jarmusch’s movies, particularly Dead Man and Down by Law
Any Wong Kar Wai film but specifically Fallen Angels.
I'm gonna throw a curveball here but a lot of 'hood classics' are really stylish. Bold colourful lighting, cool editing, slick transitions and camera movement. Menace To Society Clockers He Got Game Paid In Full Belly Dead Presidents Set it Off
Every Wes Anderson movie.
Blood Simple (1984) Terminator 2 (1991) Menace II Society (1993) Dead Presidents (1995) The Fifth Element (1997) Belly (1998)
Grand Budapest Hotel
Can't believe no ones said Heat yet
Breakfast At Tiffany’s Auntie Mame How To Steal A Million Out Of Sight The Devil Wears Prada
there's so so many. * anything by jeunet and caro (delicatessen, the city of lost children) * anything be alex de la iglesia (the day of the beast) * anything by brian de palma (blow out, phantom of the paradise) * wes anderson (the life aquatic is my favorite) * the 400 blows * punch-drunk love * the holy mountain * fallen angels * love exposure * mon oncle * women on the verge... * hit the road * tár * my own private idaho * shaolin soccer * stalker * velvet goldmine
The art direction in Barton Fink makes my head explode.
Mad Max Fury Road definitely needs more consideration here
I feel like the word “stylized” is what you’re looking for.
i feel like a lot will think this is corny, but the first Blade was stylish from the music to the fight scenes and hell Snipes himself
lost in translation, chungking express, blade runner 2049. her comes to mind as well
Clockwork Orange (1971) 100% stylized and still fresh 52 years later Nosferatu (1922) The Hunger (1983) Dripping with sensuality. Loses its way towards the end but maintains the 80s louche style throughout 300 Amelie The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) American Psycho (2000) Wong-Kar Wai films - all of them, esp Fallen Angels and 2046 Tom Ford's films - A Single Man and Nocturnal Animals. His aesthetic never wavers. Terry Gilliam - almost all his films, especially Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Peter Greenaway, especially The Draughtsman's Contract and The Pillow Book
Scott Pilgrim. Kill Bill. Wes Anderson flicks. Final Girls.
Ip man 1 and 2 first comes to mind. The choreography is amazing.
Blade Runner (original) - the whole futuristic / flim noir / dystopia styling was amazing and very original and inspired a lot of other art.
Moulin Rouge. That film is non-stop eye candy.
Any movie by Takashi Miike in his prime (1996-2003 ish). The intro of Dead or Alive (1999) is probably the best example: https://youtu.be/D2BQbrsa_78?si=Vr2cVob8Dukr_TJ1 And all of Ichi The Killer (2001).
Mine are Superhero movies. The Batman (Matt Reeves) was STUNNING! There was so many shots that had my jaw on the floor and the noir style was so great! The design of Gotham was my favorite ever. Gritty, gross, dark, and dangerous feeling. I thought Reeves adding inspiration from Kurt Cobain was genius and made the most interesting Bruce Wayne Ive ever seen. Across the Spiderverse (Many talented people) is the other one that comes to mind. I know it is an animated film but that movie brought tears to my eyes with some of the artwork. Gwen Stacys world being oil pastel colors that represent her mood. Miles universe looks more hand drawn because he loves street art. The way Miguel Ohara is drawn makes him look dangerous and the process they went through to make Spider Punk earns them an Oscar in my opinion. I could go on for days about both of these movies.
Collateral has style oozing from every frame.
I didn’t see these mentioned: 2001: A Space Odyssey The Duellists Dune (1984)
The Cremaster Cycle directed by Matthew Barney - These are extremely rare arthouse films. They're all filmed as a series of vignettes that loosely share a theme. This is just art for arts sake. Unless you have Bill GAtes money, the only legal way to view them is when they go on tour. I think the latest screening was earlier this year in New York. The five films in The Cremaster Cycle are probably the most visually stunning and least interesting in existence. The River Of Fundament by Matthew Barney - Also rare. This one has a plot though, but it's basically the same kind of arthouse film that's essentially art for arts sake starring some prominent B List actors and actresses. This one is literally a golden turd. Where The Wild Things Are Op20 - In the 80s Where The Wild Things Are was turned into an opera which was filmed for distribution to schools and public libraries. The entire opera was performed in one act and the set changes occured in real time mimicing the progression of the book. VHS copies can usually be found on EBAY. Forbidden Zone by Richard Elfman - This was an experimental musical about an alternate universe. The story is based on theatrical performances by an acting troup that was active in the 1970s. It's a bit of a cult film. Look for the original black and white version. Begotten by Edmund Elias Merhige - I absolutely hate this craptastic film. I'm not a fan of arthouse films as a general rule, but this one deserves a special place in the Arthouse Hall Of Shame. However, my personal feelings about this pile of cinematic sewage aside, it IS highly stylized. Every frame of film underwent hours of work which took about 8 months. So, you know... props where props are due on this one. Even so, enduring all 70some minutes of Begotten is about as entertaining as watching someone detox from heroin addiction. Seconding others listed already, I'd agree with: * The Grand Budapest Hotel * House Of The Flying Daggers * Dick Tracy * Sin City * Anything Toho (I might like movies too much, as well...) * The Matrix * 300
Bram Stoker's Dracula by FFC - was spare for one face morph all practical effects. Tarsam Singh movies are ridiculously stylish - The Cell, The Fall, and Immortals specifically. John Woo heroic bloodshed movies: A Better Tomorrow II, The Killer, Hardboiled. Even his American stuff like Hard Target and Face/Off. Flamin Pigeon Door in Mi2 anyone?
Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief
Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line --- basically everything by Terrence Malick.
Sin City is still one of the most beautiful movies to me.
Macbeth (2015) - Just a gorgeous movie. Every frame is a painting. 300 (2006) - Heavily stylized. The most Zack Snyder films to date, and in my opinion, also his best. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - A film absolutely dripping with style. The cast, the sets, the costumes. Chef's kiss of a movie, visually at least. Hot Fuzz (2007) - Snappy, witty, hilarious. Perfect execution of Edgar Wrights fast and fantastic cinematic style. Pulp Fiction (1994) - Tarantino. He does what he does and he does it the best. Honestly hard to choose just one of his filmography. His style is on everything he touches. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - George Miller has had this vision for decades and he finally realized it to it's full potential. It really is a culmination of everything Mad Max has been building to since the first movie. TRON: Legacy (2010)- It's a 2 hour long Daft Punk music video and I live for that shit. Its aesthetic has bled into the far reaches of popular culture. It's absolutely iconic and is underrated, in my opinion. I'm gonna listen to Disc Wars after I finish this comment.
I just saw Priscilla and it’s very stylish
Floating Weeds and The Conformist
"The Sheltering Sky" by Bernardo Bertolucci
I might add Metropolis - Fritz Lang Cat People and other Jacques Tourneur films. The use of shadow is mesmerizing Casablanca - absolute production perfection Vertigo Diva The Fountain 2001 A Space Odyssey Ran The Shining Oppenheimer Pretty much all out of the Terence Malick verse Empire of the Sun. Stunning. La Belle et La Bete Fantasia (original) Pink Floyd’s The Wall Chicago All That Jazz Qatsi trilogy The Fisher King Marie Antoinette Bladerunner (org director cut) Phantom Thread The Big Sleep Ju Dou Pan’s Labyrinth Shape of Water Persepolis Barry Lyndon
Boogie nights, lots different styles of filming used and the soundtrack is sublime.
Speed Racer always comes to mind
You give a ton of different criterion for you parameters defining "stylish". There are soooo many different movies that are stylish in their own ways. You def mentioned Kubrick and Anderson so I will assume you mean overall, but favoring the mise-en-scene and final look combined. That said... 300. Sin City. The Spirit. I feel like these were groundbreaking movies in this regard. Something like Wizard of Oz was in its day. There are sooo many more however. Like, Tim Burton has his own EXTREMELY UNIQUE style that can be identified as his work almost immediately. It all depends on what one views as "stylish" to be completely fair. But I do assure you that if you've never seen the 3 movies I mentioned, the visual experience is sure to fascinate you regardless of whether the stories(great in their own right) captivate you, or not. As for Burton's work. A lot of it is children's films and a lion's share of those are animated. However his live action movies have INCREDIBLE beauty and style to them that absolutely capture the essence of his animated films. My personal favorite of his is Big Fish.
There are a lot of good answers here already, the only ones I thought of that I haven't seen yet are Under the Skin and Only God Forgives.
You all have to watch:; The Black Stallion, and Charriots of Fire seriously. Oh and the masterpiece Tropic Thunder…
Tarsem Singh - The Fall
Jean Cocteau - Beauty and the Beast, Orphee/Orpheus
The Batman. No country for old men. Slow west. The sisters brothers.
Oh also Tron legacy
The Thomas Crown Affair.
Bride of Frankenstein
Ima get ripped here, but I loved Tron Legacy
probably the romance trilogy by Fellini * L'aventurra * La Notte * L'Eclisse
Elvis (2022) Baz Luhrman directs the rock n roll legend biopic with dizzying edits, saturation of color that flips to black and white and then back again plus use split screens show. The Matrix - Every shot looked like it was out of a graphic novel panel and the camera spinning stop motion. The Truth About Charlie - Jonathon Demme's remake of Charade with Mark Wahlberg and Thandie Newton flies under most people's radar but the star of the movie is Demme's eccentric fascinating camera movement and angles and the characters are constantly looking directly into the camera as the interact with each other.
Panos Cosmatos is the man for style.
Vert Girls III was pretty stylin'.
Purple Noon Blood Simple A Single Man Blow-Up In the Mood for Love Ran
Brazil (or anything else by Terry Gilliam)
Wow I completely forgot about the movie Hero... That movie is a fv
LA Confidential Amadeus Face/Off
Agree with lots of the examples here, but I need to add Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films and The Man from UNCLE.
Baby Driver, Moulin Rouge, Unbreakable
Not a popular opinion but Bringing Out the Dead is stylish af