List your 'Blown away' theatrical experiences by chrisisall

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List your 'Blown away' theatrical experiences

POSTED BY: CHRISISALL
UPDATED: Sunday, April 4, 2010 17:12
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Friday, April 2, 2010 12:45 PM

Not just movies you liked or loved, but experiences that "changed" you due to their profundity or epic-ness, or, you know, something else...
RATINGS:
A= Stunned
B= Permanently Damaged
C= Hit me on a level so deep it's hard to describe

Me-
A/B Enter The Dragon- 1973 (My Mommy took us- I wuz so embarrassed by the boobies)

A Apes marathon, all five Planet Of The Apes movies, TWICE- circa 1974

B/B Texas Chainsaw Massacre- 1974 (I snuck in; YIKES!!!)

A/C Star Wars- 1977

C Superman The Movie- 1978

A/B Empire Strikes Back- 1980

C Blade Runner- 1982

B Star Trek 2: Wrath Of Khan- 1982

C Return Of The Jedi- 1983 (YES, don't give me any grief here, you Ewok-haters!!!

)

A/B/C The Crow- 1993

A/C The Matrix- 1999

A/B/C Serenity- 2005

The laughing Chrisisall

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Friday, April 2, 2010 1:49 PM

BIGRICHARD

You know, I have a shocking memory for this sort of thing, so I can't remember that far back, nor can I remember too many, but here's some semblance of a list that reflects it.

A/B = Pan's Labyrinth

A/B/C = The Fountain

A/B/C = The Lovely Bones

A = Children of Men

A = Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (I know there are haters out there, but I love the books, and I loved the films, but this was the first film that I really though "oh wow, they got it" and the way they did the entire 3rd act just blew my mind)

A/B/C = Serenity (So much happened in that damn film that I remember sitting there at the end just staring at the screen until the end of the credits. I couldn't quite process it all)

A/B = The Dark Knight

A/B = The Wrestler

A = Let the Right One In (possibly because I saw it before all the hype and so had no idea what it was about. I go see about 50 films in 2 weeks while the film festival is on, as we can amazing deals through film school, and after already seeing two films that day, I just thought "can I really be bothered seeing a swedish film about vampire kids?". Yes. Oh my god, yes.)

Not entirely sure if I've used your 'ratings' right.

Thanks for all the awesome threads btw Chris, even if I don't reply in all of them, know that I read them and they get me thinking about everything, so cheers!

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Friday, April 2, 2010 2:18 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

Lucky Basterd! Film school must be a blast for someone who loves films.

And I repeat.........Lucky basterd (Q. Tarantino spelling, get it)

SGG Lovesfilmsisall

Tawabawho?

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Friday, April 2, 2010 2:31 PM

KC5F

Well, there was Zachariah in 1971 that rates an A/B, but the pre-show "preparation" probably had a lot to do with it!

But Dancer in the Dark from 2000 is my all-time A/B/C movie. And it gave me a whole new appreciation for Björk, too.

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Friday, April 2, 2010 2:56 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by BigRichard:

A/B/C = Serenity (So much happened in that damn film that I remember sitting there at the end just staring at the screen until the end of the credits. I couldn't quite process it all)

The one we have in common!

A lot of the "experience" of being entirely blown away in a theatre has to do with your age & psychological makeup. If I had been younger at the time, ALIENS or Predator would have been on my list for sure. If I had been older, 2001 would have made it.
Serenity & Blade Runner transcend all that IMO.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Friday, April 2, 2010 6:16 PM

TRAVELER

Chriss, I knew it was you who started this thread.
I think you get some perverse pleasure in reading our answers to your inquiries.

And again I show how old I am by my answers. Understand I did not see all these films when they premiered.

There is only one I would list as "A".
The Rocking Horse Winner: I do not remember much about this movie except the insanity at the end.

The rest of my list I will label with a "C"

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: There are so many great films, but if anyone asks me, this is my all time favorite.

Pan's Labyrinth

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Glory

Lilies of the Field

M: Yes that is the entire title.

Man of the West

Momento

Metropolis

Much Ado About Nothing: Directed by Keneth Branagh

Papillon

Ponette: What impressed me about the film is that is centered around a small girl of about four years old. How a child that young could carry an entire film just astounds me.

The Hanging Tree

The Misfits

Razor's Edge: Both Edmond Goulding's and John Byrum's versions.

The Searchers

The Thin Red Line: By Terrence Malick

To Kill a Mockingbird

I am sure I could make this longer, but this is plenty. I did not include "Serenity" because that is a given. Oh! I guess I just included it!

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler

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Friday, April 2, 2010 6:28 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

A/B/C - A Man For All Seasons, 1966 (although I didn't see it until around 1986)

B - Blue Velvet

B - Reservoir Dogs

B - Wrath of Khan

(Something about ears in all those...)

A/B/C - 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968 (yup, saw that one in the theater)

A/C - Star Wars, 1977

A/B/C - Serenity, 2005

A/C - The Matrix, 1999

There are tons more, of course.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions

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Friday, April 2, 2010 11:40 PM

THESOMNAMBULIST

A= Stunned
B= Permanently Damaged
C= Hit me on a level so deep it's hard to describe

A/C - SERENITY

A/B/C - Edward Scissorhands

A - Wages of Fear

C - The Crow

C - Cyrano De Bergerac

A/B Kiss me Deadly

A - TRON

A - Raiders of the Lost Ark

B - Creature from the Black Lagoon (3d)

A - Avatar

B - Jean de Florette & Manon De Source

B - Alien

A - Planet of the Apes (Original version)

Nice topic big C.

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Friday, April 2, 2010 11:50 PM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Originally posted by Shinygoodguy:

Quote:
Lucky Basterd! Film school must be a blast for someone who loves films.

Y'know what... For me, no it wasn't. It actually damaged my love for film for quite a few years. I talked to BigRichard about this. I had a combination of lecturers who had some kind of 'kink' to do with conventional film structure. It was very strange at times.

Must have taken me as long as five years after the course finished before I was able to sit and enjoy a film.

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Saturday, April 3, 2010 1:28 AM

LWAVES

A/B/C
Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
Serenity
Star Wars Original Trilogy

A/B
Aliens
Saving Private Ryan (the first half hour)

A
The Dark Knight
Toy Story
Spider-Man
Terminator 2

B
Seven

B - Permantly damaged in a bad way
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Spider-Man 3

And whilst this isn't a theatrical experience I would like to cheat and add Band Of Brothers as an A/B/C.

Nice thread Chris.

"I don't believe in suicide, but if you'd like to try it it might cheer me up to watch."

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Saturday, April 3, 2010 4:51 AM

BIGRICHARD

SGG: I do like film school, but as Somnambulist mentions, it can sort of ruin it if you have bad lecturers and classmates, as, I suppose, it could be for any course. Som and I have talked about how a lot of those involved in film schools are of a very elitist and pretentious nature, and this does slightly ruin it. Luckily I haven't had as rough a time as Somnambulist seems to have had, and I still absolutely love film, it's just that at least half of my classes I have to skip or just try to ignore the lecturer.

CiA: Serenity, definitely. Haven't seen Blade Runner in so long, but, my friend has given me his copy of the Final Cut edition on BluRay, so I look forward to watching that again. The last time I saw it I was around 13, and so didn't quite get it all!

I'd like to add to mine;

The Matrix

Avatar

Toy Story (good call Lwaves, I absolutely adore that movie. Recently went to the 3D double bill rerelease, and it was just as brilliant as I remembered, with added depth!)

And if LWaves is allowed to put Band of Brothers, add me in for that. Best Miniseries of all time.

Also, a lesser known film in Stay. I sat flabbergasted at the end, and I loved it. Quite sure a lot of people haven't heard of it, let alone seen it, but you should. Brilliant film.

And another fairly recent one, in Scorsese's Shutter Island.

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Saturday, April 3, 2010 5:48 AM

YELLOWJACKET

What...?

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Saturday, April 3, 2010 8:07 AM

CHRISISALL

OH!!! I forgot one very important one:
The Road Home. I saw it on DVD though, so it doesn't fit my original criteria, but I could not have been more blown away under any circumstances...

The laughing Chrisisall

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Saturday, April 3, 2010 8:20 AM

HKCAVALIER

Hey Chris. Yeah, it was obvious who started this thread from the title. This is the central reason for going to the movies for me. Here's a short list with a few additional ratings:

Aph = APHASIC, couldn't talk for at least an hour after the film

Ru = Had to RUN for at least five blocks after leaving the theatre just to release all the energy I'd built up

So = Left me sobbing the first time I saw it

Auto = The film maker stole pages from my autobiography

(And just for you, Chris): Pl = Accessed past life memories while I was watching--kind of a subcategory of "C" except that I CAN describe it.

Brazil A,C,Ru,Auto(for the dreams, no one previously had captured the feel and the lighting in my dreams before that movie)

Fire Walk with Me A,B,C,Aph,Auto

The Matrix 1 and 2 (Appreciated 3, but it was ultimately a much more muted and ambivalent film) A,Ru

The Terracotta Warrior A,C,Ru,Pl

Chinatown A,B,C,So,Aph,Auto

The Wickerman A,B,C,Pl

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy A,C,Pl

Unforgiven A,B,C,So,Pl

Terminators 1 and 2 A,C,Ru+ (Ran all the way home after Terminator 2)

Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan A,B,C,So,Aph

Raging Bull A,B,C

Kundun A,C,Aph,Pl

The Elephant Man A,B,C,So,Aph

1984 A,B,C,So,Aph+

Fight Club A,B,C,Ru

Polansky's Macbeth A,B,C,Pl

Naked A,B,C

True Romance (the Hopper/Walken scene alone makes my list!) A,C,Ru

Sin City A,C

The Long Goodbye A,B,C

Nashville A,B,C,Aph

Vincent and Theo A,B,C,So,Aph,Pl

Shortcuts A,B,C,Aph

Kansas City A,B,C

Magnolia A,C

Punch Drunk Love A,B,C

Rushmore A,B,C,Auto

Royal Tenenbaums A,B,C,Auto

Blood Diamond A,B,C

Crash (Cronenberg, 1996) A,B,C,Aph

The Piano A,B,C,So,Aph,Pl

Heat A,C

The Crossing Guard A,B,C,So

Carlito's Way A,B,C

Dead Man Walking A,B,C,So

Hurlyburly A,B,C

Waking Life A,B,C,Ru,Auto

The Deer Hunter A,B,C,So

Pennies from Heaven A,B,C

The Comfort of Strangers A,B,C,Auto

And if we're talking t.v. series: Firefly A,B,C,Pl (You may have heard of it)

And Spartacus: Blood and Sand (for the most harrowingly honest depiction of slave culture I've ever seen--gotta keep watching past the first couple episodes if you want to appreciate this show--the first couple ep's were little more than deeply muddled blood-porn) A,B,C,Pl

I know I'm forgetting a bunch here, but then, if I can't immediately remember them, they've obviously fallen off the list.

HKCavalier

Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

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Saturday, April 3, 2010 8:46 AM

OPPYH

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:

A Apes marathon, all five Planet Of The Apes movies, TWICE- circa 1974

B/B Texas Chainsaw Massacre- 1974 (I snuck in; YIKES!!!)

A/C Star Wars- 1977

C Superman The Movie- 1978

A/B Empire Strikes Back- 1980

C Blade Runner- 1982

B Star Trek 2: Wrath Of Khan- 1982

C Return Of The Jedi- 1983 (YES, don't give me any grief here, you Ewok-haters!!!)

NIIICE.

Apes Marathon...you suck. I wish I could have seen all the ape movies marathon style on the big screen!!!

MINE:

-Jurassic Park(A) Spielberg's last "wow" movie that I have seen(Saving Private Ryan wasn't bad either).

-Return of the Jedi(A)
My friends and I were dropped off at the local cineplex for a day show in late summer(it had been out for a long time at this point)..we were 11 years old. Not a soul in the theater except for us. When we left the theater we were all changed kids. We went to our local 7-11, bought all the ROTJ bubble gum cards we could tented out in my backyard and spent the night talking about ROTJ, and gazing at the stars.

-Kill Bill(B)
Love Tarantino or hate him, his films "trap" me in his world for a couple hours. Loved this movie.
"Revenge is never a straight line" says Hattori Hanzo. Much like this film the pacing, and structure are addicting and anything but "straight".

-Aliens(A)
My first rated R movie....and what a freaking R movie to behold. Genius. In further news My mom got HBO in 1987, and I watched it every single time it played. Lost count after 60.

-Fellowship of the Ring. I heard the Blu-Ray is botched, and that depresses me. L loved this film in the theater.

Great thread Chris!

-------------------------------------------------

70's TV FOREVER

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Saturday, April 3, 2010 9:31 AM

DEWRASTLER

When asked this question, this is the first movie that comes to mind for me:

Redbelt

It's one of the few movies that had me sitting in my seat when it was over is silent awe as the credits rolled.

I'd have to sit and think to put together a full list.

________________________________
People who don't care about anything will never understand the people who do

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Saturday, April 3, 2010 6:35 PM

TRAVELER

Sit back and create that list Dewrastler. I am enjoying this. So spoil me. People are bringing up movies I havn't thought of in years and I am learning about new films. Well they're new to me.
Chriss does this sort of thing a lot. Asking us some offbeat question about TV and/or film. And everytime I get a flood of good memories and I read people lists.

This is also a shameless bump so others will see it. I am a greedy bastard.(c:)

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler

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Saturday, April 3, 2010 7:06 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Star Wars - A
Return of the Jedi - A
Aliens - A. First DTS release, cinema sound finally catches up with my home setup.
Galaxy Quest - A
Matrix - A
Pan's Labyrinth - B
Pulp Fiction - A
Platoon - B
Dangerous Beauty - B. Vibrant cinematography.
Memoirs of a Geisha - B
Die Hard - A
Braveheart - A/B
Terminator - ABC
T2 - ABC
The Beguiled - C
Amazing Grace and Chuck - B
A Little Princess - A
Road Warrior - A
Thin Blue Line - B
Hero (Stephen Frears) - B
Sin City - A
K-Pax - B
The Hot Spot - A
Pale Rider - B
...And Justice For All - B
The Entity - B
First Blood - B
12 Monkeys - B

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Saturday, April 3, 2010 7:56 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

I'm sorry to hear that. My experience was very different as I did not go to film school, but I did take a couple of film courses while at Hunter College in NY.

We called the prof. "Dusty" because he looked so much like Dustin Hoffman (of course not to his face). But he was instrumental in nurturing my love affair with film. We touched upon the basic cannons of filmmaking of course, but he also allowed for us to bring our experience to the table.

I was fascinated by it all, and sometimes did not want to explore too much of the filmmaking process for fear I would see the man behind the curtain. Still though I learned to appreciate the subtleties of the craft, which only increased my enjoyment. There was one small picadillo though, my son and I began to be at odds regarding the finer points of the movie.
We are past that now, thanks God.

SGG

Tawabawho?

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Saturday, April 3, 2010 8:59 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

Chris, I originally tried to post my response Friday, but for some reason I was logged out before I could finish. Anywho, here are my picks:

Not in any particular order:

Star Wars - 1977 - A,B,C (all in a good way)
I took a date in the summer of '77 and was Blown away by the whole experience. This movie was so awesome in the theatre that people applauded. I was 24 and had never experienced applause for a movie. This was the first Blockbuster I was a part of, people would come out of the theatre and get right back on the ticket-buyers line. My date was so impressed - I got lucky. You may have to start a new category: Movies that get you laid.

TESB and ROTJ also fall under the above. But with ROTJ: I went with my then-wife and my son who was 4 months old and he slept through the whole thing.

Superman the Movie - C - love this film, especially the first half when Clark is in Smallville. Was not crazy about Margot Kidder as LL.

Blade Runner - A,B,C - Everything in this movie was awesome.

A Clockwork Orange - 1971 - Kubrick's masterstroke, the (what was known then as) ultraviolence, which pales in comparison to today's fare. It was almost given an X-rating because of the violence; the humor and the music "angel trumpets and devil horns, come hear all proper."

2001: Space Odyssey 1968 - A,B,C - Trippy and profound journey through the dawn of man and into the future. I saw it when it was re-released (not sure exactly when), but I saw it in the theatre and left absolutely flabbergasted.

http://www.archive113.com/Pictures/Space/2001.JPG

Chinatown - 1974 (C) - A unique film that left an impression.

Going Places (Les Valseuses) A,B,C - 1974 - French film with a young Gerard Depardieu, Isabelle Huppert, Miou-Miou and Jeanne Moreau. Literally translated Les Valseuses means "the bullocks." Music by Stephane Grappelli.
Need I say more.

The Matrix - 1999 - A,B,C - Okay some of the lines were laughable, but who wasn't blown away by Bullettime. This film opened a new door to the sci-fi genre. The next 2 in the series got progressively worse. It took me 4 viewings before I could get a grip on just what was going on. "Why oh why didn't I take the blue pill?"

Days of Heaven - 1978 - C Terence Malick directed this gem. It had everything story, cinematography, acting, pace and relevence.

Serenity - 2005 - A,B,C - For obvious reasons. I just love the characters, this story has to be continued.

There are countless movies that I love, but these guys (along with a select few others blow me away).

SGG

Tawabawho?

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Saturday, April 3, 2010 9:27 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

Yeah, I could certainly understand how that could happen. You get to class and you have some idiot who thinks he's God's gift to film mucking it up for the rest.

Is it Wes Anderson who never went to film school because they tried to discourage him.
"What is the world coming to when a man dressed up like a bat gets all of my press.......this town needs an enema!"

Don't ask. I don't know why that line came to mind; it seemed to fit.

Here are some more films that gave me pause (in a great way):

T2
Aliens
Kill Bill
Pulp Fiction - "Say what again, motherfucker"
Schindler's List - Liam Neeson
Raging Bull
Avatar - F/X was awesome. Pandora was beautiful.
Wall-E
Dark Knight
Saving Private Ryan - FUBAR
Raiders of the Lost Ark - that opening sequence
Tron - F/X, the light cycle race.
Pan's Labyrinth - solid story mixed with fantasy

BTW Chris - I forgot to thank you for this inspired post. Thanx dude!

SGG

Tawabawho?

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Sunday, April 4, 2010 2:14 AM

BORIS

The Empire Strikes Back-C
The Water is Wide-C
28 days-C
Serenity-C (also a beautiful 36th birthday present...thanks Mr Whedon and Co).

Warlock and Midnight Express-B+++ (I now pass out if there's even a hint of tongue injury in anything).
Deliverance-B+++++++++++ (I made myself sit through the whole thing once...I fainted at one stage while watching and was jumpy and disturbed for days and couldn't get the imagery out of my head).

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Sunday, April 4, 2010 6:04 AM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

I think there are only a few members here older than me, so I've seen a lot more movies in their original theatrical presentations than many, and yet I don't think my "blew me away" list will be that long. It's possible my criteria for that is more limiting than for other people. Just assume all of these fall under the A/B/C designation.

Psycho would probably be first on the list, chronologically.

The Manchurian Candidate

Dr. Strangelove - still my favorite film of all time

2001: A Space Odyssey

Walkabout

A Clockwork Orange

The Godfather

The Conversation

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Taxi Driver

Apocalypse Now

Star Wars

Sorcerer

Ran

Empire of the Sun

Miller's Crossing

Saving Private Ryan

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Serenity

No Country For Old Men

I actually listed more than I thought I would when I started, and as with many other lists there are probably more I'll think of later.

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

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Sunday, April 4, 2010 4:46 PM

DMAANLILEILTT

i can add a few that nobody's mentioned yet: The Lion King, Monty Python & The Holy Grail (i saw this one first), Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (although Tim Burton ruined that one for me) and a few personal one's for the music: Tommy, Pink Floyd's The Wall and Jesus Christ Superstar (2000)

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Sunday, April 4, 2010 5:10 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by HKCavalier:

Aph = APHASIC, couldn't talk for at least an hour after the film

Ru = Had to RUN for at least five blocks after leaving the theatre just to release all the energy I'd built up

So = Left me sobbing the first time I saw it

Auto = The film maker stole pages from my autobiography

(And just for you, Chris): Pl = Accessed past life memories while I was watching--kind of a subcategory of "C" except that I CAN describe it.

The Elephant Man A,B,C,So,Aph

Definitely. And Pl, strangely...
Someone in the theatre I saw it at set off a cherry-bomb just as the movie was ending, my then girlfriend asked if we should leave (other peeps were), but I just waved my hand, transfixed & sobbing. Nothing was gonna make me leave.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Sunday, April 4, 2010 5:12 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Shinygoodguy:

A Clockwork Orange - 1971

Solid "B"
Both for good & bad reasons.

The laughing Chrisisall

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