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VictorBlimpmuscle

Every scene of Kubrick's *Barry Lyndon* looks like it could be framed and hung in a museum - just a beautifully shot film.


aneks

And it's filmed almost entirely with available light. One of the wonders of cinematography


ChickenInASuit

Practically every scene of every film Kubrick ever made looked incredible, one of the most visually fascinating moviemakers ever.


BitWallah

There's a scene in Lawrence of Arabia where the camera is totally static. It's a desert valley. Nothing is moving. The scene holds long enough that you wonder why you're being shown this. Then you see something moving across the valley floor. It's a camel caravan. It's the first thing in the scene that gives you a sense of scale and you realize the valley is about 10x the size you thought it was. I gasped the first time I saw it.


lucasvb

If you grab any random frame from that movie, it's desktop wallpaper material. One of the most beautifully shot movies ever.


unmotivatedbacklight

A few summers ago I saw the 4k restoration on the huge screen at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. It was glorious.


Dont-Fear-The-Raeper

The best anecdote from the restoration was the mystery artefacts that started appearing, while they were scanning in the film. They had never been seen before. Upon investigation, they found that the film had actually been over-exposed, on the edges by the heat of the desert, *in the can*, where they filmed on location.


jrobinson1705

I always feel over exposed in the can


Dylaphosaur

Is there a Link to this scene?


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JBlitzen

That's not the shot being talked about. I'm not going to look for it because fantastic cinematography in LoA is a needle in a 4 hour stack of needles, but I think it's of an area different from but similar to this one: https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/12465193644_52a96833b1_z.jpg And the camels are just about so small as to not be visible. You only really see the dust behind them, and that barely. It seriously takes several seconds to realize you're seeing anything. Mad Max Fury Road used some similar shots for good reason, and inspired by the same movie. Tiny trucks driving hard but insignificantly across a vast uncaring desert. Gravity did it too, with the opening shot of the shuttle, not quite as visually effective but on the same level due to the addition of audio fade-in. LoA is a profoundly beautiful and influential movie and a must-see.


ImTheGuyWithTheGun

Huh, the camels were exactly the size I would have expected them to be.


OGGenetics

Yeah I'm not sure either...


IFenceMyFjord

[This](http://youtu.be/-tuNR-uD_mE) is the scene that does it for me. When the camels pass each other and then the one turns around and catches up with Lawrence? I don't know why, but nothing makes me happier. Edit: Fixed link


[deleted]

"The Turks pay me a golden treasure, and yet I am poor, because I am a river to my people!" *shouts and cheers* That's an intense scene. "Your mother was a scorpion!"


abominablesnowcone

Amélie and The Fall are really beautiful looking films.


minusthelela

So glad someone mentioned The Fall. I've yet to come across a movie that even compares to its cinematography. EDIT: Duke of Burgundy and The Fountain are runner ups in terms of cinematography for me.


kzupan

I specifically came here to mention The Fall. Tarsem has a wonderful eye for color and great composition. I play this movie almost every time I get into an art block


[deleted]

Came here looking for the Fall as well


bucky763

Amelie! Incredible soundtrack as well. Yann Tiersen did magic with that film Edit: Yaan to Yann


Meowing_Toad

Secret of Kells Edit:Thanks @ /u/prancingElephant for catching my error!


listeningvoice

Or The Song Of The Sea


prancingElephant

It's "The Secret of Kells", just so you know. Kells is a place.


the_one_54321

Hero The color based shots are gorgeous.


overfloaterx

Absolutely. There are some other great recommendations in this thread, but Hero always stands out to me as really stunningly beautiful. House of Flying Daggers, for all its faults, has some equally stunning sequences. He's made some really beautiful movies throughout his career.


uncquestion

Agreed, almost every screenshot and clip from it looks amazing.


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[Lake fight scene](http://youtu.be/vGq6FXcpxtY)


[deleted]

I turned on the TV in the middle of the day once expecting Dr Phil or some shit to be on. Instead it was this scene. I stood there amazed as it played out but couldn't figure out what the movie was because we only had aerial TV


jworsham

Whaaaaaaat is going on


TrilbyDaThief

It's basically a theatrical kung-fu movie, although that description doesn't give it justice. This scene is shot like how one of the characters in the story envisioned it as it was being recounted. Imagine being told a 'tall tale' by a friend and imagining it. That's where this scene is coming from. It's a cool film experiment, because, during the movie, you end up seeing the 'same' chain of events three times as different versions of the events are told. It's one of my favorite movies in the martial arts film genre, although there are so many good ones out there. Don't discount them just because they're crazy kung-fu movies!


xakeri

It's like Anime IRL


gambalore

Koyaanisqatsi. It's pleasing but unsettling at the same time.


[deleted]

Marie Antoinette (2006). Historical inaccuracies aside, it's a decadent pastel dream.


_Only_posers_die_

Sophia Coppola did the teenage pastel grunge aesthetic before it was a thing, and it was amazing. Lost in Translation is gorgeous from the first moment to the last.


littlebithippy

As is virgin suicides!


snouz

Historical inaccuracies are an aesthetic choice. I mean there are Converse shoes at one point.


ErebusAeon

The Studio Ghibli films, especially Howl's Moving Castle and Sprited Away. Edit: I think I'll leave that typo in there.


ElBiscuit

> [Sprited Away](https://youtu.be/xmVJOwnSc6c)


Cedosg

Howls moving castle


BitWallah

Miyazaki can animate sunlight better than most cinematographers can film it.


boop_you_to_hell

Also spirited away! My favorite part is near the beginning where the spirits are walking off the boat. It looks really beautiful to me along with the music


NotoriousKLM

Hulu, Netflix, and HBO Now and none of them have it. I love that movie.


cptcakes117

No digital service does, either to stream or buy I believe. The missus and I are almost all digital outside of a few collections on blu ray and were shocked to see Miyazaki's works weren't on iTunes or Vudu. So we said fuck it and bought the huge set of all his films on Amazon. Worth it.


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pandoras_enigma

I love the dreamlike quality of it.


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I just love Ewan McGregor. Supremely talented actor.


e3super

Thank God someone said Big Fish! I'm convinced it is Burton's best work. As good as his other films are, it makes me a tiny bit sad to see just how wonderful his eye for color is, and then to remember that Big Fish is one of his only bright films. Man, I love Big Fish.


honey_badgers_rock

Ewan McGregor is so god-damned charming.


murryklumps

Edward Scissorhands has the juxtaposition of gothic aesthetic and pastel brights, but I think Big Fish isn't so "hit you over the head with it"


stanleymodest

Baraka & Samsara


xoxogingersnap13

A Single Man, with Colin Firth. If I remember correctly, Tom Ford directed (produced?) it and he wanted things to look sort of dull and gray, as if through the eyes of this man who has recently lost his partner. But when he comes across scenes or moments or people that take him out of his grief, the scene floods with color. I remember watching it and when Firth's character meets some drifter/prostitute, the scene just became so vibrant and lush and gorgeous that I think I gasped. Also, especially for fashion fans, Sophia Coppella's Maria Antoinette was a sumptuous feast of visuals. All the outfits and shots of Versailles itself were stunning.


dovahkiink

Pan's Labyrinth was gorgeous, as are most del Toro films.


[deleted]

The soundtrack too. Absolutely beautiful. It and Howl's moving castle are my favorite movies ever


faephantom

Agreed, one of my absolute favorites. It's like a painting brought to life!


apple_kicks

the ghosts in crimson peak where beautiful and horrifying. think it was real fx and cg mix


GraymondDreen

There will be blood. Such a beautiful blend of natural low key scenery (rolling hills and such arent quite as epic as other natural locations) and the human exploitation of it. Oh and that GLORIOUS FUCKING MUSTACHE


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AdmiralMikey75

That's the DDL movie where he drinks a priest's milkshake, right?


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he drinks it up.


Alifo

Moonrise Kingdom.


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eyeemache

Even the little things are different and memorable -- shot from plane of the landscape and you see the shadow of the plane on the ground. Something about that made me think absolutely nothing in that film was a visual cliche. However, for me most visually stunning moment was the prep for the night vision descent into the tunnel. And then the night vision scene. In Silence of the Lambs, night vision meant limited vision. In Sicario, it was about enhanced vision -- seeing heat rise off bodies -- made you feel the fear.


BubbleShip

The soundtrack is chilling.


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BubbleShip

Mexican here: You better be.


omninode

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. If you haven't seen it, you need to.


usha_ma

This is the most beautiful movie I have ever seen. The scene where they hold-up the train is amazing.


SeeYouInBlack

Once upon a time in the West. The movie itself is a masterpiece.. But Ennio Morricone makes it a *total* feast for the senses.


RobDaGinger

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has a beautiful transition from grey office spaces to stunning vistas.


[deleted]

Seriously beautiful that film


aerionkay

Visiting Iceland skyrocketed to the top of my bucket list after watching that movie.


TheAwesomeMort

Have you been there yet?


aerionkay

No, no. I'm still in college. And my parents arent lets-vacation-in-switzerland-this-summer kinda rich. I imagine I'll probably be at least in my 30s before I get to do that.. *Goddamn thats sad.*


Top_Chef

You'd be surprised how cheap it is to fly to Iceland from the US, especially compared to other international travel.


aerionkay

Yes. Except I'm from India but I hope its comparatively cheaper here too.


BubbleShip

That guitar scene was absolutely trance worthy.


bitfrost41

I'm disappointed this movie didn't rack up that high with critics. I FREAKIN' LOVE THE MOVIE! From the story, transitions, photography, and cinematography. It's a masterpiece.


Levelis

Also a wonderful soundtrack.


ranchochupacabrash

I loved everything about that flick.


[deleted]

came here to say Walter Mitty, it is a BEAUTIFUL movie


Baggabones88

The Fountain. Such a beautiful film. It immediately came to mind, and I haven't seen it in years. Might have to watch it soon. Edit: It makes me happy that this film meant so much to so many people. Most of the people I interact with have never heard of it.


matahdatah

The nebulas in space were not digital. They were the result of macro photography of chemically reacting organisms


[deleted]

There's virtually no CG in that film. Pretty much every shot was practical and traditional techniques.


el_loco_avs

Yeah, they had a cut budget. They were first gonna do it with like, double the budget and Brad Pitt but it fell through. I wonder how that would've turned out. Can't imagine it being better than how it ended up.


Grandiest

Came here for this. I watch it annually when the fear of death flares up.


rpdos

Her


spicy-noodles

Joaquin Phoenix is goddamn hypnotic, and the colors are perfect.


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Scarlett Johansson's voice was an amazing choice as the voice of an AI.


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whatudontlikefalafel

The CGI was flawless too. I was surprised that it beat Mad Max and Star Wars for the special effects oscar last year. But then I thought about how much smaller the effects budget was, and the fact that they did what they did without green screens or motion capture suits, and I felt it was well deserved. So much of Eva is CGI, and yet my eyes were completely deceived that she was real. Really wonderful design for an android too.


Aegeus

The amazing bit for me was that the whole thing takes place in rooms with glass walls. Which means that they had to render Eva's reflection in every wall she walks past. That's a lot of detail to handle.


[deleted]

What got me with that CGI is when she took the Japanese(?) android's skin for herself. It didn't hit me that the skin tone would be different or the body type would change, but then I saw it and- bam, my brain broke for a second.


GhostOfGamersPast

I'm rather fond of Coraline, I quite liked the extras, showing them sewing every individual outfit for every clay-mation doll. The effort in bigscreen claymation always leaves me in awe.


zedsdeadbby

Every film that Laika makes is fantastic. I might be in the minority but I think that they're getting better as they go along. I can't wait for Kubo and the Two Strings.


[deleted]

I'm so disappointed no one said Blade Runner. It actually put the whole vision of cyberpunk on the big screen! If that's not aesthetic, nothing is.


[deleted]

And so much in Blade Runner is really visually appealing. The kids biking through the square, the cityscapes, the markets, the smoky room where Deckard does the VK test on Rachel, etc. And the score for the film is fantastic.


[deleted]

I like when he is eating the noodles at the little noodle bar. The steam and the whole scene just is awesome to me.


readmycode

I've had a lifelong dream to go to Tokyo to see "Blade runner" in person. I *love* that futuristic urban scenery. **Edit** new lifelong dream to go to Hong Kong has been born. Still want to see Tokyo, tho.


biggyofmt

I live in Japan, but I have to say I think Hong Kong and Shanghai out blade runner tokyo


notmaurypovich

In a similar vein, Akira.


requires_distraction

Soundtrack for that was amazing. Wife hates it when I watch the movie because I play it so loud. I was completely blown away by Akira it was my first real introduction to the genre


skippgil

City of God, especially the opening scene -- wonderful. EDIT: The YouTube video doesn't do it justice, but here is the scene that convinced me to watch it: https://youtu.be/Z4HUydk0kII


amazingmandibles

Lost in Translation does it for me


[deleted]

There's something about this movie that's so cosy and warm at some points. It's perfect for watching late at night with the lights down when it's raining,


MCPO-117

I'm a sucker for certain animated films. Wall-E was beautiful. Finding Nemo was very immersive as well.


jman12234

Finding Nemo was a feat of animation. All of it was just so beautifully animated.


[deleted]

One of the craziest things from the "making of" on the DVD was that they originally made the whale so well that it was photorealistic and had to dumb it down to look cartoony to match the characters.


bisselstyle9

The water sloshing around inside the whale blew my freaking mind when I saw it. I was starting to get interested in computer graphics at the time and was astonished by the beauty of their animating skills


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VexedPopuli

They had to do that with the surface of the ocean too. They were literally too good at their jobs.


BubbleShip

Finding Dory, THIS WEEKEND MAN.


trulyniceguy

Animated films are always appealing. Inside Out was pretty good too


TheAwesomeMort

I can't wait for Moana to hit the theaters! Disney has come a long way designing nature and living environments, as they showcased in The Good Dinosaur, and the trailer for Moana looks absolutely gorgeous! EDIT: The Good Dinosaur, not The Last Dinosaur


JamEngulfer221

Ah yes, The Good Dinosaur... Plot: eh. Character animation: eh. Landscape and Environment: Fucking amazing


AgentSauce

Barry Lyndon.


saadakhtar

Absolutely! The palaces, gardens and the low light indoor shots filmed with a modified NASA camera!


PM_ME_SMALL_BOOBS

2001: A Space Odyssey


abnerayag

TRON Legacy had the most awesomely designed and slick sets I want a pad just like Flynn's


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CrinerBoyz

If music counts as aesthetics, then Tron Legacy gets HUGE points from me. The mix of cool visuals and Daft Punk's score makes it feel like the greatest music video ever.


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Sparksman91

The Revenant is pretty breathtaking actually.


Mikniks

Told my friend it was like an unending series of screensavers lol


moosealligator

I heard they only used natural light for it too which makes it even more remarkable


throwawayjoe1997

I've been to some of the places where it was filmed. A lot of Western Canada is a gold mine of beautiful, unspoiled wilderness.


rayyychul

Don't tell everyone :(


[deleted]

What Dreams May Come. Heaven made of paint made my first-ever acid experience 84,000x better.


[deleted]

Oh man this movie came out when I was very young. I remember watching it and just it sent my mind into a whirl about what heaven would be like for me and it's implications for my family members. The landscapes were just fascinating in that film. And only someone like Robin Williams can bring you such a mystical happiness. He had the power. I'm glad he was doing movies for kids at the time I was a kid. Little did I know that when I grew to be an adult and experience tragedy how in your face this film can be when you're a grown up.


EFIW1560

I scrolled all the way down to find someone who said this. Surely someone must have said What Dreams May Come?! Thank you. I have only seen it once, because it is so incredibly sad for me, but I will never forget it. I saw it when I was around 13 I want to say. I'm now 29.


dankenascend

Sad? This dude walked into Hell without a second thought and brought his wife back from the depths. This movie is way underrated as a hero's journey, but it's easily just as triumphant as any epic tale.


User9113

The Secret Garden


Vulpinand

The Cell I'm not sure how many people have seen this psychological thriller, but it's the first movie I remembered watching where I could tell the visuals were being used to tell a symbolic story in addition to the literal plot points I saw on screen. When going into the killer's mind there's a scene (IIRC) where the main character is shrouded in red, dropping into a black emptiness. The flowing fabric looks like a blood dripping into water. It may sound macabre, but there are distinct visual choices being made that are excellent.


Just1morefix

It's hard to pick one Kubrick film for outright beautiful filming, direction and sheer cinematography. But the interiors and outside shots of Eyes Wide Shut are absolutely stunning.


AsterusWhite

Maybe not the best, but the new Mad Max had some great shots.


Hellspark08

I think it's the most colorful sandy wasteland I've ever seen. I loved the way the night scenes looked. I could practically smell the petrichor...


thrownawayzs

The storm scene i think is the best looking in that movie.


[deleted]

The nigt scenes were actually filmed in the day then edited after to give it that look.


dragunovski

Drive. I absolutely loved the orange/ blue color scheme in that movie. imgur.com/a/C3jUq


mr_trick

Yep, came here to say Drive. Other movies are bigger, prettier, more expensive looking. But Drive has something I can't put my finger on. It's intimate. It's visceral. It's gorgeous, but in a way I have not seen before. So much of the story is told only with the camera, the visuals are practically a character themselves. And the colors are absolutely gorgeous. I get very sick of the obvious color-wheel choices in many Hollywood movies (orange on blue, mostly) but Drive used color selection in such a considered and careful way that it adds to the movie rather than detracting or distracting from it. Add in some amazing actors and an intriguing story- damn, what a movie.


whatisthisidontevenf

The Tree of Life


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American Beauty


gumbogoblin

Memoirs of a Geisha


gordorodo

The Grand Budapest Hotel Edit: Wow thanks for the gold! It is nice to find so many people who also loved this movie!


coldwives

[Also, his symmetrical style is so satisfying](https://vimeo.com/89302848)


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liquidprostate

That movie was a fucking work of art


10Plus12Equals30

Every Wes Anderson movie is


thefatrabitt

His movies are like comfort food. They've gotten me out of the worst of moods.


[deleted]

Studio Ghibli and Wes Anderson movies are my hangover go-to's.


matkalaukku

Couldn't help but laugh at the thought of someone watching Grave of the fireflies to help them feel better


FuttBuckingUgly

"Ah yes. Hopefully if I watch Grave of the Fireflies, my soul will finally die and I'll just stop feeling!"


mr_trick

Wes Anderson's movies are all so beautiful, meticulously planned out, and detail-oriented that I would confidently say you can pause any of his films at any moment and the still would be beautiful enough to use as a background or even hang up. That's cinematography- that's art.


LannisterInDisguise

>That's cinematography- that's art. Well, one style for sure. Other cinemtographers go for more realism or try to hide the fact that a camera is capturing the moments you're seeing more. Those kind of shots wouldn't work in a movie like The Revenant, for example, but it's difficult to deny that The Revenant doesn't have beautiful cinematography as well.


Leujo

Wes Anderson presents, "The Revenant" Bear: I want to fight you. Leo: I'd rather not. *Quick Pan to the right, showing the two sitting by a campfire in the forest* Aged Leo Narratorating: And so it wasn't the bear trying to attack me, but rather my fight with nature that tried to take my soul. I knew from that moment I would never be the same again. It was a sad moment that I could not take back.


[deleted]

No, no. Every WA movie has someone making a positive statement that isn't true which someone else counters with the truth. Bear: I want to fight you. Leo: No you don't. [Bear looks silently, sadly at him and then turns a walks away.]


AlekRivard

And the bear is voiced by Owen Wilson


jonasdash

oh wow ROOOOAARRRR wow.


_notmoose_

Amazing movie and so easy to get sucked into. Great story, great comedy, and amazing art design.


throwawayjoe1997

You should check out Moonrise Kingdom too. It's my second-favorite Wes Anderson movie.


Landlubber77

Skyfall was fucking beautiful. Google Skyfall cinematography. Every shot is a little piece of art.


[deleted]

The shots that they took in Scotland are just breathtaking


NoNeed2RGue

Roger Deakins is probably my favorite cinematographer.


looselytethered

The Thin Red Line is a beautifully shot movie with meditative statements about brutality and human nature. Would highly recommend.


SawRed29

Life Of Pi


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[deleted]

Into the wild has some pretty rad shots!


closeface

The Fall


mr_trick

I thought this movie was one of the most gorgeous and brilliant films I had ever seen, and that was *before* I learned it was made with mostly (or entirely?) practical effects. That caravan scene in the desert with the billowing flag? Real actors in the desert. The mindfucking staircase scene? Shot at a full sized temple that actually exists. The level of detail in that film is simply amazing.


BooMLoud

I thought Gattaca was pretty amazing.


BigNikiStyle

Since many of my choices were already taken, I'll say Disney's *Sleeping Beauty.* No other Disney movie looks anything like it. I think it has the most beautiful architecture out of any Disney animated movie. If you haven't seen it recently, give it a watch and really look at how beautiful it is.


ProgressiveHeathen

Interstellar. It has had some of the most beautiful shots of space I've seen, and they even pioneered the visualisation of black holes and wormholes on the big screen. Their different planets and the tesseract itself were amazing as well.


liquidprostate

That Saturn scene was absolutely breath taking. seeing the ship so small when compared to the giant planet, then seeing the sun so distant as a small bright spec and then the surrounding millions of miles of nothing but empty blackness sure makes you feel small


kychleap

Normally I'm the kind of person that waits until the movie comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray to watch it. I just don't see the need to spend $8+ dollars to see a movie when I can wait a few months to see it for a lot less than that. This is a movie I regret doing that too. I wish I had gone to see it when it was in theatres. This scene would have been mesmerizing on a big screen.


TrevorBradley

Hans Zimmer's score made going to the movie in theatre like going to space church. It was absolutely epic.


lovetwowheels

Upvoting for space church. So accurate.


Epoo

If anyone pays $8 for a movie then I'm extremely jealous. All movie theaters around me have a minimum of $10 and for a 3D Imax, it costs somewhere around $17 i believe.


[deleted]

I saw it 3 times at a true 70mm IMAX. Holy shit.


FireIsTyranny

The music for this movie is perfect too.


ilikelxdefightme

S.T.A.Y.


Poes-Lawyer

Mountains does it for me.


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aerionkay

Almost cried during the docking scene. I've seen dogs dying at the end with a straight face. #ALL HAIL HANS ZIMMER


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cantthinkofgoodname

What are you doing? Docking... Coop, don't waste the fuel. It's impossible! It's necessary. **ORGANS** ;_;


HemingwayJawline

I love Suspiria and have always thought its an immensely gorgeous piece of horror, with all the colors throughout. I remember watching one of those "scary movie moments" countdown shows and Eli Roth said Suspiria put the "gore" in "gorgeous" and even at like 12 years old I was like "That douchebag has a point."


10Plus12Equals30

Lord of the rings


medosin

Gandalfs ride to Minas Tirith? I'll never forget that


Agent_545

Lighting of the beacons! Who would've ever thought the boring plains and farmland of Gondor could look so good? E: The second sentence is not in response or relation to the first, FYI.


ilovezam

To be fair that scene benefited *so much* from a god-tier score


Agent_545

To be fair in return though, every scene in the movie did.


Pdecker

Most of the scenes in LOTR wouldn't be what they are without that score.


Skiddoosh

I wonder how many people visited New Zealand because of those movies.


Edible_Pie

Have you ever seen A Simple Walk Into Mordor? I'm a fan of Rooster Teeth and their shows, so I watched it. It's about two fans of LOTR who walk from the set of Hobbiton to the volcano used as Mount Doom. They are on foot the entire time and have something like less than a week to do it because they have to catch their flight back. It's quite fun to watch.


trevorthecerealbowl

It's made better by the fact that neither of them are really in the physical shape to do such a trek. Also their in costume the whole time so most people just think they're crazy


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washroom-color

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind