that time of year. weather getting colder (for most of us). so what movies are good to sit back and watch just for their design? not story. not people. list your suggestions. some of my favorites
Bladerunner - Syd Mead designed universe
Brazil - retro-futurism style influence
Minority Report - futurist design. hardware flick
Metropolis: made in Germany in 1927, this movie is awesome! A good one for the home collection, make sure you get the restored, un cut version by Kino International. (Nosforatu http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007L4MJ/qid=1101395960/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-1027878-8212730?v=glance&s=dvd
Naquoyqatsi: 3rd film in qatsi series, Hopie Native American word that means ‘Life as War’, soundtrack by Phillip Glass, beautiful and inspirational.
THX - Lucas’s first movie
12 Monkeys
Gatica
Maybe throw in iRobot
The Incedibles
Run Lola Run …( a german film…my all time favourite)
Amelie (a french film, beautiful color palette)
[quote=“UNIQUE”]Run Lola Run …( a german film…my all time favourite)
Amelie (a french film, beautiful color palette)[/quote]
Amelie is wonderful. Visual and plot.
Don’t forget…
2001 & A Clockwork Orange
The City of Lost Children
Se7en
AI
Baraka
The Abyss
The Matrix Trilogy
Star Wars (visually, yes, even the awful new ones)
Indiana Jones Trilogy
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Metropolis (the new animated version)
The Alien Quadrillogy
The 5th Element
Dune
Mad Max
Dark City
The Cell
CeeGee
How is the animated version of Metropolis, good?
i very much agree with yo’s choice of gattaca.
i’ll add:
akira
ghost in the shell
blade II
i should have said to list Why. hardware? style influenced real world? design sensibility? behavior design (eg Clockwork). etc
(Mad Max? you mean “Road Warrior”? for the vehicles?)
beat me to Akira and Ghost in the Shell.
Pillow Book - film/interface collage techniques
Outland - design/environment hardware
Silent Running - eco design
TRON - Syd Mead design efficiency
Lawnmower Man - virtual world design, interfaces
XMen 1&2 - design hardware
Total Recall - design hardware
Nightmare Before Christmas - design fantasy
Shape of Things to Come - hardware design history/nostalgia
Tucker - design reality!
just went to see the movie Sideways. The only real “designer thing” was the old model Saab they drove throughout the film. It was nice to see that classic saab design/styling again, made me wonder what the hell is up with the crap saab style of today?
oh and I like Marie Poppins with that flying umbrella!
and
Gods Must be Crazy for the outsiders perspective of an iconic classic design. the coke bottle.
“Gods Must be Crazy for the outsiders perspective of an iconic classic design. the coke bottle.”
never got around to seeing it. on my short list now. thanks.
We missed Alien 2: Aliens - Syd Mead hotbed
On Blade Runner, what do you think, regular or directors cut?
Amelie is up there with one of my favorites of all time.
Stylized presentations: Ocean’s 11, Get Carter
Also, an insight into the creative process- Metalica, Some kind of Monster
Harold & Maud- frustrated tean customized his Jag e-type to look like herse
animated - [/b]Titan A.E. and The Iron Giant
AnimatriX all of them
Timecode 2000 (otherwise known as Timecode)
Agreed on Run Lola Run
RockFish by Blur studios… it’s a short available for viewing online, i’ve watched it 7 times and shown to others countless times (www.blur.com)
Gnomon Project DVDs 
mmm… christmas wish?
KILL BILL
“We missed Alien 2: Aliens - Syd Mead hotbed”
CG listed Alien series. would have excluded Alien3. like it. but dont think design w that one. more like uneven Fincher character piece on gothic set. would list
Alien - Giger intro biomorphic design to mass public (yes. others precede. but not well-known. Gaudi. Colani. etc)
Aliens - Mead/Cobb/Cameron design hardware
Alien:Resurrection - anime/eastEuro influences on design hardware/costume/etc. “Betty” very anime. costumes/set eastEuro.
“On Blade Runner, what do you think, regular or directors cut?”
like both versions. but try “Brazil” studio release (happy ending) version. godawfulcrap. hard to watch.
Some great choices so far, beat me to’em
some fit, some may not
Pi…I’m not sure exactly where this fits, but it does
Dark City
Dune
Style Wars
Thursday
Hero - beautiful cinematography and use of color
City of God - general cinematography, and just awesome movie in general
Triplets of Belleville - Cool use of old-school animation with cg
Dark Crystal - cool (creepy?) character design
Ill think of more later…
I am going to write a paper based on a movie, and I chose “In The Mood For Love” by Wong Kar-Wai that I watched some years back. I still love it, and just re-watched it. I can’t say it will give a lot of design inspiration, but the custume design is worth a watch.
big fan of Pi. wanted to add. but couldnt justify.
Run Lola Run comes up. havent seen. what is the Design in it?
City of God? seen reviews. know of it. what is the Design in it?
Thursday? not heard of it.
Pi was really good - I think you can justify it from the perspective of, as designers we all feel like that guy from time to time
2 others, from a story telling perspective (they solved the problem of telling you a story in a unique way)
Fight Club
Momento
I just saw Ghost in the Shell 2 in the theatre. It’s nice to see really good computer graphics used for something other than dancing toys and fish. The car & device design isn’t as good as the manga though…in fact all the cars were 30’s - 50’s designs. Weird.
What about Good-Bye Lenin! Not a lot of product design in that, but there is Soviet architecture and weird fake East German TV news broadcasts.
“Pi was really good - I think you can justify it from the perspective of, as designers we all feel like that guy from time to time”
thin.
“2 others, from a story telling perspective (they solved the problem of telling you a story in a unique way)”
why not Pulp Fiction? or Birth of a Nation? can say “design” applies to everything. but shouldnt context on Core be more limited? seems like that qualifies a Writer’s Movie.
Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - fantastic and unique set design. still cool after all these years.
Battleship Potemkin - famous repeating scene. film as manipulated graphic. forerunner of contemporary media manipulation. almost Flash-like. wonder if Eisenstein is studied in New Media classes.