Films that you just have to see on the big screen?

I had the pleasure of seeing 2001 in 70mm at the cinema last night - what an experience! Having previously only seen the movie at home, the 'Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite section' had never really worked for me, but on this occasion, with the huge screen and amazing soundtrack, I got it for the first time.

Any other movies that people feel only really work in such a setting?

Tom

 

Lawrence of Arabia needs to be seen on the bg screen.

 

Tron (1982)

 

Agree on all previously noted. 2001 is really special if you see it in 70mm on a curved Cinerama screen like I did during its original run. The opening shot of the sunrise gave a very 3D effect and the Jupiter and Beyond sequence was amazing. Some interesting information here:

http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/brown1.html

Others:
Blade Runner--Also seen on the Cinerama screen in Seattle during its intitial run. The added sense of depth draws you into the film.

Grand Prix--You don't really get the true impact of how revolutionary the in-car camera work was, or the point of the multi-panel editing.

How The West Was Won--Obvious, perhaps.

The original Star Wars in 70mm--It allows you to sit significantly closer to immerse yourself in the film, which tends to diminish much of the cheesiness.

Ben Hur--Shot too wide for proper display in most Home Theater set-ups.

The Elephant Man--To appreciate the lusciousness of the B&W photography of the great Freddie Francis.

John K.

 

The revised Lawerence of Arabia.

 

It's A Mad Mad Mad World!!

 

Thanks for the link John. It must have been very special on the Cinerama screen - it was impressive enough on a flat screen.

Tom

 

Is Inception one of these? I will probably see it this coming weekend, and I have a lot of screen choices in L. A.

 

OK, you're probably not be expecting this answer but I'll say it anyway: The Lion King

Also The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth are spectacular on the big screen but are "reduced" to Muppet Movies on the small screen, entertaining as they still are.

Slap these on BluRay and I will be very tempted to "upgrade" directly to a 100" screen.

 

"Dark Knight" really was effin' awesome in IMAX. The full IMAX scenes were simply stunning - I'd have killed to see the whole movie that way.

Only saw "Avatar" in mini-IMAX, unfortunately...

 

Another vote for Avatar and Lawrence of Arabia..

I would love to see Grand Prix on the big screen....

 

Another vote for How The West Was Won in Cinerama.

...Just the best.

 

I have a 100 inch screen, bluray player, and nice surround setup in my basement but I still try to make it to the theater for the really big action movies that I want to see. Last one was Avatar.

Don't make it to the movies as much as we would like.

 

Lawrence of Arabia of course ,no Blue Ray(if it ever comes out) can come close
Apocalypse Now not olny because of the sound ,but Storraro lets it be shown
without the cropping in the theatre

 

Showgirls

 

Did you see 2001 at BFI Southbank? And was Douglas Trumbull (Special Effects Supervisor) there?

I saw 2001 just a few days ago at that very place with Mr Trumbull - unfortunately there were a few projection issues that detracted from the experience - some kind of gate problem, probably. Whatever it was there were parts of the film that flickered/jumped and also occasional issues with the soundtrack, particularly on the left front channel. The sound balance also seemed a bit off at times. The severity varied from reel to reel - I wouldn't say it was disastrous but with a film like 2001 you expect a high standard of presentation. Mr Trumbull joked "That wouldn't have happened if we'd used digital projection tonight".

He also mentioned that he believes that a large amount of material from 2001 has recently been discovered. He doesn't know the full extent, because Warner Bros won't reveal exactly what they have found, but it is likely that they have found the original cut of 2001 (with 19 extra minutes of footage) and quite possibly many other cut scenes.

Oh, and there is another "Making of 2001" book in the works (this must be the third, or maybe the fourth? I've got the books by Jerome Agel and Peirs Bizony) which should be definitive, with many previously unseen photos, and stills of unused footage

 

Eraserhead

 

Coraline.

 

That should be 4 mads.

 

Brazil
Once Upon A Time In The West/America
Matrix
The Wall
There Will Be Blood
Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
West Side Story

 

Anything decent that runs longer than 130 minutes. There are just too many distractions at home and I can't stay up that late knowing my kids will be up at 6.

Seeing 2001 and Citizen Kane in theaters were memorable experiences I'd happily repeat.

 

Ha, ha.

John K.

 

Why?

I think it garners the same response despite the screen size.

John K.

 

Anyone who's seen this movie on the big screen to attest to the fact that seeing Eraserhead on the big screen is like being in a dream (or nightmare if you will) this is mainly due to the sound design and not necessarily the picture itself. It's just a very immersive experience