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Films that totally blew your mind.

Apple fanboy said:
Star Wars A New Hope has stuck with me my whole life.

But in terms of how a film that blew my mind when I saw it in the cinema, Schindlers List. The whole audience left without saying a word. It never had the same affect when I saw it on the TV at home some years later.
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I watched that Schindlers list the first time when I was in secondary school. We watched it for history in one sitting and for a class that was usually difficult to control at times for the teacher, everybody sat captivated for the full film. I remember girls in the class were crying and we were silent at the end too.

When I went to watch the film ‘Senna’ I had a similar experience to yours with Schindlers List. Most in the audience were probably F1 fans and it was silent leaving the theatre.
 
The-Real-Deal82 said:
I watched that Schindlers list the first time when I was in secondary school. We watched it for history in one sitting and for a class that was usually difficult to control at times for the teacher, everybody sat captivated for the full film. I remember girls in the class were crying and we were silent at the end too.

When I went to watch the film ‘Senna’ I had a similar experience to yours with Schindlers List. Most in the audience were probably F1 fans and it was silent leaving the theatre.
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Cheers! You just made me feel real old!
 
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Mousse said:
Grave of the Fireflies. That really hits me in the feels. I haven't been able to complete a second viewing because it's so depressing to see Setsuko's mental deterioration.
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I have never been able to complete watching it the first time.

Curiously I was taught at high school by the author of 'Schindler's List', Thomas Keneally. Strangely, my school didn't have him, a newly published author at the time, teaching English or Literature. They had him teaching Social Studies, aka Geography...

It is interesting the number of Stanley Kubrick films that are showing up.
 
Au Revoir Les Enfants: (And yes, I recall the same silence - for the same reason - from the audience as when I watched Schindler's List. I was stunned into silence; awesome, absoutely awesome).

Lone Star: (A subtle, nunaced, formidably intelligent, thought-provoking movie).

Citizen Kane: (Every bit as good as its formidable reputation suggests).

The Third Man: (Brilliant, still brilliant).

Indochine: (Sublime).

Jesus of Montreal: (The most intelligent, thought-provoking, and compelling, take - interpretation - of the Passion I have yet seen).

The Godfather II: (Yes, Godfather One was excellent, but Two surpassed it).

There are others.
 
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MBAir2010 said:
dirty dances with wolves
"no one tells babe she is a tontaka!"
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Dude? Dirty Dancing with wolves!

I was in Blockbuster video when I was a kid and roamed near the ‘Adult section’ (Where there was like rainbow party streamers when you enter that area with disco lights, and had like some strange odor of Potpourri), I didn’t walk in, however; sure enough, I saw the VHS tape sitting on the top shelf with a picture of Debbie Stratton. I was thinking to myself, how do I rent this without my Mom knowing? Of course I didn’t at 13 years old and I wasn’t ‘18’. But you’re right, Debbie was the real tontaka! I can truthfully say, I still have never watched this movie. But one does wonder.
 
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Das Leben der Anderen and Ken Loach's entire filmography

Fun fact, there's nothing like standing up for an ovation and realizing that you are the only one. That was my experience after I Daniel Blake's premiere on the piazza grande in Locarno, a very touching movie indeed.
 
Relentless Power said:
Dude? Dirty Dancing with wolves!

I was in Blockbuster video when I was a kid and roamed near the ‘Adult section’ (Where there was like rainbow party streamers when you enter that area with disco lights, and had like some strange odor of Potpourri), I didn’t walk in, however; sure enough, I saw the VHS tape sitting on the top shelf with a picture of Debbie Stratton. I was thinking to myself, how do I rent this without my Mom knowing? Of course I didn’t at 13 years old and I wasn’t ‘18’. But you’re right, Debbie was the real tontaka! I can truthfully say, I still have never watched this movie. But one does wonder.
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i alway see a random ron jeremy look alike in public and congratulate them
they have no idea who he is, while othe laugh.

the only porn vid i saw was "easy" in 1983 while my cousin had the house to himself.
or "Realm of the Senses" a 1970 Japanese movie which i own, and did "blow my mind"
then came the internets.
 
mind-blown? - Star Wars original...saw it 5 times in succeeding Fri/Sat date nights. Nothing else will ever compare to that leap from everything before it.

But some great ones that came close to blowing the fuse:

Space Odyssey 2001...when that bone in the caveman's hand morphs into a spaceship!

Clockwork Orange - so sick and yet so important. Love that Kubrick wanted your stomach to turn when you saw the main character (utterly unredeemable) and yet, in the end, you're left wondering who the really bad guys are. Nietzsche-like monster fighting.

A Beautiful Mind - I was well into the movie before I realized that the director had given me a taste of schizophrenia...that some of the characters weren't real people.

Momento - Initially this one was a steaming pile of ...well...you know. I was so confused and about to switch it off, when it struck me that the director had given me a taste of what it's like to have no ability to form new memories just like the main character. The backward nature of the scenes (last scene first and working back to the initial scene) puts you in the shoes of one who wakes up with memory deficits wondering what this photo means, etc. The backwards tattoos!! Truly impressive work.
 
This was not a film, but I remembered the comments of some of the people when they first watched Dr Who.
These were young people at the time, coming home from school, to see the first episode. One young kid stopped at the door of the lounge room just as the opening scene was coming on the TV. He didn't move till the episode ended, just rooted to the spot.

Dr Who, like 2001 and the original Star Trek, was just so far outside of what was current screen fodder.
 
2001 A Space Odyssey: managed to see this in the cinema with a new 70mm print which had never been through a projector before. Absolutely stunning. The cinema was so crowded people were sitting in the aisles!

Citizen Kane: again a film that should be seen on the large screen of a cinema

Clockwork Orange: even if only for the Wendy Carlos music track

Oh What a Lovely War
 
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DaveFromCampbelltown said:
I have never been able to complete watching it the first time.
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Not gonna spoil it for you then. But I gotta say, this is the only film where I hated the progatonist at the end. I sympatized with Seita throughout the entire film until very end. I blame him for everything that happened in the second half of the film.?
DaveFromCampbelltown said:
It is interesting the number of Stanley Kubrick films that are showing up.
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I loved every Kubrick film I've watched except Eyes Wide Shut. That film was not up to Kubrick standards. The cinematography, the lighting, the sets, the music--all top notch. Something about the long, winding story just didn't satisfy. Kubrick died before its release, so some lessor talent probably did the final cut.
 
Alien still scares the nope out of me and holds up. While the tech looks dated, the ship feels real and like it is something we'll be doing. For something from the 1970s it still holds up.
 
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ruka.snow said:
Alien still scares the nope out of me and holds up. While the tech looks dated, the ship feels real and like it is something we'll be doing. For something from the 1970s it still holds up.
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Saw the director's cut when it was in theatres.

Late night showing - and a private one at that:

There were literally three people in the cinema. Me and a couple sat several rows behind me that kept absolutely completely quiet throughout. So basically like watching it all alone in the dark.

Let's just say the atmosphere fit the suspense of the movie great. Absolutely amazing.
 
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AppliedMicro said:
Saw the director's cut when it was in theatres.

Late night showing - and a private one at that:

There were literally three people in the cinema. Me and a couple sat several rows behind me that kept absolutely completely quiet throughout. So basically like watching it all alone in the dark.

Let's just say the atmosphere fit the suspense of the movie great. Absolutely amazing.
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In went with my husband to the special 40th(50th?) anniversary edition at St Andrews. It was the best film we had seen in the cinema. I think there was under 10 in at the time we went and aye it had a great atmosphere though i prefer it on my own TV with the rich blacks.
 
I’m starting to realize I grew up in a magic age of music and movies. :) There are so many movies, I hesitate to start listing them. However, I know 4 films that I sat in a theater for multiple viewings because they were so amazing:
  • Bullitt (1968)- I walked into this movie, unknowing, and was blasted to nirvana by the car chase.
  • Young Frankenstein (1974)
  • Star Wars (1977)
  • The Matrix (1999)- It took a second viewing for me to completely fall for this. :)
Others:
  • Fail Safe (1964)- Dad took me to the theater, a lot to handle for an 11 year old.
  • Although 2001 (1968) is amazing, when I first saw this in the theater at age 15, I was seriously disappointed, because it was way to esoteric and mystical. I was looking for space action! ;)
  • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)- This was a huge treat.
  • Planet of the Apes (1968)- A friend‘s parent offered to take us to the theater to see this, or Gone With The Wind which could actually still be seen in a theater in 1968. Planet of the Apes, no contest.
  • The French Connection (1971)- I think I was hoping for another Bullit car chase, not quite, but still impressive.
  • Gone With The Wind (1939)- I was not until 10 years later that I discovered what a super film this was, watched it in a hotel the night before I was starting US Navy Officer training in Pensacola.
 
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I have to agree, I don’t think the thread title really seems to make sense in certain regards, about films ‘That totally blew your mind’.

I would put in my top three films that met my expectations of all time, would probably be of ‘action’ as one segment:

Like:

1] John Wick Chapter 1

2] Terminator 2: Judgement Day

3] Logan

What really captivated me, was the common denominator of all three of those films have very raw acting that have simple plots that aren’t trying to distract the viewer with too many horrendous CGI scenes and over convoluted story lines. The execution is very good with those three films, in general, the main actors were very good, especially Hugh Jackman in ‘Logan’ was absolutely outstanding.
 
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