OldBoy

What movies do you think were so awe inspiring, so inventive that it seemed to change the face of motion pictures thereafter?

For me and it just happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time (#1 actually)...

"Die Hard"...never before and not since has an action movie gripped me and had me at the edge of my seat, literally, like the 1st "Die Hard".

It it seemed that action movies thereafter tried to emulate, but never did recreate the claustrophobic atmosphere that this one did. Many were compared, like "Speed", referred to as "Die Hard on a bus". Or, "Under Siege" was considered "Die Hard on a boat".

I know it's not the most critically acclaimed or best made film of all time, but...
"Die Hard" seemed to shake the world after its release.

slavetotherave

Well, I'd have to say 12 Monkeys. It was the first DVD I ever bought.

Drexl

King Kong-not only did it set a new standard in visual effects, but it also had a big influence on musical scoring for films. It also inspired people like Ray Harryhausen, Peter Jackson, and many others to become filmmakers.

jaeufraser

Birth of a Nation...

I'd also add Good Burger.

Jake77444

Dazed and Confused just because I really love the movie and the rewatchability is infinite.

raven56706

Battlefield Earth- Introduced the world to the land of Suck

eXcentris

Deep Throat

Joe Molotov

Earthquake and The Core.

SPiRAL

Run Lola Run did it for me.

B5Erik

King Kong (1933, of course)
The War of the Worlds (1953)
Forbidden Planet
Dr. No
Star Wars
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Alien
Aliens
Die Hard
Jurassic Park

animalmystic

Corrected

B5Erik Has a great list

While I am not a fan of it I would also add Titantic.

Films I am a fan of:
ET
The 6th Sense was HUGE talk around the water cooler and IMO set the bar for the PG13 twist/ghosts/creepy movies.

Already mentioned Raiders and Star Wars

The Passion Of The Christ also shook the world

gryffinmaster

pretty close to a Top 10 List:

Memento
Batman Begins
Almost Famous
Star Wars
Donnie Darko
Chasing Amy
Vanilla Sky
One Flew Over the Cockoo's Nest
Crash
Mulholland Dr.

Fincher Fan

Se7en then Fight Club

NatrlBornThrllr

I'd have to say that Pulp Fiction changed the face of cinema, no doubt.

-JP

Venom

Blade


it's true.

The Bus

wendersfan

In a creative sense:

Birth of a Nation
Battleship Potemkin
The Jazz Singer
Citizen Kane
Breathless
Bonnie and Clyde
2001: A Space Odyssey
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Toy Story

In a business/marketing sense:

Jaws
Star Wars

marty888

Two from the past 40 years that come to mind:

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - changed the concept of how a story can be told. This is one amazing movie - I remember when I first saw it, I thought that there was no way it could be as effective on the printed page. Then I read the book, and couldn't imagine how it could be captured on film! In addiion to expanding how visuals can be used, it also established a new look for space hardware - no more sleek Destination Moon type vehicles. The way space movies look today are because of this one.

MAD MAX - this 1979 movie established the conventions for a "post-apocolypse" look that have been carried over into dozens of other films. We know what the horrors of the future will look like, and it is because of this movie.

Groucho

Not really. Mad Max wasn't seen much outside of Australia until The Road Warrior hit it big. And the post-apoctalypic look you are referring to is similar to the earlier film A Boy and His Dog (1975).

flixtime

Stagecoach (1939) - "shook the world" eh, how about two names: John Ford & John Wayne. While he was already accomplished as a director (even an Oscar win), "Stagecoach" set John Ford firmly on a path that would result in him becoming perhaps the greatest director in the history of cinema. Ford's influence on great filmmakers throughout the world is undeniable. "Stagecoach" also finally established John Wayne as a major star......for a long time to follow. Furthermore, "Stagecoach" played a key role in re-shaping a genre that would go on to great prominence on both the big and small screen for many, many years ahead. The influence of John Ford, John Wayne, and the American Western on world cinema is vast and it can be said that "Stagecoach" is where it all began.

B5Erik

You are absolutely correct flixtime. I should add Stagecoach to my list. I just forgot....

I'm trying to think of some groundbreaking Films Noir that were influential in creating the genre back in the early 40's. The Maltese Falcon, maybe? It certainly was at the beginning of the genre/movement (depending on your view of Film Noir), and was imitated many times over.

coli

Star Wars, the summer of 1977 it changed movies, especially the summer blockbuster, forever. (In some ways that was good, and others it ways it was bad)

Talkin2Phil

A Boy and His Dog (1975)

Numanoid

Come on. A Boy and His Dog is a cult film, at best. It certainly didn't "shake the world" on its release (or anytime after).

Maxflier

Definately Star Wars.