Name your favorite slowly paced movies

[timeformime]

13 assassins and Vahalla Rising are two of my favorites. Vahalla Rising doubly so since it has a nice complex way of telling the story which is does nicely

Oh come on, you call these slow paced movies? Try watching something by Ozu. It makes Casablanca look like it was made by Guy Ritchie on cocaine.

I can't believe I didn't think of Ozu at first with this topic in mind, but I also consider "slow" in terms of a director's intention, not just to mean that there wasn't enough action or there was too much talking. Funny that when I think of Casablanca, and most major 40's movies, I think they're actually pretty snappily paced, even though they're driven by dialogue and often staged like plays.

Of course pace is still pretty subjective just in terms of what you're used to - I would call the first 45 minutes of 13 Assassins fairly slow and deliberate, especially considering this modern movie is billed as an action adventure. But I will say, having a man commit graphic seppuku straight off is a pretty great way of getting an audience's attention. It really triggers the old fight or flight instinct.

And as for Melancholia: I agree, I enjoyed that movie way more than I thought I would. It was one of those I thought a few minutes in I wouldn't make it through... but then I really got into it when I saw what it was doing. The sluggish feel works great with the theme, plus Kirsten Dunst is a treat to watch because she just doesn't get that many lead roles these days.

 

[FPLOON]

Hmmmm...

-Napoleon Dynamite
-The Perks of Being a Wallflower
-There Will Be Blood
-The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
-Cloud Atlas
-Seven Samurai

I think I might be stretching it a bit on some of those, but those were the one's that came to mind right now... (Also, given how IFC has showcased Napoleon Dynamite and The Life Aquatics before, I will not be surprised if the rest of those movies I listed they'll showcase in their future... unless they did showcase There Will Be Blood before and I missed it, which I would not be surprised either way...)

 

[rob_simple]

I really liked Only God Forgives, even though it's less a movie than it is a collection of really pretty screensavers.

 

[timeformime]

I loved the Spagetti Westerns:

The Good, the bad, the Ugly
For a few Dollars more
Fistful of Dollars

Once upon a time in America was pretty good as well, but I felt it suffered from not having someone like Clint Eastwoods' cooler than cool character to balance out the slow pace.

Agreed on all points. Can you imagine someone being allowed to open a film today the way Once Upon a Time in America does? With ten minutes of absolutely nothing happening so that it's all the more shocking when Harmonica guns them all down? Not a chance.

Fun fact: those three guys he kills were originally supposed to be Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach.

This is so true. The one you're thinking of is actually Once Upon A Time In The West, one of my all-time favorites, and that first scene is absolutely perfect. 10 minutes of three guys waiting around at a train station near a creaky windmill, flies buzzing around, before the train stops and all three get owned by Charles Bronson. Only Leone can get away with 10 minutes of his characters just walking around.

 

[Anachronism]

I loved the Spagetti Westerns:

The Good, the bad, the Ugly
For a few Dollars more
Fistful of Dollars

Once upon a time in America was pretty good as well, but I felt it suffered from not having someone like Clint Eastwoods' cooler than cool character to balance out the slow pace.

Agreed on all points. Can you imagine someone being allowed to open a film today the way Once Upon a Time in America does? With ten minutes of absolutely nothing happening so that it's all the more shocking when Harmonica guns them all down? Not a chance.

Fun fact: those three guys he kills were originally supposed to be Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach.

This is so true. The one you're thinking of is actually Once Upon A Time In The West, one of my all-time favorites, and that first scene is absolutely perfect. 10 minutes of three guys waiting around at a train station near a creaky windmill, flies buzzing around, before the train stops and all three get owned by Charles Bronson. Only Leone can get away with 10 minutes of his characters just walking around.

Crap, I'm an idiot. Can't believe I said America instead of The West. Thanks, brain. Edited.