Life of Pi (2012)

Ang Lee mostly holds a steady frame, which makes his exceptions count. The picture widens to 2.35:1 for the flying-fish sequence and narrows to a boxy 1.33:1 for a single aerial shot, both moments where the scale of the ocean matters more than the boy adrift in it. The changes are brief, and they are more noticeable in 2D than in 3D, so keep an eye on the black bars. A good pick if you want the technique at its most restrained, inside a big, beautiful survival story.