After XP, Windows focused on adding crap to their aid that use unnecessary resources for crap things. I remember the Aqua look on Vista that sucked the life out of computers. Let’s not talk about Windows Me. Then 8 was a weird interface that no one liked and also not compatible with older machines. So XP is the most stable Windows os that can run on older devices.
The trick is to use a different filter than other scenes. It doesn’t really matters what filter, as long as it’s different. Also, cinematographers use different in-camera setups, different lenses, usually they use old school lenses with chromatic aberrations and distortions and so on, plus physical filters in from of the lens. They can also change the lighting, set decoration, actors can change their behavior, editors can change the rhythm and so on.
The blurrier-gray-ish filter is usually a low contrast or blooming glass filter in front of the lens. Basically a piece of glass very lightly frosted that disperses the light around a bit before hitting the film/sensor.