The Films of Kubrick

[lts5025]

I've seen people say this before and talk about how "terrifying" The Shining is. But is it really?

I mean, it's definitely creepy. But the scariest film ever made?

I don't think The Shining is all that scary. It's certainly unnerving and has some scary moments, but it's not meant to be a fright fest.

I love The Shining, but I don't even think it's the best "horror movie" ever made. That honor goes to The Exorcist, IMHO. I do believe that The Shining is the finest "film" ever made in the horror genre, though, if you understand my distinction.

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

I've seen people say this before and talk about how "terrifying" The Shining is. But is it really?

I mean, it's definitely creepy. But the scariest film ever made?

Creepiest film ever.
Scariest may go to Poltergeist.

 

[Guestx]

I don't think The Shining is all that scary. It's certainly unnerving and has some scary moments, but it's not meant to be a fright fest.

I love The Shining, but I don't even think it's the best "horror movie" ever made. That honor goes to The Exorcist, IMHO. I do believe that The Shining is the finest "film" ever made in the horror genre, though, if you understand my distinction.

That makes sense. I love The Exorcist. I have an old VHS special edition that's pretty bad ass, and has the movie, the soundtrack, a photo collection, a book about the movie. . . It's awesome.

 

[Guestx]

Creepiest film ever.
Scariest may go to Poltergeist.

Poltergeist gets held back a bit in the terror department by its PG-13ish vibe. Good movie, though.

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Poltergeist gets held back a bit in the terror department by its PG-13ish vibe. Good movie, though.

In a similar way, the Exorcist is too cartoonish for me to find it scary at all.

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Isn't it crazy how you can watch Spartacus and 2001 and be impressed that it's the same director?
Talk about an artist finding his voice.

 

[Guestx]

In a similar way, the Exorcist is too cartoonish for me to find it scary at all.

Really? Interesting. I do think there are a few unintentionally funny moments, but I find the movie genuinely frightening. The whole concept of possession is pretty unsettling and I think the movie handled it well.

I've also read the book, which is excellent.

 

[lts5025]

That makes sense. I love The Exorcist. I have an old VHS special edition that's pretty bad ass, and has the movie, the soundtrack, a photo collection, a book about the movie. . . It's awesome.

 

[europe1]

I also think Full Metal Jacket is overrated. It does have one of the best first halves of any movie ever, but once boot camp ends the movie is pure average sauce. And ugh, Matthew Modine sucks. One of the worst actors of all time.

I even love the second-half of FMJ. The sniper scene, in itself, is amazing, and Joker excecuting the Vietnamese markswoman is one of the most heart wrenching scenes in film history.

But the thing is -- the First-Half and Second-Half of FMJ is much more intimately connected than people give it credit for. Thematically they link like gloves. The boot-camp is a basically brain-washing center. The recruits are stripped of their identity and made into bloodthirsty, sexually perverted grunts. The Drill-Sergant specifically picks sexually loaded insults and orders to galvanize them towards this depraved mindset. A ton of the insults he throws at them is aimed at making them connect sex with violence ("this is my rifle, this is my gun", for example. And they are even ordered to give their rifle a female name... and then sleep with them!).

The second-half is basically all about depicting the results of this training. It's no suprise that Joker is the only humane, sensitive soldier in the field who does not commit some sort of atrocity or undignified deed. He is the only one who survived the brainwashing. Everyone else is a psycho to some degree that has no moral qualms about shooting civilians, abusing prostitutes, or taking joy in killing their enemy. (The infantryman that shoots the sniper for example, humps his hips back-and-forth in the air right after having nailed her, as if fucking her).

Yet, in the end, when Joker is coerced into killing the female sniper (or as Animal Mother says, "fuck her") he too losses his inner humanity, he gets the "1000-yards stare" and becomes as emotionally hollow as his fellow grunts. In the ending scene, he marches in perfect alignement with his fellow troops, whistling the mickey-mouse tune alongsides them, signifying that he has become just like them. If you recall, the Drill-Sergent asked Privete Pyle in that pivotal scene when they where in the bathroom if he had gone completely "Mickey-Mouse"?, ie: if he had gone crazy? Joker went crazy in the end. That's great storytelling.

 

[HereticBD]

You can look at Linda Blair's performance in The Exorcist in one of two ways. Terrifying portrayal of demon possession, or absolutely laughable Loony Toons routine. How you feel about the movie will fall in line with how you feel about the performance.

 

[lts5025]

Isn't it crazy how you can watch Spartacus and 2001 and be impressed that it's the same director?
Talk about an artist finding his voice.

But Kubrick was essentially a hired gun on Spartacus. I imagine it would have been a significantly different film if he'd had complete creative control from the beginning.

 

[HereticBD]

Yet, in the end, when Joker is coerced into killing the female sniper (or as Animal Mother says, "fuck her") he too losses his inner humanity, he gets the "1000-yards stare" and becomes as emotionally hollow as his fellow grunts. That's great storytelling.

I was with you until that. Joker isn't coerced into killing her. He puts her out of her misery, whereas meathead wanted to let her rot. He kept his humanity intact. At least in that moment. He wasn't killing her out of pure malice. He was putting her down.

Overall though, the movie just doesn't work for me. It's too uneven, and the second half is the old "war is hell" theme we've seen a million times.

 

[europe1]

I was with you until that. Joker isn't coerced into killing her. He puts her out of her misery, whereas meathead wanted to let her rot. He kept his humanity intact. At least in that moment. He wasn't killing her out of pure malice. He was putting her down.

Overall though, the movie just doesn't work for me. It's too uneven, and the second half is the old "war is hell" theme we've seen a million times.

Allright, I forgot that detail. But still, look at the pain on Joker's face as he did that. He is clearly in severe emotional agony. And Animal Mother does decide to edge him on, saying "fuck her" as Joker takes aim. He kills her -- but it kills him too.

Want to see a great piece of symbolism? Look at Joker's PEACE-sign on his jacket as he excecutes the sniper. Notice what happens the excact moment he pulls the trigger?

 

[europe1]

Also... why you people dissing Spartacus? Yeah it's a bit more conventional than Kubrick's other films but as conventional films go it's an superb historical film. That scene where Spartacus and Woody Strode has to fight each other before the Roman patricians, and they just sit and watch each other silently before hand, that's excellent dramatic storytelling. Especially considering how the scene cultimates, with the General excecuting Strode in cold-blood.

 

[badascan]

I've seen people say this before and talk about how "terrifying" The Shining is. But is it really?

I mean, it's definitely creepy. But the scariest film ever made?

From my perspective, psychological is scarrier than horror or jump scare stuff. The subtle/not so subtle sounds and imagery as well as the slow developing dread and the feeling that there is a lot more going on with the film gives me an uneasy feeling. I find The Shining to be masterfully effective in ways no other film has been. Scary is subjective, might not be the best word to describe it...

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Also... why you people dissing Spartacus? Yeah it's a bit more conventional than Kubrick's other films but as conventional films go it's an superb historical film. That scene where Spartacus and Woody Strode has to fight each other before the Roman patricians, and they just sit and watch each other silently before hand, that's excellent dramatic storytelling. Especially considering how the scene cultimates, with the General excecuting Strode in cold-blood.

I am Spartacus.

 

[europe1]

I am Spartacus.

"No I am Spartacus!"

"I'm Spartacus and so is my wife!"

 

[HereticBD]

Also... why you people dissing Spartacus? Yeah it's a bit more conventional than Kubrick's other films but as conventional films go it's an superb historical film. That scene where Spartacus and Woody Strode has to fight each other before the Roman patricians, and they just sit and watch each other silently before hand, that's excellent dramatic storytelling. Especially considering how the scene cultimates, with the General excecuting Strode in cold-blood.

Yeah, but the thing is, it's more of a studio film than a Kubrick film. Don't think anyone is slamming it. It's just hard to count it in the Kubrick filmography, because he had no control over it.

 

[Final Rehab]

Want to see a great piece of symbolism? Look at Joker's PEACE-sign on his jacket as he excecutes the sniper. Notice what happens the excact moment he pulls the trigger?

Wow, one of my favorite movies and I never caught that, thanks.

I think the brilliance of the first half of FMJ overshadows the quality of the second half. Possibly my favorite Kubrick film, but I'm biased for various reasons.

Sorry but I've always though The Shining was overrated. The Exorcist gave me nightmares and Jacob's Ladder freaked me out at the time but Nicholson doing the crazy look didn't scare me, not that it sucked or anything.

 

[FyrFytr998]

FMJ.

A favorite, but I cannot argue that the film stalls after Vincent's and R. lee's departure. They honestly could have made the whole film around boot camp and it still would be an all time war favorite.