The Shining

The Shining
(1980) [Trailer]
Director: Stanley Kubrick [IMDB]

I'm sure you've probably seen this film, but if you haven't... seriously what the fuck is wrong with you?

Synopsis: A man and his family are hired to take care of a remote hotel that's closed during the winter... nothing bad happens at all.

This is one of the greatest horror films ever made in my book and every time I watch it I catch more things that just add to it's creep factor. The visuals in this film are insane and it has some of the greatest cinematography out there. The use of the large and confusing hotel set against a massive garden maze gives the viewer a sense of unease throughout the whole movie. Jack Nicholson is about as good as it gets, he goes from questionable to asshole to psycho flawlessly.

There's a ton of unsettling moments during The Shining's run time... here are my top five:

1. The river of blood, obviously amazing.
2. The man in the bear suit giving the other man a bj. I have no idea how it fits into the story but it's scary.
3. The use of mirrors with the best moment coming from the mirrors inside room 237... the lead up to the front door of the room is so suspenseful.
4. The nude young/old woman.
5. The gold room's bathroom scene with Jack and the former care taker... that whole scene is eerie as hell.

This is a must watch for the halloween season... there aren't many films I actually consider scary... this is definitely one of them.

Eyes Wide Shut

Eyes Wide Shut

(1999) [Trailer]
Director: Stanley Kubrick (IMDB)

I love Tom Cruise and I don't give a shit what you think about him. Sure he's a Scientologist, but that's just as batty as any other religion out there. Well okay... maybe it's a little crazier. And yes, he jumped on Oprah's couch, who care's? He's a cool dude, and makes awesome movies (mostly.)

Stanley Kubrick brings you this sexual thriller involving Mr Cruise, and at the time his wife, Nicole Kidman. They are also married in this movie and are going through a bit of a rough patch. After attending a party where they both take their flirting a little too far, they head home and get naked together in front of a mirror. Later they smoke weed, and Kidman admits she almost cheated on Cruise back in the day with a sailor. This enrages Cruise and afterwards he takes off for a night of crazy shit which includes: almost nailing a hooker, walking in on two Asian gentlemen getting it on with Leelee Sobieski, attending a masked orgy, and so on.

Eyes Wide Shut is an awesome flick. It's stylistic and dreamy and has this quality of ease through out it. The character development of Cruise is great and he delivers a stellar performance. I really loved the set design for the dance scenes and the orgy scenes (that sounded weird.) I honestly can't think of anything negative to say about this. Watch it.

Stanley Kubrick Double BiIl - The Killing and Killer's Kiss

Stanley Kubrick is one of my favorite directors of all time. I was very pumped to sit down with one of his older numbers, The Killing. I was even more pumped to find my Criterion blu-ray also has a bonus copy of Killer's Kiss included in the supplements...NICE!!!

The Killing
(1956) [Trailer]
Director: Stanley Kubrick (IMDB)

This movie is extremely cool. It's rad to think it came out in the 50's. You may be familiar with Kubrick's later releases like "2001: A Space Odyssey.", "A Clockwork Orange", or "The Shining" but this movie is as equally as impressive.

It's about a group of men who plot to rob a racetrack. The heist is one of the biggest ever and requires a lot of planning. One of the robbers runs his stupid mouth to his ungrateful wife. She's banging some other guy. Her booty call talks the info out of her and decides he wants in on the action. The plan goes off but not without a hitch.

This movie looks so good. The use of heavy dark tones and shadows give a really classic film-noir look. I could see the likes of Tarantino or the Coen Brothers directly being influenced by this. Also, the acting is great, especially Sterling Hayden as Johnny. There's tons of twists and turns, and like any good noir, keeps you guessing what will happen next. This movie is a real good time and a fun watch. Definitely highly recommended, and Criterion don't play on the transfer to blu-ray.



Killer's Kiss
(1955) [Trailer]
Director: Stanley Kubrick (IMDB)

I wasn't expecting to watch this but as I sifted through the extras of The Killing I found it. I went ahead and took full advantage of it and decided to roll with the punches, literally.

The movie is about a fighter who falls for the wrong girl. She's a dancer and her boss, a gangster, is in love with her. The fighter decides to quit boxing and move to Seattle. When the boss finds out that she wants to leave to Starbucks City with the fighter, he flips. From there the movie gets wild and you'll just have to see who ends up with the girl.

Again, Kubrick's direction is next level, especially for the 50's. The look of this movie is great. Simply great. The film is so gritty and the way he shoots NYC is captivating. The use again of dark shadows and tones makes for a very unsettling feeling throughout. Plus, the ending scene in the mannequin warehouse is bad ass. The action is almost psychotic, especially with that back drop of the creepy mannequins. I loved this flick, for an hour running time it packs a hell of a punch (no pun intended.)