Is "Eyes Wide Shut" a good movie? Was Stanley Kubrick a good director?

A professor teaches a subject that one must learn in order to succeed in their field. A doctor doesn't just know medicine. He or she has to be taught. That's different then me watching a movie and not getting the hype. Anyone who has spent years....oh nevermind...I know better then to argue with stupidity for stupidity will win everytime.

 

Exhaustive analysis of the film here:

http://idyllopuspress.com/idyllopus/film/ews_toc.htm

Whatever he was, he was obsessive about detail, even ones that viewers might not notice (on a conscious level anyway).

 

I like Kubrick's movies before 2001. Since then I think pretty much all joy has drained out of his work because of his perfectionism. Full Metal Jackst was his last one I saw. I'd had enough after that one.

But I do love Spartacus, Lolita, Strangelove and The Killing.

 

Yes, it will...

 

I watched 20 minutes of it once and rewound the tape to record something better, like "My Mother the Car".

As for Kubrick he did give us R Lee Ermey as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in "Full Metal Jacket", the best opening 20 minutes ever in film.

 

For me, the mask on the pillow scene was pure Kubrick. There were many ways to interpret what his seeing the mask on the pillow meant, which I think was intentional. I thought it was the best moment for Tom Cruise, when he sees it on the pillow while she is sleeping next to it, then just breaks down and starts to cry.

 

I think my point is that not only was it fake, but it was really fake. I don't think it makes him a genius, but it does make me very curious about why he made that choice.

 

Kubrick didn't want to travel far from his home to shoot a film. Remember, this is the same guy that imported palm trees so England could stand in for Vietnam in Full Metal Jacket.

 

I worked on "Vanilla Sky". I had a small bit part and Tom was very welcoming and generous during the few days I was there. No ego issues but a another guy at work.

 

Great story

 

huh?

 

As a big fan of Kubrick I've never felt he made a bad film. I think EWS is good and still the worst film he made.....that's how great I think he is.

 

huh?[/QUOTE
Can you see? Can you hear? Are you able to form an opinion? If you answered "yes" to all three then congratulations your a critic.

 

Oh, I see

 

I remember seeing 2001 when it came out, made a deep impression on me, I was 13. The sound system and the Cinerama images were astounding. Seeing a faded copy in a revival house about 5 years later, everything seemed so dated. Bought the Blu-Ray about a year ago when we got a Blu-Ray player and an HDTV. Some parts still impressed, all of them visual "Wow" moments. Acting had flat affect. That's a general tendency with Kubrick's films from 2001 0nwards. And I recall a 24 minute long sequence in 2001, Dave trying to get back in the ship after Hal locks him out. 24 minutes that just crawl. Arty? You bet. Good? Not so sure.

I would say that as an assembler of images, Kubrick is beyond reproach. As a director of actors, not so much. There's virtuoso comic work in Dr. Strangelove and Jack Nicholson is fun to watch in "The Shining". But as an all-around director, Kubrick is something of a curate's egg. Knowing that "Eyes Wide Shut" was incomplete explains a lot. But it doesn't make it any better as a film.

 

Whatever this movie was lacking, Sydney Pollack's performance made up for it.

 

I think Kubrick is great, though I am probably in the minority in that I think "Lolita" is his best overall film, a very sad movie, James Mason is perfect, doesn't over do it, you can feel him coming apart at the seams.
I think his movies take a bit of patience, but he was sooooo good visually, and had a good sense of timing/editing, and I also love the way he used music as well (recently sat through "Barry Lydon" at the nearby museum).
I love the Clockwork Orange score/music, listen to it often.
And plus if you don't know Kubrick films, there are a few Simpson jokes you might miss !!

 

I think I like the remake of Lolita better

 

I'd pick different leads. That affects my enjoyment of the film. So it's a toss up about the film. As to your second question, no Kubrick wasn't a good director...he was a GREAT one.

Eyes Wide Shut was to Kubrick what Buddy, Buddy was to Billy Wilder.

 

I also love Lolita but the three faves are Strangelove 2001 and Clockwork Orange.

 

I am a huge fan of Kubrick, and some of my favorite films are The Shining, Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange, 2001. I really enjoyed Eyes Wide Shut. To me, it's a story that keeps me interested all the way through. Very strange, very disturbing, even some dark humor in it. I get more out of it than I do some of the big blockbusters like a Die Hard or Lethal Weapon movie.

 

His photography background is all I can think of. (which also leads to the controversy over his aspect ratios.)

 

As you should.

 

I enjoyed Eyes Wide Shut, and after seeing it in the theater with some friends, we discussed it for many days afterwards as there were so many things left to the viewer to interpret. I haven't seen the uncut version, though.

 

For someone who was so obsessed with details as Kubrick was, I thought it was glaringly obvious that Tom Cruise was walking around streets that were not in NYC. Not to mention that a lot of the acting just seemed very strange, and not in a good way...