Stanley Kubrick: The Films...and your favs.

for me...2001 still a classic...and yes, I like the very much aligned Barry Lyndon.

Dr. Strangelove...well, masterpiece.

The Shining....was a great horror novel ruined, or was it a showcase for Jack or what happened there.

Full Metal Jacket....better than Apocalypse Now?

Lolita....the most sexiest movie...without sex..?

Eyes Wide Shut....Did Dr. Bill dream the whole thing, or did all those adventures really take place?

And of course..Clockwork Orange...Nature against Manmade devices. Was Alex simply misunderstood, or did the universe finally have its revenge?

 

Great, great director.

2001-love it, but can't watch it that often.

Strangelove -- hilaroius. "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"

Shining -- scared the crap outta me, and it wasn't even that bloody.

FMJ -- first half was brilliant, second half was disappointing. Great ending though.

Lolita -- found that disappointing. Was not very impressed!

Eyes Wide Shut -- took a couple viewings, but 'tis a great film. So weird.

Clockwork -- perhaps the best of the bunch? I need to watch that again.

 

I have reviews of all Kubrick's flicks on my site. Some general thoughts:

-HATED "2001" for a long time, and I still don't feel wild about it, but I've come to respect it.

-Think "Strangelove" is okay but overrated - it never did much for me.

-Definitely think "Clockwork" is easily Kubrick's best film.

-Like "Paths of Glory" quite a lot too, and think "Barry Lyndon" and "Lolita" are pretty interesting.

-Loved "Shining" when it first hit, think it's fairly lame now.

-Disliked "FMJ" when it first hit, still hate it now, even the much-touted first act. It's heavy-handed and cheesy.

-Like the skin in "EWS" and that's about it.

 

1)2001
2)A Clockwork Orange
3)Dr. Strangelove
4)The Shining
5)Full Metal Jacket

Evan

 

1. 2001
2. Dr. Strangelove
3. Clockwork Orange
4. First half of Full Metal Jacket
5. The Shining

I have a question about aspect ratios. Anyone know why Kubrick used 4:3 ratios on his later films? Seems to me that the Shining would have looked fantastic in a 2:35-1.

 

Great and painful question:

1) Clockwork Orange
2) Full Metal Jacket - Much better than Apocalypse Now
3) Lolita
4) Barry Lyndon - Gotta' love that weird symbolism
5) Eye's Wide Shut - Really want to get my hands on the R2 disc of this flick to get rid of those silly digital inserts during the orgy scene.
6) 2001 - As someone mentioned, not a film I can watch all the time but certainly an achievement in filmmaking for it's time.
7) The Shining - How could you not have this on your list?

Still have a few more to go viewing wise and I've owned the box set for a few years now. I'd like to include Spartacus but haven't seen it all the way through..

 

Is anyone a fan of his earlier films? I love the changing points of view in The Killing, plus Elisha Cook Jr. and Sterling Hayden are great. I suppose if I could only pick one Paths of Glory has everything, but there's something to love in all of them. The stargate sequence in 2001 is the most avant garde/psychedelic sequence I can remember in a commercial film, and it's thanks to Kubrick that I listen to Ligeti.

 

In this case, the movie was far, far better than the book. I'm always confused that Stephen King seems to dislike the better adaptations of his work, including THE SHINING and MISERY, while praising the more unwatchable crap. I don't know whether he actually prefers the trashy movies, or is affecting a trash aesthetic.

 

CLOCKWORK ORANGE - Stays with you for a long time.

 

1. Strangelove
2. Clockwork
3. 2001
4. Full Metal
5. Eyes Wide Shut

Well... you'll notice that Steven King prefers the screenplays he wrote (or co-wrote). He seems to have problems with ADAPT IONS of his work. Of course, I personally would state:

In this case the book was far, far, better than the movie. The scariest scenes in the film are almost lifted directly from the text of the book, but Kubrick essentially excised the humanity of the characters. IMHO - Kubrick made a creepy movie, where King wrote a scare-the-beejezus out of you story. Eliminating (or downplaying) the emotional crises that led these people to the Overlook Hotel never gives you the empathy you SHOULD feel for the father character. Eliminating (or downplaying) the fact that all the family members have a degree of psychic ability in their history makes you question why this... PLACE.. so strongly feeds off of these particular people. Kings book was scary because you felt that YOU were in the hotel. In the movie, clearly THEY were in the hotel.

Of course, I read the book years before the movie was released. It remains one of the scariest novels I've ever read. I wish I could say the same about the movie.

 

1. 2001 (my favorite movie ever - by any director)
2. Dr. Strangelove
3. Clockwork Orange
4. The Killing
5. Paths Of Glory
6. The Shining
7. Full Metal Jacket
8. Barry Lyndon
9. Spartacus
10. Eyes Wide Shut
11. Lolita
12. Killer's Kiss

 

A.I. Yes, I said A.I.

See it again...it's a Kubrick film until E.T. lands. I watch this flick at least twice a year...every time I find it moving and thought-provoking. Osmont's and Law's performances are amazing. Give it a another try if you've only seen it once.

 

Someone, knowing that I was a big Kubrick fan, recently asked me which one was my favorite, and I was surprised that I didn't have an answer. In fact, when I thought about it, I realized that not a single one of his films is in my Top Ten. I think that's because I look at all of the films as a whole, moreso than any other director.

When it came down to it, I finally picked Dr. Strangelove, which surprised me. Then I'd go with Paths of Glory, and then Clockwork, then 2001. I was watching Full Metal Jacket on cable yesterday, and after the first section ended, I changed the channel. Love the first half, indifferent to the second.

I'd heartily disagree that FMJ is better than Apocalypse Now, though. Apocalypse is a cinematic miracle, a masterpiece snatched from the jaws of utter chaos. FMJ is merely Kubrick's "Vietnam film".

 

As othes here have noted, the first half of Full Metal Jacket is incredible, as good a movie viewing experience as any I have ever had. After that, well, it's merely watchable.

Evan

 

In my opinion the big contrast between the first and the second half of FMJ is what makes this film the work of a genius and lets it stand out from all other vietnam movies (first the hard training with all its order, then the reality of war -> complete chaos and madness...).

 

The story goes that Stanley was appalled when he saw the cropping needed to pan'n'scan 2001: A Space Odyssey for television. For that reason, he decided to film "full-frame" for eventual television showings with an eye toward composition within a 1.85:1 ratio.

After 2001, he used a very mild form of widescreen ratio, 1.66:1 for both A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon. The remaining films were all done at 4:3, and shown theatrically matted to 1.85:1.

I'd have to list 2001: A Space Odyssey as my top pick for a Kubrick film. It impressed me all those years ago, and I haven't wavered today. I do love most of Stanley Kubrick's works as well and would have a hard time ranking them. I thought Eyes Wide Shut was a brilliant "finale" for Stanley - then I saw A.I. and realized that Stanley had left us one more gift. I thank Steven Spielberg for carrying through on that one. Many say the ending is pure Spielberg, and maybe so, but there's enough of Kubrick in that movie for me.

BTW, my "handle" , HGN2001, is my initials and my favorite movie choice, NOT the year I picked that particular handle.

 

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Barry Lyndon
3. Dr. Strangelove
4. Paths of Glory

 

Stanley Kubrick is my favorite director of all time. Still, AI is most certainly a Spielberg film- he directed it, as was Kubrick's wish. And yes, the ending is crucial to that movie.

2001 is a film that one can appreciate if one is open to and in line with the emotional resonancy of the grand ideas the film is trying to express. I think it may be my favorite film of all time.

A Clockwork Orange is a startling masterpiece that demands attention. Barry Lyndon is gorgeous and funny. Lolita is appropriately disturbing and pathetic. Dr Strangelove is contemporary for its time but sill enjoyable today. The Shining is awesome (I don't care about how its related to the novel, as I'm not a big Stephen King fan anyway). Full Metal Jacket is my favorite war film (yes, the whole movie). Eyes Wide Shute is ambitious and imperfect, but visionary.

Yeah, I'm a fan...

 

Ken,
I really don't understand how you (and others) can hold this movie (AI) in such high regard, particularly compared to real Kubrick films. Admittedly the film has a lot going for it. A very interesting set of circumstances and a compelling situation with David in the house when the real son comes home. I thought that it really missed the mark when the mother casts David aside and we just follow his story. The family interaction is much more interesting than David’s “quest” to become a real boy. It did seem like a Kubrick movie up to that point and then it became something else. The film just looses its edge and the last 30 minutes are completely unnecessary and leaves you feeling let down. Overall, it is a fine film that makes you think, a very well made homage to Kubrick, but ultimately it doesn’t maintain its focus and explore fully the moral questions initially posed. I think the opposite will happen with this film, it will be thought less over time. We’ll see. I would also like to say that the robot had one hell of a power supply.

Back to Kubrick:

1. 2001
2. Strangelove
3. Clockwork
4. FMJ
5. Barry Lyndon

 

This sentiment explains your distaste of the film. I feel the end is absolutely necessary- it makes the whole film meaningful. It is completely nihilistic, looking at the themes of the film from the grandest angle- a mockery of human sentiment by its imitators.

The film is imperfect, which it makes it that much more fascinating.

 

2001 - a film ahead of it's time; perfect match of vision and music.
Dr Strangelove - very much a vehicle for Peter Sellers; the comedy still holds up well.
A Clockwork Orange - who else of the day would have tackled this one, and succeeded?
Barry Lyndon - a cinematographers delight. Kubrick used some amazingly fast Zeiss lenses for the candle lit scenes to create the look of a Rembrandt.

 

I was really impressed by the 5.1 remixes that Warners did on "Clockwork", "Barry Lyndon", The Shining", & "Full Metal Jacket". Its hard to believe those films were released in Mono.