The Shining (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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Movie Reviews of The Shining (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Movie Review: An Epic, 'Thinking-Mans' Horror Film
Summary: 5 Stars
When asked to summarize 'The Shining' in few words, I always respond with, "It's the greatest movie about writers block ever filmed".
Stanley Kubrick's film is much more psychological than gory or shocking(although it has its a fair share of blood), a fact of which is mostly due to an ambiguous quality propelling both the story and the visuals. The film is even more mysterious than the novel, which itself is fairly clear about the big W's (who, what, where, etc). This is why I find the film version superior to the book, because it leaves more room for interpretation and discussion.
Not to mention the acting and the music. You would think that watching three actors rotting in an old hotel for three hours would be boring but it's quite the opposite. Jack Nicholson is wild here, you can tell from the instant you see him, there's something going on in him that's not quite right. And Shelley Duvall is perfect as the shy and loving wife who feels scorned by her husband and confused by her child. The music, a strange mix of synthesizers and Ligeti's compositions, sets the feel instantly, creating a dread and suspense uncommon in most other horror schlock.
It would be fair to say that 'The Shining' is, if not the best, one of the greatest gothic horror films ever produced. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: Quite possibly the best film ever made
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember when I first saw the trailer for this movie in the fall of 1980, and I was only 12 at the time, and I was so horrified with the heavy handed horror on this film. I even went as far as to saying "The Shining Stinks" to my classmates. I finally watched it on television in 1986, and I was 19 at the time, and I still had to turn on all the lights in the house as it still gave me the willies. This was however, a teriffic story about a man and his family staying in a hotel high up in the Rockies. The hotel is supposedly haunted, and the man begins his own descent into madness. This film is soooo good you can use it for a Sunday School lesson in which you talk about the young rich ruler who goes to Jesus, and asks what he could do to enter Heaven, and Jesus finally tells him to sell his possessions, and follow him, and the ruler goes away because he didn't want to part with his possessions. You can also use this as a Marriage Counselling tool as there was evidently alot of failure to communicate with the man and his wife. I can see a whole mess of things that this film depicts with the man and his wife. There is however, one flaw where the man fully descends into madness, and tries to murder his family with an ax, and chases his son into a hedge maze, and the wife is running through the hotel, and alot of people become alive, and creatures, or humans wearing animal costumes, and so forth. I still don't know what this was all about, but Kubrick does a good job of balancing those scenes with the chase scenes through the maze. I feel that this is quite possibly the best film ever made. I know the AFA lists "Citizen Kane" as the best film ever, but I know this is my all time favorite movie. Movie Review: CLASSIC
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm woefully underqualified to review a master classic movie like this. I watched it for the first time in 2008, and it is not dated in the least. It managed to scare, thrill and keep me glued to the screen. Excellent story, characters, scenery, just about everything. A classic horror film.Movie Review: The Shining - a genuine classic
Summary: 5 Stars
The Shining strikes me as one of only three Stephen King adaptations that are completely successful, the others being Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption. Unlike that other film, The Shining was from the start in for a substantial makeover, in this case by Stanley Kubrick and his co-screenwriter Diane Johnson. For this reason, the film has never really pleased many fans of the original book who believe that films must be faithfully and accurately transcribed to screen in order to be considered a successful adaptation.
Watching The Shining today, what strikes me are the incredibly elegant sets, the almost complete lack of special effects (one trick shot of the hedge maze notwithstanding), the stunning cinematography and the tricky tone the film manages to maintain between horror film, domestic drama and very black comedy. There are scenes in the film that never fail to make me laugh and others that give one the appropriate creepy frisson expected of a horror film.
The film takes a distinctly more psychological approach than the novel. While the hotel does appear to be truly haunted in the film (Danny sees ghosts, Jack appears in the portrait in the final shot, etc.), it's also possible to read all of the scenes between Jack and Lloyd (the bartendner) or the Grady (the former caretaker) as the delusions of an alcoholic having a breakdown. Certainly, the subtext is at the very least made quite clear. Oddly, the one scene in the film that I recall making clear beyond question that the supernatural is at work (when the ghost of Grady opens the storage locker door to release Jack) is actually more ambivalent than I remembered. Jack speaks to Grady through the door and we simply hear the door being unlocked while the camera remains on Jack's face...the next time we see him he is hacking away at the bedroom door with an Axe. Perhaps he used the axe to bust open the locker door himself? In any event, Nicholson is great in the film, perhaps his finest hour along with One Flew Over the Cuckoos Next.
I can't wait to visit The Overloook Hotel in Blu-Ray...
Movie Review: Stanley Kubrick's The Shining "shines" on Blu-ray Disc!!! Great job Warner Bros!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Finally available in the anamorphic widescreen format in sparkling Blu Ray!!! The picture is crisp and smooth almost 3-D!!! The same goes for the sound,simply amazing!!! It looks and sounds even better than the 2001 remastered DVD which looked incredible as well,but this one is even better in every way!!! There are a 3 new featurettes and the classic Making Of The Shining documentary(this was included on the original DVD's as well!) that was direced by Kubricks daughter Vivian(there is also a optional audio commentary by her as well,actually her commentary is much more enjoyable than the new feature commentary included with this new release!!!) The classic "blood from the elevator" teaser trailer is also included!!! A very recomended Blu Ray Disc!!! A Clockwork Orange is also another great Blu-Ray from Warner!!!,Blu's of 2001 and Full Metal Jacket are next on my wish list!!! Lets hope that other Kubrick classics Dr. Strangelove,Paths Of Glory,The Killing,Sparticus(it did get a HD DVD release no Blu,that was a real bummer!),etc will get the royal "Blu" treatment!!! A+