The Shining

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Shining!

Original image located here. Accessed 1st October 2021

Well it's October and, as is tradition, it's my cue to have a month watching horror movies. And for 2021, we're coming out swinging.
This may surprise some people but I have never seen The Shining. Sure I have seen bits and pieces ("Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!") but I have never sat down and watched the whole movie the entire way through. And, as one may gather from this blog, is proof that the honest approach is the best one.

I have previously stated that the best kind of horror movie is the kind that eschews jump scares in favor of mood/atmosphere/a sense of creeping dread. That being said, Kubrick clearly thought same as he does indeed apply the same trick - along with a fear of the unknown (the other greatest tool in the horror filmmaker's possession). But at the same time, he throws in long takes, rapid zooms and a traumatized cast. These may sound like some odd methods but they work wonders (although the last one may be debatable). As such, it is startling how effective one turn around a corner can have freaky effects.
I will certainly say this is more effective on technical level than it functions as a horror movie. Is that what Kubrick was going for? Was he intent on reinventing the horror movie? Maybe he was, giving the number of movies since that take the atmospheric approach.

A Clockwork Orange

And this week's Friday night movie has been... A Clockwork Orange!

Original image located here. Accessed 9th September 2020

This may surprise a number of you readers but I have never seen this movie. Sure I have seen parts of it but I have never seen it all the way through - and not doing so seems dishonest to this serial and myself as a cinema geek. Ironic that this particular movie has a reputation as being one of the most difficult to get through.
Furthermore, this is another case of a movie being so well known that it's reputation precedes it (seems it's something of a touchstone for both film snobs and the anti-sociable). And I have always been suspicious of such proprieties: How can you judge a work on your own terms when it has a weight of a reputation so large that it can't hope to live up to such expectations? (Yes Firefly, I am looking at you).
Finally, there is the issue of shock tactics. For me, the greatest enemy of shock tactics isn't the straight-laced complainers who protest them -- No, it's the march of time. Because the march of time brings copycats who will either replicate the same approach (to some extent) or try to surpass the original to the point where the original looks toothless.
With such factors in mind (whether we like it or not), how do we assess A Clockwork Orange?

In all honesty, i have seen worse.
It may be a bold claim but i this lifetime, I have seen countless movies, a lot of anime, many a music video on rage and a whole lotta weird stuff on SBS.
So yeah, I've see things.

But given the passage of time, I have to admit that there is still some bite in this movie. The art design is extraordinary, the vision of the future is both bleak and plausible, the satire hits with precision and the movie still looks relevant nearly half a century later.
It may be easy to slam Stanley Kubrick for being self-indulgent (seriously how much phallic imagery can you cram into one movie?) but it certainly stands head and shoulders above it's followers. Amusing one moment and downright disturbing the next, this isn't the type of movie I see myself revisiting but at least i can say that I've seen it.
Also, the sci-fi nerd in me finds it funny to see David Prowse in this movie.

The Killing

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Killing!

Original image located here. Accessed 27th January 2017

I have been asked how I choose the movies to watch on a Friday night. In this case, it was down to two reasons.

The first reason it was an early film by Stanley Kubrick - someone whose work i have held an interest in for a long time. And in the sense that each of his films is a separate entity onto itself, The Killing shows Kubrick to handle a crime movie pretty well. Sure it may be dated (it was made in 1955 after all) and I'm not sure about the use of the narrator, but the movie had enough clout to maintain my attention and have me see it through to the end.

The second reason are the alleged similarities between this and Reservoir Dogs. Although Quentin Tarantino has credited the Killing as an influence and dismissed claims of trying to do a rip-off, it did not stop similarities arising - even to the point where some TV channel in the UK showed both movies back to back. Personally i don't see the similarities beyond the basic plot of 'a bunch of guys pull off a heist and it goes wrong'. I think what separates both films is the Killing is BEFORE the heist and Reservoir Dogs is AFTER the heist.
So yeah, I enjoyed the Killing a lot because it had my attention - which is what a movie should do.

Barry Lyndon

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Barry Lyndon!

 Original image located here. Accessed 11th November 2016

I have to say, this movie was a surprise. I'd heard beforehand about how the movie involved a lot of natural lighting - notably the use of candles in certain indoor scenes - but nothing could prepare just how visually beautiful this film was. The art direction (the art direction!!!), the attention to detail and how true to the time period this movie was blew me away. So much so, I found myself caring less for the drama that was unfolding before me. But that's not to say i found it dull - the final duel scene in particular being a stand out.

All in all, seems we got another winner here

Full Metal Jacket

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Full Metal Jacket!

Original image located here. Accessed 1st August 2014

What can I say? It was an intense movie and one that held my attention all the way through - which is what a movie should do.

Mind you, it is interesting to see Full Metal Jacket when last week I saw Apocalypse Now - whereas the latter left me with mixed feelings, the former has more bite and a lot more R, Lee Emery

That being said, I think I've had my fill of war movies for now - next week will be something fun...