The only real truth about Kubrick...

[AnubisGOJ]

Throughout the scope of his films and the multitude of viewers, the only thing that can be gleamed is how polarized the audience is over each and every one.
  Kubrick was a master on many levels, and I must admit that even I do not enjoy all of the films he has made. However I can see in even those that I do not, that they were multi-faceted- enjoyable on multiple levels.

  Many conventional movie-goes just "don't get" Kubrick's films. They percieve them as too slow, or nonsensical . Unfortunately, even professional reviewers tend to get bogged down in them.

  For me, the element that made Kubrick great was his pacing. The timing of most scenes have been tweaked for maximum impact. For example: Eyes Wide Shut- When Cruise's character speaks with his friend, the party-host- The timing was so flawless that something would be said... and right as you mind digests the revelation of what was spoken, the other character would start and twist the information a little bit more. The whole scene would twist and twist in a verbal duel that very much engaged me as a silent debater.

  I consider AI for the most part a Kubrick film, for the majority of it shares a layer of complexity that his films enjoy. These are the little snags in the story that pick at your brain, and inspire debate with your friends afterwards... It's interesting the note that the only truly human character was the robotic Jigolo Joe, and that of all the characters- he was the only one with a sense of reality. Like many of the films, there are debatable topics... such as Eyes Wide Shut: Was his wife at the orgy/party. A direct response would be no... but enough questions keep popping up.

Full Metal Jacket is the most anethema of all of the Kubrick pieces. I too view it as two separate films, and consider the first half a draining experience. The second is more or less a spiral of things that are out of control. In this one, I see the sniper as a pivotal character. Of everyone there, she's the only one who seems to be fighting the war. They kill her so they can get on with the pretext of "going to war".

It takes a masterful director to hit so many genres and yet hardly falter.

[Pubrick]

totally.

welcome, btw.

[Duck Sauce]

Full Metal Jacket is the most anethema of all of the Kubrick pieces. I too view it as two separate films, and consider the first half a draining experience. The second is more or less a spiral of things that are out of control. In this one, I see the sniper as a pivotal character. Of everyone there, she's the only one who seems to be fighting the war. They kill her so they can get on with the pretext of "going to war".

Youll love this thread

http://xixax.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=291


very nice first post though, Welcome.

[bonanzataz]

So as not to start a new thread, I'll just add to this one.

Does anybody else feel like Kubrick was a great comedy director? IAnd I'm not just talking about the obvious one (Dr. Strangelove). All of his films feel like comedies to me. They all make me laugh really hard. Lolita is fucking hilarious, I couldn't stop laughing. Clockwork Orange kills me. The Shining... watching Jack descend into madness is just great. His exchanges with Shelley Duvall are priceless.

Shelley (happy as a clam): The weather forecast said it's gonna snow tomorrow, hun!
Pause...
Jack (irritated as all hell): What do you want me to do about it?

Ha! Eyes Wide Shut is one of my favorites, just for the absurdity. Even Nicole Kidman on the Eyes Wide Shut DVD is talking about how she loves laughing at the bedroom scene, she thinks Kubrick has such a great sense of humor.

I think that people revere Kubrick so much just because he's supposedly the "greatest director ever." People take his movies way too seriously, and that's why EWS was so confusing to people. They just didn't get the point. I get such pleasure from his movies because you laugh at the oddest places. I love those little idiosyncrasies in EWS, like the very beginning where Kidman is taking a piss and wipes her crotch. I don't know why, but it makes me laugh, feeling like this voyeurist that gets to see Nicole Kidman wipe her crotch and casually discuss stupid shit with Tom Cruise as she does it. When I watch 2001, I can't just sit back and enjoy the greatness, I get so wrapped up in it. I get the same rush out of 2001 as I get from xXx (and I KNOW some of you take that statement as blasphemy but let me explain). Both movies have such excitement. When Dave is in the pod without his helmet and HAL won't open the pod bay doors, I'm just sitting on the couch going "Oh shit, Dave, how you gonna get out of this one?!" just like when Vin Diesel is about to get killed by an avalanche and I'm like "Damn, Xander, you're totally fucked!"

Where Kubrick FAR surpasses your standard comedy or action flick is how he balances out the funny and the creepy in this indescribable way where you're not sure if it's funny or if it's creepy, and in the underlying story that's not so easily spelled out. 2001 isn't just a movie for idiots like me to point at the screen and laugh. It's so grand and big, and questions the existence of man and blah blah, you can figure it out for yourselves. EWS isn't a movie for conventional audiences because...what the hell is it? Why do we care that Tom Cruise went to an orgy and is conflicted about it. Is that the only thing that happened? No, obviously. I feel like it's a study of marriage, and how fucked up people are. I could go on and on with my interpretations of Kubrick movies, but I'm not going to. I think you get the point.

Kubrick was a great director, but I feel like people nowadays watch his movies to be cutting edge. He is one of my favorite directors, but I don't watch a Kubrick movie trying to get into the mindset of, "Here comes the heaviest movie you'll ever see." I'm not afraid to say I laugh at parts of his movies that other people try to take so seriously. I'm not saying I'm right and everybody else is wrong. Hell, for all I know, Kubrick thought EWS was a groundbreaking cinematic masterpiece...certainly nothing to be scoffed about! But it gives me pleasure to laugh at the wacky things he throws in his movies, regardless of intention.

[Cecil]

yes, people dont get that theres alot of humour and, mostly, alot of satire in his movies.

im not afraid to laugh during any of his films if i feel the need to. but i never restrain from laughing during anything that i find funny (that maybe isnt supposed to) in any film.

[Keener]

I totally laughed during A Clockwork Orange, The Shining and Full Metal Jacket. Then again, I have a very dark sense of humour.

[Cecil]

I totally laughed during A Clockwork Orange, The Shining and Full Metal Jacket. Then again, I have a very dark sense of humour.

cool

[Gold Trumpet]

I certainly understand the identification of comedy in A Clockwork Orange, Dr. Strangelove, and Full Metal Jacket, given how they do exist as satirical films. I don't understand the comedy though found in The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut, since they really are not satirical films at all. Their structures and feeling more match the gradual pulling of the viewer into a world that keeps on going further into a world of horror and strange beauty, that most resembles movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Barry Lyndon. The most identiable thing about those movies is the blandness that the movie starts out with in not trying to excite, but to draw in gradually like a novel would.

~rougerum

[Tiff]

lolita, people. lolita.  

[USTopGun47]

Kubrick truly is able to weave so much craft into his films.  Like Shakespeare with Romeo and Juliet - many of his films like The Shining can be great from both POV's - tragedy or comedy.  What a genius though to highlight so many different styles and trump them all.  All hail.

[AlguienEstolamiPantalones]

i think tarantino should of done like kubrick and stayed away from the cool crowd.

i heard kubrick was a weirdo in real life and since he was so distant from the public , his weirdness was seen as enigmatic

where as poor qt, when he does weird things it becomes fodder for tabloids

this i will say i remember laughing a lot when qt got arrested for getting into a fight over the fact that wesley snipes is so dark

only he could find himself getting into this kind of situtation

i have to think the only things he likes to talk about are movies and other pop culture shit

i can not see him talking about real human issues

[USTopGun47]

very true.  kubrick's strange esoteric ecentricness is viewed as very artistic and brilliant.  though so many artists are like that.  weird guy socially, so much in his head.  good demonstration on the shining documentary.

[AlguienEstolamiPantalones]

very true.  kubrick's strange esoteric ecentricness is viewed as very artistic and brilliant.  though so many artists are like that.  weird guy socially, so much in his head.  good demonstration on the shining documentary.

yeah thats how i see it, socially weird.

lots of great people are, and qt is very socially weird

so was stanley kubrick, but he did the right thing

[EL__SCORCHO]

I heard Kubrick's an asshole who doesn't pay well. During The Killing when he wasn't famous his crew worked for practically nothing and when he made money off the film he didnt give them anything. cheap bastard.

[Cecil]

I heard Kubrick's an asshole who doesn't pay well.

yes, thats what his ennemies would WANT you to believe