1122. Eyes Wide Shut

Eyes Wide Shut
1999
Directed by Stanley Kubrick

This entry marks a milestone for me, as there are currently 1222 movies on the List across all editions. Of course, the new edition is apparently coming out soon (the rumor is October 22) so that number will be getting bumped up shortly. But for now, only 100 to go!

This is one of three movies Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise did together where we have to pretend they're roughly the same height. We actually had to watch Far and Away in my high school history class, because I guess teenagers need to be exposed to bad movie accents as early as possible. I definitely agree with the Listmakers that this is the only noteworthy film of the bunch, which is a shame, because they do have good chemistry.

Dr. Bill Harford and his wife Alice attend a Christmas party together in New York City. Two women attempt to seduce Bill, and an old Hungarian tries to seduce Alice. Some time after the party, they discuss fidelity in their marriage. In short, Bill thinks it's in a woman's nature to be faithful and not think about sex very much. Alice corrects him ("if you men only knew...") and explains she contemplated leaving him and their daughter for a naval officer she spotted on vacation, even if he only wanted her for one night. This prompts Bill to explore his own sexuality more, by visiting a prostitute and attending orgies (give a man an inch...).

I chose this one as a Halloween watch because it is a deeply unsettling movie, and not just because Tom Cruise is a member of a dangerous cult. It's almost like Kubrick was elaborating on that one bizarre scene in The Shining, where the man in the dog costume is pleasuring a guy in a tuxedo. 

Visually, it was a very striking movie that never quite delivered on what the growing tension promised. Maybe that was the point, to transfer the frustration of unfulfilled temptation from its characters to its audience. In this way, it succeeded.

Perhaps not the masterpiece of his career, but still a worthy finale. Don't know if it was worth Cruise giving himself an ulcer over, but good nonetheless.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Stanley Kubrick died just four days after presenting the final cut to Warner Bros.

Due to Kubrick's fear of flying, the entire film was shot in England.

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise spent such a long time in England filming this that their children developed British accents.

762. Full Metal Jacket

Full Metal Jacket
1987
Directed by Stanley Kubrick

I was warming up to Kubrick after Barry Lyndon and The Shining, but he has displeased me once more with this.  If he was still here, I am sure that would greatly upset him.  Anyway let's talk about Platoon 2.  I mean, Full Metal Jacket.

During the Vietnam War, a group of new Marine recruits begin their training.  Our narrator is James "Joker" Davis, who wears a peace sign on his uniform and writes "Born to Kill" on his helmet.   But those are two separate things???  Who is this man???  We are never going to figure out such brilliance so we better just move on.  Anyway, their drill instructor is a horrifying man and after several traumatizing experiences, they are sent to Vietnam.

I thought this was very much your typical Vietnam movie, which was very disappointing.  Even when I don't like him, Kubrick usually brings something new to the table and really, how was this that different from Platoon?  I also hate this genre to begin with but perhaps if you are a fan, you wouldn't mind the rehashing.

This is Kubrick's last movie in The Book and I am quite sorry we ended on such a sour note.  We were star crossed lovers from the start, as I was never going to like a Vietnam War movie anyway.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Anthony Michael Hall was originally going to play Private Joker but couldn't agree with Kubrick on a salary.

662. The Shining

The Shining
1980
Directed by Stanley Kubrick

It's strange after writing about so many films that no one has heard of to now be writing about major blockbusters.  It is probably more fun for readers who are not dedicated List followers, but it is a bit hard to find something new to say about these movies.

Has anyone not seen this?  I know my aunt won't let my cousin watch it because she gets too scared.  My cousin is now 30, but I guess that doesn't change anything.  Jack Torrance takes his family with him to be the winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel in hopes that the isolation will get rid of his writer's block.  His son (who is absolutely adorable and not obnoxious; a hard feat for kids in horror films) is the first to notice that they might not be alone in the hotel.

I read the Stephen King novel and I think this is one of the few cases where the movie is better than the book.  It was a while ago, but I remember thinking it was rather cheesy how King expected us to be scared of the actual hotel (like the walls and the radiator).  In the movie, the horrors are a lot more chilling.  We have Jack Nicholson slowly losing his mind and becoming increasingly abusive to his wife and child, and there is nothing supernatural about that.  I think his performance scared me more than the ghosts, excepting maybe the twin girls.  Twin girls should not be allowed to wear matching outfits.  Period.

Definitely one of the best horror films of all time and one of the reasons that I continue to like Kubrick, despite everything he has done to me.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Kubrick was very protective of child actor Danny Lloyd, and made him believe he was shooting a drama film.  You're all right, Stan.

Shelley Duvall was pushed to near hysteria by Stanley Kubrick in order to get her best performance.  She suffered from exhaustion and hair loss.

The color red is in every shot in the film.

596. Barry Lyndon

Barry Lyndon
1975
Directed by Stanley Kubrick

If you are a frequent reader of my book blog, you'll know that I delight in eighteenth and nineteenth century novels, particularly anything from Thackeray.  If you don't have a weird fascination with three hundred year old books, I can easily see you finding this film as dull as 2001.  Thankfully, I enjoyed this and it might go down as my favorite Kubrick.

This film is over three hours long and the action rarely slows down, so it is a bit hard to write a good plot summary.  The story follows Barry Lyndon, a rather selfish "rogue" who desires a noble title and money.  He employs about every strategy you can think of to obtain what he wants, from marrying into money to gambling to identity theft.  He is extremely unlikable but then again, Thackeray wasn't exactly known for his noble heroes.

This movie is beautifully done: the costumes, the sets, and the actors are all absolutely perfect.  Like I said, I can see some people getting bored just because of the sheer length.  However, something exciting is always happening and I didn't feel like there was any dead time.  Definitely worth its place in this Book.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Filming was moved to England after Stanley Kubrick learned that he had made the IRA's hit list by directing a film with English soldiers in Ireland.

Based upon the life of Andrew Robinson Stoney.

525. A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange
1971
Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Pictured above is the device that was needed to make me sit through this film.  I promise there will come a time when I like a Stanley Kubrick film, but this isn't it.  In fact, this is one of my least favorite movies of all time. Please be gentle in the comment section.  I have a family!

All right, let's get this over with.  Alex and his "droogs" get high off of milk, presumably milk that is laced with drugs or maybe they just go really crazy for milk.  Anyway, they engage in "ultra-violence" which includes crippling a man for life and raping a woman in front of her husband.  Blah, blah, blah, Beethoven music.  Alex is sent to prison and volunteers to do an experimental procedure to cure him of his violence in exchange for a shorter sentence. Blah, blah, blah is safety better than free will?  Wasn't that a mature and sophisticated synopsis?

I think I have mentioned before how any rape scene in a film completely ruins the movie for me.  It is extremely upsetting for me to watch, I have nightmares for days afterward, and I can't stop thinking about it.  I am not sure what exactly I want done about it.  On the one hand, a crime that is so traumatic and prevalent in society can't just be completely ignored in film.  On the other hand, if it is being used for shock value or, in this case, portrayed in a disgustingly silly way, shouldn't we eliminate it altogether?

I am all for having an anti-hero, but surely the filmmakers can't expect us to mourn Alex's loss of free will?  However, that is what it felt like at the end.  I wish he had been strapped in that chair longer.  They should have forced him to watch W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism.  Or this film.  That's true punishment.

RATING: *----

Interesting Facts:

Stanley Kubrick added the snake to the movie because Malcolm McDowell was afraid of reptiles.  This guy had some serious issues.

Gene Kelly was extremely upset about how the song "Singin' in the Rain" was used in the film.  Don't blame him one bit.

Several copycat crimes were committed in the UK after this was released.  It was then withdrawn.  Dear lord.

Malcolm McDowell's corneas were scratched several times during filming.

488. 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey
1968
Directed by Stanley Kubrick

So since we warmed up with a nice dull Bergman film for the last entry, why don't we tackle the epitome of boring films: 2001: A Space Odyssey?  Don't worry, there is another Bergman after this that we can use as a cool down.

In the history of uninteresting movies, this one might have the most promising beginning.  The opening scene is so iconic that it should be the one scene you don't fast forward through. The 140+ minute film centers on a manned expedition that is slowly derailed by the spaceship's unbalanced computer named HAL.

I feel like the concept of a computer becoming dangerous has the potential to be a mediocre sci fi film.  However, that is not the direction Kubrick takes with it so it is simply a terrible and pretentious horror.  I am not referring to the horror genre here; I am referring to what I felt every time I would glance at the screen.

Some people, of course, think this is a masterpiece and I can see where they are coming from (most likely a very high horse).  Cinematically, it is quite beautiful.  But honestly, I am more of a story person.  And less of a no compelling story at all person.

Blah.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

241 people walked out of one of the first screenings.

There is 24 minutes of footage before there is any dialogue in the film.

Trailer:

421. Dr. Strangelove

Dr. Strangelove
1964
Directed by Stanley Kubrick

That was...odd to say the least.  A comedy about the US Air Force killing everyone in the world.  And Peter Sellers plays multiple roles for some reason?  Okay...

So I will start by saying this film really is not my cup of tea.  For some strange reason I find all Kubrick films incredibly dull.  I think it is because the first one I saw, A Clockwork Orange, had a rape scene in it and I kind of shut down and hated the rest of the movie.  The next one I saw, 2001: A Space Odyssey, was so boring that I am pretty sure I listened to music during the film.  After all that, I just can't seem to find any of his movie entertaining.  I also don't really like war movies in general.  So when I say I didn't like this film, that does not mean that you shouldn't see it (because I know everyone takes my words to heart and blindly follows them).  It just means it is not for everybody and it is certainly not for me.

General Ripper, who for some reason seems to be losing his mind, orders the US to attack the Soviet Union with B-52 bombers for no reason in particular.  Ripper is the only one that knows the recall codes.  Hilarity ensues.

This was an interesting satire about Cold War paranoia but I felt Kubrick inserted a lot of stupid, mindless jokes in the mix (Strangelove's hand for instance) to appeal to wider audiences.  So it misses the mark of being a smart comedy by a bit.

Overall, I am never going to be a Kubrick lover so if you are you might just want to skip these reviews.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Sellers improvised most of his lines.

Gene Siskel's favorite movie

Trailer:

390. Lolita

Lolita
1962
Directed by Stanley Kubrik

I saw this film awhile ago when I was going through my Maybe-I-Should-Give-Stanley-Kubrik-A-Chance-And-Not-Just-Write-Him-Off-As-The-Most-Boring-Director-Known-To-Man phase.  And while I didn't hate this film, it is certainly not a favorite.

This story is based off of everyone's (especially the Russians) favorite premise: older man falls in love with a really young girl.  One of my all time favorite movies, American Beauty, is also based on this story, although Sam Mendes does it a lot better than Kubrick.  However, that is a story for a different time.

The movie's tagline is "how did they ever make a movie out of Lolita?"  Well, they did it, just not very well.  Now, this isn't necessarily anyone's fault; the censors were so strict that they couldn't even really suggest a sexual relationship between Lolita and Humbert.  But that fact is without those clues, I had a hard time figuring out what was going on.  It seemed to me that Humbert just acted as a father to her, albeit while he repressed his sexual desire for her.  But did he suppress it?  Who knows.

So maybe Kubrick's hands were tied when it came to telling their story.  But there are ways around the censors.  Do we all remember the end of The Thin Man?

Add to the fact that this was supposed to be a dark comedy and I didn't find any of it remotely funny and we have a film that I did not enjoy in the slightest.  I do love me some James Mason, though.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

800 girls auditioned for the role of Lolita.

Sue Lyon was chosen for the role mostly because she had large breasts.

Cary Grant was offered the role of Humbert Humbert first.

Trailer:

367. Spartacus

Spartacus
1960
Directed by Stanley Kubrick

It is currently 11:37 at night and my eyes are beginning to close.  Still, I want to crank the is one out before I go to sleep.  Also, I am watching Scream for probably the tenth time and the body count is not high enough yet to call it a night.

We have had quite a lot of cheesy sandal and sand epics that have been annoyingly pious and about two hours too long.  However, this is quite a nice change from that and we actually get an enjoyable, non preachy film.  Hurray!

Spartacus is a slave who, because of his insolence, is sentenced to be a gladiator. He becomes a leader and a symbol of hope for the other slaves and is just overall a stand up guy.

Obviously, this film isn't just about a slave rebellion in ancient Rome, but applies to any rich vs. poor scenario, with the good guys always being the poor guys.

I have never been a huge Douglas or Kubrick fan (I will never forgive him for making me sit through 2001: A Space Odyssey) but this a great film and far surpasses the epics we have seen before.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Kirk Douglas clashed with both Anthony Mann (the original director) and Stanley Kubrick.

#5 in AFI's top 10 epic films.

One of the main reasons Kirk Douglas did this film was to show up Ben Hur.  Mission accomplished.

No, I'm Spartacus!

327. Paths of Glory

Paths of Glory
1957
Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Here we go with the Stanley Kubrick movies, which we will not be done with until the late eighties.  Kubrick is sometimes extremely enjoyable and at other times, pretentious and boring. I definitely flip flop on my opinion for this man and hopefully, by the end of this journey, after seeing his movies in order, I will be able to form a more definite opinion.  For now, though, we just have Paths of Glory to deal with.

The last movie I watched was a sappy romance and now we have a war film.  Talk about movies that I just cannot get into.  Maybe next time there will be a sports biography!

I should really like this movie.  It certainly sounds interesting enough.  Kirk Douglas stars as Colonel Dax, who attempts to defend his men in court after they refuse to take part in a suicide attack.

Let's start with what I liked.  First of all, I am extremely sick of the "war is bad" theme.  Yes, we are all aware of that.  However, this film chooses to specifically attack military courts, which is a lot more compelling and thought provoking.  Also, props have to go to both the actors and the cinematographer.

Despite all of this, I still was bored.  I couldn't help it; I was just waiting for the film to end.  On paper, this film is fantastic.  I will probably try it again soon; maybe I just wasn't in the right mood.  So I would still recommend this movie, but it just isn't my cup of tea.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Banned in France and Switzerland.

Churchill claimed that this movie was quite accurate when it came to trench warfare and military courts.

John McCain's favorite war film.