Rating: 
Summary: Even if you own the first release of the collection, buy it
Review: I was ambivalent about buying this one. I had already plunked down more than a ... on the first release of the collection, then systematically rounded it out with the other films that were available (Killer's Kiss, The Killing, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, and Eyes Wide Shut). I was not sure if it was really worth shelling out MORE money just to get brighter colors and stereo sound. But it was. It was worth every penny. For the following reasons:1) You really have to SEE the added quality of films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Barry Lyndon to believe it. Every film was digitally re-mastered. It really is like someone wiped years of grime off of them. 2) Making the Shining, daughter Vivian Kubrick’s documentary about the making of her dad’s 1980 horror opus, has been cleaned up, too, and now sports a disarmingly sweet commentary by her. 3) The Dr. Strangelove disc, is, indeed, the newer “Special Edition” version that includes some wonderful extras (documentary and interview material). 4) The controversial Dolby 5.1 remixes were planned by Kubrick, anyway, according to his assistant Leon Vitali, who personally supervised the creation of the new sound tracks from the original elements. Like Kubrick's original mono tracks, they have clarity and excellent balance. But now they also have great fidelity, and - amazingly - DEPTH. For the first time, you can really find yourself (at least aurally) INSIDE A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket. 5) The included documentary, Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, is no slapdash "extra feature" tossed in strictly for marketing. It is a feature-length (142-minute!) tribute to the late master by his friends, family, and admirers (including Martin Scorsese, Stephen Spielberg, and Woody Allen). Kubrick's widow, his daughters, and many of his closest collaborators share their thoughts. No tabloid stuff, here. It's all handled with remarkable taste and respect. It has also forced me to rethink a lot of what I thought I knew about the man, and underscored how priceless Stanley Kubrick really was. If you are fan, spend the money. You will not regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: The term "pan and scan" does not apply here!
Review: After reading the umpteenth observation concerning the letterboxing, or lack of letterboxing on some of the movies included in the "Stanley Kubrick Collection", I am compelled to point out for the umpteenth time that the term "pan and scan" does not apply here! The films "The Shining", "Full Metal Jacket", and "Eyes Wide Shut" were each filmed with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (actually 1.37:1) and then masked to a ratio of 1.85:1 for theatrical presentation. For these DVD's the image was simply not masked at the top and bottom. Nothing you saw in the theater is missing! Areas of the image you were never intended to see, however, are visible, which is why (for example) you can see the tips of helicopter blades at the top of the screen in the shots following the Volkswagen through the mountains at the beginning of "The Shining". The image from side to side is all there, nothing is missing!
Rating:
Summary: One of the finest collections of film
Review: In his hardly prolific career, Stanley Kubrick spanned the sum of the Human Condition, created some of the most stirring and shocking sights in all of film, at the same time creating a new genre: the movie philosophical treatise. At once viscerally and intellectually satisfying, Kubrick is widely regarded as the greatest director ever, and his most important work is collected here. The only notable omission is Paths of Glory, which really ought to be included. If you've seen the films, you can testify to their value. If you have, though, you probably don't need to read this review. This review is written for the movie fan who never got into Kubrick, or just saw maybe one or two of his movies, and might be wondering what the mystique is all about. Allow me to illuminate you. The set includes eight films and a documentary about the life and work, etc. The first movie is Lolita, of course, based on the Nabokov novel. This is a movie based on a very symbolic and abstract book where the love story was really an afterthought, in my mind. Kubrick brings it front and center here, making it a more timeless and universal story, and the acting is immaculate. James Mason plays the character of Humbert brilliantly, hapless and completely under the spell of the titular character. Peter Sellers is brilliant here as well as in the next film in the set, Dr. Strangelove. One of the funniest movies ever made, for my money, Strangelove revolves around the demented General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden, brilliant) ordering a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Insightful comic masterpiece, my favorite parts are Hayden's long monologues to Sellers, he totally sells the insanity. 2001 is perhaps the most philosophical of the entire set, a movie in which Man's past, present and future are explored in a completely novel unconventional way. The wonder of space travel is juxtaposed with the fear of machinery failing us, even more symbolically, the machinery of society failing us. A Clockwork Orange is next off, a darkly comic look at some very pondrous issues, such as free will, crime, and civil liberties, not to mention the intrinsic nature of man. Gritty, depressing, and completely compelling, this crime story is tricky because you actually end up rooting for the punk (Malcolm McDowell) when the police rough him up. Next, off to Barry Lyndon, a very cynical swashbuckling adventure starring Ryan O'Neal as the titular character, a low-born Irishman who manages to rise to the top of Victorian London's social arena, then fall back down. This is perhaps the least-seen volume of this collection, as well as probably the most emotional. The Shining was a movie I didn't like the first time I saw, but subsequent viewings have won me over. Jack Nicholson is excellent as usual as a crazy man who tries to kill his family while snowed in in Colorado. Maybe the most pop-culture assimilated of the movies, this one uses unconventional scare tactics to frighten, from psychological to visceral, and we once again see the machinery fall apart, this time the familial machinery (one of Kubrick's recurring themes). Full Metal Jacket is probably the weakest of the movies, partially because it doesn't decide if it wants to be about boot camp or Vietnam combat. It tries to do both, and this is, in my mind, Kubrick's greatest miscalculation. It does feature some great drill instructor moments from R. Lee Ermey. The last feature is Eyes Wide Shut, which failed to live up to the hype it generated, although it made some interesting points about trust and sex in modern relationships, and ended in a surprisingly optimistic tone. In short, the movies range in setting widely, from the 18th century to the present day, and from Earth to Beyond the Infinite, but a consistent philosophy and filmmaking style belies them all. Highly recommended for any fellow "students of life."
Rating:
Summary: The Definitive Kubrick Collection
Review: Two years ago when I purchased the original Kubrick Collection, I was very disappointed with the washed out prints and lack of features. This new set, however, goes through great lengths (though not as far as possible) to correct past misdeeds. The masters films have been given the full hi-definition treatment under the supervision of Kubrick assistant Leon Vitale, who has done a fantastic job at establishing Kubrick's future in the HDTV universe. Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut are presented in the full-screen (not pan and scan) ratio of 1:33:1, and Lolita, Barry Lyndon and Clockwork orange are 1:66:1, but sadly still non-anamorphic. This set could've benefited with anamorphic transfers for the 1:66:1 films and a few more extras or the indvidual discs, though I feel that Jan Harlan's documentary "A Life In Pictures" more than compensates for the lack of supplements. All in all, this set receives my highest recommendation, and consider it a must for anyone interested in the work of a great director.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful collection, the way he would have wanted it
Review: When the original Kubrick box set was released, it was a nightmare. Kubrick's classics on DVD looked anywhere from decent to VHS-quality, thanks to the rush job (presumably to capitalize on the great director's death). This rerelease is what Kubrick would have wanted. Every film from the beautiful masterpiece "Lolita" to the misunderstood "Eyes Wide Shut" is presented here, along with a documentary, "Stanley Kubrick: a Life in Pictures," which is fantastic -- a completely absorbing and entertaining history of the director's life and work. Kubrick was not a traditional filmmaker. He shunned Hollywood and retreated to his adopted country of Great Britain in the early sixties, making films entirely on his own terms. His films were feasts for the eyes and spanned every conceivable genre, from comedy ("Dr. Strangelove") to sci-fi ("2001: a Space Odyssey") to period pieces ("Barry Lyndon") to war pictures ("Full Metal Jacket") and everything in between. He was not afraid to experiment and take the actors as far as they could go. The picture quality in this long-overdue reissue is nothing short of stunning. Particularly noteworthy is the "Barry Lyndon" disc. Kubrick's use of natural light in this gorgeous period drama give it a unique beauty never captured in any other film before or since. As extra material goes, the box is pretty sparse (except for the documentary, of course), but you do get the mini-documentary of the making of The Shining, complete with optional commentary. But what counts here are the pictures themselves, which are all, without question, masterpieces. Discover Kubrick's world. Sure, it's a lot of money, but worth every penny. Buy it on a Friday, cancel your weekend plans, and explore the amazing world of these films. This box set is why DVDs were invented.
Rating:
Summary: Great collection
Review: Stanley Kubrick was one of the best filmmakers of all time and this collection gives the movie watcher almost every film made by him. Each film is great to watch and since Stanley Kubrick is one of the best directors of all time, if not the best director of all time, its not a surprise that all of the films included are of a quality. This collection is great and its amazing to see how they modernized the older movies. I would recomend it to any true movie watcher.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm not worthy to rate the movies, but the presentation...
Review: I am not rating the movies--I think few people are remotely qualified to judge this art. What I do rate is the presentation. The snap case DVD's? Come on, Warner Bros/Turner...! I've seen complete tripe given better packaging! I got the set a few months ago (I had the old set, waited for the price to come down on the new set), and was upset that the a few of the DVD's weren't playing correctly. Some of them paused and skipped during the "bonus features" (theatrical trailers, etc), and also skipped several seconds into the beginning of the films. Since I have never previously experienced any problems with my player, I sent the DVD's back for replacement (the seller was most courteous and helpful in this endeavor). So I got a new set. Same problems; different movies. In absolute frustration, I purchased a third set. Ditto. Is there something wrong with the transfers? Has anyone else experienced these problems (the freezing of the picture and sound during the trailers, the skipping ahead 4 or 5 seconds at the beginning of each film)? I find it very jarring to have the first chords of Barry Lyndon suddenly jump out of my speakers; I like it not that the overture to 2001 kicks in, and the pedal steel guitar comes in mid-slide on "Goodbye Darlin', Hello Vietnam" to begin Full Metal Jacket. Films like these surely demand the attention and perfection that went into making them; save the quickie transfers for the Olsen twins movie (but get it out in time for the holidays, right, you Warner weasels???)
Rating:
Summary: Kubrick essential
Review: Most directors today admit that Stanley Kubrick was a key character in cinema.
For instance, Steven Spielberg admitted (in the Eyes Wide Shut DVD interview) that no one in history could direct a movie better than Kubrick, e.g. cinematography, style, perfectionism etc...
A lot of people seem to agree that his movies tend or seem to be odd. The stories (and the way these stories are told) is non conventional, however that doesn't make them uninteresting. Again, according to Spielberg, Kubrick has this device that keeps from stopping his movies, even if you have seen them a million times. I'll just summarize why you the movies in this collection are so great Stanley Kubrick: A life in pictures, is a documentary filmed by his assistant Jan Harlan, a great DVD to have, that makes the collection worth buying. One of the finest biographies around.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing collection
Review: This extraordinary collection cotnains such essential films as 'Full Metal jacket' the original controversial 'Lolita', and the little known 'Barry Lyndon'. Most important is the documentary that comes with this great collection. THis details the life of the mysterious Kubrick, his exile in England and his work on Eyes Wide Shut and AI. Amazing!!! This essential collection has several landmark films. 'Shining' is arguably one of thwe simplest and best horror films ever made, and no one will forget 'Here's Johnny'. 'Barry Lyndon' has been praised for its costumes and portrayal of battle. 'Full Metal Jacket' is one of th best war films on Vietnam. '2001' is one of the most interesting and odd space films ever made with long sequences of song without dialoge. 'Dr, Strangelove' is one of the funniest films of the cold war with a great political commentary too boot. Both 'Lolita' and 'Clockwork Orange' were very controversial when they were released for thier portrayal of rape and sex and pedaphilia. Simply a landmakr collection!!! A must have for the enthusiast. Makes a great gift!
Rating:
Summary: The Master
Review: It is amazing to see all these films represented in such a great way. Kubrick has been recognized with this fantastic DVD collection. These films are essential to anyone at all interested in movies. There will never be another Stanley Kubrick, we will never see another movie that looks like these do. Take my advice, go buy this collection and enjoy the remains of the master.
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