Rating: 
Summary: If I was...
Review: Jack Nicholson in the movie, I would grab the ax and certainly smash Kubrick's camera into pieces for turning one of the best horror books around into a bag of silliness, including hysterical Wendy, lousy Danny and his friend "Tony" (talking to his finger, oh my GOD) and unnecessarily over-the-top-performance for Jack, who seemed to be crazy since the day he was born. Where is the subtle psychological horror the book eminates so much? Where is the disintegration of a family man surrendering to lack of will and alcohol? Where is his failure in pulling things off no matter how much he wants to? Where is the symbolism the hotel represents? No horror, no drama, no story...Sorry guys, this film is praised only by incurable devotees of Stanley Kubrick and unfortunately they must be blind...because they cannot see how much this crap is a total travesty. In its own, as one of the reviewers here said, it may be a nice little horror flick but nothing else...some nice somehow-frightening scenes and nothing more. Sorry, Stanley, you should have left this book alone...I am surprised how on earth you did not name the movie as "MY SHINING" or "SHINING IS MINE".
Rating: 
Summary: VERY, VERY,VERY HAUNTING!!!!
Review: This is one movie that everyone should see.This is Jack Nic at his best.The movie provides that chilling music that keep the chill bumps growing.It really rides high when the Hotel comes alive.Shelly Duvall play olive oil at her best ,she does a fantastic job along with Danny lloyd.It one you must pay close attention to because it quickly takes you through the history of the hotel.The truth behind the Elegant hotel is so haunting from the dead woman to the blood river that comes through the elevater doors.The only problem I had was that the movie abandon the book.In the book King really went to detail to describe that the caretaking job was the last resort to hold there trouble marrige together.It touch basis on how bad Jack had a drinking problem.He also really dug up the overlook past from all the old owner to the murders in room 237.Alot of killing went on in the hotel from the mob to the President.But the movie was still excellent please check it out
Rating:
Summary: The Shining
Review: This was a great movie! I liked it alot. But Wendy is in for a big surpise. Jack goes mental and tried to kill his family with a axe! It was one of the best movies that I have ever seen. I would have to give it a five stars!
Rating:
Summary: the most terrifying film experience
Review: By 1980, we knew that Stanley Kubrick could make movies. He revolutionized the genre with his classics 2001, a clockwork orange, and Barry Lyndon, and The shining is no exception. The first Kubrick I saw, the shining really terrifys. Yet, the movie would not be the same without Jack Nicholson. His face is the most terrifying thing in the entire film. The way we notice his gradual decline into insanity will send shivers through the bones.
The shining has many scenes that will make you jump. Of course The crucial scene (heeres Johnny!) when Jack Torrence breaks his way into Wendy's room is terrifying on all levels. First, Kubrick's camera work is steller. the way the camera follows the axe is unmatched, and truely adds to the terror. Second is the pure fear the graces shelly Duvall's face, and of course third, Jack's imfamous insane grin.
Some may find that The shining is slow, but those who can appreciate the way Kubrick makes movie's, will be enthralled by the set's, the camera movements, and the superb acting. Yet, the ending of the movie could be the most horrible, terrifying thirty minutes in film history, it still sends shutters down my spine.
Kubrick was a Genius, is a Genius, will always be a Genius
Rating:
Summary: "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!"
Review: Everyone has that one horror film that marked them as a kid and "made them afraid to be alone" or "made them never want to look at a TV again" or "made them dread that long, dark hallway." For me, that one horror film was this masterpiece, Stanley Kubrick's "THE SHINING". I clearly remember, when I was 6 years old, it was the classic "dark and stormy night" (making the mood all the more scary) I saw a little more than half of this movie on TV. My mom told me not to watch it, but my dad said I'd be fine. At that time, NO, DAD, I WAS NOT FINE!!!!!!!! I finally had enough common sense, even though I was little, to turn off the TV at one point; I'm pretty sure it was right after the "rotting old lady in bathtub scene". This movie scarred me for literally three years after that! I MEAN IT REALLY TRAUMATIZED ME!!! And my family knew it, too. Whenever we'd go to the video store, my sister would grab a copy off the shelf and hold it to my face and scream loudly and I cried once or twice out of the 900 times she did it. I always thought, "Yeah, you can just shut up, Christina, because you didn't even see the movie!" Just the sight of the cover freaked me out! Oh...that face...that creepy, heart-stopping smile! I was always afraid to be upstairs alone; I was afraid I'd see the two twin ghost girls at the end of my long hallway when I opened my bedroom door and I was afraid for a while to pull back the shower curtain on the bathtub for fear of the undead rotting woman getting out and attacking me. NOW, THAT'S SIGNS OF A GREAT HORROR MOVIE! The movie does what it wants to do, which is scare the hell out of you! Then, one night, I decided to face my fears because I thought my hair was going to start falling out from stress pretty soon! I asked my dad to take me to the video store, I got there, I stared at the cover of the movie for like five minutes, I think I may have even punched it at the end of those five minutes, I moved the box aside and took the rental copy behind it. I remember my dad saying "yeah? You sure you wanna go for it?" I said, "Yes," feeling proud inside. I rented it. I watched it. Now, surprisingly, this is one of my all-time favorite films and i own the DVD. I finally finished the movie and let me tell you, there's far more scary stuff than the hour and twenty minutes I saw! Truly a classic psychological masterpiece of modern horror! Jack Nicholson and the greasy-haired, messy, wide-eyed Shelly Duvall both do great!
Rating: 
Summary: Kubrick & Nicholson are stars in visually horrifying film
Review: The ominous bass chords of Wendy Carlos's keyboards accompany Jack Torrance's white VW Bug going down the highway, with Stanley Kubrick's aerial long shots soaring over lakes, mountains, and the forest. An interview later, he is given a job to look after the Overlook hotel in Colorado during the off-season (October to 1 May). However, as Mr. Ullman, the manager says, "The only thing that can get a bit trying up here during the winter is, uh, a tremendous sense of isolation. ... for some people, solitude and isolation can, of itself become a problem." He then relates the story of Delbert Grady, a former caretaker who went mad and murdered his family before taking his own life. No problem, as Jack finds the seven months perfect to write his book while his wife Wendy and their son Danny can do other things. However, Danny has a talent of recalling past occurrences through Tony, his imaginary friend.The visual imagery is stunning and horrifying. The one etched in my mind is the ocean of blood pouring out of the elevator doors. And the Grady twins have got to be among the creepiest movie children I've seen in years. It's quite a shock to Danny when they appear. But the design of the hotel itself is a visual feast with its decorations, especially the Gold Room. Stanley Kubrick's usual technique of long range camera shots achieving visual symmetry, e.g. hallway shots with Danny driving his Big Wheel as the center, with the rooms to the doors on either side, is ever present. Another one is Jack looking at the schematic of the maze, which gradually turns into an aerial view of Wendy and Danny in the maze's center. But the symmetry also represents the state of Jack's mind. When he's sane, okay. When he goes over the edge,... Yet one criticism I have is the effectiveness of the captions indicating the elapsed time. Despite the fact a month passed, I came away with the impression that Jack suddenly goes crazy instead of something that gradually happens. It's more effective later on, but that initial transition could've been better handled. And chalk up yet another role that deserved at least a Best Actor nomination for Jack Nicholson. From the genial family man to a demon wracked by the murderous rage, his facial expressions. A line from the MAD magazine's satire of this movie, The Shiner, is apropos. Remember how he did one called One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest?... Well, he's still flying. The well-famous still of his manically-grinning grizzled face framed against the door he's chopped away is one of cinema's indelible images. And Shelley Duvall adds to the credibility as Wendy. Her wide eyes effectively realizes the horror she feels as her husband tries to "correct her." A definite contrast to her Olive Oyl from Popeye, also released in 1980. While Danny Lloyd does a credible job as Danny, he loses big in having a cheesy pudding bowl haircut that was big in the 1970's. Kubrick was one of those directors who was not tied down to genre but explored different ones, be it sexual obsession (Lolita, Eyes Wide Shut), Cold War satire (Dr. Strangelove), science fiction (2001), near-future dystopias (Clockwork Orange), and the follies of war (Paths Of Glory, Full Metal Jacket). With The Shining, he effectively added psychological horror to his small but potent resume. Closing comments: All review and no play make Daniel a dull reviewer. All review and no play make Daniel a dull reviewer. All review and no play make Daniel a dull reviewer. All review and no play make Daniel a dull reviewer. All review and no play make Daniel a dull reviewer. All review and no play make Daniel a dull reviewer......
Rating: 
Summary: LONG!
Review: This movie was so boring in the opening hour I almost started literally sleeping, I began to start automatically closing my eyes, waking up, going back to sleep, then, I heard loud music so I peeked with one eye at the TV set and it was getting interesting! The last 35 minutes were good. They should make a edit version that's only an hour and 45 min. instead of 2 and a half hours...even 100 minutes would be better!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Average effort all round
Review: I recently watched the two versions of The Shining back to back (Stephen King's version first, followed by Stanley Kubrick's). I understand there are people out there who think that Stanley Kubrick was God's gift to the film world. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them, and I think what Kubrick did to King's magnificent tale is a total shame.
Firstly, the adult actors - with the exception, perhaps, of Danny Lloyd and Scatman Crothers - were all badly cast. Having watched the documentary attached to Kubrick's version, I concede that Shelley Duvall did the best job that she could in trying circumstances, and with what was really a lousy script. But, in the end, she was able to pretty much manage only two emotions through the whole film - paranoia and hysteria.
As I said in my review of Stephen King's version, I believe that Jack Nicholson was totally and completely wrong for the role of Jack Torrance. Right from the start, he looked like he'd already lost his mind, and was just waiting for the right moment to take up his axe and go beserk. Nicholson's manic performance completely spoilt any chance of suspense in this film.
As for Danny Lloyd, his performance was okay, but for one issue. Whose idea was it for him to pretend that his finger was Tony??? Please, I've seen some moronic things in films, but that made it look like Danny was schizophrenic, not psychic. He was supposed to be able to put himself into a trance-like state, during which Tony would visit him with premonitions of the future.
I'm not annoyed that Kubrick's was not 100% true to the story of The Shining. I'm annoyed that the end result was such a flat, emotionless mess. Kubrick did not delve into the human psyche, and there is no deeper horror to this movie. It didn't need special effects, and it didn't even need to stay true to the book. It did need to be able to connect with the viewers on a deeper level, though, and it failed badly in that respect.
At no point during the film did I feel any hint of emotion at what was happening. I was totally indifferent, and really couldn't have cared less if Jack had caught Wendy and Danny and chopped them up into little pieces. Heck, I probably would have cheered.
Although, I admit I was highly annoyed that the character of Dick Halloran was killed. Out of all the ways that Kubrick diverted from the story, this was probably the most unforgivable transgression. It was supposed to be Dick who got Wendy and Danny out of the Overlook, not simply be there as a convenient target for some long overdue blood-spill.
It's no wonder that this film was subjected to such ridicule when it was released, and it's especially no wonder that Stephen King was severely disappointed with it. It was his book that Kubrick effectively trashed. It's just a pity that in the wake of Kubrick's death, everyone seems determined to praise his film up so much more than what it deserves.
Rating:
Summary: Are you kidding me?
Review: The Shining is one of the greatest movies of all time, it's Jack Nicholson's best performance, ever. How does this movie get 4 out of 5 stars? I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves with the criticism.
Rating:
Summary: "HERE'S JOHNNY!"
Review: The Shining (1980) is creative director Stanley Kubrick's intense, epic, gothic horror film masterpiece - a beautiful, stylish work that distanced itself from the blood-letting and gore of most modern films in the horror genre. (The film waits until its climax to provide the typical catharctic bloody violence of most traditional horror films.) As in many of his films, director Kubrick explores the dimensions of the genre to create the ultimate horror film of a man going mad - he deliberately reduces the pace of the narrative and expands the rather simple plot of a domestic tragedy to over two hours in length, creates lush images within the ornate interior of the main set, adds a disturbing synthesized soundtrack (selecting musical works from Bela Bartok, Gyorgy Ligeti, and Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki), used a Steadicam in groundbreaking fashion, filmed most of the gothic horror in broad daylight or brightly-lit scenes, and built an unforgettable, mounting sensation of terror, ghosts, and the paranormal. The principal, ghostly character in the film is the classic haunted house - a huge, isolated Colorado mountain resort hotel, the Overlook. The film opens without narration or commentary. Stunning scenic views of the Colorado Rockies are presented with magnificent aerial photography - the camera flies in close to the surface of an immense lake in the lap of snow-covered mountains. After flying by a small sliver of an island (with a few trees) in the lake's center, the shot dissolves from the lake to a God's-eye, aerial view of a two-lane mountainous road far below, winding through sun-drenched tall pines in the early morning. The shifting camera views pick up a tiny yellow Volkswagen far below, the sole car on the unpopulated strip of road penetrating into the paradisical wilderness in early winter. In more views, it moves across the face of the mountainside from lower right to upper left of the frame as the credits begin to roll, and the camera catches up with the car. As the terrain gets steeper, the valley drops off to the left where the car disappears into a dark tunnel. [On the soundtrack, one can faintly detect the sound of a boy's tricycle going over the rug-covered hardwood floor of a hotel - a foreshadowing of what's to come.] When the vehicle reaches the summit in the magnificent, but isolated mountain region - there is a beautiful, snow-covered crest that dwarfs a vast, sprawling hotel below it. The screen frame goes black. This is a very effective horror film. One of the Scariest I've seen. Watch this one alone with the light out.
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