Rating: 
Summary: Don't "axe" the bear!!
Review: In reading over the many viewer reviews, I see a disporportionate number of criticisms of the "bear suit" scene (which I personally found absolutely chilling; is this a glimpse of some weird, kinky, perverse sex scene involving the very proper butler?? That possibility scares ME!!) and NO criticisms of the totally hokey "skeletons sitting upright in evening wear" scene (I could NOT believe such a work of art would sink to such hackneyed levels, even in "fun"). It was indisputably a GREAT movie, but I was left hanging (not literally)... Who WAS that in the 1921 photo?? Is this a case of reincarnation? Demonic possession?? An inherited mutant gene???
Rating:
Summary: Stunning, Epic Horror Film.
Review: The late Stanley Kubrick made some of the best pictures we have ever seen. His 1980 project, The Shining proved to be a big hit with the critics, and also proved that Stanley can do anything: comedy, drama, thriller, war, and in this case, terrifying and classical horror.An exceptional script from Stanley and his impressive co-writer are one of the key elements in this movie. It's engaging, it's intriguing and it has never been done before, making it a truly original film as well as a horrifying one. The actors are quite amazing, Jack Nicholson in particular in the most underrated performance of his career, and kiddo Danny Llyod manages to be believe every time, he follows Kubrick's instructions expertly as expertly as Scatman Crothers, an underrated actor with something about him that makes his characters so immensly watchable. The only actor who was pretty miscast was Shelley DuVall, who jumps on everything Nicholson says and comes off more as a child awaiting her suspension from school than a trapped, terrified soul. Other than that, Kubrick's direction and Nicholson's shouldering of the film make it one of the most engaging horror films of all time. The Shining is a must-see for all Kubrickian's, as well as most horror fans who look for more in films than just gore and jump-frights. The Shining: A
Rating:
Summary: The KING of all horror movies!
Review: My friends and I are seriously horror film addicts, but this has got to be the best ever horror film! Jack Nicholson is so perfect for the role that he makes it 10 times scarier! I swear, never in my life have I been so thrilled but scared as when I was watching that movie, and REDRUM is simply genius. You do have to pay a little attention though, becaus there is a method and story to the madness; not just, like, senseless killings like in the Scream trilogies. If you love being scared, you'll love The Shining. The Shining's not my all-time favorite movie (that would be GONE WITH THE WIND (check it out)) but it ranks right up there. Ya gotta see it, people!
Rating: 
Summary: As adaptation for novel, it just doesn't cut it.
Review: As a movie itself, it wasn't half bad. But as an adaptation for Stephen King's novel of the same name, it doesn't quite cut it. They make sure to go to great lengths to portray Jack Torrence's insanity once the Overlook Hotel gets control of him, but they perhaps go a bit too far in that they act as though Jack's insanity is about the only significant aspect to the storyline other than Danny's psychic powers. They don't get into any detail whatsoever of Jack's alcoholism or explain the effect it has had on his life or his family; Wendy acted as though it was no big deal at all when she explained at the beginning of the movie about how Jack had gotten into a drunken fit and broke Danny's arm a few years before to the social worker. And I found Tony's voice as spoken through 5-year-old Danny's index finger to be incredibly annoying throughout the movie as well. And while Jack Nicolson's performance of Jack Torrence as the lunatic quite well, he failed to portray anything else about Jack Torrence's character that was brilliantly shown through King's novel, making it look as though Jack Torrence is nothing more than a psychopath, and that's all there is to it. In King's novel, Jack Torrence is a tortured soul striving to stay sober and struggling against insanity. In Kubrick's film, Jack Torrence is nothing more than a loose cannon who used to be an alcoholic. I actually cared about the characters in King's novel, but in the film, it didn't matter to me in the slightest who lived or died. See the film just for fun like I did, but don't expect anything special out of it and don't expect it to in any way be able to compete with the novel it is based upon, because you will be sorely disappointed if you do.
Rating: 
Summary: Same as a Laser Disc
Review: THE SHINING when on laser disc in 1990 was, and still is, a much better release than the VHS edition since it is a digital release. The DVD version, however, does not make any major advances, if any at all, in either video or audio aspects over the laser disc version that was released about ten years ago. The only advantages that the DVD version has over the laser disc version is that the laser disc release takes up three sides (11.75 inch disc) , while the DVD uses only one side (4.625 inch disc).
Rating:
Summary: A classic ! But...
Review: The movie is perfect, the documentarie in fine, the trailer is really spooky, but the film is not in widescreen format. Warner Brothers should consider improuving their marketing trategies... This superb masterpiece should have a plastic case and all the options
Rating: 
Summary: Poor direction
Review: I never saw why this movie was so popular, it meanders through a rather dull-interiored house, has an onslaught of poorly constructed (and poorly executed) dialogue, and just loves that annoying little boy. I don't know if I'm the only one that's noticed the nearly complete overhaul Kubrick did in writing it, but I can't be the only one that saw how much better the dang ABC version of it was. I could barely last through the slow and monotonous 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I surely hate lasting through this. Kubrick needed to let someone else write, direct, and produce his movies.
Rating:
Summary: Love This Movie, Hate the DVD
Review: Ug. This and the other Kubrick DVDs are probably the worst DVDs produced by major studios. And considering that the Shining is one of the best horror films of all time in terms of popularity and in content quality, one would wonder why Shining would get such a crap treatment on DVD. The fact that it's fullscreen doesn't bother me because this is relatively the aspect ratio Kubrick shot the film in, it's the abyssmal picture quality the lack of supplements. The transfer Warner used here looks to be the same transfer they used for the very first VHS release around 18 years ago. The compression job is just a gasp. Even in broad daylight the compression artifacts are very apparent. I guess this is my cry for help to get Warner to re-release the movie in it's deserved Special Edition mode. I thought that this was an easy candidate for special edition treatment.
Rating:
Summary: Horror's finest hour
Review: One of Stephen King's best novels gets the Kubrick treatment, and the result, though not for King purists, is a minor masterpiece. The film downplays the evil nature of the hotel itself - a major development in the actual book - and centres on the character of Jack Torrance. He's clearly a latent looney from the start: just look at those eyebrows during his interview for the job of caretaker of the Overlook Hotel! When he's cooped up in the Colorado hotel over Winter, with only wife Shelley Duvall and young son Danny Lloyd, Jack goes quickly out of his mind and turns into... Jack Nicholson! A major theme running through all of Kubrick's work is that of the timeless nature of man's propensity towards evil, and The Shining is an explicit rendition of this (the film's last - wholly illogical - shot bears this out, as does the symbolism of Torrance's endless efforts to escape the maze in the film's final scenes). Opinion is divided on Nicholson's performance, detractors claiming that he is wildly over the top and too mannered for his own good. I think it is one of his great performances, up there with his acting in both Five Easy Pieces and Chinatown. His one-on-one encounters with ghostly bartender Joseph Turkel show the actor at his very best, his manic eyebrows - and that trademark leer - serving to create a character who is both funny and extremely frightening at the same time. The underrated Duvall matches him all the way, as the wife who cannot fathom what is happening to her family in the large hotel. Their verbal battle on the huge staircase - with Jack demanding that Shelley hand over the baseball bat - is one of the film's highlights. The real success story of the film, however, is in its 'look'; no other horror film looks quite like this one, and John Alcott's superb cinematography is the reason for this. Featuring unprecedented use of the Steadicam, the film is a symphony of fluid motion, particularly in the scenes where young Danny explores the hotel corridors on his tricycle, and in the aerial shots showing the Torrances' drive to the Overlook. The image of the elevator doors opening, to unleash a torrent of blood, repeated a few times in the film, is both beautiful and horrific. The movie is a thriller, yes, but one that requires psychological thought. There are numerous frontal displays of terror, but many of the visuals are merely Kubrick showing off his visionary talent; the story's context remains deeply hidden even with the apparent connections between the psychology and the chilly images. But this is another great thing about "The Shining," despite seeming like a criticism; so few movies leave the doors open and let us interpret things for ourselves in the end. Who were the people Jack was seeing in the hotel? What really happened in Room 237? And was the blizzard merely a coincidence or fate for these people? The great thrillers by Alfred Hitchcock, among others, never offered any simple resolution for the characters or the viewers. Such success may be achieved, I gather, because an indefinite resolution is scarier than one that ties up all the lose ends. All in all, a great film. ....
Rating:
Summary: 5-star movie, 3-star DVD
Review: The film's a masterpiece, a 5-star classic. The DVD is a big disappointment. Vivian Kubrick's "Making Of 'The Shining'" is fascinating in spots, but lacks any sense of story or cohesion. It's a random collection of behind-the-scenes clips. The real tragedy is the lack of widescreen. The opening outdoor shots must be beautiful, but I guess those of us who missed it in the theaters will have to wait to find out.
|
