Rating: 
Summary: Unintentionally Funny
Review: I give this movie three stars because I enjoy it every time I see it... but for the wrong reasons. This movie never scared me. The pacing is normal for a Kubrick movie; verrrrry slow. That technique works in his other films but it doesn't work here. Everyone in this film except for the kid acts like they are on lithium. And as good as the little boy is in this film, I was chuckling at the moment in the film when there were quick intercuts between the kid shaking violently, and the old dead lady rising out of the bathtub with campy laughter. I just didn't buy it. And watching Nicholson go insane was HILARIOUS. His facial expressions were a riot.... especially during his now famous lines; "Herrrrrrrrreeees Johnny!" "Wendy, I'm home!" "Little pigs, little pigs, let me in!" I know they were meant to spook, but I split my gut as I laughed. This movie is a classic, just for the Nicholson scenes alone.
Rating: 
Summary: Not At All Wonderful!!!
Review: Good movie??.. No way!!.. This is a horrible adaptation of one of Stephen King's greatest novels. This movie isn't scary at all and it completely lost the creepy, twisted Stephen King touch. The second movie, that was played in multiple parts on television, was a lot closer to the book and was much much better. This movie wasn't at all what I expected. It was a lot worse, I don't recommend it at all, unless you're completely bored and want to watch a very bad movie. Jack Nicholson was the perfect choice for Jack Torrance, but Shelly Duvall??... she looked like a lost and very awkward giraffe running around that huge hotel in the end scenes. She's not at all what one would expect Wendy to be like. Bottom line: MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT!
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of Time
Review: I watched this movie on Halloween night thinking that this would be a great movie to help me celebrate the holiday. Boy, was I wrong! It was not scary at all, had irrellevant imagery, talentless acting, terrible music, and was very predictable. Do yourself a favor and watch "Night of the Living Dead" or "Halloween" next Halloween!
Rating: 
Summary: Damn Good Horror Flick
Review: Wow. That was a good movie. It's oh so rare that a flick comesalong that can raise a person's anxiety level to such a high degree. It was, I would say, scary. I was held in suspense right from the cozy, peaceful beginning (having already heard some things about it, I was nervous from the start) until the end. In fact, I was so nervous during the movie that I was shaking.When I rented it I had little idea what it was like. I didn't know, for instance, that Jack Nicholson was in it. I didn't have an inkling of the story. But as soon as I saw for the first time the blood gushing out of the elevators, I realized this was a classic that I had known about for a long time, since I was a child. I've seen that scene on many occasions, though I hadn't seen the movie. In fact, I remember it on the Simpsons once -- there's an entire episode that is a parody of The Shining. And the phrase, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" (or you may recognize instead "No TV and no beer make Homer go crazy") is one I've been aware of for a long time. I suspect it actually came from this movie. In the movie Twister, there's a part where there is a large open theatre; the movie playing on it - a movie within a movie -- is The Shining, although when I watched Twister I did not know that (I remembered it because it looked like good horror). What's more interesting to me, though, is that it was not corny. Not like Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer, which were pretty good, too, but didn't so much as make me jump. Neither did this movie, though; it kept me in a steady state of anxiety throughout the whole thing, which is probably harder to achieve than merely a few jumps. It was long, but worth it; not one of those long movies that you sit there half asleep hoping to finish soon. I was sort of disappointed when it finished. All I can say is that it was superb. A movie worth buying, not merely renting. In so many horror films the people do and say the most stupid things; the girlies scream and the bad guy runs around with his pointy knife, stabbing everyone. Whoopdy-doo. There wasn't a whole lot of killing and gore in this movie, which I think made it more scary. It wasn't so predictable. Oh, and I loved the music; it really added to the effect. So there we go. The best horror film, and one of the best movies, I've ever seen -- I feel like I could watch it all over again. It stands beside only a very limited selection of horror films that have withstood the trend towards cheap thrills and mediocrity. It's about an aspiring writer named Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) who moves with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), into the secluded but beautiful Overlook Hotel. It's the winter season, when the Overlook is closed due to the heavy snow storms that frequent the area during that time of year, and Jack is charged with caring for the hotel during these months. But the Overlook is not just a big, pretty hotel; it's quite, quite haunted. The nefarious spirits begin to possess Jack, driving him insane. This is sensed, however, by Jack's young clairvoyant son Danny. The plot takes off from there, and I don't want to reveal any more to you, so I don't spoil it. The Shining is a deep movie. It's a Stanley Kubrick film, and being the creative cinematic genius that he was, he riddled it with metaphorical meanings. Duality, for one thing, is a major theme here. Jack starts off as a pretty normal, nice guy - by the end he's a little different. You may note that mirrors play a hefty role in The Shining: one example is when Danny is talking to "Tony" (that's the psychic side of him, a sort of imaginary friend who reveals things to him), staring into the mirror. There is even a theory that the Overlook represents America, and there is something about racism in the movie. If you want more information about the symbolic meanings of The Shining, there are some excellent sites on the Web that you can visit, which propose interesting theories. Highly recommended if you like horror. If you haven't watched it, you should. However, don't expect a bloodbath - this horror movie is first and foremost a psychological thriller. One comment here annoyed me somewhat (no offense to the commentator - everyone has their own opinion). Namely, that it was overrated. Believe me, this is far better than most of those cheesy, lame-a** horror movies that stock the shelves of Blockbuster; it's anything but overrated. Just don't watch it expecting an adaptation of Stephen King's novel; from what I hear, they are totally different. Sure, it has its flaws; but the good far outweighs the bad, for me at least.
Rating: 
Summary: THIS IS ONE FREAKY MOVIE
Review: Stephen Kings "The Shinning" is I think one of his best films yet. From the begining when a family of 3 moves into this hotel for the winter. To the middle when blood flows from the elevators, its one twist and turn through the whole movie, even upon the bizzare and haunting ending. I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves a good horror flick
Rating:
Summary: Sorry - this one misses the mark
Review: The Shining remains my favorite Stephen King book because I still think it was the scariest book I ever read. You can imagine my excitement when I heard that S. Kubrick was making a movie out of the book. I was so disappointed I felt like crying. First of all: Shelly Duvall is so irritating in her sniveling, weepy acting I ended up WANTING Jack Torrence to kill her and end the suffering (of the audience). Secondly, Jack Nicholson seems a bit creepy in real life so he probably didn't have to put much extra effort into the role to be Jack Torrence, the maniac. It was further frustrating that Scat Man Cruthers was killed in the movie (his character in the book does not die) after traveling all the way back to the Overlook Hotel to save Wendy and Danny and then dies as soon as he walks in the door. The little boy who portrayed Danny did an excellent job of acting. Too bad he didn't have a better script to act from. Sorry - big disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Unparalled Masterpiece
Review: Despite the obvious limitations inherent to this DVD, this film "shines" through. Kubrick delivers an absolutely brilliant interpretation of King's novel. The film itself continues to be a personal cult favorite, but the Kubrick touches should cement this opus in the pyschological horror hall of fame. Kubrick manages to film at simultaneously alternative depths. The soundtrack is superb - excrutiatingly effective. Casting is sublime. Jack 's role requires no comment: what scene has been more memorable in this actor's entire repertoire than his axe wielding confrontation with Wendy? Ms. Duvall, while mildly abrasive, is effective at creating support for Jack as the anti-protangonist. Danny Lloyd nearly steals the show (if it weren't for Jack) as the innocently attuned lad who survives the madness. Scatman Crothers also delivers a memorable performance as Danny's extra-sensory mentor. This DVD's faults include a lame audio/video duplication and no option, at least, for the 1:66 to 1 format; nonetheless, I am thrilled to own this film on DVD and am infintiely pleased with the inclusion of Vivian Kubrick's "The Making of..." which will prove incredibly insightful for any Kubrick fan or The Shining fanatic.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: 5 stars? One of the greatest horror films ever made? Please. This so-so adaption of one of Stephen King's best novels, for all the time and craft Kubrick spent on the film, is only mildly scary. Some of the scenes have a certain creepiness, but story-wise this is totally lame. Nicholson is of course, excellent, playing a twisted caretaker who slowly goes mad, but unfortunately, it comes as no surprise as he seems ready to go off the deep end from the first scene. Or how about the so-called 'suspenseful buildup' of having Scatman Crothers travel up the mountain to save the family, only to immediately get an axe in the chest?! And the maze was only a mild substitute for the topiary as described in the book. I love Kubrick, but have to admit, he should have let someone else help with the screenplay. I first saw it when I was 14 years old, and I still feel the same - disappointed, and not scared.
Rating:
Summary: Yes, another review
Review: One of Stanley Kubrick's greatest triumphs, Stephen King's "The Shining" may not be an exact adaptation of the novel but it is just as, if not more, terrifying. It's a chilling piece of cinema and one of the greatest horror movies ever made. It's atmospheric like few movies I've ever scene and every frame is teeming with a pervading sense of dread that you find impossible to shake. I don't, AT ALL, agree with Leonard Maltin's review (then again, I hardly ever do) and his reference that Jack Torrance's break-down is so abrupt that you don't sympathize with the character is, in my opinion, totally inaccurate. When the film begins, the fact that Jack Torrance is unstable and has abuse tendencies when drunk, is made perfectly clear. It is due to this inherent weakness in character that he easily succumbs to the evil around him. Then Mr. Maltin states that the film "goes on forever." Seems to me like he wants to have it both ways; an in- depth analysis of the character's psyche and torment yet realized in a quick and succinct manner. The TV remake, by the way, though more loyal to the novel, was insipid compared to Kubrick's terrifying vision of the overlook hotel and it's three helpless inhabitants. This film grabs you by the throat and doesn't let you go. Another inspiration on Kubrick's part was the use of contemporary, avant-garde compositions by master composers, such as Bartok, Ligeti, Penderecki, Carlos and Elkind. The music adds immensely to the creepiness and horror that's unfolding before you on the screen and it, like every other seemingly minor detail in the film, is fused beautifully by Mr. Kubrick, resulting in a rich tapestry of sight and sound never again replicated in the horror genre. Truly a great film. As effective now as it was almost 20 years ago. Horror stamped by genius.
Rating:
Summary: What movies are all about.
Review: being a big fan of the director, I found Kubrick's version of Stephen King's novel to be quite scary. At the time I watched the film it gave me the haunting feeling of being in a person's shoes, being isolated from the world. I can watch this movie and pick out all the funny scenes, which I have to admit are hilarious. Every moment when Nicholson is on the scene I just crack up because seeing some of his early work, I kind of knew what to expect. Kubrick will go down in history I think as one of the greatest directors that ever got behind a camera. I'm anxiously awaiting for his latest movie to come out on video. I have one question how much did it cost to produce this movie and how much did it earn at the box office?
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