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I Don't Get Stanley Kubrick

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k_trout said:
problem with ews is kubrick didnt finished it

well... and tom cruise
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The ending is one of the things I most like. And it's one of the few Tom Cruise movies were he actually acts. I disagree with your post!
 
Dr Strangelove is esoteric? I wouldn't describe it as that at all, it's a dark satire and one of the best movies about the Cold War ever created.

Also, most of his movies are book adaptations and even though he messes about with them, he's not 100% responsible for the plot :)
 
Mister Saturn said:
Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight.
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So it's Twilight?
3kpk.png


Jokes apart I still have to see Before series :\
Oh yeah Kill Bill 2 is pretty good, the ending duel is full of love. Love is always cool in western movies. The best one in comics is Preacher.
 
Well i can understand if someone falls asleep through 2001 as it happens to myself everytime i watch it. But disagree that his other films are comparable in that regard.
 
I think the trick for me when watching 2001 is to view it less as a story and just focus on observing the details. I feel that it's slow so you can pay attention to all that went in to making the world. It give you time to appreciate the art.

A Clockwork Orange is probably the easiest for me to appreciate and see why Kubrick is so amazing.
 
mxgt said:
I'm amazed people still fall for it at this point
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I'm more concerned about Discotheque's comment :P

Vampirolol said:
It's the one I prefer, it feels real. I'm more into Casablanca style with my relationships though,what's the best to you anyway? Don't tell me "Lost in translation".
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There's lots of great stuff out there, it's hard to pick. I haven't seen the Before movies yet, but I've heard those are great, so I'm looking forward to them. If we're talking about romances, I'd go with something like In the Mood for Love, Hiroshima Mon Amour, Annie Hall, etc.
 
otake said:
The ending is one of the things I most like. And it's one of the few Tom Cruise movies were he actually acts. I disagree with your post!
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kubrick died before the final edit iirc i didnt mean the end of the movie

i didnt like cruise in it at all
 
otake said:
Kill Bill is absolutely a love story. One that ends in divorce.
She literally breaks his heart.
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Oh I got it, I just disagree that it's the best love story. To be fair, my opinion of Kill Bill compared to the other Tarantino movies has always been indifference, so no doubt I'm biased against it.
 
What is there not to "get" about The Shining and Clockwork Orange? I understand not fully enjoying 2001, sure. But Shining and Clockwork are pretty straight forward movies.

Both of them are masterpieces too.
 
Mister Saturn said:
Oh I got it, I just disagree that it's the best love story. To be fair, my opinion of Kill Bill compared to the other Tarantino movies has always been indifference, so no doubt I'm biased against it.
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Truth is, because it's so exaggerated I find it enjoyable. Even though Casablanca is one of my favorite movies, I confess I don't like it because it's a love story. In fact, the only movie where I truly felt for the characters involved in a relationship is Brokeback Mountain.

I can't agree with the Before Sunrise crowd, I have not seen the sequels, but the original is so pretentious and boring, I can't see why people enjoy it.
 
I've always found him very consciously artistic in his direction, sometimes to a fault. A lot of talent, but unless you are on board for his vision his films are a bore.
 
Before Sunset is better than Before Sunrise (haven't seen Midnight). Better acting, more mature characters and conversation, more interesting cinematography. However, compared to "My Dinner with Andre", it falls flat as a "conversation movie", as it doesn't have the same depth nor skillful crafting.

On-topic: Kubrick was a masterful director, by any metric I can think of. Great writing (just watch Paths of Glory if you want something more "traditional", as it's a great window into his more daring later work), great acting, great cinematography, great music, etc. You may not like it, but getting it is a different matter, and totally within your grasp, if you give him a chance and try to approach his work for what it is, rather than what you want it to be.
 
mxgt said:
What movies do you not consider a chore, OP? Kubrick's stuff is pretty easy to sit through imo, even Lyndon is a breeze.
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What Kubrick movies do I not consider a chore? Or film in general? Full Metal Jacket & Strangelove were straight forward (I liked FMJ, actually). Clockwork Orange was borderline. Eyes Wide Shut, 2001 and The Shining I struggled to get through. Need to see Barry Lyndon.

polyh3dron said:
Or like Terrence Malick or something.
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Absolutely hated Tree of Life. Hated. Inaccessible for the sake of being inaccessible. Have no shame admitting it.

daviyoung said:
Dr Strangelove is esoteric? I wouldn't describe it as that at all, it's a dark satire and one of the best movies about the Cold War ever created.

Also, most of his movies are book adaptations and even though he messes about with them, he's not 100% responsible for the plot :)
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I didn't mean to group strangelove in with the others. Fair point about the plots, although the screenplays are often his.
 
The middle section of The Tree of Life, following the family, is arguably one of the most accessible, relatable parts of a movie in the last few decades. I'd argue almost everybody knew folk like that growing up, even if they're not consciously aware of it, and the movie perfectly captures the feel of childhood.
 
breakfuss said:
Absolutely hated Tree of Life. Hated. Inaccessible for the sake of being inaccessible. Have no shame admitting it.
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It's about compassion. I don't like Tree of Life, but like much of Kubrick's work, the underlying primary theme is very basic. It's all in the presentation of that theme, and its satellites.
 
breakfuss said:
Last night I watched Space Odyssey for the first time, and what a feast for the eyes it was. Still, I found myself struggling to stay awake. I recognize the skill, erudition, and talent it must have required to make something like that (esp. at that time), but I didn't viscerally *enjoy* it. It's the same problem I've had with a lot of Kubrick's work. It's a chore getting through them. Eyes Wide Shut (first I watched), Shining, Strangelove, Clockwork, etc. Yeah, I get they're "esoteric" and totalllly sublime, but masterpieces? Really? Only thing more confusing than all the adulation he gets is a plot from one of his films.
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I think you are over thinking the films.
 
I sympathize a bit with the OP and as well as the admirers.

Kubrick, to me, is a bit like watching a domestic director with an almost foreign director sensibility. It's a somewhat unorthodox approach to film, and the result is that it doesn't always feel like this immediately accessible, cohesive piece as most domestic films do, but Kubrick's films tend to linger in my mind a bit and sort of marinate there a bit where they slowly garner more and more appreciation.

Malick, on the other hand, I can't quite myself into. The Thin Red Line was unbearable to me after an hour, though at some point I'll have to dive back into it and dig a bit deeper (just with alcohol next time).
 
Macam said:
I sympathize a bit with the OP and as well as the admirers.

Kubrick, to me, is a bit like watching a domestic director with an almost foreign director sensibility. It's a somewhat unorthodox approach to film, and the result is that it doesn't always feel like this immediately accessible, cohesive piece as most domestic films do, but Kubrick's films tend to linger in my mind a bit and sort of marinate there a bit where they slowly garner more and more appreciation.

Malick, on the other hand, I can't quite myself into. The Thin Red Line was unbearable to me after an hour, though at some point I'll have to dive back into it and dig a bit deeper (just with alcohol next time).
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You should watch Badlands first. Entry level Malick. Then watch Days of Heaven. The rest of his work is 6/10 at best, feel free to skip it.
 
I have only seen Eyes Wide Shut,The Shining and Clockwork Orange and I was very surprised by the great filming style and execution with camera angles in Clockwork Orange. It did not feel like a standard 70s movie at times by the amount of quality in the way things were executed.
The singing in the rain scene is incredible, but unfortunately the rest of the film was only serviceable. Not a bad film by any means but nothing amazing.

However The Shining felt way too outdated with its horror elements and its old fashioned film score that continued to exaggerate with its annoying loud noises (to create FEAR!) however Jack Nicholson was amazing in it, and that bathroom scene is still a classic. Same with the scene with the annoying kid cycling through the hall way.

So in some ways can understand some of the appeal but not a favourite director of mine. However I do want to re watch Eyes Wide Shut as I really liked it when I saw it during early teens

If there is someones thats overrated and someone I don't understand then its Ridley Scott and his Blade Runner ;) (I forgive him for Alien though!)
 
Of his films I have only seen:

2001: A Space Oddysey
Clockwork Orange
Eyes Wide Shut
Full Metal Jacket

Out of those four, Eyes Wide Shut is my favorite, Clockwork is my least. What I noticed is that other film makers could have the same two hours or so as him and yet it feels as though they are trying to burn through the plot where as his films were deliberately paced.
 
PaleFolklore said:
There are much better films about war. Come and See, Paths of Glory, etc.
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I said "greatest films about a battle in war" for a reason, as the film is about much more than a single war, or even war itself. Paths of Glory is incredible, a great war film, but it's not a superior work of art. (Come and See I've not seen, as it's never been available anywhere I've looked.)
 
What a weird thread. It's like saying "I don't get Picasso/Miles Davis/Rhodin". It requires a level of analysis that's a littme more involved than most films, but you can't dismiss it just because you're not willing/able to engage in that kind critical thinking.
 
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