Stanley Kubrick

Sundance 2012: ROOM 237 Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 28th, 2012 at 10:02 pm

Stanley Kubrick‘s The Shining is about characters who are drawn into madness by their surroundings.  Rodney Ascher‘s Room 237 is about film critics who are drawn into madness by The Shining.  Films that offer up numerous interpretations are like crack to film critics.  Movies that are so broad that any interpretation is valid are like bad crack, but a film like The Shining, a film helmed by a notoriously meticulous director and filled with unexplained mysteries and symbolism, is the best kind of film critic crack there is.  Room 237 is both a celebration and pointed critique of film criticism.  The movie shows how people can think big and expand their minds by thinking deeply and passionately.  It also shows how our minds can run away from us and how we’ll twist a movie apart in order to fit our theory rather and not realize that our argument is crazier than Jack Torrance.

Special Presentation of THE SHINING to Be Shown with Original Coda [UPDATED]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 19th, 2011 at 11:51 am

Rochester, New York’s Dryden Theater will be showing a special presentation of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining on October 22nd at 8:00pm.  But what makes this presentation even more special is that it will include the original coda to the movie.  The coda played in a few theaters back when the film was first released in 1980, but Kubrick went back in and edited it out.  Kurbick was meticulously about editing his films and he famously (or perhaps infamously) went back and removed 19 minutes from 2001: A Space Odyssey after its original premiere.

If you want to know what’s contained in the coda, hit the jump.  If you live in the New York area and want to check out this screening (and you should), The Dryden Theatre box office opens 45 minutes before a given screening. [Update: The Dryden Theatre has informed us that the movie will not include the original coda.  The print being shown is the 142-minute extended U.S. version that includes footage Mr. Kubrick subsequently cut from the European release.]

LOLITA, BARRY LYNDON, and PAPILLON Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: May 25th, 2011 at 6:30 am

Two Kubrick films left out of the original Kubrick Box set and Papillon. What do these films have in common? All three have recently been put out by Warner Brothers. For Lolita and Barry Lyndon, it’s a bare bones affair, but for Papillon, it’s got a nice book casing, and a period featurette. Actually with Papillon the best supplement is the packaging itself. Still, these are catalog films that it’s good to see on the format, and our reviews of Lolita, Barry Lyndon and Papillon on Blu-ray follow after the jump.

Watch Malcolm McDowell Discuss Shooting “Singin’ in the Rain” Scene from A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

by Jason Barr    Posted: May 19th, 2011 at 6:54 pm

Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange is often a touchy subject between myself and some of my film-enthusiast friends. As a fan of the film, I often find myself defending its audacity and sense of humor as a satirical work. In return, some of my aforementioned friends point to the film’s iconic “Singin’ in the Rain” scene in arguing two things: 1) the film goes too far in making its “point” and 2) that I have a sick sense of humor.

Regardless of your feelings towards the film and/or that particular scene, it’s hard to deny the unsettling first impression and lasting impact that they have on you as an audience member. As a result, I was delighted to hear Malcolm McDowell describe the five-day shoot that eventually lead to the controversial scene in his own words. Even if you’ve already read our interview with McDowell and Leon Vitali (if you haven’t, be sure to check it out by clicking here), I recommend hitting the jump to see the former talk about the events that helped lead to one of Kubrick’s most memorable scenes.

Malcolm McDowell and Leon Vitali Talk A CLOCKWORK ORANGE on the 40th Anniversary

by Hunter Daniels    Posted: May 18th, 2011 at 5:09 pm

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Malcolm McDowell and Leon Vitali for the upcoming 40^th Anniversary Blu-Ray edition of Stanley Kubrick’s seminal sci-fi satire, A Clockwork Orange, which hits stores on May 31^st.  While most of you know McDowell from his career defining turn as Alex in Kubrick’s film, Vitali is also an important part in the filmmaker’s legacy. After first collaborating with Kubrick on Barry Lyndon, where he played the role of Lord Bullingdon, Vitali became a friend and adviser to the iconoclastic director. After Kubrick’s death, Vitali was put in charge of the DVD restoration of all of Kubrick’s films.

We got to chat for about an hour, so this interview is loaded with great information on both the artistic elements of acting in a film and the technical minutia of actually making a film. We discussed everything from the invention of Steadicam, to Kubrick’s often blunt interactions with actors, to Anthony Burgess’s original thoughts on the film adaptation of his novel, and much, much more.  Hit the jump for the full interview.

A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: April 17th, 2011 at 7:30 am

We’re nearly ten years on from A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, and Steven Spielberg’s fusion with Stanley Kubrick’s sensibilities is still a challenging and worthwhile film to revisit. We’re also now fifty-five years on from Cecil B. DeMille’s gorgeous take on The Ten Commandants, a film that has survived the test of time – partly by being shown on network television repeatedly. Both are now available on Blu-ray, and both are worth looking into. My review of both films on Blu-ray follow after the jump.

Are the Extended Editions of LORD OF THE RINGS Coming to Blu-ray This Year?

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 14th, 2011 at 12:21 pm

Some folks last year were dismayed that Warner Bros released no-frills, theatrical-version-only Blu-rays for Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  They complained they were being ripped off by a product no one was forcing them to buy.  But with The Hobbit finally moving forward and Warner Bros. wanting to put Middle-Earth back in the minds of audiences, it looks like the Extended Editions might be on the way.  The Digital Bits reports that they have sources at Warner Home Video and New Line Cinema saying that Warner Bros. is planning to release The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Editions on Blu-ray this year.  It’s currently unknown whether these editions will have new special features or if Peter Jackson will oversee the transfers.  If I had to guess, I would say these Blu-rays will have the same special features as the DVDs and if we’re getting more LOTR special features, it probably won’t be until there’s an “Ultimate” set which also includes The Hobbit.

The Digital Bits says to expect an announcement on the Extended Edition Blu-rays in the next several weeks along with an Blu-ray announcement for Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita and Barry Lyndon.

Robert Duvall Labels Performances in Kubrick’s Films as “Terrible”

by Ben Garman    Posted: December 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 am

Legendary actor Robert Duvall has condemned “the great Stanley Kubrick” as an “actors enemy”.   The fiery exclamation came  during a round table interview with THR after it was revealed that director David Fincher frequently took around fifty takes to get the perfect shot whilst filming The Social Network. Fellow interviewees Mark Ruffalo and Jesse Eisenberg laugh (perhaps with disdain?) as Duvall compares Fincher to Kubrick. No doubt a comparison like that would normally be considered flattering, but Duvall continued, dismissing the performances in such classics as The Shining and A Clockwork Orange as “the worst performances I’ve ever seen in movies”. Hit the jump for more.

Criterion Announces October DVD/Blu-ray Releases; Includes THE DARJEELING LIMITED, THE MAGICIAN, PATHS OF GLORY, THE DARJEELING LIMITED, HOUSE and SEVEN SAMURAI

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: July 16th, 2010 at 11:36 am

Criterion has announced their October releases and they’ve lined up some great titles including Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited, Ingmar Bergman’s The Magician, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory, and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 1977 film House.  Criterion has provided us with high resolution front and back cover art as well as details on each release.  Hit the jump to take a look.  All are being released on DVD and Blu-ray:

CARLITO’S WAY and SPARTACUS 50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: May 28th, 2010 at 6:32 am

Between Carlito’s Way and Spartacus on Blu-ray we see the greatness and weakness of Blu. When it comes to modern films – and with more films shot digitally – you don’t find a lot of recent films that look bad on the format. And even if a film is still shot on film (even 16mm, as with The Wrestler) the material is supervised by the makers, and the source material is going to be pristine. But when it comes to older films, the material can be lacking, and decisions can be made to smooth out or remove grain. With many of the creative team behind these films no longer with us, you could argue there’s no right answer, just preference. And then you have the case of The French Connection where the director changes the color palette on what appears to be his whim. No one’s going to complain about Carlito’s Way’s transfer, but a number of people are pissed off at Universal for the Spartacus Blu-ray, while others think it looks fine. My reviews of Spartacus and Carlito’s Way on Blu-ray are after the jump.

Three Stanley Kubrick Scripts to Become Major Productions by Philco Films

by Bill Graham    Posted: April 22nd, 2010 at 11:27 am

The late Oscar-winning director Stanley Kubrick held high esteem for years while he was still alive, and now that he has since passed, Hollywood isn’t ready to let his genius slip away. Philco Films is prepping three properties based on scripts by Kubrick, according to Screen Daily, and they seem to reflect the late film-maker’s varied career. The first will be a large-scale Civil War film entitled Downslope. The second, Lunatic At Large, will star Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell, and the third is a TV series called God Fearing Man that revolves around a famous bank robber in the early 20th century.

Philco Films isn’t aiming low with any of these properties either, as they are targeting A-list casts and crew to bring these three pieces to life. For a more detailed look at each project and the plans behind them, hit the jump.

Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson to Star in Lost Stanley Kubrick Script LUNATIC AT LARGE

by Jackson Cresswell    Posted: April 13th, 2010 at 2:46 pm

A widely-considered lost Kubrick script entitled Lunatic at Large is moving forward and now has Iron Man 2 co-stars Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson attached.  The writer/director of some of the greatest movies ever made (2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, etc.) is not letting a little thing like being dead keep him out of the movie biz.  According to The Playlist, the script for Lunatic was found buried among Kubrick’s archive of stuff, after the director’s death in 1999.  The screenplay, based on a treatment by pulp-writer Jim Thompson who also wrote Kubrick’s 1957 film Paths of Glory was then passed to Stephen Clarke who completed the script.

The script isn’t a new discovery, though, and story details were published in the New York Times back in 2006. Hit the jump for more.

GHOSTBUSTERS and DR. STRANGELOVE Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: June 18th, 2009 at 10:01 am

Ray Parker Jr. has continued to work. You wouldn’t probably know it unless you were a fan. But he put out an album in 2006. At this point, not only is Ray Parker Jr. not afraid of no ghosts, no one is afraid of no ghosts. People may be more afraid of Ray Parker Jr. than ghosts. We like in a post-scared of no ghosts culture. It is hard to know how good busting makes someone feel, though.

Ghostbusters is a bona-fide “classic” now. It’s a loosey-goosey movie, it’s tightly put together, but it feels free. The set pieces never feel stuck in their boxes, and the comedians seem to bring their own sensibilities to the material. Directed by Ivan Reitman from a script by Harold Ramis and Dan Ayroyd, it moves at a quick clip and balances the boo scares with the jokes successfully. It’s one of the film effects driven comedies that works as a comedy first. But it’s Bill Murray’s movie.

More after the jump:

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