Stanley Kubrick - the man, the myth, the legend

[saadibaba]

I recently picked up Michael Benson's comprehensive but extremely interesting book about the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey called Space Odyssey. 2001 is perhaps the greatest movie ever made. The book is exhaustively researched and the source material is absolutely genuine. The book provides a rare glimpse into the mind and working of this genius. The description of that time, roughly 1966-69, seems a world apart from today when no major Hollywood studio will ever let a director, no matter how commercially successful or how prestigious his reputation may be, spend so much time, resources and almost a free hand to literally invent technological masterpieces used in the shooting of the movie and let the artist create his art with minimum interference. That was done not just to reap the potential box office rewards but to make a historical mark on movie history forever. The situation with the studios nowadays cannot be farther away from that time.

I have always been fascinated with Kubrick. In my opinion he is undoubtedly one of the greatest movie directors to have ever lived. Everything he did was a labor of love for him. The intense and passionate dedication he gave to each of his movies, his obsession with each of his subject matters going as far as to the point of fanaticism is truly unique and unmatched. Spending years on researching the subject and consulting with the experts and gathering as much information as he can about the topic he intended to make a movie about followed by months long pre-production and sometimes year long shooting periods, followed by months spent in editing. In short, the degree of commitment he gave to each of his movies is awe inspiring.

I wanted to start this thread to have other Kubrick fans have their say, discuss his directorial style, his influences in current movies and culture, their favorite Kubrick movies and also things they do no like about him and his style. Also, feel free to post your reviews of his movies.

"You can never have enough information, and you can never ask enough questions."

Stanley Kubrick

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

In the beginning of the movie, there's a dead zebra on the ground, and I've always thought that the zebra was way too beautiful and aesthetic looking and then later I learned it's a horse and it's there because Kubrik needed the carcass to look beautiful.

The level of detail. The artistry. It's just beyond the comprehension of us mere mortals.

Every frame of that movie is an institution.

 

[saadibaba]

In the beginning of the movie, there's a dead zebra on the ground, and I've always thought that the zebra was way too beautiful and aesthetic looking and then later I learned it's a horse and it's there because Kubrik needed the carcass to look beautiful.

The level of detail. The artistry. It's just beyond the comprehension of us mere mortals.

Every frame of that movie is an institution.

Small little things like that is what made him so unique and amazing. The level of dedication and visual artistry is often beyond human comprehension.

I recently saw a video of Spielberg talking about him after his death, its on Youtube. They were friends but it seemed more like a teacher student relationship. Needless to say that Spielberg was completely inspired by him and held him in the highest regard. Spielberg talked about his reaction to the news of Kubrick's death. Its one of the most touching and emotional eulogies I have ever heard, literally brought tears to my eyes even though he has been dead for almost 20 years.

 

[Varun]

2001: A Space Odyssey is the greatest movie ever made?

Four things happen in that movie. Is all.

 

[TM Riddle]

2001: A Space Odyssey is the greatest movie ever made?

Four things happen in that movie. Is all.

) ) )
It's definitely overrated for sure.
IMO his best work was A Clockwork Orange. Now that's what you call an art!

 

[saadibaba]

2001: A Space Odyssey is the greatest movie ever made?

Four things happen in that movie. Is all.

Not surprised by this comment. A lot of people don't get the movie and never will. Its fine, a piece of art is not for everyone.

) ) )
It's definitely overrated for sure.
IMO his best work was A Clockwork Orange. Now that's what you call an art!

All his movies are great and Clockwork Orange is no different, though after recently watching it again, I found it to be one of his weaker movies. Though the language and dialogue used by Alex, some form of British cockney I believe, is beyond hilarious. There is a scene when Alex is coming down the stairs of his apartment complex and his droogs are waiting for him in the lobby. He greets them with "Welly, welly, welly, welly......well" , I may have missed a welly there....absolutely laugh out loud.

 

[CricketCartoons]

) ) )
It's definitely overrated for sure.
IMO his best work was A Clockwork Orange. Now that's what you call an art!

I watched clockwork orange few years back when i wanted to become cinema literate. Didn't have any clue what was going on and who was supposed to be the hero. there was a scene were depraved young guys are assaulting an elderly couple and violin is playing. I am sure there was some art and deep message behind it but too complex for my brain.

 

[saadibaba]

I watched clockwork orange few years back when i wanted to become cinema literate. Didn't have any clue what was going on and who was supposed to be the hero. there was a scene were depraved young guys are assaulting an elderly couple and violin is playing. I am sure there was some art and deep message behind it but too complex for my brain.

That scene signifies how random, cruel and helpless life can be. One minute you are sitting in your living room having a cup of tea and another minute you are getting gang raped in front of your loved one as they watch helplessly. The icing on the top is the rapist singing one of the most beloved, happy and carefree songs in the American nomenclature. "Singing in the rain" as he commits the violent and despicable act, hence showing the tragic comedy of the whole spectacle. Life is tragic comedy if you look at it from a distance. That scene merely representing the reality and substance of our pathetic and incompetent existence.

 

[saadibaba]

Clockwork Orange is Kubrick at his most bleakest and defeatist. Even though all his movies are dark and satirical, after Dr.Strangelove, Clockwork presents the world with no redeeming qualities to it. Despite all the medical advances and treatment and intensive brain washing, Alex at the end emerges more primal and animalistic then before. Even 'Eyes Wide Shut', which is as dark as any movie he made, ends with a promise of pleasure and an assured acceptance of the basic nature of men and women.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

In my opinion his best work is the first half of full metal jacket. Unreal director.

 

[enkidu_]

You could write a book on each of his movie basically, detailing its specifics/qualities, but a personal fav of mine is "Spartacus", epic in all sense of the term. "Barry Lyndon" also is special for its cinematography. He really was a magician with the camera, something that you can already see from as early as "The Killing".

IMO one of the two "artist" from among the movie directors, the other being Andrei Tarkovsky.

 

[James]

Eyes Wide Shut is his greatest piece, the first 45 minutes of Full Metal Jacket is his greatest act, and the opening fourth wall break in A Clockwork Orange is his greatest shot; actually I think that last moment I mentioned might be the most amazing shot in cinematic history!

Kubrick understood the true nature of humankind better than anyone who has even been let loose with a lens and a light: life as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”, and “the war of all against all”, views difficult to refute that were no doubt borrowed from Thomas Hobbes’s ‘Leviathan’.

I heard that the theatrical cut of Eyes Wide Shut (released summer 1999) is actually much tamer than it was supposed to be, and that the white European-American Judeo-Christian superclass power-broking Satanist types that he somewhat exposes in the film had Kubrick bumped off before he could complete his ‘Final Edit’, which would have been less of a heavily marketed cash cow and more of a disquieting and millennially concerned “film to end all films” magnum opus where the world would find out every hidden truth about itself. (Again on the opening shot, this one is Nicole Kidman completely shedding herself in front of an Illuminati symbol-shaped window - none of this was an accident!)

But his secrets died with him.

 

[enkidu_]

[MENTION=1842]James[/MENTION] it was not the "Illuminatis", but the Sabbateans-Frankists.

As an ethnic Jew Kubrick knew of all of his cousins' tricks, and it ended badly for him.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Eyes Wide Shut is his greatest piece, the first 45 minutes of Full Metal Jacket is his greatest act, and the opening fourth wall break in A Clockwork Orange is his greatest shot; actually I think that last moment I mentioned might be the most amazing shot in cinematic history!

Kubrick understood the true nature of humankind better than anyone who has even been let loose with a lens and a light: life as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”, and “the war of all against all”, views difficult to refute that were no doubt borrowed from Thomas Hobbes’s ‘Leviathan’.

I heard that the theatrical cut of Eyes Wide Shut (released summer 1999) is actually much tamer than it was supposed to be, and that the white European-American Judeo-Christian superclass power-broking Satanist types that he somewhat exposes in the film had Kubrick bumped off before he could complete his ‘Final Edit’, which would have been less of a heavily marketed cash cow and more of a disquieting and millennially concerned “film to end all films” magnum opus where the world would find out every hidden truth about itself. (Again on the opening shot, this one is Nicole Kidman completely shedding herself in front of an Illuminati symbol-shaped window - none of this was an accident!)

But his secrets died with him.

I remember reading about eyes wide shut. Those days we were lucky to be able to afford a newspaper subscription, which had a section where it wound tantalize with what was going in with the outside world and what we were missing out on, for example latest news about pamela anderson. So when I found that Eyes Wide Shut was a new adult movie from hollywood, I waited for years till I went to college when I was able to download and watch it. But like many things, it was not worth the wait, and I was left disappointed. Didn't know that this shady movie which was screened in seedy theaters during noon shows is the greatest work of this great director.

 

[James]

I remember reading about eyes wide shut. Those days we were lucky to be able to afford a newspaper subscription, which had a section where it wound tantalize with what was going in with the outside world and what we were missing out on, for example latest news about pamela anderson. So when I found that Eyes Wide Shut was a new adult movie from hollywood, I waited for years till I went to college when I was able to download and watch it. But like many things, it was not worth the wait, and I was left disappointed. Didn't know that this shady movie which was screened in seedy theaters during noon shows is the greatest work of this great director.

His films tend to divide opinion, it’s my personal favourite.

 

[James]

[MENTION=1842]James[/MENTION] it was not the "Illuminatis", but the Sabbateans-Frankists.

As an ethnic Jew Kubrick knew of all of his cousins' tricks, and it ended badly for him.

Sometimes I wonder if it would be worth getting initiated into the Masonic Order, purely out of perverse interest to see what they really get up to.

 

[enkidu_]

Sometimes I wonder if it would be worth getting initiated into the Masonic Order, purely out of perverse interest to see what they really get up to.

Having studied the subject in details for years it's all ** basically.

Even the best known of the West's modern "magicians", Aleisteir Crowley, was basically a disciple of another Jew, a certain Bimstein who passed himself as "Max Théon" (and Samuel Mathers, the founder of Crowley's "Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn", was married to a Jew, who also happened to be the sister of "French" philosopher Henri Bergson.)

Hitler's favorite magician, who basically teached him how to excite the masses with his speeches/gestures during his public appearances, the so called Danish aristocrat, "Erik Jan Hanussen", was also a Jew, born Steinschneider.

Their Kabbalah is the real deal, all this "33rd degree initiation" etc is ** so the pleb wastes its times in Alex Jones-like conspiracy theories even if sometimes some good movies come out of it.

When a silly guy like David Icke talks of the "reptilians" who "infiltrate the royal bloodlines", he gives the right symptoms but without naming the disease.

 

[TM Riddle]

What no mention of the shining?
The level of detail in the film is mind-blowing!

 

[saadibaba]

Eyes Wide Shut is his greatest piece, the first 45 minutes of Full Metal Jacket is his greatest act, and the opening fourth wall break in A Clockwork Orange is his greatest shot; actually I think that last moment I mentioned might be the most amazing shot in cinematic history!

Kubrick understood the true nature of humankind better than anyone who has even been let loose with a lens and a light: life as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”, and “the war of all against all”, views difficult to refute that were no doubt borrowed from Thomas Hobbes’s ‘Leviathan’.

I heard that the theatrical cut of Eyes Wide Shut (released summer 1999) is actually much tamer than it was supposed to be, and that the white European-American Judeo-Christian superclass power-broking Satanist types that he somewhat exposes in the film had Kubrick bumped off before he could complete his ‘Final Edit’, which would have been less of a heavily marketed cash cow and more of a disquieting and millennially concerned “film to end all films” magnum opus where the world would find out every hidden truth about itself. (Again on the opening shot, this one is Nicole Kidman completely shedding herself in front of an Illuminati symbol-shaped window - none of this was an accident!)

But his secrets died with him.

I must say that I what somewhat underwhelmed when I first saw Eyes Wide Shut but the movie has since grown on me and my admiration of it increases with every subsequent viewing.

 

[saadibaba]

My personal favorite Kubrick shot, and there are so many to pick from, remains the human bone in the air from the prehistoric 'dawn of the man' era to the space ship cut...basically a 3 million year cut.

Other favorites just from the movie Shining, the dolly shot with Danny roaming around on his tricycle inside the Overlook Hotel, the camera moving with the axe as Jack pounces through the door with a hysterically screaming Shelley Duval on the other side and the encounter between Jack and Delbert Grady the waiter in the red and white eerie looking men's room, a somewhat similar appearing symmetry can be seen in the mens room scene at the training base in Full Metal Jacket.

Barry Lyndon's every scene is like a painting, the candlelit rooms and the panning in and zooming out used throughout the movie is masterful. Kubrick's grip is hypnotic with a God like neutrality.

 

[saadibaba]

What no mention of the shining?
The level of detail in the film is mind-blowing!

I agree. I'm sure you have seen the documentary based on the different interpretations of that movie called Room 237. A highly entertaining and fascinating documentary in its own right.

 

[James]

I must say that I what somewhat underwhelmed when I first saw Eyes Wide Shut but the movie has since grown on me and my admiration of it increases with every subsequent viewing.

I didn’t experience that same feeling of detachment on my first viewing of Eyes Wide Shut that many people seem to, but I realise that I am in the minority with that one.

What I do agree with is that it is a grower and gets better every time - just like all of Kubrick’s canon.

He was usually working ahead of his time, so it takes a good 10+ years after release for his films to truly begin to resonate. For example most 90s films now firmly look, sound and feel like 90s films, but not Eyes Wide Shut - it could have been shot yesterday, today, or tomorrow.

 

[Chrish]

[MENTION=2071]saadibaba[/MENTION] who are your most favorite directors??

 

[Adijazz1706]

2001: A Space Odyssey is the greatest movie ever made?

Four things happen in that movie. Is all.

Kubrick had a lot of experience shooting space scenes having done some for NASA from 1969 onwards

 

[introvert]

Heard lot about kubrick but never watched his stuff.
How easy or hard it is to grasp his movies for average movie goers?
I consider myself little more tolerant movie watcher compared average entertainment loving movie audience & generally liked intense slow paced artistic stuff That I watched in the past.

 

[TM Riddle]

Kubrick had a lot of experience shooting space scenes having done some for NASA from 1969 onwards

If moon landing was fake then how do you explain the supposed prayers heard by Neil Armstrong when he was sauntering around on it's surface?

 

[Adijazz1706]

If moon landing was fake then how do you explain the supposed prayers heard by Neil Armstrong when he was sauntering around on it's surface?

That was the azan from the mosque outside the studio, soundproofing issues

 

[James]

Heard lot about kubrick but never watched his stuff.
How easy or hard it is to grasp his movies for average movie goers?
I consider myself little more tolerant movie watcher compared average entertainment loving movie audience & generally liked intense slow paced artistic stuff That I watched in the past.

You should be fine then

 

[waqar goraya]

2001 A space odyssey is a very bizarre film. Nothing remotely entertaining in it. Probably only good for film and art students.

A clockwork orange is very decent. But the movies which appealed to my instincts were Paths of Glory, The Killing and the Full Metal Jacket.

The shining also has is moments.

 

[DeadBall]

2001 A space odyssey is a very bizarre film. Nothing remotely entertaining in it. Probably only good for film and art students.

A clockwork orange is very decent. But the movies which appealed to my instincts were Paths of Glory, The Killing and the Full Metal Jacket.

The shining also has is moments.

Ditto, he may have been a genius in setting up every frame to perfection but I didn't get much entertainment value (apart from a few scenes here and there) and mostly found them a bit snobbish and preachy. Most of his fans I talked to were just band wagoners (not all of course) just like the followers of Lynch.

 

[saadibaba]

[MENTION=2071]saadibaba[/MENTION] who are your most favorite directors??

Kubrick of of course. I really admire Antonioini. L'Avventura is one of my favorite movies and the whole trilogy with La Notte and L'Eclisse is simply masterful. He invented a new form of cinema with these movies, a new visual language which was never seen before.

I am also greatly inspire by Korean cinema with "Memories of Murder" and "Host" director Bong Jon Hoo being my favorite along with Park Chan-Wook and others.

PTA, Fincher and Tarantino from the current American lot. Wes Anderson is also an auteur worth mentioning.

 

[barah_admi]

Kubrick was an old, white pervert. Imo, his only truly top level film was Dr Strangelove, while 2001 is utterly boring (looks great though), Clockwork Orange is nonsensical and The Shining butchered King's second greatest novel. Full Metal Jacket is pretty good but the actual war scenes is so poorly made and low budget they become laughable.

Possibly the most overrated film make of all time.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Kubrick was an old, white pervert. Imo, his only truly top level film was Dr Strangelove, while 2001 is utterly boring (looks great though), Clockwork Orange is nonsensical and The Shining butchered King's second greatest novel. Full Metal Jacket is pretty good but the actual war scenes is so poorly made and low budget they become laughable.

Possibly the most overrated film make of all time.

Finally a sensible review of Kubrick's work. I'm sure he was a genius, but he had no idea how to make an entertaining film. Quentin Tarantino is also somewhat perverted, but at least he uses that to ramp up his movies with some real electricity and brilliant musical scores.

 

[Adijazz1706]

I feel some directors such as Kubrick and Nolan are the emperor's new clothes, Kubrick mostly made slow boring films with little entertainment value much like Sofia Coppola. Nolan's movies are unnecessarily complex, non-linearity is good when needed but he overdoes it sometimes

 

[barah_admi]

Finally a sensible review of Kubrick's work. I'm sure he was a genius, but he had no idea how to make an entertaining film. Quentin Tarantino is also somewhat perverted, but at least he uses that to ramp up his movies with some real electricity and brilliant musical scores.

I did not enjoy Tarantino's last film (ugly, long, needlessly violent and completely boring) but for the most part, he does manage to pull off something very good, although his peak is 20 years ago. As you say, Kubrick failed to understand how to entertain...or even that entertainment was needed.

I feel some directors such as Kubrick and Nolan are the emperor's new clothes, Kubrick mostly made slow boring films with little entertainment value much like Sofia Coppola. Nolan's movies are unnecessarily complex, non-linearity is good when needed but he overdoes it sometimes

Nolan is an exceptional film maker and his Batman movies are exceptional works of cinema (minus the third), Inception is one of the best modern action movies and both Memento and Insomniac are two of the best thrillers in modern times. Yes Interstellar was needlessly convoluted and Dunkirk was just bland but every movie maker has their slips.

 

[ManFan]

Finally a sensible review of Kubrick's work. I'm sure he was a genius, but he had no idea how to make an entertaining film. Quentin Tarantino is also somewhat perverted, but at least he uses that to ramp up his movies with some real electricity and brilliant musical scores.

Tarantino just has a foot fetish.

He’s the best of this generation along with Nolan.

 

[Adijazz1706]

I did not enjoy Tarantino's last film (ugly, long, needlessly violent and completely boring) but for the most part, he does manage to pull off something very good, although his peak is 20 years ago. As you say, Kubrick failed to understand how to entertain...or even that entertainment was needed.



Nolan is an exceptional film maker and his Batman movies are exceptional works of cinema (minus the third), Inception is one of the best modern action movies and both Memento and Insomniac are two of the best thrillers in modern times. Yes Interstellar was needlessly convoluted and Dunkirk was just bland but every movie maker has their slips.

Not sure insomnia is that good and the dark knight is a good movie but not a good batman movie (in terms of accurate depictions of the joker or batman himself as per the source material). The same thing happened to Sherlock with Cumberbatch being too cold and atheistic and Freeman too weak and ineffectual (until S3 where I was completely bored, didn't watch S4)

 

[DeadBall]

Nolan is an exceptional film maker and his Batman movies are exceptional works of cinema (minus the third), Inception is one of the best modern action movies and both Memento and Insomniac are two of the best thrillers in modern times. Yes Interstellar was needlessly convoluted and Dunkirk was just bland but every movie maker has their slips.

Totally agree with most of this, apart from Interstellar which I thought was perfect. I even watched Dunkirk at one of the only 5 70mm cinemas here in Germany but it seemed more like a documentary rather than a movie. However you seem to have forgotten one of his best movies aka The Prestige. I watched his initial movie that got his cult started "Following" but it was meh.



One of the original movies of acclaimed directors right now that actually lived to it's expectation (maybe because I watched it at the time of it's released) is Pi by Aronofsky.

 

[TM Riddle]

Interstellar needlessly convoluted?
It was supposed to be that way you liberal arts fanatics.

 

[DeadBall]

Interstellar needlessly convoluted?
It was supposed to be that way you liberal arts fanatics.

Yes, Interstellar was almost perfect, one of the best Sci Fi movies of all time, much better than 2001 A Space Odyssey anyway, also much better than Solaris (in terms of entertainment) in my opinion.

 

[James]

I loved Interstellar, felt it was ingenious.

 

[Extra_Cover]

Stanley Kubrick is widely regarded as the 'best ever' by most acclaimed critics and film jury. There is a reason why everyone thinks he is better than most, the most obvious one is that he was well ahead of his time.

I don't really have a favorite Kubrick movie as each of his movies stood out from the others in its genre. For example, Shining set the benchmark for thrillers for this era. Full metal jacket set the benchmark of war's psychological effects on a person which was also a first for its kind. Eyes wide shut touched a taboo subject which many filmmakers won't risk going for it. Clockwork orange introduced two sides of protagonist and audience left confused to feel sorry or not for protagonist. 2001, was never seen before stuff on cinema, please note that this movie came before Neil Armstrong's moon landing!

Kubrick was the innovator, risk taker, great story teller, amazing cinematography, thought provoking and unfortunately all his secrets are now dead with him.

 

[TM Riddle]

Yes, Interstellar was almost perfect, one of the best Sci Fi movies of all time, much better than 2001 A Space Odyssey anyway, also much better than Solaris (in terms of entertainment) in my opinion.

Kip Thorne who won a physics noble a couple of years ago and was a special advisor for the movie commented that the black hole description in the film is one of the best he has ever seen. It was surreal.
Easily the best sci fi movie of all time.

 

[saadibaba]

Yes, Interstellar was almost perfect, one of the best Sci Fi movies of all time, much better than 2001 A Space Odyssey anyway, also much better than Solaris (in terms of entertainment) in my opinion.

I loved Interstellar, felt it was ingenious.

Interstellar may be needlessly convoluted but it carried a heavy emotional punch for me, was literally sobbing in the last half of the movie. The Father-Daughter story was very relatable.

 

[saadibaba]

While on Nolan, he actually recently restored 2001 on 70 mm. Goes on to show how many great directors absolutely adore this movie to the point of obsession.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.lati...nolan-2001-20180503-story.html?outputType=amp

 

[DeadBall]

Kip Thorne who won a physics noble a couple of years ago and was a special advisor for the movie commented that the black hole description in the film is one of the best he has ever seen. It was surreal.
Easily the best sci fi movie of all time.

There is also a book by him which explains all the science in Interstellar, the jury is still out, you can never be 100% sure in Science Fiction but I think it is the most honest and informed portrayal given our current perception of the matter.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23261448-the-science-of-interstellar

 

[Extra_Cover]

Yes, Interstellar was almost perfect, one of the best Sci Fi movies of all time, much better than 2001 A Space Odyssey anyway, also much better than Solaris (in terms of entertainment) in my opinion.

Interstellar is by far one the best space movies of all time if not the best. But please don't judge 2001 with those same lenses. That movie had many layers and please note it was made in 1968 a year before Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, so imagine the amount of research Kubrick put into that movie.

Some posters on this thread are looking for the entertainment or x factors in Kubrick movies are like searching for apples in oranges section. I strongly believe you shouldn't criticize a movie if a movie is not made for your taste. For example, I don't criticize/watch any comic book movie because marvel/comic books is not my genre. Therefore, if I dont have knowledge of a particular genre I don't comment on it.

 

[TM Riddle]

Interstellar may be needlessly convoluted but it carried a heavy emotional punch for me, was literally sobbing in the last half of the movie. The Father-Daughter story was very relatable.

I remember tears rolling down my eyes when he's stuck in the fifth dimension watching his daughter in the past hopelessly.
That movie was pure genius!

 

[DeadBall]

Interstellar may be needlessly convoluted but it carried a heavy emotional punch for me, was literally sobbing in the last half of the movie. The Father-Daughter story was very relatable.

Who knew McConaughey could act after Sahara, Failure to Launch, How to lose a guy in 10 days etc who was cast as a stereotypical bodybuilding bonehead in "Romantic Comedies". Can't believe it is the same guy who later did some of his best work in Killer Joe, Amistad (although was earlier), Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar and True Detective.

 

[DeadBall]

Interstellar is by far one the best space movies of all time if not the best. But please don't judge 2001 with those same lenses. That movie had many layers and please note it was made in 1968 a year before Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, so imagine the amount of research Kubrick put into that movie.

Some posters on this thread are looking for the entertainment or x factors in Kubrick movies are like searching for apples in oranges section. I strongly believe you shouldn't criticize a movie if a movie is not made for your taste. For example, I don't criticize/watch any comic book movie because marvel/comic books is not my genre. Therefore, if I dont have knowledge of a particular genre I don't comment on it.

As I have mentioned before 2001 could possible be the best Sci Fi move ever made art wise. But it was like watching a 1000 different perfectly arranged scenes. It would do wonders for any art student who wants to learn the art but for me personally it had zero entertainment value. Art is subjective and this is just my personal opinion. Same goes with Lynch moves. Wes Anderson is a similar oddball but I relate to his movies a lot more than the other two.

 

[TM Riddle]

Who knew McConaughey could act after Sahara, Failure to Launch, How to lose a guy in 10 days etc who was cast as a stereotypical bodybuilding bonehead in "Romantic Comedies". Can't believe it is the same guy who later did some of his best work in Killer Joe, Amistad (although was earlier), Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar and True Detective.

Bhai watch his earlier movies where he showed a lot of promise before he began on his useless romantic spree.
The guy is a legend of American Cinema.
His roles in Dazed and confused, A time to kill and Amistad showcase his unreal talent at acting before he threw it all away and began to feature in the needless RomComs.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Tarantino just has a foot fetish.

He’s the best of this generation along with Nolan.

He's got more than a foot fetish, but we don't need to go into why, I agree with you, him and Nolan could be described as this generation's best directors. Although I would say, without the Batman trilogy, not really sure Nolan's reputation would ever have took off based on the rest of his work, which while it is still good, wasn't that memorable.

 

[DeadBall]

Bhai watch his earlier movies where he showed a lot of promise before he began on his useless romantic spree.
The guy is a legend of American Cinema.
His roles in Dazed and confused, A time to kill and Amistad showcase his unreal talent at acting before he threw it all away and began to feature in the needless RomComs.

Oh yeah totally forgot about A Time To Kill, absolutely loved (it reminded me of The Green Mile for some reason, maybe because the accused were black, although totally different stories) a similar movie is The Lincoln Lawyer if you're into courtroom thrillers which are one of my favorite genres. Another such (underrated) movie in this genre is The Devils Advocate with Keanu Reeves and Pacino.

Dazed and Confused is a pioneer in its genre like many Linklater movies.

 

[TM Riddle]

Oh yeah totally forgot about A Time To Kill, absolutely loved (it reminded me of The Green Mile for some reason, maybe because the accused were black, although totally different stories) a similar movie is The Lincoln Lawyer if you're into courtroom thrillers which are one of my favorite genres. Another such (underrated) movie in this genre is The Devils Advocate with Keanu Reeves and Pacino.

Dazed and Confused is a pioneer in its genre like many Linklater movies.

I have watched The Lincoln Lawyer and yes it was quite good too.
Re Dazed and Confused, over the years it has managed to become one of my all time favorite movies having watched it at least 20 times. The acting, simple and yet effective plot, teen issues, 70s rock music and an ensemble cast which went on to achieve great things made the movie all more memorable.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Who knew McConaughey could act after Sahara, Failure to Launch, How to lose a guy in 10 days etc who was cast as a stereotypical bodybuilding bonehead in "Romantic Comedies". Can't believe it is the same guy who later did some of his best work in Killer Joe, Amistad (although was earlier), Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar and True Detective.

I haven't actually seen a lot of McConaughey's films, most of them passed me by, it was only True Detective which made me sit up and take notice. That was so far removed from his RomCom roles it was hard to believe it was the same guy.

 

[TM Riddle]

He's got more than a foot fetish, but we don't need to go into why, I agree with you, him and Nolan could be described as this generation's best directors. Although I would say, without the Batman trilogy, not really sure Nolan's reputation would ever have took off based on the rest of his work, which while it is still good, wasn't that memorable.

Memento, Prestige, Inception, Interstellar?

 

[TM Riddle]

I haven't actually seen a lot of McConaughey's films, most of them passed me by, it was only True Detective which made me sit up and take notice. That was so far removed from his RomCom roles it was hard to believe it was the same guy.

Watch Dallas buyers club.
Mind=Blown

 

[DeadBall]

Memento, Prestige, Inception, Interstellar?

Apart from Memento, the rest were after Batman Begins, Nolan was more of a director with a cult following at the time.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Memento, Prestige, Inception, Interstellar?

They were all good films, very worthy in their own way, but they come into the category of - while I can appreciate them, I don't feel moved enough to watch them again. Maybe the Batman dark fantasy world gave him a framework which pushed him beyond what he would ordinarily have even considered? In any case, those were the films for me which marked him out from the rest, they were brilliantly executed, way beyond what anyone else has done with the genre.

 

[Chrish]

LOL every man and his dog throwing out the opinions on what is good or overrated movies. Just goes on to show you how subjective these opinions are. I think Interstellar is Nolan's most overrated movie but that's just me. Regardless, I am a big Nolan fan and I consider him to be the true successor of Spielberg. Inception has to be one of the greatest cinematic achievements in all history.

And I consider Goodfellas to be the greatest movie of them all.

 

[TM Riddle]

LOL every man and his dog throwing out the opinions on what is good or overrated movies. Just goes on to show you how subjective these opinions are. I think Interstellar is Nolan's most overrated movie but that's just me. Regardless, I am a big Nolan fan and I consider him to be the true successor of Spielberg. Inception has to be one of the greatest cinematic achievements in all history.

And I consider Goodfellas to be the greatest movie of them all.

That place has been permanently occupied by the Godfather.
But Goodfellas was bloody brilliant as well. Easily in the top 5!

 

[Chrish]

That place has been permanently occupied by the Godfather.
But Goodfellas was bloody brilliant as well. Easily in the top 5!

Perhaps I am biased because I didn't discover Godfather until much later in my movie-watching years. When I watched Godfather for the first time, I had already seen goodfellas dozens of time and fell head over heels for it.

Godfather I is a truly magnificent movie! Although I am in minority who think part 2 is far inferior.

 

[TM Riddle]

Perhaps I am biased because I didn't discover Godfather until much later in my movie-watching years. When I watched Godfather for the first time, I had already seen goodfellas dozens of time and fell head over heels for it.

Godfather I is a truly magnificent movie! Although I am in minority who think part 2 is far inferior.

Tell me about it!
Apart from the scenes featuring De Niro and old Italy, I found the part 2 extremely overrated. While the acting was top notch I believe it was missing that magic which was conspicuously present in the first one.
It just didn't do it for me.

 

[saadibaba]

As I have mentioned before 2001 could possible be the best Sci Fi move ever made art wise. But it was like watching a 1000 different perfectly arranged scenes. It would do wonders for any art student who wants to learn the art but for me personally it had zero entertainment value. Art is subjective and this is just my personal opinion. Same goes with Lynch moves. Wes Anderson is a similar oddball but I relate to his movies a lot more than the other two.

Critisms of 2001 are not new, a lot of people even movie buffs and great movie critics like Pauline Kael to name a few, bashed the movie when it first arrived on screens. In some premiers almost half the audience left before the movie’s end. Ray Bradbury, the great scifi writer and friend of Arthur Clarke who wrote 2001 along with Kubrick and later published a novel on it, called the movie so bad that he proposed to chop the original to pieces as to save the human race from its misery.

Yet, critics like Roger Ebert hailed the movie, directors like Spielberg, Scorsese, Nolan etc. consider it one of the greatest movie ever made. I feel it’s because 2001 was never made to entertain people and though at times the movies pacing is deliberately slow and the plot line doesn’t make much sense, it’s made to induce a state of contemplation. To immerse the audience with visuals and music as to make the experience transcendent and meditative. It can easily be categorized as a silent movie where dialogue is a mere necessity, it’s the visuals and music, the slow hypnotic nature of the movie which makes it so unique.

 

[saadibaba]

LOL every man and his dog throwing out the opinions on what is good or overrated movies. Just goes on to show you how subjective these opinions are. I think Interstellar is Nolan's most overrated movie but that's just me. Regardless, I am a big Nolan fan and I consider him to be the true successor of Spielberg. Inception has to be one of the greatest cinematic achievements in all history.

And I consider Goodfellas to be the greatest movie of them all.

Goodfellas is one of my favorites too. Hugely entertaining. I consider Godfather as a masterpiece.

See when we start talking about movies of this caliber, it’s hard to put them in chronological order. It’s like comparing a Picasso with a Van Gough.

All are great, just depend on how you want to consume them.

 

[saadibaba]

While talking of sci-fi movies, the recent Blade Runner 2049 by Dennis Viilenevue was amazing. It had the emotional intimacy and immersive intensity, second only to 2001. Considering it was a sequel and the director was somewhat limited because of the back story and plot lines, it was a great effort. Right up there as one of my favorites.

 

[barah_admi]

Not sure insomnia is that good and the dark knight is a good movie but not a good batman movie (in terms of accurate depictions of the joker or batman himself as per the source material). The same thing happened to Sherlock with Cumberbatch being too cold and atheistic and Freeman too weak and ineffectual (until S3 where I was completely bored, didn't watch S4)

Agree with Sherlock post S2...it just became a terrible show but TDK is an exceptional depiction of a type of Batman and a type of Joker. In fact, some of the best adaptations are not closest to the source material but get the feel, tone and themes correct (LOTR trilogy, Shawshank Redemption etc).

Totally agree with most of this, apart from Interstellar which I thought was perfect. I even watched Dunkirk at one of the only 5 70mm cinemas here in Germany but it seemed more like a documentary rather than a movie. However you seem to have forgotten one of his best movies aka The Prestige. I watched his initial movie that got his cult started "Following" but it was meh.



One of the original movies of acclaimed directors right now that actually lived to it's expectation (maybe because I watched it at the time of it's released) is Pi by Aronofsky.

The Prestige is pretty good but I found it a bit too stupid towards the end so purposefully left it out of my post lol

Ah Aronofsky, that guy can be so good at times and so bad at other times. The Wrestler was exceptional, Black Swan very good and then there's the nonsense of The Fountain :/

 

[James]

I loved The Fountain and mother! (both Aronofsky) which are maligned by many. I guess I am positively drawn to the strange and divisive films.

 

[Chrish]

Just saw 2001 the other day. What a movie! Now I can definitely see why this movie is considered to be godfather of all sci-fi flicks.. Why it's revered by so many film-makers. To those watching it for the first time; you won't understand a single thing from watching it, but that's completely okay. Just read the wikipedia movie interpretation page once done and you will understand pretty much everything. The film also has lots of interesting articles written on the subject that can be easily found on google.

I must say; I was little let down by Dr. Strangelove though. I thought it was decent but I expected more since it's his most critically acclaimed movie.

 

[Chrish]

You could write a book on each of his movie basically, detailing its specifics/qualities, but a personal fav of mine is "Spartacus", epic in all sense of the term. "Barry Lyndon" also is special for its cinematography. He really was a magician with the camera, something that you can already see from as early as "The Killing".

IMO one of the two "artist" from among the movie directors, the other being Andrei Tarkovsky.

Any specific film you recommend for Tarkovsky? Lots of hardcore movie fans hold him in very high regard.

 

[enkidu_]

Any specific film you recommend for Tarkovsky? Lots of hardcore movie fans hold him in very high regard.

Solaris/Mirror/Stalker are all epic but my favourite out of them was Solaris (and you could make an interesting comparaison with Kubrick's 2001 as well, some kind of sci-fi mysticism), even though it's usually Stalker which is recommended first to neophytes.