Stanley Kubrick - still a mystery

Post Reply New Topic

Thanks to The_Walrus for pointing me in the right direction for this post

I mean when I say I love and hate Kubrick's movies at the same time.
I find them boring, but I also find them fascinating.

Stephen Spielberg said that once you start watching his movies, it's impossible to stop watching. And it's true.
I find myself irresistibly drawn to his movies over & over, even though none of them are among my 'favourites'.

For me, there's a big difference between being boring and being slower paced. There are a lot of long tracking and establishing shots in movies like '2001', 'The Shining' and 'Barry Lyndon', but I think they're well-executed and only add to the atmosphere of the film. And I say that as someone with ADHD.

I greatly respect Kubrick as a filmmaker; he was a genuine master in his field, though I have to admit his movies aren't something I'd randomly throw on during a rainy day. Of his works, I hold 'The Shining' and 'Eyes Wide Shut' as my personal favorites.

Some films and some filmmakers don't do popcorn movies, and the great Stanley Kubrick is one of them. Apparently Kubrick was an Aspie himself, if you read about the man and listen to people who have worked with him it all makes sense that he was on the spectrum.
Besides the beauty of all his films, and the dark underdone he had towards humanity, they are mesmerizing and fascinating at the same time, yes they are slow but never boring, yes they are different that any other films and that is because they are art pieces more than perfectly calibrated money making films.
Another filmmaker similar to Kubrick was Andrei Tarkovsky.
Anyway, I think my favorite Kubrick films are : Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, Lolita, 2001 and Dr Strangelove.

I like Spartacus, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Full Metal Jacket, Dr. Strangelove, and The Shining.

However, Barry Lyndon, Paths of Glory, A Clockwork Orange are under my list of movies that I would only want to watch once.

Stanley Kubrick is one of my favorite directors ever. He could even do fast-paced; if you want proof, watch The Killing. It's a film noir that will leave you breathless.

I love Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove and 2001. Paths of Glory is an important movie even though it's very difficult to watch. The message in it is timeless.