Caught the documentary "Room 237" on Netflix last night.
The documentary examines Stanley Kubrick's treatment of Stephen King's book The Shining.
I saw The Shining in the theater and though it was like a lot of treatments of Stephen King novels-it was OK.
The documentary begins with a series of film critics coming to the same conclusion.
Eventually, the critics discuss how, after further examination, they see much deeper meaning in Kubrick's movie.
2 of the initial "discoveries" is that
1) The movie is about the Nazi holocaust of the Jews and
2) The Europeans settlers' holocaust of the native Americans
The documentary goes on to "prove" that not only was the Apollo 11 moon landing and walk faked but that Stanley Kubrick was the director tapped to pull off the feat.
Kubrick works references to Apollo 11 into The Shining. For example, Danny, the son, wears a sweater in the movie that has a rocket launching with the "Apollo 11" insignia on it.
The film makers of Room 237 then discuss how Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut was a continuation of the work that he began in The Shining.
I also learned that Stanley Kubrick has an IQ of 200.
Also, and they never explained why, that Kubrick deliberately refused to stay true to Stephen King's book and that Kubrick even went as far as to include a big fat FU to King in the movie itself!! Understandably, King was upset. However, they never explained the reason behind this slight of the accomplished American author.
Finally, they touched on how conspiracy theorists believe that Kubrick died under suspicious circumstances and that one of the greatest cinematic geniuses of our time may have been *GULP* murdered?
Bottom line is that I'll never look at The Shining the same way again.
I recommend Room 237 to all Stanley Kubrick fanatics.
Lonk to trailer for Room 237 - (
New Window )
I will watch this special. Thanks for the heads up.
Also, see 'The Red Road'. Excellent. Also, I work the night shift so I've seen a shitload of Netflix movies lately.
'A Simple Plan'. 'Dream Lover' with James Spader. A personal favorite actor. 'Twilight' with Newman and Hackman.
Shit, we should start a thread on this....
It was hard to ignore many of the quirks and coincidences but I think as a whole the documentary went a little bat shit crazy. I get that Kubrick was a brilliant mind and he definitely used symbolic subliminal messaging in all his movies but the whole moon landing thing seemed a stretch to me... But like I said some of the shit was hard to ignore. Kubrick never did anything by accident so the scene scrutinizing isn't totally unfounded...definitely weird..
It seemed a good portion of the meanings had to do with the Native Americans and them "reclaiming" what they had lost.
Check out:
Crave
and
Blue Ruin
I have a list of Netflix movies I recommend and we do a Netflix thread on BBI occasionally. Maybe it's time to do another one.
so many astronauts and pilots lost their lives in pursuit of that goal, it's like spitting in their faces to suggest it never happened.
plus, pretty hard to believe that many people could keep that secret so long.
so many astronauts and pilots lost their lives in pursuit of that goal, it's like spitting in their faces to suggest it never happened.
plus, pretty hard to believe that many people could keep that secret so long.
You should feel that way. Not just due to the sacrifice of the astronauts, but it was a glorious achievement for science and America at large. Countless
Engineers using slide rules to land man on the Moon. Brilliant and awe inspiring. Wear that achievement as a badge of honor
.
All the native american imagery was interesting. 'White mans burden, Llloyd'.
Loved that show. Can't wait for another season.
All the native american imagery was interesting. 'White mans burden, Llloyd'.
Yep. It's so bizarre. Kubrick was so meticulous that it had to be for some reason, but damned if I know why.
Quote:
but I get really upset when people suggest the moon landing was fake.
so many astronauts and pilots lost their lives in pursuit of that goal, it's like spitting in their faces to suggest it never happened.
plus, pretty hard to believe that many people could keep that secret so long.
You should feel that way. Not just due to the sacrifice of the astronauts, but it was a glorious achievement for science and America at large. Countless
Engineers using slide rules to land man on the Moon. Brilliant and awe inspiring. Wear that achievement as a badge of honor
*and mankind at large.
Moon conspiracies are almost as dumb as the Illuminati bullshit.
The way Kubrick messes with the viewer is brilliant, the film is intentionally spatially impossible - in the back of our minds, we ALL knew that the path Danny followed around the halls on that Big Wheel didn't seem correct, the maze was in the wrong place - not even visible in the opening credits!
There is much, much going on beneath the surface.
This is an absolutely amazing, thorough analysis of the film. If you're a fan, WELL worth the read. None of the conspiracy theory crap, LOTS of amazing details you never noticed before - you'll never look at the film the same way after digging through this site.
MAZES, MIRRORS, DECEPTION AND DENIAL" an in-depth analysis of Stanley Kubrick's THE SHINING - ( New Window )
That is why there are multiple remakes of books based on the same story, i.e., True Grit or The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. True Grit is probably the better example, since both versions, the John Wayne and the Coen Bros, were both excellent.
Kubrick had his own inspiration in making the Shining and took it in the directions he wanted to. I'm sure he look a ton of liberties with 2001, but by the time the Internet showed up, nobody was reading Arthur Clarke anymore.
"Eyes Wide Shut" was a steaming pile of dog shit. The movie was no more intriguing than its synopsis:
"Doctor Bill can't get laid. (And you, the viewer, are not allowed to see intercoursing bits.)"
By the time that movie was made, the American Popular Conscience was so jaded and over-exposed to sex and transgressions, and porn was already so ubiquitous, that there was nothing Kubrick could show in that movie that would remotely shock anybody.
Contrast the flaccidly boring EWS with Clockwork Orange. By the time he made EWS Kubrick was spent. Done. Finito.
YEs I am almost certain it was. My uncle lived out in Oregon and he mentioned that the movie was filmed out in his neck of the woods.
The hotel was supposed to be in Colorado I believe.
I do think the first half of A.I. is very good but Kubrick wasn't able to finish making it. We all know what happened next...ABOMINATION.
Alternative name for EWS: "Much Ado About Nothing."
(Tangent: Ha! Shakespeare had the idea for Seinfeld before Larry David did....)
AI ... OMFG ... ZOMFG ... even worse than "The Return of the King," that fucking conglomeration of unpasteurized moose vomit did not know what it was or how to end. It was like Spielberg was purposely attempting to murder-suicide his own career and Kubrick's.
The one thought I kept having throughout AI was, "What the fuck is going on?"
Actually, was the Jack/Danny molestation stuff in the book or is it a movie theory?
Check out:
Crave
and
Blue Ruin
I have a list of Netflix movies I recommend and we do a Netflix thread on BBI occasionally. Maybe it's time to do another one.
Will do. Bloodline is pretty good, also.