Jack Nicholson Archives - chimesfreedom

Laugh of the Day: Shining Trailer Parody

Shining Comedy

If you ever wondered how Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining might work as a comedy, look no further than this parody movie trailer. Posted awhile ago on YouTube by jlgpyv1, the trailer of the film starring Jack Nicholson never fails to make me laugh.

Among other things, the lead up and then the start of Peter Gabriel’s oft-used “Solsbury Hill” is genius. Check out the trailer for the light comedy, Shining, a movie about a boy who wants to spend more time with his dad.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

Predetermination and Kubrick’s “The Shining”

The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (short review)

Pres. Kennedy Advises U.S. to Start Digging

Bonanza’s Hoss With The Three Stooges

Paul Thomas Anderson’s Epic Poem on an American Cult: “The Master” (Short Review)

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The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick

This 20-minuted documentary Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick, narrated by Malcolm McDowell, provides an overview of some of the film projects that director Stanley Kubrick did not complete before his death. Some of the projects may be familiar to film fans — like A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Napoleon — but some of the other ones are more obscure projects, like The German Lieutenant. The documentary features Jack Nicholson, Sydney Pollack, Kubrick’s producer Jan Harlan, and others. Check it out.

Steven Spielberg, who completed AI, will be bringing a version of Napoleon as a miniseries to HBO. For more on Kubrick’s unfinished works, head over to The Playlist for “The Lost & Unmade Projects Of Stanley Kubrick.”

What is your favorite Stanley Kubrick project? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (short review)

Laugh of the Day: Shining Trailer Parody

Predetermination and Kubrick’s “The Shining”

Aretha Franklin 1972 Performance Will Be Released: “Amazing Grace”

Pres. Kennedy Advises U.S. to Start Digging

Godzilla Versus Ida (Short Reviews)

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Predetermination and Kubrick’s “The Shining”

Critics and scholars have been debating the meaning behind Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) for more than three decades. A recent documentary, Room 237, which is available for viewing in theaters and through Amazon, explores the possible meanings behind the film, prompting a response in the form of this visual essay “Free Will In Kubrick’s The Shining” provided through Vimeo . The essay is by Dr. Drew Morton, who is an Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at Texas A&M University-Texarkana. Dr. Morton argues that Kubrick made the film about the “predetermined damnation” of Jack Torrence, played by Jack Nicholson.

Using split screen video and some of the disturbing scenes from the film, Morton compares Kubrick’s film to Stephen King‘s novel, noting how King focused on a decent man haunted by the ghosts of the house while Kubrick changed it to focus on a flawed main character is haunted by his own ghosts. Kubrick focused on the psychological instead of the supernatural in King’s novel, and Morton explains how the film foreshadows Jack’s predetermined future. If you are interested in Kubrick’s work, the 18-minute video is worth your time.

Free Will in Kubrick’s THE SHINING from Drew Morton on Vimeo.

Morton makes some interesting arguments, and other films have addressed themes of free will and predetermination. For example, many film noir movies tackle such complicated themes about fate and will. Anyway, I would like to see Morton take a similar approach to interpreting Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut (1999).

What do you think about the free will theory of “The Shining”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

Laugh of the Day: Shining Trailer Parody

The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (short review)

“The Last Hurrah” Short Film Captures the Spirit of Film Noir

Pres. Kennedy Advises U.S. to Start Digging

Bonanza’s Hoss With The Three Stooges

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (short review)

If you are a fan of director Stanley Kubrick, check out the documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001). Although the film does not feature interviews with the notoriously reclusive Kubrick, the late director’s voice comes through clips of his movies and through many people who knew and worked with Kubrick.

I recently re-watched one of Kubrick’s early films, Paths of Glory (1957), the outstanding WWI film starring Kirk Douglas. Seeing it for the second time, I noticed many of the Kubrick touches in the camera angles and story themes and fell even deeper in love with the great film. I have always been a fan of Kubrick’s films, but watching Paths of Glory made me want to know more about the director, so I rented A Life in Pictures on Netflix.

At 2 hours and 22 minutes, director Jan Harlan’s A Life in Pictures is not a lightweight overview of Kubrick’s career, but covers all of his movies with comments from many who worked with the director such as Jack Nicholson, Nicole Kidman, Malcolm McDowell, Steven Spielberg, and Tom Cruise, who narrates the film. Martin Scorsese, a director who is knowledgeable about film history, provides additional insight, as does Kubrick’s widow (who had a small but important role in Paths of Glory).

The documentary covers films such as The Killing (1956), Spartacus (1960), Dr. Strangelove (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987), and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). I particularly enjoyed the insight and behind-the-scenes stories about the underrated and misunderstood Eyes Wide Shut. While A Life in Pictures may not change your views of the films or tell you exactly who Stanley Kubrick was, the documentary helps peel back a few layers to give you a greater appreciation of Kubrick’s works.

Conclusion? Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures is an entertaining documentary about one of the great American directors that is worth your time if you have any interest in film history or in Kubrick’s films.