Comments on: Million Dollar Movie

By: The Hawk

The Hawk — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:25:05 +0000

And he never did stop wearing those sunglasses. Even at night. And indoors. And indoors at night.

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:49:41 +0000

I actually find Nicholson easy to believe in roles even though he’s got his hammy side. Interestingly, his next feature after The Shinning was The Border. I remember P. Kael making a good comment that Jack played down thos manic eyebrows and devilish look by wearing sunglasses for most of the movie. Maybe someone will get around to writing about that one, it’s solid. Warren Oates is good in it. Tony Richardson directed.

By: The Hawk

The Hawk — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 04:13:16 +0000

Great piece.

Since it’s a matter of public record that Nicholson’s scenery-chewing was egged on by Kubrick, maybe it’s not the right term, since I always associate it with an actor overdoing it for selfish reasons. Ah whatever. It’s atypical anyway.

I read the book and it wasn’t nearly as good as the movie.

By: Evil Empire

Evil Empire — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:59:29 +0000

I saw the shining at the theatre in 1980 when I was 13. It scared the living shit out of me. Of course, the naked chick in the tub also have me a lot to think about (until she turned into the old womans corpse! Blech)

By: Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO

Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:58:48 +0000

The imagery is intense and terrifying for sure..those two little girls…too creepy!! And am totally on board with the Big Wheel comment!

By: Bobtaco

Bobtaco — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:56:53 +0000

Here’s some trivia, did you guys know that all the interiors are built sets? In other words, the hotel was not a pre-existing location shoot, only the exteriors. Isn’t that creepy right there?

By: TheGreenMan

TheGreenMan — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:12:33 +0000

I’ve always loved Kubrick films and this one in particular. I remember reading that Stephen King wasn’t too thrilled with it initially, but came around eventually. He STILL thought he could do better, however, that’s why he did the TV mini-series.

But Kubrick’s adaptation, in my opinion, was much better than King’s novel. All the changes made worked. Even killing Halloran so quickly after he arrived, as Jon pointed out. Sure, Jack had been trying to kill his family, but until that point he hadn’t committed anything so foul as murder. There was no coming back from that.

By: kenboyer made me cry

kenboyer made me cry — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:55:42 +0000

Never saw it, don’t know why. I enjoy Jack when he plays a crazy (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), and most Kubrick films, but for some reason this one got away. I have to see it.

By: weeping for brunnhilde

weeping for brunnhilde — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:13:23 +0000

That was a fine piece, Jon, thank you! You’ve nudged me that much closer towards finally seeing this masterpiece.

Oh, and all that stuff you were saying about freeing the viewer from distracting, nagging questions is the same with “Double Indemnity,” one of my top ten (or probably even five) all-time faves. I was listening to one of the commentaries the other day and it made that same point: instead of a typical who-done-it, we are introduced to the killer from the very beginning, freeing us up to appreciate the real content of the film.

Can’t wait to see “The Shining.”

God, I love the movies. As much as baseball, even.

By: weeping for brunnhilde

weeping for brunnhilde — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:44:47 +0000

[10] I will! And slow-moving and moody is right up my alley.

By: Cliff Corcoran

Cliff Corcoran — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:00:57 +0000

Thanks for the shout-out Jon. Good stuff here. This is one of the Kubrick films that I just love *looking* at so much that I tend to forgive its faults and even delight in some of them (Nicholson’s scenery-chewing). I do agree with [2] above, however, though it’s interesting to learn that Kubrick wanted it that way.

By: FreddySez

FreddySez — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:35:55 +0000

As a matter completely separate from the Kubrick film, I’ve always thought the 1997 TV miniseries version with Steven Weber and Rebecca De Mornay deserved a little more love.

It didn’t have the cachet of the theatrical version, which was as much Kubrick’s creation as it was King’s, but as a more faithful adaptation of the book — on what must have been a fraction of the budget — it was very effectively done.

By: RIYank

RIYank — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:28:52 +0000

The longest professional baseball game every played was in 1981, between Rochester and Pawtucket. Like this tennis match, it resumed on June 23rd. Unlike this match, it actually ended on the day it resumed.

66-66…

By: RIYank

RIYank — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:11:58 +0000

Speaking of horrors:
It’s now 64 – 63 in the final set…

By: bp1

bp1 — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:59:39 +0000

My wife and I were talking about this movie once, describing how the kid would hook his finger and talk like his invisible friend Tony. My little girl did that over her friend’s house once and the parents were scandalized that we let her watch the movie (when we really didn’t). Ha. Our girl had no clue it was an axe murder haunted house psycopath movie, just that some little kid talked with his finger via some made up friend.

[6] Some SK movies have been terrific (Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me). Others were just total clunkers (way too many to list). I happen to be a big fan of his writing and the movies just never seem to capture his characters or settings very well. Well I guess that’s probably true of all books.

By: Jon DeRosa

Jon DeRosa — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:54:02 +0000

[7] i totally can see that. but even if he was barely keeping it together, a few glimpses of actual affection for his family would have made it more compelling i think.

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:49:29 +0000

9) It’s slow moving and moody but effective. Let us know what you think when you see it!

By: weeping for brunnhilde

weeping for brunnhilde — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:47:47 +0000

I still haven’t seen it.

(I know, I KNOW!)

By: Bama Yankee

Bama Yankee — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:45:37 +0000

I remember reading somewhere that Kubrick was able to film all of Danny Lloyd’s scenes without the boy realizing he was in a horror movie (I can totally relate to this now that I have a six-year-old).

[1] Excellent point about the sound of the wheels on the floor and then the silence on the carpet. That is something I notice every time I watch the movie.

By: matt b

matt b — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:44:56 +0000

I believe Kubrick did an interview in Rolling Stone around the time of Full Metal Jacket that goes into The Shining quite a bit. If memory serves, he said he wanted Jack to seem like someone who was just keeping it together and could go off any moment, rather than just a normal dad driven insane or possessed.

I’ll never fully understand the guy in the animal costume going down on the dude in the tuxedo, but it still creeps the hell outta me.

I think The Shining is aging well. Spielberg called it something like “the ultimate haunted house movie.”