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My Best Film: Stanley Kubrick


Devon Malcolm

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Everyone who is not a wrong 'un know he's one of the greatest of all time with a formidable back catalogue that will probably make this a nightmare for most people.

 

I'm not sure I necessarily have a favourite because I'll change my mind every time I see one of his films. I think his best and biggest achievement is 2001: A Space Odyssey, although it's probably my least favourite of those I've seen of his. Amazing to look at, but didn't engage me to the story one bit.

 

His range of films is exceptional though and he could jump between comedy and sci-fi and war films and horror and many more with little or no effort. Giving notices to a couple of his films that perhaps don't get as many mentions as the rest of his work, The Killing is an absolutely tremendous crime thriller that is still influential (and pilfered from) to this day while Paths Of Glory is, for me, at least one of the top 3 war films of all time that I've seen - possibly THE best.

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You bastard Gladstone.

 

Every time this type of thread pops up I always know instantly what to choose. This time i'm torn. I really need to dig out the Kubrick collection tonight and watch several films again as i'm sure i'll underrate them. I adore Dr Strangelove a little bit more - i'll go for that, but change my mind in a few minutes.

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2001 or The Shining are the only real contenders no? Everything else is fantastic but those two are mind blowing. 2001 is my pick. I only watched it for the first time about 4 years ago. it was one of those films that I heard so damn much about that I assumed it would be blown out of proportion and dare I say it over rated. Its every bit as good as its reputation if not better.

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I'd go for Paths Of Glory or The Shining. I'm praying that the original cut of the Shining that has been found and is showing in New York next month somehow gets a DVD/Blu Ray release

 

Anyone thats into film making should check out Barry Lyndon, Its insane the level of detail he put into making it including uses a lens borrowed from NASA so he could film the majority of the shots with natural lighting. As a film it suffers from being a bit plodding in places, as a technical exercise it may well be his greatest achievment

 

 

Edit

300px-Barry12.jpg

 

He lit a shot with candles for fucks sake! Him and John Alcott were genius'

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Major confession (and I've double checked), I've only ever watched one Kubrick film, Full Metal Jacket. So through the process of elimination I pick that.

 

I tried watching The Shining & Clockwork Orange but just couldn't get into them. I guess because of that I never bothered with the rest. So based on the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed Full Metal Jacket, which of the others would you recommend I watch?

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Steve, watch all of them! Try The Shining and A Clockwork Orange again. If you want a crowd pleaser, Dr Strangelove is as close as you get and Peter Sellers' finest hour to boot. I'd say Full Metal Jacket is one of his weakest mainly because of its second half which comes nowhere near to replicating how amazing the first half is.

 

2001 or The Shining are the only real contenders no?

 

Clearly not, his back catalogue is littered with extraordinary films for many different reasons.

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No love for Full Metal Jacket? I thought he did a great job turning the Docklands into war-torn Vietnam. Might not be the greatest war movie ever, but a great film nonetheless

 

The first half of Full Metal Jacket is fantastic, sadly it goes downhill when they actually get to war

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Christ this is hard......I'm surprised there's been no mention for Spartacus (although as far as I know he didn't write that one, only directed) so I'll go for a top 3 of

 

1. Full Metal Jacket

2. Dr Strangelove (Or how I couldn't be bothered to write the entire title)

3. A Clockwork Orange.

 

One I really should get around to seeing is his original version of Lolita, because I love Adrian Lyne's remake with Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain.

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Good shout on Barry Lyndon, chokeout, I really enjoyed that film. It's quite funny too, in a subtle way.

 

I've not seen Paths Of Glory OR (gasp) Dr Strangelove, but of what I have seen it'd have to be The Shining really. Like all of Kubrick's films it's technically brilliant and cinematically innovative, of course, but it's also fucking dramatic and pacy, which is something he does sometimes struggle with.

 

I don't personally think Eyes Wide Shut is bad, it fits right into his oeuvre and as a metaphor for the fucked up relationship between Cruise and Kidman is rather daring.

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Steve, watch all of them! Try The Shining and A Clockwork Orange again. If you want a crowd pleaser, Dr Strangelove is as close as you get and Peter Sellers' finest hour to boot. I'd say Full Metal Jacket is one of his weakest mainly because of its second half which comes nowhere near to replicating how amazing the first half is.

 

2001 or The Shining are the only real contenders no?

 

Clearly not, his back catalogue is littered with extraordinary films for many different reasons.

 

Extraordinary yes but those two are the most extraordinary.

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