Mar 16, 2009 10:23:03 AM, brucehershen...@gmail.com wrote:
I had two serious problems with EWS (and I am a serious "Kubrick lover").1) I hate when a romantic couple in a movie has little chemistry (sexual or otherwise), and I felt Tom/Nicole had virtually zero, especially sad because they were a real-life couple. It didn't come as a shocker to me when they soon got divorced. I thought that Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway had more far more chemistry in their few minutes together in the Oscar show (directors should always remember this when casting the leads in a romantic movie, whether comedy or drama).2) If I were super-rich (or Rich Halegua, for that matter), about the last thing I would do would be to join some weitd sex club where you wear weird robes and stand around while people sing wacky chants (I don't care how pretty the girls were, there would have to be a better club down the road).Maybe it is something lacking in me, but I didn't "get" EWS at all.I very much agree with the post that said the "pre-epic" Kubrick was far better than the post-epic one (the same goes for David Lean).BruceOn Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 11:56 PM, Phil Edwards <p...@cinemarts.com> wrote:
Yes, definitely gets better as times goes by and is best seen as SK intended, unmatted 4.3.That way all those weird converging angles in the awesome production design can be fully appreciated.Definitely a film for the mathematicians.....And astonishing what he got out of Cruise and (especially) Kidman.PhilSent: Monday, March 16, 2009 3:14 PMSubject: Re: [MOPO] Speaking of Kubrick
From: Roger Kim <roger...@iname.com>
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Speaking of Kubrick
To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
Received: Monday, 16 March, 2009, 2:56 PM
Oops. I forgot that Eyes Wide Shut was automatically assumed to be Kubrick's worst film.So, Barry Lyndon was NOT voted Kubrick's worst film. I feel better now.I personally think that Full Metal Jacket was his worst clunker.-rkOn Mar 15, 2009, at 8:33 PM, Bruce Hershenson wrote:
First off, for those of you not in my club, the question was "what film directed by Stanley Kubrick (other than "Eyes Wide Shut"!) do you feel is the WORST he ever made".I eliminated EWS because I assumed it would win in a landslide! I also eliminated the pre-Killer's Kiss movies because nobody (except Kirby and Phil, maybe) has ever seen them.So that only left the following (I have put the number of votes each received):Barry Lyndon (1975) 43
A Clockwork Orange (1971) 25
Full Metal Jacket (1987) 20
The Shining (1980) 16
Killer's Kiss (1955) 13
Spartacus (1960) 12
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 9
Lolita (1962) 6
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) 4
Paths of Glory (1957) 3The Killing 0Now I personally didn't agree with Barry Lyndon "winning" but what SHOULD have won instead?Here were my comments:I was personally not surprised that Barry Lyndon "won " this poll, even though I personally thought it was quite an interesting movie. It clearly is NOT for many people, and the pacing of the movie alternates between "on the slow side" and "glacial"! But I was able to put that aside and get into the sheer visual beauty of the cinematography, although I must admit I have not seen it since it first came out, and don't really have a strong desire to see it again.
I also was not surprised by the large number of votes placed for A Clockwork Orange, given the repellant nature of the entire movie, and the ultra-disturbing rape scene (and of course the repellant subject matter of Lolita likely gave that otherwise fine movie the votes it received). I thought that The Shining was very disappointing (I had read the book first and liked it) and I liked the first half of Eyes Wide Shut, but did not care for the rest. I had similar feelings about 2001, although I liked a greater percentage of it. And of course, Spartacus was an epic, and kind of "bloated", but I am surprised it received 12 votes.
I really don't see how people voted for Dr. Strangelove or Paths of Glory. To me, both are masterpieces! I was glad that no one voted for The Killing. That is really a wonderful movie (I can't say it is better than The Asphalt Jungle, but it is its equal) and if you like film noir, or suspenseful "perfect crime" movies, and you somehow haven't seen either or both of these, do yourself a big favor and add them to your "must-see" list!
Of course I realize that many of you would have avoided those movies of Kubrick's which you heard are not very good, so therefore you were voting for the "worst" of the ones you HAVE seen, which may be entirely different from his actual worst movies (and may account for some fine movies getting some votes)!
I found it very interesting to read the comments left this week, and I want everyone to go now to http://www.emovieposter.com/club/club_comments.php to see what everyone had to say on this subject (there were 78 comments left, and I urge you all to read them). Remember that the goal in these polls is to stimulate conversation and to help expose club members to great movies they have not seen before (or in the case of this poll, to help them avoid ones they probably don't want to see!), and I feel this week's poll certainly achieved both those goals!BruceOn Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 8:11 PM, Phil Edwards <p...@cinemarts.com> wrote:
Kubrick loved to sign. I have a few stills that his PA at Hawk Films got for me in the mid-70s as the bookshop I was working for (The Cinema Bookshop in Great Russell Street, London) was where he got his film books.
She explained that few people asked him to sign because of his reputation for NOT signing, but he was always extmely flattered when asked... but NEVER on the set,
In fact, Kubrick, while a strong director and perfectionist, was well-known as a warm and caring family man.
The PA also told me that he insisted on packing all his own parcels, including mine.... because he didn't trust anyone else to do it. An impeccable job, too which I have since slavishly followed. So when people ask me who taught me to pack, I can say "well, it was Stanely Kubrick, actually."
Much misunderstood as a person and film maker, he left a relatively small body of work, but everyone a meticulously crafted and multi-faceted gem.
Phil
----- Original Message ----- From: "McDaniel Kirby" <ki...@movieart.net> Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 11:22 AM
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Speaking of KubrickThat opinion is RIDICULOUS. In the sense of deserving and inspiring ridicule.
BARRY LYNDON is a wonderful film. Deliberate doesn't always mean slow. Gorgeous
it is, and there is no better self-evident example of the moralism that Kubrick represented.
I first saw it on Christmas night, 1975 at the Wilshire Theater in Dallas, Texas. The folks
from Warners had been there to tune their system to perfection for the Dallas market.
Thanks to a generous friend of a member of this list, who worked with Kubrick, I was
able to have him sign a one sheet for the film for me.
Kirby
www.movieart.net
On Mar 15, 2009, at 6:30 PM, Roger Kim wrote:
I was just reading Bruce's latest club email, and I was appalled to learn that Barry Lyndon was voted Kubrick's worst film. That is a great movie!!! What is the world coming to??!!!
-rk
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