The Official Movie Thread

[Einherjar86]

Well, even the incredible shit probably wasn't intended by Kubrick. Interpreting a film like that isn't necessarily about what the director/screenwriter intended, but a combination of directorial effort and what the film itself is saying.

 

[rms]

Have you seen it? I just don't want to discuss a huge thing about it if you're not up on some theories

 

[Einherjar86]

I took a course on Kubrick last spring. We talked about Room 237 significantly.

 

[rms]

You don't think the Indians/Historical Aspect/Nazi period didn't have an intention to the meaning? I feel like that theme was the strongest of the bunch.

I wish I had a Kubrick class here.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

WWZ and Daredevil
Daredevil is so bad

 

[Einherjar86]

You don't think the Indians/Historical Aspect/Nazi period didn't have an intention to the meaning? I feel like that theme was the strongest of the bunch.

I wish I had a Kubrick class here.

The theories are entertaining and meaningful, no doubt; but I don't think there's enough evidence to connect them to Kubrick's specific intentions.

The trope of an "Indian burial ground" is so stereotypical that it sounds, to me, more like Kubrick being tongue-in-cheek. There has been testimony from people who worked with Kubrick who also have testified that much of the evidence presented in Room 237 was nothing more than happenstance.

This isn't to say that the potential interpretive avenues didn't present themselves to Kubrick; but it's more likely that he saw them in retrospect, or knew that his choices might lead people to speculate.

I don't mean to ruin your perception of the film or to dissuade you from these ideas. I think they're interesting; but I don't think there's enough evidence to prove that Kubrick intended these interpretations as some kind of hidden meaning.

 

[rms]

Oh don't worry, I never appreciated The Shining in this kind of light until two days ago and now I want to re-watch it, have you read the novel? I'm interested to read/hear why King was so upset with Kubrick about it.

 

[Krow]

You're really against the idea of having a more precise rating.

It just doesn't really mean anything. What's the difference between giving something a 6 or a 6.1? 6.2? It's really meaningless I think. I get 6.5/10, but the rest is just taking it way too serious.

 

[Oblivious Maximus]

I'm interested to read/hear why King was so upset with Kubrick about it.

Well I know he was disappointed that the film really didn't get too in-depth when it came to Jack's alcoholism as King was a major drunk when he wrote the book and felt a personal connection to that part of the story. There's a good sized section of the Wikipedia article on the film dealing with King's initial reaction to the film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shining_(film)#Response_by_Stephen_King

 

[Einherjar86]

Stephen King fails to understand what "adaptation" means. He's a pompous prick.

I've read The Shining. The class I took on Kubrick involved watching his movies and reading the books that inspired them. The novel is significantly different than the movie; yes, the alcoholism is absent in the film, but Danny is far more convincing in the film. In the book he's an inconsistent character.

 

[rms]

Well I know he was disappointed that the film really didn't get too in-depth when it came to Jack's alcoholism as King was a major drunk when he wrote the book and felt a personal connection to that part of the story. There's a good sized section of the Wikipedia article on the film dealing with King's initial reaction to the film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shining_(film)#Response_by_Stephen_King

Thanks man.

Stephen King fails to understand what "adaptation" means. He's a pompous prick.

I've read The Shining. The class I took on Kubrick involved watching his movies and reading the books that inspired them. The novel is significantly different than the movie; yes, the alcoholism is absent in the film, but Danny is far more convincing in the film. In the book he's an inconsistent character.

Very quick to judge here man, maybe this novel had meant a lot to King when he wrote it and signed the film rights away, thinking they were on the same page. Kubrick did a fair job of adapting it(I read about half the book 3-4 years ago and then it vanished) but I think the creator has every right to be upset with something if he doesn't think that was the direction he was going in.

 

[Einherjar86]

Then he should tell people to read his book instead of seeing the movie. He shouldn't get offended and all pissy because he didn't like what Kubrick did with it. It was never King's idea to make a movie. He wrote a novel. And he should be happy with that, it was a bestseller and very well received.

The movie isn't the same text as the book; King isn't the creator of the movie. If King wanted it to be the same, then he should have made it into a film. Kubrick made a different story than King did. He had no obligation to make the movie that King wanted.

 

[rms]

I mean it's not like he boycotted the film did he? Some reporter probably asked what he thought and he spoke, not that huge of a deal. How many Shining readers did it deter to seeing the film? How many people who saw the film first read the book after?

Of course novels aren't written with films in mind usually, but King and Kubrick surely would have had to discuss ideas before he sold the rights, it's not like he just pulled the film out of thin air.

 

[The Ozzman]

Not what I was expecting

 

[Einherjar86]

I mean it's not like he boycotted the film did he? Some reporter probably asked what he thought and he spoke, not that huge of a deal. How many Shining readers did it deter to seeing the film? How many people who saw the film first read the book after?

Of course novels aren't written with films in mind usually, but King and Kubrick surely would have had to discuss ideas before he sold the rights, it's not like he just pulled the film out of thin air.

Relevant!

http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2013/09/stephen-king-still-wont-accept-kubricks-genius

 

[rms]

"“Shelley Duvall as Wendy is really one of the most misogynistic characters ever put on film. She's basically just there to scream and be stupid. And that's not the woman I wrote about.”"

Pretty fair i'd say haha, but he just doesn't like his take on the film, I don't see a big deal about this?

 

[Einherjar86]

I just thought it was funny that we were discussing this and there was an article on it.

Why would King assume that the Wendy in the film is supposed to be the woman he wrote about? I just think he's too close to the novel to take an objective stance. He actually comes off as offended by Kubrick's adaptation.

 

[Zephyrus]

He suggests he has an emotional attachment with his characters, and that Jack is his most "autobiographical." This leads me to suppose that he based Wendy off of a person he knew in real life, and so was offended that she was so disparagingly represented in the film.

 

[rms]

I just thought it was funny that we were discussing this and there was an article on it.

Why would King assume that the Wendy in the film is supposed to be the woman he wrote about? I just think he's too close to the novel to take an objective stance. He actually comes off as offended by Kubrick's adaptation.

Well i'm sure King after all these years knows how to get people interested in what he's doing, and with his sequel to The Shining, what better way than to critique a great film? haha I see it just purely as a money-motivator

That's what i'm saying, he's obviously very attached to this piece and any of his critiques are fine from his perspective, but for people like us, anything left to change is fair game because every artist wants to do something in their own way.

 

[Manic Ferocity]

Beginning a month-long horror movie binge. Recently watched:

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
The Bird With the Crystal Plumage
Deep Red
Suspiria
Tenebrae
Child's Play 2
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Misery
It