03/06/2013 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

"The Shining"

The scariest moments in ‘The Shining’ are so iconic they’ve become in-jokes: Jack Nicholson leering psychotically from posters on the walls of student bedrooms everywhere... ‘Here’s Johnny’. Even so, Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece of execution and claustrophobia still retains the power to frighten audiences out of their wits. Nicholson is Jack Torrance, a writer working as a caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in the Colorado mountains over winter. Stephen King, on whose novel the film was based, was famously unimpressed. The problem, he said, was that ghost-sceptic Kubrick was ‘a man who thinks too much and feels too little’. He resented Kubrick for stripping out the supernatural elements of his story. Torrance is not tortured by ghosts but by inadequacy and alcoholism. And for many,...

Rating of
4/4 

02/26/2012 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

"The Shining" by Yojimbo

A writer and his family move in as caretakers to a secluded mountainside hotel for the winter, but a presence inhabiting it causes his mental disintegration leading to the urge for bloody murder. I'm not a fan of Stephen King. In fact, I'd go as far as to describe him as "a bag of cock". But what Kubrick did was to strip away the hokey nonsense of King's original novel, and create a masterclass in haunting imagery and suspense. In fact, the supernatural elements of the story are almost irrelevant. The horror lies in the subtext of domestic violence; it's difficult to see a plaid wearing, balding middle-aged man as a terrifying monster, and Nicholson is hardly the most physically formidable presence. But in the classic scene in which he finally snaps, it is easy to see why waif-like Shelly...

Rating of
3.5/4 

06/14/2009 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Good movie, Great book

I was a huge fan of this book and was relieved to find that this great and terrifying story by Stephen King was not ruined by mundane and mediocre acting as is the case in most of his films. Overall the movie is great, you really see how insane Jack Nicholson is becoming being trapped in the Overlook for the winter. How at first he is content, then contention turns to boredom, boredom turns to apathy, then apathy turning to insanity slowly and surely. I do have a few qualms however, Kubric put his own spin on a lot of things that were better left alone. King is a master of horror and i dont understand why things were changed, for instance, Danny's second sight or pre-cognition does not come through in the film very well. Good movie better book.

Rating of
3/4 

05/26/2009 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

All work an no play makes Jack #31!

The Shining is Stanley Kubrick's famous horror film, starring Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, a former teacher who stumbles upon a winter maintenance job in the Overlook Hotel. He brings his wife and child, and then is isolated for the winter. The isolation and creepy hotel history ends up effecting each character differently, slowly bringing psychological chaos. Kubrick uses several disturbing images to build up the suspense, such as an elevator spilling out blood and two twin ghosts meeting the boy, Danny. There is also some unconventional, even alien, music. The acting is realistic. At first I did not like Shelley Duvall's portrayal as the wife, but the desperation and anguish is so convincing that it won me over. Jack Nicholson, as expected, is perfect for his role. The boy, played b...

Rating of
4/4 

11/04/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Very Dull Boy.

Terrifying film. Jack Nicholson is great as Jack Torrance a former school teacher turned writer. The movie continues to give me chills as stills of creeping images sit in my head interrupting all my thoughts, but the movie was very well crafted. Really, nothing short of amazing.

Fantastic direction from Kubrick (as always), and transitions the horrifying novel into an unforgettable thriller. Looks like Kubrick can do horror!

Though I must say, lots of films take off of this one. What with the blood oozing walls, creepy little children, and bathtub demons, today's horror flicks just can't work horror magic like Stanley Kubrick and the Shining can.

Definetly check this one out if you haven't done so already.

FINAL SCORE :::: 83% ::::

Rating of
3.5/4 

07/31/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

One of the Best Horror Films Ever Made

I saw this film when I was about thirteen years old and I was absolutely horrified. Even though I was scared, I couldn't help but keep watching because it was so interesting. Seven years later, nothing much has changed. Jack Nicholson was perfectly casted because he has that natural manace and craziness that are both amusing and intimidating. I completely believed with the way his character changed from a somewhat distant father to a murderous ax-swinging psychopath. Even though most people think that the way Shelley Duvall acted was annoying, I thought it was exemplary. I don't think this film would have been as scary without her constant freak-outs, trembling voice, and maternal instinct. I could tell that she was pushed and did her best. I must also give kudos to Danny Lloyd for playin...

Rating of
4/4