Spotlight On: Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick has directed some of the most interesting, original, controversial, and groundbreaking films in history. His films are all very memorable and unique and you often see other directors try to mimic his work. He has directed some of my favorite films and is one of my absolute favorite directors. It is a travesty that he has never won an academy award for best director!!! Here are my favorites of his films...

Spartacus

I was really surprised when I found out that this was a Stanley Kubrick film. Looking at his later films, this doesn't really seem like his type of movie. I do love this movie though. It features actors that I like, such as Kirk Douglas, Jean Simmons, and of course the amazing Sir Laurence Olivier. It is a long movie that didn't seem very long because I was getting so into it. The first time I saw it I actually got really mad when the DVD started skipping!  (stupid Netflix...) There are tons of great scenes in this film, like when Spartacus has to fight the big guy with the triton, Laurence Olivier trying to seduce Tony Curtis (which was actually cut out of the original film), but the most memorable scene in the film is of course the "I am Spartacus scene." It is such a great scene because it shows how much he is beloved...



Lolita

"How did they ever make a movie of Lolita?" Pedophilia is a touchy subject, and considering that this film was made under the production code, I think that it was done very well. It is definitely not as risque as the 90s version, but I like this one much better. What is interesting about films under the production code was that they had to be sneaky and suggestive instead of straight forward. Like in the scene at the hotel with Humbert and Lo, it doesn't show anything, but you know what happens next...



Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

While Kubrick utilized the great talents of Peter Sellars in Lolita, he uses it to greater extent in Dr. Strangelove. Here he plays several different characters, the most memorable one being the title character. My favorite thing about this movie, however, would have to be George C. Scott's performance. "He'll see the big board!"





2001: The Space Odyssey

This isn't the easiest movie in the world to watch. It goes on forever without any dialogue. This isn't really a sit at home and watch kind of movie, it is the type of film that is better to watch on a big screen. The first time I saw it I was watching it on my laptop, and although I hate to admit it, I was falling asleep. The best parts of this movie are with HAL. He has the creepiest voice...




A Clockwork Orange

This is my favorite film of Kubrick's and one of my favorite films of all time. I love every single scene in this movie! I love Malcolm McDowell's performance, the use of Singin in the Rain (twice!), the sped up sex scene, the montage sequence when he listens to Beethoven, Alex's daydream while reading the bible, just everything about this film. Annoyingly, there are no good embeddable videos on YouTube, but you can find my absolute favorite scene HERE.

The Shining

Another one of my personal favorites, The Shining is one of the greatest horror films of all time. It is just a classic. Just the camera going down the hallway is creepy as hell. I have never actually read Stephen King's The Shining, and I honestly don't know if I really want to after seeing this movie. I've heard that the book is better, but what could be better than this movie? Here is one of my favorite scenes...



Full Metal Jacket

Poor Private Pile....you can't help but feel bad for him. In one of my film classes people had to show film clips from certain genres each week, and my week was war films, so naturally I showed a clip from Full Metal Jacket. Well, to be honest I wanted to show a clip from The Deer Hunter, but they said I couldn't so Full Metal Jacket was my second choice. So, I showed the Mickey Mouse scene from the end. Like all Kubrick films, this film is just loaded with brilliant scenes, one of the most memorable being right at the beginning.

Spotlight On: Jack Nicholson

My mom's birthday was earlier this week, so that is why this week's spotlight is on her favorite actor Jack Nicholson. He is not only her favorite actor, but he is one of my favorites as well because every single performance he gives is just brilliant. I don't think that I have seen any film with Jack Nicholson that I haven't liked. I didn't want this post to be too long, but it is going to have to be because I really didn't want to cut out any of the films that I wanted to write about. Here are my favorite films of his...

Easy Rider

He isn't in Easy Rider for very long, but he definitely plays an important role and left a lasting impression. This was the film that first got Nicholson some serious attention as an actor. It was one of his first major films and it was also the film that got him his first Oscar nomination. He has tons of great moments in this movie, but my favorite part is when he gives his speech about freedom.



Five Easy Pieces

This isn't my favorite film of his, but it is definitely worth watching simply for the scene at the diner. All he wants is some toast!!! Love it!



Chinatown

I saw this movie once and it was a long time ago, so I don't really remember too much about it. I'll never forget seeing this part, though...



One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

This is the movie that won Nicholson his first Oscar, and is also one of my favorite movies. He plays a guy who goes to a mental institution so that he can get out of jail, but then finds out that it is not as easy as he thought it would be.




The Shining

Here Nicholson stars in another of my favorite films. He plays Jack Torrance, a man who starts going crazy when he watches over a hotel with his family. "Here's Johnny!"



Reds

Although I like both Diane Keaton and Warren Beatty, the scenes with Jack Nicholson are by far my favorites in this movie. My absolute favorite scene is when Keaton's character tells him that she got married.



Terms of Endearment

This is the movie that got Jack his second Oscar win. While this film is a little too sappy for my taste, I love Nicholson's performance as Garrett Breedlove.



Prizzi's Honor

I actually liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would. Nicholson plays a hitman who falls in love with a woman who is in the same line of work. I love him in this movie because he plays such a dumbass. My favorite part of this movie is probably the last scene.



The Witches of Eastwick

Such a great cast! I love all of the leads in this movie. It not only has Nicholson, but also Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Cher!!! He plays a Casanova type character who charms the three lovely ladies and helps them find their inner witches. I couldn't find a video I could embed of my favorite Jack moment in this movie, but you can watch it HERE

Batman

"Wait til they get a load of me!" Nicholson's performance of the Joker is classic! People like to compare it to Heath Ledger's performance, but I don't see the point. They were both brilliant, but their approaches were just different. I love both, so I don't have a favorite.



A Few Good Men

"You can't handle the truth!" I honestly don't think that I have ever seen this entire movie. The only times that I have seen it are when my mom watches it on TV, so I always just catch the ending. I've seen the ending courtroom scene a million times. Probably the best courtroom scene ever...



Wolf

I love werewolf movies and Jack Nicholson, so this is just a win-win for me.



As Good As It Gets

I love this movie. Nicholson plays won another Oscar for playing an asshole writer with OCD. I love the scenes with him and Helen Hunt, especially at the restaurant.



The Departed

More proof that Nicholson makes an excellent bad guy! I love the entire cast of this movie, and is one of my favorites from Scorsese. I just love the part where he says "don't laugh!!!"

Spotlight On: Laurence Olivier

This week's spotlight is on Sir Laurence Olivier, a man who is often considered to be one of the greatest actors of all time, and certainly one of the greatest Shakespearean actors. While I do love him in his Shakespeare roles, I love him even more in the other types of films that he is done. In his younger years he played a lot of literary romantic heroes, and in his older years he played some great villains. He has worked with some of my favorite directors, like Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick, and has also appeared in film adaptations of some of my favorite books. As a bonus, in his younger days, he was also incredibly handsome... Here are some of my favorite films/ roles of his.

Fire Over England

This was the first film that Olivier did with his (future) wife Vivien Leigh. It is said that it was during this film that they first fell in love and became the Brad and Angelina of their time. Here Olivier plays a British man who becomes a spy for Queen Elizabeth. While I didn't much care for this movie as a whole, I thought that Flora Robson was a great Elizabeth, and that the scenes with Larry and Viv were cute.



The Divorce of Lady X

I thought that it was funny to see Olivier in this kind of role, because you don't see him much in romantic comedies. This is the type of role that you would normally see Cary Grant in. Having said that, I thought that this movie was actually really funny, and made me wish that Larry would have done more roles like this. My favorite scene was when he was first talking to the man who he believed was Merle Oberon's husband. Whats really neat about this movie is that its the only color picture that I've seen with him when he was this young.



Wuthering Heights

Now onto my favorite film adaptation of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I love love love this movie and have probably posted about it a million or so times already. Olivier is wonderful as Heathcliff, a man who goes from lovesick stable boy to revenge seeking aristocrat after the love of his life abandons him to marry a rich man. And even though the words are changed a little, he is my favorite actor to ever recite Heathcliff's "I cannot live without my life" speech.





Rebecca

In 1940, Olivier starred in one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films. He plays a rich man who is still haunted by the memory of his dead wife, even after remarrying.





Pride and Prejudice

In this adaptation of Jane Austen's famous novel, Olivier, of course, plays Mr. Darcy. Although I was disappointed in how they made Mr. Darcy's aunt seem like a good guy in this version, I do really like this movie. Oliver made a perfect Mr. Darcy.



That Hamilton Woman

Here is another film that paired Olivier and Vivien Leigh, who by this time was his wife. This movie was very gloomy and had an unhappy ending for both characters, but like Fire Over England, I loved all the scenes with the two of them together.



Henry V

Not my favorite of Shakespeare's plays, but Olivier is great as the title character. What's neat about this movie is that it starts out as an actual play in the film and then transitions into the film settings. This movie also has great use of Technicolor, so it all looks amazing!



Hamlet

Laurence Olivier is the only actor to ever win an Oscar for playing a Shakespearean role, and he did so for playing Hamlet. I thought that it was odd that this version didn't include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but to be honest, if I had never read Hamlet I wouldn't have even noticed. I thought that this was a great film adaptation of the famous plays, and one of Olivier's best performances.



The Prince and the Showgirl

This is a comedy that he did with the lovely Marilyn Monroe. There is actually a movie coming out sometime this year that is about Monroe while she works on this film. Monroe will be played by Michelle Williams, and Olivier will be played by Kenneth Branagh. I thought that Branaugh was an interesting choice because he has also done a bunch of Shakespearean films. I think that this is one of Monroe's best performances, and Olivier is great as the stuffy Regent who courts her.



Spartacus

I was so disappointed when I found out that my favorite scene in this movie doesn't have Olivier's actual voice. Something was wrong with the audio when they restored this scene to the movie, so they had his voice dubbed by Anthony Hopkins because Olivier had already passed away. I must say that Hopkins does a great job, though, because I had no idea the first time I watched it. If there wasn't the stupid Production Code at the time, then this could have been in the original cut of the film, and we could hear Olivier's actual voice in this scene.



Sleuth

I love this movie! It is so cool because it only has two actors, Olivier and Michael Caine, and they are both brilliant. What I really love about this movie is that I can't really decide which one is the bad guy. I kept switching back and forth between the two. Olivier really gets to show his vicious side when he makes Caine's character think that he is going to kill him. Love it!



Marathon Man

Olivier REALLY gets vicious in this film, where he plays a Nazi who tortures Dustin Hoffman with dental tools while asking "Is it safe?" I already hate going to the dentist, and after watching this movie, it just makes me even more nervous...



Clash of the Titans

Here Olivier plays Zeus, leader of all the gods. Even though the special effects are totally cheesy, I do have to admit that this movie is kind of a guilty pleasure for me.

Character of the Week: Alex DeLarge

This week's character of the week is the main character in one of my favorite films, Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. It is Alex DeLarge, who is played brilliantly by Malcolm McDowell. He is a very interesting character because although he starts out as a villianous troublemaker and ends up a sort of pathetic victim. The film starts out with him and his three droogs beating up old men, attacking people in their homes, and committing many acts of ultraviolence. The second part of the movie is him trying to get out of prison, and eventually doing so by undergoing a new treatment that conditions him to feel sick around acts of violence, and when he hears Beethoven's 9th. You can see how, even though the treatment works and he is no longer able to commit acts of violence, that he still has not changed on the inside.



This is just a brilliant, amazing, sensational film that everyone should be required to watch in their lifetime. It is definitely Malcolm McDowell's best performance, and in my opinion, Kubrick's greatest film. I have never been able to read through the entire book, though. Even though it is quite short, I cannot understand a word because it is all like Russian slang, and I end up getting frustrated and giving up. I am planning to give it another go, however.