faris said:
5) "mary poppins" is one of my favorite movies.
One of my favourites too, along with The Sound of Music. Though, judging from your point 2, you're female (appypolliloggies if you're not). Me being male should make it a harder confession, but i've loved those movies since childhood.
EA-1475 said:
The thing about Kubrik is that you can watch five different Kubrik movies and if you didn't know better, you would never guess in a million years that they were all by the same director.
The way he could totally switch styles is unlike any director I can think of. And it's not like he would gradually change. He would radically change with each movie. All of his movies are so good and yet there is no "Kubrik style". Or if there is, it's really hard to put your finger on it.
You got 2001 with it's stark minimalism. But then you got Full Metal Jacket which completely over the top. You got the romanticism of Sparticus but also the cold fatalism Clockwork Orange.
If I had to pick two of his movies that had the most similar vibe, I'd say The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut but even those two are very different movies.
My point. For the people who say they've never seen a Kubrik movie. It's possible you have seen one and didn't realize it was him.
Kubrick's versatility was amazing. Crime (The Killing), War (Paths of Glory, Full Metal Jacket - two very different movies at that), Comedy (Dr. Strangelove), Period-Drama (Barry Lyndon), Horror (The Shining), Sci-Fi (2001), Mystery/Thriller (Eyes Wide Shut) and I don't know what genre you'd put Clockwork in. Lolita is also very unlike any other movie he made, as was Spartacus, though I don't quite consider it a Kubrick work as Kirk Douglas had a lot of power in the making of the film. Then there's a handful of movies he made pre The Killing that i've never seen.
I certainly can't think of another director who could handle that consistent versatility with such expertise. Again, i'm a big fan of Scorsese and am not slating him at all, but take away his movies set in New York or any concerning gangs/gangsters and you're not left with a lot. But that's what Scorsese was good at and we've benefitted from it.
As for Kubrick's style, I do believe there are stylized consistencies between some of his movies. One being his trademark "Kubrick Stare" shots, which feature in just about all his films from 2001 to Eyes Wide Shut. His striking use of colour in certain sets between 2001 (spaceship interior), Clockwork (Korova Milk Bar) and The Shining (red and white Bathroom) standout as "Kubrick" for me as well.
I can see where people are coming from when they say they find Kubrick movies boring. He's my favourite director and there's only been a few of his films i've really liked after only the first viewing. The rest have taken 2 or 3 viewings to really appreciate, and then they just keep getting better after that. Barry Lyndon is my standout example for this. I struggled through my first viewing, liked it the second time and loved it the third time (especially the first half). Now, as far as audio and visuals go, I find it to be the most beautiful film i've seen.