THE SHINING

I've only ever seen 'The Shining' once I think along time ago. The thing that stands out for me is Jack Nicholson's performance. He says that classic line after his wife pleads with him to not hurt her...."Im not gonna hurt you, I'm gonna bash your brains the fuck out!". Or something like that ! Classic! :D



Last edited by JohnnyAlucard at Oct 29 2002, 09:37 PM

AHAHAHAHAHA...i am resurecting the oldest and longest dead post EVER>..live damn you LIVE....hahaha...oh and um some thoughts ummm

i loved the hotel serious atmosphere...

but it was not a scary movie. It could be suspense...but it was never scary..sure jacky boy is freaky but not scary...I am nary wary of my husbad...or in my case girlfriend freaking out and axing me...

and really i mean it was okay...but pyscho dramas, and pyscho bein g another, just dont cut it...yawn...like movies about the devill...oh crap....YAWN...sorry.

it was okay..not a classic.
AND NOT HORROR.

Actually, THE SHINING is indead horror. I believe it to be a scary haunted house flick. I love the feeling of isolation that the film brought with it. The family isolated on the outside and on the inside as well. Though some could argue that the madness was brought on due to his sanity breaking apart, but I like to believe that the madness and horror was induced not only because of cabin fever, but also because of how vulnerable Jack is; thus allowing The Overlook Hotel to get the better of him. Basically, the Overlook Hotel manipulated Jack like how Darth Sidious had manipulated Anakin. The hotel knew his weaknesses and used them to its advantage. The hotel confused him, gave him a false sense of authority and dignity in being the new caretaker before it destroyed him. The Overlook played with him, molding him into another vessel of anger and rage. In my opinion, I believe Jack to be the weakest out of the three characters in the Torrence family, that is why he was so easily manipulated. I think the son is the strongest, due to his special gift. Shelly Duvall's character was weak physically, but due to the love for her son; gave her the courage and strength that she needed to survive. And last we have Jack Nicolson's character, Jack. Man! This fool was done for in the beginning. Overall, in my heart, THE SHINING stands as one of the best horror classics, and one of the best Kubrick films period.

For the second time in a row, I say this - spiritual is absolutely right. THE SHINING is DEFINITELY horror!

The Shining is my favourite type of horror. Psychological.

Okay it would have been great but unlike a true good movie allw e thought about was jack, i couldnt give two flying fucks about the family...and that was the sad part..unlike tale of two sisters where you give a damn about the girls fuck i didnt buy the family at all.

and thats what hurt the film, and made it lack a huge amount.

but then the movie was supposed to make you hate jack, and you couldnt so it sucked.!

Actually, I felt for the kid, but the mother I could do without. Plus, the reason why you couldn't hate the character of Jack is because Nickelson put on a damn fine performance.

I don't think you were supposed to hate Nicholson. Be scared of him sure, but not hate him. Otherwise, the film wouldn't have spent so much time painting him as a family man haunted by his own demons of self-doubt.

The kid. oh please so overplayed...IF I NEVER SEE ANOTHER CHILD IN A MOVIE it will be still to soon.
I HATE KIDS IN MOVIES.
I HATE THEM
I HATE THEM
I HATE THEM..

so freakin pointless....this is no longer the generation of children of the corn, and other such tripe nonesense where very parents worst nightmare was an evil kid.
Our kids are evil, and its just bleh. Like i see some snot nose whiney sack of milk and i just pray someone is going to smash em.
Why do horror writers think that we will give a damn if little jeffy is in a well.

Am I to cynical??? IS NO ONE OUT THERE SICK OF KIDS?

I dont like films with annoying kids, but with films like Village of the Damned (One of carpenters best) then im ok with it.

Children can't act, I despise them.

Well everybody has their opinions regarding child actors, and I agree that some films tend to be annoying because of the child element in the film, but I don't think that applies for all films involving child actors. Sometimes they can elevate a picture and sometimes they can drag it down.

you know what i am still not scared of some snot nose little ragga muffin...Just kick them in their underveloped rib cage and be done with it.

I mean how can youy honestly tell me there has been a single good horror movie that had some little bastard kid in it.

Village is the exception.
I wont get into it
but it does not matter.

I am sick of there always being a kid everyon e is worried abouty, honestly if you had to choose your wife or your kid???? everyone is going to choose thier wife,....Of course if tale of two sisters twins were there...that is a whole nother story.
]

still name one where the child made the movie more effective?

Harry Potter

:lmao:

Your telling me that if you had to choose either your wife or your own child, you would put your wife before your kids? Man, I feel sorry for your kids, if you ever have any. There have been some good horror films with kids in them like,

CHILD'S PLAY - Alex Vincent who plays Andy in the film really brought some emotion to the picture and made you feel for him. I also felt sorry that he was put in that situation. All Andy wanted was a Good Guy doll to play with, but his mom wasn't well off and had to buy the possessed doll from some bum in an alley. The scene where he was locked in a room and sees that Chucky is coming to get him, really made me feel for the little runt.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - The daughter of the couple who locked themselves in the basement. You know that she was bit, and when she turned into a zombie and started to come after her father helped to make that scene very atmospheric and tense. She is also the first one to actually show the consequences of being bitten by a zombie, as she turns into one herself.

THE SHINING - I think the kid Danny in the film helped add to the mood of the picture just as much as the Overlook and Jack Nicholson did. He was freaky when he talked to his "imaginary friend/finger" and gave one of the best lines in horror movie history, "redrum, redrum". He also made you question whether it is the hotel itself that attacked him, or if it is Jack going back to his old ways; which helped to tear apart their family. Plus the scenes of him riding around, exploring the hotel gave us such memorable and horrifying scenes, like the twins. Those scenes also helped to give the film a disturbing and creepy mood. Also the kid had the gift, and I know I was cheering him on towards the end in the snow filled maze.

THE PIT - The kid in the film who fed people to the creatures dwelling in the pit was more of a monster than those creatures were in the film. He was the one that discovered them and fed them, he was the link that connected those creatures to our world, so I think his character is vital in the film.

THE EXORCIST - Lets not forget our friendly neighborhood possessed girl, Regan. Now i'm not going to explain Regan's involvement in this film and why her presence helped elevate this picture into a horror classic. If you are a true horror fan, you should already know about her involvement and contributions in making this film, one of the scariest, if not the scariest horror film, period. The first time I saw THE EXORCIST, I couldn't get Regan's image out of my mind for weeks, and everytime I was on a bed; I kept wondering if it was going to start shaking. Now thats powerful cinema!

some more movies with kids in them:
POLTERGEIST
THE GATE
LADY IN WHITE
ALIENS
SILVER BULLET
IT
SALEM'S LOT
CAT O'NINE TAILS
CHILDREN OF THE CORN
THE SIXTH SENSE
PET SEMATARY

Okay. The Pit I havent seen, though I read a review on it.

I liked a tale of two sisters, I mean they were integral to the story..But are they kids?
and does that mean devilman and I lusting after them is a bad thing? :unsure:
but the rest.
the rule I would like to post first is NO 80's CHEESE. I love the 80's I lived through it, and survived with only a shaved head and a bad attitude.
EVERY 80's film had kids, so we cant talk about them or I will counter you with EVERY SINGLE DISNEY FILM THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN MAde.

lets argue some key ones.
see I also tend to lean you cant argue that kids should nt be in films, using movies that are based on kids.
Like Children, and Village. Both are based on that.
Pet cemetary, i liked the second better. The kid was odd. But I dont know given to much reasoning.
The cat freaked me out more.
I wouldnt do that to my kid, after the cat no matter what.
I will have to watch that one again.

Shining, the kid played no roll.
I dont know I felt chucky was creepy but, I would have slapped my mother buying a child from a bum.

Look this is my point.
Some movies are good and have a kid as a theme.
others stick a kid in (MORE OFTEN THEN NOT) to say look look a kid feel sorry, eww and awww...thats the eighties my friend.
bring out the trained freaking monkey.
throw a kid in, everyone is like oh no.
Amytiville remake FUCK i didnt care one bit for the younger brother AT ALL...i was like yawn, whatever a token kid to feel bad for.
Darkness falls.
yawn a token kid to spoil the film.
And a single mom to boot, who will hook up with someone.
I AM ALSO SICK OF SINGLE MOTHERS IN MOVIES...YAWN
give me a break.

Dude you cant choose you parents, you cant choose you kids, you get one choice in this life and thats who your partner is.
fuck my parents, fuck my kids the fire i save my wife.
your telling me you would save some runty little nose wipe of five years before your wife of 15?
hell dude i dont beleive in remarrige either, so if my wife dies in a car accident, i wont be getting me a new younger one.

hmm I think sucks to be me....I will have to think on that lol.
but really...a movie like RING, the kid annoyed me...6th sense, i understand, he still annoyed me. and on and on.
Ring 2...in japan bit my ass the kid was tossed around for sympathy everywhere.
but 3 was good cause it had no children, but real people with feelings and interesting lives.

Ok, a few things firsts.... I accept and value your opinion to a certain degree, and yes, I agree that some 80's flicks tend to have a kid in them so that the audience could feel sorry for them. I think that during that time, it was accepted, and the audiences didn't mind seeing these kids, but nowadays, that mentality has changed. I think it is more acceptable back then, and feel that the horror films during the 80's are more enjoyable and memorable than the fuck buckets that we get nowadays. I think that when you enjoy a film, you tend to accept and appreciate the things that are involved with the film, and don't mind its short-comings because the film is so enjoyable, but when the films that you watch are plain crap (like most 90's horror), you tend to hate everything that is involved with the film and begin to bitch at its existence. When you start to see a dozen bad horror films with snot-nose kids in them, you start to think that all horror films involving kids, just plain suck and that the kids shouldn't be anywhere near them because they'll probably ruin it.

As for the film, A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, I also adore that film, but I don't consider the sisters to be kids. I believe they are teenagers instead of kids.

As for the film, THE SHINING, you mention that the kid had no roll in the film, but the film was named after the gift that he has, which the black cook called, THE SHINING. Plus, I don't know if it is just me, but I liked to think that his mom represented good, and his dad represented evil, and that both were fighting over his soul.

Now regarding whether or not I would save my wife, or save my kids if I was only able to save one; I would have to say that I would save my kids, because first, they are my children, and second, I could always find another love, but my kids are one of a kind, and could never be replaced.

You can't use Disney films to counter because they are supposed to target kids, so the obvious choice would be to cast kids in a kid's movie. I'm talking about horror movies with kids in them.

But I will agree with you about movies that puts kids in them for no reason, except to simply get sympathy from the audience. Unless the kid does a great job and the film turned out to be enjoyable.

You know i will have to say I actually agree with you on that.

Almost every point you make.

SO the 80's I kept thinking and I could realyl love so many films with the kids in them, but then they were always potrayed more as adults then as kids, always soliving problems and fighting bad guys.

I liked it. Really.
now they are all snot nosed little brats that get taken over, controled or just pretty much useless in life.

To be fair I will watch the shining again and come back with more anger then ever :D But we will see.

I love the 80's the films then were so different. I geuss everyone to me went form being a hero in the 80's to being a victim in the 90's....know what I mean?

Yeah, I agree with you on the roles that kids had in 80's flicks, and I also agree that the films we get nowadays with kids in them are just plain crap. I also agree that their presence in these current films are usually more aggravating than memorable. I guess that is why I think the 80's kicked more ass than the 90's did; back then, everyone had bigger balls and weren't afraid to show some gore and tits. Now everything is pg-13, and we are living in remake hell.

I hope your second viewing of THE SHINING would be a more memorable and enjoyable viewing, but even if you hate it; I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

It was nice discussing films with you, you brought up some interesting points.

This might sound a bit controversial, but I'm one of the few people who does not like this movie at all. I really do not. I cannot understand how it can be considered brilliant. Has some of the most absolutely atrocious acting in a mainstream film, very few scares, and uses great cinematography to cover up pot holes and spots. Just really did not enjoy this film. C

I have since re-evaluated my thoughts and come to a conclusion on this film.

Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining' is, I'm afraid, a movie I will never truly understand. I've watched it close to three times now and even now I only really understand half of it. I've heard that it's not so much about the content of the film but the way in which the content is delivered to us through visuals, performances, sounds and a creepy atmosphere.

The film starts with a shot over a mountainside and a car driving along a swirvy road edging off a cliff with a large building in the background. It revolves around Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson), a deviously unhappy man with severe anger problems - even if he doesn't show it most of the times and keeps his anger bottled up - who's been given the job to housekeep a huge mansion so he can write a book. His son, Danny Torrence, who he apparently abused a while ago, has an imaginary friend, Tony, living inside his vocal chords. Jack, after being so isolated and constantly interrupted in his writing, starts to go mad. I'll let you discover the rest.

First, I'll start with the good. 'The Shining' is genuinely creepy and really quite terrifying; the scenes with the twin girls, the scene where blood gushes out of an elevator, and what was the most horrifying for me, the "Room 237" scenes were incredibly well-done, and well before its time stylistically. These scenes, for me, are among the most deeply brilliant scenes in the history of horror cinema, and if I was to grade the whole film on its creepy atmosphere - Jack Nicholson's annoying and completely unthreatening madness scenes aside - I would without hesitation give it a solid A+ grade. The visuals are epic and stunning, and the cinematography is just incredible. It is the visuals that set the scenes, the visuals that set the tone and overall mood of the scene they're in.

But the main problem with the movie is the wooden and frequently annoying acting - easily the most annoying part of the film. I have seen worse acting in my time, but the performances are just so wooden here. There are some scenes with very adequate acting, but there are other scenes where I was almost convinced they were reading directly from a script.

I still don't believe this film is worthy of the praise it gets when you compare it to some other horror films, even though it definitely does deserve praise for some reasons. I think, when it comes down to it, it's best to simply say that Stanley Kubrick has definitely done better work in this time, but 'The Shining' is still an incredibly, if somewhat flawed, piece of work.

I agree with you in this movie having SOME bad acting but, I just watched this movie again last night and for the bad acting by Danny Lloyd (Danny Torrance) but hey, hes only a kid, the movie makes up for with Jack Nicholson and whoever played Delbert Grady. Their acting is incredible. Jack Nicholson for his always amazing insane parts. You can truly believe he is slowly drifting into insanity and some of his scenes are some of the most memorable and has some of the best acting i have ever seen. And the scene between Jack and Delbert in the bathroom is so sinister and Evil that i could watch that scene hundreds of times and still feel shivers
Overall this movie does have its bad bits, like its redrum scene (the only gimmicky scene in the movie) but it makes up for them with its amazing characters and some excelent scenes.

The Shining is brillantly directed by Stanley Kubrick,disturbingly wonderfully over the top performance by Jack Nicholson and the guy who played Delbert Grady great work by him.Great story hampered by lackluster performances by the whiny and pathetic Shelley Duvall and the even whinier and annoying performance by Danny Lloyd.Great see Scatman Crothers in a very good performance.

Naturally, ***SPOILERS*** are included in the following.

I have to weigh in as being so disappointed by this film since I view the novel as perhaps Stephen King's masterpiece, a story so beautifully balanced and detailed that I would have thought it was impossible to go wrong. But, Kubrick had to show it was his project, which isn't always a bad thing but truly weakened this film. There are amazing images, absolutely unforgettable and quite influential, but it simply doesn't deliver what I expected.

For one thing: Jack Nicholson starts out Jack as over the edge. He's already past the border, with nowhere to go except to increasingly "chew the scenery". He's one of my favorite actors, but he does not deliver the slow buildup to madness. Could anyone be surprised when Wendy finds his writing project? There should have been hints, not being hit over the head with it long before he axes his way through the door. {NOTE: He actually has a more-restrained performance as a mental patient in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975), another film that I saw in the theater. However, that one did not disappoint me.}

Shelley Duvall is an actress whose work I admire, especially in such films as "3 Women"(1977). I believe that she could have brought more strength to her character instead of Wendy being dithery, jittery and hopelessly weak, bland and hysterical. I thought it was a disservice to the novel's character development.

Why kill Hallorann?! That was ridiculous: having him receive the message and decide to respond then battling his way there, only to be *WHAM* axed and down for the count! That was a completely stupid change and made no sense whatsoever. It's verrry irritating!

I know, I know: WHERE ARE THE TOPIARY CREATURES?! It had to be said yet again. The labyrinth/maze was interesting, but a bad tradeoff.

What about the tension of watching the boiler pressure, balanced against Jack's tumble into madness?

Yes, again, I'll admit that there are some great scenes, a few so spectacular that we see them alluded to in commercials and other movies. Danny riding through the Overlook is mesmerizing. The forbidden room is creepy even after all of these years, as are the ghostly twins and bartender/caretaker, the blood-spewing elevator, etc. However, that's not enough to merit the adulation. I shall never list this among the horror greats because it does not live up to that no matter how many times I view it, each time truly hoping I'll see the magic in it that others do~just as I do with "The Exorcist", another grand failure to me.

Is it because I was in my 20s-30s when seeing these? Did that make me a harsher critic? In both instances, the novels are vastly better than the cinematic treatments.

*giggle*

Sorry, but I have to be honest about the strengths and weaknesses I see in any film. However, don't get me started on "Eyes Wide Shut". Now there's a REAL rant awaiting!

Remember: I do find some strengths and a number of memorable scenes in this flim and have watched it no less than 30 times, probably more. My feelings were founded in multiple viewings of the movie.

For some reason I agree wholeheartedly with you,I dunno why.:huh::unsure::wacko: