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The Twilight Films

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:45:25 +0000

I recently forced myself to watch all four of the movies in this series for educational and masochistic reasons.

Has anyone here seen them?

My intention on watching them was to analyze what the selling points were and how the movies have garnered such a following as a franchise while being almost unanimously hated.

Ive studied alot of evangelical programs on television and I saw many parallels between the two.

It was punishing to get through the first three but I found the last one to be hilarious. I couldnt tell if this was intentional or if it was just so incredibly ludicrous and overdramatic.
I would recommend you all watch the latest release of this series if you have a sardonic sense of humor, which most of you seem to!

Have any of you seen these films?

I'm quite sure everyone here hates them with a passion but I am interested in if any of you have tried dismantling them for clues on how to make a vastly half-assed product and sell it to millions.
(brainstorming on that tactic is a hobby of mine.)

'Room 237' - Sundance Doc about Hidden Themes in The Shining

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:21:31 +0000

http://www.slashfilm.com/room-237-explor...ore-119894

So, apparently there was a doc that just played at Sundance that tackled some of the hidden themes in The Shining which included, according to the SlashFilm article, the slaughter of the Native Americans and the fake moon landing theories. Most interestingly, the article states that...

"Kubrick composed the film to be a mirror unto itself and, to illustrate, we watch several scenes from The Shining overlapped from two different sources: One running the film forward, the other running it backward. The results are jaw-dropping."

I don't want to retype the whole article here but this movie sounds incredible although there may some legal issues about it being released. Hopefully someone uploads it onto youtube or something.

Solaris

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:34:48 +0000

Hi everyone. I'd like to ask your thoughts on Solaris, the sci-fi film by Steven Soderbergh. The first Solaris was directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, I haven't seen it, though I definitely will because I like Stalker very much.

I really liked this one. In short, the story follows a psychiatrist named Chris Kelvin who is asked to travel to a space station orbiting a sentient water planet known as Solaris, where strange things are happening.

Also, the soundtrack was very beautiful, eerie and mysterious.

I recommend giving it a chance despite the low IMDB rating. And those who have seen it, what do you think about it?

!!!Spoilers below!!!

Themes that I gathered were life and death (and accepting death), afterlife, man's search for meaning and God. (I put previous below spoiler warning so that my opinions don't contaminate anyone's first viewing)

One thing that annoyed me was when Chris for the first time sees, presumably, his dead son when he has just arrived in Solaris. The film suggests that for the "visitors" to materialize, the person must dream of them. At that point in the film Chris hasn't yet fallen asleep for the first time. I thought that was odd and inconsistent.

Teaching Art – the “what do you think?” approach

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:14:08 +0000

I noticed a teaching trend that is becoming more and more popular. Basically what you do as an instructor is give no new information, no interpretation at all, about some work. Instead you draw upon the class to figure out a work by themselves by asking critical questions. The most you are allowed to diverge from this line of questioning is in calling attention to some particular detail. Personally, I hate it.

PRO (as I understand the proponents):
By avoiding didacticism, the instructor prevents blind acceptable of stale interpretations based on authority. The student develops critical and analytical skills, which are more valuable than understanding and memorization. The class finds it easier to accept a theory if it came up with it by itself.

CON:
By avoiding didacticism, the instructor wastes a lot of time. Students should learn what great thinkers have labouriously extracted from great work. Discussing a work does not automatically train critical thinking, not does it expand one’s horizons. A hundred typical interpretations can be wrong until the hundred-and-first gets it right. If a student finds something wrong with a theory, they don’t need a “what do you think?” approach to challenge the theory. A student subtly goaded down a trampled path of analysis can actually become frustrated at the instructor for withholding information, to the point of seeking the answer to satisfy the instructor, completely invalidating the justification for the approach.

The most psychologically disturbing art

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:28:29 +0000

Name it.

It can be a scary poem, a symphony, a horror flick, or a Disney cartoon. Just be honest.

I find Exorcist lame and Shining to be full of absurd and pseudo-OCD hilarity (except for the creepy granny episode.)

The Shining and Freuds The Uncanny

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:37:30 +0000

http://kubrickfilms.tripod.com/id80.html

I just found this very interesting article on The Kubrick Corner where The Shining is compared to Freuds book The Uncanny and how Kubrick have used Freuds definitions of what is perceived as uncanny as a blueprint for making The Shining.
Every element Kubrick has used, such as; character doubles, mirrors, subliminal repititions and so on, are referenced to Freuds book.

There is also a short reference to "The Overlook's/America's/White Imperialism's violent past" possibly a reference to Robs analysis of The Shining.
And wasn`t there also a reference to Freuds The Uncanny in ACO?

The Shining and Eraserhead similarities

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:28:27 +0000

I`ve always found it very interesting and also kind of funny how on David Lynch`s wikipedia page it says "influenced by; Stanley Kubrick" and also "Influenced; Stanley Kubrick". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lynch
And on Stanley Kubrick`s wiki page it says the exact thing only in reverse. Eraserhead was also Kubricks favourite film.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick
And when you think of it it makes perfect sense that Lynch would be influenced by Kubricks films, since both their film are very similar in context despite being very different on the surface.
But after having seen Eraserhead for the first time I suddenly noticed some similarities from The Shining, so Kubrick was definitely inspired by David Lynch while making The Shining. He even showed it to Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall before they started shooting the film. "Late in life, Kubrick became enamored with the works of David Lynch, being particularly fascinated by Lynch's first major film Eraserhead. He asked the cast members of The Shining to watch it to establish the appropriate mood."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kub...nfluences)

The biggest similarity between the two films is the weird rugs.

David Lynch reused the rug pattern in a dream sequence in Twin Peaks.

Eraserhead is essentially just one long bad dream and much of the films weird visuals aren`t ment to be taken literal, they are simply the protagonists (Henry`s) perception of various events in his life. In The Shining Rob has already suggested that several scenes in the film is not to be taken literal but that they are Danny`s dreams/perception of various events, hence the weird rugs with the maze patterns only appear in scenes with Danny.
Undoubtedly Kubrick understood what these abstractions in Eraserhead meant and could have used similar methods in his own film. Appropiately both The Shining and Eraserhead are considered among the scariest film ever made.

I felt that the scene in The Shining in room 237 and Henry`s sexual encounter with the woman next door have certain thematic and visual similarities.

In both scenes a character transform into a representive monstrous looking figure.

Both Kubrick and Lynch have often mentioned that they were inspired by the work of Franz Kafka, Lynch even referred to him as "the only artist I ever felt was by brother" (from Lynch on Lynch) and Kubrick mentions Kafka in his interview with Michael Ciment when talking about The Shining.
"We wanted the hotel to look authentic rather than like a traditionally spooky movie hotel. The hotel's labyrinthine layout and huge rooms, I believed, would alone provide an eerie enough atmosphere. This realistic approach was also followed in the lighting, and in every aspect of the decor it seemed to me that the perfect guide for this approach could be found in Kafka's writing style. His stories are fantastic and allegorical, but his writing is simple and straightforward, almost journalistic. On the other hand, all the films that have been made of his work seem to have ignored this completely, making everything look as weird and dreamlike as possible."
http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/i...ew.ts.html (link to the interview)

(jump about 6 minutes into the video)

Post disappearing...

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:39:10 +0000

I'm just now having problems with this. I don't know what's wrong, but whenever I post, nothing is showing up. When I go to edit the post or quote the post, it shows up, but whenever I actually post it it's just blank. This post itself might even go blank. I'm just wondering if it's a bug on my end or if it's the forum itself. Any ideas on what the problem is?

So far it's only happened once, in the "Dark Knight Rises" thread. I'm trying to figure out the problem on my own, how to get it solved. And seeing if it's just the one thread or if it's a continuous problem.

Other "Kubrick" movies.

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:09:12 +0000

I just saw a movie called, "Stanley Cuba". A Kubrick fanfilm.

They had so much detail about Kubrick's life and movies it was amazing. A lot of thought and passion went into this parody/fan film. They even quoted things I remember reading in the biography.

Too bad it sucked. I really wanted to like it. I can't even recommend it. I was sooo bummed out.

Next in my Netflix queue is, "The life and Death of Peter Sellers". Stanley Tucci plays Kubrick.

Sherlock Holmes

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:45:56 +0000

Complete with political plots, conspiracies and a bit heavy on the fast fight action of some of today's films. Yet the fast action may have fit with this film better than others.

I like the film's recognition of how well-intentioned social movements can resort to terror not out of philosophy but out of the market place conditions. Just watch where the money goes and how it changes people's intentions in the film.

Poltergeist

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:19:49 +0000

Hadn't seen this for at least ten years and really enjoyed watching it again. One thing that's amazing about it is how it shows over the top supernatural activity, yet remains emotionally engrossing.

I did an analysis of ET a while back, part of which identified crossover subliminal techniques with Kubrick's work, and after seeing both AI and Poltergeist again I'm convinced that Spielberg was at least partially aware of Kubrick's hidden narratives and was affected by them in his own film making.

Poltergeist has a lot of sycmbolism that crosses over with that of 2001 and The Shining. It's got Native American genocide themes subtly hinted at and a fractal structure relating to the television set. Tobe Hooper is credited as director, but from the biographies I read, and the style of the film, it's clear that Spielberg stepped in and directed a lot of the film.

Dark Knight Rises conspiracy theories

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:09:43 +0000

Well, someone was going to start this…

Back in 2008, The Dark Knight told its audience that terrorists were insane and ruthless, with no agenda that civilians could possibly sympathise with. The only people who could make a stand against these terrorists were the good-hearted rich people who run the world. If they got rid of challenges to their power (the mob, the terrorists) all would be well. And naturally, they need to use brutal interrogation and wire-tapping to fight this ‘evil.’

Naturally, you’d think writer-director Chris Nolan had some agenda going on with this. (“War on Terror propaganda never looked glossier!”) I don’t think so, because pro-elite messages don’t really show up in his other films. What’s likely is he was just going along with mainstream beliefs. Anyway, Batman in any form is pro-Establishment, nothing was going to change that.

But what can we expect from The Dark Knight Rises next year, judging from the press releases and trailers so far?

-The chief villain is a terrorist leader who has no reasonable agenda other than destroying things (like the last two films). This time he has a foreign accent to boot – because, of course, we should beware foreigners who would challenge the rich men of America.

-So of course there’s no doubt that the good-hearted rich men must fight these evils. By any undemocratic means. Because war is always a good-vs-evil issue in the real world, apparently.

-There’s a warning about a storm coming, and how the rich men are “going to wonder how they ever thought they could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.” With some sort of uprising in the film, which may or may not be the terrorists.

Conspiracy theorists will probably going to say The Dark Knight Rises was made to turn its audience against any large crowds of people who rose up against rich men, as if they were all being lead astray by the nasty old terrorist… (The film crew filmed at the Occupy Wall Street movement apparently – what for?)
Or maybe the film is going to promote the idea that any uprising is not to be trusted. Then, days after the film is released (around the time of the Olympics) the government stages a phony uprising, and uses it as a chance to clamp down on civil liberties, or something like that…
Or maybe Chris Nolan’s going to pull a fast one and The Dark Knight Rises will herald a real uprising against tyranny, and it turns out this was Nolan’s agenda all along.

THIS ALL MIGHT BE HOGWASH, AND I DON’T AGREE WITH ANY OF IT. These are just going to be rumours flying around by people suspicious of the films’ politics. Whatever The Dark Knight Rises turns out to be, I’m sure it will be much like Nolan’s last four films; a boring, overlong waste of time.

Di – scuss!

Lost Highway

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:37:25 +0000

(Spoiler alert)

Sorry if there's a thread, but I skimmed through and couldn't find a thread yet. Just saw Lost Highway for the first time, and it blew my mind. That's the first time my mind has been blown since 2001. So it's already ranking very highly on my list. Although the Marilyn Manson stuff in the film was kind of annoying to me, but that's taste, and doesn't actually hurt the film.

I'll insert a few loose observations and ideas that I had during and after the movie.

I notice a recurring theme of film (present in Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire, which I think form a trilogy of films about LA), a recurring theme of sex (it's way too obvious, I feel like I shouldn't mention it), and also music.

The music thing I feel is very important, as the beginning has almost no music, and if anything only has weird jazzy music. Then, when the film "shifts", it switches to more pop industrial rock music, such as Marilyn Manson and Rammstein. The more bland looks of characters before the shift turns into a more biker gang look later on.

Finally, I would like to point out similarities between Pete and Fred -

they both make love to the same woman (although possibly different?).

they both murder a man

they both get headaches

they both end up with bloody noses

Ok, I forgot the rest. But I also noticed that the man that Pete murders ends up with the same gash in his forehead that Pete had at the beginning of his segment.

Totally worth full on analysis, and I've seen a small analysis of it before and I think it does a pretty good job of dissecting a little bit of what the film means. You may not agree, but it's good to at least know other interpretations. Here's the video -

Sorry, I didn't really say much, but I'm really tired right now. I should add that I think the film's major themes deal with split selves who each represent different parts of a personality. I think that the film very heavily mirrors Eraserhead. I think Mary is represented by Sheila and Renee. The Affair Neighbor from Eraserhead is represented by Alice, and the Lady in the Radiator is represented by the Mystery Man. Mary, Sheila, and Renee all represent dissatisfaction with who the main characters end up with, and the Affair Neighbor/Alice represent the woman that the lead characters want but can't have ("You can never have me" - Alice). The mystery man and The Lady in the Radiator let the main characters escape reality and live in their own fantasy. Note that both of them come alive through the use of technology - radiators, cameras, telephones. Both of them are remarkably ugly. I'd say The Lady in the Radiator isn't evil like The Mystery Man, but they share similarities.

I also think there's heavy lightning usage for a reason (indicate a dream or a shift in something?), heavy usage of color scheme for a reason, and so on. I think that there's a style shift half way into the film to signify the radical difference between Pete and Fred. I also think that the Mystery Man's line "I only go where I am invited" is very important to the entire film. Fred's inner desires invite The Mystery Man (who I think is supposed to represent Satan) to his home, followed by Fred's personality split, followed by his wife's murder. Pete ends up in a similar situation.

Bottom line, I think all characters represent an archetype as well as something specific in the film. Alice is a Femme Fatale as well as representative of other things, possibly one of them being the Mystery Man, as both of them are ambiguous as to if they are real, and both of them persuade men to kill. I will probably get this film and dissect it for a long time. But that's enough for now.

Indefinable sense of Mystery...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:07:37 +0000

To fellow artists, you may find this concept interesting;

Apophenia - "the experience of seeing meaningful patterns
or connections in random or meaningless data."

The purposeful exploitation of apophenia in one's audience, can cause viewers to seek the meaning of a work of art when there may be no meaning actually present. The innate human desire for meaning, generates discussion of, and increases popularity, of works of art which are covertly meaningless.

However, for exploitation of this phenomenon to be successful, (causing an increase in curiosity and popularity rather than rejection of the art as bland or pretentious), the audience must not realize that the art they are viewing is meaningless. Otherwise they will quickly lose interest...

Popularity of an artwork which generates apophenia usually arises among the members of an audience, who are willing to think about what they see and are exposed to, rather than those who desire a hedonistic aesthetic experience. A thinker will puzzle over questions without answer...

A good example of effective use of apophenia, is the bizarrely addictive t.v. show Lost. The writers of the show created a purposely open ended premise, which they were able to fill with whatever back-story and plot direction they wanted. The famous island is still shrouded in ambiguity. It was and remains, essentially, a meaningless blank slate.

I feel we can all admit that Inception with it's paradoxical ending has made it's presence known in popular culture. A paradox, in its self-contradictory nature, is essentially meaningless. However a paradox is less effective than a truly meaningless symbol/statement/narrative/etc. because it is inherently obvious.

The secret of 2001: A Space Odyssey, as discovered by Rob, is that the monolith is a cinema screen, but more importantly it is blank. Kubrick utilized the inherently meaningless movie screen as a symbol in the 2001 narrative, and distracted the audience with an interesting sci-fi premise. The key here is that the cinema screen is blank; the monolith symbol is inherently meaningless. Just like a blank canvas, Kubrick invites us to fill it with our own meaning; he is inviting apophenia.

Ironically, Lost, Inception and, 2001: A Space Odyssey, have relatively well executed aesthetics. Perhaps innately pleasurable aesthetic quality, though hedonistic, is an effective way to force your audience to swallow intentional meaninglessness. Beauty is the spoonful of sugar which helps the meaning go down.
In any case;

You must consider your audience. You must be wise with your intended pointlessness.

With deepest sincerity and pursuit of truth,
WhoistheWatcher

lolita

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:18:39 +0000

just saw lolita today. noticed a continuity error.

there is a bottle over the sheets on the chair under which quilty was sleeping in the beginning of the movie but is missing in the same scene shown in the end of the movie.

could just be a continuity error i guess as they could have used 2 diff cuts

lolita2.jpg (Size: 50.32 KB / Downloads: 31)

lolita1.jpg (Size: 51.48 KB / Downloads: 26)

cold fusion

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:11:16 +0000

in case you haven't come across this before, maybe you would find this interesting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htgV7fNO-2k

Fear and Desire

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:44:02 +0000

Stanley Kubrick's 'Fear and Desire' premieres on TCM
http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/12/01/stanle...es-on-tcm/

National Defense Authorization Act 2012

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:29:07 +0000

Is this just a bunch of internet hype? I can't find any legitimate sources telling this story.

I usually read my political stuff here because there is a nice degree of cynicism backed up with pertinent information.

Heres a link to what I'm talking about.

http://www.businessinsider.com/ron-paul-...ng-2011-12

Rob's Dr. Strangelove analysis

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:15:08 +0000

The first two chapters have me excited already With every new analysis it's obvious how Mr. Ager's style for dissecting Kubrick becomes more and more refined.

Have you read any of the books that Kubrick had read about nuclear war?

Cracked.com's "Advanced Batman Theory"

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:14:29 +0000

Although Cracked is mostly a humor site, I found this interesting -

http://www.cracked.com/blog/advanced-bat...uce-wayne/

I'm not a huge fan of the Dark Knight trilogy thus far - Batman Begins bored me, but Dark Knight was alright. Inception wasn't part of the trilogy but I didn't really like it. So Nolan is basically in the "meh" section for me. But for any Nolan fans or Batman fans or analysis fans, I think this is worth the read even if you disagree. If this guy's right, Nolan is pretty clever, but nowhere near Kubrick level yet.