Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 1999)

This movie may well be Stanley Kubrick's best. Like his other movies -- maybe even more so -- this one is a diamond, and Kubrick wore the jeweler's glass. Every facet, every detail seems to have been considered and carefully calculated. The colors and the sets -- both of which are incredible -- stand out in this regard. Each one means something and expresses it. The score is the same way -- to me, it surpasses even the Psycho score in its contribution to the more frightening moments of the movie. Towards the end of the film -- at the climax, in fact, when I should have been used to it -- I jumped at those piano shrieks. Twice. When this movie decided to be scary, it was the most scary and disturbing movie I have ever seen. The sex in this movie -- though I think it is a study of sex -- is of secondary note. This is not a porno, and the sex in it is not steamy or sexual. Most of it is downright eerie. If this movie does not win at least two Oscars -- Best Picture and Best Director (neither of which a Kubrick film has ever won, much to my astonishment) -- I will never pay attention to the academy again, because this will be final proof that it has no taste. Also, I have learned two things about the censoring of this picture: (1) Kubrick realized that he would have to add the digital characters to get an R rating, and planned to do so. Though they were added after he died, it was according to his wishes, and (2) I didn't even notice the digitally added characters. They affected the movie or the scene in no way at all. Though the MPAA are Puritannical Retards, and I am disappointed that I live in the only country in the world that made him add these things, even the MPAA could not damage Kubrick's work. Besides, I am sure that an NC-17 version will at least come out on video, and that will settle that. This final film -- most aptly described by Janet Maslin as "haunting" -- gets an 11 from me. Kubrick was entirely in a class by himself. The film is forever diminished by his loss, but at least he left us with a collection of movies to watch in awe forever. Eyes Wide Shut is definitely a worthy addition to this collection. Thank you, Stanley.