Highly Recommended

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2017)

'THE SHINING' - 1980
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd
Plot Overview: ​Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack's writing goes nowhere and Danny's visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel's dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorising his family.
When the author of the work that your movie is based on says the film is bad, it obviously is, right? Wrong. I love Stephen King but I cannot comprehend how he despises THIS film, off all his adaptations. Is it faithful? Probably not. Is it any good? Absolutely. This is one of Kurbicks(many) masterpieces of cinema and I cannot comprehend King's dislike of the movie. I guess it's each to their own but I think he was being overly critical in his review of this movie. It's a chilling horror movie and I HIGHLY recommend that you check it out.
But what about it, makes it great? Well Jack Nicholson's Oscar Worthy performance comes to mind. And while it may not be entirely authentic to King's novel, the performance Nicholson provides is eerie, chilling and horrifying, and is one of the primary strengths of the movie. What else can you say about it other than all work and no play make Jack a dull boy?
Another performance in this movie that is also sensational is Danny Lloyd as Jack Torrance's son, coincidentally also called Danny. Pretty weird that Nicholson plays a character called Jack and Lloyd plays a character called Danny. Coincidence? I think not! But anyhow, for a child actor, Lloyds provides a genuinely unsettling and bone chilling performance that just seeing him puts me on EDGE. That is a credit to the excellent script(more on that later), Kubrick's direction(more on that later) and Lloyd's sensational performance(more on tha- oh wait). I cannot commend Lloyd enough for giving such a great role, especially considering he was working for a madman. What. Even geniuses can be deluded, uncompromising and insane.
Remember that script I mentioned? Yeah? Well it is excellent. Whether or not it's a faithful adaption I couldn't care less. The bleak setting is chilling. The slow descent into madness and brief hints of insanity that arise to the surface as the movie bubbles along. The slow, compelling arcs for each of the characters. Even the absolutely genius dialogue and writing. Anything that is related to the script(so everything) is perfect and incredible, and I absolutely loved it.
And remember that man with the funny name? Kubrick? Yes that's the one. That psychopath? Yep him. But that psychopath is also a genius and wizard of camera-work. This movie looks stunning. The stark contrast and repetition of the colour red. Tracking shots. Impeccable editing. Marvellous camera angles. Every single frame of this movie comes together to make one of arguably the greatest looking movies ever made. Anyone who denies that Kubrick is a God of cinematography is kidding themselves because the man is a genius in that department. And a total lunatic in others.
If I could say I have one flaw with this movie. It's Shelley Duvall. And she is what drags this movie down to a 9. Her performance and direction boiled down to wimper and look sad. There is nothing groundbreaking or compelling in her performance. Not one second of her being on screen grabbed me or made me care for her. She was just a bland, boring, character with a overly dramatised, silly performance. Kubrick may have pushed Duvall a little TOO hard on this one.
Aside from that one little indiscretion, this movie is fantastic. The acting(for the most part), the story, the cinematography; it all blends together to create one of the most incredible and haunting horror movies ever made. Not a single frame is wasted and not a single line of dialogue to be ignored. It is a masterpiece on all accounts except one and I can highly recommend this movie to anyone. I'll rate it a close to perfect 9 'Heeeere's Johnny's' out of 10!