Stanley Kubrick plus Stephen King plus Jack Nicholson=!@@##$

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2006)

There are several movies that a person must experience in their short period on this Earth in order to truly be living life. This is one of the most prominent ones that come to mind. The Shining is the chillingly blended mix of two of my favorite flavours: Kubrick, and Stephen King. Both of these wizards have made their mark upon the canvas that is the collective movie experience and together they create a picture that is so good it must be fattening. King's novel is a mind stabbing classic and provides a brief glimpse of his twisted(and genius) mind. But this is not his masterpiece. When taken to the screen, the gods of motion pictures must call upon Stanley Kubrick. His version of The Shining is breathtaking in it's visual splendor and sadistic thrills. It never quite crosses the line of brutality that Kubrick has trampled in his past endeavors( A Clockwork Orange, Full metal jacket), but this film is a good combination of art and pure horror. The triangle of cinematic perfection needs only a protagonist and Heeereees Johhnnnny! Jack Nicholson creates a Jack Torrence that no Author or Screenwriter could ever dream up(thank you Stanley for casting him). Nicholson comes close to singing us with his inner rage and insanity that he always seems to have inside him. He is in his perfect environment and he's killing off the competition. In the end you still cant help but love him even as he's attempting to kill his son. The movie best portrays the morbid terror of having your own family turn against you and makes you think about what you might do in the same situation. You could call it cabin fever but something got to jack Torrence in that hotel, and you will have to watch this movie to find out. If you don't, I'll kill you.