It Just Doesn't Get Any Better Than The Shining.

Rating: Null/10 (20 February 2004)

My first memory of this film occured when I was about 7 years old. I was at my Grandmothers watching TV in a big yellow swivel chair. I can't remember the particular show I was watching but during the commercial break a trailer for The Shining played. I slowly spun around in the chair, put my hands in front of my face and didn't move for about 10 minutes. I was terrified. I remember the music and a scene where a kid is running through what looked like a big tunnel and a crazed man chasing him with an axe. Forget about it, I was traumatized. Now, the other memories I have of that film happened a little later when it was released on video and my older cousin would watch it all the time, I was scared of it for most of my life but as I got older I began to appreciate how hilarious Jack Nicholson is in it, I mean, disturbingly hilarious.
The Shining is a film that I can watch over and over again, mainly because of the humour, but there are other aspects of the film that definitely make it a classic, Kubrik's direction for one, his choice in camera angles and music set a very creepy and other worldly tone. I think that the opening tracking shot may be one of my favorites of all time. The art design is incredible and I can't imagine The Overlook, looking any different than Kubrik intended. Now speaking of overlook, I think that Shelly Duvall and Danny Lloyd get shadowed by Nicholson, but they are both incredible here, the focus on Shelly tends to be the way she looks, homely or ugly, but I think that she plays of Jack so perfectly and reflects the complete loss of control of someone that is in the middle of a real nightmare. Danny Lloyd was so good as the kid that I can't think of any other kid doing as good a job on another film, he wasn't an annoyingly cute toe head, he was real, and seemed to carry an old wisdom in his eyes. Anyway.
Aside from all that, this film belongs to Jack and for my money he can do no wrong, I don't care if it comes out that he is a coke snorting jerk off I will always love the guy. Whenever I hear someone utter these words "As Soon As Possible" I think of Jack. It actually happened a couple of weeks ago, someone said it and I replied as Jack in the Shining "Asss Sooon Asss Posseeebbullll" they didn't get it. Every word and every movement of his eyebrow is a trip. It is one of my 10 favorite films of all time.