What Gives?

Rating: 4/10 (13 January 2008)

I will start with the disclaimers: I am a Kubrick fan, total & complete. I also dislike & usually avoid the horror genre which is why it has taken me 26 years to get to The Shining. The latter also implies a distrust of Stephen King as an author.
I enjoyed Stanleys work - the magical use of the camera in particular. I enjoyed Jack Nicholson doing his Jack Nicholson & Shelley Duvallis always a favorite. The kid was damn good too.
But there was a lot I didn't like. The dialog. It seemed so bad throughout the first half of the movie I kept wondering was Kubrick present for those scenes or did he contract them out to another? Or, was the sheer banality of the script & acting actually a device purposely intended.
I watched the whole thing but was left wondering where Jack's breakdown came from. He blamed it on Wendy but we didn't see any practical evidence of her restraining his career, lifestyle or aspirations. Okay he was a madman & I guess we just have to believe that. Oh I suppose that the stereotypical teacher quitting work to write the Great American novel should be indicator enough of a mental crisis. But now Ithink I'm criticizing Mr King's contribution.
I can only imagine how bad this movie would have been if it were undertaken by a standard director & not Stanley Kubrick.