Jack Nicholson Movie:

		List Price: $28.99		Label: Warner Home Video Salesrank: 2631 Released: October 23, 2007
		Our Price: $12.70
		Used Price: $9.99
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: Blu-ray

Editorial Review:
?Heeeeere?s Johnny!? In a macabre masterpiece adapted from Stephen King?s novel, Jack Nicholson falls prey to forces haunting a snowbound mountain resort with a macabre history.

Description of The Shining [Blu-ray]:
Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is less an adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling horror novel than a complete reimagining of it from the inside out. In King's book, the Overlook Hotel is a haunted place that takes possession of its off-season caretaker and provokes him to murderous rage against his wife and young son. Kubrick's movie is an existential Road Runner cartoon (his steadicam scurrying through the hotel's labyrinthine hallways), in which the cavernously empty spaces inside the Overlook mirror the emptiness in the soul of the blocked writer, who's settled in for a long winter's hibernation. As many have pointed out, King's protagonist goes mad, but Kubrick's Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) is Looney Tunes from the moment we meet him--all arching eyebrows and mischievous grin. (Both Nicholson and Shelley Duvall reach new levels of hysteria in their performances, driven to extremes by the director's fanatical demands for take after take after take.) The Shining is terrifying--but not in the way fans of the novel might expect. When it was redone as a TV miniseries (reportedly because of King's dissatisfaction with the Kubrick film), the famous topiary-animal attack (which was deemed impossible to film in 1980) was there--but the deeper horror was lost. Kubrick's The Shining gets under your skin and chills your bones; it stays with you, inhabits you, haunts you. And there's no place to hide... --Jim Emerson

The Shining [Blu-ray] Reviews:
Very pleased
2009-11-09 - Another cult classic. Love the DVD. Extremely fast shipping. Great job Amazon. You are a great source of finding DVD that I enjoy.

There's Johnny! Kubrick Thriller!
2009-11-08 - Jack Nicholson plays Jack, who just got a job at the Overhill Hotel and moves in with his wife and young son. The boy Danny has special abilities: a secret friend inhabiting him (which is not satisfactorily explained) and the ability to hear others' thoughts (the Shining). But buildings can have shinings too. Homicidal rages from a formerly easy going author (typing nonstop pages of "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" is hilarious) taking orders from the ghosts and supernatural beings that in habit the hotel.

Stanley Kubrick (2001 - A Space Odyssey (Two-Disc Special Edition)) is known for his almost maniacal style in doing take after take. Shelly Duvall had the most number of takes ever, I read.

The movie does have its chilling, insane moments. I enjoyed the boy's horror but was not sure if it was "Tony" his imaginary friend talking or Danny himself. The ending is thoughtful but a bit of a let-down (the 1921 photo).

Overall, not a shabby movie. But really, how did Jack get out of that locked refrigerator? Hmm?

The "making of" was shot by Vivian Kubrick, and you really get into the heads of the cast and what they were thinking as shooting progressed.

Other Kubrick Flix:

Stanley Kubrick: Warner Home Video Directors Series (2001 A Space Odyssey / A Clockwork Orange / Eyes Wide Shut unrated / Full Metal Jacket / The Shining / A Life in Pictures)





Despite Flaws This Is One Good Scary Flick
2009-11-04 - Shelley Duvall is just plain weird, and Stanley Kubrick morphed Stephen King's bestselling novel into something almost unrecognizable, yet THE SHINING stands the test of time and continues to scare generation after generation of wide-eyed viewers because the one-card-shy-of-a-full-deck Jack Torrance is so aptly and believably played by a demonically grinning Jack Nicholson. No other part has been so tailor-made for Creepy Jack, who fits into the lead role like wiggling fingers into a well-worn glove.

Kubrick supplies the heady visuals: a luxury mountain resort, about to be abandoned for the long winter, with its whispers of the past, labyrinth of hallways, and dark shadows. Duvall and Nicholson supply the tension: a struggling writer about to go off the deep end with his wife and small son living as caretakers at the resort, while the wife watches helplessly as her spouse unravels. The hotel plays its part helping Jack Torrance descend into maniacal madness, giving Nicholson the vehicle he needs to grin and grimace and scream and shout as he terrorizes his family with flesh-crawling creepiness.

Sure, there are plenty of flaws; the film becomes silly and disjointed as it rushes towards its climax, some of the visual gimmicks (gallons of what looks like cranberry sauce spilling out of the elevators) are lame, and Duvall was definitely a weak link, but it doesn't take away from THE SHINING's ability to terrify. I don't know what it's like firsthand to watch a man become violently evil, but Jack Nicholson in this movie gives me a pretty good idea.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning



Little pigs, little pigs. A slight variation of Chip Miller's "PIGS! PIGS!", October 28, 2009
2009-10-28 - Of course Sid the Elf is very familiar with The Shining. But we hadn't reviewed it until now. Why? Good question. For October Horrorgreatsuccess Sid festival it was a no-brainer. This is one is in the pantheon of horror films. Also, Scatman Crothers has been a Sid favorite since 96 and the crazy likely homeless nutjob at Yankee Stadium. Sid has seen bits and pieces(that's what it's like...u know where it's going) of this film many times over the years but this viewing was a little different. This time Sid was watching with his carefully crafted critical eye gained with thousands of B's on our odometer.

Knowing full well what happens in the movie, after not seeing it for at least a few years, Sid found Jack really interesting. Even in the begining of the flick you can see that he's a little psycho. And while we're here, could anyone else have played Jack Torrence? Sid says absolutely not. He plays a nutbar to perfection. And nobody else could have pulled off being a maniac and hilarious at the same time(exhibit A: the "Have you lost your f**kin' mind scene). Now, The Shining is in no way shape or form B, but it is a horror classic so it's in play for Sid. This is especially true when you account for the Chuck factor and the awesome visuals accompanied by cool/creepy music.

The Shining was an overall awesome experiance. It is obviously a must for any horror fan who hasn't seen it. Also, if you're a horror fan and haven't seen this movie, shame on you. If you're missing the B element in this Sid review, don't worry. There are several B's on the horizon. Can Sid interest anyone in a little Maniac Cop? As for The Shining, here's a quick rundown of the film's scariest moments:

1. The dog and the butler. Holy schnikies.
2. The little girls
3. The cranberry juice pouring out of the elevator.
4. Scatman getting it and Jacks's war cry
5. Who's the old lady?
6. redrum
7. the picture at the end

I gotta say it... "HEEEEERE'S JOHNNY!".
2009-10-24 - Among the seminal and influential horror films is "The Shining", which is an undisputed masterpiece, and one of the greatest psychological-horror movies of all time. Be it as lengthy as it is, "The Shining" is captivating in every second of its terrifying glory. I think one of the reasons "The Shining" is so influential is because throughout the entire movie, the characters are continually becoming developed. They grow and grow with each twist and turn of the series of events, and as the plot thickens, they still show signs of unfolding the layers of their persona.

Another thing that makes "The Shining" such a great and influential horror movie is that it became one of the definitive movies where the location plays just as big a character role as the lead characters. In this case, The Overlook Hotel, which unfolds the dark and haunting mysteries of its twisted and murderous past, showcases that it plays just as big a role as Jack Nicholson or Shelly Duvall, both of whom are amazing actors here. The concept of the building playing a charater would later influence such great, modern-day psychological horror movies such as the great "Session 9".

"The Shining" is a movie that gives a good reputation to horror, because it's one of those movies that you really have to watch a few times to truly pick up on everything thrown in your direction. I honestly didn't fully understand everything until the fourth time I saw it, and by then, the movie went from being a puzzling masterpiece to an utterly terrifying masterpiece! Watching it in the right mood, one can see why this movie made #6 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

However terrifying this movie may be, it is undoubtedly brilliantly written, brilliantly acted and brilliantly directed. In addition to all of these positives, the scenery and atmosphere are incredible and quite surreal at times, making the movie even better. It's for these reasons that make it understandable why "The Shining" is one of those horror movies that even non-horror fans can really like.

Another interesting thing about this movie is that it's not incredibly violent. Through the over two hours that this movie runs, there are only two kills. Although I do get a lot of enjoyment out of the gorier side of horror, I really like the fact that "The Shining" never became too graphic, because that would try to make the movie something that it's not. So bonus point for the movie staying true!

Well, I know I built this movie up as much as a skyscraper, so I hope all readers out there really enjoy it! In short, if you're willing to watch a movie's that's quite long and progressive, but heightens in it's intensity and terror until the very end, "The Shining" will be a classic for you! Be sure not to hate on it until you've seen it a few times to better understand it, because if you're like me, by about the fourth time it'll have you terrified! Thanks for the time, and peace.