The Shining (1980)

 Still a Charmer
Jack,Is Jack,Is Jack. And if you like or respect him and his acting see this one in Bluray.For the first time as a regular movie or with the enhancements this movie holds you to it's conclusion.It amazes me that I still can't believe how seamlessly the character changes and how we go along with him.My only complaint is that I did not realize how much of a woses whose Shely DuVal is. Her character was so anoyingly weak that it was hard to believe she had ANY spine to hold her upright.But this is a small annoyance. Probably Jack's best role alongside "One Flew Over The Cooko's Nest"> May 10, 2008

 A flawless trasnsfer. This classic has never looked better.
If you are a Stanley Kubrick fan, or just love the horror genre, you are going to be blown away with this great Blu-Ray transfer. I viewed this title on my Sony XBR4 monitor, calibrated with the Digital Video Essential disk. Playback was acheived with a Sony PS3, using HDMI Monster cables. My audio comes through a Sony DG910 receiver with Axiom speakers.

I cant say enough about the effort to make this the best possible transfer to home theatre viewing. In 1080P, this title truely shines. The picture is near flawless. The color is very, very crisp and sharp. The colors are very vibrant and look to be a that of a new release title. This movie is over 28 years old, yet shows it's age very little. The day scenes are very crisp, the indoor scenes have great depth and vivid colors. The dark scenes hold black very, very well. There are no film grains visible. Nor are there any specs of dirt or scratches on the film negative. Restored to it's source condition, every bit " reference quality" condition. You simply have never seen this movie in this condition.

As for the sound. Very clean. Voices are very clear. Music is very bold and clean. Though it is not the type of movie that shines from audio alone, you will be pleased with it I think.

As far as the movie itself. Some love it, some hate it. If you love it, you will find this to be a wise purchase. Cant knock this one one bit. April 7, 2008

 Awesome Blu-Ray Transfer
I'm going to steer clear of reviewing the movie itself, as there are countless professional review sites for which to read up on that. Not to mention that this is one of the (if not the?) best reviewed movie of its genre. Let's just say the movie itself is great.

Now, on to the Blu-Ray review. When I first bought into the Blu-ray format, I told myself that I'd stick to buying the new releases primarily, thinking "how good can they really make older movies look without a digital source?" Having said that, I decided to pick up The Shining, mainly because I love the movie and the only other copy I own is the VHS tape. In one word: WOW. I don't know if it's because I skipped the SDDVD step and went straight from VHS to Blu-Ray, but it really is like watching the movie for the first time.

The picture is stunningly crisp and detailed-- there are innumerable details that I never saw/noticed in the SD version and the colors and contrast are phenomenal. The flesh tones are even and consistent and they've really shaken that washed-out look of the previous versions. I felt like I was "inside" the Overlook Hotel, and this makes the experience of the film all the more unsettling and terrifying.

There is definitely a bit of noticeable grain here and there. Whether it's intentional or not (if not, the movie IS almost 30 years old...), it doesn't detract from the awesome hi-def experience of watching one of the most psychologically disturbing movies of all time. If you're a fan of this movie and own a Blu-ray player, well... you probably already have it. But if not, there's no time like the present! February 14, 2008

 Shine Your...Light?
Though me and my mom normally share various points of views on certain film makers, we tend to split when it comes to Stanley Kubrick. My mom says, "he's so weird." I tell her "yeah, but he's a brilliant film maker, who films visually stunning films that are also mesmerizing." To this she just shrugs and says, "I don't care, he's still weird." Though a big fan of the director, for some reason his 80's horror film, "The Shining," escaped me for the longest time. Based off the best selling book by Stephen King, "The Shining" is one of the Kubricks masterpieces. Yeah, yeah, I know for many people every movie the man made was a masterpiece, but this is one of those rare occurrences where art and entertainment collide so spectacularly, it almost feels accidental.

The movie revolves around Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson, in one of his best roles), a struggling writer who is having a bad case of writers block. He is a recovering alcoholic who lost his teaching job due to his short temper, so he interviews for a job as a caretaker of a hotel that closes it's doors during the winter season. Jack gets the job, and moves his wife Wendy (Shelly Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) to the hotel for the winter. Before letting them into the building though, the manager warns them that due to the months of insolation, they are likely to experience Cabin Fever. One caretaker apparently suffered this and ended up killing his wife and two daughters. Jack thanks the man for the warning, but takes the job anyway. It's a shame Jack didn't know he was part of a Stephen King story, he most likely would have passed on the job.

What follows is nothing short of a full decent into madness. Though this is a horror film, and the movie is indeed very scary, Kubrick is a good enough storyteller that he knows how to properly build the suspense. At first little happens in the house. Wendy and Danny explore all the various rooms in the house, while Jack tried to write a novel. When that fails, Jack simply wastes time by bouncing a tennis ball against the wall. Once the snow starts though, things get bumpy. Jack becomes more and more agitated, Wendy becomes more scared of her husband. Most telling though is Danny, who earlier in the film talked to a friend who lived in his finger named Tommy, and how it appears Tommy wants out, making Danny say "Redrum"over, and over again.

Either Danny is also going crazy, or there's more to Redrum then initially meets the eye. Though all these developments may sound corny on paper, the truth is they are built up very slowly. For the first two hours we follow a pleasant family around in this big house. Then, as Jack becomes more delusional and Danny more crazy, things start to unfold. If this movie was made today, Jack would become crazy and start killing off a group of stupid teenagers for two hours. Instead, Jack starts talking to ghosts. Then he starts shouting at his wife. Then we feel he is a threat to his family. When the violence finally hits at the end of the film it hits hard. It even features an image of Jack Nicholson that has become iconic.

What makes the violence the payoff is that we work our way towards it. The movie is not senseless violent, and its more about fear then killing. A twist at the end will make you question and rethink the whole experience of the movie, much in the same way the ending of "The Sixth Sense" forced a re-evaluation of that film. This is not a bad thing, but a good thing. This means that the film is about something. It's here to make you think. That you are entertained is a blessing, but the images, the words, and the silence are all working towards provoking certain feelings from you, and the story is deeper and more complicated then you might think at first. "The Shining" offers well thought out thrills, a complicated story, and a memorable ending. It truly is a classic.

Rating: **** stars February 13, 2008

 The BEST Blu-Ray Disc I've seen yet
I am shocked at how amazing this film looks in Blu-ray. I just bought a Blu-ray player and have been renting three discs a day since I bought it. Of all the discs I've watched (including recent titles) this film is the best. There isn't much more to say about it. If you're a fan of this film, or film in general, this disc is a must. January 1, 2008

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