Happy Kubrickian Day

  On July 26th 1928, director Stanley Kubrick was born in New York. Today is his 83rd birthday (in case you were too lazy to do the math). Today he is revered as one of the greatest directors in film history even though he only directed 16 movies in his entire career. These are the 13 feature-length films of his:

• Fear and Desire(1953)-The story of four soldiers in a fictitious war that survive a crash landing in enemy territory, and wish to get back behind friendly lines. Their plans being sidetracked by a woman that spots them hiding in the nearby forest. This movie has no trailer so I'll instead show the film in it's entirety.

• Killer's Kiss(1955)-A Noir-film about some prize-fighter named Davy that intervenes when a woman's employer/lover Vincent attacks her. Davy and the woman who's name is Gloria get into a relationship, which displeases Vincent, who sends men to capture Gloria. This of course making Davy rescue her. Sorry about the trailer, it's kinda cliche and very cheesy.

• The Killing(1956)-A heist movie about a complex scheme to rob a horse track of two million dollars (it was worth a lot more back then), but things get a little...complicated. The trailer mentions the movie Scarface, that would be another movie from 1932; not the one starring Al Pacino

• Paths of Glory(1957)-An antiwar film during WW1 about Col. Dax (played by Kirk Douglas) who gets in trouble, because he has only 2/3 of his men leave the trenches against a futile attack of German troops. The Colonel is arrested and his fame-seeking superior, Gen. Broulard has the third killed for mutiny. The trailer really likes saying how good it is and stating the obvious; it shows the title three times in case you mite have forgotten.

• Spartacus(1960)-Kirk Douglas plays a slave turned gladiator who leads a revolt to Southern Italy where they will attempt to leave to their places of origin. Meanwhile, republican Gracchus and militarist Crassus try to use the rebellion to their own political advantage. The trailer just pretty much states the film's name and count-off the cast members; it kinda sucks.

• Lolita(1962)-Prof. Humbert Humbert (great name by the way) marries a widowed landlady in order to get close to her 14-year-old daughter, who he is infatuated by. This was Kubrick's first film after he left Hollywood, and the trailer shows it; it's just weird.

• Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb(1964)-A political satire on America and the USSR's "fail-safe" plans against each other during the Cold War. The movie centers around paranoid general Jack D. Ripper (get it) who tries to start a nuclear war with Russia, as the President and his cabinet frantically try to stop the attack. The trailer is sorta what the Lolita trailer tried to be, only more goofy.

• 2001: A Space Odyssey(1968)-Dr. Dave Bowman is sent to investigate a strange black prism on the surface of the moon. The prism or "Monolith" as it's called emits a signal, leading the Doctor on an expedition to one of the moons of Jupiter. Unfortunately, his ship isn't as eager to go on the trip as him. This trailer is just fine until the very end; it just seems out of place.

• A Clockwork Orange(1971)-The story of Alex (played by Malcolm McDowell) a delinquent who commonly BEATS old people and RAPES women (our hero, ladies and gentlemen). When he is finally caught by the police, he undergoes a treatment to "cure" him of his violent ways. As one may expect, this plan doesn't quite go as planned. Not much to say about the trailer admittedly.

• Barry Lyndon(1975)-An epic (3 hours long) tale of Redmond Barry, an Irishman that joins the British army, only to end up in the Prussian army. He becomes his captain's protege for saving him. Barry also becomes associated with the gambler Chevalier de Balibari until he decides to marry Honoria Lyndon. Remember when I talked about how the Spartacus trailer kept praising itself, well this trailer is NOTHING BUT SELF INDULGENCE!

• The Shining(1980)-A family is asked to be the care-takers of an isolated hotel during the winter months. The father uses the time to write his book, while the son has psychic powers that allow him to see events of the past and future. Overtime, the father's boredom turns into stress and perhaps something more. The trailer is just...bizarre.

• Full Metal Jacket(1987)-A war movie showing the dehumanizing effects of boot-camp and how excited America was about winning the Vietnam War even-though it was a complete disaster. The movie isn't a war-hero-flick, it's of the war. Aside from that, the trailer is just mediocre.

• Eyes Wide Shut(1999)-Dr.Bill Harford becomes sexually obsessive after his wife admits to almost cheating with someone else. Bill learns of a secret-sex-cult, and decides to attend. He finds that he's in over his head, and that his family is threatened.

Six days after the premiere of Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick died at age 70.