In November, I took a week’s vacation in Colorado, and I got to see a couple of classic movies at the Alamo Drafthouse in Littleton while I was out there.
After Hours
You know that Family Guy bit where Stewie keeps demanding Brian to name more songs named after girls? If you did a similar exercise with movies directed by Martin Scorsese, I don’t imagine too many people would name After Hours.
Obscurity aside, the movie is essentially a version of Homer’s Odyssey played out over a night in SoHo. All our protagonist (played by Griffin Dunne) wants is a little fun on a date with a girl he just met, and, once that fails, to just get home; but, despite all efforts, he can’t do it, and things only get worse as the night goes on. It’s the sort of meandering story that you think you have figured out until you don’t.
Honestly, I liked the movie well enough once it was over, but I don’t really see myself revisiting it in the future. I think I got more enjoyment out of spotting all the familiar faces (the cast is quite expansive) than the story itself, which is not to say I wouldn’t recommend it.
If you’re into darker comedies, New York-heavy movies, or are a Scorsese completionist, definitely give After Hours a whirl.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
The Shining
I’m sure I’ll take a lot of heat for this, but I think Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is vastly overrated.
Is the cinematography excellent? Of course; that’s a Kubrick staple.
Is it sometimes successful at being legitimately creepy? Yes.
Does it work overall as a movie? No.
I don’t need to get into plot points or performances; I’m sure if you’re reading this then you’ve either seen the movie already or are familiar enough with it through cultural osmosis.
What it all comes down to is that the character of Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson playing Jack Nicholson) as written and portrayed in this film begins the movie as a jerk, and ends the movie as a jerk. Regardless of any involvement of supernatural forces, he is essentially the same character throughout, which is to say he effectively has no arc, and if he doesn’t have an arc, then there is no real tension, and what is horror without tension?
All of this is not to say Kubrick is not an all-time great filmmaker. Clearly, he is. It’s just that in this particular area, he’s not as effective as, say, Alfred Hitchcock.
Rating: ★★½