tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post3481140617298204985..comments2024-01-11T05:02:32.321-05:00Comments on Goodfella's Movie Blog: #12: The Killing (Stanley Kubrick, 1956)Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-34301945762234817932010-09-30T19:01:42.936-04:002010-09-30T19:01:42.936-04:00For me, The Killing is I think #1 on the film noir...For me, The Killing is I think #1 on the film noir list. <br /><br />It's just that great a movie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-3912478811808785152010-04-14T12:07:13.297-04:002010-04-14T12:07:13.297-04:00A little late to the party, but...
The movie was ...A little late to the party, but...<br /><br />The movie was awesome, but Sterling Hayden's performance ruined the ending for me -- he was just... bland. He stared blankly, while a more able actor would have managed to portray a whole gamut of emotions: bewilderment, amazement, disappointment, amusement (yes, even that!), and what not. This was to be a powerful scene, and Hayden just blew it. I try to avoid movies with him, but couldn't pass over this gem, of course.Quirky Characterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13590664018386916883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-2627238834281631742010-04-13T18:09:11.197-04:002010-04-13T18:09:11.197-04:00Sam - Yes, I have never been able to work to Clock...Sam - Yes, I have never been able to work to Clockwork, so I haven't even tried again recently! As for giving away The Asphalt Jungle position... I'm guessing that since you haven't seen it yet, you knew that it was going to pop up eventually!<br /><br />Rich - No doubt, in terms of greatness or being Kubrick's "best" I would definitely give the nod to Dr. Strangelove. My list was solely on personal enjoyment, and even then Strangelove comes very close to taking the top spot.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-12951355700103543622010-04-13T12:39:29.145-04:002010-04-13T12:39:29.145-04:00Great choice. Don't mean to be a contrarian......Great choice. Don't mean to be a contrarian... and I LOVE "The Killing," brilliant in every way, but "Dr. Strangelove" is the most audacious comedy in film history. I mean, a comedy about nuclear annihilation? Filmed at the height of the Cold War? Other filmmakers have pulled off films like "The Killing" (few as well as Kubrick), but no one has come close to duplicating the astonishing feat of throwing a banana cream pie in the face of our Great World Leaders who talk about 'winnable' nuclear wars. My list:<br />1. Dr. Strangelove<br />2. 2001: A Space Odyssey<br />3. The Killing<br />4. Paths of Glory<br />5. A Clockwork Orange<br /><br />(If you think pulling off a comedy that satirizes the horrors of the modern world in general and war in particular is easy, check out "War, Inc." with John Cusack, or "Deal of the Century" with Chevy Chase, or...there really is no comparable for 'Dr. Strangelove.' Kubrick did something no one else has ever done.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08600688674236630281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-1185378113827012612010-04-13T10:43:09.384-04:002010-04-13T10:43:09.384-04:00Is that a hint on the impending placement of THE A...Is that a hint on the impending placement of THE ASPHALT JUNGLE, Dave? LOL! Well, they are both great noirs for sure, but the edge for me goes to the masterwork you are discussing here. It's a perfect wedding here of Kurick's visual artistry with his gifted cinematographer Lucien Ballard. Actually for my money, it recalls Melville's BOB LE FLAMBEUR more than any other film, but there's no questioning the Huston connection you pose nor the one with Dassin's RIFIFI. The claustrophobia is the film is stifling, the action sequences first-rate, and the unique aspect here is that the participants here aren't in it strictly for adventure or gain, but rather because they were dealt some bad cards in their own lives. The editing in the film is as deft as in any other Kubrick film, and the lack of a time sequence stucture adds to some spellbinding rhythm. No doubt of course that Tarantino was greatly influenced in this sense. Sterling Hayden is extraordinary, in what I consider to be his greatest performance. This is one of your very best reviews Dave, from first word to last......of course we are not on the same page with another certain Kubrick film from 1971. Ha!<br /><br />1. A Clockwork Orange<br />2. 2001: A Space Odyssey<br />3. Dr. Strangelove<br />4. The Shining<br />5. Paths of Glory<br />6. Barry Lyndon<br />7. The Killing<br />8. Lolita<br />9. Spartacus<br />10. Full Metal Jacket<br /><br />I guess on EYES WIDE SHUT, I still haven't discovered it's greatness, though I still like it.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-79114175835427335212010-04-13T07:40:01.940-04:002010-04-13T07:40:01.940-04:00Thanks for the compliments, guys. For my own Kubr...Thanks for the compliments, guys. For my own Kubrick list I would go with something like this:<br /><br />1. The Killing<br />2. Dr. Strangelove<br />3. Paths of Glory<br />4. Eyes Wide Shut<br />5. The Shining<br />6. Full Metal Jacket<br />7. Barry Lyndon<br />8. 2001<br />9. A Clockwork Orange (if I _must_ include it on the list!)Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-32990717011640982252010-04-13T07:09:51.729-04:002010-04-13T07:09:51.729-04:00Dave, another fantastic piece on another fave of m...Dave, another fantastic piece on another fave of mine. I am with you on this statement, as I am for the rest of the post:<br /><br />"...but I will say that I think Kubrick took a familiar story, told in a unique way, and that the end result is the tightest, most consistently entertaining film of his career."<br /><br />Great pick!Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-49352608780557311742010-04-13T06:18:02.372-04:002010-04-13T06:18:02.372-04:00Dave,
A fantastic review of a terrific thriller. T...Dave,<br />A fantastic review of a terrific thriller. The first strokes of the brilliant filmmaker Kubrick was to become are reflected here in the editing, the non-linear storyline and the cinematography. Cook and Windsor are great as is Hayden. A film that was influenced by it predecessors and influenced future filmmakers.<br />1- Dr Strangelove<br />2- The Killing<br />3 - Paths of Glory<br />4- The Shining<br />5- A Clockwork OrangeJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808503055317962289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-88153801918347179172010-04-13T02:55:12.426-04:002010-04-13T02:55:12.426-04:00Fine review of this really gripping & entertai...Fine review of this really gripping & entertaining noir. Yes, as you say Asphalt Jungle's influence is there in plenty, but Kubrick managed to make this film his own with his storytelling and stylization. <br /><br />The fatalism in the movie's ending and the doomed characters also made it a pretty dark movie, to say the least. And the non-linear narrative, what can one say about that apart from, truly brilliant. Great choice here Dave!!!Shubhajithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02040495040897333606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-19066865021698436452010-04-13T00:27:43.586-04:002010-04-13T00:27:43.586-04:00The Killing is a brilliant film. The scenes with M...The Killing is a brilliant film. The scenes with Mary Windsor and Elisha Cook Jr are my favorite. The way she manipulates and talks down to him are so skillfully done you really begin to hate her as the movie moves along. I also find Timothy Carey to be such a unique actor. His role here and in Paths Of Glory are so weird but fascinating. It feels like he is not really acting but just playing himself. His mannerisms are so strange that I find him such a original screen presence. Stanley Kubrick is my favorite director so I will kick off a top ten by this legendary artist...<br />1. Dr Strangelove<br />2. The Killing<br />3. Paths Of Glory<br />4. The Shining<br />5. Eyes Wide Shut<br />6. Full Metal Jacket<br />7. Lolita<br />8. 2001<br />9. A Clockwork Orange<br />10. Barry Lyndon......All great films..........M.RocaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com