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Room 237 - 25/9/2012 11:37:21 PM

Empire Admin

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Post #: 1

i LOVE that review - 25/9/2012 11:37:21 PM

bill the butcher

Posts: 151
Joined: 21/1/2010

i can't remember the last time a movie review made me so excited i can NOT wait to watch room 237 :)

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Post #: 2

i LOVE that review - 25/9/2012 11:37:23 PM

bill the butcher

Posts: 151
Joined: 21/1/2010

i can't remember the last time a movie review made me so excited i can NOT wait to watch room 237 :)

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Post #: 3

Brilliant - 29/10/2012 5:17:17 PM

Workshed

Posts: 2474
Joined: 11/11/2005
From: somewhere near barstow on the edge of the desert

I caught this at the Curzon in Soho last night. The Shining is one of my favourite films so when heard about this documentary on one of Empire�s podcasts recently, amazed it had slipped under my radar, I started reading up on it.

It�s a loving tribute to Kubrick and his horror masterpiece which speaks to some very obsessive and slightly mad fans about their interpretations of the films subtexts. It�s really well put together and uses a lot of clips from The Shining and Kubrick�s previous films to illustrate some of the mad-cap theories, as opposed to a talking heads style doc. The film makers use lots of visual aids and techniques to illustrate some of the theories, some of which are quite obvious and plausible (Native American genocide) while others are downright weird (Kubrick supposedly superimposing his face into the clouds in the opening shit when his name appears? / a set of trays representing an erect penis? The skier / Minotaur?)

One of the key things that I really enjoyed was the exploration of the Overlook, one of the film�s lead characters in my opinion, and its impossible design. I had never noticed things the impossible windows, impossible tricycle routes, corridors that work like The Penrose stairs and massive continuity errors before. Were these all accidental? Considering the meticulous levels of detail that Kubrick was notorious for, it seems unlikely but it�s theorised that this was done subliminally to unnerve the viewer on a subconscious level.

There are a lot of mad-cap opinions and observations but it gets to a point where it�s hard to untangle. Like all Kubrick films there is going to be a lot of built in subtext but a lot of this will also be applied subtext from the viewer. I don�t necessarily think Kubrick intended his film to be played forwards, backwards and superimposed but the resulting juxtapositions are very interesting.

This film is thoroughly entertaining, insightful and often very funny and a satisfying cinema experience for any cinephile even casually interested in Kubrick and goes to show that you see what you want to see in a piece of art.

Ultimately, just knowing that his films are still being poured over and dissected years after their releases and his death brings a smile to my face and makes me think he�s smiling above us.

Roll on the Re-Release of The Shining.

< Message edited by Workshed -- 29/10/2012 5:19:07 PM >

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Post #: 4

Brilliant - 29/10/2012 5:17:18 PM 1 votes

Workshed

Posts: 2474
Joined: 11/11/2005
From: somewhere near barstow on the edge of the desert

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Post #: 5

Five stars? Are you kidding?? - 30/10/2012 1:22:14 AM

JohnnyWalker2001

Posts: 14
Joined: 25/2/2007

This was absolute gunk. It's easily the worst film I've seen this year. 90 minutes of insane theories? There was nothing going on with this documentary. Perhaps if it had explored WHY these people were so obsessed with the film. Or maybe asked some of the film makers themselves. No, nothing like that, just crackpot after crackpot. For 90 minutes.

The Internet has spilled onto the big screen, and it ain't pretty.

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Post #: 6

Five stars? Are you kidding?? - 30/10/2012 1:23:39 AM

JohnnyWalker2001

Posts: 14
Joined: 25/2/2007

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Post #: 7

It`s Not About The Jewish Holocaust, Persecution of Ame... - 30/10/2012 4:49:27 PM 1 votes

Cruisecontroller

Posts: 4387
Joined: 28/4/2006

I saw "Room 237" last night and it does make you wonder what people maybe under the influence of when watching movies to come up with some of these theories. It takes being obssessive about movies to new and quite frankly daft extremes. More to the point surely "2001: A Space Odysey" is much harder to follow and deserves more clarification than "The Shining". The mind boggles what these people would have concluded from that film.

"The Shining" is about the Jewish Holocaust because the little boy Danny has the number 42 on his shirt and 1942 was when the Nazi's came up with their final solution to exterminate the Jews....really? Plus if you calculate the numbers 237 from the cursed Room 237 in a certain way you come up with 42! The only thing you could say links them is the massacres in the hotel is like those committed by the Nazi`s but the rest seems to random to me. It`s also about the plight of the American Indian because there are pictures of American Indians in The Overlook Hotel and on cans of food seriously? I also looked really hard and didn`t see Kubricks face in the clouds of the scene highlighted. Yes there are also incosnsistancies in continuity but surely there mistakes not anything significant.

To me the film is about a haunted hotel with evil spirits that make the caretakers that stay there go mad and kill themselves and anyone else there with them to then claim as their own to do the same to the next one. The fact poor Danny being psychic can see whats happening and is powerless to be taken seriously before his mother realises makes it all the more upsetting and powerful. Quite straightforward really. This is a very amusing analysis of the movie and it was great to see some of the most memeorable scenes on the big screen which I haven`t done before. Worth seeing but mostly bonkers too! 4/5

< Message edited by Cruisecontroller -- 30/10/2012 4:53:37 PM >

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Post #: 8

Look! Doesn't the paper tray look like a boner when he ... - 4/3/2013 10:32:34 PM

RyanShanks

Posts: 7
Joined: 3/1/2012
From: Nottingham

Absurd rubbish, I'm afraid. Perhaps this is a little reactionary, coming after watching the film, then reading a 5* review of it, and feeling the need to over-compensate. However, there is very little in this documentary to be entertained or intrigued by. It really is a line-up of one nutjob after another seeing things they want to see, with no time dedicated to deductive reasoning whatsoever.
Also, the sound mix is dreadful, with various individuals muttering into their microphones while the soundtrack bed fights with them for the top bunk.
A couple of things are mildy interesting, such as a continuity error that appears to lead to the characters' deaths (by car) just before the shot changes as if nothing was about to happen. Something like that does seem a little too deliberate (if it had been unplanned and accidental, somebody probably did end up hurt, or at least fired, and cut out of the movie). However, it cannot fight the insufferable waves of crap that comes out of these people's imaginations. A much over-hyped time-killer, and my does it kill slowly...

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Post #: 9

Room 237 - 29/3/2013 11:04:17 PM

JJB888

Posts: 73
Joined: 19/12/2008

Spot on, this is a film that has obsessives dissect (perhaps overly so) Stanley Kubrick's 1980 masterpiece The Shining. Yes, some of the theories here may well be nonsense but that is not the point. The point is seeing a film that expresses the bewildering depths in which we read films, as well as the mystique that surrounds certain works of cinema. Each opinion here be it apollo or impossible windows is argued with such passion that you never feel as though these people are being silly, they believe! I loved the film personally, it was in my top 5 of 2012. An obsessive, obscure and towering testament to the power of film and the recesses of the human mind. Fascinating and entertaining.

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Post #: 10

Utter Tripe! - 4/4/2013 9:32:36 AM

fraser1978

Posts: 95
Joined: 1/9/2006

Possible spoilers!

Believe what you want, but my opinion is these theorists are seeing what they want to see and trying to make something of something that just isn't there. Why does there have to be so many conspiricies? Whats wrong with just making a great psychological thriller?

Some of the outlandsish claims are just plain ludicrous, for example, Mr Ullman and the phallic symbol
when he shakes Jack's hand?! Or maybe its just a coinsidence, the poster of the skier really being an image of a minataur?, really I just dont see it. Worth a watch if you are a fan of the movie masterpeice as I am, but please, I'm sure Mrr Kubrick will be laughing in his grave!

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Post #: 11

Utter, utter rubbish - 29/4/2013 4:02:30 PM

david hayes

Posts: 61
Joined: 16/5/2010

Bunch of fanatcis that see things that just aren't there and then smugly comment on how us normal people wouldn't spot it.
New entry into my "Worst ten films of all time"

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Post #: 12

Rambling on and on and on. - 3/5/2013 12:00:53 AM

film ninja

Posts: 4
Joined: 16/12/2010

I didn't expect so many inane rantings by this bunch of uninteresting talking heads. About 5 minutes of this documentary would summarize all the interesting theories well enough, but unfortunately there is another 90 minutes of observations that would generally be too stupid to include even as a bonus feature on a DVD of The Shining. Just go and watch The Shining for yourself and you'll easily come up with more interesting interpretations than anything offered in this film.

< Message edited by film ninja -- 3/5/2013 12:02:47 AM >

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Post #: 13

RE: Rambling on and on and on. - 13/5/2013 3:23:40 AM

RobotDevil

Posts: 100
Joined: 3/10/2005

Some extremely weird theories in this film, ranging from quite plausible in parts (such as the 'impossible' set design used to unnerve viewers) to the completely weird (it's all somehow due to Kubrick's guilt about faking the moon landings).

The more interesting theories are the ones discussing the film itself (such as the extent of Danny's influence on events) rather than the ones about Nazis and Indians.

The version of The Shining played forwards and backwards does throw up some extraordinary images.

No doubt some of the less extreme theories do relate to artistic intent, but by concentrating more on the weirder theories it actually moves away from being about The Shining and is more of a study about obsessiveness in general and humans' ability to find meaning when there is none, in particular meaning relevant to them. This is particularly obvious when one of the contributors, who is a historian with a special interest in Nazi Germany, finds a holocaust meaning - much like a Rorschach test.

I'm glad that the film has a sense of humour about it to the extent that after one of the contributors finishes speaking it follows up with Jack Torrance saying 'Anything you say.' Even some of the contributors at the end admit that they may be looking too hard.

For the most part I enjoyed this as both a study of the film and of obsessiveness.

For the conspiracy nutters out there - I did notice that the Calumet Baking Soda (with the Indian Chief picture and subsequent theories about the films reference to Indian massacres) in the store cupboard is noted as being the only legible label (it's not), but they never mentioned that when Jack gets locked in, one of the only legible labels is Heinz Kosher Dill Slices. Read into that whatever you like.

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Post #: 14

RE: Rambling on and on and on. - 13/5/2013 3:39:40 AM

UTB

Posts: 9049
Joined: 30/9/2005

I saw this on Friday, certainly not a 'classic' (Five stars... really?) but you can't help but feel both intrigued by some of the themes, motifs and observations that come up and bewildered by what are clearly some mental filmgoers. The native american theme for me seemed the most realistic though of course we'll never get to find out what Kubrick's intentions were. Some were laughable though (it was definitely a skier, not a centaur...lol). I did love the backwards/forwards thing though (even if they read too much into it).

I'd agree there's quite a bit of rambling going on. At one point I'm sure we're just listening to someone telling us what's happening on screen rather than any theories or reasoning for it.

If you're a fan of the film this a must-see, though it isn't quite the classic its made out to be.

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Post #: 15