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Reviews
Arena: Making 'The Shining' (1980)
A rare behind the scenes glimpse of a classic film.
Rarely does one get such an intimate look at the behind the scenes of such a wonderful and iconic film. Vivian Kubrick's cinematography was outstanding throughout and the banter between cast and crew was truly fascinating. It's also fascinating to get a glimpse at the meticulous attention to detail that Stanley Kubrick had for everything. Everything in this documentary is fascinating; from Jack Nicholson's charming and somewhat flirtatious mannerisms to the tense moments between Stanley Kubrick and Shelley Duvall. I only wish that this behind the scenes film had been a bit longer. If this doesn't inspire a person to be a filmmaker, I don't know what would.
Inland Empire (2006)
Lynch's most beautiful and haunting film yet...
Inland Empire is without a doubt one of the most bizarre, yet beautiful David Lynch films that I've ever seen. It also had one of the most interesting plots I've seen in a Lynch film. Understandably, a lot of people aren't going to like this movie because it is far more fractured than the typical Lynch film, which makes his other work seem completely straightforward, and that is definitely a feat. Plus, it's quite long and most people barely have enough patience to get through an hour and a half of a typical Lynch-esquire story line. It was also completely terrifying. There were a lot of very amazing psychological scare scenes. I noticed that Lynch used some of the same Penderecki score that was used in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, which was a lovely touch. Music like that should be utilized far more in horror and psychological suspense films. Another interesting addition was the behind the scenes featurette on the 2nd disc. It shows that David Lynch is a very passionate artist and filmmaker who knows EXACTLY what he wants and demands it from his cast and crew. He gets right in there and very enthusiastically describes everything he wants from his actors. There were a few interesting scenes where he loses his patience with Laura Dern. Ironically, some of their banter reminded me of the behind the scenes of the movie The Shining and the relationship between Stanley Kubrick and Shelley Duvall, only not quite to that degree. Regardless, it is definitely the type of movie that needs to be watched again and again in order to catch little bits that weren't noticed before. The bottom line is that David Lynch is a master storyteller and approaches his films in a completely unique and interesting way. This is why they seem so fractured and end up confounding so many people. However, if you are willing to open yourself up to it and have patience, you will be rewarded with a truly wonderful and haunting story that will stay with you for a long time after.