Imagine watching a film from the ‘Elm St’ series and suddenly finding one of Freddy Krueger’s razor-sharp taloned glove tapping you on the back. Or how would you feel if, viewing the scene in The Shining where Jack Nicholson finally loses it completely, his character from that very film shimmied into view, dragging his large axe across the floor as he entered your line of vision?

That was one of the fun conceits the good folks from Sky Movies HD managed to bring to the table for an event we attended last Friday at the RSA Vaults in central London – a horror-themed night which culminated with a silent ‘screaming’ of the 2002 US remake of The Ring.

A visual answer to Silent Disco, we were invited to watch the Naomi Watts-starring tale of haunted videos and a well-dwelling child apparition on individual iPads, whilst said kiddie spirit from the film, Samara, paraded around the place in all her pale-faced, scraggly-haired ghostly glory, often stooping over the audience in a effort to make the viewing experience even more unnerving.

Greeted with plastic syringes offering a Bloody Mary hit upon arrival, The Ring vibe extended to the gloomy decor, which was filled with bank of TV’s showing nothing but static, and walls filled with the demented scribbling of artwork similar to those found in the film.

A fun and genuinely spooky night was had, and even if the Wi-Fi shortcomings sometimes slowed proceedings down a little, it was an interesting experiment in a shared (yet intimate) terror.

I recently had the privilege of attending a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece A Clockwork Orange in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the film and to mark the release of the Blu-ray box set ‘Stanley Kubrick: Visionary Filmmaker Collection.’ What made this particular screening special was an introductory Q&A session with the film’s star Malcolm McDowell, Kubrick’s widow Christiane and her brother, longtime Kubrick collaborator Jan Harlan.

Hosted by Warner Brothers and HMV at a plush but intimate screening room (about 40 seats) in the Soho Hotel, McDowell quipped, when first handed a microphone, “Why do I need a microphone, there are only 3 people here!?” Asked if it felt like 40 years since the release of the film, he replied “Honestly, it’s gone in the blink of an eye. Now, if I had been in a prison cell, I’m sure it would have been a very slow 40 years, but as I’ve been having the time of my life, pretty much, that whole time, I can say that it’s gone (snaps fingers) like that”.

The question was directed to Ms. Kubrick and Jan Harlan, and she responded “Everything seems very short when you’re my age.” Mr. Harlan grinned and said “Now I have seven grandchildren, that’s what’s happened in the last 40 years.” Harlan was asked what attracted Kubrick to Anthony Burgess’ novel, and replied “He (Kubrick) had prepared Napoleon for two years, and he was very very sad that he couldn’t do it. After feeling very down for about two weeks, he hit on Traumnovelle (Dream Story, a 1926 novella by Arthur Schnitzler), which was Eyes Wide Shut (which he made 30 years later), but he didn’t know how to do it. He wasn’t happy, although we already had a contract with Warner Brothers for that particular project. Then, he rediscovered this book (A Clockwork Orange) and fell in love with it; this process of falling in love with a project was necessary, because he knew that he took a long time and he needed that kind of energy in order to do this.”

Ms. Kubrick was asked if she remembered her husband reading the book. “Oh yes, I remember,” she replied. “In bed?” she was then asked, at which point McDowell jumped in. “Did it happen to you in bed? With all the tolchoking and horror-show stuff? Here’s a nice bit darling, with the old in out, in out, what’s that?” Ms. Kubrick continued, after the laughter subsided, “I had already read it, although I didn’t get some of it at first, but he so did, he got it immediately. He wondered how much of the language he could put into the film. It was very exciting, the book was like a roller coaster, so what was not to like.”

They were asked if they were aware of how potentially controversial the material was. “Of course it was, still is, rather startling,” said McDowell. “The first 20, 25 minutes just hits you with one punch after another; the wonderfully futuristic design for the Korova Milk Bar, and the sort of strange looking guys. Of course now everybody’s copied it, from Madonna to David Bowie to Slipknot (which shows you how with it I am). The social impact was tremendous; the punk movement was sort of born out of A Clockwork Orange in a way. At the time we didn’t think it was that violent. I thought we were making a comedy, a black one, but a comedy. I was quite upset when I saw the film in New York and not one person laughed at anything (you are allowed to laugh, by the way). I didn’t know how people couldn’t laugh at some of the stuff, but people of course were just totally shocked, and sat in stunned silence. One woman at a screening I was at ran out and apparently threw up in the lobby. But now, I’ve seen it with young people at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and the kids loved it, they just laughed all the way through. It finally caught up with the audience, or the audience caught up with it.”

The oft discussed subject of how McDowell came to be cast as Alex was raised. “We saw if….,” said Ms. Kubrick, “and a very short time into the film Stanley said ‘We found Alex’. He did run if…. again but he immediately knew, and didn’t look at any other actors.” McDowell, when asked how it felt to be chosen that way, said “I didn’t know. I was asked to go and meet with Stanley. I was doing a movie at Elstree with Bryan Forbes directing, so I went on my lunch hour and met with Stanley for a general talk, I thought. I asked him if there was anything in particular as I had to get back on set, and he said ‘I’ve got a book I’d like you to read, so would you read it, and then call me?’ Of course It was A Clockwork Orange, and actually I had a problem with it the first time I read it because of all the strange language, I was having to look at the back of the book in the glossary. I read it a second time and thought ‘this is pretty good’, and then I read it a third time and thought ‘wow, what a great part!’ So I called him after about a week and he asked ‘Have you read the book?’ Read the book, I said, it’s amazing, but how on earth are you going to make a movie out of it? ‘I have a few ideas.’ There was a little bit of an impasse as I remember it until I finally asked, well, are you offering me the part? And he said ‘yes’. A friend of mine is Ian Holm, who was supposed to do Napoleon, and he said ‘You’ve got to watch that Kubrick, because he doesn’t keep his promises.’”

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I first saw the film in Toronto in my teens, and it had a profound impact on me; apart from the obvious cool factor that it had/has in spades, it seemed to have a lot to say for itself about a lot of things, many of them disturbing, which even my half formed teenage brain picked up on. More than 30 years since first seeing it, my deep appreciation of A Clockwork Orange hasn’t diminished one iota, and I was particularly looking forward to seeing it on a largish screen in the company of my partner, who had never seen it (largely due to its unavailability in the UK until after Kubrick’s death), and watching her reaction to the still potent 40 year old film.

It has of course been digitally cleansed for its Blu-ray debut, and it is now spotless with much sharper contrast overall, but in many ways it isn’t a film that benefits as substantially from being re-authored for Blu-ray as other films of the period do. The look of Kubrick’s films varied greatly depending on the subject and time period they were set in, and for A Clockwork Orange he worked with a very muted, almost washed out colour palette which subtly accentuated the bleakness of the futuristic setting. Kubrick and his team were always very closely involved in the technical aspects of the home entertainment release of his films when he was alive, and although I couldn’t get confirmation of who supervised the Blu-ray authoring of ACO and the rest of the films in the collection, I’m almost certain it must have been someone associated with Hawk Productions, protecting his legacy and presenting Kubrick’s work as he would have wished it to be seen.  Certainly, the film looks better than it ever has on any home format while remaining as true as possible to the filmmaker’s visual intentions, and as with all vintage films on Blu-ray, it’s great to now have a richer uncompressed PCM track as an audio option.

The Stanley Kubrick box set includes 7 films on 8 discs, with quite a few extras for some titles, and very few for others. It is by no means definitive as it doesn’t include Kubrick’s films that were not made for or are not controlled by Warners (namely Fear & Desire (which I’ve never seen, and would like to), Killer’s Kiss, Paths of Glory, The Killing, Spartacus and Dr. Strangelove), but perhaps one day there will be a cross licenced or collaborative collection that will include all of his features, examples of his early still photography and documentary film work, and more.

A Clockwork Orange is available individually on Blu-ray, but the additional bonus content is only included with the version in the box set (good trick that). A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Edition is available On Demand and for Download from iTunes™, including bonus iTunes™ extra content; Lolita, Barry Lyndon,2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut will be available On Demand and for Download.

McDowell was asked about his reaction to the backlash to the film in the UK at time of release, and related a story about his astonishment at seeing four ‘yobbos’ emerge from Hammersmith tube station dressed as the droogs, as well as his bemusement with how many times people have told him they dressed as Alex for Halloween (he reckoned about 500). He went on to talk about his feelings about the film today, which echo its place in my own personal pantheon: “…it’s like an old relative, this movie to me. It comes back every anniversary, and we all get together, and have a damn good time.”

As for my partner’s reaction to Alex and his droogs….she woke from a nightmare that night believing there was an intruder in the house. Viddy well indeed brothers, viddy well.

Seven films by Stanley Kubrick make up this new Blu-ray boxset, two new to the format and each one a challenging and intriguing work of art.

The quality of the films are not in doubt and if you found your way here then there’s a fair chance you know Kubrick’s work so I won’t waste your time on a cursory summary of each, instead I’ll give you an idea of my struggle with the new collection which comprises the later films in the director’s career: A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket, Lolita and Barry Lyndon.

It’s been an exhausting week and a half taking in the seven films and as many extras as I could manage; these are not films to have on in the background when other tasks are carried out. They demand (and reward) your complete attention. I’d seen the films before on TV, VHS tapes, the DVDs and now the Blus arrive and the question arises – do you upgrade your treasured set of Kubricks? The answer depends on how much new material you want, and your desire to have the high-definition experience.

What you need to know is that this boxset marks the Blu-ray debut of Lolita and Barry Lyndon, the other films have been previously released on Blu-ray and aren’t embellished with a whole host of new extras here. Indeed, the special features for the  two new films are limited to a trailer  yet the quality of the films and the transfer go some way to make up for the lack of adornments. If you were to buy the two new films at full price individually the cost would approach the total price of this boxset.

The chance to have any of Kubrick’s films in high-definition is too good an opportunity to pass up, though I’m glad I waited for this set to come out as it’s a decent price for the set, has a perfunctory but welcome hardbacked book with brief introductions to each film. It’s always a far more seductive option to hand over your hard earned cash for a collection of films rather than pick them up one by one and the two HD debuts complete the persuasive argument.

The black and white Americana of Lolita sizzles on-screen and the quality is the best it’s ever been while the colours and candlelight of Barry Lyndon look incredible. In the new HD transfer I saw details I had never seen before and there were moments when I simply could not look away. Barry Lyndon is not my favourite Kubrick but I was always able to appreciate its visual beauty and that consideration is redoubled with this Blu-ray edition, some shots of the landscape are breath taking. I’m certainly in a minority in liking Eyes Wide Shut, but I’ll happily defend it and the transfer here isn’t great but the sound, particularly in the ‘party’ scenes with the simple, haunting succession of piano keys being struck hits you in the gut.

There is awit and invention in every film; you only have to be swept up in the Steadicam shots as we follow Danny Lloyd trundling through the empty corridors of the Overlook hotel, or the brilliant first scene showdown between James Mason and Peter Sellers in Lolita to know that Kubrick was gracious, yet demanding with his films and the rewards are many. I’m grateful for this boxset’s arrival not only because I’ve never seen Kubrick’s work looking so good, but I had the chance to revisit the films and, in some cases more than others, see them anew.

It’s not too much of a leap to imagine Kubrick wanting his films to be seen in the best way possible and this boxset is certainly that. I still would have appreciated a few more new extras on the discs, not least with the 50th anniversary of Kubrick’s Lolita around the corner and if you’ve got the DVDs then you won’t see a vast difference in the line up of special features.

While I lament the film which didn’t make it into the set (the omission of Dr. Strangelove and Spartacus increasingly puzzles me) and I had seen virtually all of the extras before, including the fascinating Life in Pictures documentary, there is a thrill in having a well crafted set of Kubrick’s work on Blu-ray. As I watched the films one by one I was engrossed in the sheer force of the director’s strength and presence, the intelligence of his choices which showed a skill bordered on the intimidating.

At his best he elevated the art of filmmaking, dulling even the brightest of his competitors with his dazzling displays. When a filmmaker helps you realise the potential for the medium, and asks you questions rather than spinning a familiar yarn with misdirection and a lack of love for the process, you take notice and cinema is better for having Kubrick’s films, and I’d want everyone to see his films. This is a great place to start.

Boxset: ****~ (4/5)

Discs: **~~~ (2/5)

Stanley Kubrick: Visionary Filmmaker Collection on Blu-ray is out now.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

A Clockwork Orange:

• Malcolm McDowell Looks Back: Malcolm McDowell reflects on his experience working with legendary director Stanley Kubrick on one of the seminal films of the 1970s
• Turning Like Clockwork considers the film’s ultra-violence and its cultural impact
• Commentary by Malcolm McDowell and historian Nick Redman
• Documentary Still Tickin’: The Return of Clockwork Orange
• Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making A Clockwork Orange
• Theatrical Trailer

Lolita

• Theatrical Trailer

2001: A Space Odyssey

• Commentary by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood
• Documentary 2001: The Making of a Myth
• Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
• Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
• What Is Out There?
• 2001: A Space Odyssey Conceptual Artwork
• Look: Stanley Kubrick!
• Audio-only Bonus: 1966 Kubrick Interview Conducted by Jeremy Bernstein

Barry Lyndon

• Theatrical Trailer

The Shining

• Commentary by Steadicam inventor/operator Garrett Brown and historian John Baxter
• Vivian Kubrick’s Documentary The Making of the Shining with Optional Commentary
• View from the Overlook: Crafting The Shining
• The Visions of Stanley Kubrick and Wendy Carlos, Composer

Full Metal Jacket

• Commentary by Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey and critic Jay Cocks
• Documentary: Full Metal Jacket: Between Good and Evil

Eyes Wide Shut

• Three-Part Documentary:
• The Last Movie: Stanley Kubrick and Eyes Wide Shut
• The Haven/Mission Control,
• Artificial Intelligence or The Writer Robot,
• Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick
• Interview Gallery Featuring Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Steven Spielberg
• Kubrick’s 1998 Directors Guild of America D.W. Griffith Award acceptance speech
• EWS: A Film by Stanley Kubrick

To celebrate the recent release of the new Stanley Kubrick Blu-ray boxet I’m in the middle of a Kubrick marathon and as well as giving you the chance to win a copy of the boxset I’ve got a clip from one of Kubrick’s films to prepare your appetite to be thoroughly whet.

The newly released set is giving us the chance to revisit some of the director’s iconic works, and I’ve collected a few of the behind the scenes images from Kubrick’s films to enjoy.

If you fancy spending some time with Malcolm McDowell as he talks of the fortieth anniversary of A Clockwork Orange you can check out the interview I conducted earlier this week here.

Here’s the clip and get your on-set fix in the gallery below.

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 38th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

No. 118 – Fargo (1996) – Rating 8.2

The Coen Brothers make another appearance in the list with one of their greatest films from their wonderful collection of movies and it was Fargo that started my love affair with the Coen Brothers over 14 years ago. Fargo is one of those films that hits all the right buttons for me as a viewer, the story is sublime, it’s perfectly performed by a truly wonderful cast, the dialogue is glorious, the characters are so memorable and when ever I watch it I always feel completely satisfied with it. It’s a masterpiece.

The basic story is about Jerry Lundegaard (William H Macy) who arranges for his wife to be kidnapped by some hired third party guys, ones kinda funny looking and all goes to plan to begin with. The ransom is to be paid by his wealthy father-in-law and Lundegaard then plans to take the money himself to invest and split a percentage to the kidnappers. However things start to get out of hand when his henchmen start to bungle things up and when three dead people appear on a main road the police, lead by the pregnant Marge Gunderson (an Oscar winning performance by Frances McDormand), start to investigate which eventually leads her to Jerry and eventually to the kidnappers hideout where a bloody mess is being made out of the kinda funny looking one. It’s a wonderful story of a crime gone wrong and it’s never been done better.

The film opens by saying the story is based on events that actually took place which instantly casts a spell over you, of course it’s a red herring and they didn’t really occur but the claim it does is enough to get you emotionally hooked from the start when watching for the first time. The film plays out at a wonderful pace with wonderful exchanges of dialogue mainly between Marge and the people she meets and between Carl Showalter and his kidnapping colleague Gaear Grimsrud played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare respectively, their deteriorating friendship is the key to the downturn in events in the kidnapping saga and it’s also one of the many highlights of the film as Stormare blankly stares as Buscemi’s rants and slowly descends into madness and what a way to cap off the insanity than to fill a wood chipper with Steve Buscemi, a timeless classic scene.

There is just so much to love about Fargo from the wonderful score, the dark humour, the visually stunning photography, the way that Frances McDormand and her husband are always eating or lying in bed when they are in a scene together, the way William H Macy stutters his way through scenes with the brilliant American-Swedish accent and the way people still apparently hunt for the suitcase full of money buried in the snow thinking its really there. Fargo is an absolute joy to watch and in my opinion deserves a higher place in the list.

No. 192 – Ed Wood (1994) – Rating 8.0

The Oscar winning performance from Martin Landau is so damn good as Bela Lugosi, Johnny Depp captures the essence of Ed Wood perfectly and Tim Burton directs my favourite film of his as he recreates scenes from Ed Wood’s films with stunning accuracy, this is the story of the worst film director in history and it’s an absolute triumph.

Those that don’t know who Ed Wood was, Edward Davis Wood Jr was a screenwriting, director, producer, actor, author, and editor most notably during the 1950′s where he made what is regarded as the worst films in movie history that led to him being award the Golden Turkey award for Worst Director of all time. He befriended a ageing drug addicted Bela Lugosi who helped give his films some success and Ed Wood was a heterosexual cross dresser to add extra substance to an incredible story.

The film covers the period regarding Wood’s relationship with Lugosi and his creation of his most notorious films and it’s the relationship between Wood and Lugosi that steals the film. Landau really does put in a stunning performance as Lugosi and straight after watching the film I YouTubed Lugosi’s films that featured in Ed Wood to compare the performances and it really is worthy of the Oscar he received. What also has to mentioned is the perfect production of matching scenes and props from the original films which also assist Landau’s performance and those that were angered as to why Samuel L Jackson didn’t get the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Pulp Fiction will understand why after watching Ed Wood.

The supporting cast are also perfectly matched to their real life characters with Bill Murray, Jeffrey Jones, George Steele and Lisa Marie standing out. Murray and Jones in particular stealing scenes they appear in with Murray as Bunny Breckinridge, Wood’s openly gay friend who performed in his films and suffered a failed sex reassignment therapy and Jeffrey Jones flawlessly captures The Amazing Criswell a psychic Tv entertainer, actor and producer of Wood’s films. There are other notable performances from Patricia Arquette as Wood’s girlfriend then wife Kathy O’Hara and Sarah Jessica Parker in a decent turn as Wood’s first girlfriend Dolores Fuller who failed to accept Wood’s transvestism and delivers a classic line of “Do I really have a face like a horse” after a scathing review. It’s a wonderful assemble cast that adds so much to a truly great film and it’s a film that fully deserves its place on the IMDb250 list.

No. 49 – The Shining (1980) – Rating 8.5

I watched The Shining with big sound reducing headphones and it was quite possibly one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.

Jack Nicholson stars as Jack, a writer who takes a job as caretaker at the Colorado Overlook Hotel for the winter. He is warned by the hotel’s manager that  winters in the mountains are dangerous and that heavy snowfall closes up the roads for months. Jack along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and their young son Danny (Danny Lloyd) are left alone at the huge empty hotel and as  weeks go by the snow grows heavier and Jack begins to get a bad case of writer’s block, slowly begins to go crazy.

It becomes apparent that the hotel is haunted and as Danny rides his bike through the iconic corridors he starts to get really freaky visions like an elevator opening up to a tidal wave of blood, the most terrifying set of twins (who completely freak me out) that keep appearing to Danny and also his really strange imaginary friend Tony and that “Red Rum” scene. The reality of he situation starts to reveal itself and things start getting worse for the family as Jack starts to loose it until he picks up an axe and goes about stalking his family to kill them, “Here’s Johnny”, the maze scene and the reveal that Jack’s soul always returns to the hotel to caretake and murder is a wonderful conclusion to the film and proves itself as easily one of the scariest movies ever.

“The Shining” is a brilliantly paced, incredibly creepy and at times a truly horrifying film. Watching it alone with my headphones turned up quite loud added a remarkable atmospheric experience I have never experienced before watching a film and when possible I’ve used my headphones to watch as many films since. The haunting instrumental music score by Herbert Von Karajan was one of the reasons for the frights I suffered and it fits the film so well. Nicholson’s performance is probably his best, his change in character is nothing short of stunning as he stares blankly over his typewriter as his mental state deteriorates, it’s all in about his voice and eyebrows and the change of facial expressions he can pull off to look like a bloody crazy man!. Shelley Duvall is also excellent as the sympathetic wife, she’s a proper movie screamer when she has to be and this really helps particularly during the films climax. Scatman Crothers also performed exceptionally as the cook of the hotel, he tells Danny that he has the “shine,” which is the ability to see the future and also comes face to face with Jacks axe towards the end. His voice is captivating (he voiced Jazz in the animated Transformers and Hong Kong Phooey) and his performance is really underrated.

Overall The Shining is a stunning film. Kubrick is an utter genius delivering everything you could want from a horror film with slowly building and rather unsettling momentum, psychological scares mixed with some of the most visually stunning shock moments in horror movie history that have been forever parodied or copied. The Shining fully deserves its place in the Top 50 films from the IMDb250 and will no doubt hold its place for many years to come.

No. 92 – The Elephant Man (1980) – Rating 8.3

I didn’t like Mulholland Drive, which is also on the IMDb250 list, and I’m not a big fan of David Lynch and his films so it’s fair to say I wasn’t looking forward to seeing the Elephant Man again for the first time in many many years when I was at an age I didn’t really understand films too much. However this is one of Lynch’s more accessible films, it’s a very moving and incredibly well made film with some of the finest performances, astounding makeup and glorious black & white cinematography from the IMDb films so far.

The Elephant Man stars John Hurt as John Merrick, a victim of a disease that has left him grotesquely deformed whose spent most of his life travelling in a carnival freak show. Eventually Merrick comes under the care of Dr. Treves (outstandingly played by Anthony Hopkins), who locates Merrick into his hospital where he studies him, helps him to conquer a restrictive speech impediment, and gives him back his human dignity. Treves introduces Merrick to culture, finery and things he’s only dreamed of experiencing but the question is he exploiting his friend for personal gain torments him.

Word about Merrick’s existence starts to spread and Bytes (Freddie Jones) his former owner at the freak show, the press and curious locals all try to get a piece of him and exploit his affliction. This eventually leads to Merrick being kidnapped and taken to France by Bytes and put on show again as The Elephant Man and even though his escape back to England is triumphant it leads to the final days of John Merrick. He visits the theater with Treves and his wife where the performance dedicated to him and then that night he discards all pillows from his bed and is determined to lie down like everyone else to sleep and he does for the final time.

The Elephant Man is a stunning film. The makeup is incredible and was taken from casts of the real John Merrick and adds an incredible sense of realism to the look of the character that is equalled by John Hurt’s perfect performance that was cruelly not given the Oscar it deserved although you can say that Robert De Niro’s Raging Bull is equally as impressive, I feel Hurt’s performance is far more complex and worthy of more recognition. The black & white photography shows Victorian England in remarkable stark realism

No. 182 – The Killing (1956) – Rating 8.0

Another first time viewing film for me and another one that has cemented its place my personal favourite movie list. This the second Kubrick film I watched for this week’s reviews and it couldn’t be more different. Kubrick  has directed such a wide genre of movies with various degrees of success with Sci-Fi, Horror, War, Action Romance and many have made an appearance on the IMDb 250 list and The Killing is his earliest film to have made it and this one is a heist movie.

Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) is a veteran criminal planning one last heist before settling down and marrying girlfriend Fay (Coleen Gray). His target is the money counting room at a racetrack during a featured race and to steal two million dollars in the process. He recruits his team consisting of corrupt cop Randy Kennan (Ted de Corsia); track cashier George Peatty (Elisha Cook Jr.); sharpshooter Nikki Arcane (Timothy Carey) whose to shoot the race favorite horse during the race causing a distraction, a wrestler called Maurice who provides a distraction for the police by starting a fight at the track bar, and the race course bartender (Joe Sawyer). The heist goes pretty much as planned but it’s the aftermath that creates a problem with double crossings, revenge killings, death, a little dog and a old suitcase full of money that isn’t quite strong enough to withstand a bump and then the whole plan is ruined.

Kubrick shows what a wonderful eye he had for film making early on in his career, the film noir feels right and look amazing with some wonderful scenes (see above) where just a bunch of guys, great dialogue, loads of cigarettes and a darkly lit room is all you need to make a scene work incredibly. The heist is carried out with wonderful precision and intelligence and with Sterling Hayden as the lead character everything about the film works like a charm as he gives orders and leads the team with assured authority making everything seem believable and precise. It’s a shame Kubrick didn’t make more films like this in his later years.

Overall The Killing is a wonderful movie, slow paced but excellently executed with a cast that all performed magnificently delivering one of my favourite films from the list.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/baz_mann and  http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

Despicable Me is coming out next week (Friday, 15th October to be exact) and while I was watching the trailer for the movie again recently, I got hooked on the ‘does this count as annoying’ bit  of the trailer by character Agnes (voiced by Elsie Fisher) and it made me laugh so much! It got me thinking that maybe we could do a feature on the cutest and creepiest kids in movies.

Since Despicable Me is an animated film, I’ve gone down the line of animated for the cuties and live action for the creepies! Have a little look down the list and then feel free to let me know who I’ve missed in the comments section below.

CUTE  ANIMATED KIDS

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Does this count as annoying?!

Agnes (Despicable Me)

Lets start with Agnes since she’s the inspiration for the post. She’s cute and you just want to squidge her! We don’t know masses about her as yet other than the fact she had rather big cheeks and wants to slap them!

Cute quotes:

• Does this count as annoying?!

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I may look cute but nothing scares me!

Monsters Inc.’s most fearless character has to be Boo who throughout the entire movie, doesn’t seem phased by anything. Whether it’s being intimidated by giant monsters or by travelling through a maze of endless doors!

Cute quotes:

• Mowki Kowski.

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Squirt (Finding Nemo)

Dudeeeeeeeeeeeee

OK, he’s not a kid so technically doesn’t fit in this category but we don’t care, as there’s no denying that he’s the cutest turtle in the ocean!

Cute  Quotes:

• Good afternoon. We’re gonna have a great jump today. Okay, first crank a hard cutback as you hit the wall. There’s a screaming bottom curve, so watch out. Remember: rip it, roll it, and punch it.
• Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!

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I'm not afaid of dust bunnies

Just look at her, how can you deny that she’s one of the cutest kids in animated film?! Miyazaki’s talent for creating beautiful, dreamlike worlds and populating them with vivid characters is legendary and little Mei is a curious child, coping with her family’s difficulties with the help of some peculiar and equally cute creatures.

Wide-eyed, fearless and full of life, she is one of Miyazaki’s many charming creations, she makes us feel childlike again.

Cute Quotes:

I’m not afraid of dust bunnies! (erm…. OK!)

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My best friend is an Iron Giant - is that normal?!

I’ve had a good old think and decided that good old Hogarth should make an appearance. Why’s he cute? Well, having the name Hogarth for a start! His best friend turns out to be an Iron Giant who is also a little bit cute – isn’t he?!!

Hogarth is also cute after doing his best to hide the giant and giving him lots of metal objects to eat as well as teaching him to speak! He’s probably the outside of the group but I think there’s a lot of love out there for him!

Cute Quotes:

• He’s a giant robot. It’s a little undignified.
• Welcome to downtown Coolsville! Population: us.
• You are who you choose to be! (darn right!)

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Look at me like that again and I'll kick your butt!

Jack-Jack is only a tiny little baby but don’t let that fool you. He’s not to be messed with. Blessed with super powers that he’s acquired from his parents, Jack-Jack could kick your butt whenever he wanted to. If you’ve not found them yet, check out the extra features on The Incredibles DVD where we get to see exactly what happened to Jack-Jack when he’s left with his babysitter in a short called Jack-Jack Attack!

Cute Quotes:

• (About Jack-Jack) Violet: We act normal, mom! I want to *be* normal! The only normal one is Jack-Jack, and he’s not even toilet trained!

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Ponyo (Ponyo)

Can someone take this Tesco shopping bag off my head please!

This entry can also include Sōsuke, the small boy Ponyo befriends in another of Miyazaki’s masterpiece from Studio Ghibli. The transformative power of love is central to this charming fairytale whose magic and imagination is matched by the wonderful characters who lead us through the trials of a little child of the sea who wants to become human.

Miyazaki’s talent for creating engaging young characters are honed to perfection here and if you don’t fall in love with Ponyo then you truly have no heart at all.

Cute Quotes:

• Ponyo loves Sosuke!
• Ponyo wants ham! (of course she does!?)

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Was my name chip before I was a cup?! If so, am I missing my nose?!

Again, technically not a kid in the movie BUT (spoiler warning) becomes one at the end and was originally a child therefore is completely allows in this feature! Chip is one of the reasons this story ends well, without him, the Beast would have been The Beast forever!

Cute quotes:

Chip: Are they gonna live happily ever after, Mama?

Mrs. Potts: Of course, my dear. [Gives a contended sigh] Of course.

Chip: [pause] Do I still have to sleep in the cupboard?

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CREEPY REAL KIDS

OK, now we move onto the creepy kids and this is where it gets rather interesting! Again, let us know who we’ve missed in the comments below!

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Danny Lloyd (The Shining)

"I think i swallowed a fly!"

If this kid doesn’t freak you out then no one will! He rides a bike around his house, his dad coined one of the most famous horror movie phrases of all time ‘Here’s Jonny!’ and he freaks me out every time I see him!

Creepy Quotes:

• Redrum. Redrum. Redrum.
• You mean they ate each other up?
• His dad says “Here’s Johnny!” – obviously he may grow into that one day!

What else is there to say?! Creepy!!

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"Erm, excuse me Bruce, I seem unable to stop seeing dead people!!"

Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment – The Sixth Sense)

When you think of creepy kids in movies, Cole Sear aka Haley Joel Osment isn’t too far down the list from his performance in  The Sixth Sense! It’s probably not his faul;t that he’s so freaky in this movie but when you read the scary quotes, you may understand why! I mean, when you grow up seeing dead people walking around wherever you go or get shut in cupboard with them at the local bullies birthday party, you know you’ve got problems! Or even while eating your cereal and watching every single cupboard door and drawer get opened while you’re trying to enjoy your coco-pops isn’t a really what i would call, ‘good times’!

Creepy Quotes:

• I see dead people!!!!!!

I don’t think we need any more than that – creepy!

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Damien (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick – The Omen 2006)

"You'll pay for making me have this haircut!!"

He watches people while they sleep and has what looks like an upside-down bowl has been placed on his head when in fact that is his haircut! Damien aka Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick  does a fantastic job in the 2006 version of The Omen of freaking the heck our of everyone watching with his pure freakishness! Because of all those different ways of saying freaky, he goes in the list!

Check out this image of him at the premiere of the movie, he even looks freaky here! Shouldn’t someone have told him he could break character once the cameras stopped rolling?!

Creepy Quotes:

• Did I scare you, Mommy? I didn’t mean to. (he blatantly did!)
• They’re afraid… (too right they are, look at your haircut!)

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"Please please please can I get rid of these stupid pig-tails?!"

And from one freaky-ass hair cut to another. She may look all sweet and innocent in this image but no, those pigtails tell a different story! Emily Callaway  played by the sweet and innocent Dakota Fanning in Hide & Seek might be all nicey nicey on the outside but on the inside she’s creeptastic! The quotes tell us all we need to know!

Creepy Quotes:

• Emily: It was Charlie. (LIES!)
• Emily: You’re gonna make him mad.
• Emily: Can you see now, Daddy? (That you’re a creepy character?! Obama said it best – YES WE CAN!)

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Sadako (Inou Rie – Ring)

"If only I didnt have this blasted fringe!"

It’s obviously something to do with haircuts. Here’s the third in a row with completely physcho hair. I mean, do you think if they got it cut it might make them that little more appealing?! Maybe not in the case of Sadako aka Inou Rie from Ring (1998). This is the movie that spawned American remake, The Ring and few years later and Sadako does her best to freak you right and and does a great job doing it! I mean, she crawls out of a television for Pete’s sake! What’s not creepy about that?!

Creepy Quotes:

• Well, she doesn’t really say much…. just crawls out of TVs but we still give that a 10/10 on the creepy scale!

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Kayako (Takako Fuji – The Grudge)

"Does my face look creepy with all this makeup on?! Ummmm.... yes, it does!"

Quite possibly the freakiest movie I’ve ever seen has to be The Grudge. Why’s it freaky? Well, just look at that flippin image on the right and it tells you all your need to know! The quote section for Kayako akaTakako Fuji will be rather short since there are no words spoken by this scarily twisted and uber creepy little girl, all she does is make some sort of clicking noise off camera which scares me half to death every time I watch it – the solution to my problem, don’t watch it!

Unlike her friend above, she doesn’t have a fringe or at least no one that we’d want. All she needs to do is grown it out a bit and it could hide that terribly scary face! Alternatively, removing all that white makeup could assist her in making more friends rather than scaring them half to death….. and then killing them!

Creepy Quotes:

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (tranlates to clickkkkkkkkkk clickkkkkkkkkk clickkkkkkkkkk or something like that!)

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Ray Boyd (Jonathan Lipnicki – Jerry Maguire)

"I look really cute, but have you seen that film Benjamin Button? I'm actually 90 years old!!"

OK, thought I’d end on a controversial one! Most people would argue that Ray aka Jonathan Lipnicki from Jerry Maguire deserves to be in the ‘cute’ category bit there are a couple of reasons why he can’t go in there.

1. He looks a little bit like an old man which is just weird!
2. He says the ‘f’ word (see quotes) and any 4 year old (or however old he was in the movie) that says the ‘f’ word, can’t go in the ‘cute’ category!

Ray may look cute on the surface but he’s a devious little chap who knows when mum is coming and going. He knows exactly how long he can sit on the sofa with Jerry (Tom Cruise) shooting the breeze before mum comes back in from the kitchen. You watch it next time you see Jerry Maguire, that kids has a sixth sense (see above for Cole Sear) and cannot be trusted!

Creepy quotes:

• D’you know that the human head weighs 8 pounds? (how would he know that if he wasn’t creepy?!)
• D’you know that bees and dogs can smell fear? (see above!)
• D’you know that my next door neighbor has three rabbits? (he’s never seen them, he just knows!!)
• Ray: You said f**k. / Jerry Maguire: Uh… yeah… I…  / Ray: Don’t worry. I won’t tell. (of course he wont, Creepy little chap!)

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So there we have it, the cutest and creepiest kids in movies! I’ve obviously missed hundreds of them so tell us in the comments below who are your favourite cutest, and creepiest kids in movies!!

The drive-in movie is an American institution, but it’s never really caught on in the UK. Consequently generations of Britons have been taunted by images of our American cousins enjoying films from the comfort of their own cars, while the closest we’ve been able to come to an approximation of the experience involves ram-raiding the local Odeon.

Fortunately for those of us in the UK who aren’t willing to go to such drastic lengths, Pinewood Studios have come to our rescue. Between now and the end of the year the renowned film studio has set aside an area of their lot to screen a series of drive-in movies. HeyUGuys were fortunate enough to be invited along to their screening of The Shining, and we’re pleased to say that it didn’t disappoint.

As we arrived at the studio we joined a queue of traffic backed up along a country lane in Buckinghamshire. As we edged closer to our destination we rounded a corner, and were confronted by the entrance to the studio: a large, sweeping canopy, with a multi-coloured light show illuminating the words “˜Pinewood Studio’.

After we were let in, we re-joined the queue of traffic, heading towards the Paddock Lot, where we would be watching the film. As we drove through the studio we passed monumentally large stages, and old buildings festooned with plaques commemorating filmmakers who have worked at the studio.

Eventually we pulled into the area in which the film would be shown. On our left was Pinewood’s Underwater Stage, on our right, a vast screen, just behind which was the (currently empty) exterior water tank. Driving past the tank we got a clear view of the screen, and realised just how monumental it was. At 240ft wide, and 60ft high this dwarfs the IMAX at Waterloo.

We eventually parked the car about 100 feet from the screen, ordered some snacks, re-tuned the radio and waited.

And waited.

During this wait, we were treated to disco classics on the radio, and had enough time to realise that the car in front was slightly blocking the bottom of the screen. This wasn’t a problem for long, however, as we simply moved our car a couple of feet backwards, and the screen was in perfect view.

As the film began to roll we made ourselves comfortable and began to get into the film. Unfortunately there was a repeated rhythmic hissing sound on the radio; music broadcast on another frequency was interfering with the film’s soundtrack. This was solved easily enough though, by simply re-tuning the radio. A similar quick fix, involving a bag and the car’s parcel shelf was used to block out a light shining through the rear window. These little annoyances out of the way, we finally gave the film our full attention.

It would be entirely fair to say that The Shining loses something when shown as a drive-in movie. Any sense of suspense is shattered by the sound of engines being turned on periodically to clear windscreens and recharge batteries, as well as the sight of people wandering around the car park, trying to find the toilet.

The soundtrack also fails to stand up when played through the tinny little speakers of the Fiat 500 we were in, but these niggles are minor compared to everything we got from the experience.

The privacy of the car made the experience a lot less formal than being in the cinema, and consequently allowed us to literally put our feet up and relax. At the same time, the fact that we weren’t watching a perfect presentation of the film gave us license to discuss the film as we watched, all without fear of disturbing anyone around us.

There was also something much less tangible added to the film by the novelty of where we were. Unlike American studios, with their backlot tours, Pinewood rarely opens it’d gates to the public, so watching a film that was shot there in such an unusual fashion really was a rare and incredible experience.

The studio is running screenings until Saturday 6th December. A full list of films showing is available at the Pinewood Studios website.

Blood: The Last Vampire fights its way to Blu-ray and DVD November 2. The movie is a slick and stylised English adaptation of the hugely popular cult hit anime series of the same name. The movie is full of blood and gore, so in celebration of this release, we have compiled a short list of some of the bloodiest films to date. Chances are, if you loved these films and relished the blood, then you will love Blood: The Last Vampire. The name speaks for itself!

Blood: The Last Vampire (2009)

It is clear to see that Blood: The Last Vampire sticks true to its gory genre. In many of the scenes, Saya is surrounded by a group of demons. The creativity of their deaths is the winning factor here, for example in one scene she decapitates a demon by throwing a metal grate at it, and slices another in half to create an upward blood fountain, always escaping the blood spurts after killing someone. Ultimate gore!

The Shining (1980)

In The Shining Wendy sees blood rushing out of elevator doors which sloshes down the hallway. What puts this scene onto our list is the sheer amount of blood on display! It is a sea of blood. It flows like a river and encapsulates the viewer. It’s pretty shocking for a film of its time, and a timeless classic to this day. Not to mention the rest of the films climatic expertise and creepiness.

Blade (1998)

Perhaps one of the most creative uses of blood is seen in Blade. Picture the scene ““ clubbers dancing away at a night club, when blood starts spraying out of the fire sprinklers all over the patrons below. To your typical clubber, it’s pretty sick. However, naturally there are some vampires in the club, who are thrown into ecstasy, and start to gyrate with each other under the slick red rain. Enter Blade, who proceeds to kill the instantly identifiable vampires by shooting and stabbing them. Lots and lots of blood, in a contemporary setting, what more could a horror fan want?

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

In A Nightmare on Elm Street we witness an unbelievable amount of blood in a very familiar place- one’s bed. Dragged into the middle of his bed by the infamous Freddy, Glenn is literally sucked into the underworld. Following his being dragged down into the depths, copious amounts of blood then spray aggressively onto the ceiling. The Blood shoots out of it like a geyser, or a high powered pressure washer. It’s all pretty surreal and strangely amusing to watch. His screaming mother only adds to the dark humour.

Kill Bill (2003)

When one thinks of bloody films, of course Kill Bill comes to mind. Specifically the scenes from The Bride where “˜88′ crazy suited men try to kill her, but get a little more than they have bargained for. And the highlight of this bloody battle? When The Bride kills one of the 88′s by pulling his eye out completely. She also does a break dance move and cuts the shins, ankles, and legs of the 88′s, spraying their blood everywhere. That girl can move, and it is mesmerising yet stimulating to watch!

Saw (2004)

Another high contender in the gore stakes is the Saw collection. In one particular scene in the first Saw, Amanda’s head is in a reverse bear trap. There is a key to unlock it, but it’s buried in the guts of her seemingly dead roommate. In true Saw fashion, Amanda is expected to use a knife to retrieve the key from his stomach. The next few minutes see her riffling through his liver, intestine and other organs. As one can imagine, this is quite a messy job and she ends up covered in his blood and guts. Several points for creativity!

Scream (1996)

No horror movie list would be complete without reference to the ultimate classic, Scream. Let’s take the Casey Becker scene. She is running from the killer and, well, she doesn’t get very far. He stabs her in the chest, slits her throat, and then continues to stab away until she couldn’t be any deader, and his knife couldn’t be any redder. He kills her brutally with a kitchen knife! Lovely and lots of blood for good measure too.

Final Destination 2 (2003)

Final Destination 2- or actually any of the Final Destination collection- wins where gore is concerned. In this particular scene we see another incredibly gruesome and original death take place. A woman is involved in a car accident that causes a piece of pipe to break in her car. Whilst fire fighters use machinery to free her from the mangled car, the airbag goes off and the back of her head is thrown onto the broken pipe. Her death is unexpected and sudden, leaving her with a pipe coming out her forehead, with brain matter and a pool of blood streaming down her face.

Hannibal (2001)

Another master of creativity would be Mr. Hannibal Lecter. Remember the scene where he tied up Detective Pazzi with duct tape in Hannibal? Having secured one end of a rope round the detective and the other around a separate chair, he sliced his abdomen and threw him off a balcony. The rope around the chair stopped Pazzi mid fall, but not his guts. These kept falling, out through the hole in his stomach, and spilled onto the ground below as the force of gravity took its toll. What an ingenious, blood-thirsty, gory way to kill.

Carrie (1976)

Carrie takes blood to the high school movie. A geek that falls victim of the bitchy girls at school thinks she has finally overcome it all when she wins the coveted title of prom queen. Unfortunately for her, some of her tormentors manage to tip a bucket of pigs over her whilst on stage, in front of the entire student body. The neat thing about this scene is the realism, the fact that it could actually happen. As Carrie stands dripping in blood, the scene is compounded by the awkward silence that follows and the true horror of her situation comes to light.

Blood: The Last Vampire is out on Blu-ray and DVD November 2

http://www.bloodthelastvampire.co.uk/

Pinewood Studios have been in touch with us to offer a great competition. We have the chance for one lucky person to win a ticket to the brand new drive in cinema hosting the largest screen in in the world!

Pinewood have transformed its unique outdoor water filming facility into the world’s largest cinema screen, sized 73.1M wide x 18.3M in height. They’ll be showing a series of movies, all of which you can check out here.

Our competition gives one lucky person the chance to win a ticket to the classic movie, The Shining on opening night at 20:00 on 31st October. The ticket will allow entry of one car with a maximum of 4 people.

All you have to do is answer this question:

Who wrote the original novel on which The Shining is based?

Send your answer to Pinewood@heyuguys.co.uk and make sure to include your postal address so that we can get the tickets to you should you be the lucky winner.

The Small Print:

• This competition is only open to UK residents and only one entry per person will be counted
• The competition will close Saturday 24th October at 23.59 GMT
• The  winner will be picked at random from entries received

Good luck everyone!!

Please view our full terms and conditions here.

You can now follow Pinewood Studios on Twitter and Facebook.

If you’re left unsatisfied with your local multiplex experience, with its piped in popcorn smell or neon clash and sticky floors you might want to cast an eye on a new film season in London put on by the Jameson Cult Film Club.

The capital has some amazing venues such as Somerset House and the varied locales of the Secret Cinema (unfortunately I can’t tell you much more about them…), and the JCFC have scouted some pretty impressive places to screen some of the finest films of the last 25 years. My personal favourite is the screening of Kubrick’s iconic chiller The Shining in Islington’s Union Chapel, which seems the perfect venue for a slow descent into madness.

Click here to find out what films are playing and how you can get tickets.

The films on offer are: Fight Club, American Werewolf in London, Dracula (1958), The Shining, Halloween and This is Spinal Tap, click here to go to the website to find out how to be in with a chance to win tickets.

Any excuse to see one of these outstanding films on the big screen is good enough for me, but the bonus of having a suitable location should make the experience all the more exciting.