Paths of Glory (1957)

Stanley Kubrick's powerful anti-war film takes place in France, 1916. To the military higher-ups the lives of men in the trenches mean less to them than their own career. To Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), an officer and liaison between the two parties, the lives of his men are everything. When an order is given for the soldiers to traverse a no mans land for a suicidal attack on the enemy, Dax is forced to pick sides at the expense of his own career.
The contrast between cowardly desk-sitters and men with boots in mud and blood is both shown and felt, thanks to Kubrick's dynamic composition. When later those same cowards hide truths behind formal language, ascribing notions of innocence and guilt to subjectivity (affected, it seems, by rank) we can choose to experience the struggle as onlooker or sympathiser, but an unwavering performance by Kirk makes it feel uncompromisingly real.

4 battle lines out of 5

The Killing (1956)

A group of men carry out an unprecedented robbery from a busy racetrack while the horses are running a high profile race in Stanley Kubrick's taught noir based on crime writer Lionel White's Clean Break (1955) novel.
An unseen narrator occasionally guides us as the daring event and its aftermath is shown from various perspectives, building up a compete picture from a number of striking smaller pieces, each helped along by lengthy takes and some long and revealing tracking shots. The hard-boiled dialogue keeps the pace steady even when the plot demands that the telling be low key.
If you're a fan of Tarantino and want to see where he got some of his more interesting ideas from, then The Killing should definitely be on your list.

3½ timetables out of 5

Killer's Kiss (1955)

The story in Dir. Stanley Kubrick's second feature, about a boxer (Jamie Smith) and his dancing neighbour (Irene Kane), isn't anything to write home about, so casual viewers may find themselves getting bored before the end. Fans of his more famous later works, however, may find something of interest. While the powerful visuals that he's known for aren't as prominent as one might hope, his love of composition and framing is still very much to the fore.
For me, it wasn't until Paths of Glory (1957) that the stamp of the artist would become so markedly felt, while in Killer's Kiss it feels almost as if he's still searching for the lexicon needed to accelerate himself toward auteur status.

2½ mannequins out of 5

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Kubrick's most controversial film explores two of the most common types of violence: physical and psychological. Which of the two is most damaging in its implication is debatable, but in order to get the message across the execution of story is by turns distressing, repellent, offensive and oddly pantomime.
The language used by Alex (Malcolm McDowell), the Nadsat slang, as it was in Anthony Burgess' original novel (1962), is a peculiar mix of childish wordplay and poetic structuring that's almost Shakespearean at times.
Using Beethoven, with its cultured/civilised associations, as a soundtrack to violence provides additional contrast in support of the larger societal ones.
It's a challenging film, in all respects, but an immensely powerful one.

5 victims of the modern age out of 5

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Based on William Thackeray's novel, The Luck of Barry Lyndon (1844), an unseen and unknown narrator (Michael Hordern) tells the story of how a penniless 18th Century Irishman named Redmond Barry (Ryan O'Neal) acquired the Lyndon name, despite some damn fool decisions along the way.
I've watched BL twice only. Both times I was awed by how beautiful it was but bored by how slow it was. (I've not read the novel, so don't know how faithful it is or isn't to the source.) I agree with the critics who say that Kubrick's decision to shoot much of it with an often shallow depth of field makes the world look like a masterful 18th Century painting brought to quiet life, but the story doesn't grab hold of me in the same manner. The use of music, however, is a highlight; that part of it is rarely anything less than perfect.

3 prudent departures out of 5

Spartacus (1960)

A slave trained by Roman oppressors to fight to the death as a gladiator in their barbaric games takes his fate into his own hands. Spartacus, the slave in question, applies what he learned in the arena to a cause greater than himself. His words and deeds give voice to the feeling in all slaves' hearts.
It certainly deserves its many accolades, but I have reservations when it comes to scoring. Being wholly subjective, many of the relationships point toward something greater than they themselves deliver upon. It's almost as if the message overpowers some of the emotions, whereas in a perfect world they would've been equals. If the film didn't repeatedly push my thoughts in that direction, then I'd no doubt be awed by it completely, but something ingrained in either it or me keeps me from giving it the full 5 stars.

4 stand up guys out of 5

EYES WIDE SHUT [1999]

After 12 years of absence, director Stanley Kubrick returned to make his final motion picture before his death. Eyes Wide Shut, a difficult piece to tag an exact genre to, so we'll just call it an erotic Kubrick Christmas film.
On the outside it's simply about an unlikable high-class doctor, who embarks on a frightening mysterious journey of sexuality after his equally unpleasant wife tells of a time she nearly cheated on him.  However, it's has a far more complex psychological effect on the viewer, with it's ominous twists and turns that open the further the "good" doctor goes down the rabbit hole.  Kubrick's attention to detail, symbolism and lighting is as intricate as always, so there's always something new to discover with each viewing.  Like a feverish nightmare, Eyes haunts me as much as it did the year it was released, in fact more so with a slightly more mature love for storytelling and film-making.
It might not be the ideal swan song for Kubrick fans but it's still a dame fine final chapter for a man who never took his craft lightly.

4 magic circles out of 5

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

The first third of FMJ illustrates the hell that new recruits are put through in order to become USMC killing machines. The tyrant drill instructor breaks them and then rebuilds them his way. It’s a barrage of verbal, physical and mental abuse that’ll have you howling with inappropriate, guilty laughter.
Once the recruits are deemed worthy they’re categorically shipped to Vietnam to put their killing skills to the test. You’d expect the pace to increase in the field, but it actually slows, giving the soldiers time to reflect on why they’re even there, and offering a viewer a glimpse into the different kinds of pressure each one feels. Mostly it follows Pvt. 'Joker' Davis (Matthew Modine), but, as usual, the stylised eye of Kubrick dominates everything.

5 boom booms, long time out of 5

ROOM 237 [2013]

A variety of conspiracy theorists (or a bunch of nutty bunnies as I like to call them) dissect Stanley Kubrick's classic horror film The Shining in Rodney Ascher's fascinating documentary, Room 237.
Broken up into 9 segments, these fanatics bring up some interesting points & ideas as to what it all means and some completely ludicrous theories are tossed into the mix as well.  It's strangely executed, never showing any of the speaker's faces and instead opts to edit in clips from the film and other Kubrick works to go along with the subject matter at hand, which makes for some humorous moments featuring Tom Cruise in Eyes Wide Shut.  Even if they're all wrong (which I suspect they might be) you can't help but admire the love and obsession these folks have for film.

3 skiing minotaurs out of 5

LOLITA [1962]

Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita is a bit of a challenge to actually like.
The story about a 40 something year old, falling in love with a 14 year old girl that is the daughter to the woman he married is a might bit creepy, yet disturbingly hilarious. Kubrick captures the rapidly changing era by subtly pushing music, fashion and lingo into the foreground at perfectly timed moments. However, every single character in this film is incredibly unlikable and makes the film difficult to care about. With that being said, Peter Sellers inevitably steals every scene he has with his trademark disguises. Had it not been for the interesting character study and direction I would have given it the ol' heave ho out the window.

3 Chopin butchers out of 5

THE SHINING [1980]

What can be said about Stanley Kubrick's slightly unfaithful adaptation of Stephen King's classic ghost story The Shining, that hasn't been said already?
The beautifully symmetrical extended camera shots slowly crawling over the wide open spaces, the exquisitely precise sound design, the powerful use of classical avant-garde music, the ominous setting and, of course, Jack.
Jack Nicholson is a deliciously evil treat in this film, right from the get-go in a subtly perfect interview scene to the final moments of a haunting image guaranteed to send chills down your spine.
With it's lavishly slow (yet highly effective) pacing, nightmarish imagery, great performances from the entire cast and menacing music, Kubrick's The Shining is indeed the modern horror classic it's been called countless times.

5 Kids named Doc out of 5

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

I revisit 2001 at least twice a year to remind myself why I love cinema.
I see men in monkey suits, a black motionless monolith, long periods of nothing happening and exercise. I hear heavy breathing and an apologetic computer and I'm utterly enthralled. It demands a lot from the viewer and if you partake it gives back even more, or it bores you rigid and makes you cry for momma. If philosophy, religion, science, pathos, terror and flashy lights in place of a conventional narrative scare you, then stay far away.

5 eye-openers out of 5