the shining (1980)

another jack nicholson performance, and another tour de force. the scale of madness on display in kubrick's stephen king adaptation is awe-inspiring. i looked to "the shining" for academic reasons on this occasion, im looking at symetrical screening, and this is a great example of it. the camerawork, the framing and the editing of this film are incredible examples of the language of cinema, and display why kubrick was such a great filmmaker. the use of steadicam is especially of note, with kubrick being one of the earliest advocates of the device.

killer's kiss (1955)

there's something incredibly satisfying about a short film. i dont mean a short film in general, im referring to the sort of film that gets the story done and dusted in an hour or so without the need for any sort of padding. stanley kubrick's sophomore effort, 'killer's kiss' is one such film. the story of a boxer who falls for his dancer neighbour, after saving her from the hand of her obsessive employee.

the film acts as a precursor of sorts for many of the themes explored in kubrick's later work, in particular the obsessive love theme of 'lolita', as well as a direct visual reference to 'the shining'. the film reminded me greatly of allen baron's 1961 post-noir crime hitman drama 'blast of silence'. thematically 'killer's kiss' is slightly less developed than baron's post-modern magnum opus, yet the films remain in the same quarter of the mind for some reason.