Girls, I Am Telling You, You Have GOT To Be Kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                I know, darlings, I know; you must think it is Stephen King Week at my house, or something, but it really is not.  As stated, I may have vaguely known about the upcoming "Carrie" remake, but this documentary film I had NO idea of, until Monsieur suggested to me, yesterday, that we should go see it.

                                Fortunately, we did not have to travel all the way to Manhattan; in a single R-train ride, we got off at Atlantic, and went to BAM's Rose Cinemas, and also discovered, just down the street, the Greenlight Bookstore, owned and operated by my former reading guide at Three Lives, Jessica.  Who, unfortunately, was not there, and, who, in the past year, has had a baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!  How Time marches on!!!!!!!!!!

                               But, let's get back to this film.  It deals with a set of people out there--and, honey, they are REALLY out there--who are obsessed with the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film version of King's novel, "The Shining."  If you don't know "The Shining," I am sure you know, and have seen, at some point, the famous scene where a deranged Jack Nicholson is breaking down a door with an axe, while, on the other side, an hysterical Shelley Duvall is screaming, as Nicholson yells, "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Johhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnyyyyyy!"  Got that, now?????????????

                                To be honest, I was never that crazy about the movie.  I saw it, years later, in a Manhattan revival house, which does not exist anymore, on a double bill with--are you ready???--"Full Metal Jacket!!!!!!!!!!"   It's a wonder I did not try to kill myself, when I emerged from the theater.  You could not PAY me to sit through a double bill like that, again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 It was actually the wrong set of movies to see, because, seeing "Full Metal Jacket" last  eclipsed any effect "The Shining" might have had on me.  I admired the visual style, but did not like--as many did, and said, at its release--the fast and loose way Kubrick played with King's book, which I recall as being one of his best!  I have not read "The Shining," since it came out, about 35 years ago, and I have not seen the 1997 TV remake, with Steven Weber and Rebecca De Mornay.  After watching this documentary, I wonder if I should go back and reexamine "The Shining"--book, and both films.  Not that I would agree with anything hypothesized herein.  But it may give me some insight into how these people came up with their bizarre ideas.

                                  One thing interesting about this film is that, for those who have not seen the film in awhile, you get to look at a lot of it, as clips are used extensively.  Some overly so--like the blood coming through the elevator doors!!!!!!!!  And I just LOVE those twin girls, even when they are murdered!!!!!!!!! What a sister act they would have been!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    However, what one wants to see most, the very people the film is examining, are never shown.  Instead, they voices their comment over the film clips.  If the imagery was not so compelling, this might not have worked.  It does, though I would have wanted to see the people themselves.  But maybe they did want viewers to see them, for fear, if recognized on the street, they would be derided as mentally unbalanced.  I cannot say that would  be wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      It is not just that they are obsessed with this movie!  Everyone is entitled to some obsession, of one kind, or another.  I mean, darlings, look at me, with "The Wizard Of Oz" and "The Song Of Bernadette."

                                      However, I do not go around putting spins on these film which simply aren't there.  And while King's novel is an entertaining read, it is not multi-layered enough to invite the kind of interpretive analysis which something like Henry James' "The Turn Of The Screw" has gotten over the years

                                        Kubrick's film is undeniably visually arresting, but the theories postulated on screen here are simply preposterous!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Did you know that--

                                          1. "The Shining" is about the genocide of the American
                                                 Indian?"

                                          2.  It is about the Holocaust????????????

                                          3.  It is about faking the 1969 Moon Landing???????????

                                           If I had written any of this myself, darlings, on here, you would either think I was doing it for a humorous lark, or maybe one of you out there would be concerned enough, and call Bellevue!!!!!!!!!!!  Not only are these theories stated straightforwardly, they are microscopically examined to justify the theorists' points of view!  But, who ARE these people????????  Not film critics or scholars!!!!!!!!!!  Nor are we ever told, which is one way where I think the film ultimately fails!!!!!!!!!!!  It is like the viewer is not allowed to argue back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             But Monsieur wanted to see this, so off we went.  Fortunately, we were joined by our friend, Judy, who is a film maven, herself.  While recognizing it as a flawed work, as did I, it cannot be denied it generates interest of a kind!!!!!!!!!!!!  All of which was compensated for  by a visit to, and luscious meal at, that Brooklyn Heights' maintain, "Teresa's!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                              The best part of  the experience, I am telling you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  But don't believe me, darlings!!!!!!!!!  Go and see this thing, and judge for yourselves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               Stephen King must be having the last laugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!