Careful With That Axe Pichu!

We've never met but happy birthday!

I sees u

Happy birthday there! *gives cake*

Oh Happy Birthday!

Don't die of old age~

Happy birthday person I don't know. :p

Happy Birthday! :o

Happy birthday bro~

Happy Birthday
<('.'<)

Happy birthday!

Oh wow. How long till you go?

=[
Have missed you!

=[ You have gone again...

so it was you? :3

Um, you're not really an elder are you?

To bring it sorta back to Bergman, I really like looking at actors' faces acting (which is something Bergman really understood, from the films I've seen so far - but especially Cries and Whispers). 2001, while having brilliant special effects, editing and score and a serviceable script, falls down on the acting: I don't really care about what happens to any of the characters. In fact, I care more about HAL than anyone else! (Obviously it's supposed to be the most magnetic character, but that's still saying something if a robot is the acting MVP.) Although I haven't seen it, that's apparently one of the chief criticisms of Barry Lyndon, in the deficiency of Ryan O'Neal. So... yeah.

Crap! Forgot about Sellers! I guess he takes it, mainly because he can do three roles so well. But individually, I really like McDowell in Dr Strangelove and Shelley Duvall in The Shining. The acting in 2001 and EWS felt relatively inert, to be honest... and it's probably some of the reasons why I like them less.

Strangelove is one of my favourite films ever, but I think you need to be in the right mind to appreciate it. I first saw it many years ago, and I understood the humour but didn't laugh out loud the way I do now. Clockwork and Shining are obviously more visual pieces, but Strangelove has the tightest script out of all the Kubrick I've seen. That, coupled with the great use of monochrome that you mentioned, is the tipping point for me.

You mentioned the visuals of Clockwork, and while they certainly were put to good use in that film, I got the feeling that there was nothing BUT visuals in Eyes Wide Shut. It was beautiful to look at, but didn't seem to offer anything more. (I blame Tom Cruise mainly; he seemed to have the same expression on his face the entire time, even when it was covered by a mask!) Maybe it's just me, though.

This has already gone on waaaaay too long, but Strangelove's my fave by a country mile. Then Shining, then Clockwork (of which I really love Malcolm McDowell - probs my fave performance in a Kubrick film), then 2001, then Eyes Wide Shut, then Lolita which I actively dislike.

Thought as much - on the general Kubrick love, not the specific films you love the most. I only ask as I watched Eyes Wide Shut for the first time last night and wanted to talk about it. For me, my faves are Dr. Strangelove, closely followed by The Shining.

OK, what's your opinion on Kubrick then?

I changed my username to Janis Ian and someone in the javachat name Raourk or something accused me of copying staff.

I'm still searching on who it was. XDD