Series/Festivals

Week of May 22, 2002

Comments (0) Wednesday, May 22 2002

Reel Late Midnight Movie Series. The Tivoli Theatre presents a summer series of classic and destined to be classic films. This week features Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980). Kubrick's monumental adaptation of Stephen King's novel features dozens of phrases and images that have made their way into America's consciousness. So many -- "Heeeere'sJohnny!," "redrum," "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" -- that watching the film twenty-odd years later, you run the risk of getting lost in a morass of classic moments. Take a step back, splash some cold water on your face and watch it again. If you don't know the story, you're missing a world: A writer, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) and his family, seeking peace and quiet in order for Torrance to finish a novel, transplant themselves to the mountains as caretakers of a hotel during its seasonal hibernation. From there, things devolve -- to put in mildly. In The Shining, everyone's at the top of his or her game: Kubrick, Nicholson -- who created his archetypal role here -- and Shelley Duvall as Torrance's wife, Wendy. But it's Kubrick's vision that has aged the best. In The Shining, he mastered the mise-en-scène. Each shot is precisely framed, each sequence perfectly timed, each scene tight with intensity, and all combine to create a stunning claustrophobia. A perfect midnight movie. Plays at midnight May 24-26 at the Tivoli. -- Randall Roberts