Eyes Wide Shut

This desire truly burns the viewer and most importantly, it matures within them. It may have been a long time since I saw the film, but the suggestive feeling of presence at the ritual or paranoid thoughts of Bill still remain. Cruise and Nicole are brilliant, and Kubrick's construction of atmosphere with the help of minimalist musical accompaniment is also exceptional. (14/09/2006)

The story of an extraordinary marriage set in the night. The Kubrick-Kidman-Cruise trio searched until they found each other. It was last-minute, but they did it. :) I'm inspired to wear a bra the way Nicole does - there are so many ways to wear a bra, and Kubrick was probably the last one to tell her how to do it. In terms of more serious reflection, I’d point out the house full of masks, but that would be overdoing it. (27/03/2010)

Heavy calibre. As a wise old saying goes, "It's not art to tame pelican once, but to ride it" (okay, not that old), and I don't know of a better film that could so flawlessly put that into practice. The story, brimming with sexuality, keeps you in check the whole time, and you not only can't let go under the weight of the hypnotic dialogues and atmosphere, but you won’t even want to. What is the story about? About unfulfilled desires in life, about a crisis of sexual identity, about the nature of the universe? I can’t say, and honestly, I don’t care, because when someone can so grandly captivate you with the very tone of the narrative and delight you with the most amazing filmmaking art in history, you don't even want to dig deeper into that captivating splendour. The best imaginable epitaph for a brilliant artist and visionary. The erotic séance sequence is more suspenseful and thrilling than the vast majority of horror films ever made. Bravo! (18/05/2018)

Finally! I finally fulfilled my last debt to my favorite Stanley Kubrick. I avoided this movie, maybe because of the subject matter. And I'm glad I finally watched it. It's not Kubrick's best film, but I simply like its visual and acting aspects. And I'm not talking about naked women. This is about getting into someone's head, and it's not a nice journey, even though it's bloodless. That makes it even more depressing. (27/11/2015)

I once saw a bit of A Clockwork Orange in a summer camp movie theater, but otherwise I had been virtually uninitiated in Kubrick up until that point, save for a few documentaries and trailers. It was the master's last (and ironically my first) film that I saw in its entirety :)) and it must be said that it is a well thought out and functioning film combining elements of a psychological thriller and drama with an erotic touch and featuring a strong above-average performance by Tom Cruise (although I don't like Tommy otherwise, here he proves again that he is capable of acting really well under capable direction – just like in the case of Magnolia) and incredibly seductive Nicole Kidman. The slightly lighter soundtrack from the opening half hour is then replaced by a four-note (or five-note, I'm not sure now :))) piano motif, which at times gives you chills and gets under your skin quite unpleasantly.)) Otherwise, I can't remember a film in a long time that has so many memorable scenes (Alice's haunting monologue, the billiards scene, the opening dance with the "Hungarian", where the sexual tension between the two actors is masterfully captured). Before I got my first and Kubrick's last film home :)), I read somewhere that Kubrick's films resemble chess games – at the beginning they play with you, then they attack you quite sharply and thoughtfully, and at the end they might show you their method, and while you still feel only total defeat, you are totally fascinated (as in my case :)). So I have to say in conclusion that there is something to the chess comparison :)) 100% (03/02/2010)