Stanley Kubrick: Visionary Filmmaker Collection [Blu-ray] [1962] [Region Free]

The films are all unique and brilliant. These are the films which all sit inside the top 100 films ever made. The quality of these blu ray releases is wonderful. 2001 is the film to show to mates when they are umming and ahhing about upgrading to blu ray. the picture is sharp enough to cut the eyeballs and is truly breathtaking. Also, Lolita and Barry Lyndon were previously unavailable on blu and make their debut here. Barry Lyndon is one of my very favorite films (it also has my favorite cinematography of any Kubrick film) so I was very pleased about this, it often gets overlooked but I would personally put it a nose ahead of full metal jacket and EWS. The extras are more than enough on the discs but also included is a whole documentary which is in depth about Kubrick on disc 8. At triple the asking price it would still be a reasonable buy but at this price it is literally a steal - about £3 a film. I have many of these on DVD but at this price I just had to upgrade. If you are even slightly into Kubrick you will without a doubt come back to these films again and again. I'm not wishing to be dramatic but its a price so low its almost criminal. I saw The Shining for sale in a well known entertainment outlet last week and it was £14.99 on normal DVD with all the extras included here, that is two thirds the price of this collection which has 6 times as many films (all in High definition), a documentary and a small book!!!! Buying this at the current price is a steal and even if somehow you haven't seen all the films included just go ahead and buy it I swear you won't be disappointed. So amazed by the price was I that I researched the Blu ray releases to make sure they were not really poor restorations and transfers but this is far from the case = all are known to be good while a few (2001 & The Shining) are noted as being outstanding eye popping transfers. In summary get your hands on this before they sell out and then put the price back up to a reasonable amount, which should surely be about £10 a film. Get it .... Quick !!!

Some classic films for an unbeatable price.

I bought this primarily to watch 2001 on my new 50" plasma and it didn't disappoint. Glorious! The price of this box set (£20 at the time of my purchase) was little more than for 2001 on its own. An absolute steal! Now then, I won't harp on about the quality of the image and sound on these films, that's been done elsewhere. All I will say is that I regard all of the films here as worthy of your attention, barring Eyes Wide Shut which is a huge disappointment and not up to Kubrick's usual high standard. I feel this should have been omitted to make way for Dr. Stranglove which would have helped create a more rounded package in addition to highlighting Kubrick's skills as a director of black comedy. Mind you, some of you will get plenty of belly laughs out of A Clockwork Orange. I know I certainly did!Incidentally, the bonus disc featuring profiles of Kubrick and Malcolm McDowell is a nice touch.Overall I would definitely recommend this box set. Kubrick is, after all, one of the great film directors and should be on your radar if you're not familiar with his work. At the current price of just over £20 you need your head examining if you pass up on an offer like this!

1. Lolita- James Mason puts in an excellent performance as a dirty old pervert academic who immediately takes a shine to his landlady's young teenage daughter. Obviously, there are no graphic images but even so, it was somehow distinctly cringe-worthy just watching it. For example, Lolita gets sent to a summer camp, much to Mason's annoyance, called 'Camp Climax for Girls.' 3.5/52. 2001- A Space Odyssey- Classic and very influential film that has inspired countless other sci-fi movies over the years. Released in 1968 it must have literally blown people's minds as it was so far ahead of its time. Now obviously, it comes across as dated, but there's still much to enjoy in this film, focusing mainly on a space expedition to Jupiter where the on-board computer 'Hal' begins to malfunction and break down. 4.5/53. A Clockwork Orange- Acid trip of a film in which Macdowell goes from a gnag murderer to a totally reformed character after receiving some unorthodox new treatment. But is he really cured? 4/54. Barry Lyndon- Epic tale of a penniless chancer who goes from rags to riches and then back again 3.5/55.The Shining- Absolute classic- Nicholson and Duvall put in excellent performances in this dark occultic tale of cabin fever, isolated alone as they are for the winter in the deserted 'Overlook' hotel which has been constructed directly on top of ancient native American burial grounds. 5/56. Full Metal Jacket- For me, too much focus on the harshness of the marine training period, where the drill sergeant gives the new recruits hell, culminating in dire results.3.5/57. Eyes Wide Shut- Good performances from Cruise and Kidman make this film distinctly watchable but it could have gone so much further into the dark side of the elite underworld. 3.5/5