Absolutely. And most assuredly, it’s one of the “numerous things to like.”
To anyone who hasn’t seen The Shining: see it!!!
BTW, there’s a convoluted story about the aspect ratio of this movie. It was shot in a 4:3 format but with the expectation that it would be shown in theaters in a cropped 16:9 format (1.85:1). Just one of Kubrick’s idiosyncrasies, but early releases were only available in the 4:3 format which is a big drawback on a widescreen HD TV. So when buying this movie on Blu-ray or downloading, make sure it’s the anamorphic widescreen version.
I thought Kubrick’s movies were intended to be viewed 4:3 usually.
My understanding (and someone please feel free to correct me if I don’t have it right) is that when home video became a thing, he composed and shot his movies to be projected in 16:9 (or whatever aspect ratio) in a theater, but he was mindful of what the results would be if shown on a 4:3 television and adjusted accordingly, if need be.
I’m glad he read the book!
Oh, he’s more of a book reader than a movie watcher.
Me, too. I especially liked her in Bell, Book, and Candle. She was also a true Bohemian in 1920s London.
Now that you mention it, I remember reading this somewhere. In any case, I’ve seen both versions, and when watching The Shining on a modern 16x9 HD TV, the anamorphic widescreen version is definitely the way to go – you certainly don’t lose anything from the cropping, which was Kubrick’s intent.
Vertigo (1958). Continuing my Hitchcock adventures with another masterpiece I had not seen before. Starring Kim Novak and James Stewart in what is arguably the most psychological of the Hitchcock films I’ve seen so far, perhaps with the exception of Rebecca. A wealthy shipping magnate believes his wife is possessed by the spirit of her late great-grandmother. Co-stars Barbara Bel Geddes, a name that I recognized from what is probably the best single episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents ever made, “The Foghorn”.
Raymond Bailey appears in a minor scene as a psychiatrist, and also appears in a number of Hitchcock’s TV episodes, which I always find a bit distracting because to me, Bailey will always be Milburn Drysdale, Jed Clampett’s banker in *The Beverly Hillbillies". 
I forgot to mention that at #9 in the American Film Institute rankings of the greatest films ever made, Vertigo is the only Hitchcock film with such a high honour, widely regarded as his best film. Next on the AFI list is Rear Window at #48 (I posted about this one earlier) and North by Northwest at #55 (next one I plan to watch). Those are the only Hitchcock films in the top 100. I’d have expected more than three Hitchcock films in the list.
I must add that I don’t agree with some of the AFI ratings; some of their high-rated films I wouldn’t have on the list at all, and The Silence of the Lambs surely deserves better than #74 – it’s possibly the most intense film I’ve ever seen.
And it was the #1 film in the 2012 Sight and Sound Critics poll:
Notorious is my personal favorite Hitchcock film, with Vertigo and The 39 Steps pretty much tied for second. All excellent films, though.
As for Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey is hands-down my favorite, but it’s very slow and obviously not for everybody.
Psycho is #14.
Thanks, don’t know how I could have missed that! So, four Hitchcock films in the AFI top 100.
Went to Killers of the Flower Moon.
3 and a half hours, for fucks sake. Coulda shaved off and hour and a half and not affected the story in the least. Good story, important. Watch it again? NO.
Fuck no.
North by Northwest (1959). Another Hitchcock masterpiece with Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason. The story line is practically the opposite of Vertigo, which spun a fascinating story based on a simple premise; this one is more along the lines of constant plot twists, wheels within wheels where no one is who they seem, yet masterfully accomplished with the same level of excellence. Alfred Hitchcock was a freaking genius! And topped off with a deliciously suspenseful ending. It’s the kind of movie that tempts one to think “they don’t make 'em like that any more!”
It was mentioned before that Hitchcock liked to have little cameos in his own movies, and I usually miss them. This one was impossible to miss – there he was in all his rotund glory as a man trying to catch a bus, only to have the door shut in his face and drive off! It’s completely irrelevant to the plot, just a whimsical bit of fun. 
Too late to edit, but I wanted to add that since I rarely watch movies of an era that would feature Cary Grant, I was struck by his rather unusual accent. Turns out this is definitely a thing, once known as the Mid-Atlantic or Transatlantic accent and is a consciously learned prestige accent that is a blend of American and British accents that was once fashionable among the American elite. It starting falling out of fashion after World War II.
Also, came across this pic of the three major stars of North by Northwest on location at Mount Rushmore, which features in the suspenseful climatic ending. All three put in outstanding performances, with James Mason playing the extremely suave bad guy with consummate skill:
The weird thing is that Cary Grant didn’t acquire the transatlantic accent as most of the people who used it. The transatlantic accent didn’t mostly come from people spending part of their life from being in the U.S. and part of their life in the U.K. It was mostly an accent taught to people:
It started as something taught to students (or acquired consciously by them) at prestigious prep schools in the northeastern U.S. as an attempt to speak something different from most of the people living in that area. It put some features from upper-class British English (what is usually called Received Pronunciation) into American English. It then got taught to people in the American entertainment industry to characterize them as upper-class.
But Grant didn’t learn the accent from being taught. He grew up in a lower-class family in Bristol. He spoke an accent that was typical of that area and social class. This was not Cockney. Cockney is lower-class London speech, and it sounds different from lower-class Bristol speech. He then got into theatrical work. He lived mostly in the U.S. from the age of 16. Without taking any classes in speech, he began speaking the transatlantic accent.
With all the current misery in the world, we were looking for something light and amusing to watch on a Saturday night and came across The Haunted Mansion on Disney+. The performances were good, including some notable cameos, the special effects were delightful, and it would have made a pleasant 90 minutes. Unfortunately, it clocked in at 2 hours, far too long to hold up the rather slight plot. My wife’s assessment: “Well that’s not destined to become a Disney classic.” Kids might like it, though there are some really downbeat parts, people dying and such.
Quiz Lady (Hulu) Two estranged sisters – one a repressed nerd, one a ditzy flake – reconnect and leverage the nerd’s prowess at a TV quiz show for…reasons. With Sandra Oh and Awkwafina. And casting against type: Oh is the ditz, Awkwafina is the nerd.
Delightful and funny. I’ve loved everything Sandra Oh has been in, and she has a real flair for comedy.