aftermath of a quiz

just for fun, i made one of those "how well do you know me?" quizzes on facebook, and the few answers i got really amused me. one of my closest friends, for example, only got one question right out of eight. i assume some answers were tricky, all right, but the most "polemic" one what "what is my favourite movie director". most people replied "quentin tarantino". which was wrong. it is stanley kubrick.

no, it is not an old passion, but i've never stated myself that tarantino was my favourite. it is true that i really like his work. reservoir dogs and pulp fiction are among the best movies i've ever seen, and i find death proof really interesting (no, i haven't seen kill bill yet). tarantino is definitely a gifted director and movie writer - he creates very good characters, and is a master in setting them in motion. moreover, the way he tangles storylines is amazing - pulp fiction is remarkable on that regard, and the way reservoir dogs' storyline is told is really good. no doubt: tarantino is a genius, and i'm really looking forward his next movie. but knowing my passion for science fiction, i wonder why haven't my friends replied ridley scott instead, since old ridley was the director of two of my favourite films ever: alien and blade runner, two masterpieces of science fiction.

and yet, kubrick made films like no other movie director before or after him. i didn't realise that when i watched a clockwork orange, a movie i found brilliant but which i definitely need to watch again. but when my screenplay writing teacher shown the class part of the movie barry lyndon, i understood that i was watching something completely different. kubrick's attention to every little detail, his stubborness in filming the whole movie in natural light (the story takes place in the eighteenth century, and kubrick asked nasa for special lenses so he could film everything with candlelight), the selection of the cast, the photography (truly amazing), the costumes, well, nothing in that movie is short of perfection. the narrator and its often sarcastic tone and crude remarks add a subtle touch to the story's progression. it takes three hours - yes, three hours, just as much as the cameron's pain-in-the-ass titanic. and it's more slow-paced, the dialogues are richer, the characters are really well developed. as such, the movie never really gets boring, only more interesting every minute. trust me, you reach the end without noticing that three hours have passed. watching it again, and whole, made me realise that kubrick is light-years away from any other director - and instantly turned him into my favourite director. the amazing full metal jacket and the bizarre eyes wide shut only reinforced my preference, even over tarantino (and yet they are so difference that any comparison will always feel somewhat unfair). add to that kubrick's uncanny ability to "jump" through movie styles without losing quality - he filmed war, drama, romance, science fiction, comedy, horror, and each and every of his movies, from 2001 to The Shining (as all others), are references and masterpieces of their genres. i don't know about you, but i've heard of no other director with the skill, the ability and the will to do that.