I just watched all 13 Stanley Kubrick movies, here are my top five. I didn't expect to have Full Metal Jacket this high, but here we are. I think I'm in the minority with Full Metal Jacket because a lot of people seem to only love the first half. I think Full Metal Jacket has one of the best endings in any Kubrick movie. Kubrick did a great job of showing us how ugly the Vietnam War was and our involvement in that war. The way he shows the American military breeding killers is what makes me sick to my stomach and was the most effective message in the entire movie. Also, shout out Loud and Swain. I love Full Metal Jacket, but it is not the best war movie in Stanley Kubrick's filmography. That's Paths of Glory. If you've never seen this movie, stop what you're doing and watch it today. But if I can't convince you to watch the whole movie, just watch two scenes for me. The tracking shot of Kirk Douglas in the trenches and the tracking shot of Kirk Douglas taking the ant hill. These shots were created in 1957 is genuinely beyond me. Besides the perfection with the camera, I think the story is just super compelling as well. It shows us how ugly war can get. In particular, politics within war. We see officers and generals delegating death basically to soldiers. Hey, go charge the ant hill, you're going to die, but we need it done. And then when the charge of the ant hill doesn't go well, they're delegating blame. Sentencing three random soldiers to execution because an entire squad couldn't charge the ant hill, genuinely made me sick to my stomach. Also, we get another great Kirk Douglas performance in this movie. Not sure it's the best ending in a Kubrick movie, but it has the most emotional ending in a Kubrick movie. At the three spot, give me Barry Lyndon. This was always hovering around my five or six spot as I was doing this journey, but this is a movie that I can never stop thinking about. It would be super easy for me to justify why it's at three. I mean, look at any shot in the entire movie, it looks like a painting. But funny enough, what's most compelling about this story to me is the tragedy of Barry Lyndon the character. I can't get over it. I think it's my favorite Kubrick character. The one specific scene that I love and can't stop thinking about is the duel between his stepson. I think it's one of the best scenes of all time. It is a grind to get through that movie, but it is absolutely worth it. I've never seen a movie like Barry Lyndon. Is it crazy to say that the greatest movie of all time is my second favorite Kubrick movie? 2001: A Space Odyssey is a directing masterclass. 2001 looks better than 99% of movies that come out today and it is entirely practical effects. It is the most gorgeous movie I have ever seen and has some of the best visual effects I have ever seen. Hal is one of the greatest villains I have ever seen. The last 20 minutes of this movie is the most scary thing I have ever seen. It might also be the most confusing thing I have ever seen. I know it's not in my one spot, but I do think this is Kubrick's masterpiece. The only reason it's not at the number one is because the next movie is just as good from a technical perspective, it just so happens to have some of the greatest acting I've ever seen in Jack Nicholson's Jack Torrance in The Shining.
