tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post1909574288981775002..comments2024-03-28T14:49:36.133-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: CULT MOVIE REVIEW: Session 9 (2001)John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-43141244845797769642015-05-07T20:42:59.134-04:002015-05-07T20:42:59.134-04:00I liked this movie. But about The Shining I want t...I liked this movie. But about The Shining I want to mention this : in Kubricks version Jack, played by Nicholson, seems a bit crazy to begin with. I prefer the other version, the one Stephen King preferred too, in which Jack is an alcoholic, trying to cope with his demons, and is seduced by the power of the ghosts at te Overlook.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-75068001710062881262012-11-08T01:14:56.417-05:002012-11-08T01:14:56.417-05:00I’m glad I stopped by because I never would’ve tho...I’m glad I stopped by because I never would’ve thought to compare Session 9 with the movies mentioned here. I streamed it just a few minutes ago through the Blockbuster @Home app on the Hopper I got from DISH, and I thought of a couple other movies while watching it. I thought of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 and High Tension for the same reason of who the unsuspected killer is at the end of the movie. I’m glad that I didn’t have to drive to pick this up since I felt like it was so close to being good, but it didn’t have any gore or freaky crazy monsters. One of my coworkers at DISH warned me that it was a different type of horror movie than I normally like watching, but I guess I was still holding on to the hope that I was going to be terrified out of my mind. Iownoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-56613327407014501822012-02-05T00:26:02.272-05:002012-02-05T00:26:02.272-05:00The idea of a heretofore unmentioned additional ch...The idea of a heretofore unmentioned additional character lurking around the building is interesting, but the finished product does not lead the viewer down this path and therefore, though interesting, is irrelevant. I, too, believed that this movie was devoid of any supernatural going-ons, up until the very end when 'the voice' is speaking on the aerial fly-by. That does indeed lead the viewer to believe that this was supernatural.<br /> <br />Furthermore, who, in this day in age, knows how to perform a lobotomy? Prior knowledge is extremely unlikely, so one would have to assume that the Gordy character was indeed possessed.Trenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00419980258148279356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-9174572337535656962011-06-29T19:00:17.768-04:002011-06-29T19:00:17.768-04:00@CRwM -
Thanks for the deleted scenes info. Now ...@CRwM -<br /><br />Thanks for the deleted scenes info. Now one thing that was bugging me makes sense -- "going to check the breakers" invariably involved plugging things back in, and never once did anyone comment that things had been unplugged. I've never seen a breaker that spits plugs out of sockets before!mikednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-15308084445319214852010-07-30T16:22:21.556-04:002010-07-30T16:22:21.556-04:00In the deleted scenes, it's made very clear th...In the deleted scenes, it's made very clear that everything that has occurred doesn't necessarily have a supernatural angle - it's mainly due to this additional character who's hiding in the building.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-78141000638297122242010-06-21T17:12:55.132-04:002010-06-21T17:12:55.132-04:00Anonymous:
Hmm. Have to say I disagree about the...Anonymous:<br /><br />Hmm. Have to say I disagree about the ending of Kubrick's THE SHINING. To me, the fate of Danny and Wendy is secondary to what's going on with Jack, so their eventual escape from the hedge maze and hotel aren't really ripe for an 'explosive' or emotional release. The movie's not that interested in them. The horror of the story, I think, lies in Jack's descent into uncontrolled madness and the fact that, though Wendy and Danny get away, the Overlook still wins. Jack is who it wanted anyway...<br /><br />Going to have to rewatch SESSION 9 again soon. Haven't seen it in years but I remember being impressed by it. I'm a sucker for a good 'haunted house' story!Count Zerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15711973144626199945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-64893831965818034272010-06-09T10:57:10.591-04:002010-06-09T10:57:10.591-04:00Hey everyone! Thanks for the great comments.
tdr...Hey everyone! Thanks for the great comments.<br /><br />tdraicer: I love The Shining, and yet, at the same time, have about a dozen problems with the film. You bring up an interesting one, and I would need to watch it again to see how I feel about it; but I think I know what you mean. The movie is icy and glacial, and doesn't encourage the emotional responses we often want to glean from it, it seems.<br /><br />J.D.: I agree with your assessment, particularly regarding the film's "slow burn." This is a magnificent and effective horror film that leaves you thinking on it for a long time after a viewing. I agree with you that it's one of the best of the last decade. <br /><br />Le0pard13: Absolutely, Anderson showed really meticulous attention to detail and mood here, and that's something that can be done without a big budget. It's a lesson, as you say, that other filmmakers (of all genres) could learn to emulate.<br /><br />Lubbert Das: Thanks for that link. I just checked out your great blog, and those atmospheric pictures of the Danvers facility. The place just "oozes" creepiness, doesn't it? What a bummer that it's been destroyed. It seems like, at the very least, it's a horror history landmark... <br /><br />CRwM: Now that's some fascinating information, there. I didn't watch the deleted scenes, so I had no idea, really. But yeah, it seems that an additional character -- making mischief as you describe -- might certainly change the tenor of the film; and alter my feeling about it (though how, precisely, it's impossible to say). Maybe the addition of that character would only add to the ambiguity? Or would it subtract? Not sure...<br /><br />Best to all,<br />JKMJohn Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-89416871252441260612010-06-09T10:03:49.100-04:002010-06-09T10:03:49.100-04:00If you haven't checked out the deleted scenes ...If you haven't checked out the deleted scenes yet, one of the things cut from the film is an entire character: a former inmate who is still lurking around the place, leave signs and weirdness for the abatement team. Given your take on the film, it might be interesting to watch those scenes and think on how drastically the presence of an unambiguious agent for some of the weirdness in the film would change the movie.CRwMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07896615209770501945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-56372556427749077902010-06-09T02:59:15.341-04:002010-06-09T02:59:15.341-04:00Excellent movie and a great review.
Sadly they to...Excellent movie and a great review.<br /><br />Sadly they tore down the Danvers building in 2006 to put up condominiums..!!<br /><br />I don't usually link to my own blog in a comments section, but you may find it of interest: http://lubbert-das.blogspot.com/2009/12/session-9.htmlColin Lorimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17272894214544301872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-20450009365658368742010-06-08T18:08:28.646-04:002010-06-08T18:08:28.646-04:00I'm in total agreement with J.D. on this. Thou...I'm in total agreement with J.D. on this. Though I didn't see it when it first came out, I remember it got decent (but not exemplary reviews), and possessed one of the better looking movie posters of the genre. Since then, it has a growing army of fans, which forced me to take it in. Still, I think it's underrated for what it delivers.<br /><br />JKM, I remember reading Danse Macabre when it came out in hardcover, and that section on THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (heck, I'd read <i>that</i> novel, too), and had a gut level reaction to King's analysis (probably even more now). How I wish that some of the current filmmakers (especially those related to some of the remakes studios keep delivering) would learn from what Brad Anderson brought here (without much of a budget, either).<br /><br />Another of your fine Cult Movie Reviews, John. Thanks for this.le0pard13https://www.blogger.com/profile/09421175808461787862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-51205926558727457782010-06-08T10:12:01.409-04:002010-06-08T10:12:01.409-04:00I daresay SESSION 9 is, hands down, one of THE bes...I daresay SESSION 9 is, hands down, one of THE best horror films to come out in the last 10 years. Incredible stuff. The slow burn of this film is hypnotic as the way Anderson shoots the vacant (or is it?) building slowly puts the zap just not on the characters but the viewer. You certainly get the feeling that something very wrong, very evil went down in that place years ago and a residual of that still lingers, still haunts the place.<br /><br />For me, the most chilling moment comes when we finally get the full reveal of Gordon's horrifying backstory. What he did and how that revelation then affects everything we've just seen!<br /><br />It's a shame that Anderson has not yet realized the potential he showed with this film. I liked THE MACHINIST but it certainly isn't in the same league as SESSION 9.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-31509765103978559632010-06-07T23:50:44.481-04:002010-06-07T23:50:44.481-04:00tdraicer:
I have a different problem with The Shi...tdraicer:<br /><br />I have a different problem with The Shining. Imo Kubrick badly botched (or perhaps intentionally botched-I don't really care which) the editing of the final chase, so that the instant where the audience should feel an explosive release at the escape of mother and child becomes instead a belated, "That's it?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com