Movies/directors that emulate Kubrick

[Lex M]

For such an acclaimed auteur who has had a profound influence on many younger filmmakers, I've always found it curious no one really copies Kubrick's brilliant visual style. There are directors whose stylistics are directly inspired by Scorsese, Altman, Demme, Hitchcock, Hawks, Argento...you name it.

But very few directors choose to shoot in a way that's directly reminiscent of Kubrick -- the icy symmetry, the surreal, sinister midframe imagery, the sterile and overlit compositions.

Among great directors, I'd say Cronenberg has a similarly antiseptic, medicinal, rats-in-a-maze approach, though it's clearly one of his own obsessions. Verhoeven shares Kubrick's irony and directorial pranksterism, but not so much visually. Lynch has the same way with an askew static image, and indeed FIRE WALK WITH ME and LOST HIGHWAY, despite their burnt-orange palettes, probably come closest to replicating the Kubrick visual scheme.

Some other contemporary movies where I see a hint of Kubrick, whether successful or not...

MASTER AND COMMANDER: Weir's film is very much his own, but the detachment and slightly eerie quality bring to mind BARRY LYNDON, PATHS OF GLORY, and FULL METAL JACKET.

THE CELL: Vile movie, but some of Tarsem's unsettling still shots owe a LOT to 2001 and THE SHINING. Probably comes as close as anything we've seen to a full-on Kubrick imitation, but the garishness is diametrically opposed to Kubrick's uncluttered mise en scene.

the films of WES ANDERSON: Centered framing, absurdist images; Thematically, worlds apart, but the distinct visual style reminds me of Kubrick's camera placement.

[Bowman]

I've always felt that the Coen Brothers seemed to emulate Kubrick a little bit. Mainly with two films in particular: Barton Fink and Fargo.

Fink (and Miller's Crossing come to think of it) had that symmetrical framing in several shots that Kubrick was so fond of. Also the use of steadicam, particularly in the hallways of Barton Fink and the forests (Turturro's "execution") of Miller's Crossing. The atmosphere of both films was just loaded with the same sense of forboding (and unforgettable characters) as The Shining.

Fargo always makes me think of Kubrick because of its use of (what seems to be) natural lighting and editing style (lots of fade ins and outs a la Full Metal Jacket and others).

That's all for now. I may weigh in some more later but I have a few more things to do here at work before I go home.

[Monterey Jack]

-Solaris (2002 version)

-One Hour Photo

[Vigilante]

Spielberg tried to emulate Kubrick in "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" but failed.

(Hmmmm... The title A.I.: Artificial Intelligence sounds strikingly similar to E.T.: Extra-terrestrial...)

[bgbohemian217]

I thought Birth was very Kubrickian; the errie way everything from the long shots to close ups were handled, just the overall style and tone... good movie, though.

[manicsounds]

Gaspar Noe

lots of parallels between Irreversible and 2001 A Space Odyssey