The Shining

I've never fully described or talked about my fascination with Stanley Kubrick's The Shining on this blog, and I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps out of embarrassment, or just plain laziness, I always kept myself from bringing it up. It might be because it could quite easily make myself seem a bit neurotic at times, which I fully admit and have no shame in doing so. You know those people who study each frame of a movie, examining each pixel for anything remotely interesting? No? Well, now you do.

I supposed it all began about 5 years ago when I first discovered IMDb.com. At this time I wasn't interested in Stanley Kubrick or his movies, nor did I know just how big he was. The only movie I'd seen of his at that point was The Shining, which terrified me since I was a child. Anyways, IMDb opened up a whole new world to me with their movie forum. I began reading people's theories on what The Shining really meant, as well as general examinations. I was sucked right in and have been ever since, though lately it has died down quite drastically.

I guess the big thing that got to me was just how layered the movie is. The majority of scenes consist of little gems you never notice right away, while others have multiple meanings and references to things you wouldn't believe. I didn't believe some of the stuff people brought up until I saw their evidence, which was quite good. You'd think after 5 years of studying the movie I'd have a general grasp on just what the hell The Shining means, but I really don't. There are some really good theories and explanations out there, namely this one, but there are things in The Shining that I doubt will ever get explained. The biggest one is what I like to call 'The Grady Situation.'

The Grady Situation is something I thought I understood, but turned out to be quite wrong. Simply put(which is nigh impossible to do), when Jack first meets Ullman about looking after the hotel, he is told about a murder that took place a while ago. A man named Charles Grady killed his wife and two daughters with an axe, then put a shotgun in his mouth. Later on in the film, Jack bumps into a waiter(a ghost waiter, actually) who accidentally spills advocaat on him. He's taken to the bathroom where Jack asks for his name. "Grady, sir. Delbert Grady." To Jack this rings a bell. He informs Grady that he read about him in the papers, that he killed his family with an axe and then blew his brains out.

Grady denies this, saying he has no recollection of that at all. Jack forcefully suggestions that Grady was the caretaker of the hotel at one point, to which he replies "I'm sorry to differ with you sir, but...you are the caretaker. You've always been the caretaker. I should no sir, I've always been here." And then Grady...transforms. He changes. He tells Jack that his son is up to no good, and that he himself had to "correct" his family once they started to become an annoyance(basically admitting to the murders he denied earlier). And therein lies the mystery. Just who the hell is this 'Grady'?

You're probably a bit confused by this, as am I and have been for quite a while. Allow me to explain. During Jack's conversation with Ullman, Jack says that he hadn't heard about the murders Charles Grady committed. So, why does he say he read about them in the papers when talking to Delbert? Why did Delbert initially deny committing them, then suddenly admit to it? And, more importantly, who is Delbert Grady? This is the best explanation I can come up with:

Delbert Grady was as he appeared to be; a former waiter at the hotel. He died sometime in the 1930's or 40's under normal circumstances.*. Charles Grady is Delbert reincarnated, who came to the Overlook in the 70's as a caretaker and got sucked in by the hotel to murder his family, perhaps even by his former self(mind fuck, anyone?). So in a way, Charles and Delbert are the same person. Two souls in one 'body'. When Jack first bumps into Grady, it's 1920's Grady. But as soon as Jack calls him out on the murders, out comes Charles Grady to set things straight with him. But this is flawed.

First, what was Grady talking about when he said Jack was always the caretaker, and that he'd always been there? Well, now we'll have to bring in 1920's Jack, the one we see at the end photograph. Let's assume that the 'Jack' we see in the photograph was the caretaker of the Overlook back then. Let's also assume that the party Jack attends in the movie, when he bumps into Grady, repeats itself every night. A sort-of broken clock. Every night is the same for those party guests. So the only caretaker 1920's Grady has ever seen, is 'Jack'. He has, to Grady, always been the caretaker. See what I'm getting at?

So where's the flaw you ask? It lies within 1920's Jack: 1. Why is a caretaker at the center of attention? 2. Why is he at the Overlook during July? He should only be there when it's closed. I have no doubt in my mind that Jack was indeed at The Overlook in the 1920's. The movie gives out too many clues to think otherwise. The question is what his role was. Manager? Celebrity? To Grady he was the caretaker, but the photograph just doesn't add-up. I don't really have a full grasp on just how much respect caretakers get, but does it grant being at the center of a photograph, surrounded by part guests?

At this point you've probably been lost since about the 5th paragraph down, and I don't blame you. I didn't even get into the minute details within this situation, which only add even more mysteries. Plus, this is just one of the mysteries within the movie. But the fact that it hasn't been answered yet is what keeps me coming back. Imagine if I had figured out everything there is to know about The Shining. What then? I'd have nothing else to do, other than the same for his other movies.


*I've never really thought about Delbert's death. Perhaps I should.

PlayTribes wiki.

On July 11th I started work on the PlayTribes wikipedia article.  I've never created a wikipedia article before, nor was I familiar with wikipedia's formating structure(creating links, sections, subsections, ect).  After briefly looking over a few tutorials, I began the article.  Overall it was rather painless and took me about 3 days to "complete"(as with the majority of wiki articles it'll never be complete.  New information is bound to come in).  I'm hoping for the article to stay up because I really do think it's worthy of creation.  Quake Live has one, so why shouldn't PlayTribes?

I have a few citation problems, mainly because the sources were recently deleted, but I they aren't required.  I also would like an image for the info box, preferably the one on this page.  Though I'm not exactly sure who to contact about doing so, since I'll need permission first(If you're reading this Ryan, any suggestions?).  Anyways, here it is.  Enjoy.  God knows how long it'll be up...

Why I love 'Alice and Kev'

'Alice and Kev' is a story based on two characters in The Sims 3. If any of you have played The Sims(which I'm guessing is everyone), then you'd know how mundane it can get after a couple of hours. You make a house, get your Sim a job and relationship(s), then...nothing. It more-or-less becomes a chore to keep them happy, which seems like a very strange twist on things. Just who is the player here? Us or them? Anyways, like I said it can get pretty boring after a while. But this is assuming you've taken on the most common of lifestyles. What if your Sims had no lifestyles? Enter Alice and Kev.

That picture pretty much sums up their situation. No house. No source of income. No mother figure. They survive on free meals either from the government or entering random homes and devouring any scraps left on dinner tables. The father, Kev, absolutely hates his daughter and is an ass to pretty much everyone who acknowledges him. Alice, on the other hand, is kind and sweet. A bit clumsy and low on the ol' self esteem, but pretty much everyone is rooting for her to, well, survive.

The creator of this story, Robin Burkinshaw, updates her blog once a day to inform her readers on what the two have been up to. It may not sound all that entertaining, but it is. Each update is rather short(though I wish they'd be a tad longer), but it always ends on a high note. Just a few days ago Kev seemed to have a decent relationship going with another woman, then all of a sudden she catches him hitting on her daughter. As an apology he asked for her hand in marriage. She shockingly said no...

Right when you think it can't get any worse for Alice, it does. No matter what she does, even donating her remaining money to charity, things keep getting progressively worse for her. As of today she entered young adulthood, meaning her free meals from the government would come to a stop. So if you have any spare time throughout your day, I'd recommend giving Alice and Kev a read every once in a while. I'd also recommend reading from the beginning, but it's not required.