FRIDAY NIGHT MOVIE REVIEW: Last night, I saw “A Clockwork Orange,” which stars Malcolm McDowell (Time After Time, Halloween [2007]), Patrick Magee (Zulu, Chariots of Fire), Warren Clarke (Top Secret!, Firefox), James Marcus (Tank Malling, UFO), Michael Tarn (Zigger Zagger [TV series], Marked Personal [TV series]), Philip Stone (The Shining, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), Sheila Raynor (The Omen, Man in the Wilderness), Madge Ryan (Frenzy, The Lady Vanishes), Carl Duering (Arabesque, Biggles [TV series]), Michael Bates (Patton, Battle of Britain), and Anthony Sharp (Never Say Never Again, Barry Lyndon). It was directed by Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey, Full Metal Jacket), who also wrote the screenplay. Based on the novel by Anthony Burgess, this film follows a British teen named Alex (McDowell), who finds joy in doing other people harm. Along with three of his friends, Alex steals the night away, breaking into people’s homes and beating them up. However, karma soon catches up to him, as he is caught and sent to prison, where he goes through vicious treatment in hopes to reform him.

Quite honestly, I don’t know how to even grade this. Stanley Kubrick has been an interesting director to figure out. Though I have only seen two of his films (this and “The Shining”), he seems to have a knack for putting the audience on edge; it’s a desire of his, something that he wanted to do more than anything. After seeing “A Clockwork Orange,” I will say that he got the job done. Full of insanity, nudity, and no remorse from the wicked, “A Clockwork Orange” dances across the screen in such an oddity that it’s difficult to really pin down. For the first ten minutes or so, I didn’t know what was going on. Here we have four British teens speaking slang that I don’t understand and committing horrific acts that are displayed full-on for the viewers to see. Rape, murder, and theft are among the various things these characters do, and I couldn’t help but be taken aback by the mass of it all. It was crazy! On top of that, it was grotesque. The amount of nudity transcended any movie I have ever seen before; to the point where I almost turned the TV off. Thankfully, it lessened once the real story began, with the main character’s consequences sinking in. The story itself was an intriguing one. It clearly has a message to tell, concerning the government and one’s own freedoms that he has (to do both good and evil). Kubrick was a master behind the screen, crafting wickedly cool shots that really made for a great viewing experience (outside the nudity and sex sequences). It was chaotic, yet composed, and never ceased to surprise me as the plot unfolded. A lot of things took place in this release, from prison to brain washing to full reform. Though it may seem to never have a set goal or a clear ending in sight, “A Clockwork Orange” is very entertaining and kept me engaged throughout the course of its two-hours-and-change run. The performances were phenomenal, the music was classical, and the conflict was harrowing. On top of all of that, it was also funny in various spots, making for some cool scenes (everyone knows one of them, even if they haven’t seen it). I enjoyed my time watching it, though I will say it takes a while for me to actually have fun; around the time Alex, our narrator, goes to prison. Like many audience members who saw this for the first time when it released, I couldn’t stand the scenes with nudity. I get what Kubrick was going for (creating an unhinged story that didn’t hold back), but it was severely uncomfortable and gratuitous in its abundance. It even got to the point where full sex was shown in a wide shot time-lapse. Sure, the male genitals weren’t shown, but come on. I could only imagine being the crew on that day putting together that scene; people would think you’re shooting a porno. Outside of that, the movie was solid. Everything about it was original and the story was so creepy and daring that it was captivating for a majority of the time. The reason why I have trouble rating it is primarily due to the nudity, and fact that this is one wacko of a feature. To place a grade on it would seem impossible, but for the sake of this site I must find a way. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone below seventeen, and even then I would forewarn you of how chaotic it is. If anything, it’ll be an experience you’ve never had, nor will never forget. FINAL SCORE: 87%= Juicy Popcorn

Here is the trailer: