One of the best horror films ever made was released on may 23rd 1980. Directed by Stanly Kubrick, it a tale of a family that heads to an isolated hotel for the winter. Once there the father is overcome by some sort of evil presence which turns him into an evil, violent psychopath. It is a spell binding movie with a lot of graphic scenes of blood letting. A masterpiece of modern horror! This movie will keep you glued to your seats. I would not recommend it for children unless you plan on staying up all night with them.

The lead actor, Jack Nicholson, plays such a convincing role that at times it seems he is not acting--a true sign of a great performance. His wife,played by Shelly Duvall, and his son,played by Danny Lloyd also gave really believable performances. To understand the attraction of this movie, I believe that you have to know some history about the leading character. John Joseph Nicholson was born April 22, 1937 is a three time Academy Award-winning American actor internationally renowned for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters.

Jack Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award 12 times and has won three times (twice for Best Actor and once as Best Supporting Actor). He is tied with Walter Brennan for most acting wins by a male actor and second to Katharine Hepburn for most acting wins overall He is also one of only two actors nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every decade since the 1960. He has won seven Golden Globe Awards, and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2001. In 1994, he became one of the youngest actors to be awarded the American Film Institutes Life Achievement Award. He is best known for his films Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, As Good as It Gets, Tim Burton's Batman, and Martin Scorsese's "The Departed".

To understand Nicholson one must first examine his early childhood.Nicholson was brought up believing his grandparents, John J. Nicholson and Ethel May Rhoads were his parents. Nicholson only discovered that his parents were actually his grandparents,and his sister was in fact his mother in 1974 Nicholson started his career as an actor, writer, and producer, working for and with Roger Corman, among others. His first real taste of writing success was the LSD-fueled screenplay for 1967's The Trip, which starred Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. However, after a spot opened up in Fonda and Hopper's Easy Rider, it led to his first big acting break.

A Best Actor nomination came the following year for his role in Five Easy Pieces. He also appeared in "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever". Nicholson earned his first Best Actor Oscar for portraying Randle P. McMurphy in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. His first movie as a director was a 1971 movie called "Drive, He Said" It was in 1980 that he made "The Shining" Although he did not receive any Oscar nominations in this movie, it was one of his best performances.

During the eighties he stared in many more roles and it was the blockbuster movie "BATMAN" that earned him as estimated $60 million. In the 1992 movie 'A Few Good men" he played a marine Colonel. He was nominated for another Razzie Awards.One of his best roles came in 1996 in which he played a Boston Irish mob boss in "The Departed"

But through out all the years,"The Shining" still remains one of the best performances by Nicholson. A really true masterpiece of modern horror! And understanding Jack Nicholson is the key to his great acting abilities.

Andrew Conway is an author and a music and classic movie buff. He has contributed countless articles about the entertainment field. He has created a site at: http://oldclassicmovies.blogspot.com for anyone who loves music and movie articles

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