The Kubrickon

Book excerpt: Stanley Kubrick was up to something. But neither his fiercest admirers nor his harshest critics ever suspected what it was. His movies were the means. So what was the end? In this experimental analysis of the work of Stanley Kubrick, Jasun Horsley unpicks the cult of Kubrick, taking a unique approach as he delves into the deeper - and often darker - reasons as to why the director has achieved such admiration over the years. The Kubrickon maps an unholy merger of computer and behavioral sciences that has shaped not just politics but all of modern society over the past decade (e.g. Cambridge Analytica). It explores Stanley Kubrick’s intensive, secret, insider involvement in the building of an architecture of algorithm-directed technology that has steadily encroached into our inner realms, cementing a symbiotic relationship between human consciousness and technology, with culture as the binding medium of an attention economy. Throughout The Kubrickon Horsley uses Kubrick’s critically acclaimed films such as Eyes Wide Shut and 2001: Space Odyssey to provide a fascinating and revelatory overview of the cultural obsession with Stanley Kubrick, as well as on a wider scale providing illuminating criticisms of society’s consumption of culture and media. For those who dislike Kubrick movies, The Kubrickon will finally absolve you of all uncertainty and guilt. For those who adore Kubrick movies, The Kubrickon will challenge you to the core, and may just set you free. For those who are indifferent to Kubrick movies, The Kubrickon will reward you by making you care about, and nurture, your indifference.