{shortcode-3291b7900abe485177086e988d494815534ab24c}On Feb. 17, the Museum of Fine Arts hosted a Stanley Kubrick Day, screening three of the esteemed director’s most popular films—“A Clockwork Orange,” “Dr. Strangelove,” and “The Shining”—in a day-long movie marathon. Crowds of people participated in the event, either stopping by for a quick flick or spending their entire Saturday appreciating Kubrick’s work. This Roving Reporter spoke with several participants, ranging from casual moviegoers to die-hard Kubrick fans, to find out more.

Alex Z. Xu and John M. Abreu, “Dr. Strangelove” viewers

Roving Reporter: What made you want to come today to the Stanley Kubrick event?

AZX: Well, I first watched one of his films about two years ago. It was “Full Metal Jacket,” and I enjoyed the movie very much. I thought he really grayed the line between what is right and what is wrong, and you know there’s a message there. But often times it’s hard to interpret what that message was. Because of its stimulating nature, I decided to come here and watch more of his work.

RR: Had you guys watched “Dr. Strangelove” before?

AX and JMA: No, first time.

RR: What did you think about it?

JMA: I thought it was really funny. It was a really interesting satire on the whole Cold War. I’m a big Kubrick fan. I found out about [the event] because [Alex] told me about it. I thought it was really cool that [the MFA] is having a Stanley Kubrick Day. This was my first time watching “Dr. Strangelove,” and this is definitely his most satirical movie as far as the ones that I’ve seen.

RR: What do you think it is about Stanley Kubrick’s movies that make him so memorable, or why the MFA is willing to put on a Stanley Kubrick Day?

JMA: I think that Stanley Kubrick, what’s different about him than other mainstream directors of his time or even now is that he’s like—he has no boundaries in the sense that he’s not afraid to, like in the case of “Dr. Strangelove,” trash the entire Cold War and that whole thing. And I think that’s the case with a lot of his movies. He’s very out there with what he decides to do. Even like with “The Shining” where there’s like so much imagery there that other directors wouldn’t even try to do.

AZX: For me, I think it just goes back to that stimulation—that mental stimulation. What is the message he’s trying to get across? I think the movie that really stuck with me in that regard is “Eyes Wide Shut.” There’s many theories about it: Is it about the AIDS epidemic? Is it about exposing the Illuminati? Or is it exposing what reality really is? Is what’s going on in your imagination also real? And I think it’s that ability of Stanley Kubrick to make you think about what he’s portraying, about what he’s trying to put out there. That’s what keeps me coming back. And that’s what I think makes him unique.

Eric G. Kane, day-long participant

RR: What’s your favorite Stanley Kubrick movie?

EGK: “2001: A Space Odyssey.” It’s also my favorite movie of all time.

RR: What do you think it is about Stanley Kubrick movies that stand out and make it so a museum is willing to allocate an entire day to screening his movies?