Kubrickian?

I was thinking of the Kubrick films I've seen — 2001, Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, AI, Full Metal Jacket, Lolita — and I was having a hard time thinking of the "Kubrickian" threads in them. I would not guess, if I didn't know already, that the same director made all these films (although I would guess that Spielberg had a hand in AI just from the way it looked and the subject matter). It's interesting to me how some directors have a very bold signature — like you can spot a Woody Allen film from a mile away (urban, angst-ridden, intellectual, silly, self-gazing), and others are harder to identify. Do you see a particular aesthetic in Kubrick's films or a commonality of theme/subject matter? (Now that I think about it more, they all do seem to involve people in extreme situations ... futuristic societies, isolated hotel, war, bizarre sexual situations ... and maybe notions of how society tends to be at odds with human nature and how society seems prone to moving in absurd directions).

splatter chatter

I can't decide whether this is a good early question, but it might surface later, so here goes.

I like horror movies. I like the cathartic feeling at the end, if the film's good, and I like believing in supernatural elements against my better judgment (like in "The Shining") during the movie's run. But most horror movies feature a body count to heighten the suspense/gore factor/move the plot along, etc. -- and that's not something others may want to see.

As I rewatched "Dawn" last night, even I thought the initial killing spree and gore was intense, and I'm desensitized from all the other horror films I've watched. Did the violence turn you off initially or throughout the film? Did it detract from the pleasure of watching the movie?