A Clockwork Orange: there's your prime example of 'style over substance' in a film. Is there anything really meaningful about the movie? Is there really a message? Because let's face it, the movie glorifies the filthiness of its 'hero', that is Alex. That is what it does, in a nutshell. That being said, I quite liked it, but not because of its depiction of the violence. I liked it because of how it was made. Some films do not need to be overanalyzed, and I feel that A Clockwork Orange is one of them. It's a movie and it doesn't even seem real, and for me it's one of those 'movie universe' films.
Here's a post I made about the humanity of Kubrick's films a while back:
Just because he deals with them not always in a conventional human way, and often through violent images, doesn't mean he is any less understanding of such issues, and watching his films multiple times I have found myself appreciating the human issues and moral themes he deals with much more.
Full Metal Jacket the first time I didn't like too much, now I think it is really great: Towards the ends where we see the soldier's in action we deal with human beings as killing machines, now in the face of their enemies, the duality of men, the end scene with the girl is bizarre and haunting, very powerful.
A Clockwork Orange although I very much appreciated and liked the first time I also found kind of boring in parts and only really enjoyed the more shocking, violent scenes from an artistic perspective. Multiple viewings have lead me to think more about the human mind, the choices we make, freedom and the desires of men. Like Fight Club I think this is a film that too many people enjoy for the wrong reason, because it's violent and brutal in a 'cool' way for people who are just looking for that, but look deeper and it deals extremely well with much more than that.
And then, in my opinion, I don't think Paths of Glory needs much explaining, he doesn't look at humans as puny beings in any way, and the characters that we see are fantastically displayed as we deal with greed, heroism, principles etc. The final scene is absolutely brilliant, and I couldn't help be moved by the powerful voice of Kubrick's future wife, if you watch the faces of the men who are listening to her performance it's fantastic how Kubrick manages to capture such a deep human realisation in these characters who are deeply affected by the song.