What can you say about 2001: A Space Odyssey that hasn't already been said? It's a cinematic masterwork that I can't see being surpassed by any other film ever made. I've always liked it ever since I saw it 6 or 7 years ago, but each time I watch it, it climbs higher and higher up my personal list and has finally reached number one. What a film.
I still haven't seen this despite enjoying everything else Kubrick has done by quite a bit. Bought it on iTunes once and found that I couldn't actually watch it on my computer due to some DRM shit. Some day.
It's hard to talk about how much I love this movie without it coming off pretentious or cliched, but it's just incredible. I know some people can't get past long scenes of music or scenes where "nothing happens" or the monkeys, but you have to at least push yourself to watch it all in one setting at some point.
Yeah, still the most satisfying space movie I've seen. I wish Interstellar took a page from it and had less dialogue and exposition. It's crazy how the movie predicted AI, moon/planet colonizing (scientists are currently developing ways to build bases on Mars and the Moon) and even ipads/tablets. The most dated thing about it is putting a specific near-future, uh, date, in the title. If it were just called "A Space Odyssey" it would've aged a bit more gracefully. Still, for movies that capture the feeling of what it must be like to explore space you can't do much better. Though the upcoming Malick film might be the only one to show the cosmos and history of life on the planet as well as 2001, but we'll see...
“2001: A Space Odyssey”: What It Means, and How It Was Made | The New Yorker Kubrick brought to his vision of the future the studiousness you would expect from a history film. 2001 is, in part, a fastidious period piece about a period that had yet to happen. Kubrick had seen exhibits at the 1964 World’s Fair, and pored over a magazine article titled “Home of the Future.” The lead production designer on the film, Tony Masters, noticed that the world of 2001 eventually became a distinct time and place, with the kind of coherent aesthetic that would merit a sweeping historical label, like “Georgian” or “Victorian.” “We designed a way to live,” he recalled, “down to the last knife and fork.” (The Arne Jacobsen flatware, designed in 1957, was made famous by its use in the film, and is still in production.) By rendering a not-too-distant future, Kubrick set himself up for a test: thirty-three years later, his audiences would still be around to grade his predictions. Part of his genius was that he understood how to rig the results. Many elements from his set designs were contributions from major brands — Whirlpool, Macy’s, DuPont, Parker Pens, Nikon — which quickly cashed in on their big-screen exposure. If 2001 the year looked like 2001 the movie, it was partly because the film’s imaginary design trends were made real.
Showings posted for the Arclight in Hollywood. Not sure where else it is playing 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - ArcLight Cinemas
I’m going to a concert in LA on Wednesday. I’m thinking maybe I’ll try and catch this in the morning or afternoon if possible
This was pretty magical. The only thing that could have made it better was if I got to go to the showing in the massive dome auditorium, but 70mm alone was very impressive. Even on the unrestored original print it’s amazing how well everything holds up. The Jupiter sequence was insane on the big screen.
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY – Special Engagements in 70mm Film. Enter your city and it should pull them up if there are any.