Re: I am SO gonna get bent over and raked over the coals …

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I suppose that I like 2001 primarily for aesthestic reasons. I find it coldly beautiful, and at times quite surreal (loved the psychadelic final chapter). It’s also a film that I thought captured the loneliness of space very well. I liked the individual scenes more than the overall plot which is scant — one scene that always gets to me is when one of the crew of Discovery is shadow boxing as he jogs around the ship’s centrifuge (passing the sarcophogi), I just felt so isolated watching it. It’s a very cold film, but I really emotionally connected to it. I identify with HAL on some level. I also liked how the monolith imparted intelligence to the apes (how to use tools) and the way they used a bone was to kill other apes — interesting statement. Was a wonderful segue, I thought, from the prehistoric bone technology to the technology of the future — a space station. Also liked that there was room left in the film for individual interpretation (I’ve often thaought that enjoyment of films and music is as much, or more, intellectual as anything else).

2001 is rather slow for a Hollywood film, but not slow at all compared to many of my favourite subtitled arthouse and experimental films. I like slow, gives me time to think and reflect. Never have been a fan of the frenetic “action” movies. If you didn’t like 2001, definitely don’t watch Tarkovsky’s Solaris (another fave of mine).

I thought it a near-perfect film, unlike Clockwork Orange which I can’t wtch anymore due to the sick porn violence (rather like watching a snuff film at times). While violence is disturbing and should be portrayed as disturbing, I felt he unnecessarily revelled, in a way, too much in violence in the film (I feel like a sick voyeur when I watch parts of that film — if you ever do watch it, keep the fast forward button on your remote handy).

I really enjoy the look and craftsmanship of Kubrick films. I didn’t like Eyes Wide Shut which I found tediously pretentious and too full of Kubrick cliches.

BTW, I’m not just into sci-fi, nor was Kubrick. I know several people who loved 2001, but don’t like sci-fi normally. Generally I prefer non-genre films (or films that blend different genres. The Shining is a good example; it is a sort of horror film, more psych thriller probably, but not very horror genre). 2001 also breaks away from some normal sci-fi conventions — definitely not a film just for sci-fi lovers.

I also like Ed Harris, but more for a film like Glengarry Glen Ross than for The Abyss. As for Alien and Aliens: I loved Alien and hated Aliens (Aliens was too cliche action movie for me, and militarism makes me queasy — though I loved how they handled militarism in the sort of parody Starship Troopers).