I’m not sure who these two are, but I found this podcast in my diligent interwebs searches and thought you’d like to give it a listen. My minor gripes with this podcast is the host and his guest’s inability to pronounce Keir’s name, it coming out as Keer Duleea. Does no one actually bother to try? They also fail to pronounce Roy Scheider’s (Heywood Floyd) name either. They pronounce it as ‘Schneider’. The thing I did like about this reassessment of the film is how the hosts call it “hard science fiction” in terms of how to treats both the genre and the issue of it not being what director Darren Aronofsky calls “trucks in space”. Sure there is the issue of the Discovery and the Leonov, but for the most part there is no weaponry or any sort of alien present. That’s what I think makes this film largely one of those that one doesn’t forget after viewing. Another thing I liked about what these two said about the film is the relationship between Dave and HAL (the voice of Douglas Rain) and HAL and Chandra (Bob Balaban). It is rather touching in light of what happened with HAL in the first film. The only other gripe I think I have with this assessment are the hosts who say this film is better than Kubrick’s. I say no. There can be no doubt how exceptional Kubrick’s film is. It is a classic and a forerunner to many of the space operas out today. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is without a doubt a rare film in how it portrays outer space and it’s mysteries. In the hands of a lesser filmmaker, I’d have to say quite possibly 2001 might have de-evolved into something akin to The Blob or one of the many 50s style science fiction films that seemed to not take its subject seriously. All one has to do is look at Kubrick’s artistry and realize it’s place in the history of film. I believe it is if not the best film of all time. 2010: ODYSSEY TWO directed by Peter Hyams is a great film, no question. However, it’s like comparing apples and oranges in that both filmmakers have different styles. The best thing about this film is Keir Dullea.