… most confusing film of all time. Not too surprising. They named other films such as Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris, Christopher Nolan’s Memento, and David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch. Here’s what they had to say about Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey

Often cited as one of the greatest visual directors, Stanley Kubrick never played it safe when it came to choosing subject matter for his films. A Clockwork Orange is a violent tale about freedom of choice, Eyes Wide Shut is a study of elite obsession, and 2001: A Space Odyssey is about the evolution of humans, or so we think. Honestly, there have been so many discussions on what 2001 is actually about that even 48 years after its release, it’s still one of the most talked about movies in history.

The scene that sparks the most discussion is the film’s trippy ending in which astronaut Dave is sucked into a psychedelic wormhole that looks like a Pink Floyd laser show. Once through, Dave watches himself age in a mysterious room. Dave grows old and dies in a matter of minutes, seemingly, and is then reborn as a giant baby in a bubble to journey back to Earth. A master visual storyteller, Kubrick doesn’t clear anything up with any dialog, and while some of the questions it poses are answered by its less acclaimed sequel, the ending to 2001 still baffles most audiences that watch it today, making it our pick for the most talked about confusing movie of all time.

SOURCE: SCREENRANT

Along with the event images post before this one, I’ve added a new scan for the press section. This time it’s from the Australasia July 2016 edition of Empire magazine. Here they name their 50 greatest Sci-Fi moments. They chose as the number one greatest the HAL-9000 disconnection scene from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. I’d have to say I completely agree with them. Their top ten was pretty impressive including the chestburster scene from Alien where Kane (John Hurt) gave bith, the Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) dying scene from Blade Runner, both films directed by Ridley Scott. Number 5 was the final scene at the end of Franklin J. Schaffner’s Planet of the Apes where George Taylor (Charleton Heston) and Nova (Linda Harrison) find the ruined Statue of Liberty on the beach. They also named the Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) “Get away from her you bitch!” scene from James Cameron’s Aliens. Considering how great 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is as a whole, I’m pretty impressed they chose the disconnection scene considering the stargate sequence, as well as the Dawn of Man opening and it’s iconic moment of the three million year jumpcut from the bone to the weapons platform. I’m including the write up in this post, but to see the scans, please click on any of the links below.

• [003] SCANS: JULY 2016 – AUSTRALASIA EDITION EMPIRE MAGAZINE

  

HAL SHUTS DOWN 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)

There have been many other scary movie supercomputers: in 1965, just three years before Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Jean-Luc Godard’s Alphaville saw the titular city ruled by a data-bastard called Alpha 60. But none have ever been able to upgrade to the heights of the psychotic HAL 9000. There’s his eerie lone red peeper, staring out like a robotic version of the Eye of Sauron. There’s his mellow but menacing voice, provided by Canadian actor Douglas Rain. And then there’s his unforgettable demise, as astronaut David Bowman (Keir Dullea) races to shut him down after he’s pressed “Power Off” on his human shipmate. It could have played out as an action scene, with HAL issuing dark threats and hurling obstacles. Instead, there’s a strange poignancy as he suffers the computer equivalent of a mental breakdown. “I’m afraid, Dave… Dave, my mind is going… I can feel it… I can feel it… My mind is going,” he monotones, pitifully, voice slowing like a pitched-down 12-inch. Then he sings a song: Daisy Bell, the 19th-century children’s rhyme IBM selected for one of its computers to croon as a demonstration in 1961. Set to a background of hissing oxygen, it’s a raw, intimate and surprisingly emotional moment. Not bad for a scene involving a box talking to a man in a helmet. It’s easy to imagine that when the machines fi nally take over Earth for real, this will be their go-to weepie.

I found this two part video on that bastion of video watching…. Yeah, you know. It’s a comparison between the Arthur C. Clarke book and Stanley Kubrick’s epic film. Enjoy.

I just found this on that bastion of video…. And may I say it’s one of the best discussions I’ve had the pleasure to listen to on 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. The video was from a discussion held in England back in April of this year where Keir, Gary (Frank Poole), scientist and astrophysicist Dr. Brian Cox, film historian Christopher Frayling and moderator Matthew Sweet talked about the film for the BFI (British Film Institute) film series. A fascinating talk where we get a more tunneled look into the film and Stanley Kubrick’s motivations, plus some interesting insights about Arthur C. Clarke’s view on the film. We are once again treated to Keir’s favourite parts of the film in the scientific gobbeldy gook, as Keir calls it, he had to memorize for the one scene that was cut. Then his story of coming back into the Discovery via the air lock and the circus roustabout who had the rope, plus his cute way of imitating Derek Cracknell’s version of the HAL-9000’s voice as being a pseudo Michael Caine. I loved what they all said about the longevity of the film. My only wish is they’d gotten a little bit into Keir’s reprisal of the part of Dave Bowman for the Peter Hyams film 2010: ODYSSEY TWO where the symbiosis of HAL and Dave was at the core of the film.

The title says it all. Recently the website DenofGeek compiled their list of the most under appreciated films of 1984. Included in that list were films like Repo Man, One Upon A Time In America, A Breed Apart, Brother From Another Planet and one other film from that year. Apparently they named 2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT or ODYSSEY TWO as I call it as part of that list. They cited the fast paced directing of Peter Hyams and Roy Scheider (Dr. Heywood Floyd) as two of the main reasons the film is on that list. They also mention that the return of Keir as Dave Bowman and Douglas Rain as the voice of the HAL-9000. Read what they had to say on it.

5. 2010: The Year We Make Contact

When this sci-fi sequel was announced, many wondered aloud: does 2001: A Space Odyssey really need a sequel? Director Peter Hyams doesn’t try to ape Stanley Kubrick’s style of filmmaking, and opts instead for a faster paced approach more akin to a Cold War thriller than a sci-fi meditation on life, the universe, and everything. Roy Scheider stars as Dr. Floyd, a scientist who investigates the discovery of life on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.

Hyams has a specific way of lighting and framing his movies that gives them an almost oppressive air of tension; where 2001’s spaceship interiors were bathed in light, 2010’s are dimly-lit and claustrophobic. It’s of a piece with Outland, Hyams’ underrated space western starring Sean Connery; cut off from society, blue skies and clean air, life in space is akin to a spell in prison.

The visual effects in 2010 were groundbreaking at the time, though less conspicuously so than those in 2001 – even then, audiences had become numbed to the sight of ships majestically orbiting planets – and they still hold up well today. With return appearances from Keir Dullea and Douglas Rain, the latter again providing the soothing voice of HAL, 2010’s far better than its tepid reception suggested.

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