Review: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Kubrick's 2001 is a masterpiece that lives behind a locked door. To access it, one must open themselves up to the journey, the mystery, and the purpose of the challenging film. Especially by the nature of today's increasingly inattentive and unfocused, the incomparable potential of 2001 may be lost or missed by some viewers. However, for those that are willing to embrace Kubrick's unparalleled sci-fi vision, there is currently no other - and may never be another - like 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The behind-the-scenes of 2001 is almost as interesting as the film itself - but I will not deep-dive into that here. What I will briefly mention is that Kubrick teamed up with sci-fi writer, Arthur C. Clarke, to help develop the story. Remarkably, while Kubrick was filming his movie, Clarke was simultaneously writing a novel that was also based on the story he and Kubrick came up with. The intersections and divergences between the two still remain a popular topic of examination. Jump to April 2, 1968, and what many people do not know is that 2001 (like a number of Kubrick films) was not well received upon its release. For many years, the film was known mainly as a roughly three-hour psychedelic trip for stoner youth with more 'highbrow' viewers seeing it as an over-indulgent, boring and unintelligible film that many would walk out of during its initial theatrical run.

Jumping ahead many decades again (not unlike what occurs in the film) and 2001 is now regarded almost universally as a true masterpiece of cinema. It is the pinnacle exhibition of Kubrick's signature style (which has since been an influence on countless filmmakers), and its story and meaning is one that is consistently discussed and examined to-this-day. The story of the evolution of human being from the discovery of its first tool to its discovery [sic] creation of artificial life followed by extraterrestrial life is one that demands multiple viewings, with each subsequent, itself, a voyage of discovery and enlightenment.

Comments

Review: Sound of Metal (2020)

Sound of Metal (2020) TLDR: Easily one of the best films I have seen in a long while. Grounded by an absolutely stellar performance by Riz Ahmed (and co-star, Olivia Cooke), Darius Marder's Sound of Metal is a moving and deeply-empathetic look into the journey and struggle to find peace with one's self through the lens of a musician who loses his hearing. Have no doubt, if you are not yet familiar with the names Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke you are about to be. Both actors - Ahmed in particular who leads the film - are transcendent in Darius Marder's Sound of Metal. Ahmed plays Ruben, a heavy metal drummer, in a duo group led by guitar/singer, Lou, played by Cooke. The two are as much a pair off-stage as they are on it. It is clear from early on that they are all that the other really has in life and they are content to travel across the country in their RV together playing shows and making ends meet as best they can. However, all goes awry when Ruben - who batters his eardr

Review: Soul (2020)

Soul (2020) TLDR: For a year where many may feel like they have lost a little piece of their own, Soul has arrived to remind us all what's most important in life. This is a Pixar film that is arguably more important for adults to watch than kids: it is beautiful - in both story and art, it is quirky, it is heartfelt and, as these trying times endlessly push on, it reminds us that there is still a lot of good in this world to enjoy and reflect upon. Note: some spoilers below. It takes a little bit of time to ease into Disney/Pixar's Soul. Though the film starts out in a lush and beautifully rendered NYC filled with delightful jazz music as we follow Joe around his everyday boroughs, things very quickly run astray. Suddenly, we are thrown into an abstract world filled with Picasso-like wiry characters and massively heady existential concepts like 'where do we come from', 'the great beyond', and much more. If it's not immediately apparent, it soon becomes clea

Review: The Before Trilogy (1995, 2004, 2013)

The Before Trilogy TLDR: As a whole, and in each of its separate parts, Richard Linklater's 'Before Trilogy' is the cinematic experience in its absolute finest form. The story of Celine and Jesse speaks to the core of the human experience - surprising joys, inevitable obstacles and eventual pains, and, most importantly, the mystery and intrigue of love - and it does it in an affecting way that, almost unlike any other film, is simultaneously theatrical and also remarkably raw and realistic. "It's just, people have these romantic projections they put on everything. That's not based on any kind of reality." - Jesse, Before Sunrise Even more than the multitudes of other incredible introspective bits of wisdom and philosophy that Celine and Jesse converse in across the three movies, this quote perhaps sums up the trilogy best of all. What are romance movies other than certain individuals' projections of what romance - often, idealized romance - is. Most o

Mike Goes To Movies

Search This Blog