Cinema listings with film information and movie reviews
2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick's 1968 visionary fable, based on the book by Arthur C Clarke, celebrates its 50th anniversary with the re-release of an unrestored 70mm print in selected cinemas. Astronauts Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood) are sent to the furthest reaches of the solar system on an exploratory mission. Gradually, systems on their ship Discovery malfunction and the astronauts come to the conclusion that their on board computer HAL-9000 (voiced by Douglas Rain) is sabotaging the mission it was designed to assist. On its original release, 2001: A Space Odyssey was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Screenplay, eventually taking home the trophy for Best Visual Effects. The film is a masterpiece and arguably Kubrick's finest hour, constructing a philosophical treatise on mankind's place in the universe - if, indeed, we have one - from a sublime marriage of image and classical music. Dullea and Lockwood are both impressive, floating in the midst of the picture's stunning sets and art design. However, it's the plight of HAL that sticks most clearly in the mind, especially when the computer edges towards system shutdown, uttering the immortal words, "I'm afraid, Dave... My mind is going... I can feel it."
