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    Astrological Charts Lite

    Astrological Charts Lite

    Lifestyle and Utilities

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    Astrological Charts Lite is a astrological program for iOS, which reports 12 types of astrological...

    Astrological Charts

    Astrological Charts

    Lifestyle and Utilities

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Astrological Charts is a professional astrological program for iOS, which reports 12 types of...

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
1968 | Classics, Sci-Fi
Groundbreaking Special Effects (1 more)
Music
Truly...a masterpiece
Over the years, many, many words have been written and said about the 1968 Stanley Kubrick opus, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, but after re-watching it, there is only 1 word I would write about it...

MASTERPIECE

I have a long history with this film. My father took me to it as a 7 year old. I was intrigued by the Sci-Fi special effects, but mostly liked the monkeys at the beginning. I then saw it again as a college student in the early 1980's and was "really into" (for obvious reasons) the psychedelic special effects at the end. Later...in the early 1990's, during my Arthur C. Clark phase, I read the book and then re-watched the film and my understanding of what was happening on the screen gelled and, consequently, my fascination and respect for the themes and scope of 2001 opened up new doors of understanding. I think I have seen it another 4 or 5 times since then and have appreciated it in different ways each time.

For this viewing, I walked away with a sense of awe of the sheer craftsmanship and audacity that Kubrick put up on the screen. The scope of the project in 1968 was (I'm sure) daunting with a subject matter that was just outside of normal vision, so for Kubrick to get a studio to o'k this film is mind-boggling to me.

But...how does it stack up as a film? Very well, indeed.

Told in 4 parts, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY tells the tale of mankind's evolution from ape-man to space explorers and the mysterious, monolithic aliens who help mankind advance along this line.

In the hands of the great Stanley Kubrick, 2001 dazzles with pure visionary visuals, exploding heretofore unseen images on the screen. Showing us what could be possible in outer space visuals (not just paper plates hung on a wire against a star background). The film is full of Kubrick hallmarks - meticulously staged and choreographed scenes, stark colors - mostly one color with a dab of another color across the screen, and long scenes where not much dialogue takes place, but what is said (or not said) in the pauses speaks volume. Some would call this type of film making boring (and I have accused other filmmakers who have attempted this as boring and pretentious), but in the hands of Kubrick, this film is mesmerizing and continuously fascinating.

The first 20 minutes of the film - the DAWN OF MAN portion - and the last 20 minutes - the JUPITER AND BEYOND THE INFINITE portion - are both dialogue-free. Kubrick let's the action and visuals speak for themselves. In between are THE MOON portion, which really serves as the audience introduction into the style and substance of the film, the wonderfully, Oscar winning special effects set upon a backdrop of classical music (who can hear Also sprach Zarathustra and not think of 2001)?

It is during the 3rd - and most famous - portion of this film that a viewer will either engage or disengage with this film. This is the famous HAL 9000 portion of the film where 2 astronauts end up battling with a increasingly unstable artificial intelligence on a journey to Jupiter. It is here where Kubrick, I feel, is at his best. The long, uncomfortable silences and the glances between the two astronauts (played wonderfully by the oft-praised Keir Dullea and the underrated Gary Lockwood) leads to a sense of dread that is very reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock at his finest.

I will admit that this film is not for everyone - and more than 1 of you reading this will attempt to watch 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY and fall asleep during the middle of it - but for those of you that can plug into what Kubrick was achieving here will be rewarded with a very rich, very fascinating and very GOOD film that will garner conversation and criticism for many, many years to come.

Truly...a masterpiece.

Letter Grade: A+

10 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
40x40

Andy K (10821 KP) Mar 4, 2018

Getting a 4K release this year for its 50th. Can't wait.

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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) Mar 4, 2018

Awesome...

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
1968 | Classics, Sci-Fi
A Masterpiece
Over the years, many, many words have been written and said about the 1968 Stanley Kubrick opus, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, but after re-watching it, there is only 1 word I would write about it...

MASTERPIECE

I have a long history with this film. My father took me to it as a 7 year old. I was intrigued by the Sci-Fi special effects, but mostly liked the monkeys at the beginning. I then saw it again as a college student in the early 1980's and was "really into" (for obvious reasons) the psychedelic special effects at the end. Later...in the early 1990's, during my Arthur C. Clark phase, I read the book and then re-watched the film and my understanding of what was happening on the screen gelled and, consequently, my fascination and respect for the themes and scope of 2001 opened up new doors of understanding. I think I have seen it another 4 or 5 times since then and have appreciated it in different ways each time.

For this viewing, I walked away with a sense of awe of the sheer craftsmanship and audacity that Kubrick put up on the screen. The scope of the project in 1968 was (I'm sure) daunting with a subject matter that was just outside of normal vision, so for Kubrick to get a studio to o'k this film is mind-boggling to me.

But...how does it stack up as a film? Very well, indeed.

Told in 4 parts, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY tells the tale of mankind's evolution from ape-man to space explorers and the mysterious, monolithic aliens who help mankind advance along this line.

In the hands of the great Stanley Kubrick, 2001 dazzles with pure visionary visuals, exploding heretofore unseen images on the screen. Showing us what could be possible in outer space visuals (not just paper plates hung on a wire against a star background). The film is full of Kubrick hallmarks - meticulously staged and choreographed scenes, stark colors - mostly one color with a dab of another color across the screen, and long scenes where not much dialogue takes place, but what is said (or not said) in the pauses speaks volume. Some would call this type of film making boring (and I have accused other filmmakers who have attempted this as boring and pretentious), but in the hands of Kubrick, this film is mesmerizing and continuously fascinating.

The first 20 minutes of the film - the DAWN OF MAN portion - and the last 20 minutes - the JUPITER AND BEYOND THE INFINITE portion - are both dialogue-free. Kubrick let's the action and visuals speak for themselves. In between are THE MOON portion, which really serves as the audience introduction into the style and substance of the film, the wonderfully, Oscar winning special effects set upon a backdrop of classical music (who can hear Also sprach Zarathustra and not think of 2001)?

It is during the 3rd - and most famous - portion of this film that a viewer will either engage or disengage with this film. This is the famous HAL 9000 portion of the film where 2 astronauts end up battling with a increasingly unstable artificial intelligence on a journey to Jupiter. It is here where Kubrick, I feel, is at his best. The long, uncomfortable silences and the glances between the two astronauts (played wonderfully by the oft-praised Keir Dullea and the underrated Gary Lockwood) leads to a sense of dread that is very reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock at his finest.

I will admit that this film is not for everyone - and more than 1 of you reading this will attempt to watch 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY and fall asleep during the middle of it - but for those of you that can plug into what Kubrick was achieving here will be rewarded with a very rich, very fascinating and very GOOD film that will garner conversation and criticism for many, many years to come.

Truly...a masterpiece.

Letter Grade: A+

10 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
Show all 3 comments.
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Katie (868 KP) Jul 4, 2018

Fantastic review for a fantastic film. Did you have an opportunity to see it in a theater when it was re-released recently?

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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) Jul 4, 2018

Yes, I just saw a 70mm print of it on the big screen at our local Cineplex. They included the Overture (of course) and the intermission (I'm all in favor of intermissions making a comeback).

    Astrological Charts Pro

    Astrological Charts Pro

    Lifestyle and Utilities

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    Astrological Charts Pro is a professional astrological program for iOS, which reports 12 types of...

Getting Over Jesse Franklin
Getting Over Jesse Franklin
Stephie Chapman | 2015 | Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A lovely romance with a touch of nostalgia. (0 more)
Couldn't put it down.
I am always a bit wary about reading anything written by someone I follow, and chat to, on twitter. What if I don’t enjoy it?

Totes awkward. Especially if I’ve told them I’m reading it. I worry that I’d have to leave twitter in case they ask me if I liked their book.

So, I’d been putting off reading Getting Over Jesse Franklin. But it’s on offer, free on Amazon right now, and when I saw that, I suddenly had a bad case of FOMO.

I had to read it because what if I was missing out on a good thing?

And I’m so glad that I did!

Just one chapter in I tweeted that I was hooked.

I walked around Asda, still reading, this evening, and I’m admitting nothing here but I might have served pot noodles for dinner because I could not put the book down.

If you’ve ever had a crush on a member of a band you’ll enjoy the trip down memory lane, if you’re a sucker for a romance you’ll love this one.

It’s not insta love, which so many stories are lately, it’s a romance that blossoms, at first, on the internet.

We’ve all been there haven’t we? Waiting, hoping, for a message to ping, almost afraid to look in case it doesn’t, feeling your heart stop for a moment when it does.

Let me tell you, I now have a major crush on Jesse Franklin!

Stephie writes so well, the story keeps moving, I loved the cast of characters, Cassie’s friends, family, colleagues, and of course Jessie’s family.

The story is told by Cassie and reads in such a way that it’s like a friend telling you a story over a bottle of wine and a slice – or two – of cake.

The descriptive writing is spot on, I could picture every scene perfectly.

At one point I wanted to grab Cassie by the shoulders, give her a firm shake and tell her not to do it, to slow down, but she did do it, and she broke my heart. There I was reminiscing about the posters I had on my wall as a teen, smiling because sometimes an online relationship can lead to love, my optimistic heart all a flutter, then boom! I found myself heartbroken in aisle 7 of my local Asda.

I absolutely loved this book! So much that I’m now going to buy the sequel, Jetplanes to Jupiter. I just hope I can put it down for long enough to cook a proper dinner tomorrow.

I wholeheartedly recommend Getting Over Jesse Franklin but read it at the weekend because you’ll get nothing done.
  
    Aurora Forecast 3D

    Aurora Forecast 3D

    Weather and Education

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    The Aurora Forecast 3D is a tool to track down where the aurora is located in the sky from any...