2001 - A Bizarre odyssey

I've been working through the list of the100 greatest films.  Today I watch 2001:A Space Odyssey, which has to be one of the bizarrest films I have seen in a while.

I remember trying to watch it as a child and giving up, watching it now I understand why.  It's over 2 hours long, with little dialogue, but it is a beautifully shot film.  More than any other film I have seen it portrays the emptiness of space and the claustrophobia of space travel.

It is easy to understand why it appealed to the hippies and counter-culture of the sixties.  There is a section towards the end of the film which is around 10 minutes visuals and colours, which is indeed very trippy, or as the film was re-branded "The Ultimate Trip".

It is a film which will need to be watched several times, as there are numerous interpretations of the meaning, particularly the significance of the black monolith.

Citizen Kane

A cold afternoon surrounded by snow was the perfect opportunity to sit back and watch Citizen Kane for the first time.  I can't say I was bowled over by it, and IMHO it does not deserved the high praise awarded to it by film critics.

I would give the film a 7, and may watch it again in a few years time but I wouldn't put it in my top 50 films.  I did mean I finally got a lot of the references made in the Simpsons episode Rosebud.