Top 10 Sci Fi movies of all time!

[Epistaxis]

You really should read Clarke's book, and I also enjoyed 2010 (the book, not the movie) as well as 2061.

In a nutshell, the Monolith (which you call the "black thing") is something of a cosmic Swiss Army knife.

The "monkey scene" depicts the Monolith interceding in human evolution, at a critical juncture where the "monkey", named Moonwatcher, develops the ability to use bone as a tool, to successfully win a battle and thereafter hunt for meat, allowing his tribe to never go hungry again, as well as defend itself.

The monolith appears at these critical junctures in human evolution....when man can travel to the moon and discover it. At that point it beams a message to Jupiter (or Saturn, depending on whether you are reading the book or watching the movie!) Thereby initiating the process of life creation for Europa, and the ability to colonize the moons (other than Europa) for the human race after the monolith pulls another trick, creating another sun.

The "Victorian Room" is a creation of the monolith as well, a process by which Dave Bowman is made more comfortable for his personal evolution in to the Star Child, where he is remade in to the conduit between the Monolith and human beings. You don't really get that until 2010 and 2061. Eventually, he and HAL become one entity.

You can internet search this stuff.

This is MY interpretation of the events you question from my reading of Clarke.

He was one of my favorites growing up. A really great SciFi author.

Childhood's End is another good one, and I wrote a paper in high school comparing and contrasting the evolutionary themes of that book and 2001.

Nerdy.

[cookinwithgas]

1. Yes it was serious. At the time, the makeup effects were so far ahead of anything ever done, audiences freaked out over it. The point of the scene was to show that the monolith brought aggressiveness to the human species to keep it from dying out. The bone thrown into the air morphed into what is not explained, but is an orbiting nuclear weapons satellite.

2. The monolith is a representation of the forces beyond our control here - aliens, "god", whatever. Use your imagination.

3. You are missing the point completely.

It's not a movie for everyone. And if you are a post MTV person, the pacing and attention required are most likely not in your vocabulary. When this movie came out (I was only a few years old) there was absolutely nothing like it and you need to take it in that context.

[Epistaxis]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monolith_(Space_Odyssey)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(film)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?curid=15528984

[Scrumtrilescent]

2001 = film version of Jane Eyre...

[Captroop]

It's not a movie for everyone. And if you are a post MTV person, the pacing and attention required are most likely not in your vocabulary. When this movie came out (I was only a few years old) there was absolutely nothing like it and you need to take it in that context.

I love The Money Pit...

That is my answer to that statement.

And if you are of the pre-MTV cohort, you may not get the Family Guy reference.

[Delhomeboy]

I love The Money Pit...

That is my answer to that statement.

Haha I saw that episode just last night.

[MCP]

1. Yes it was serious. At the time, the makeup effects were so far ahead of anything ever done, audiences freaked out over it. The point of the scene was to show that the monolith brought aggressiveness to the human species to keep it from dying out. The bone thrown into the air morphed into what is not explained, but is an orbiting nuclear weapons satellite.

2. The monolith is a representation of the forces beyond our control here - aliens, "god", whatever. Use your imagination.

3. You are missing the point completely.

It's not a movie for everyone. And if you are a post MTV person, the pacing and attention required are most likely not in your vocabulary. When this movie came out (I was only a few years old) there was absolutely nothing like it and you need to take it in that context.

How is it that you can be so on the mark in Nerdvana, and so off the mark in tinderbox?

As far as what you have said about 2001 :iagree:

[cookinwithgas]

Because I'm not the one off the mark in the Tinderbox?

[MCP]

Because I'm not the one off the mark in the Tinderbox?

[cookinwithgas]

http://www.amazon.com/2001-Filming-Future-Piers-Bizony/dp/1854107062/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253638235&sr=8-1

I love this book.

[Epistaxis]

2001 = film version of Jane Eyre...

I guess even my brother from a different mother can be wrong sometimes.

You're still almost awesome.

Have you embraced Star Trek yet, or are you still fighting that one too?

[Scrumtrilescent]

fug Star Trek. Sterile, commie crap.

Last movie was good, though. 3.5 stars.

[cookinwithgas]

All Scrum needs is some exposure to Kirk/Spock fanfic and he'll come around.

[Davidson Deac II]

I got 2001, I just didn't like it all that much. And I am pre MTV.