Clockwork Orange - 1971 - Dir. Kubrick

A film I had seem plenty of times in high school and then apparently "grew out of it" (JUST LIKE ALEX IN THE NOVEL! GASP!). I suppose I just got sick of it after heaps and heaps of references. I had long forgotten about it by the time I'd seen it this time around. Despite my weariness with the film, it is still a classic. It was nice to watch again, to be surprised. And learn to appreciate it again. Malcolm McDowell is friggin' awesome in it. He carries the movie at times, especially as it goes on. He manages to make camp, self-satisfaction, and smugness incredibly watchable. Kubrick is going wild in this movie. A precursor to a million hyperviolent music video films, this one can actually justify it's content and style. Something I was never able to appreciate before, OR SOMEONE, was Michael Bates who plays the Chief Guard. I'm surprised I managed to miss such a ridiculous fucking character. By no means, is the movie perfect, it's long, first of all. Severely blunt at times. Generally whatever flaws the movie might have can be easily forgiven because it's fun as hell to watch. It's shamelessly campy, violent, and loud. Like our protagonist and his giant, murderous porcelain dick.

Don't worry, Everyone! I'm have a great time!

2001: A Space Odyssey - 1968 - Dir. Kubrick

It's easy to pick on 2001. Especially for me. Not that I know some insider junk or have some perfect theory on the movie being flawed. I suppose because it's one of the best movies ever made if many publication can be believed. Because it's so heavily entrenched in the canon of our film culture. I think perhaps this is the first time, I attempted to watch the film with some sort of appreciation for what it was. I hit it a little too young the first time around and ended up not even watching the whole movie, assuming it ended between a commercial break... and yes, I watched it on television. So I figured I owed myself a decent viewing. Late at night, lights off. Without any sponsors. So what do I think? It's fucking 2001! MAN! What do you think? I feel like in some sense, I knew everything about this movie before I watched it. I can't complain. It's just so ICONIC. It looks good, it feels good. And it looks and feels like no other. Wait, it might look like Solaris, I'm going to investigate soon in that respect. For some reason, I really liked the acting in the movie a lot more than I thought I would though. There's the blankest, emptiness on the part of the humans. Also, for some reason, I thought the Heywood Floyd character was awesome... but I think it might have just been his hair.

In the future, shit will be confusing.