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2001: A Space Odyssey is better enoyed if you give up trying to "get" it. It is what it is, and that's part of why Kubrick was so concrete about keeping any of his personal beliefs on its meaning to himself. It is the most beautiful marriage of images and music ever put to celluloid; it is an odyssey of sight and sound meant to provoke curiosity and wonder. It is a statement of the infinity not only of film but also of human advancement. Trying to grasp any kind of firm judgement of its meaning will only give you a migrain; instead, let yourself be taken by it and see where you get.
Now, I'm not saying "you're wrong" or "I'm right", I'm just suggesting another viewing with a different train of thought.
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Doubt (2008)
A film which is what it is because of several dynamite performances. Though the execution is a little light, the story plays out with muscle as it weaves from one big scene to the next, intricately building character tension but never (and this is important) assuring its audience in any direction. Philip Seymour Hoffman is brutally human, and the innocence of Amy Adams' character is honest, but the real star of the film is Meryl Streep; she is a weak and troubled character, so much so that watching her is scary, and sometimes shameful. This is a chilling performance, and one of the year's very best.
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