8 A.M. Sunday, 12th of January, 2014. HAL'S birthday. I'm tired as fuck.

HAL.

IBM.

HAL/IBM. HAL=IBM. IBM=HAL.

H+1 = I
A+1 = B
L+1 = M

So HAL is indisputably IBM. Just go one letter on in the alphabet from H, A and L and you get I, B and M. 

But what is IBM? A computer company Kubrick had a grudge against? Or are we just missing a "T" in the greatest riddle known to mankind? Confused? Allow me to demonstrate.

IBM
I= 9th letter of the alphabet.
B= 2nd letter of the alphabet.
M= 13th letter of the alphabet.

9+2+13= 24.

X= 24th letter of the alphabet.

X= 10 in Roman numerals, so IBM= 10.

HAL
H=…

Ever since I joined Letterboxd, nothing has scared me more than the idea of trying to write about 2001: A Space Odyssey. The fact that everything has "already been said" about this masterpiece has itself already been said so many times that there's not even an original means of expressing my lack of originality left at my disposal. So with the knowledge that I will probably never be able to fully encapsulate what makes this my favorite movie of all time—let alone say something truly unique about it—here is a small list of a few things I love about it.

I love that the monolith has remained an enigmatic symbol capable of being read in any number of different ways…

“I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.”

In the beginning was the Monolith, and the Monolith was with God, and the Monolith was God.

From where had the Monolith derived? It scarcely mattered. If it had always been there, then it had come from nowhere. It simply was. The nothing from which everything sprang. The animating stimulus that drove the amoeba to split in two. The force of nature that extinguished the great lizards not inclined toward avian salvation. The spark of ingenuity that made the ape stand upright and realize its potential for violent innovation.

The Monolith was not “natural” in any traditional…

Part of Dastardly Difficult December: film nr.13

This is not a ‘film’. It is cinema in its purest form. Every aspect of this particular artform is used to its fullest extent. It exposes themes without narrative, offers no explanations but leaves room for interpretation and it provides a visual and aural sensation to accompany the unravelling of its internal philosophical debate. No other director than Kubrick could have made this.

The first time I saw this film I didn’t care much for it. I was far too young to fully grasp what it was trying to do. I remember finding it very dull and confusing, not something that sits well with your average teenager. It has therefore never been a…

An unprecedented, unique & unparalleled achievement in motion picture history, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a path-breaking cinema & a splendid work of art that's responsible for putting science in science-fiction. Far ahead of its time & one of the first films to take its genre seriously, this film redefines science-fiction filmmaking unlike anything before or after it, features some of the most iconic moments ever captured on film, and is an elegant mix of remarkable cinematography, pioneering visual n sound effects, scientific accuracy, epic score & a distinct style of narration.

2001: A Space Odyssey deals with the elements of human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence & extra-terrestrial life. It is divided into 3 segments & an epilogue, each connected with an extra-terrestrial reference. Kubrick's first…