Confused Matthew wrote:

There is a difference between someone opining that one film has a thinner story than another film and someone providing testimony that a film literally had no proper story in place period. That testimony was not coming from Harlen. It was coming from someone who actually worked on the film. One of the individuals who worked on the supposed "story" and told Harlan that they never really had one in the first place (For more info on this, I recommend the book "Harlan Ellison's Watching. The chapter entitled 'Harlan Ellison's Handy Guide to 2001: A Space
Odyssey'). Saying that 2010 had a thinner plot than 2001 is hyperbole. Saying that 2001 had no plot or story is a matter of documented fact. And finally, Saying that Lyra was manhandled is hyperbole indeed. Also no one threatened to kill her pet.

Moreover, I never said that the film has no themes; not once ever in my review or any of my response videos. Themes and symbolism are simply not story; which is what the review is all about. You are of course free to think whatever you wish about me or my reviews, but you do have to contend with facts. If you see some kind of meaning in the film, or if the theme and symbolism alone is enough to sustain you, well and good. But the fact remains that 2001 has no story.

Mischief Maker wrote:

Listen to you! Making a review whose thesis was that 2001 was "about nothing" then denying you ever said it had no themes, and then backing up your claim that the movie had no plot with an Appeal to Authority. Don't they teach logical fallacies in philosopher school? I'm sure if I read all the 2001 spinoff novels and comic books and behind-the-scenes documentaries they would totally convince me there's no plot, but I'm just going to judge the movie on its own merits.

And I don't believe that YOU even believe what you're saying anymore, since you're already backpedaling on the themes; you just don't want to voice your _real_ opinion. If there's one thing I've learned from Ang Lee movies, it's that hiding your true feelings makes everyone miserable. So go on, cowboy, say what you really want to say: 2001 would have been a better movie... if it was more like Independance Day.

You know, like have a raspy-voiced gay character running down the Odyssey Bridge with his hands in the air going, "What's going on? I don't know what's going on! Will somebody please tell me what's going on?!!" Then the old New York Jew responds, "It's these big black rocks! They're guiding the evolution of humanity or something. Ah! I dunno." Have those two in the pod with Dave as he flies into the infinite having wacky expositional dialogue to explain things to the audience. Maybe they could even inject a little comic relief. After Dave gets out of the pod the gay character could wrinkle his nose at the decor and the old jew could reply, "They're frigging aliens! You think they shop at Bed Bath and Beyond?" and the audience would laugh because they heard of Bed Bath and Beyond.

This could help out all kinds of movies. In No Country for Old Men, Chigurh really should have had Dane Cook playing his sassy sidekick. So in that scene where they break into Llewelyn's trailer, Dane Cook could say, "The drawers are empty, the wife's clothes are scattered on an unmade bed, I think they left in a hurry. But dude! Dude! Dude! Dude! Look at all these calls to his mother-in-law on the phone bill, I think I know where headed to!" You can't expect the audience to figure out how that scene advanced the story. or pertained to the story, or even if there WAS any story, based on the visuals alone! They're already brain-tired from figuring out how to assemble to dispenser slot on their box of Dots. Tell, don't Show! At the very least use a voiceover. Man, it's not just Kubrick, even the Cohen Brothers could use some movie-making tips from Roland Emmerich!

Don't be ashamed to publish your true feelings on publicly-viewable internet sites. Those are your opinions. And opinions are sacred! And if anyone laughs at you or makes fun of you because of those opinions they're... theyre... MONSTERS!