From Mr. Thompson...

There might not be a more controversial director in American film history than Stanley Kubrick. And yet, he has four and a half films in the AFI top 100 ('2001: A Space Odyssey,' 'The Shining,' 'A Clockwork Orange,' 'Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb' and if you count the original 1997 list, 'Spartacus') and most film nerds would argue that 'Full Metal Jacket,' 'Barry Lyndon,' and 'Paths of Glory' are somewhere close by. Even 'Eyes Wide Shut' has its hardcore defenders.

But be forewarned: Kubrick is an acquired taste. Don't go into a Kubrick film like you do most others, looking for a compelling story and waiting for what happens next. Watching a Kubrick film is like going to a museum and looking at a painting or a sculpture. It's not about what comes next. It's about appreciating what's there, on the screen in front of you, at any given moment. Kubrick's imagery is breathtaking, and this film in particular has inspired several generations of filmmakers. Do you like the work of Christopher Nolan (The 'Dark Knight' trilogy, 'Inception,' 'Interstellar') or Alfonso Cuarón ('Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,' 'Roma,' 'Gravity'), not to mention other heavy hitters like David Fincher, Nicolas Winding Refn, and Paul Thomas Anderson? Stanley Kubrick movies are WEIRD but hugely influential. You can see '2001's' influence in the look of 'Star Wars,' the hallway fight scene in 'Inception,' and in the artificial intelligence on board the Axiom in 'Wall-E.' If you don't believe me, just google '2001 a space odyssey influence.' I'll wait because you'll be gone a while.

So, how do you enjoy a Kubrick film rather than get frustrated at its weirdness? Most films are like rafting in white water rapids. '2001' is like tubing on a lazy river. Just float along with it. Just admire what it does well. Look at that imagery. Look at the use of color. Remember that it was made without CGI before we had even set foot on the moon. It's weird... but wonderful; kooky... but creative; slow... but sensory.

Enjoy Stanley Kubrick's ground-breaking 1968 mind trip, '2001: A Space Odyssey.'