I've never seen The Exorcist, although I've read the book. Hey Chula, i'm guessing you've probably seen it before?

Yup. That movie hasn't aged well at all. The effects are laughable by today's standards. And the whole religious blasphemy aspect of the movie just doesn't resonate these days.

But consider that it came out 42 years ago. Those were VERY different times. To say that movie created a stir upon its release is a huge understatement.

And as controversial and polarizing as it was it ended up the highest grossing movie of the year and was nominated for 10 Academy awards, as well as being the first horror movie ever to be nominated for best picture.

42 years ago that movie f*cked a LOT of people up.

The parts of the film before the effects start are still pretty creepy, even by todays standards. The effects after that are indeed somwhat silly, but the movie still keeps one's attention.

The priests dream sequence is still one of the scariest scenes in horror imo.

Back to 2001 for a minute. For those who've seen the movie but not read the book:

Highlights of the novel compared to the movie:

- You get to go inside all of the characters heads including Moonwatcher (who's thought process is very rudimentary and fleeting but still extremely insightful), all of the human characters, HAL, the Moonchild, and even the extraterrestrials.

- The interaction between the apes and the monolith is much more played out and detailed. You get a full understanding of how the monolith aided the apes in evolving.

- More detail is provided about the apes evolution and how they came to utilize a number of tools. Not just the bone.

- The human interaction is nowhere near as stiff as the movie. People have normal conversations that provide insight into what is happening leading up to the Discovery mission.

- The reasons for (and the workings of) the monolith on the moon are revealed.

- The details of day to day life on Discovery are explained in much more detail and it gives you a real sense of being on board.

- HAL's breakdown is really sudden and terrifying. The book almost turns into a quasi-horror story during that section.

- There's a brief chapter where you get inside HAL's head and he explains his reason for going rogue. This was one of the more enlightening parts.

- Bowman’s weeks on the Discovery after HAL’s breakdown are fully fleshed out.

- The whole star gate journey and Bowman’s final hours are described from his point of view.

- The Moonchild had a definite reason for returning to earth which is briefly explained.

Two years later, I still think its not that great. :finger:

i like it but it's nowhere near his best and it's totally overrated.

Anyone who thinks that a movie that isn't The Shining is Kubrick's best should probably go watch The Shining.

what about cockwork doorhinge

It's great but not on The Shining's level.