3. 2001: A Space Odyssey
Plot summary- This epic blockbuster is divided into several equally slow paced sections. Firstly, the film depicts apes doing human stuff. Eventually one throws a stick and it turns into a space ship in the future. There is a lot of slow talking and movements. A big baby turns up. Done.
Why is it confusing? The underlying confusion within Stanley Kubricks mega-film lies in the reasons it polarized critical opinion so much upon its release; it is really, really slow. Its the filmic equivalent of being forced to listen to one of Sigur Ross longer songs; beautiful and artistically impressive, but ultimately a little boring. The film creates two types of responses. On the one hand, the people who love it would argue that its an intelligence thing; that the haters dont have the ability to appreciate something where the scenes are longer than a few minutes each and dont include regular death counts of ten or above. But on the other hand, many would argue that through its self-approving, grandiose nature, it takes pretension to the point where it becomes the cinematic equivalent of one of those awful list-based film articles written by a student who reckons he can comment on which films are confusing and oh. Respect has to go to Kubrick, one of the all time great film directors, as this film in undoubtedly impressive, but be warned, to enjoy and understand it you need to concentrate and be patient; failure to adhere could result in a slow and painful death.