2001 vs Solaris (Space Exploration, part 1)

Get your battle helmets on - we're doing this. 2001 vs. Solaris. Kubrick vs. Tarkovsky. Oh, and ... all of cinematic history, well ... in space anyways, Yes, that's right - in this glorious two-part episode (did we mention that were will be a follow-up?!) we will look at ALL of space exploration history - going all the way back to A Trip to the Moon. Early films excluded, which, can almost be seen as fantasy as opposed to science fiction - we have a bold proclamation to make - and that is that 2001 and Solaris exemplify the two clear paths most late space exploration films take.  Essentially, there is the idea - and within this episode we may get closer to figuring out if it is true - that great films of space exploration do one of two things: 1. Use space exploration to explore grand themes and concepts. 2. Use the idea of space exploration to discover truths about the human psyche. And of course - as always, there is an overlap. In this episode, we will cover the early days of Space Exploration, and the debate itself. And for a quick sneak peek - in the next episode we will essentially dive into all the major space exploration films that came later - and not only talk through them - but see them in the context of 2001 and Solari - and discuss which path they chose to follow, and which, if any, break free from this binary. Happy listening, and please join in the discussion at ICMForum.com.