Episode 16: “2001: A Space Odyssey” with Matt Zoller Seitz
A podcast about the great movies.
We’re back with our latest episode of Guide for the Film Fanatic! In each episode, Jason Bailey and Mike Hull invite a guest from the world of film (including filmmakers, authors, critics, actors, and more) to select one of the 1600+ “must-see movies” collected in Danny Peary’s seminal 1986 book, Guide for the Film Fanatic. Bailey, Hull, and their guests deep dive on each film, discussing its history, themes, style, performances, initial reception, and legacy, taking a fresh look at some of the most beloved titles in cinema history.
Our guest this week is the Editor at Large and film critic of RogerEbert.com, Features Writer for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, Contributing Writer for D Magazine and Texas Highways, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism. He is the author of many fine books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Sopranos Sessions, Mad Men Carousel, and The Wes Anderson Collection, as well as TV (The Book), The Deadwood Bible: A Lie Agreed Upon, and The Oliver Stone Experience. He joins us to discuss one of the unqualified masterpieces of cinema, Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 game-changer 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Downcast, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’ve partnered up with One Heat Minute Productions on this show, so we’ve migrating it over to their feed; subscribe now if you haven’t already.
We’re also putting our new episodes up on YouTube! Watch the show on our YouTube channel, @guideforthefilmfanatic, for visual accompaniment and bonus stuff and who knows what else:
2001 is streaming on HBO Max and available for digital rental or purchase. You can watch the trailer here. You can read the New York Times review here, and the Times from opening day here. Ebert’s review is here, Kauffman’s is here, Gilliat’s is here, and Kael’s “Trash, Art, and the Movies” is here.
You can follow Matt on Bluesky here, and check out the MZS Press site for all your arts book-buying needs. If you’d like to check out the YouTube page for Mike’s other podcast, Black Diplomats, it’s here. And Jason’s new book Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend is OUT NOW, and you can order it from MZS Press, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or wherever you get your hardbacks, ebooks, and/or audiobooks.
Last but not least, if you’d like to make a little donation to support us and the show, you can do that at Ko-fi!
