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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

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Director: Stanley Kubrick Writers: Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter, Leonard Rossiter, Margaret Tyzack, Robert Beatty, Sean Sullivan, Douglas Rain Stanley Kubrick and his co-screenwriter, the great science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, have fashioned a big, epic story about the evolution of human consciousness and man's place in the universe.  It begins in pre-history and ends in what was then the near-future, revealing that throughout all of our history, the human race has been monitored by a mysterious alien race via an artifact known as the Monolith.  The pace of the film is deliberate and slow, too slow for my taste, which reduces my admiration for what is otherwise a masterpiece.  I'm not looking for slam-bang, quick cut editing, but there are several long immersive beauty shots of special effects that are no longer as mind-blowing as they once were and could have been shortened by about 25%,...
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The Delusion Conspiracy (The Amazing Spider-Man #144) (1975)

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Author: Gerry Conway Artist: Ross Andru  Embellishers: F. Giacoia & D. Hunt Spider-Man is still at the scene of his recent battle with Cyclone. With Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson both kidnapped, Peter is left on his own in Paris with the random money. So he waits. So now we know these visions of Gwen Stacy aren’t just limited to Peter Parker. Peter receives instructions from the kidnappers and Spider-Man shows up to deal with the Cyclone, which begs the question: If Cyclone is a normal person powered by advanced technology, why doesn’t a single punch from Spidey knock him out cold? And it’s on! Peter’s technical know-how is sufficient to defeat Cyclone in short order. I don’t believe for a second that this would have fooled anyone: Back in the USA, Peter is in for a shock. It’s a terrible decision and reeks of desperation. We’ll see how Gerry Conway handles this development in the next issue, but it looks like the Clone Saga is on a downward trajectory.
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