Went to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens

[Orrex]

9. You must understand that your post has the distinct air of hipsterism

Given your fondness for golden age scifi, I'm surprised that the appeal of space opera is lost on you.

Twelve Monkeys was indeed excellent, and I've seen it many times. Probably the most interesting exploration of time travel thus far committed to film.

Your complaints about 2001 are rather pedestrian, though, on par with the petty but perennial complaint that explosions don't make noise in space. At the time of the film, the ape costumes were the pinnacle of makeup technology, and it's worth bearing that in mind. The simulation of zero-G is at least as good as any attempt since then, including Apollo 13 where they actually filmed scenes aboard a vomit comet.

I've read The Sentinel, and it's among Clarke's best works. Vastly superior to his novelization of the film, by the way.