Well, here we are. It's the final episode of Crash Course Film Criticism and we're going to chat about one of the more polarizing films ever made: Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. On the surface, 2001 tells the story of human history as related to technology and some kind of alien influence. But, if we go deeper, there's a lot to this film about evolution and how technology might spell our end... or at least our change. Join Michael Aranda one more time for this great Science Fiction masterpiece.

Some films are about war, some films are about kids, but some films are about kids during a time of war. Even more upsetting are films about kids who participate in war. Beasts of No Nation tells the story of Agu, a child forced into serving in a war in Africa and it is both upsetting and compassionate. In this episode of Crash Course Film Criticism, Michael Aranda talks to us about the craft of filmmaking in Cary Fukunaga's "Beasts of No Nation."

Moonlight is a hard-edged yet beautifully made story about a black American dealing with his sexuality in a sometimes unforgiving and violent world. Its director, Barry Jenkins, uses every trick in the filmmaking book to put us in the perspective of the main character, Chiron. It's an amazing accomplishment, as Michael Aranda talks about in this episode of Crash Course Film Criticism.

During our Film History and Production series, we talked about how Film is an "Illusion of Reality." That filmmakers use shots, cuts, and narrative structure to trick us into believing what we're seeing. But, what happens when that Illusion of Reality is an Illusion of Actual Reality? Otto Bell's "The Eagle Huntress" is a feel good, enchanting, and powerful hero's journey. But its characters are real. It's a documentary. And, as good as the film is, it's not without appropriate criticisms. In this episode of Crash Course Film Criticism, we take a look at a documentary that's as moving as any narrative fiction film.

Movies are really good at making us feel. Happy, sad, excited, etc... Part of that is because they use so many different types of media all at once. Photography, music, performance, and editing all play into their ability to communicate ideas and make us feel emotions. And Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Three Colors: Blue" is a master class this.

Steven Soderbergh is known as much for his Oscar winning tense dramas as he is retiring... then not retiring. He was a part of the indy revolution in the 1980s and 90s that helped usher in a new case of writers and directors who didn't play by the rules of the Hollywood system. He's also known for making quirky and emotionally potent small films. In this episode of Crash Course Film Criticism, we'll look at one of his smaller films. It's called The Limey and it's about a British lifetime criminal seeking revenge for the death of his daughter.

In 2006, a movie took on authoritarianism and the violent aftershocks of the Spanish Civil War—all through the eyes of an innocent young girl and the fairy tale world she discovers in the woods. Pan's Labyrinth is both a beautifully crafted fairy tale, and harrowing R rated adventure film. In this episode of Crash Course Film Criticism, Michael Aranda talks us through Guillermo Del Toro's film, Pan's Labyrinth.

Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" is a different kind of war movie. It's a multi-genre film that maybe says more about human psychology than it does about war. In this episode of Crash Course Film Criticism, Michael Aranda takes us on a trip through the Vietnam War through the eyes of a director at the end of his rope.