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<i>By Susan King, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer</i><br>
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held a 40th anniversary party Friday night to honor Stanley Kubrick's seminal sci-fi epic "2001: A Space Odyssey." Tom Hanks, whose career and interests were shaped by the film, hosted the evening. Star Keir Dullea and special-effects whiz Douglas Trumbull were also on hand after the screening to talk about the film.<br>
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Although it's considered a true masterwork, "2001: A Space Odyssey" wasn't nominated for a best film Oscar. The Academy Award for best film that year went to the lumpy musical "Oliver!" That's all the more surprising when you consider the bumper crop of outstanding films from which to choose. To mark the anniversary, we take a look at "2001" as well as other films that arrived in theaters in 1968:

2001

By Susan King, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held a 40th anniversary party Friday night to honor Stanley Kubrick's seminal sci-fi epic "2001: A Space Odyssey." Tom Hanks, whose career and interests were shaped by the film, hosted the evening. Star Keir Dullea and special-effects whiz Douglas Trumbull were also on hand after the screening to talk about the film.

Although it's considered a true masterwork, "2001: A Space Odyssey" wasn't nominated for a best film Oscar. The Academy Award for best film that year went to the lumpy musical "Oliver!" That's all the more surprising when you consider the bumper crop of outstanding films from which to choose. To mark the anniversary, we take a look at "2001" as well as other films that arrived in theaters in 1968: