great straight-foward movies:
Casablanca
Godfather
Spactacus
12 Angry Men
The OT
great straight-foward works of art
Mona Lisa
The Last Supper
The Frescos of the Sistine Chapel
The Statue of David
now, this is not to criticize 2001, I'm just trying to say that you need not make a piece or art abstact,open ended, and/or ambigous to make it great.