What I've been watching

I watched the first season of Jessica Jones a while back.  The idea of people with super powers not fitting in with the superhero types (i.e. Batman and Superman) is interesting.  It's a little darker than what I normally watch, but the acting is good, and I love David Tennant.  His performance as Kilgrave is excellent, although the rest of the cast is good.  David's time with the show is done so I probably won't continue watching it.

I finished the first season of Hercules:  The Lengendary Journeys.  Admittedly the show can be a little cheesy, but that isn't unusual for shows from the 80s and early 90s, and Kevin Sorbo is likable.  I like Greek and Roman mythology, so the concept of a Greek demi-god helping people is interesting.

I'm almost finished rewatching the first season of Murder, She Wrote.  This is a favorite show from the 80s.  Angela Lansbury has a lot of class.  The show was filmed in Northern California coastal area (Mendocino), which is not too far from San Francisco, and the setting is pretty.

Debbie Reynolds

I was saddened to hear about Debbie Reynolds passing, and so soon after her daughter passed away.

I especially love Singin' in the Rain.

I enjoy Tammy and the Bachelor tremendously also; the song Tammy is pretty.  RIP.

Carrie Fisher

I was saddened to hear of Carrie Fisher's passing.  I loved her in her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies.

Carrie Fisher

Christmas wishes

The Holidays

The Christmas season is here, and I did some Christmasy-type stuff last weekend.

I went to the annual Christmas play at Anaheim Baptist Fellowship on December 3.  This is the second year I have gone to this production and I enjoy it tremendously.

I went to the Banning House's annual Victorian Christmas on December 4.  I hadn't been to the Banning House in a while, so this was fun.  I didn't stand in any lines, I just walked around looking.

 

I love the gardens.

And the park next to the house is pretty.

Fantastic Beasts and How to Find Them

Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is completing a project to find and document magical creatures.  Things become complicated when he arrives in New York, runs into a Muggle (or No-Maj in America) named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Folger), and some of the Fantastic Beasts escape from Newt’s magical case.

Newt discovers that the New Salem Philanthropic Society has an agenda to find and kill witches and wizards, and that a secret group, the Magical Congress of the United States of America, wants to keep the magical world secret.  With the help of Jacob and two magical sisters, Portentina “Tina” (Katherine Waterston) and Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol), Newt prevents the wizarding world from being exposed.

This is a fun movie.  I like the setting, the 1920s, and I like the references to Hogwarts before Harry Potter’s time.  Fantastic Beasts and How to Find Them is first referenced in the Harry Potter books as a textbook written by Newt Scamander that belongs to Harry, and I like origin stories.  The cast does a good job in their roles, and the interaction between the main characters (Redmayne, Folger, Waterston and Sudol) is entertaining.  The special effects are well done and the creatures are interesting.  I would recommend this movie.

Rocketship Park

I visited a park in my area recently.  It's a pretty place.

Happy Thanksgiving

Dr. Stange

Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), an arrogant, self-centered neurosurgeon, is in a life-changing car accident that results in him losing the use of his hands.  When traditional treatment doesn’t help, he searches for healing outside of traditional medicine after hearing about a paraplegic, Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt), who can walk again.

Dr. Strange travels to Tibet, where he meets the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), and under her guidance learns about magic, alternate dimensions and the astral plane.  Dr. Strange ultimately has to decide whether to use what he learns for his own benefit or for the greater good when confronted with a sorcerer, Kaecillus (Mads Mikkelsen), who has his own agenda.

This is an enjoyable movie, and Cumberbatch’s performance is a big reason.  He captures the personality of an egotistical individual learning it’s not all about him well.  Tilda Swinton does as excellent job in her role as the Ancient One who has taken on the task of helping her student realize he must overcome his arrogance, although the whole cast contributes to the film with strong performances.  The special effects are well done and imaginative also.   Dr. Strange is worth seeing.

A Pumpkin Patch

I visited a pumpkin patch recently.  I like autumn-Although it has been so hot the last couple of days it doesn't feel like autumn.

A cute scarecrow.

And some pumpkins.

Out and About - The Marina

I walked around the Marina in Long Beach recently.

I like the ocean, so I was glad to get the chance to be here.

Pretty flowers

I was out on one of my walks and these these pretty flowers.

Flowers

Some pretty flowers I saw when I was out walking.

Autumn Photos

Lovely pictures from Booknvolume.

Autumn

The Fashion Industry

Some thoughts about the fashion industry from Kristen Lamb's blog...Good stuff.

The Fashion Industry

Gene Wilder

I was saddened to hear about Gene Wilder's passing.

I liked all of his movies, but my favorites were Young Frankenstein and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

I enjoyed the movies he and Gilda Radner did together also.

Suicide Squad

In Suicide Squad, U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) assembles a group of dangerous supervillains to fight a mysterious enemy.

Suicide Squad is an okay, not great, movie.  The acting is good.  The performances of Will Smith as Deadshot, Joel Kinnamin as Rick Flag and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in particular are enjoyable.  Jared Leto is good as the Joker; however, I prefer Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson,  That isn't a reflection on Leto as an actor; it's a matter of preference.  The movie in general isn’t especially impressive.  Making criminals do the government’s dirty work is an interesting concept, and there is plenty of action, but it doesn’t work here, largely because of the weak plot. I like the Batman cameo, although it doesn't make much difference in the overall storyline.

I read the comic book in the late 80s-early 90s, and I don’t recall Harley Quinn being with the Suicide Squad, and I don’t remember them dealing with Batman, at least not often.  He may have made a few appearances, but he wasn’t the focus of the comic.  I don’t recall them dealing with Joker either, although again there may have been a few references.  Admittedly it has been a while since I have read the stories, and I do realize movies based on books or comic books will be different.

I liked, didn’t love Suicide Squad, and it’s not a movie I care about seeing again.

Star Trek Beyond

In Star Trek Beyond, the Enterprise is attacked and forced to crash-land on a mysterious planet.  Their attacker, Krall, needs an ancient artifact that is on the damaged starship.  The Enterprise crew is left stranded and must battle an alien race while trying to escape from a hostile world.

I don’t consider myself a Trekkie, but I enjoy the Star Trek franchise.  Of course I like the original series, and I like Star Trek:  The Next Generation and Star Trek:  Enterprise (ENT is my favorite).  I’m honestly not very familiar with Deep Space Nine or Voyager.  The latest movie installment is good.  The interaction between Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Bones (Karl Urban) is funny.  The dialogue between Spock and Bones is especially amusing, and the rest of the cast does a good job with their roles.

Overall Star Trek Beyond is an entertaining movie with a lot of action, and it’s good to see the crew work together to figure out how to get out of their predicament. 

The Hawk

Saw this guy at a park nearby recently.  There seem to be a lot of hawks hanging out in this area.

Happy 4th of July

Pretty ducks

We had some visitors in the courtyard outside the church classrooms this last Sunday.

This guy was walking around checking things out but he got a little nervous when people started walking through the courtyard to go to class.

This one decided he was going to stay put.  It has been hot, so this was probably a good spot for him to stay cool.

Mars opposition

Here is a website with some pictures of the Mars opposition this weekend

HERE

Some cool movies

I revisited some wonderful old movies that I hadn't seen for some time.  Making movies was an art in the early days of the movie industry, and although there are some newer movies that are good, the best movies are the older ones.

Breakfast At Tiffany's

Based on Truman Capote’s novel, the plot of Breakfast At Tiffany’s concerns a young woman, Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) who meets a young man, Paul Varjak (George Peppard) when he moves into her apartment building.  Paul wants to be a writer and is with an older woman known as “2-E” (Patricia Neal) and Holly has aspirations of marrying a rich older man.  Holly and Paul proceed to fall in love.

Audrey Hepburn's performance is what I like best about Breakfast At Tiffany's, although there are many good things about the movie.  A woman attempting to find a rich man to marry and reinvent herself is an interesting idea to work with, and Holly’s attempts to be a “high society” type are amusing and touching.  The chemistry between Ms. Hepburn's character and Peppard's character is good, and Ms. Neal’s performance is excellent.  The theme song (Moon River) is pretty, and Ms. Hepburn had a good voice.

Sunset Boulevard

In this film, an aging film star, Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) refuses to accept she is past her prime.  She hires a young screenwriter, Joe Gillis (William Holden) to help her make her movie comeback.  Joe moves into Norma’s mansion at her insistence.  He becomes resentful of his dependent circumstances, and he tries to manipulate Norma but fails.  Joe’s mixed feelings about their relationship and Norma’s inability to face reality lead to a very ugly situation, complete with lies, conniving and unfulfilled dreams. 

Gloria Swanson is outstanding in her role as the demanding, overbearing and ultimately mentally unstable and murderous former film star.  The way the movie begins with a dead body floating in a pool and then goes on to fill in the details with Joe Gillis narrating is interesting, although backstory won't always work.  It is engaging in this case however.  William Holden’s performance is great and Erich von Stroheim as Ms. Desmond's butler (and former husband who can’t live without her) Max is excellent also.

  

All About Eve

An aspiring actress, Eve Harrington (Ann Baxter) waits backstage to meet aging Broadway star Margo Channing (Bette Davis).  Ms. Baxter appears sincere at first, but it becomes obvious that she is just using Ms. Channing to establish her own career.

Bette Davis is excellent in her role, but it is Ann Baxter's performance as the conniving assistant that kept my attention the most.  She is extremely manipulative and has an agenda (to make it as an actress).  However, things catch up with her when she in turn is manipulated by film critic Addison DeWitt (George Sanders, outstanding in this role). Things come full circle when Ms. Harrington meets a young woman, Phoebe, (Barbara Bates) who plans to do to her what Ms. Harrington did to Margo Channing.

Around The World In 80 Days

Phileas Fogg (David Niven) bets fellow gentleman’s club members 20,000 pounds that he can go around the world in 80 days.  His assistant Passepartout (Cantinflas) goes along and gets into some comical situations during the trip.

Fogg is suspected of stealing money from a bank, and Police Inspector Fix (Robert Newton) waits for a warrant so he can arrest Fogg in the British ports they visit.  This makes for some amusing moments.

This is an entertaining movie, based on the book by Jules Verne, and although I do like it, I prefer the book (which admittedly I read a long time ago and need to read again).  That will usually be the case though.  It can be difficult to make a film based on a book for a number of reasons.  I do like the Victorian era setting, the scenery is pretty, and I enjoy David Niven's performance. 

Captain America: Civil War

I went to see Captain America:  Civil War, and the movie is very enjoyable.  There is some pretty intense action, but there is enough humor to lighten the tense moments.  The interaction between the cast is well done and believable. I love Spiderman's character, and as always, Robert Downey is delightful as Iron Man.

When the government pressures the Avengers into an accountability system overseen by the UN after events lead to the death of several people, the team is divided.  Captain America thinks the government shouldn’t interfere, and Iron Man thinks there should be government regulation.

The issues are presented in an intelligent way; I can understand where both sides are coming from, and the plot comes together with Cap and Iron Man working to solve the actual problem.  The plot can be confusing if you haven't seen Captain America: Winter Soldier or Avengers: The Age of Ultron, and there are a lot of characters to keep up with.  However, those are minor issues.

Movies in a franchise don't always stay interesting or entertaining, but that isn't the case with Captain America:  Civil War. 

Pretty plants and flowers

Spring

I saw this pretty flower when I was out for a walk and was reminded it is now spring.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

I went to see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and for the most part I liked it.  The story begins after the events and battle with General Zod in Man of Steel make Superman a controversial character.   Bruce Wayne sees Superman as a threat, and Clark Kent decides to expose Batman by publishing articles in the Daily Planet.  Lex Luther uses the resulting mistrust between Batman and Superman to manipulate them into a battle, hoping to destroy them both.

There is certainly a lot of action. The big battle at the end is impressive and the special effects are well done.  Ben Affleck did a better job with the Batman character than I expected.  I'm not a big Ben Affleck fan, but that is a matter of personal preference.  I like Alfred's character and the interaction between him and Bruce/Batman. Jeremy Irons does a good job with all of his characters though.  I also like Lois Lane's (Amy Adams) character, and the interaction between her and Clark/Superman is well done.

However, the way the beginning of the movie goes from Gotham to Metropolis to the Indian Ocean is somewhat confusing.  I like the Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) character, but was confused about how she fit into the story (other than to help out in the big bad battle at the end) too.  It is probably a matter of trying to put too much information into a two or two and a half hour movie.

Overall, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a good, not great, movie.  I may opt to just wait for any future Batman/Superman films to come out on DVD.

Avatar

I re-watched Avatar for the first time since seeing it shortly after the movie was released in 2009.  

The story follows the experiences of a paraplegic marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who takes the place of his murdered brother in a mission on the distant world of Pandora.  His job is to win the trust of the native Na’vi and convince them to relocate so that a valuable ore in their forest can be mined by greedy corporate types.  Humans can’t breathe the air on Pandora, so they have to have to use an Avatar (a remote control alien body) to survive. Things become complicated when Jake falls in love with a Na’vi woman, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana).   

The special effects are impressive, particularly the Pandora mountain and forest scenes. The battle at the end where the bad guys get their behinds kicked is well done.  The movie is worth watching for these elements.  

Sigourney Weaver (Grace Augustine) and Worthington do a good job with their characters.   I like the interaction between Jake and Neytiri and the other Na'vi (specifically Omaticaya clan) people.

The overall plot isn't earthshaking.  The themes aren’t new; there are other movies about natives being driven from their land.  I see elements of Dances With Wolves, Aliens, Terminator, a few other Sci-Fi movies, and other movies critical of military-type activity here.  

In general, Avatar is enjoyable, but as is the case with many movies, is overrated.