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.