To the delight of little people and fans of Lord of the Rings everywhere, Pluto is now classified as a dwarf planet.

An article focusing on the angst
Scientists: Pluto not a planet

And a more balanced article
Pluto loses status as planet

On the one hand, I felt a little sick to my stomach after watching A Place in the Sun (1951). On the other, I knew I'd watched fine film making and acting. I won't try to do justice to this complex story. Basically, it follows a young man who makes poor decisions to fulfill his desires. But that's like saying a wedding is two people getting to know each other a little better.

Here are some of my reactions to the stars.

After the opening credits, when Montgomery Clift turned toward the camera, I said, "Oh...my...God." I can't imagine how women (or gay men) reacted.

Shelly Winters was a glamor pin-up girl, and persuaded the director she'd be perfect for this role by showing up early for the audition and sitting in a corner. The director didn't recognize her. In this scene, when she smiled, I immediately thought about Clift's character "You're going to break her heart, aren't you? You jerk."

For years I didn't get the supposed allure of Elizabeth Taylor. Now I do. In this scene, Taylor's looks turned me to butter.

Another film that I had previously seen, but forgotten, Duck Soup (1933) brims full of word play and almost diabolical sight gags. Where many comedians would be satisfied with simple slapstick, the Marx brothers will, in a single scene, keep layering joke after joke. Some are obvious, such as Harpo constantly cutting things with his scissors. Others are laugh-inducing sleights of hand. How many times did I have to pause, rewind and play in order to see just how the lemonade vendor's hat ends up in Harpo's or Chico's hands?

Out of the gate, Groucho drops a string of punning insults to the ever-present, under-appreciated Margaret Dumont.

Well, that covers a lot of ground. Say, you cover a lot of ground yourself. You better beat it - I hear they're going to tear you down and put up an office building where you're standing. You can leave in a taxi. If you can't get a taxi, you can leave in a huff. If that's too soon, you can leave in a minute and a huff. You know, you haven't stopped talking since I came here? You must have been vaccinated with a phonograph needle.

Groucho

Groucho and Margaret Dumont

The Four Marx Brothers. On the left is Zeppo, of whom Groucho once reputedly said, "Off camera, he was the funniest of us all."