Coming up on Saturday at the Described Movies: 2001: A Space Odyssey and Viva Las Vegas.

From this Saturday at 12am Eastern, that’s 4pm Saturday in NZ, 2pm in Sydney and 5am in the UK, and repeated every four hours throughout the day, it’s the described movies 2001: A Space Odyssey from 1968 and Viva Las Vegas from 1964.
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick.
The screenplay was written by Kubrick and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke and was inspired by Clarke's 1951 short story " The Sentinel" and other short stories by Clarke.
Clarke also developed a novelisation of the film, which was released after the film's release, and in part written concurrently with the screenplay.
The film stars Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, and Douglas Rain, and follows a voyage to Jupiter with the sentient supercomputer HAL after the discovery of an alien monolith.
The film is noted for its scientifically accurate depiction of space flight, pioneering special effects, and ambiguous imagery.
Kubrick avoided conventional cinematic and narrative techniques; dialogue is used sparingly, and there are long sequences accompanied only by music.
The soundtrack incorporates numerous works of classical music, by composers including Richard Strauss, Johann Strauss II, Aram Khachaturian, and György Ligeti.
The film received diverse critical responses, ranging from those who saw it as darkly apocalyptic to those who saw it as an optimistic reappraisal of the hopes of humanity.
Critics noted its exploration of themes such as existentialism, human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life.
It was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning Kubrick the award for his direction of the visual effects.
The film is now widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made.
In 1991, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick.
Screenplay by: Stanley Kubrick , and Arthur C. Clarke.
Produced by: Stanley Kubrick.
Starring: Keir Dullea, and Gary Lockwood.
Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth.
Edited by: Ray Lovejoy.
Production Company: Stanley Kubrick Productions.
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Release dates: 2 April 1968 ( Uptown Theatre), 3 April 1968 (United States), and 15 May 1968 (United Kingdom).
File Length : 148 minutes.
Countries: United Kingdom , and United States.
Language: English.
Budget: $10.5 million.
Box office: $146 million.
Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American musical film directed by George Sidney and starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret.
Lucky Jackson arrives in town with his car literally in tow ready for the first Las Vegas Grand Prix - once he has the money to buy an engine.
He gets the cash easily enough but mislays it when the pretty swimming pool manageress takes his mind off things.
It seems he will lose both race and girl, problems made more difficult by rivalry from Elmo Mancini, fellow racer, and womaniser.
Perhaps some singing will help.
The film is regarded by fans and film critics as one of Presley's best films, and it is noted for the on-screen chemistry between Presley and Ann-Margret.
It also presents a strong set of ten musical song-and-dance scenes choreographed by David Winters and features his dancers.
Viva Las Vegas was a hit at film theatres, as it was #14 on the Variety year-end box-office list of the top-grossing films of 1964.
Directed by: George Sidney.
Written by: Sally Benson.
Produced by: Jack Cummings, and George Sidney.
Starring: Elvis Presley, and Ann-Margret.
Cinematography: Joseph F. Biroc.
Edited by: John McSweeney, Jr.
Music by: George E. Stoll.
Production Company: Jack Cummings Productions.
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Release date: 20 May 1964.
File Length: 85 minutes.
Country: United States.
Language: English.
Box office: $9,442,967.
Any questions, comments, or ideas for future described movies: e-mail me: anthony at mushroomfm dot com (e-mail address written that way to cut down on
spam)
Enjoy the movies,