I'm so unhappy about what's going on in the world right now. Let's talk about movies instead.

55. (1709.) The Tunnel (1935)
You'd think there'd be plenty of interesting in a fantasy story about the drilling of a transportation tunnel underneath the Atlantic Ocean connecting Great Britain and America, but it's mostly dull family drama created by the tunnel's workaholic drilling engineer and the family that gets tired of waiting for him. Bore-ing!

56. (1710.) Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)
Kirk Douglas chews scenery and whines about how great an actor he used to be in this double-edged screed against the way Hollywood treats its talent and the talent who deserve to be treated that way. (Actual quote: "Look at any movie theater. What's the audience doing there? Hiding in the dark, trading *their* problems for mine on the screen. Actors... what a job.") Everyone gets what's coming to them in the end... because it's a Hollywood movie. If there was even a drop of self-awareness in this, it might actually have been a great movie.

57. (1711.) Yojimbo (1961)
As much as I love A Fistful of Dollars, the Kurosawa samurai film that inspired it is actually better. I want to watch it again right now.

60. (1714.) Smarty (1934)
A manipulative slut (Joan Blondell) secretly wishes for a husband who can shut her sassy mouth with the back of his hand. I know I'm a bit of a prude, but I found the whole scenario unpleasant. Say what you will about the exploitation film craze of the 60s and 70s, but at least they were honest enough not to pretend they were romantic comedies.

63. (1717.) It's Always Fair Weather (1955)
This Gene Kelly/Stanley Donan musical is obviously trading on the success of the superior Singin' in the Rain, but that doesn't mean this is bad. It's got some pretty clever numbers in it, and the cynicism at its core feels more relatable than the Singin's bubbly love story. Worth a watch.

65. (1719.) The Man Who Never Was (1956)
A damn fine World War II counter espionage procedural inspired by real events. (The Brits create a fake person from a real corpse in order to confuse the Nazi's about plans for the invasion of Italy.) I hadn't intended to watch it, but once I started, I couldn't stop.

Yep. I feel better now.

More to come.

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