97/2529. Love and Monsters (2020)
This post-apocalyptic adventure film, in many ways gentle enough to be a kids movie, set my anxiety level to "full," mostly because the sidekick on the traditional hero's journey is a dog who clearly lost her mistress when the world ended. Note to producers: "uplifting" adventure movies shouldn't start this sad.

98/2530. My Darling Clementine (1946)
John Ford's classic interpretation of Wyatt Earp and the OK Corral has a couple of love stories grafted onto the protagonists, and neither feels particularly organic, especially while Utah's Monument Valley is filling in for Tombstone, Arizona, two locations that look nothing alike. The story of the most famous shootout in history has been told much better in films since.

99/2531. So Long at the Fair (1950)
Less a mystery story than a gothic horror, this overly-long Twilight Zone episode succeeds at atmosphere, but golly, the sudden stop at the end is painful.

100/2532. The Lost World (1925)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself introduces this silent precursor to the genre of stop-motion monster adventure films that will eventually give us King Kong and Ray Harryhausen. Like all adaptations of the source material I've seen, it's dull in the middle.

101/2533. Winter Kills (1979)
It's not immediately clear that this conspiracy theory thriller is intended as a satire of its genre until after the first reel, and I still can't decide if that's madness or genius. In either case, a better director and cinematographer (and much bigger budget) could have made a cinema classic here instead of just a bonkers B-movie.

102/2534. The Harvey Girls (1946)
TCM loves to play this movie, and now I get why. It's bubbly, and Judy Garland is great. I'm glad I watched it.

103/2535. Forty Naughty Girls (1937)
The last Hildegard Withers mystery movie from RKO, and for very good reason. Edna May Oliver is sorely missed in the title role, as ZaSu Pitts' Withers is dull and clumsy, completely unworthy of the audience's sympathy. Blech.

More to come.

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To be continued...

 

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