So Proudly We Hail! (1943)

Big cast -- Colbert, Goddard, Lake -- about nurses in WW 2. War movies made during war years are harsh and difficult to watch. Veronica Lake's character is so sad: I wanted to cry every time she spoke. I had to watch this 2.5 hr film in segments ... Too intense. And the bombing scenes were nightmarish. War is hell.

Mirage (1965)

Warning: this neo-noir thriller boasts a high body count. A rather typical American gun movie smashed together with an amnesia victim's existential crisis, this mid-60s flick kept me interested. Gregory Peck is appealingly flummoxed by the mess he's in while trying to figure out what he's done to make so many people want to kill him. The supporting cast is star-studded, and the plot moves along at a pretty good pace, but I found the set pieces a little repetitive: for example, he really only needed to visit the consulting psychiatrist once. Although this movie was filled with gaslighting, which I DESPISE, I'll give it a thumbs up. 

The Third Man (1949)

Five stars out of 5! The filmmaker's skill and craft really impress in this British production of a Graham Greene story/screenplay. Mostly these reviews are meant to be short, so I'll simply say: watch it, you will be mesmerized. The Vienna setting is harsh and memorable: filming in a bombed out city was a brave choice. And really the only choice for this movie.

Joseph Cotten gets everything exactly right. No spoilers ...