Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Finding a movie as good as Godzilla Minus One (2023) on Netflix makes my subscription worthwhile. Spectacular! Why do I love sci fi monster movies so much? This one definitely lands in my top 10 favorites in that subgenre.

Watch it as soon as you can! This moving human drama plays out during a monster battle that devastates a war weary Japan. Great writing, great effects, compelling acting, involving story. Two thumbs way up!

North by Northwest (1959)

Rewatching a favorite gives me a boost. Cary Grant delivers a fabulous performance: "Why are you so good to me?" The entire cast excels. Always highly recommended.

The Lady with a Lamp (1951)

No. 112. This bio-pic about Florence Nightingale features Brit Anna Neagle. Hard to watch government types ignoring sanitation and health requirements of soldiers because they didn't want to spend money on people. So much resonance with today's situation. Sad. Nightingale advocated air ventilation in sick rooms and hospitals back in 1855. Humans are so slow to change!

The More the Merrier (1943)

No. 111 stars Jean Arthur, who I really like -- she makes the most amazing nonlinguistic sounds. But this WWII movie is racist classist misogynistic etc etc. It's hard to fall in love with any character in a romance movie when they are plopped into 1943 US society ... Also starring Joel McCrea and Charles Coburn.

Foreign Correspondent (1940)

Alfred Hitchcock directed this propaganda espionage thriller filmed at the beginning of WW II. Had to watch in three parts as it's quite intense and almost nonstop. Despite the propaganda, I give it thumbs up. Joel McCrea is a hunk! 

The Lost Moment (1947)

No. 109 Starring Robert Cummings; Susan Hayward; and an unrecognizable Agnes Moorhead under many layers of ancient-lady makeup. This goth melodrama romance features the plot of a really really slow heist -- who will get the letters? Where are the letters? Offbeat but kind of enjoyable. At one point I thought, this movie has to end in fire, right? And ... spoiler: it does, but not quite in the usual way. It's based on a Henry James novella. A lot of the gothic tropes are not used or explored in the expected ways ... which I found interesting. But overall the extreme melodrama was laughable at times.

Roman Holiday (1953)

No. 108 stars Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and the city of Rome. While it runs a little slowly in the first half, the second half delights. Costumes by Edith Head are a true highlight.

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Another train movie! This Hitchcock film was A+ and so much train action. The star Margaret Lockwood is great. All the gents are cads in this movie though ... Sigh.

The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960)

No. 106. This comedy-war picture stars Jack Lemmon and Ricky Nelson. There was not enough "wacky" for my taste. And there was definitely too much underwater photography -- the filmmakers were obviously in love with some new technology! Too many tragic war scenes dampened any enjoyment of the comedic elements ... Not recommended.

Borrowed Wives (1930)

No. 105. Borrowed Wives (1930): odd, mediocre comedy that felt like the script was being written as they were filming. Thank goodness it was short! 1 hr 2 mins. A mountain lion is included for some unfathomable reason. Not recommended.

A Night to Remember (1942)

No. 104. This romp stars Loretta Young: it's a madcap comedy smashed together with a murder mystery-thriller. I'm not sure I like that genre: murder isn't funny to me ...

She is so beautiful that I want to like every movie she's in, but I couldn't like this one: so murdery.

The Great Train Robbery (1978)

No. 103. This flick starring Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland is "amiable enough," as one critic wrote, but this Michael Crichton project suffered from too much laborious dialogue and the common use and abuse of the woman co-star as a sex object. Not recommended.

 

The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)

No. 102: British disaster flick that is a paragon of the genre. The Cold War fear was intense. Actors are all fabulous. Effects are gritty and realistic.