Movies

Johnny Guitar (1954) A Joan Crawford film, by Donna's request. A surreal western which bears only passing resemblance to anything that might ever have occurred in the old west. Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge, her hate-blinded nemesis, with their short curly hairstyles and skin-tight dungarees are from the 1954 west of dude ranches and wood-sided station wagons. All the characters are two-dimensional but they are not two of our three dimensions, not both of them anyway. Each person has a unique neurotic focus, and the dialog seems to make sense but is skewed in a baffling manner, leaving a feeling as if you suddenly discovered they had been speaking Dutch all along and you hadn't really understood a word of it. Filmed with the Republic Trucolor process, a form of Technicolor, which really brings out the splendor of the Monument Valley locations. Crawford is costumed with burning splashes of pure color that dazzle the eye, not least of which is the scarlet lip-shape inhabiting the lower part of her face. Bizarre and surprising throughout, but it left me quite weary and irritable by the end. 8/10 for weirdness.

Just My Luck (1957) Norman Wisdom must overcome absurd obstacles and cause repeated havoc if he wishes to win a huge amount of money at the races. Amusing. 6/10