Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953) - Card game

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Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953, France, Tati)

How dry can you make slapstick comedy before it’s not even funny any more?  Jacques Tati balances the edge, like an android experimenting with “this thing you humans call comedy”.  Watched it all.

Titanic (1953, USA, Negulesco)

So the appeal of Titanic movies is, what, that you know it will Sink Tragically in the end, so you’re willing to put up with unremarkable drama while you wait?  Ending a story with “but suddenly there was a disaster and almost everyone died” is usually seen as a cheat.  Titanic movies get a free pass from that.  I object!  Watched: 5 minutes.

Project Moonbase (1953, USA)

I believe I detect the Heinleinian touches here both in the revelation that future America has a female president, and in the scene where the general threatens to give the female colonel a spanking if she doesn’t stop sulking and obey his orders.  He was a funny old man that way.  Watched it all – with MST3K commentary.

The Clown (1953, USA)

Crusty the Clown is all washed up.  He drinks, gets into fights, and it’s only thanks to his young friend Bart that he eventually lands a job in television.  Watched: 12 minutes.