probably didn't give this the attention it deserves because of the kind of day I've been having, but it made me smile, which is what I needed. Betty Hutton lipsyncing to a basso voice made me scream.

I'm astonished at Kurosawa's versatility. While Ikiru didn't grab me quite like my last two watches from the director, Throne of Blood and Stray Dog, they are three completely different films, each incredible representatives of their respective genres. He always seems to know exactly where to put the camera for maximum effect; there are some truly striking tableaus here, my favorites being the dance clubs and music halls Watanabe visits during his nighttime odyssey. His two renditions of "Gondola no Uta" are a highlight.

(8/36 of my 6 x 6 challenge, 2/6 directed by Akira Kurosawa)

SOME of you act like the original is better just because it happens to have been directed by Billy Wilder....grow up!!! open your third eye and admit that Harrison Ford is hot and Humphrey Bogart is not

an arranged marriage? with young Cary Elwes? oh no what do