u/GThunderhead

Blackout noir is a fun sub-genre. "Blackout" - known as "Murder by Proxy" in the UK - is one of the better examples of the form. 

A drunken American (Dane Clark) is approached by a British bombshell femme fatale (Belinda Lee) and ends up dumped at the house of an amateur artist (Eleanor Summerfield) with no memory of what happened after possibly committing murder and - worse - possibly getting married. 

An American in England - a stranger in a strange land - is a unique setting and scenario for this instantly engaging blackout noir. (Subtitles/Caption: Yes!)

Blackout Noir:

• Deadline at Dawn (1946)
• Black Angel (1946)
• Blind Spot (1947)
• Framed (1947)

Starring
Written
Produced
Directed
Distributed
by Timothy Carey

This appears in the credits, wildly encapsulating what a passion project "The World’s Greatest Sinner" was for Timothy Carey, who delivers the performance of a lifetime while simultaneously juggling almost every other aspect of the production.

Clarence Hilliard (the riveting Carey) is an unhappy insurance salesman who gets himself fired from his job, declares himself "God" Hilliard, starts the "Eternal Man" political party, and runs for President of the United States.

It's tempting to draw parallels to current politicians and events, but Carey's satirical scenario was likely just applicable to the 1960s and familiar to audiences then.

This is the epitome of a '60s gonzo counterculture cult film. A young Frank Zappa provided the soundtrack. (Zappa notoriously called it "the world's worst movie" on "The Steve Allen Show" in 1963.)

"The World’s Greatest Sinner" has a terrific setup, but there are long silences that grind the pacing to a halt despite its already short length (it's only 77 minutes), and the ending devolves into incomprehensible nonsense with no real payoff. At least the final scene is cool and looks striking. This feels like only half a film, but what a half! (Subtitles/Captions: Yes!)

"Miss Navajo" is a short documentary about a beauty pageant with an "edge." 

One of the categories: butchering a sheep. Warning: Yes, there is footage of it. What's shown isn't overly graphic, but seeing any of part of the process might understandably be too much for some viewers. It was too much for one of the contestants. However, sheep are sacred to the Navajo people. 

This isn't only about sheep, of course. It's also about several young women and a way of life that's becoming harder to preserve - specifically the Navajo language. 

"Linguists say that a language can be lost within 20 years. If a language is lost, a culture will be lost."

I wish we had gotten to know more about the women competing in the Miss Navajo pageant, but at only 50 minutes, there isn't enough time. 

I love documentaries because they transport me to another place and way of life. I am probably never going to step foot on a reservation and I am definitely never going to compete in a beauty pageant.