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Goddamn, Punishment Room was fantastic. I'm shocked it doesn't have a larger Western fanbase. The film's a jazz-filled, two-fisted story of passionate, self-destructive youth with an incredible lead. It deals with a really dark subject matter (date rape) in a very straightforward, blunt manner that I'm not used to in its Western contemporaries. I had to get it off eBay but it was absolutely worth it if you can track down a copy.
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Nov 27, 2018 04:17
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quote:Dirty Harry Dirty Harry wears it's fascism so on its sleeve that it practically parodies their mindset. Harry Calahan is supposed to be veteran homicide detective yet has no concept of the rules of evidence (his incredulity in the DA's office is especially hilarious) and throws the presumption of innocence completely out the window (it gets away with it by making the villain an over-the-top psychopath who the audience knows is guilty from the opening sequence). It appeals to a dark sentiment that we may all share: wouldn't it be nice if we could just take all the evil people out back and shoot them? Sure, but who/what is evil? Scorpio was and he got what was coming to him. Don't we all wish the real world was that simple and obvious. Why does our justice system seem to go out of its way to protect the guilty? Surely not because the police occasionally make mistakes and target the innocent. It is like a desperate plea for a "just world" that everyone knows deep down, and some can't admit, doesn't exist. quote:The Long Goodbye A criminally under-esteemed movie. Your observations about Marlowe's anachronism are on point. Although he does have clever one liners, he directs them to himself because no one else is listening. "I'm from another time," a seemingly throw-away line made in the police station sums it up perfectly. It's a movie about the degradation of Hollywood. Some trivia: Arnold Schwarzenegger has an uncredited appearance in Marty Augustine's office and its principle screenwriter, Leigh Brackett, also wrote "The Big Sleep" and contributed to "The Empire Strikes Back". Also the ending (and much of plot for that matter) was significantly altered from the the original novel and, at the time, the idea that Phillip Marlowe would gun someone down in cold blood was uproarious. To add to the list of must watch movies, "Chinatown". The film by which all neo-noir must be judged. One can get used to the twisted plots and subverted expectations of human decency that characterize the genre, but "Chinatown" takes the darkness to its most extreme conclusion. "You see, Mister Gittes, most men never have to face the fact that, at the right time, they're capable of anything."
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Nov 28, 2018 04:07
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Samuel Clemens posted:incapable of delivering a witty one-liner. Say what now
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Nov 28, 2018 07:03
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Odd Man Out The opening disclaimer indicates how controversial a subject matter this must have been for a British film in 1947. Consequently, the screenplay mostly eschews real-life parallels. The IRA is never mentioned by name (only ever referred to as 'the organisation'), and we don't hear much about the political and religious background informing the conflict. With a few minor adjustments, this could have easily worked as a story about a gang of robbers. The lack of commitment becomes especially apparent in the second half, where the film obviously tries to say something about the nature of violence and redemption; ideas that fall flat because we can't link them to anything concrete. Was Johnny wrong to act the way he did? Hard to say when we don't even know why he did it. What works much better is the cinematography. Reed is perhaps the most overtly expressionistic of all noir directors, and while Odd Man Out isn't quite as dreamlike as his later masterpiece The Third Man, there are plenty of bold stylistic choices even outside of the occasional hallucinatory sequence. Showing the slow progression from sunny day to snowy night as a means of mirroring the character's journey is a brilliant touch as well. Pépé le Moko I'm torn on this one. One the one hand, I do like that they didn't try to sanitise Pépé too much. He's not the archetypical gentleman thief you'd expect from this kind of story. While he can be charming and generous if he wants to, he's also pretty quick to drop that facade and show a much more brutal side if things don't go his way. On the other hand, I feel like this approach also limits the film's appeal. This kind of story works best when you either root for the outlaw or are amused by the proceedings. It's hard to sympathise with Pépé, and there's honestly not much going on besides watching him flirt and shout. Most of the running time involves the polices' inept schemes to capture Pépé, schemes we know are doomed to fail, because it's established very early on that the inspector will be the one to finally make the arrest. The real star in the film is the Casbah itself, which manages to look both mysteriously alluring and uncomfortably cramped. Pickup on South Street Pretty drat nasty for 1953, perhaps even more so than the better-known The Big Heat. The men are brutal at best and outright murderers at worst, and the few kind characters suffer constant abuse. I'm actually surprised the Hays code didn't object to the ending in which our anti-heroic pickpocket walks off scot-free. Perhaps the film's almost comically rabid anti-communism sentiment allowed it to get away with a few more questionable elements than the average noir. Incidentally, aside from being a great crime film, this is also an fascinating time capsule of an era where the very mention of 'reds' drives even the most hardened criminals into a patriotic frenzy. They may all be scum, but they're American scum. Port of Shadows Stop me if you've heard this one before: Jean Gabin plays a brooding loner whose tough exterior hides a sensitive soul. He falls in love with a woman who reawakens his gentler side, but fate conspires against them and the whole affair ends tragically. I like the guy as much as anyone does, but watching him embody the same basic character in three films in a row does get tiring. At least he gets to square off against Michel Simon this time, who plays a more sinister take on his role in La chienne. On top of that, Michèle Morgan is lovely and so are the images of Le Havre trapped in what seems to be eternal fog. DeimosRising posted:Say what now "I even lost my cat," is a pretty good one, I'll give him that.
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Nov 30, 2018 23:43
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Since we don’t have a noir thread, I’m just going to let this be the all-year noir thread, you filthy animals.
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Dec 2, 2018 17:43
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None More Black: Twenty-Noirnteen Now that this is the general noir thread, does anyone have any suggestions for podcasts about noir? I really loved Investigating Film Noir: Out of the Past but it was a limited run and a bit unrefined.
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Dec 2, 2018 19:18
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Nroo posted:White Heat was more of a gangster/heist film than anything, but its darkness in its look, story, and character relationships was unmistakably noir. Watched The Woman in the Window last week. Most of Fritz Lang's output in his Hollywood years was very subpar compared to his German output, but this was one of a few exceptions. Pretty good thriller with Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett. The ending is love-it-or-hate-it, but at least you won't see it coming. Scarlet Street is the other Lang/Robinson/Bennett combo. It's a finely crafted film that will appeal to a lot of people, personally I had trouble getting into the plot. Oh, I watched Touchez pas au Grisbi a couple weeks ago. Yes, it's definitely A Misogynist French Gangster Jean Gabin Film, so if you're predisposed against that, won't be for you. If you don't mind, it's quite chic and often entertaining. Skwirl posted:No Way Out (1950, not the Kevin Costner film they made a joke about on Family guy) KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Dec 4, 2018 |
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Dec 4, 2018 01:50
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KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:I was really puzzled by the high IMDB rating for White Heat. I found it very by-the-numbers and tiring. There were a few good shots but overall one of the films noir I enjoyed the least. Jimmy Cagney just absolutely plays it to the hilt, and is so ruthless and cold, I love it.
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Dec 4, 2018 20:08
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poo poo. I just saw Night of the Hunter last night. What a shame that Laughton never directed again. We're all poorer for it.
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Dec 5, 2018 14:07
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I love every Laughton performance I've seen – one of my favorite actors, and I've been putting that off for a while. Maybe it's time.
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Dec 5, 2018 22:33
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quote:Haven't seen No Way Out, but In the Heat of the Night, while debatably noir, is loving amazing, if you haven't seen it yet drop everything. Both are must see. MightyJoe36 fucked around with this message at 19:05 on Dec 7, 2018 |
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Dec 7, 2018 19:03
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Cat Army
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Apr 8, 2019 18:05
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 That's a great selection. The Burglar and The Lineup are fantastic underrated late '50s noirs.
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Apr 8, 2019 18:24
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I haven’t seen or heard of any of those, but I like that Experiment in Terror is the only one over 91 minutes.
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Apr 8, 2019 18:57
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FYI, in addition to the Columbia noirs, they also have Detour, Mildred Pierce, Odd Man Out, Brute Force, and The Naked City.
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Apr 9, 2019 00:20
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My Name Is Julia Ross is pretty much a proto-Shutter Island, with (spoilers for Shutter Island incoming) the main character being put in a scenario to challenge their sanity. In this flick, a woman named Julia Ross signs up for a job taking care of a woman on a house on a remote island. She wakes up to find her new employers claim that she's actually the woman's daughter-in-law, married to her son, and she is not allowed to leave the property because she is mentally unwell, believes herself to be someone named Julia Ross, and is a danger to the family and herself. She must find out if she is who she thinks she is, and if she can find away to escape the family, before they can fulfill whatever they are planning. I like the premise once it gets going, but even at 1 hour 5 minutes, the opening drags before it gets to the meat of the story. The acting is kinda bland, none of the characters are remotely memorable, but the suspense is still effective, and the cinematography and camera work is good.
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Apr 9, 2019 12:23
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Egbert Souse posted:FYI, in addition to the Columbia noirs, they also have Detour, Mildred Pierce, Odd Man Out, Brute Force, and The Naked City. Detour is absolutely wonderful.
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Apr 9, 2019 14:10
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Went through the Columbia Noir. I already had watched The Big Heat, Nightfall, The Lineup, and Murder by Contract. Out of these I would say that The Lineup and Murder by Contract are essential viewings. The first one cause Elli Wallach rules, and the second because it's a Scorsese film made in the 50's. Here's some brief reviews of the rest that were all first time views. My Name Is Julia Ross low-budget and starless Gaslight by way of Hitchcock. Solid little thriller that doesn't waste time, nor has time to waste, cause it's over before you know it. Good, but not on the level of Gun Crazy and The Big Combo, also made by Joseph H. Lewis. But then again what is? So Dark the Night also by Lewis, also very low-budget, starless, and short. Unfortunately this one is kinda bad and those 70 minutes feel long, very long. It's set in France with every actor doing a dumb accent, just unbearable, and the mystery is just dumb. The detective main character is just and idiot Maigret knock off. Kudos for Lewis for trying to wring out something good, but oof. Drive a Crooked Road this one was fun, even though it takes awhile to get going. Mickey Rooney does a great dumb guy getting suckered in into some dark poo poo really well, and the final scene is really amazing and memorable. It also features one of my favourite things about these old Noir movies, very detailed and elaborate plans explained in the most procedural detail. This one has it all, maps, names of goat roads, peoples schedules detailed to the second, and it all hinges on going through a road in 22 minutes, and they are already 1 minute behind!!! Pushover also made by the same dude from Crooked Road, this one features Kim Novak(In her first role!) being so sexy that Fred MacMurray just breaks down and commits all kinds of grizzly crimes for her. It's a bit daffy but the talent involved makes it quite good, and MacMurray sells the hell outta of the ending. The Burglar this was great! The film being focused on small time crooks and being very obvious sympathetic to them, makes it feel n line with those French Dassin noir films like Rififi. Dan Duryea just owns this one and it gets really nasty and desperate towards the end. Experiment in Terror probably the best opening 5 minutes of a noir film, you just get instantly hooked. It eventually gets bogged down and just drags with the Glenn Ford procedural nonsense and when Lee Remick isn't around. It's the only film here that is 2 hours long, and guess what, it would have been better if it were 90. Great villain, and it's great to see where David Lynch got all his ideas from. Also Blake Edwards even managed to cast actual Asian-Americans for Asian-american roles in this. Wow! Human Desire it has a solid first half, but the meat of the story which concerns domestic violence, rape, and abuse is simply too much for the Hays Code, and it begins to fall apart until it ends in a really wretched ending for every involved character. Kinda disappointing Lang.
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Apr 10, 2019 20:02
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Your review for Experimen in Terror could double as a review for Kiss Me Deadly with some name changes.
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Apr 10, 2019 20:19
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It really does. I'm pretty sure Lynch lifts wholesale dialog lines from the villain of this film to Bob in Twin Peaks. "I killed two women, and I'll kill again". Glenn Ford is only really missing the glorious Kyle MacLachlan hair(and bemused demeanor but that really is a Lynch thing) to be a spitting image of Agent Cooper. This theme really sounds something that Badalamenti would do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UJ0SSHlarc Kiss me Deadly is the better film overall, because Experiment in Terror really sinks when it spends too much time with Ford, but I'll give the edge to the opening of Experiment in Terror, because it's honestly disturbing for when it was made. It's very much worth the look. Speaking of which, Kiss Me Deadly is NOT in the Criterion Channel at the moment, even though it's part of the collection.
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Apr 11, 2019 12:58
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I’ve probably said it before in this thread, but I’ll say it again: White Heat is a good ground zero for David Lynch and other crime fiction. A character named Big Ed, and a man who constantly needs a hearing device? Where else was that?
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Apr 11, 2019 15:46
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Electronico6 posted:Speaking of which, Kiss Me Deadly is NOT in the Criterion Channel at the moment, even though it's part of the collection. Boo this channel! Boo!
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Apr 11, 2019 16:09
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Electronico6 posted:It really does. I'm pretty sure Lynch lifts wholesale dialog lines from the villain of this film to Bob in Twin Peaks. "I killed two women, and I'll kill again". Glenn Ford is only really missing the glorious Kyle MacLachlan hair(and bemused demeanor but that really is a Lynch thing) to be a spitting image of Agent Cooper. I literally just finished experiment and the line is slightly different, he says “I’ve already killed twice, I won’t hesitate to do it again” I think but also one of the FBI agents mentions a location called Twin Peaks at one point
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Apr 11, 2019 16:30
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I know this is a weird one to bump the thread on, but I finally got ahold of the '57 Thin Man TV series which looks to essentially have been forgotten. While by no means is it high art, nor is it really proper noir in its thematics, it's a drat fun detective show. Plus, with episodes about flying saucers, voodoo dolls, killer robots, and psychic mediums, it's almost got a proto-X-Files feel here and there with Nick acting as the skeptic and Nora entertaining possible supernatural explanations.
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Jun 9, 2019 20:24
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Is Asta in the show? There’s no way I’m watching without any Asta.
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Jun 9, 2019 21:15
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Electronico6 posted:Speaking of which, Kiss Me Deadly is NOT in the Criterion Channel at the moment, even though it's part of the collection. It's owned by MGM, so it'll be a limited run thing. They did have it up once or twice on Filmstruck, I think. Probably won't take long since Criterion can pretty much get whatever they want from Sony and MGM.
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Jun 9, 2019 21:17
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Raxivace posted:Is Asta in the show? There’s no way I’m watching without any Asta. He finds most of the clues! After watching a handful, the only real downside of the show is that the actor for Nick is pretty bland.
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Jun 9, 2019 21:48
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my favorite noir is the last seduction. its about a bad woman who does bad things to other people. are there other noirs where the femme fatale is the main character and also the villain?
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Aug 30, 2019 04:55
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Slaapaav posted:my favorite noir is the last seduction. its about a bad woman who does bad things to other people. are there other noirs where the femme fatale is the main character and also the villain? Too Late For Tears is a pretty good one, with a wild central performance by Lisbeth Scott. Flicker Alley put it out in America, and Arrow in the UK.
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Aug 30, 2019 05:09
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oneforthevine posted:Too Late For Tears is a pretty good one, with a wild central performance by Lisbeth Scott. Flicker Alley put it out in America, and Arrow in the UK.
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Aug 30, 2019 13:37
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Slaapaav posted:my favorite noir is the last seduction. its about a bad woman who does bad things to other people. are there other noirs where the femme fatale is the main character and also the villain? Seconding Too Late for Tears, a superb noir. Also: Beyond the Forest Another Man's Poison Leave Her To Heaven The Bride Wore Black (neo-noir, but so is The Last Seduction) Blonde Ice Decoy If you haven't seen it, you'd probably like The Grifters.
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Aug 30, 2019 15:45
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Would you guys consider M like some kind of proto Noir?
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Nov 1, 2019 20:57
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It certainly established a lot of the visual language that later noirs would employ. Same with von Sternberg's Underworld and some of the poetic realist films from the 30s.
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Nov 1, 2019 23:48
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I've known people that argue M shouldn't be considered even proto-noir because its German and lol only American films can be noir (Which I guess ignores the fact that Lang went on to work in Hollywood but whatever).
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Nov 1, 2019 23:55
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Can we talk about neo-noir here? I saw Motherless Brooklyn last night, and it is my second-favorite movie of the year and probably the best neo-noir since my beloved L.A. Confidential in 1997. It accomplishes everything it sets out to, and it's smart and funny and twisty and has a top-notch cast led by the great Edward Norton. Norton also directed and wrote the screenplay, based on Jonathan Lethem's novel (which I really need to read now). It's a gorgeous '50s period piece, but it feels more relevant than ever, especially with the person who was behind everything. No spoilers from me, though! Seriously, if you're posting in this thread, you would probably dig it.
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Nov 2, 2019 13:40
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Sorry, this double-posted, and I don't know why.
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Nov 2, 2019 16:01
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I’ve been thinking about neo noir as well, and in fact just yesterday I put together a list of titles to try to screen this month. Phone posting w but will try to paste in the list later today. Includes standbys like Chinatown, Blood Simple and Red Rock West (and Point Blank, which I haven’t yet seen) along with others like The Spanish Prisoner and Brick. Red Dad Redemption fucked around with this message at 19:31 on Nov 2, 2019 |
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Nov 2, 2019 19:26
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Quote is not edit
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Nov 2, 2019 19:27
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Klute is part of the Noir revivalism of the 70's and it's streaming this month on the Criterion Channel. Directed by Alan J. Pakula! With Jane Fonda! and Donald Sutherland! detectives! paranoia! sex workers! Gordon Willis so the whole thing looks like a real film! Don't miss it! Watch Klute!
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Nov 2, 2019 19:54
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Raxivace posted:I've known people that argue M shouldn't be considered even proto-noir because its German and lol only American films can be noir (Which I guess ignores the fact that Lang went on to work in Hollywood but whatever). Since it's German it isn't film noir, it's film schwarz. Action Jacktion fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Nov 3, 2019 |
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Nov 3, 2019 02:51
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