Robinson found guilty of being awesome in ‘Illegal’
Illegal Directed by Lewis Allen Screenplay by W. R. Burnett and James R. Webb 1955, U.S.A. Few those familiar with the Hollywood of the 1930s, 40s and 50s, few names strike a chord like Edward G....
View ArticleDirector Ray makes a great first impression with ‘They Live by Night’
They Live by Night Directed by Nicholas Ray Screenplay by Charles Schnee U.S.A., 1949 Young love is a powerful thing, even dangerously so when it blinds people from reality. When the hearts of two...
View ArticleA quintessential ‘femme fatale’ storms her way through ‘Tension’
Tension Directed by John Berry Screenplay by Allen Rivkin U.S.A., 1949 Who is the infamous femme fatale? From what dark depths of humanity was she born and will men ever be able to truly resist her...
View ArticleFor good or ill, ‘Decoy’ is not a typical noir
Decoy Directed by Jack Bernhard Written by Nedrick Young (screenplay) and Stanley Rubin (story) U.S.A., 1946 Film noir is film noir because of a variety of recognized qualities which concern both...
View ArticleOverflowing with so much action and fine acting,’Desperate’ is anything but...
Desperate Directed by Anthony Mann Screenplay by Harry Essex U.S.A., 1947 One of film noir’s strongest, most unique qualities is its malleability. A film which fans and scholars deem as part of the...
View ArticleViolence begets violence in ‘Dial 1119’
Dial 1119 Directed by Gerald Mayer Written by Hugh King and Don McGuire U.S.A., 1950 If there is one thing about older films which can cause a surprise among modern audiences, it is the acting style of...
View ArticleHope rises from the ashes in ‘The Phenix City Story’
The Phenix City Story Directed by Phil Karlson Written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur U.S.A., 1955 When a neighbourhood, a town, a city, a state or a country is ostensibly run by the wicked and...
View Article‘His Kind of Woman!’ is the Robert Mitchum’s kind of good time!
His Kind of Woman! Directed by John Farrow Written by Frank Fenton, Jack Leonard U.S.A., 1951 John Farrow’s His Kind of Woman! has it all, and so, so much more. Sometimes the best entries in a film...
View Article‘Crime in the Streets’ is melodrama at its best
Crime in the Streets Directed by Don Siegel Written by Reginald Rose U.S.A, 1956 Magic can be created on a studio set. Today, in 2012, filmmakers, critics cans fans alike take great pleasure in...
View Article‘Bound’: Lesbians in the labyrinth
Bound Directed by: The Wachowski Brothers Written by: The Wachowski Brothers Starring: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon Genre: Thriller Year: 1996 Bound is a perfect distillation of 90’s cinema, a bygone...
View Article‘The Treasure of Sierra Madre’ shows how greed can make a great film
The Treasure of Sierra Madre Directed John Huston Written by John Huston U.S.A., 1948 Gordon Gekko, the central figure of Oliver Stone’s famous Wall Street, once uttered the phrase ‘Greed is good.’...
View ArticleThe legendary Kubrick impressed early in his film career with ‘The Killing’
The Killing Directed by Stanley Kubrick Written by Stanley Kubrick and Jim Thompson U.S.A., 1956 Stanley Kubrick, now there is a name evocative of so many immediate thoughts and emotions for movie...
View ArticleKubrick’s ‘Killer’s Kiss’ is raw and seductive
Killer’s Kiss Directed by Stanley Kubrick Written by Stanley Kubrick and Howard Sackler U.S.A, 1955 Just as last week’s column entry took a look at one of Stanley Kubrick’s earliest works, The Killing,...
View Article‘The Third Man’ is morally ambiguous but unquestionably great
The Third Man Directed by Carol Reed Written by Graham Green U.K, U.S.A., 1949 *This review will avoid some of the story’s major details In the years immediately following the second World War, many of...
View ArticleInside Out 2012: ‘Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean’; or if Fellini...
Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean Written and directed by Matthew Mishory USA, 2012 Let’s posit a hypothetical – what if the iconic James Dean was gay? Well, let’s answer one hypothetical...
View Article‘Sin City’ impresses by commiting all imaginable sins
Sin City Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller Written by Frank Miller U.S.A, 2005 Every Friday during the month of June, the Friday Film Noir column will be taking a slightly offbeat look at...
View Article‘Blade Runner’ is a feast for the eyes and a powerful exploration of...
Blade Runner Directed by Ridley Scott Written by Hampton Fancher and David Webb Peoples U.S.A, 1982 Every Friday during the month of June, the Friday Film Noir column will be taking a slightly offbeat...
View Article‘L.A. Confidential’ peels away the layers that shape the titular city
L.A. Confidential Directed by Curtis Hanson Written by Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland U.S.A., 1997 There can be such a thing as a fantastic ensemble piece in hindsight. Granted, the idea comes...
View ArticleHurt and Turner turn up the smoking ‘Body Heat’
Body Heat Directed Lawrence Kasdan Written by Lawrence Kasdan U.S.A., 1981 The Friday Noir column has written a great deal about the seedy side of characters, plot, settings and themes that make up the...
View Article‘Brick’ is about more than just the fancy talking
Brick Directed by Rian Johnson Written by Rian Johnson U.S.A., 2005 It speaks to a director’s qualities as a storyteller that even before his or her third film is released, their every word and hint...
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