‘The Big Sleep’ is saved from the depths of incomprehension by Bogart and Bacall
Fictional private detective icon Philip Marlowe, a creation from the mind of famed author Raymond Chandler, was one such character who always succeeded in putting millions of puzzle pieces together....
View ArticleTribeca 2013: “Trust Me” cleverly combines satire and film noir
From the first shot of Trust Me, Clark Gregg makes it obvious that his satirical picture owes a huge debt to Sunset Boulevard. Both are film noirs set in Hollywood that concern themselves with female...
View Article‘Strangers in the Night’ mixes style and substance in a very eerie tale
Strangers in the Night Written by Bryant Ford and Paul Gangelin Directed by Anthony Mann U.S.A., 1944 Coping mechanisms vary from person to person, innumerable variable influencing how, why and...
View Article‘Detour’ is a one way ticket to one man’s personal hell
Detour Written by Marin Goldsmith and Martin Mooney Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer U.S.A., 1945 The women of film noir, those seductive, cruel creatures baptized ‘femmes fatales’ (French for ‘deadly...
View Article‘Panic in the Streets’– a taught, suspenseful thriller
Four small time gangsters, Kochak (Lewis Charles), his cousin Poldi (Guy Thomojan), Fitch (Zero Mostel) and their de facto leader Blackie (Jack Palance) are playing cards in a seedy part of New...
View ArticleFriday (neo)Noir: ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ features hilarity, wit and Black’s...
It was only a few weeks ago that the Howard Hawks classic The Big Sleep, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, was reviewed for the purpose of this column. Certainly an amusing film, the...
View Article‘White Heat’ does not delve deep into psychology
‘White Heat’ Directed by Raoul Walsh Written by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts Starring James Cagney, Virginia, Edmond O’Brien USA, 114 min – 1949. “Made it, Ma! Top of the world! Raoul Walsh’s...
View ArticleFriday (neo)Noir: ‘A History of Violence’ marks Cronenberg’s stunning venture...
2005, judging by the theatrical releases, was an exceptional year for the neonoir sub-genre. Last summer, for the special Friday (neo)Noir series, reviews for Rian Johnson's breakout independent hit...
View Article‘Chinatown’ is neo-noir at its best
Film noir comes full circle in Roman Polanski’s Chinatown (1974). Thirty years before its release, crime dramas saw the birth of a fundamental character – the noir hero. From Dashiell Hammett to...
View Article‘White Heat’ has James Cagney so hot not even the world can stop him
Where would people be without their mothers? Whether by birth, adoption or simply maternal figures, these great dames have, since time immemorial, commanded love, admiration, respect and devotion from...
View Article‘The Long Goodbye’ deconstructs the Philip Marlowe character
The Long Goodbye Directed by Robert Altman Written by Leigh Brackett USA, 1973 My introduction to classic film was through Humphrey Bogart. I would watch Casablanca (1942) and To Have and Have Not...
View Article‘High Sierra’ is where wannabe nice guys finish last
Last week's column entry, White Heat, was a film directed by Raoul Walsh which exemplified some of the very best assets of both the gangster and noir genres within the same picture. Given that the...
View Article‘This Gun for Hire’ is as gripping as it is purely entertaining
This Gun for Hire Written by Albert Maltz and W.R. Burnett Directed by Frank Tuttle U.S.A, 1942 The great American actor Alan Ladd died at the unfairly young age of 50. With a series of leading roles...
View Article‘Crack-Up’ has key elements in place but requires more brushing up
A reoccurring question in the ongoing study and appreciation of art is whether art reflects life or vice versa. The real answer ostensibly lies somewhere in the middle, each informing and influencing...
View Article‘Cry Danger’ steers itself mostly clear of the dangers of director debuts
Cry Danger Written by William Bowers Directed by Robert Parish USA, 1951 The road that ultimately leads creative people in the filmmaking business to the highly coveted director’s chair is rarely the...
View Article‘Niagara’ is where Marilyn Monroe goes to be a bad, bad girl
Marilyn Monroe’s legacy in popular culture and film varies greatly depending on whom one asks. For some, her photo shoots and the unforgettably attractive looks advertised through them meant she was,...
View Article‘Where the Sidewalk Ends’ reveals shades of noir’s bittersweet side
Where the Sidewalk Ends Written by Ben Hecht Directed by Otto Preminger USA, 1950 To those paying attention, film history teaches that groups of like-minded artists enjoy working together. The better...
View Article‘Nightmare Alley’ is a dark, pessimistic descent into compulsion and greed
Who can tell when they are being conned? Or lied to for that matter? Some people are blessed (or cursed) with a potentially dangerous gift, that of being able to fool their way into earning other...
View Article‘Guest in the House’ sees the noir welcome itself into the world of melodrama
Guest in the House Written by Hunt Stromberg Directed by John Brahm USA, 1944 The family unit is, or should be, the strongest in one’s life, the one from which a solid emotional backbone is based from,...
View Article‘The Stranger’ an excellent cat-and-mouse thriller
After all the dust had settled and leaked blood had dried following the nightmare that was World War II, the Allied states co-organized a special commission for the purpose of investigating the details...
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