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Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Film Noir Thursday #10: High and Low

Cameron Graham — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 01:59:13 EDT

Yep. I finally watched it and am ready to conclude this Film Noir marathon. It's been a pretty fun ride, with only one film that I wouldn't recommend to people (Kiss Me Deadly). The last film is High and Low, directed in 1960 by Akira Kurosawa. Below is my review and then my pick for the best, must-see, Film Noirs of the marathon. High and Low Clocking in at 2 1/2 hours, High and Low can more accurately be described as two movies. The first centers around wealthy business man Gondo who, when poised to take over the companies he's worked at for years, has his son kidnapped. Well, not his son actually (as the kidnappers soon learn) but his chauffeur's son. The kidnapper's however still want him to pay the 30 million ransom to save the boy. This leaves Gando in an interesting position -- pay the ransom and lose his job, social standing, and way of life or don't pay the ransom and let the boy die. OK, I know what you're all thinking. "Sounds weighty. Sounds heavy handed. Sounds like material for Kevin Costner's next directorial outing." However, High and Low doesn't go down that road. It focuses instead on the character's actions, movements, and the small seemingly insignificant things that people do when under such stress. As such, it becomes an acute but low-key character study instead of a deep, somber meditation on good and evil (which would be boring). The second part of the film details the police tracking and building a case against the kidnappers. Both parts have their own climaxes and endings, so the effect is something like watching a two volume film back to back. Of the two, the first is more intriguing and nuanced whereas the second is a bit more of a straightforward police movie, albeit with Kurosawa touches. Each frame in the film is composed with intricate skill, and the acting is also very good. The actors can seem stiff in the beginning, but after you start slipping into the rhythm of everything the performances improve greatly. So, at the end of the film noir marathon, I think High and Low is a pretty good way to end things. Not the best film so far, but nuanced, well acted and entertaining. The Top 3 That You Need To See 1) Out of the Past -- Paul Valentine, Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum all at the top of their form. Oh, and throw in a cynical tone with great visuals and a twisted plot. Need I say more? 2) Rififi -- Great performances, great build up, excellent cinematography. The heist scene itself is almost it's own film. 3) Sunset Boulevard -- The performances are all great, every other line of dialogue seems to be a classic one, and the ending performance by Gloria Swanson is scary in it's immediacy. Honorable Mention: The Third Man -- Worth watching if only for Orson Welles' genius performance. The first half is so-so and rather dull, but as soon as Orson steps in you'll find yourself unable to turn away. If you have any ideas for future marathons please feel free to comment or email. Peace out.

Cameron Graham is a young but enthusiastic critic who is passionate about movies, books, and (some) music. He is a published author and enjoys writing.

Film Noir Thursday #9 - The Killing

Cameron Graham — Fri, 1 Sep 2006 16:08:58 EDT

Already on the ninth film in the Film Noir Marathon, Stanley Kubrick's 1956 film The Killing is up. After last week's brilliant Rififi, The Killing was bound to be (at least slightly), a let down. However, due to the fact that Stanley Kubrick was behind the helm, it managed to save itself from being overly disappointing. Featuring a very competent cast the film does well on this level. Each of them do well to show their character's internal battle between petty desires and impulses and large scale ambition. No actor is overtly superior to the others or outshines them, all fill their roles with aplomb. The plot is centered around an elaborate heist and the aftermath of it (similar in many ways to Rififi which was clearly an influence). The first hour is a large build up to the heist. The film doesn't progress along a linear timeline though. It uses the narrator to good effect with it's jumbled nonlinear sequences. In the beginning, this feels off-putting, but as the film progress's it becomes ultimately seamless. The last half hour is devoted to showing what leads to the downfall of each man involved, even though the heist itself was executed perfectly. Throughout the first hour, the film feels solid but not outstanding. The plot is tight and straightforward, the acting good and the nonlinear story line is fun. However, it lacks the style of most Kubrick films. That pacing and style which makes films such as A Clockwork Orange or Dr. Strangelove stand out and be noticed. Then comes the last half hour. A twisted, warped, irony-laden 30 minutes that make whatever problems the first hour had irrelevant. It's really that good. Where the first two-thirds are good, the last third is great. The attention paid to the lighting and filming (during the whole film, a special emphasis seems to have been placed on the lighting. Characters are lit only by a single lamp or hanging light usually) is increased, which makes for one of the best ending scenes in recent memory. The Killing shares many similarities with last week's Rififi and although it isn't as great of an achievement, it's worth watching for the last 30 minutes alone when Kubrick puts his warped touched on the movie. Plus, the first hour stands up fine as a competent noir.Remaining Films1) High And Low (1963) Criterion Edition

Cameron Graham is a young but enthusiastic critic who is passionate about movies, books, and (some) music. He is a published author and enjoys writing.

Film Noir Thursday #8: Rififi

Cameron Graham — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 07:25:29 EDT

Okay, it's finally here, Film Noir Thursday #8. The film this week is Rififi, directed in 1955 by Jules Dassin, who also adapted the screenplay from a novel by Auguste Le Breton. By far my most anticipated movie of this marathon, Rififi was brilliant to watch. While perhaps not the best movie so far, the directing and tone were excellent. Rififi follows the exploits of four men: Tony, a man recently released from a five-year prison sentence, Jo, the man Tony went to prison to protect, Mario, a fun-loving and competent criminal, and Cesar, a friend of Mario's and purportedly one of the best safecrackers there is. Together, they pull off a perfect heist for millions in diamonds but afterward find their emotions starting to cause trouble for them, along with Tony's underworld rival. The pacing and directing are the best elements of this film. Each scene is used wisely, revealing something about the central characters or the details of the heist, which Rififi takes great time to lay out for the viewer. We see exactly how the jewelry store is staked out, how the inside layout is observed, and later, how everything is carried out. There is a long scene in which the characters bring a model of the security system in the jewelry store to their main hideout and experiment on how to disable it (not such an easy task they find out). Because the movie immerses the viewer so fully, providing all the details, it ups the stakes and involves you much more than any heist movie released lately. The actual heist, which is the centerpiece (not the climax) of the film, is directed superbly without dialogue or music. The only sounds are the sounds of drilling, scraping, and clinking coming from the thieves' work. The whole ordeal is over 20 minutes long and I didn't even notice the lack of dialogue or music until the film was over. A logical assumption to draw would be that after a solid beginning and agreat heist scene, the second half of the movie might flounder in comparison. It does not. It does shift gears to become something more of a character study, but it does so smoothly and keeps the tension high. While in the first half the focus was on the heist, in the second half it's on the characters, highlighting the actors. All of the performances are believable and feel genuine, especially those of Tony (Jean Servais) and Mario (Robert Manuel). Not bad for a cast of mostly unknown, inexperienced actors. I won't give anything away, but the climax and ending of Rififi are well thought out and excellently executed, living up to the high bar set by the rest of film's directing and style. You won't be checking your watch. Remaining Films 1) The Killing 2) High And Low

Cameron Graham is a young but enthusiastic critic who is passionate about movies, books, and (some) music. He is a published author and enjoys writing.

Film Noir Thursday #7 - Kiss Me Deadly

Cameron Graham — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 02:49:07 EDT

The seventh film in the Film Noir Marathon, Kiss Me Deadly was made in 1955 and directed by Robert Aldrich. Okay, I know that Kiss Me Deadly is a very respected film noir, which many believe to be one of the finest of its kind. A lot of people, film critics, and film noir buffs really enjoy this movie. So it came as a surprise to me how bad it was. My expectations weren't even that high. Certainly not as high as they were for Strangers on a Train or Out of the Past. Let's start with the beginning, where the problems first present themselves. We have a girl named Christina Bailey (Cloris Leachman) running down the freeway, in nothing but a trench coat, desperately trying to hitch a ride. Eventually, she stands in the middle of the lane forcing the car of Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) off the road to avoid hitting her. After an initial annoyance, he tells her to get in. The credits roll across the screen as they drive. Throughout all of this, Christina is giving out these sharp, frantic gasps that are, to be truthful, annoying and sound completely ridiculous. Soon, mysterious men force the car off the road, take both Mike and Christina to a house of some kind where Christina is killed, and proceed to shove her body back into the car along Mike (who's unconscious) and push the vehicle off a hill. Mike lives and after being released from the hospital starts out on a search to find Christina's killers.All this takes place in the first 15 minutes of the film. An opening that could be referred to as "fast paced" or "thrilling" ... that is, if it worked. The problem is that the audience has no real connection to Christina, there just doesn't seem to be anything too special about her. When she's killed, there's no sense of loss. After this beginning, the rest of the film focuses on Mike Hammer as he tries to, along with the help of his secretary/lover Velda (Maxine Cooper), find out who killed Christina and why. The film fails to adequately explain why Mike feels compelled to do this. There's a small scene where we're told he's doing it because he's sick of small time divorce cases (oh, by the way, Mike is a private detective, not that it really matters) and wants to go after something big. However, he seems to live a fine life with a nice apartment, fancy sports car, and pretty girlfriend, making that reasoning a little hard to believe.All this translates into the main conflict having, frankly, no stakes. We don't really care that much about the main character, because he doesn't seem to have reasons for doing what he does. This isn't because of bad acting; Ralph Meeker does a fine job there. It's much more a fault of the screenplay and directing choices. The fact that the sinister forces behind everything, causing everyone connected to Christina to die off, doesn't seem to be very competent or sinister and doesn't help build the tension either. There is only one scene in Kiss Me Deadly I actually found engaging and somewhat tense. Mike has just come out of his apartment and found a bomb rigged to his car. After he dispenses with the bomb, he gets in the car and proceeds to drive into an intersection. The scene is shot from above and we can see the whole four-way intersection as Mike drives through it, making a slow turn. It's about 2 seconds long and filled with tension as we're sure something is about to happen. A second bomb, an explosion, a gunshot, anything. Nothing does, and the scene ends. Unfortunately, the film can never find the same tension again. Ultimately, Kiss Me Deadly features pretty good acting, and competent dialogue. What it doesn't feature is interesting characters, logical character motivations, a tension filled plot, remarkable villains, or any form of suspense.Note - this review pertains to the MGM Vintage Classics edition of Kiss Me Deadly.Remaining Films 1) Rififi (Criterion Collection) 19552) The Killing (MGM DVD) 19563) High And Low (Criterion Collection) 1963

Cameron Graham is a young but enthusiastic critic who is passionate about movies, books, and (some) music. He is a published author and enjoys writing.

Film Noir Thursday #6: Strangers on a Train

Cameron Graham — Thu, 3 Aug 2006 21:34:41 EDT

Now on the sixth film in this Film Noir Marathon, I'm taking a look at Strangers on a Train, a 1951 film by Alfred Hitchcock. Sometimes a simple plot is best, and Strangers on a Train realizes this. It revolves around two men who meet on a train. One is a wealthy pro tennis player named Guy Haines (Farley Granger), the other an eccentric (and similarly wealthy) man called Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker). Despite Guy's attempts to brush off Bruno, he ends up having lunch with him and listening to all of Bruno's (rather strange) theories. The conversation turns to murder and Bruno informs Guy of a great idea he has about how to murder people -- a criss-cross as he calls it. Two strangers (like themselves) meet and swap murders; that way no one has a motive and it's viewed as simply a random killing. Bruno goes on to propose that he and Guy do exactly that. Bruno will kill the wife that Guy is currently trying to divorce, and Guy will knock off Bruno's father, whom Bruno hates for various reasons. Guy laughs him off, thinking it's a joke, but Bruno takes this as a sign of acceptance, and proceeds with his plan. Both roles are difficult to play as each actor has to portray a wide range of emotions. Bruno feels Guy is truly his friend (in his own peculiar way), and when he finds out otherwise, Bruno appears to be sincerely hurt. Guy feels he's responsible for his ex-wife's death because he was not clear enough with Bruno on train. He also must continue on with his normal life while fending off increasing visits from Bruno who wants Guy to "fulfill" his end of the bargain -- killing Bruno's father. Farley Granger and Robert Walker both give very good performances. They make the characters real, which is particularly tricky with Bruno Anthony. The side characters aren't as fleshed-out as one would like, but the actors playing them all perform well, making the characters a bit more believable. The plot flows smoothly and Alfred Hitchcock directs the movie with his unique sense of pacing. It starts off slowly and builds up the tension notch by notch to the first murder. Afterwards, when everything has returned to normal, the atmosphere is low key. You are at first lulled into a false sense of security. But steadily the tension again starts to climb upward toward the next big plot point or twist. There's a reason Alfred Hitchcock is called "The Master of Suspense", and it's put on display in Strangers on a Train. Another great aspect of this film is its cinematography. While there are some great set pieces and scenes during the movie, one stands out among the others. It's the second time that Bruno and Guy meet, after meeting each other on the train. Guy arrives at his house at night, and as he opens the door he hears his named called from across the street. Guy turns, and a man steps out from behind a gate across the street, calling to Guy again. When Guy gets there he hesitantly peers behind the gate, the only light coming from a single street lamp. Suddenly, Bruno steps out with the shadows from the gate streaming across his face. A heated argument ensues, with each character leaning back and forth, the light and dark shadows playing across them. It's a great scene, one that really captures the viewer's attention. The rest of the film is filled with similarly rich set pieces. Strangers on a Train is a very satisfying film noir that excels in tone, acting, and direction. It isn't the best movie that's come up so far on the marathon, but it ranks among the top. For those who enjoy Hitchcock, film noir, or suspense movie, Strangers on a Train is worth seeing. Note: this review pertains to the Two Disc Special Edition of Strangers on a Train. Remaining Films 1) Kiss Me Deadly (MGM Vintage Classics) 1955 2) Rififi (Criterion Collection) 1955 3) The Killing (MGM DVD) 4) High And Low (Criterion Collection) 1963

Cameron Graham is a young but enthusiastic critic who is passionate about movies, books, and (some) music. He is a published author and enjoys writing.

Film Noir Thursday #5 - Sunset Boulevard

Cameron Graham — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 07:02:35 EDT

Wow! Things have really gone fast in this marathon. I'm already at the halfway point with this review, and although I haven't enjoyed a few of the movies so far, I'm definitely not getting burned out on this marathon either. Hopefully you, the readers, feel the same. Anyway, let's move on. Up this week is Sunset Boulevard, a 1950 film directed by Billy Wilder (Some Like It Hot). It went on to high acclaim, Roger Ebert gave it 5/5 stars. Here is my review and a list of remaining films.Sunset BoulevardStarring Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, a silent film star now forgotten about, and William Holden as Joe Gillis, a younger screenwriter who ends up making a business deal with her, and allows himself to be controlled by her, Sunset Boulevard is a story of Hollywood decadence. It starts off where it ends, with a body in Norma's swimming pool. A narrator explains the situation and then takes us back to experience the whole ride from the beginning. We meet up with Joe Gillis, the struggling screenwriter, who, by, a series of mishaps and random events, ends up at her house. Thinking the house to be uninhabited and that it would make a great place for the car he needs to hide for a while, he parks there. Soon he learns though that the house is not only occupied, but also that there's a job open for him there, typing up Norma's giant screenplay that she plans to be her comeback vehicle. It's worth stating now, that Sunset Boulevard does not feature a large amount of either guns or girls. In fact, there's hardly ever any violence throughout the movie. Despite this lack though, the film manages to keep an air of suspense going throughout. This is largely due to the acting power of all those involved. Gloria Swanson is probably the best, with her extravagant but empty gestures and grand schemes of a comeback, or as she puts it "return", filling her head. Within a few seconds she can go from happy to shouting and manages to make it seem natural. She is constantly teetering on the brink of insanity for the duration of the movie, obsessed with her early days and refusing to believe she has been abandoned by her one time fans. William Holden as Joe Gillis is also very good. He makes both Joe's repugnance towards Desmond and his attraction towards her equally real emotions for the audience. There's also the butler character, Max, played by Erich Von Stroheim, who obviously loves Desmond and will do almost anything for her. The filming, like the acting, is great. The scenes inside Norma Desmond's mansion were particularly stunning. Her house so full of trinkets, pictures of herself, and amazingly lavish furniture that the audience as trapped and lost in it as she does. There are winding staircases, tons of bedrooms, dilapidated tennis courts and pools, which makes for some very fun and interesting filming. All in all, Sunset Boulevard is definitely a success, not only in plot, characters, acting and filming, but also as an example of film noir. The plot is tight throughout, and although you know the outcome from the beginning, you'll most likely still be surprised by it at the end. There's really not much I can criticize, even watching Gloria Swanson give the classic (and overused) line "I am big. It's the pictures that got small." was great, even if I've heard it over and over again outside the movie. Note - this review pertains to the Paramount Special Collector's Edition of Sunset Boulevard.Remaining Films1) Strangers On A Train (Two Disc Special Edition) 19512) Kiss Me Deadly (MGM Vintage Classics) 19553) Rififi (Criterion Collection) 19554) The Killing (MGM DVD)5) High And Low (Criterion Collection) 1963

Cameron Graham is a young but enthusiastic critic who is passionate about movies, books, and (some) music. He is a published author and enjoys writing.

Film Noir Thursday #4: The Third Man

Cameron Graham — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 18:11:57 EDT

Made in 1949, The Third Man is directed by Carol Reed and stars Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles. It's been much lauded and is considered a hallmark of the genre. It's the fourth movie in the Film Noir Marathon.As I've come to almost expect now from films in this genre, The Third Man does not start off with a bang. In fact, I found the first 40 minutes or so to be rather drab, dull, and boring. It seems to serve as a long and disjointed prelude to the more exciting second half of the movie. We meet up with the main character Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) when he travels to Vienna to take a job at the request of his old school friend Harry Lime. He's a washed up pulp writer with nothing better to do. Upon arriving, however, he is casually informed that his friend has just died in a peculiar car accident -- peculiar, because the more Holly asks around about the circumstances of the accident and those involved, the more things start to look less like an accident and more like murder. However, this beginning half is done in a choppy, awkward way which alienates the viewer and fails to build any tension throughout. Warning! Minor Spoiler AheadJust after the hour mark though, everything (thankfully) shifts gear. This is due almost entirely to Orson Welles' character, Harry Lime, appearing. He has an amazing intro scene which makes you take notice of the great visual flair with which the movie is directed. Orson Welles gives a stunning performance, captivating the viewer and single-handedly changing the movie's pace. From there on, the plot starts to gain momentum. The characters no longer seem to be roaming Vienna going from one house to the other to participate in contrived scenes. As I mentioned above, the cinematography is very good. A large number of the shots are titled and off-angle, giving the viewer a sense of incompleteness and incoherence that helps the film in the second half, although not in the first. A chase scene through the sewers at the end of the film is particularly stunning with its cinematography. In terms of acting, the bar was set pretty high, first with Laura and then Out Of The Past, and perhaps too high, as The Third Man did not outperform any of the above films. The main actor, Joseph Cotten, was just a bit plain. I'll give the film credit for picking an unlikely looking person to get thrown into the whole mess (which adds a sense of reality to the film), instead of a typical hero. However he simply doesn't succeed in making the character interesting to the viewer. Most of the supporting characters are also not believable outside their few scenes. A truly great supporting character needs to be someone who, no matter how few lines they have, is a fully developed persona, someone you can imaging actually existing. The ones in The Third Man never got that. By far, the best performance is given by Orson Welles. Alida Valli is also very good as Anna, Harry's former lover, who, no matter what truths she's confronted with, cannot stop loving him. The end of the movie left me rather disappointed. While I was very impressed with the cinematography and directing style, the acting was below par and the first half drags. However, it's worth sitting through because of the aforementioned cinematography and also Orson Welles' amazing performance as Harry Lime. It ranks below Out Of The Past and Laura but above M.This review pertains to the Criterion Collection 50th Anniversary Edition DVD version of The Third Man.Remaining Films1) Sunset Boulevard (Paramount Special Collector's Edition) 19502) Strangers On A Train (Two Disc Special Edition) 19513) Kiss Me Deadly (MGM Vintage Classics) 19554) Rififi (Criterion Collection) 19555) The Killing (MGM DVD) 19566) High And Low (Criterion Collection) 1963

Cameron Graham is a young but enthusiastic critic who is passionate about movies, books, and (some) music. He is a published author and enjoys writing.

Film Noir Thursday #3: Out Of The Past

Cameron Graham — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 14:00:17 EDT

After one rather disappointing film (M) and one very solid if not spectacular film (Laura) I'm now on the third film in my Film Noir Marathon, Out Of The Past. Made in 1947 and directed by Jacques Tourneur, it's based on the novel Build My Gallows High by Daniel Mainwaring, who also wrote the screenplay. It's considered one of staples of the film noir genre. Roger Ebert sums up the critical response with "Out Of The Past is one of the greatest of all film noirs". Below is my review, and of course a list of remaining films. The film starts out not with a bang, but rather a slow build up. We see a stranger later identified as Joe Stephanos (Paul Valentine in an amazing role) asking questions about a man named Jeff Bailey who runs the local gas station in a small town. The tone is relaxed, far from a startling murder intro or high speed chase. Soon we meet Jeff Bailey as he comes back from fishing with his romantic interest, Ann Miller (Virginia Huston). The man asking questions is a long-time acqaintance of Jeff's who works for mobster Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas in an early role). He tells Jeff that Whit wants a meeting with him, and Jeff agrees. For the next 40 minutes or so as Jeff and Ann are driving a long, winding road to see Whit, we hear the story (told in flashback and narrative) of Jeff Bailey's (actually Jeff Markham's) previous life -- how he's connected to Whit, a girl named Kathie (Jane Greer) who he was supposed to find and return to Whit, only to fall in love with upon seeing her, and her subsequent disappearance. We find all this out as he tells it to Ann in an attempt to get his past off his chest and hopefully move on once and for all, that is, after he goes and settles things with Whit. While the plot is certainly notable, by far the best one of the films I've watched so far, the real satisfaction comes in terms of the acting and dialogue. Both are top notch in this film. Robert Mitchum, who really should have been a much bigger star, is great as Jeff Bailey/Markham. He's in a sense the essence of cool here -- not letting his emotions rule him whenever possible, cynical and suspicious, but not without his own set of morals. His world-weariness is astounding, especially considering he was only 28 when he starred in Out Of The Past. A lot of the time he's being played by someone higher up and he's also usually aware of it all. It's a testament to his acting that he makes being used seem slick. Similarly captivating, actually even more captivating, is Kirk Douglas as Whit Sterling, the mobster who never once in the film does something overtly violent or cruel. He constantly has a smile and iron-sure look on his face, knowing that he'll get his wishes carried out and remain in control. It's hard to put your finger on what it is that makes him so menacing when he possesses not one of the many typical villain traits. Whatever it may be, he's by far the most intriguing character, drawing the viewer's attention in a way that is rarely captured on film. Every actor in the film turns in a very good performance, with Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, and Paul Valentine (who makes an essentially cold-blooded henchmen seem like a fun-loving, laughable guy) leading the way. If there's a point where I felt the film lets down a bit, it's Jane Greer's performance as Kathie Moffat, the double-crossing, drop dead beautiful, emotional mess. Her performance isn't bad, per se, it's just rather standard fare. However, it doesn't pull you out of the movie at any point. I found Out Of The Past to be the most satisfying film noir I've watched so far. It excelled with its cunningly twisted plot, dark cynical tone, and great acting. The visuals were similarly good, with director Jacques Tourneur making a clear visual distinction between the idyllic outdoors and the sinister cityscapes. While Laura was very satisfying, Out Of The Past was truly great. I'll be looking forward to hopefully seeing more films like it during the rest of the marathon. This review pertains to the Warner Home Video DVD version of Out Of The Past. Remaining FilmsThe Third Man (Criterion Collection: 50th Anniversary Edition) 1949Sunset Boulevard (Paramount Special Collector's Edition) 1950Strangers On A Train (Two Disc Special Edition) 1951Kiss Me Deadly (MGM Vintage Classics) 1955Rififi (Criterion Collection)The Killing (MGM DVD) 1956High And Low (Criterion Collection) 1963

Cameron Graham is a young but enthusiastic critic who is passionate about movies, books, and (some) music. He is a published author and enjoys writing.

Film Noir Thursday #2: Laura

Cameron Graham — Thu, 6 Jul 2006 21:59:00 EDT

Yes, most of you will be reading this entry on Friday, and yes it is called Film Noir Thursday, but today turned out to be unexpectedly busy and this post took a bit longer than usual to write. This is the second post in the series (the first can be found here) and I'm taking a look at Laura, the 1944 film by Otto Preminger. It stars Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, and Clifton Webb. The plot revolves around police detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) who is investigating the murder of Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney) and starts to fall in love with her as he does so. Needless to say, all is not as it seems. The film starts off with an interesting scene which features a narrative by one of the characters, newspaper columnist Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb), as he watches Det. McPherson poke around his waiting room through a crack in the door. Except during a story that a character later relates to McPherson, that is the only time a narrative is used in the film. It's an interesting beginning that works well, as do most elements of the film. Dana Andrews gives a very solid performance as Det. Mark McPherson, someone falling slowly in love with a girl who's murder he's investigating even though he knows it's ridiculous. Gene Tierney puts out another solid performance as Laura, and Clifton Webb and Vincent Price both play well as Laura's two opposing romantic interests. None are exactly outstanding in their respective roles but it's hard to find fault with any of them, either. The only problems in acting arise with a few of the side characters whose delivery seems a bit stagy/overacted at times. Compared to the previous Film Noir in the marathon, M, Laura is a step up with the characters showing more emotion but also subtlety. In a scene early on, Dana Andrews walks out of a restaurant after having drinks with/questioning a witness and as he reaches the curb, he turns his head sideways to take a look at the suspect who is now leaving. The camera pulls in close and the light from the streetlamps play across his face. It's almost a classic film noir scene the likes of which you can see in many other movies of the genre, but it's particularly effective in this film. The same goes for most of the visuals. None of the scenes are astonishing and none are extensively choreographed; the director seems to want to keep things very simple instead, which works well in this case. The movie itself is fairly compact with a short one hour 28 minute running time. Each scene is used well and the movie doesn't languish on any different part very long, keeping the plot and suspense moving. In terms of plot, Laura does a respectable job. You may be able to guess some of the twists along the way (a few of which the movie doesn't bother to obscure heavily) but you'll probably still be satisfied with the final ending. Laura is a good movie. Is it particularly great in any way? No. But (as you can tell from the above review) it does a very competent job in acting, filming, plot, etc. and doesn't have any noticeably large flaws. The running length also makes it attractive to anyone looking for a good Film Noir or thriller that isn't overly long or complicated. More of a Popcorn Noir than a dramatic one, Laura is very entertaining. *Note - This review pertains to the Fox Film Noir edition of Laura Remaining Films 1) Out Of The Past (Warner Home Video DVD) 1947 2) The Third Man (Criterion Collection: 50th Anniversary Edition) 1949 3) Sunset Boulevard (Paramount Special Collector's Edition) 1950 4) Strangers On A Train (Two Disc Special Edition) 1951 5) Kiss Me Deadly (MGM Vintage Classics) 6) Rififi (Criterion Collection) 1955 7) The Killing (MGM DVD) 1956 8) High And Low (Criterion Collection) 1963

Cameron Graham is a young but enthusiastic critic who is passionate about movies, books, and (some) music. He is a published author and enjoys writing.

Film Noir Thursday #1 - M

Cameron Graham — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 02:52:26 EDT

For those not "in the know", I've decided to start on a 10-movie Film Noir Marathon since my knowledge of the genre is a bit lacking. I'll be viewing one film a week and posting a review, each Thursday, for the next nine weeks. The first film up is M by director Fritz Lang. It was made in 1931 (one of the first Film Noirs) and was Fritz Lang's first movie with sound. It also made a star of Peter Lorre, who in M portrays a murderer of children eluding the police and the underground world of crooks angry about the bad publicity he is bringing them. Below is my review and following it is a finalized list of the next nine films.M - Review/ThoughtsM is consistently referred to as one of the greatest Noirs by a great Film Noir director, Fritz Lang (he later made the revered The Big Heat). Unfortunately, I didn't find it to be as inspiring as its five-star rating on Amazon.com might lead one to believe. The opening 30 minutes are a bit drab. They simply don't grab you in any way or make you want to continue onwards with the movie. There is one great scene in the beginning where we first meet up with the murderer Hanz Beckert (Peter Lorre) but aside from that, the beginning just doesn't work well. Luckily, however, the film picks up after this as we start to see the involvement of various syndicates of underground criminals in the chase for Hanz. Upset at the fact that the police keep raiding their hide-outs looking for the child murderer, they decided to perform their own search in order to locate him and therefore stop the pointless and disruptive raids. It's an interesting idea that makes the plot of M stand out from other Film Noirs.In terms of acting, the movie succeeds. The characters are believable and have clear motivations for their actions. Even the secondary characters are fully fleshed out, not such an easy feat in a movie with many supporting actors. Peter Lorre gives a good performance, although I wouldn't call it the performance of his career, as he tends to overact a bit -- lacking a subtlety that would really have propelled his character. Surprisingly, as M is in a way a portrait of a serial killer, Peter Lorre's character doesn't get a lot of screen time. This isn't so much a bad thing as just an interesting directorial decision. It makes the film more of a picture of the social, underground, and governmental reaction to a serial killer more than one about the actual killer himself. In this respect the film is also good, showing the police's frustration at not be able to catch Hanz and also the public's growing paranoia and suspicion of all the wrong people. The filming (which of course, every Film Noir review must discuss) was a bit of a letdown. Perhaps this is because I had my expectations boosted pretty high by watching Touch Of Evil recently by Orson Welles, which features amazingly choreographed scenes. And it's not that M is badly filmed, it just rarely does anything that makes the viewer sit up and take notice. It does on occasion though, which points perhaps towards a filmmaker still finding his own unique sense of style.All in all, I found M to be an interesting introduction to the Film Noir genre. Within it you can see many small things that later Film Noirs used to a greater degree. The movie itself isn't bad or even mediocre -- it's a very competent film, but has areas that really drag and don't accomplish much. With some editing, M could be a much better film. As it is now, I would recommend it only to people wanting to explore the beginning of the Noir genre or to Fritz Lang aficionados. 3/5*Note - This review pertains to the Criterion Collection edition of MRemaining Films1) Laura (Fox Film Noir) 19442) Out Of The Past (Warner Home Video DVD) 19473) The Third Man (Criterion Collection: 50th Anniversary Edition) 19494) Sunset Boulevard (Paramount Special Collector's Edition) 19505) Strangers On A Train (Two Disc Special Edition) 19516) Kiss Me Deadly (MGM Vintage Classics) 19557) Rififi (Criterion Collection) 19558) The Killing (MGM DVD) 19569) High And Low (Criterion Collection) 1963

Cameron Graham is a young but enthusiastic critic who is passionate about movies, books, and (some) music. He is a published author and enjoys writing.