Film-Noir Discussion/DVD Review Thread

[dave jenkins]

More noir from the Warner Archives:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/dvd_reviews52/this_side_of_the_law.htm
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/dvd_reviews52/the_sellout.htm

[dave jenkins]

Savant on 711 Ocean Drive: http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s3349driv.html

[cigar joe]

Bad Blonde (1953) Ok but predictable Hammer noir with Barbara Payton, Frederick Valk, John Slater, Sid James, and Tony Wright.   

[dave jenkins]

Posted today over at "The Blackboard":

Joseph Losey's The Prowler is coming from VCI on Feb 1.

AVAILABLE AT LAST ON DVD! Famed director Joseph Losey's long neglected masterpiece, scripted by legendary blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, has been restored to its original bleak splendor by the Film Noir Foundation and the UCLA Film & Television Archive. A nefarious cop stalks a lonely, repressed Los Angeles housewife and decides to win her in the traditional film noir fashion - by knocking off her husband! Bonus Features: Documentary featurette "The Cost of Living: Creating The Prowler," with James Ellroy, Christopher Trumbo, Denise Hamilton and Alan K. Rode, "Masterpiece in the Margins": Bertrand Tavernier on The Prowler, On the Prowl: Restoring The Prowler. The Film Noir Foundation and UCLA Film & Television Archive Partnership, Photo Gallery, Audio Commentary by Film Noir Expert Eddie Muller, Original Theatrical Trailer Product Specs: DVD9; Dolby Digital 2.0; RT - 92 minutes; B&W; Aspect Ratio - 1.37:1 - 4x3; Year - 1951; SRP - $19.99

Great news. The Muller commentary alone is worth the price.

[noodles_leone]

Barton Fink - 8.5/10
Guess what? DJ convinced me.
You're a sick f*ck, Fink.

[dave jenkins]

Barton Fink - 8.5/10
Guess what? DJ convinced me.
You're a sick f*ck, Fink.

The film convinced you. Now, time to follow up with The Man Who Wasn't There.

[noodles_leone]

Oh I already love it. I loved it since the 2nd vision (first time, I got bored because I was traped into the wrong story, so the twist at the begining of the first trial got me out of the movie... once you know what you're supposed to follow, it's a great movie, and i've seen it around 10 times).

[dave jenkins]

According to a poster at The Blackboard, the following noir and noir-related films are streaming on Netflix:

Union Station
Appointment With Danger
Big House USA
The Turning Point
Cry Danger
Moonrise
Dear Murderer
No Man Of Her Own
Black Orchid
Rope of Sand
Dark City
Foreign Intrigue
99 River Street
Hot Cars
Ruthless
The Scar (excellent print)
Fear In The Night
The Big Caper
Private Hell 36
Allotment Wives
My Gun Is Quick
The Assassin
The Depraved
Cage of Evil
The Big Boodle
Crime Against Joe
The Naked Street
The Big Night
Hell's Island
I Walk Alone
Man Trap
Sleep My Lovely
Alaska Seas
Odd Man Out
Hell's Half Acre
Five Steps to Danger
The Missing Lady
The Great Van Robbery
Johnny Cool
Cat Burglar
Plunder Road
Cop Hater
Edge of Fury
Hong Kong Confidential
The Mugger
Lady of Vengeance
Hidden Fear
Flight to Hong Kong
Down Three Dark Streets
The Fake
Confidence Girl
The Man With My Face
Edge Of Doom
Blanche Fury
The Hideout
The Killer is Loose
The Fearmakers
Criminal Investigator
The Last Mile
The Young Captives
Accused of Murder
Appointment with Crime
Jennifer
Fatal Witness
London Blackout Murders
City After Midnight
Brief Encounter
Incident in an Alley
Counterplot
Cry Tough
Man Accused
The Cruel Tower

And per the Netflix site, they seem to be offering a free subscription for a month. Hmm, I can watch a lot of noir in a month.........

[Groggy]

Brief Encounter is a noir?

[dave jenkins]

I think the idea is that noir-heads would be interested because of the photography (it would come under the "noir-related" part of the category).

[cigar joe]

Cool I'll be watching them for sure 

[cigar joe]

Quicksand (1950) not bad with Mickey Rooney, Peter Lorre, Jeanne Cagney, Barbara Bates.

[dave jenkins]

Quicksand (1950) not bad with Mickey Rooney, Peter Lorre, Jeanne Cagney, Barbara Bates.

Thanks. I'll put it in my queue.

[dave jenkins]

Well, Netflix doesn't have Quicksand for streaming. However, I was able to settle for:

My Gun is Quick (1957) 8/10. This Mike Hammer entry is a lot of fun. Plenty of knuckle-play, a string of rub-outs, and dames, dames, dames. There's even a pretty good dock-side gun battle at the end (with a terrific shooter and shootee moment with Mike in the middle distance giving it to Thug #7 in the foreground). Robert Bray is probably what most people want for their Mike Hammer. He's good, though conventional, but would have been perfect for a TV show. In fact, this film seems a lot like a very, very, good TV episode--and some of the women in it did show up later on Perry Mason. Also this film has probably the best Velda of all time: Pamela Duncan (right, you've never heard of her. Neither had I). It doesn't have anyone comparable to Peggie Castle, though, so I, The Jury still remains my favorite Mike Hammer film. But this is definitely number 2.

[cigar joe]

Well, Netflix doesn't have Quicksand for streaming. However, I was able to settle for:

My Gun is Quick (1957) 8/10. This Mike Hammer entry is a lot of fun. Plenty of knuckle-play, a string of rub-outs, and dames, dames, dames. There's even a pretty good dock-side gun battle at the end (with a terrific shooter and shootee moment with Mike in the middle distance giving it to Thug #7 in the foreground). Robert Bray is probably what most people want for their Mike Hammer. He's good, though conventional, but would have been perfect for a TV show. In fact, this film seems a lot like a very, very, good TV episode--and some of the women in it did show up later on Perry Mason. Also this film has probably the best Velda of all time: Pamela Duncan (right, you've never heard of her. Neither had I). It doesn't have anyone comparable to Peggie Castle, though, so I, The Jury still remains my favorite Mike Hammer film. But this is definitely number 2.

Sounds good