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Messages - noirjoe
1
« on: September 23, 2017, 06:47:33 AM »
I found it OK, although too long and too soapy. But its main fault is that it is simply not very noirish, especially visually. I neither like nor dislike Hepburn or Taylor, but Mitchum was good as usual, though this was not one of his best films.
2
« on: September 03, 2017, 07:04:21 AM »
Sounds like a great film. How do you rank it in comparison to the 1946, 1981 and 1943 (Ossessione) versions of the story? And if I may ask, where is the poll on the best films of 1939 being run?
3
« on: August 30, 2017, 07:12:47 AM »
Roses Are Red is a nice little B. And if you want to see Don Castle in a good film that drips with noir atmosphere, try THE GUILTY (1947). Watching B movies is a roll of the dice as there are more bad ones that good ones. In the later category are 3 Republic goodies, The Tiger Woman (1945), Port of Forty Thieves (1944), and The Mysterious Mr. Valentine (1946).
4
« on: August 15, 2017, 07:50:00 AM »
Spike, Hooray indeed. This is a very good noir. Supposedly Tierney thought Esther Howard stole the movie, and in a way she did with her somewhat over-the-top performance. But who cares, it was such fun to watch her. And, as usual, Cook was excellent. Topped off with a generous serving of atmosphere, Born To Kill is a real treat.
5
« on: July 31, 2017, 07:47:39 AM »
She's also very good in the Antonioni film, La Notte, with Macello Mastroianni and Monica Vitti.
6
« on: July 24, 2017, 07:46:00 AM »
I saw Dark Country when the DVD was first released and really liked the fusion of steamy neo-noir and eerie science fiction. The 3D version wasn't released in the U.S., but early this year I learned about the French Blu-ray in 3D, mentioned above, and bought it at considerable expense. Well, it was worth the price as the 3D is excellent and adds so much to the overall atmosphere and effectiveness of the film. Excluding tiresome comic book hero films, the only other movie I can think of where 3D was so integral to the success of a plotline is the 1953 noir, Man in the Dark.
BTW, Dark Country is being aired several times in August on the Sony Movie Channel.
7
« on: July 03, 2017, 07:41:50 AM »
"Night Tide" is wonderfully atmospheric, eerie and strange. The shadowy photography is very well done and the overall effect of the film is rather mesmerizing. It falls in the same supernatural noir category as "Carnival of Souls" and "Dementia" (1955) aka Daughter of Horror.
8
« on: June 12, 2017, 05:48:50 AM »
I totally agree with your review. This is an excellent film and I've watched it several times.
9
« on: June 02, 2017, 08:01:48 AM »
The strange thing about the film is that it is strikingly similar to a notorious pre-code movie called THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE (1933), which was based on William Faulkner's book "Sanctuary". In fact, some critics accused Chase of plagiarism because his novel was so much like the earlier book by Faulkner. Even stranger, Jack La Rue played basically the same character in both films. Film historians have theorized that the reason La Rue's career never took off is because the character he played was so unsavory, he became permanently identified with it, and was not offered better roles. Temple Drake was restored by TCM and they show it occasionally, though I don't think they offer it on DVD.
10
« on: May 09, 2017, 08:38:04 AM »
Jessica, FALL GUY has been restored and is available from Warner Archive. THE GUILTY and HIGH TIDE have never been released on DVD and are only available on DVD-R dupes from collectors.
11
« on: May 08, 2017, 01:14:32 PM »
About the Noir Alley schedule...a lot of great films included for sure, but TCM has been showing most of them off and on for years. I'm a bit disappointed they didn't try to get some lesser-known, obscure titles. For example, there are two 1947 films that Eddie Muller's Film Noir Foundation restored and has been showing at their festivals for a couple of years. THE GUILTY and HIGH TIDE are both good Bs that many noir fans have not seen. There's also SHED NO TEARS and FALL GUY. In other words, how about something other than the same old stand-by titles.
12
« on: April 09, 2017, 06:58:34 AM »
I just finished the 1930s film Murder by Television. I have to admit that I liked it the best when I first saw it a few years ago. Since then, the film has seemed to be weaker and weaker each time I've tried to watch it.
The best part of it is the scene when the TV set is the main attraction. I've always enjoyed the glimpse into very early television. After that, unfortunately, the movie does go a bit downhill.
Murder by Television is the shortened feature film version of the 12 chapter Mascott serial THE WHISPERING SHADOW. I ordered it a few days ago, mainly because of Bela Lugosi who was good in a number of 30s serials. So I'll be finding out whether such a long telling of this story will be too much.
13
« on: March 18, 2017, 09:28:43 AM »
I liked Girl of the Night, but thought Night Tide was even better. It's strange, moody, surreal, and definitely brings Carnival of Souls to mind.
14
« on: March 18, 2017, 08:00:18 AM »
I saw this years ago, but after watching it again, I am left with two contradictory opinions. The good...it has some excellent photography with all the great camera angles, lighting and shadows found in the best atmospheric noirs. And Raymond Burr is at his threatening, vicious best here, almost as evil as his role in RAW DEAL. The bad is the excessive, intrusive religious preachiness which interferes with the flow of the story, adversely affects the film's pacing, and nearly ruins what is otherwise a fairly good noir.
15
« on: March 17, 2017, 01:27:40 PM »
I liked it better than you guys because I am a big Antonioni fan. Although this certainly doesn't rise to the master's standards, it had some of his touches. I also found it nicely photographed and rather noirish looking. 7.5/10.
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