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*** 3rd Annual HTF Noirvember Movie Challenge*** (1 Viewer)

dana martin

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Third times a Charm!

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If you survived the ***Official 24th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2023*** and are up for another challenge, time for more dark streets, way to much cigarette smoke, some people of questionable morals, and others in rough spots with no way out. Join the fun.


Same as last year

1. Watch as many Noir/ Western Noir/ Neo-Noir-Themed films, etc. from midnight Noirvember 1, 2023 throught the month of Noirvember 2023 (the start of the Holiday Season) (use your own time zone to set the ending time).

2. Theatrically released films and short features count as 1 point each. Running times are irrelevant.

3. Two of the films, et. al. should be new discoveries, movies you've never seen before. The point of this is to see those few movies you've always meant to see, but never got around to. Please specify new discoveries in your film list by making them bold, adding asterisks, different colors, etc.

4. Come here and talk about 'em. ( this is the best part )

5. There is an uber-category, the Heavy Smoker/ Femme Fatale for those who wish to put all of the rest of us to shame. This is the heavyweight division. These people, if they choose to accept the challenge, must view 24 Noir/ Western Noir/ Neo-Noir themed movies before dawn on Nov. 25th. Ten new discoveries are recommended for this one. The rest of us will bow down in awed reverence to these HTF members. The bragging rights will be awesome and long lived. What movies qualify?



Film Critic, Roger Ebert’s A Guide to Film Noir Genre

Film noir is . . .

1. A French term meaning "black film," or film of the night, inspired by the Series Noir, a line of cheap paperbacks that translated hard-boiled American crime authors and found a popular audience in France.

2. A movie which at no time misleads you into thinking there is going to be a happy ending.

3. Locations that reek of the night, of shadows, of alleys, of the back doors of fancy places, of apartment buildings with a high turnover rate, of taxi drivers and bartenders who have seen it all.

4. Cigarettes. Everybody in film noir is always smoking, as if to say, "On top of everything else, I've been assigned to get through three packs today." The best smoking movie of all time is "Out of the Past," in which Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas smoke furiously at each other. At one point, Mitchum enters a room, Douglas extends a pack and says, "Cigarette?" and Mitchum, holding up his hand, says, "Smoking."

5. Women who would just as soon kill you as love you, and vice versa.

6. For women: low necklines, floppy hats, mascara, lipstick, dressing rooms, boudoirs, calling the doorman by his first name, high heels, red dresses, elbowlength gloves, mixing drinks, having gangsters as boyfriends, having soft spots for alcoholic private eyes, wanting a lot of someone else's women, sprawling dead on the floor with every limb meticulously arranged and every hair in place.

7. For men: fedoras, suits and ties, shabby residential hotels with a neon sign blinking through the window, buying yourself a drink out of the office bottle, cars with running boards, all-night diners, protecting kids who shouldn't be playing with the big guys, being on first-name terms with homicide cops, knowing a lot of people whose descriptions end in "ies," such as bookies, newsies, junkies, alkys, jockeys and cabbies.

8. Movies either shot in black and white, or feeling like they were.

9. Relationships in which love is only the final flop card in the poker game of death.

10. The most American film genre, because no society could have created a world so filled with doom, fate, fear and betrayal, unless it were essentially naive and optimistic.

Been a great year since the last, with lots of new releases all around to discuss,

And a link http://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/home.html

For more information



HTF Threads about Film Noir

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/film-noir-on-blu-ray.338427/

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/10-all-time-favorite-film-noirs.376695/

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/co...oir-post-1970-on-blu-ray.376621/#post-5145692
 
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Robert Crawford

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I'm in, but I won't likely watch as many movies this year as I did last November.

2023 Noirvember Film Noir Movie Listing with titles in "Bold" designating first time viewings:

11-01-23
"Street with No Name" (1948) (DVD) 4/5 Stars
11-02-23: "Rope" (1948) (4K/UHD) 4/5 Stars
11-03-23: "The Tattered Dress" (1957) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
11-04-23:
"Abandoned" (1949) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
11-05-23: "Force of Evil" (1948) (Blu-ray) 5/5 Stars
11-06-23: "Lucky Jordan" (1942) (Blu-ray) 2.5/5 Stars
11-07-23: "This Gun for Hire (1942) (Blu-ray) 5/5 Stars
11-08-23: "The Lawless" (1950) (iTunes HD Digital) 3/5 Stars
11-09-23: "Human Desire" (1954) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
11-10-23: "Boomerang" (1947) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
11-11-23: "Cry Terror!" (1958) (DVD) 4/5 Stars
11-12-23: "Eyes in the Night" (1942) (TCM) 3/5 Stars
11-13-23: "The Mad Miss Manton" (1938) (TCM) 4/5 Stars
11-14-23: "Count the Hours" (1953) (DVD) 3/5 Stars
11-15-23: "The White Cockatoo" (1935) (TCM) 3/5 Stars
11-16-23: "The Phantom of Crestwood" (1932) (TCM) 3/5 Stars
11-17-23: "The Hidden Hand" (1942) (TCM) 2.5/5 Stars
11-17-23: "Seven Keys to Baldpate" (1947) (TCM) 2.5/5 Stars
11-18-23: "Seven Keys to Baldpate" (1930) (TCM) 2.5/5 Stars
11-18-23: "The Capture" (1950) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
11-18-23: "Speaking of Murder" (1957) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
11-19-23: "Strange Bargain" (1949) (TCM) 3/5 Stars
11-19-23:
"Laura" (1944) (Blu-ray) 5/5 Stars
11-20-23: "Union Station" (1950) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
11-21-23: "Appointment with Danger" (1950) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
11-21-23: "One Way Street" (1950) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
11-22-23: "Sleep, My Love" (1948) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
11-22-23: "Ruthless" (1948) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
11-23-23:
"Blonde Ice" (1948) (Blu-ray) 2.5/5 Stars
11-23-23: "Angel Face" (1952) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
11-24-23: "Seven Days to Noon" (1950) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
11-24-23: "No Orchids for Miss Blandish" (1948) (Blu-ray) 2/5 Stars
11-24-23: "The Night has Eyes" (1942) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
11-24-23: "The House of the Seven Gables" (1940) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
11-25-23: "Peking Express" (1951) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
11-25-23: "Obsessed" (1951) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
11-26-23:
"The Lady from Shanghai" (1947) (Blu-ray) 4.5/5 Stars
11-26-23: "Underworld" (1927) (DVD) 5/5 Stars
11-27-23:
"Betrayed/When Strangers Marry" (1944) (DVD) 3/5 Stars
11-27-23: "Undercover Girl" (1950) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
11-28-23:
"Caged" (1950) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
11-28-23: "Appointment with a Shadow" (1957) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
11-29-23: "Rio" (1939) (Blu-ray) 2.5/5 Stars
11-29-23: "Make Haste to Live" (1954) (Vudu Streaming) 3/5 Stars
11-30-23:
"Riot in Cell Block 11" (1954) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
11-30-23: "Forty Guns" (1957) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
 

Malcolm R

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New viewing =🍸
Max rating = 🚬🚬🚬🚬

  1. 🍸 The Criminal (1960) 🚬🚬
  2. 🍸 Mystery Street (1950) 🚬🚬🚬 1/2
  3. 🍸 The Maltese Falcon (1941) 🚬🚬 1/2
  4. 🍸 Where Danger Lives (1950) 🚬🚬


I ordered a handful of titles based on the reviews/discussions here last year, though I didn't participate. Hopefully I'll get to watch a few of them this year.
 
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John Stell

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B - Blu Ray Viewing
D - DVD Viewing
R - DVD-R Viewing
S - Streaming

Bold - Denotes first ever viewing

Rating - Out of a possible 4 1699682879065.png

01) 11/10/2023 B The Long Goodbye (1973) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1/2
02) 11/10/2023 B He Walked by Night (1948) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png
03) 11/11/2023 B Detective Story (1951) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1/2
04) 11/11/2023 B Gilda (1946) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png
05) 11/11/2023 B Among the Living (1941) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png
06) 11/12/2023 B Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png
07) 11/12/2023 B The Window (1949) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png
08) 11/13/2023 D His Kind of Woman (1951) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png
09) 11/13/2023 B Hustle (1975) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png
10) 11/14/2023 B Ministry of Fear (1944) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png
11) 11/15/2023 B Kiss Me Deadly (1955) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png
12) 11/15/2023 R Conflict (1945) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png
13) 11/16/2023 R Loophole (1954) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1/2
14) 11/18/2023 B Force of Evil (1948) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png
15) 11/19/2023 B They Won't Believe Me (1947) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png
16) 11/19/2023 B Sweet Smell of Success (1957) 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1699682879065.png 1/2
 
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Michael Elliott

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Man Afraid (1957) ** 1/2

George Nader plays a reverend who kills a home intruder in self-defense. Soon after the dead man's father starts stalking the reverend and his family. This was an okay film but there were just way too many flaws for it to really work. I thought the screenplay was a tad bit bland and it just tried to do too many things without really nailing any of them. At first, the film looks at a religious man being forced to kill someone but this idea runs out rather quick. It then turns to the stalking but the lack of any sort of suspense really kills things. It also doesn't help that the characters are so one-dimensional. Nader gives a good performance in the role of the reverend and Eduard Franz was also good in the role of the dead man's father.

However, this is yet another Kino "film noir" release that really isn't a noir. At least, I don't think it fits the definition of a noir.
 

Malcolm R

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It includes a character named "Skunky". Doesn't that make it qualify? ;)

Seems like Wikipedia and IMDb mark it as noir. TCM seems to just call it a crime drama. But as Robert says, any definition would be pretty broad (and as long as it includes at least one pretty broad).
 

Michael Elliott

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That's good. I'm going through Letterboxd and previous threads here to try and make a list for the month. I did order that Columbia Noir: Bogart set but it won't be here for a couple weeks.
 

dana martin

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Movies! TV Network

is running their Noir to Die for on Thursdays and Sunday Night Noir as well,

THIS THURSDAY

ALL TIMES EASTERN
8:00PM
THE NARROW MARGIN

9:35PM
ON DANGEROUS GROUND

11:20PM
GIRLS IN PRISON
 

dana martin

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Day 1: 1 Noirvember 2023

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1. Strangers in the Night (Olive Films) First Time Viewing

Republic Pictures Corp. (Release Date Sep 12, 1944) Director: Anthony Mann, Cinematographer: Reggie Lanning

2. Caged (Warner Archive Collection) First Time Viewing
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. (Release Date Jun 10, 1950) Director: John Cromwell, Cinematographer: Carl E. Guthrie

3. No Man’s Woman (Olive) First Time Viewing
Republic Pictures Corp. (Release Date Oct 27, 1955) Director: Franklin Adreon, Cinematographer: Bud Thackery

This is the story of three very different girls.

This year I will try and not spoil any film by giving away the endings.

Strangers in the Night, director Anthony Mann's first journey into Film Noir, a tightly packed little yarn that runs less than an hour. Story starts off with a marine in the pacific being wounded and getting red cross letters, that help him get through his injury where he develops a relationship with a woman. Upon his return stateside he sets up to meet the woman. On the train ride to the hometown to meet the girl he meets and starts a relationship with a young female doctor. But upon arriving at the house, finds that the girl of his letters is not there. Her mother is, a more mature, slightly disabled, mentally unhinged, controlling spinster. Who has ideas of her own. No this is not film noir as you would expect it this is more of a gothic style of a Noir. Mann’s direction is spot on, and he tightly packages this story to fit in the one-hour time frame no room for waste. The cast also gave good performances, oddly I don't believe I've ever seen any of these people in anything. I can state that the protagonist in this film does bear a slight resemblance to my mother-in-law, which will have me looking over my shoulder every time she's around from now on. The way the film ends though, without a spoiler, just caps how a false narrative can come back to bite you in the end.

I will state this on the first film, and it probably will apply to most of the releases from Olive that are older, the only issue I had with this is the lack of subtitles, getting older sometimes my hearing isn’t as clear.

Recommended, if you got an hour to kill or if you're looking to see Anthony Mann’s work before he made Film Noir classics.

Caged, pretty powerful film, Eleanor Powell gets sent to prison after a botched hold-up by her husband where she got out to help him after he had been hit by an attendant and was considered an accessory to the robbery. The husband dies and she gets incarcerated. Into one of what could only be considered a condemnation of the penal system. Endora from Bewitched (Agnes Moorehead) the warden is trying to run the facility to reform people, to return them as productive members of society. Unfortunately, the cell block matron probably went to the same training school as nurse ratchet from one flew over the cuckoo's nest. Accepting bribes for favors, but if you can't pay then it's going to be hard times for you. A great set a female character actors round out the cast. The changes throughout the film from the naive young lady that arrives to the hardened woman who exit the prison at the end of the film shows how corruption, deceit, mistreatment can change people, their beliefs, and the way that they view the world.
Highest Recommendation

No Man's Woman,
Marie Windsor turns in a great performance as a man eater who just chews through everybody that she possibly can. As an estranged wife who will do anything to continue to make her husband pay through the nose but won't give him the divorce that he wants so that he can marry the New Girl that he's in love with. Manipulating her assistant by going after her fiancé while scheduling extra work for her. Connected to a newspaper writer who she has pushing an agenda so that she can sell her art jeopardizing his career for her own profit. Who wouldn't want this woman dead. The question remains is who killed her. It becomes a bit of a procedural after that but still has a good climatic ending, another from Olive, that is a bare bones disc.
Recommended
 
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Michael Elliott

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The World Series ended early enough to get one on before bed.

Detour (1945) *** 1/2

I wouldn't call this the greatest noir ever made but it might be the greatest "B" noir ever made. It is rather amazing what Ulmer was able to do on a limited budget and a limited schedule. What I liked the most about the film is just how this simple man's life gets turned upside down due to a kind gesture turning out to be the worst thing that could happen. I really loved the performance of Tom Neal as he fits that "average man" role perfectly. It's a pretty demanding character when you consider the various sides that he has to show. Ann Savage is wonderful as well, although I will say her "drunken" performance was a bit... Over the top, I guess you'd say.
 

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