Track the Films You Watch (2005) - Page 16

george kaplan · 03-13-2005, 11:32 PM

Sorry, Wrong Number

I just rewatched this, and I think this might be the most underrated film noir around here. I don't consider this the best (it's not as great as Double Indemnity or Chinatown, etc.), but it's just a notch below. Yet, I never seem to read any love for it on HTF. A great film that any noir lovers who haven't seen it, should.

Jim_K · 03-14-2005, 07:52 AM

I liked Sorry, Wrong Number & if there was a better DVD I'd pick it up.

I agree it is somewhat overlooked but I don't know that I think as highly of it as you do though as there are many other noir films I'd place above it such as The Maltese Falcon, Shadow of a Doubt, The Big Sleep, The Killers, Murder My Sweet, Out of the Past, The Big Heat, The Big Combo, The Set-up, The Third Man, White Heat, The Asphalt Jungle, The Killing, Gun Crazy, Notorious, Night and the City, Strangers on a Train, Criss Cross, This Gun For Hire, Crossfire, Woman in the Window, The Blue Dahlia, Pickup on South Street, Laura, Touch of Evil, Kiss of Death, etc, etc..

I'm sure you'll strongly disagree with some of those but there it is.

First time viewings in Red
Out of

They Live By Night (1949) (7/10)
Highly acclaimed noir has Farley Granger as a wounded escaped convict who strikes up doomed romance with the young woman who helps him.

Across 110th Street (1972) (7/10)
Lean & gritty crime-drama has Anthony Quinn & Yaphet Kotto as a pair of NYPD detectives caught in the middle of a gang war between the Mafia & Harlem gangsters.

Ladder 49 (2004) (6/10)
Pretty good drama centers on the career of firefighter Joaquin Phoenix as his story is told through flashbacks.

Following (1998) (5/10)
A burglar takes a writer under his wing in Christopher Nolan’s debut film. While I enjoyed his other features (Momento & Insomnia) this one was a little too student film-ish for my taste

george kaplan · 03-14-2005, 08:41 AM

there are many other noir films I'd place above it such as The Maltese Falcon, Shadow of a Doubt, The Big Sleep, The Killers, Murder My Sweet, Out of the Past, The Big Heat, The Big Combo, The Set-up, The Third Man, White Heat, The Asphalt Jungle, The Killing, Gun Crazy, Notorious, Night and the City, Strangers on a Train, Criss Cross, This Gun For Hire, Crossfire, Woman in the Window, The Blue Dahlia, Pickup on South Street, Laura, Touch of Evil, Kiss of Death, etc, etc..

Well Jim, I too would place many of those above it, but barely so. And some of those (e.g., Murder My Sweet, The Asphalt Jungle, Pickup on South Street, Touch of Evil, Kiss of Death), I'd place significantly below it. And some of the films that I agree are better than Sorry, Wrong Number, I don't really think of as film noir (e.g., The Third Man, Hitchcock films, etc.).

But anyway, my main point is that lots of the ones you listed get discussed all the time at HTF, and Sorry, Wrong Number, almost never.

Haggai · 03-14-2005, 11:15 AM

Just added Sorry Wrong Number to my Netflix queue, George (though it'll be at least a few weeks till I'll get to it). I hadn't thought of renting it before, but I will check it out now. Actually, I also rented one movie after it showed up in your Sight and Sound screenshot contest from last year--M. Hulot's Holiday. I had heard of it from Ebert's Great Movies list, so I did have some interest in seeing it from a while back, but that shot you used in the contest was really great, like Renoir with the different layers of stuff going on all the way into the back, in deep focus. I loved it, and now I have Mon Oncle in my queue as well.

george kaplan · 03-14-2005, 11:52 AM

I'm pretty sure if you liked M. Hulot's Holiday, you'll like Mon Oncle.

Haggai · 03-14-2005, 11:57 AM

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. But we're just agreeing too much here--Asphalt Jungle rocks, man.

Bob Turnbull · 03-14-2005, 12:48 PM

I'm pretty sure if you liked M. Hulot's Holiday, you'll like Mon Oncle.

Definitely...Tati has an amazing visual sense for a joke. I think I like Playtime even more, though not specifically for its humour. There are very slow buildups to some of the jokes and it probably shouldn't even really be thought of as a comedy - more of a work of art. I love the sets and the drifting from one character or set piece to another. Hopefully NetFlix will have it for you (the Criterion is out of print at the moment).

About The Yakuza Papers:

Though I enjoyed these films, I can't see as that I'll ever watch them again so I was planning on selling them. If you're interested in the set, let me know.

Thanks Steve...Let me mull that over. I actually took a look a few weeks ago for it on DVDSoon and found it (after my discount) for under $100 Canadian. Unfortunately, the next day, it wasn't orderable anymore. The amazon price was over $120 (Can) and I just haven't bothered to look any further. After watching the first, as much as I liked it and want to see the other parts, I think I'm feeling the same as you - not sure when I would delve back into it again.

Brook K · 03-14-2005, 01:23 PM

Mon Oncle is my favorite of the 3, brings a smile to my face just to think about M. Hulot.

George, what did you think of Ossessione?

I got Incident At Loch Ness on Thursday from Netflix, but I've had no time to watch it. Have a project with a crushing deadline at work. The only reason I was able to watch Un Chien Andalou and Little Dieter was they are so short. I know Incident isn't that long either, but I have a feeling I'll want to delve into the extras.

Also have Polanski's MacBeth to watch.

I have Across 110th Street in my queue along with a bunch of other "blaxsploitation" movies but it will be a long time before I get to them. I thought I'd be up to my Miike fest by this time of the year, but I'm still 20-30 titles away from it too.

george kaplan · 03-14-2005, 03:58 PM

George, what did you think of Ossessione?

It was good, but not, IMO, nearly as good as The Postman Rings Twice. The best things about it were the things it did that the later film didn't, like the inclusion of the artist friend arc. But where the two films followed the same basic storyline (which was most of the time), I really like the 46 film a lot more.

Bob Turnbull · 03-15-2005, 01:48 AM

I was wandering through my fave rental store tonight and came across Sorry Wrong Number. Figured I would pick it up after reading George's post. Then I saw Barbara Stanwick on the cover.

George, why didn't you tell me that in the first place?

Inugami - Lovely told story about a Japanese family's curse. Though I've read that it is essentially about the Japanese royal family, it holds up as a tale of combatting prejudice, ghosts, forbidden love...You know, the basics. Anyway, it's also lovely to look at as well.

Blind Shaft - A pretty damning condemnation of China's government as we see the struggling portion of it's society do just about anything to eke out a living for their families. Specifically, a pair of mining workers who scam other young workers into listing them as relatives before they kill them and collect hush money from the owners.

I Heart Huckabees - What's an existential comedy about? Well, I'm still not really sure, but apparently it's not overly amusing. Mark Wahlberg is actually quite good, but I just never bought into the film.