Detour. Yeah, don't go picking up the Wicked Witch of the West. I don't buy the alternate theory, though. If they wanted to tell that story, they could have. As it is, this one is a little half-baked. Why even bring up the elder Haskell dying if you're not going to somehow use that, or play out...
Kiss of Death. First rate. Compelling story and good performances. Loved seeing Brian Donlevy play the bookish Asst. DA after his wild turn as The Great McGinty. Yeah I was impressed with Victor Mature here, as well. And we all know the real Noir ending.
So I wrote a 2-hour romantic thriller and the director decided he was making an 88-minute action flick, but it's still a good story.
http://thehollywooddigest.com/dead-reckoning-film-review/
Tomorrow Is Another Day. Worth watching again, even with that sappy ending. Any film that can build a Hitchcock-level suspense sequence around a car-carrier is okay in my book. Now where's that Steve Cochran mysterious fatal cruise Noir?
And they never explained why Joe had to leave New York, which I suppose was just a device, but it was central to what Bonita had on him (other than unmotivated cliché fixation, as you point out).
Suspense. Noir on Ice. The only real suspense was waiting for the premise or plot to show up (it took at least 45 minutes). I felt Sullivan's performance was really ham-fisted and anything but subtle. In fact, the only good performances were from the side players, whom, yes would have been...
Kiss Me Deadly. Not much to say here since I have the Criterion BD. Why does this only get two stars on the TV menu channel? Granted, it's not much of a narrative; only Hammer rummaging around kissing women (or being kissed, actually), slapping men, and with the mysterious box as a McGuffin...
Nightfall. Widescreen, crisp picture, Stirling Silliphant script; what's not to like? I'm starting to sync with Muller's observations when I see the "Chekhov's Snowplow." But was expecting a little Fargo action there (blood spraying). Not so in sync when I was about to make a comment about Aldo...
Some press:
https://deadline.com/2020/11/shout-studios-release-date-kj-apa-thriller-dead-reckoning-1234609363/
https://movies.mxdwn.com/news/thriller-dead-reckoning-starring-kj-apa-gets-new-release-date/
The Seventh Victim. Sufficiently creepy. I don't know why Kim Hunter was directed to go through most of the film emotionless, but it dragged things early on. The shower scene no doubt was seen by Joseph Stefano or Hitch. And that ending. Wow. Smart not to end on emotionless Mary and Mr. Cleaver...
https://www-comingsoon-net.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.comingsoon.net/movies/trailers/1151987-dead-reckoning-trailer-k-j-apa-leads-indie-action-thriller/amp
I'm posting this here because I have a film I wrote coming out November 13 (streaming and on demand). I categorize it Dead Reckoning 2020...
Macao. Predictable but enjoyable. Everyone with the smartass dialogue. Then you find out in the exit notes from Muller that Mitchum and Russell improvised much of their dialogue. Okay, I get that, but what did you need six writers for? Well, the story is pretty good, and Bendix does a great job...
Yeah, in the end all the hocus pocus stuff did nothing for me, and I much preferred the stand alone genre-twisting stories within previous episodes. It was never must-see TV, but the production values and some of the acting were outstanding. I question whether it deserves a season two, though.
Destination Murder. I could have done without this one, as well. The dialogue and presentation were stiffer than a three-day-old corpse. Sometimes the only thing that makes a Noir worth watching are Muller's insights in the intro and exit. He could have saved his breath on this one; even those...
If you fast forward through the commercials the show comes out to almost exactly an hour, which I believe was the intended target time. FX wants to be like the series on premium channels such as HBO, where their series are a solid hour. At least that's my take.
And now the Back to the Future episode. I don't think any series can cover the horror of the 1921 Tulsa massacre better than Watchmen did, but here it is again on HBO's premier Sunday night show. I always have an issue with people from the future going back in time and seeing their young...
Thanks for posting that. Overall, it sounds like things never really changed for screenwriters in Hollywood. Perhaps more feared (because content was always king) than respected. My term was mostly in the 80s, where an Eszterhas could get an auction studio price for a screenplay in excess of $3...
The Racket. This one didn't do anything for me, unfortunately. I felt like (and I guess not alone) that Mitchum was horribly miscast and is just walking through the role (though he does give that impression sometimes when he's not). This said, though Mitchum is a favorite of mine ever since I...
The creepiest pair since the twins in The Shining. It would make sense that their spasmodic movements are created by dancers, not jump editing as I originally surmised.
Yes, "Zero Hour" and some of those other stern-faced appearances in films around that time.
I was being a bit facetious about Lewis getting the quote from this film, but rather that it was used this early, and maybe before. It was just fun to hear it from Willie.
Where the Sidewalk Ends. First class story and Noir. I can't believe I haven't seen this before (hey, at this stage, maybe I have), but I never blinked or drifted away. And it just wasn't Gene Tierney pouting her lips at the camera while she pretended to sleep. It is a beautifully-crafted film...