***Official 1st Annual HTF January Winter Crime Challenge*** (1 Viewer)

[Michael Elliott]

09. White Heat (1949) :star::star::star::star:

Terrific film with James Cagney returning to the crime/gangster genre after ten years off. In the film Cagney plays Cody Jarrett, a psychopath gangster who has a thing for his old ma (Virginia Mayo). Today this film remains one of the greatest gangster pictures but it must have been even more fun for people back in 1949 when it was released due to the fact that Cagney hadn't played this type of role for so long. There are many flaws in this film but in the end it really plays out as a greatest hits package for its star. We see countless of the famous Cagney notes from the hot temper to the woman abuse to the violent gunplay. The opening robbery throws Cagney right back into the heat with some terrific action and rather cold blooding murders. I think Cagney was a tad bit too old for the part but he overcomes this with one of the greatest performances in his career. His breakdown in the prison cafeteria is brilliantly done as is his relationship with his mother. Mayo is just as great in her role but I've always felt Edmond O'Brien has been overlooked by fans and critics. I think the work between he and Cagney is just as strong as the relationship Cagney has with the mother. The ending is one of the greatest and most memorable in film history.

10. Mayor of Hell, The (1933) :star::star::star:

James Cagney plays a crime boss who uses his power to get a "real" job working in a boys reformatory school. At first he doesn't take the job too serious but then he sees how the boys are mistreated so he takes over running the school and tries to turn it into something good. This film was remade twice in the next six years with Crime School and Hell's Kitchen and while both of those films were very entertaining there's no question this is the best of the three versions. One thing that helps is the fact that this one was made before the code came into play so it has a lot more of a raw feel to it whereas the remakes were toned down in content. Another added bonus is seeing Cagney who once again delivers a strong performance. He doesn't show up until the twenty-five minute mark and it speaks well of the young actors who hold the film up before the star gets on screen. The supporting players all do fine work with Madge Evans as the love interest, Allen Jenkins as Cagney's sidekick and Dudley Digges as the bad guy running the school. I think one fatal flaw is the ending and the aftermath. The ending turns into a Frankenstein type setting, which might have worked but the aftermath is so rushed and faked that it really ends the film on a sour note. Outside of that this is a pretty good drama with its heart in the right place and the toughness you'd expect from a Warner/Cagney film.

 

[John Bryant]

How about The Kingdom?

 

[PatW]

Larceny Inc. (1942) :star: :star: :star: :star:

Three ex-cons buy a luggage shop in order to dig a tunnel to the bank next door. The leader of the cons decides that it will be profitable to go straight but an escaped prisoner messes up his plans.

This movie is funnier than hell. I didn't think Edward G. Robinson had it in him but he shows a flare for comedy. There are many funny scenes especially the luggage gift wrapping scene and the scene at the end of the movie. The whole cast is very good except for Anthony Quinn who seems like a reject from another movie. Funny stuff. I'll have to add this to my collection.


Skidoo (1968) :star:

This was one weird movie. I can't say that I liked it. I did enjoy seeing stars like Mickey Rooney, Groucho Marx, Carol Channing, Jackie Gleason etc but I think whoever came up with this screenplay must have been smoking pot at the time. This is not campy bad like Plan Nine... but just plain bad.


Goodfellas (1990) :star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2

A Martin Scorsese masterpiece, much better IMHO than the over-rated The Departed. Wonderfully acted and shot with a first rate screenplay, this is my favourite Scorsese picture.

Mayor of Hell (1933) :star: :star: :star:

James Cagney stars as Patsy Gargan a newly appointed Deputy Commissioner of Corrections who after a visit to a reform school instigates changes that have a profound effect on everyone concerned. Jimmy Smith leader of a street gang is hard to get through to, but eventually he realizes that Gargan is trying to help. When Gargan goes into hiding for a shooting, matters take a turn for the worse at the reform school.

The acting was top-notch especially the young actor who played Jimmy Smith. This was really his picture with Cagney taking a supporting role as far as screen time goes. Cagney was great as always with the rest of the actors adequate in their parts. This film became totally unrealistic at the end but it still remaining an entertaining watch.

 

[Ruz-El]

I've been crap with updating! I'm still watching those Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies. I'll apologize in advance for the length of this, and the crap reviews. :S

07 - 01/11 - SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR 3/5
Holmes Jumps ahead about 40 years and does his bit for the war effort while the series goes from Fox to Universal. Odd to see Holmes in a contemporary setting, and it's pretty clear the mystery is taking a back seat to propaganda. Still an enjoyable outing with the great atmosphere.

08 - 01/11 - SHERLOCK HOLMES & THE SECRET WEAPON 2.5/5
Now Moriarty is helping the Nazis and I'm suspecting these are getting cheap and formulaic. This one revolves around a bomber site, and oddly enough, it all gets a bit James Bond. Still a lot of fun.

09 - 01/12 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON 2.5/5
More WW2 hijinks, this one featuring Holmes and Watson off to America to track a secret message. Again, some good suspense and such, but it's not holding up to the original couple.

10 - 01/12 - SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH 2.5/5
Back in England, Holmes gets to take a crack at an actual "who done it?" mystery. The war takes a back seat this time, and makes for a pleasant offering.

11 - 01/13 - SHERLOCK HOLMES - THE SPIDER WOMAN 3/5
A good old locked room mystery about a suspicious series of suicides kick this one off. Lots of fun, with Basil being in disguise and such. He always fools me. :S

12 - 01/13 - SHERLOCK HOLMES - THE SCARLET CLAW 2.5/5
An occult thriller in this one. Takes place in Canada too, with a sterling speech about how awesome Canada is by Winston Churchill to boot. If it wasn't for that, you'd never know it was contemporary as they seem to have forgotten about the war.

13 - 01/13 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE PEARL OF DEATH 2/5

Another good mystery with as search for the pearl. It's all getting a bit too familiar by now.

14 - 01/13 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE HOUSE OF FEAR 1/5

not sure what this ones about. I watched it, went for dinner, and totally forgot what is was.

15 - 01/13 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE WOMAN IN GREEN 3/5

Holmes goes up against Moriarty and hypnotism. This one had a ttouch of a noir feel to it, with narration at the start and more then a bit of shadow and style.

16 - 01/13 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN PURSUIT TO ALGIERS 3.5/5

Holmes gets stolen away from vacation in order to transport a King back to his country. Good things Holmes is a crafty bitch. I actually liked this one a lot. It's very simple, and I think that's part of it's charm.

The Rundown:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/3296151-post11.html

 

[PatW]

Each Dawn I Die (1939) :star: :star: :star: 1/2

Interesting prison drama with James Cagney as a newspaper reporter who is framed for a crime he didn't commit. Cagney is behind the wheel of a car and is knocked out cold and doused with alcohol. His car is started and rams into people killing them. He is sent to prison where he meets a gangster played by George Raft. Cagney keeps his mouth shut regarding a crime and Raft promises to look into his case when he gets out of prison.

The acting of both Cagney and Raft was stellar if the story was quite implausible. This was an enjoyable watch if dated. For a truly great prison movie, Shawshank Redemption can't be beat.

 

[Ruz-El]

Funny yo usay that. I have it on tap for this challenge. I picked up the SE ages ago and never watched it. I'm not sure I seen it.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Am I eligible to participate even though it's not winter here? (OK, it is/was the rainy season, though.)

My first two entries might not qualify either:-

1. Homicide: The Movie 3.5/5
Works only as a coda to the series, as a standalone it's really no better than an extended TV episode. Which is what it is, anyway.

2. Blade Runner 4.5/5
The rules say film noir, and if this isn't modern film noir, well, I'm not a cinephile anyway.

 

[Eric Peterson]

3. Notorious - This is one of those Hitchcock thrillers that I've never been able to embrace. For some reason the love story between Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman just does not work for me and therefore the first hour of the film really drags. This is still a very good thriller about the government trying to find out what some ex-Nazis are up to in South America, but I cannot give it a great rating for my reasons above. I have never understood why this film is so overwhelmingly praised in Hitch's filmography as it would barely creep in to my Top 20. **1/2

4. Zodiac - My favorite film of 2007 centers around the killings of and search for the Zodiac killer in Northern California in the late 60s. This is a top-notch police procedural from David Fincher that left me enthralled for the entire 2-1/2 hour run time. It's not quite as good as Fincher's masterpiece "Se7en", but nevertheless I enjoyed this one quite a bit. ****

5. F For Fake - Orson Welle's essayesque documentary on the world of fakers centers on two stories. First off is art forger Elmer DeHory who claims to have have imitated painting by many of the great masters and who also claims to have sold many of his paintings to museums where they still hang today. The film also discusses in great deal the story of Clifford Irving who wrote the auto-biography of "Howard Hughes" from interviews with Howard Hughes that he completely manufactured. He almost got away with a million dollars from the publisher before being caught. This story is also the center of my next film - "The Hoax". I find Welle's film to be a near masterpiece which is worthy of much greater acclaim. ***1/2

* 6. The Hoax - Richard Gere stars as Clifford Irving who wrote a fake auto-biography of Howard Hughes in the early 70s. Although Irving claims that the story told in this movie is nearly as fake as his biography of Hughes, it was nonetheless an entertaining if slightly flawed film. I'll admit that I'm not the world's biggest Richard Gere fan, but he does a reasonable job in this role. I thought that Alfred Molina did a much better job in his role as Irving's partner in CRIME. ***

 

[Ruz-El]

Finished of Basil and Watsons adventures!

01/14 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN TERROR BY NIGHT 2/5
After having to escort a King in the previous adventure, he now has to guard a jewel. Can someone say cookie cutter plot?

01/14 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN DRESSED TO KILL 2/5
And the Rathbone Holmes series comes to a close! I think. This is the last one I got anyways. Kind of a fizzle. Still a good series though. Even if they get overly familiar in plot, the rapport of Holmes and Watson carry them through.

Now I have to find the Hammer "Hound Of The BAsketvilles" BWAA HA HAA!

Then enough bloody Sherlock Holmes for a few years... Don't get me wrong, they were good stuff, just a bit much all at once.

TALLY!
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/3296151-post11.html

 

[PatW]

Tequila Sunrise (1988) :star: :star: :star: 1/2

An interesting modern film noir written and directed by Robert Towne better known for his screenplay of Chinatown. Dale McKussic (Mel Gibson) and Nick Frescia (Kurt Russell) are attracted to the same woman restaurant co-owner Jo Ann Vallenari ( Michelle Pfeiffer). McKussic (Mac) a former drug dealer is trying to leave his old life behind after he completes one more deal. Nick, a friend of Macs, is the new head of the narcotics unit and suspects that Mac has gone back to his old life. Both romance Jo Ann, one with lies and the other with the truth.

I don't know who is prettier in this movie, Pfeiffer or Gibson. Certainly they are two of the most beautiful faces to inhabit the film world in the 1980's. The cinematographer certainly knows that and films these two stars to their absolute best advantage. Everything in this film is beautifully shot, from the sunsets to the lovely blue eyes on Jo Ann's face. This is a well acted film from the smart characters to the even smarter dialogue. 2/3 of the film works for me and then it falls apart for the last part of the movie. The problem lies with Raul Julia. Such a great actor but in this movie he hams it up especially in the last part of the movie. The final scene on the boat between Gibson and Julia was just cringe worthy. This movie is worth a watch if for the strong acting of the three leads.

 

[SteveGon]

The Limey (1999)

Viewed 1/15/2008

Revisited Steven Soderbergh's moody thriller. Terrence Stamp plays Wilson, a tough English ex-con who travels to L.A. to unravel the mystery behind his daughter's death. As much a character drama as a crime thriller, Wilson's journey is told through flashbacks, flashforwards and lifted scenes from Ken Loach's Poor Cow (in which Stamp played a similar character). This stream of consciousness technique may put off some, but it illustrates Wilson's gradual realization that he has played a part in the fate of his little girl, that he is at least partly responsible for the loss of the one good thing in his life. One of Soderbergh's best.

:star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star:


Autumn (2004)

Viewed 1/15/2008 (first viewing)

French noir thriller directed by an American. This is more a genre homage than a movie, an obtuse beast whose plot features a guilt-ridden hitman, his bombmaking girlfriend, a patsy of a friend (who naturally is in debt to everyone), a genial but evil boss, and a much-wanted briefcase containing a MacGuffin.

:star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[Eric Peterson]

* 7. Border Incident - This was an excellent little thriller from Anthony Mann starring Ricardo Montalban and a cast of great character actors. The premise centers on the illegal immigration of worker's from Mexico (HMMMM!! sound familiar). Of course there is an American Kingpin who brings the workers in illegally, and then pays them 1/3 of what they would get if they came in legally and esentially keeps them in captivity. Montalban's charcter works for the Mexican government and goes undercover to try and break up the ring. I was thoroughly entertained throughout the full runtime of this film. ****


* 8. Suddenly - Another great little thriller starring Sinatra and Sterling Hayden. The plot centers around a group of hitmen planning to shoot the president when his train stops in Suddenly, California. The beginning was a little over-acted and I thought I was in for trouble, but the film quickly gets to the point and moves along at a very brisk pace. I found this to be nice little gem of a film that I would like to re-visit in the future. Hopefully, someone will rescue this film from PD hell, as the print that I watched from TCM was pretty bad. ***1/2

 

[Malcolm R]

A SLIGHT CASE OF MURDER (1938)
Grade: A-

Very funny gangster send-up with Edward G. Robinson riffing on his 'Little Caesar' persona as Remy Marko, a prohibition gangster who looks forward to "goin legit" once the law is repealed. Despite his best efforts to inject a little class into his business and personal dealings, he continues to find himself surrounded by corpses and "mugs" while his brewery business falters due to the inferior product that, while it was the only option supplied on the sly during prohibition, now faces competition on all sides from breweries with superior products.

Fine performances from the cast including Robinson, Jane Bryan, Allen Jenkins, Willard Parker, Bobby Jordan, and cameo by Margaret "Wicked Witch" Hamilton, who I think had one of the best scenes in the film.

 

[TravisR]

01/16/08
I watched Laura for the first time in years last night. I've always enjoyed this movie.

I just started picking and choosing from the Fox Film Noir discs that I haven't watched yet and chose the original Kiss Of Death. I thought this one was really solid. The lead earns the audience's sympathy (even if he's a criminal at the beginning) and the villain is 'wonderfully' evil. As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with a movie where a guy pushes an old lady down the stairs.

My list
(new titles in bold)

01. Zodiac (Director's Cut)
02. Laura
03. Kiss Of Death (1947)

 

[PatW]

The Last Gangster (1937) :star: :star: :star: 1/2

Joe Krozac is sent to prison for 10 years for tax evasion. While in prison his son is born and Joe becomes obsessed with the baby and finding his boy when he gets out of prison. His wife who discovers what her husband is really like, quietly gets a divorce and marries good guy Jimmy Stewart.

Edward G. Robinson is excellent in this role and sells the movie. He's a hardened criminal who thinks nothing of bumping off his opposition yet the soft spot he holds for his son is very apparent. He makes for quite a strong presence on the screen. Jimmy Stewart was fine in his small role but the woman who plays Joe's wife was the weak part of this movie. I just didn't buy her in this role. Overall not a bad movie though.

 

[TravisR]

01/17/08

I watched a couple more of the Fox Film Noir DVDs that I haven't seen before (and one crime movie that I've probably seen nearly 100 times ).

Fallen Angel A guy gets involved with the femme fatale and bad things ensue. Not a bad movie but it seems a little familiar.

Reservoir Dogs I'm a huge Tarantino fan and this is probably my favorite of his movies.

In Shock, Vincent Price kills his wife and is seen by a woman who goes into shock when she sees the murder. Unfortunately for her, he's also the doctor that they call for her. It's a very short movie (about 70 minutes) so the story moves.

My list
(new titles in bold)

01. Zodiac (Director's Cut)
02. Laura
03. Kiss Of Death (1947)
04. Fallen Angel
05. Reservoir Dogs
06. Shock (1946)

 

[PatW]

Rebecca (1940) :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

Atmospheric Hitchcock movie that's my favourite from a long list of great movies from that director. There are outstanding performances in this movie most notable being Dame Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers and Laurence Olivier as Max de Winter. Joan Fontaine was also good as the young naive bride that Max brought home to Mandalay. In fact the whole supporting cast was great. This movie is full of suspense, foreboding, dark gloomy shadows, perfect film noir. The cinematography is outstanding as well as the sets. The most outstanding prop though was Rebecca herself. She inhabited this film right from the beginning, giving this movie its somber, gloomy feel. Awesome film which I can't recommend enough.

 

[Ruz-El]

I snuck in one last night:

01/17 - HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES 4/5
Hammer takes a crack at Holmes with Peter Cushing. A damned fine adaptation. As good as Cushing is, I prefer Rathbone in the part. That said, this was a damned fine film period. Terence Fisher was a hell of a director.

I think I'm good for Sherlock Holmes movies for a while

Me tally:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/3296151-post11.html

 

[TravisR]

01/18/08

Another 'new' Fox noir, I checked out I Wake Up Screaming. It's decent little crime drama with a decent twist at the end.

My list
(new titles in bold)

01. Zodiac (Director's Cut)
02. Laura
03. Kiss Of Death (1947)
04. Fallen Angel
05. Reservoir Dogs
06. Shock (1946)
07. I Wake Up Screaming

 

[Malcolm R]

Murder, My Sweet C+

One of the quintessential film-noir flicks, at least according to the blurbs on the box. I was underwhelmed. Phillip Marlowe investigates the theft of a jade necklace and the disappearance of some thug muscle's girlfriend. Entertaining performance from Dick Powell, but the others seemed a little stiff.