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

[PatW]

Sin City (2005) :star: :star: :star: :star:

Very stylized and extremely violent, I can't help having alot of admiration for this modern day film noir. This movie is told in four separate stories that are somehow connected if only briefly. My favourite story is Marv's the killer with a big heart who sets out to avenge the death of a young prostitute by the name of Goldie, the only girl that would sleep with him. The telling of his story is not without it's humour, black humour mind you and Mickey Rourke gives an outstanding performance and must take credit for bringing this character to life. Marv's story was by far the most interesting of the four tales. The other one, I didn't mind was Dwight's story played by Clive Owen.

Despite all the blood and guts, this is a very pretty movie to watch. The splashes of colour were used quite effectively. Kudos to the art director.
Alot of my friends hated this movie and find my admiration of it alittle hard to take. Each to their own, I always say.

 

[SteveGon]

The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960)

Viewed 1/28/2008

Revisited Fritz Lang's final film, in which criminal mastermind Dr. Mabuse rises from the grave - or does he? Doesn't match the first two Mabuse films, but very enjoyable.

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


Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Viewed 1/28/2008

A black hitman/modern day samurai finds himself pitted against the mob who've turned on him after ordering a hit on one of their own. Offbeat winner from Jim Jarmusch offers up lots of violence, quirky humor and meditations on the way of the warrior.

:star: :star: :star: 1/2 out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[SteveGon]

To Rob a Thief (2007)

Viewed 1/29/2008 (first viewing)

Two thieves enlist the aid of Mexican day laborers to rip off a television huckster who's made millions selling phony health care products to poor immigrants. Very enjoyable Spanish-language heist flick, a real winner.

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


Convoy Busters (1978)

Viewed 1/29/2008 (first viewing)

Italian policier has a tough cop taking on corrupt officals and gun smugglers. Aimless but engrossing, with a rather abrupt finale.

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


Attack the Gas Station (1999)

Viewed 1/29/2008 (first viewing)

Korean black comedy about a gang of four who rob a gas station and decide to stay the night, filling gas tanks and taking the profits. Tries to present itself as a social commentary on disaffected youth and authoritarian standards, blah, blah, blah. Unfortunately, despite the copious violence, there's a distinct lack of menace and tension and it all goes on too long.

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

 

[TravisR]

01/29/08

I probably haven't seen Pulp Fiction since the two disc DVD came out in 2003 or so and I had forgotten how much I love this movie. It was like seeing an old friend again.

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
08. Out Of The Past
09. Double Indemnity
10. Where The Sidewalk Ends
11. The Street With No Name
12. Pulp Fiction

 

[Malcolm R]

THE PUBLIC ENEMY (1931) B

Apparently James Cagney's first headlining role, The Public Enemy is the story of Tom Powers (Cagney), who began to show his criminal tendencies presumably at birth and rose to prominence in the Chicago mob underworld. Great performance by Cagney, though his mugging and odd facial tics sometimes are over the top. Really didn't care for Jean Harlow at all. Apparently the "grapefruit scene" caused a great scandal in the day, but I don't see why. There were several other bits that I thought would have been more scandalous for the time (the gay tailor with his hands all over Cagney, the blood after the shootings), though I understand some of these scenes were cut and restored at a later time.

THE THIN MAN (1934) A

My favorite film in the challenge so far! Great performances, witty dialogue, and an engaging plot. I'm not sure if that credit goes to the filmmakers or Dashiell Hammett; probably a bit of both. William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, vacationing in New York, get unwillingly drawn into solving a murder. Hard to believe this was filmed in only 12 days with a budget just over $200k. Can't wait to get into the rest of the series.

 

[Eric Peterson]

11. The Thin Man - I remembered enjoying this film more from past viewings, but this time it just didn't seem to do much for me. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood. Any way, the plot revolves around a couple of detectives who are constantly drinking and their eventual involvement in a murder mystery. I think my biggest problem with the film is that there are simply too many characters and I found it confusing. However, much of the drinking humor was quite pleasant. ***

*12. Tension - This was an excellent little noir flick with very few recognizable names in the cast or crew. The plot centers around a dorky male who happens to be married to a hot slutty blonde. He is constantly worried that she is cheating on him and for good reason as she is very unhappy. Eventually she does leave and there is a conflict between the new man and the old man. The plot thickens as the original husband plots to change his identity and get rid of the new man. However, when he falls for a new woman (Cyd Charisse) things get twisted around. I won't spoil the twist or the conclusion. My only problem with the plot is that he replaced the slotty blonde with the super babedom of Cyd Charisse, but still wasn't happy. !!!!! ***1/2

 

[TravisR]

01/30/08

As you can tell from my reviews (though I'd use that term loosely ), I love Quentin Tarantino's movies and Jackie Brown is no exception. I think this is QT's best movie and I can't see it enough.

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
08. Out Of The Past
09. Double Indemnity
10. Where The Sidewalk Ends
11. The Street With No Name
12. Pulp Fiction
13. Jackie Brown

 

[Malcolm R]

ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1938) A

Wow! Amazing film with a surprisingly potent emotional payoff at the end for a gangster flick. James Cagney in another role showing him a life-long criminal. Cagney and Pat O'Brien play Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connolly, best friends always in trouble with the law. Rocky gets nabbed and sent to reform school, which just serves to make him even more hardened, while Jerry escapes and is "scared straight," becoming a priest. After 15 years in and out of prison, Rocky returns to the old neighborhood and is torn between falling into his old gangster ways and helping Connolly try and guide a group of potential delinquents down the right path. Tour de force performance from Cagney, though all the cast (including the "Dead End" kids) were great. The final scenes are very highly charged emotionally.

Father Jerry: All right, fellas... let's go and say a prayer for a boy who couldn't run as fast as I could.

Man...I thought I was gonna bawl.

THE PETRIFIED FOREST (1936) C+

A group of nobodies gathered in the middle of nowhere yakking about alot of nothing. Didn't care for this one at all, though perhaps my expectations were off the mark not expecting a talky character drama to be labeled a "gangster" film. Bogart's gangster was his usual one-note performance. I'm still trying to figure out why this was considered his "breakthrough" (and why he's in nearly every film I watched during this challenge). An emerging Bette Davis was saddled with a one-note character (I wanna go to France... I wanna go to France...). Thank heavens for Leslie Howard (Squires) and Charley Grapewin (Gramps) who managed to inject a little personality into the film.

 

[Ruz-El]

In light of what I've been watching, I'll have to track down a copy of this one.

01/29 - DR. MABUSE THE GAMBLER 4/5
Fritz Lang's silent epic about a criminal master mind. Really good movie that completely captures your imagination, despite being 4hours long. I'm surprised someone didn't try remaking it with the big poker boom a couple years ago.

01/29 - DETECTIVE STORY 4/5
Tight drama with Kirk Douglas as a detective wound way to tight and having a very bad day. Lots of great character actors show up, and the whole thing just boils.

01/29 - KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL 4/5
Tough as nails heist thriller with robbers who don't know each other getting all squirrelly. Great noir look, and lots of nice twists to keep your head in it.

01/29 - THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION - 5/5
Knocked my socks off. A completely spot on movie about hope, that is sentimental without being unnecessarily sappy. A new favorite for sure.

01/30 - THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE - 5/5
Langs sequel to the silent epic is an amazing film. It manages to perfectly fit as a sequel without compromising the original, as well as being a fascinating stand alone film. Full of Nazi parables and amazing set pieces, highly recommended.

01/30 - UNDYING MONSTER 2/5
I'm counting this one as it played like a Holmes mystery, despite the supernatural twist. It's a better mystery then monster film, but other then looking really nice, it's pretty boring and crap.

I doubt I'm going to get in many other films, so this might be my final tally.:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...ml#post3296151

 

[SteveGon]

Finished up the month by revisiting some old favs:

Miami Blues (1990)

Viewed 1/31/2008

A psychotic ex-con flies into Miami, kills a Hare Krishna, then starts living happily ever after with a daffy hooker named Pepper. Meanwhile the seedy cop he ambushed (and whose gun, badge and false teeth he stole) is tracking him down and a violent confrontation is brewing! Criminally underrated crime drama, adapted from a Charles Willeford novel, is superbly cast with Jennifer Jason Leigh shining as the dipsy but determined Pepper, and Fred Ward perfect as the hardluck homicide detective Hoke Moseley.

:star: :star: :star: 1/2 out of :star: :star: :star: :star:


Suture (1993)

Viewed 1/31/2008

Intriguing thriller about about two half-brothers who look nearly identical, but who are played by black and white actors! White, affluent Victor, under suspicion in the death of his father, calls on working class Clay to come for a visit. Unfortunately for Clay, Vincent bombs his car in an attempt to make it look like he himself was killed. But Clay survives, thinking he's Vincent! Can he regain his real memories, or will he assume Vincent's identity permanently? And what has become of Vincent? Clever (but not perfect) little thriller in the Hitchcock mold.

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

 

[SteveGon]

My final tally:

An Obsession ***1/2
Attack the Gas Station **
Autumn ***
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A ***
Cause for Alarm **1/2
Convoy Busters ***
The Depression of Detective Downs ***
Eastern Promises ***
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai ***1/2
The Limey ***1/2
Mario's Story ***
The Marquise of O ***1/2
Miami Blues ***1/2
Out of the Past ****
Rats: A Sin City Yarn ***
Sonatine ***
The State Witness ***
Stray Dog ****
Superfly ***
Suture ***
Thief ***
The Thin Man ****
The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse ***
3:10 to Yuma *1/2
To Rob a Thief ***
Wiseguys Vs. Zombies **1/2
Yo-Yo Girl Cop ***


Finished up with 27 crime films watched, including 18 first viewings.

 

[TravisR]

01/31/08

I'm not going to get to watch any more movies before the end of the night so my total stands at 13. I watched 7 new titles (counting the director's cut of Zodiac as a new viewing) and rewatched 6 movies.

My final 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
08. Out Of The Past
09. Double Indemnity
10. Where The Sidewalk Ends
11. The Street With No Name
12. Pulp Fiction
13. Jackie Brown

 

[PatW]

My final count: I didn't view as many as I hoped.

26 movies watched

13 new movies.

 

[Malcolm R]

I only got a chance to see 14, and a couple of those might have stretched the definition of the challenge a wee bit.

Best new discoveries were Angels with Dirty Faces and The Thin Man.

Biggest disappointment was Reservoir Dogs.

 

[Ruz-El]

My final tally:
NOIR/CRIME CHALLENGE 2008, FIRST TIME VIEWINGS IN BLUE

01 - 01/05 - CRUISING 4/5
02 - 01/05 - THE LODGER 3.5/5
03 - 01/06 - HANGOVER SQUARE 3.5/5
04 - 01/06 - ROAD TO PERDITION 3/5
05 - 01/10 - THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES 4/5
06 - 01/10 - THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES 3.5/5
07 - 01/11 - SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR 3/5
08 - 01/11 - SHERLOCK HOLMES & THE SECRET WEAPON 2.5/5
09 - 01/12 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON 2.5/5
10 - 01/12 - SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH 2.5/5
11 - 01/13 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE SPIDER WOMAN 3/5
12 - 01/13 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE SCARLET CLAW 2.5/5
13 - 01/13 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE PEARL OF DEATH 2/5
14 - 01/13 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE HOUSE OF FEAR 1/5
15 - 01/13 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE WOMAN IN GREEN 3/5
16 - 01/13 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN PURSUIT TO ALGIERS 3.5/5
17 - 01/14 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN TERROR BY NIGHT 2/5
18 - 01/14 - SHERLOCK HOLMES IN DRESSED TO KILL 2/5
19 - 01/17 - HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES 4/5
20 - 01/19 - ANATOMY OF A MURDER 3/5
21 - 01/20 - BUCKTOWN 3/5
22 - 01/20 - NIGHT AND THE CITY 3.5/5
23 - 01/20 - THE HITCH-HIKER 4/5
24 - 01/20 - EASTERN PROMISES 4/5
25 - 01/25 - PICK-UP ON SOUTH STREET 4/5
26 - 01/25 - THE NAKED KISS 4.5/5
27 - 01/26 - THE HONEYMOON KILLERS 3/5
28 - 01/26 - DISTURBIA 2/5
29 - 01/27 - CRISS CROSS 3.5/5
30 - 01/27 - FOLLOW ME QUIETLY 4/5
31 - 01/27 - RATED X 2/5
32 - 01/27 - SCARLET STREET 4/5
33 - 01/27 - BOOMERANG 4/5
34 - 01/27 - HE WALKED BY NIGHT 3.5/5
35 - 01/29 - DR. MABUSE THE GAMBLER 4/5
36 - 01/29 - DETECTIVE STORY 4/5
37 - 01/29 - KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL 4/5
38 - 01/29 - THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION - 5/5
39 - 01/30 - THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE - 5/5
40 - 01/30 - UNDYING MONSTER 2/5

40 titles, all first timers but one. And admittedly "Bucktown" (blaxploitation) and "Undying Monster" (played like "Hound Of the Baskervilles" except there really was a monster) are pushing it. I watched more then I thought I would be able to, but those Holmes were only just over an hour. I wish I had more time for discussion. Lot's of fun this challenge.

Faves : 1st couple Rathbone Holems, the Mabuse films, Cruising and Shawshank.

 

[Eric Peterson]

*13. Act of Violence - My final film of this challenge was one of the very best. The plot centers around Van Heflin's character who seems to have a pretty ordinary life until Robert Ryan shows up. Ryan is after Heflin for some unknown reason that only Heflin's character knows about. The reason is eventually revealed and the chase is on. I was thoroughly entertained by this film throughout it's entire runtime. Janet Leigh was also quite good as Van Heflin's wife and Mary Astor played a tough bar girl. ****

My totals I saw a few others that would probably count too. First time viewings contain an Asterisk

The House on 92nd Street *
Harper *
Notorious
Zodiac - Director's Cut
F For Fake
The Hoax *
Border Incident *
Sudddenly *
No Way Out *
The Roaring Twenties *
Where the Sidewalk Ends *
Tension *
The Thin Man
Act of Violence *

 

[Chucky P]

Here's My Final Total

First Time Viewings In BOLD

January 4
1. Zodiac (2007) (4.5/5)
January 5
2. Skidoo (1968) (2.5/5)
3. Goodfellas (1990) (5/5)
January 6
4. The Petrified Forest (1936) (4.5/5)
January 9
5. L.A. Confidential (1997) (5/5)
Janaury 17
6. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
January 19
7. The Ladykillers (2004) (3/5)
January 29
8. The Lady Vanishes (1938) (5/5)
9. Crook's Tour (1941) (3.5/5)
January 30
10. Little Caesar (1931) (4/5)
January 31
11. The Public Enemy (1931) (5/5)
12. Die 3groschenoper (AKA The Threepenny Opera) (1931) (5/5)
13. Scarface (1932) (5/5)

 

[TravisR]

Neither of us came close to our insane totals in the horror challenge. That's probably a good thing though.

 

[Ruz-El]

I agree, that horror challenge was a little crazy. That said, I recently auired a pretty much complete collection of Godzilla films if there's a Sci fi challenge...

I'm surprised I watched as many as I did on this one. I probably could of watched more really, I just got lazy digging through my collection. I can't belive I left Chinatown on my shelf!

 

[JohnRice]

So, is anyone still interested in other challenges? maybe something for march. I'm trying to remember some of the other ones I originally proposed. I know Sci-Fi had already been proposed and I had some others like Epics, Historical Dramas and so on. Part of my hope was to try and get a few people to venture beyond their usual genres.