The third film in the French Noir blu-ray set is probably the best of the three. What’s so great about it is that it is that it sets itself up with a couple of plot switch-a-roos in which you think you are seeing a movie about a man getting away with murder until suddenly you’re not. Eventually, the story finds its way to a young couple and their romance in and around their jobs at a Paris taxi company. The place is filled with interesting background characters and a simmering dread as danger lurks nearby. By the time murder comes back in to the picture you are fully invested in the lives of the young couple and it earns its last 10 or so minutes of car chases through the darkened streets of Paris.
The second film in the French Noir blu-ray set is about as noir-y as noir can get. The movie opens with about ten minutes of dialogue-free intrigue and murder. The plot then goes back in time to show the events that lead to that. As one might expect, what we saw in the opening isn’t quite what we thought. Great black and white visuals throughout and an engaging plot make this a highly recommended watch.
I found this volume in the Mysteries series to be much more readable and informative than the last few I have read. I think it’s because the stupid paranormal aspects of dreaming are limited to the final chapter. The bulk of the book is a more down-to-earth analysis of the cultural importance of dreaming along with the psychological and scientific aspects of sleep and dreams. Even the paranormal chapter is approached from a pseudo scientific angle. The “experiments” include having a Grateful Dead concert crowd sending psychic messages to dreamers. No exactly a rigorously-controlled scientific study.
The Expanse keeps expansing! The story takes a break from galactic politics and focuses on the first group of settlers on the other side of “The Ring.” There was too much focus on the dull new characters for me to get that interested in the goings on here.
Are all indie games style over substance? I guess this game is okay if you are playing it as a school assignment to learn about the history Inuit peoples. It’s a step up from Oregon Trail. The game itself is an easy 2.5-D platformer with a little bit of puzzling as you switch between the two main characters. But for the most part it’s just run to the right and occasionally jump. Instead of cutscenes you can watch documentary footage of people explaining the folklore. Whoopie!
Most of the paintings featured in this coffee table art book are preliminary studies for major works. The time the style is loose sketchy but that gives the paintings a more modern feel. This is not the definitve Goya art book but feels like a really good collection of B-sides.
James Cagney smashes a grapefruit in some ditzy broad’s face… see. Then he becomes the gangster king of beer… see. And it all ends all tragic-like… see. Twenty-three skidoo buddy-boy!
Stanley Kubrick made a World War I movie? Well, I learn something every day. In reality, most of this is a sort of courtroom drama about three soldiers who are scapegoated and tried as cowards in order to teach all the other soldiers a lesson. The premise is stupid, but this is supposed to be the French army so maybe this is possible. The big theme here seems to be how, in war, everyone at all levels exploits their positions of power. The movie is thought provoking for sure but not as memorable as the director’s other work.
Speaking of Murder is the first film in a three disc collection of French noir movies I recently purchased from Kino Lorber. It tells the story of a paroled ex-con whose brother leads an active band of bank robbers. He is trying to make good with his girl but is targeted by the cops for his brother’s robberies. The movie drags in the middle when it slips into family drama and we never really get a feeling for the characters. The gangster brother runs a legit business but still robs banks? He’s filthy villain but is concerned that his little brother is in love with a beautician? Doesn’t really make sense, but the movie starts to get entertaining again in the last act as the “big score” robbery goes awry.
Boris Karloff’s final film role has him basically playing himself, an aging horror movie star whose films are now seen as camp that can’t match the horrors of the day’s headlines. Elsewhere, an unhinged war veteran has decided to go on a shooting spree reminiscent of the Austin tower shooter. The killings are pretty uncomfortable to watch, but this is contrasted with a lot of goofy banter between Karloff and his pals. Only during the final confrontation does it all seem to make tonal sense. There’s a lot of Roger Corman filler and the shooter’s motivation is never really established (like Merv Griffin, he just loves to kill) but it’s a movie worth watching.
