Tag: Film Noir

  • White Heat (1949)

    White Heat (1949)

    Tracking down the titles that I haven’t seen from Danny Peary’s Cult Movies 2 book has included a lot of Hollywood classics like White Heat (1949) directed by Raoul Walsh and starring James Cagney, which was a critical and commercial success upon release. Nowadays, its known more for its a heavily referenced iconic closing line,… Read.

  • Dead Pigeon On Beethoven Street (1972)

    Dead Pigeon On Beethoven Street (1972)

    I always loved the use of Can’s ‘Vitamin C’ in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice, but you know who used it first in a private eye flick way back in the 1970s? Samuel Fuller did, shooting an episode of a German crime TV anthology in West Germany (called Tartot) and spinning that into his own… Read.

  • Remember My Name (1978)

    Remember My Name (1978)

    I am a fan of director Alan Rudolph, the Robert Altman protege who carved out his own singular style with several noir-ish romances, my all time favourite being Choose Me. I always love how Rudolph will pick a singer as the ‘voice’ of his movie – such as Teddy Pendergrass for Choose Me, or Tom… Read.

  • Cat People (1942)

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    I’d heard so much about Cat People (1942) over the years as a classic horror-noir, and it was one of those old Hollywood movies that lived up to its reputation. I was watching it by myself one afternoon, and every moment of expressionistic lighting, suggestive and creepy use of shadows and sound design, I would… Read.

  • The Wild Goose Lake (2019)

    The Wild Goose Lake (2019)

    I’m a sucker for the neo-noir vibe and thank goodness filmmakers all over the world are too. The Wild Goose Lake (2019) is a Chinese film about aesthetics, rainy nights in urban areas, neon signs casting a glow outside in the darkness and bold lighting indoors. But the film also feels tied to a specific… Read.