Noir Watch: Follow Me Quietly (1949)

Watched:  11/09/2019
Format:  Noir Alley of TCM
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1940's

Noir Watch: He Ran All the Way (1951)

Watched:  11/10/2018
Format:  Noir Alley on TCM on DVR
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1951


I admit - I started watching this movie a while back shortly after it aired on TCM and then got busy and forgot to finish watching it, until now.  And I'm very glad I did.

Noir Watch: The Sniper (1952)

Watched:  11/06/2018
Format:  Noir Alley on TCM on DVR
Viewing:  Second
Decade:  1950's

My recollection of the first time I watched The Sniper (1952) was that it was a much, much better picture than I was assuming I was about to watch, and that helped me overcome the fact that while I'd watched the movie to see Marie Windsor, her screentime isn't as much as any of us would like in your average Marie Windsor picture.

Kudos to TCM host Eddie Muller for (a) not shying away from showing the movie, and (b) a nuanced discussion about film violence and how we think about it in regards to real-world violence that will, no doubt, go right past a lot of the hot-take approach to film discussion that crawls past all of us on social media as "film twitter" rushes to fill in their rubrics for "good/ bad". 

Noir Watch: The Gangster (1947)

Watched:  10/23/2018
Format:  Noir Alley on TCM on DVR
Viewing:  First
Decade: 1940's

Noir Watch: Angel Face (1953)

Watched:  09/27/2018
Format:  Noir Alley on TCM/ DVR
Viewing:  Second
Decade: 1950's

Angel Face (1953) is a heck of a film - a dark, twisted noir about honey traps, stepping out on perfectly lovely receptionist girlfriends, cool cars, retaining your Robert Mitchum cool in crazy situations, and maybe not going along to get along.

Noir Watch: Desperate (1947)

Watched:  09/19/2018
Format:  Noir Alley on TCM via DVR
Viewing:  Second
Decade:  1940s

Noir Watch: The Locket (1946) - recommended

Watched:  09/11/2018
Format:  Noir Alley on DVR
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1940's

The Locket (1946) gets name dropped a lot in noir circles, but not always with a lot of context.  It starred no particular favorites aside from Mitchum, and didn't happen to cross my path til it aired on Noir Alley, so I'd not made a tremendous effort to watch it.  Turns out, The Locket is a hell of a movie with some terrific qualities, from the performances to the direction and cinematography, but it starts with a story and script that - while maybe a bit rudimentary in applying psychology as a science (a common trope of this era) - tells a unique, engaging, tragic story via unconventional techniques - and puts a new spin on the "femme fatale" (if that's accurate here, and I'll say it is) that's fascinating to watch unfold.

Audrey Watch: The Sellout (1952)

Watched:  08/09/2018
Format:  TCM on DVR
Viewing: First
Decade:  1950s
Audrey Quotient:  Not Enough

Noir Watch: Scene of the Crime (1949)

Watched:  08/05/2018
Format:  Noir Alley on TCM/ DVR
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1940's

Happy Birthday Yesterday to Actress Jean Hagen

Born August 3, 1923 in Chicago.  Passed in 1977. 

You know her best as Lina Lamont in Singin' in the Rain, but she was also in noir films like Side Street, Asphalt Jungle and No Questions Asked. 

Noir Watch: Party Girl (1958)

Watched:  07/21/2018
Format:  Noir Alley TCM on DVR
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1950's

Noir Watch: Roadblock (1951)

Watched:  07/18/2018
Format:  TCM Noir Alley on DVR
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1950's

Noir Watch: The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950)

Watched:  07/02/2018
Format:  Noir Alley on TCM/ DVR
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1950's

Noir Watch: Pitfall (1948)

Watched:  06/21/2018
Format:  TCM Noir Alley on the DVR
Viewing:  Second
Decade:  1940's

This was the second time I'd watched Pitfall (1948), an indie produced noir starring Dick Powell, Raymond Burr and Lizabeth Scott.

Noir Watch: The Clay Pigeon (1949)

Watched:  06/12/2018
Format:  Noir Alley on TCM (DVR)
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1940's

Noir Watch: Crime Wave (1953)

Watched:  05/28/2018
Format:  Noir Alley on TCM - DVR
Viewing:  First
Decade 1950's

Sometimes casting can save the day for a fairly standard plot in a movie - it can be a real pleasure to see your favorite actors, character or otherwise, play out the parts in your boilerplate movie.  Other times that same old jazz standard gets a new look, a new interpretations and the execution is enough to make you stand up and applaud.

Noir City Austin: The Unsuspected (1947) & The Threat (1949) - Sunday shows

Watched:  05/20/2018
Format:   Noir City Austin at Alamo Ritz in 35mm
Viewing:  fourth/ first
Decade:  1940's

We attended two films on the final day of Noir City Austin, The Unsuspected (1947) and The Threat (1949).  Two extremely different movies, but both a real treat.  The Film Noir Foundation isn't just Eddie Muller, and as he had to depart, we were lucky to have author Alan K. Rode in attendance to introduce the films.

Noir City Austin: The Accused (1949) & The Underworld Story (1950)

Watched:  05/19/2018
Viewing:  First/ First
Format:  Noir City Austin at the Alamo Ritz
Decade:  1940's/ 1950's

Both films were shown as part of Noir City Austin, hosted by TCM Noir Alley host, Eddie Muller and presented in 35mm. 

Noir City Austin: I Wake Up Screaming (1941) and Quiet Please: Murder (1942)

Watched:  05/18/2018
Format:  Noir City Austin at Alamo Ritz
Viewing:  Second/ First
Decade:  1940's

It's Noir City Austin 2018 down at The Alamo Ritz!  As in prior years, Eddie Muller - the Czar of Noir and host of TCM's Noir Alley series is in attendance.  As he does so well for Noir Alley, Eddie introduces each film, providing Hollywood history and necessary context, as well as any anecdotes he's dug up over the years, often from first-hand interviews.

I can't make it to all the movies this year, but I am trying to make it out to see a few.  Friday night SimonUK and I took in the first two films, I Wake Up Screaming (1941) and Quiet Please: Murder (1942).

Noir Watch: Caged (1950)

Watched:  05/15/2018
Format:  Noir Alley on TCM (on DVR)
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1950's

There are probably two ways to watch Caged (1950), either as a camp classic or through the lens of 1950.  JimD taught me several valuable phrases, and in the top three I include "chronological snobbery".   Basically - chronological snobbery is that thing you do when you watch a movie made from a time probably before your birth and nod sagely to yourself saying "oh, thank goodness we figured out how to make better movies, people sure were dumb as both filmmakers and as an audience back then."