Reply to Topic
Mildred Pierce is excellent and was my #20. The Asphalt Jungle is good, but didn't make my ballot.
Seen: 85/86
Seen: 85/86
The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown
→ in Movie Reviews
I didn't care for Mildred Pierce and would not have voted for it.
__________________
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
Mildred Pierce was #45 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.
__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra
X
Favorite Movies
Asphalt Jungle was my 21. I have seen it 3 or 4 times now and it seems I like it more each time. I really like movies with lots of characters and moving parts that come together, so it’s not surprising I like this one quite a bit.
I rewatched Mildred Pierce for the list. I liked it more, but still not enough to nail down a spot.
Here come the bug guns. I know a lot of people don’t like this section of lists, but I think it’s fun to see where stuff falls.
Of course I am a populist fraud, so get ready for a few”two more from list” comments.
I rewatched Mildred Pierce for the list. I liked it more, but still not enough to nail down a spot.
Here come the bug guns. I know a lot of people don’t like this section of lists, but I think it’s fun to see where stuff falls.
Of course I am a populist fraud, so get ready for a few”two more from list” comments.
__________________
Letterboxd
Letterboxd
X
Favorite Movies
Lots of points today. Asphalt Jungle I had at #4. Rewatched during a hof and really loved it. Mildred Pierce I also had at #6, rewatched for hof also. Easily my favorite Crawford film and her Satan spun daughter that needed to be slapped.
X
Favorite Movies
ahh, two of my all time favorite noirs!...and I had them in that order on my ballot:
3. Mildred Pierce (1945)
4. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
I have to say I would never had guessed Mildred Pierce would reach this high in the countdown. I think that shows the strength of HoF nominations when it's countdown time. I nominated Mildred Pierce in the 22nd HoF and KeyserCorleone nominated it in the Film Noir HoF IV. And Edarsenal nominated The Asphalt Jungle also in the Film Noir HoF IV. That's my favorite noir pairing on the countdown so far. Let's see what the rest of the countdown brings.
3. Mildred Pierce (1945)
4. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
I have to say I would never had guessed Mildred Pierce would reach this high in the countdown. I think that shows the strength of HoF nominations when it's countdown time. I nominated Mildred Pierce in the 22nd HoF and KeyserCorleone nominated it in the Film Noir HoF IV. And Edarsenal nominated The Asphalt Jungle also in the Film Noir HoF IV. That's my favorite noir pairing on the countdown so far. Let's see what the rest of the countdown brings.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
2 for 2 SEEN, 2 for 2 from my ballot!
Interestingly, these are two films that I just discovered on one of the recent Film Noir HoF's (like Gilda and Criss Cross), so there might be a bit of a recency bias, but they sure left an impression.
The Asphalt Jungle is one I've had on my radar for a long time, but just hadn't gotten to it. I really liked the characters, from the Hayden's tough guy to Emmerich's slimy lawyer or Jaffe's good natured mastermind. Here's my full review and a bit of what I wrote about the characters:
Huston's direction is masterful and I love the mood/atmosphere of the whole film. I had it at #18.
As for Mildred Pierce, this is one I didn't know much about, but more than the mystery/whodunit angle, I really enjoyed the performances:
Here's my full review as well. Just like the countdown itself, I had it at #15.
SEEN: 27/86
MY BALLOT: 13/25
Interestingly, these are two films that I just discovered on one of the recent Film Noir HoF's (like Gilda and Criss Cross), so there might be a bit of a recency bias, but they sure left an impression.
The Asphalt Jungle is one I've had on my radar for a long time, but just hadn't gotten to it. I really liked the characters, from the Hayden's tough guy to Emmerich's slimy lawyer or Jaffe's good natured mastermind. Here's my full review and a bit of what I wrote about the characters:
But, as many other similar films have done after, the film succeeds in making us root for Dix by pairing him against more despicable characters. In this case, slimy lawyer Alonzo Emmerich (Louis Calhern), who is not afraid to double-cross Dix and his men. Calhern's performance goes masterfully from confident and cocky to pathetic and pitiful, and it is probably my favorite from the film.
It is worth noting that Marilyn Monroe had a brief but crucial supporting performance as Emmerich's mistress, and she is very good in it ("What about my trip, Uncle Lon?"). The character of the Doc (Jaffe) also offers an interesting balance of heart and soul deep within the "predatory beasts" of this jungle. I might say it works even better than the background they try to give Dix, with the horse farm, which feels a bit forced.
It is worth noting that Marilyn Monroe had a brief but crucial supporting performance as Emmerich's mistress, and she is very good in it ("What about my trip, Uncle Lon?"). The character of the Doc (Jaffe) also offers an interesting balance of heart and soul deep within the "predatory beasts" of this jungle. I might say it works even better than the background they try to give Dix, with the horse farm, which feels a bit forced.
As for Mildred Pierce, this is one I didn't know much about, but more than the mystery/whodunit angle, I really enjoyed the performances:
But putting aside the mystery, what made the film tick for me were the interactions between Mildred and Veda. Crawford is her usual great self, but I was really surprise by how Blyth managed to hold her own against her. Her clashing personalities and attitudes are what make the film feel interesting, and perhaps separate this from other film noir that rely more on mood and atmosphere.
SEEN: 27/86
MY BALLOT: 13/25
My ballot
__________________
Check out my podcast:
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
Mildred Pierce was #21 on my ballot.
The Asphalt Jungle is pretty good, but it didn't make my ballot.
The Asphalt Jungle is pretty good, but it didn't make my ballot.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
5) Night and the City
8) White Heat
9) Detour
13) Ace in the Hole
14) Gun Crazy
16) The Postman Always Rings Twice
18) The Stranger
19) Odd Man Out
21) Mildred Pierce
22) The Lost Weekend
24) Crossfire
8) White Heat
9) Detour
13) Ace in the Hole
14) Gun Crazy
16) The Postman Always Rings Twice
18) The Stranger
19) Odd Man Out
21) Mildred Pierce
22) The Lost Weekend
24) Crossfire
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
I didn't around to The Big Heat (it was somewhere on the Watchlist) before the countdown.
I don't know if I saw Strangers on a Train growing up or just knew the high level premise (thanks, Throw Mama from the Train).
There were aspects of it that I liked, but didn't seem like what I'm thinking of when I'm thinking of noir.
The Asphalt Jungle - I just couldn't get into this one, all the caveats one usually has when that happens with a movie.
Mildred Pierce - I liked watched this one for the countdown and liked it, but I just help but butt up against the fact that something about it reminded me too much of Imitation of Life and the shame over being someone selling pies made me wonder if this was supposed to be a euphemism or I'm really not appreciating the stratification of the class system in the U.S. at the time (I have never seen All that Heaven Allows, speaking of Sirk), so no vote for me there.
I don't know if I saw Strangers on a Train growing up or just knew the high level premise (thanks, Throw Mama from the Train).
There were aspects of it that I liked, but didn't seem like what I'm thinking of when I'm thinking of noir.
The Asphalt Jungle - I just couldn't get into this one, all the caveats one usually has when that happens with a movie.
Mildred Pierce - I liked watched this one for the countdown and liked it, but I just help but butt up against the fact that something about it reminded me too much of Imitation of Life and the shame over being someone selling pies made me wonder if this was supposed to be a euphemism or I'm really not appreciating the stratification of the class system in the U.S. at the time (I have never seen All that Heaven Allows, speaking of Sirk), so no vote for me there.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
John Huston is credited for making one of the very first titles of what would be identified as the Film Noir movement in The Maltese Falcon, and he returned to the genre he helped launch less than a decade later with The Asphalt Jungle, a multi-character examination of a heist gone wrong. An experienced crew, including Sterling Hayden’s tough guy Dix, James Whitmore’s wheel man Gus, and Anthony Caruso’s Louie the safecracker, are brought together by Sam Jaffe’s Doc to steal a huge haul of jewels. Doc has just been released from prison and wants a big score to leave town with. But he needs funding and a fence, which are to be provided by Louis Calhern’s Emmerich.
Double crosses and just plain bad luck are their undoing as much or more than any stellar work from the police. Huston adopted a straightforward, almost Neo-Realist point of view for this heist flick, and it works perfectly. The Asphalt Jungle was way up on my ballot at number seven, nineteen points. That makes a sweet sixteen of mine with five more coming in the collective top fourteen, including my entire Top Ten.
HOLDEN'S BALLOT
2. The Killers (#22)
3. Too Late for Tears (#81)
4. The Set-Up (#46)
7. The Asphalt Jungle (#16)
8. Odd Man Out (#47)
9. Criss Cross (#44)
10. Stray Dog (#32)
12. The Big Combo (#52)
13. Phantom Lady (#69)
14. Born to Kill (#84)
15. Pickup on South Street (#21)
16. The Big Heat (#17)
18. He Walked By Night (#88)
19. Fallen Angel (#80)
22. Panic in the Streets (#98)
24. Crossfire (#51)
25. The Crimson Kimono (DNP)
X
Favorite Movies
The Asphalt Jungle just missed making my list. On a different day it could have gone another way. Quality John Huston heist noir (let's make it a thing). I had Mildred Pierce at #11 with Joan Crawford's amazing performance leading the way in this Michael Curtiz melodrama noir (let's make it a thing).
7. Notorious (1946)
10. Stray Dog (1949)
11. Mildred Pierce (1945)
13. Detour (1945)
15. Bob le flambeur (1956)
16. The Killers (1946)
17. Rififi (1955)
19. Strangers on a Train (1951)
20. Gilda (1946)
21. Pickup on South Street (1953)
23. White Heat (1949)
25. Nightmare Alley (1947)
For your consideration, Mildred Pierce:
7. Notorious (1946)
10. Stray Dog (1949)
11. Mildred Pierce (1945)
13. Detour (1945)
15. Bob le flambeur (1956)
16. The Killers (1946)
17. Rififi (1955)
19. Strangers on a Train (1951)
20. Gilda (1946)
21. Pickup on South Street (1953)
23. White Heat (1949)
25. Nightmare Alley (1947)
For your consideration, Mildred Pierce:
__________________
"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."
"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."
X
Favorite Movies
James M. Cain's "Mildred Pierce" was re-adapted as a five-part HBO limited series in 2011 directed by Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven, Carol) and starring Kate Winslet as Mildred, Evan Rachel Wood as Veda, and Guy Pearce as Monty.
X
Favorite Movies
James M. Cain's "Mildred Pierce" was re-adapted as a five-part HBO limited series in 2011 directed by Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven, Carol) and starring Kate Winslet as Mildred, Evan Rachel Wood as Veda, and Guy Pearce as Monty.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
I still have yet to see Mildred Piece - add another to my must-see list!
Of course I had The Asphalt Jungle on my list at #14. Huston is a legendary director, and this is one of his best. Probably my favorite Sterling Hayden performance.
Of course I had The Asphalt Jungle on my list at #14. Huston is a legendary director, and this is one of his best. Probably my favorite Sterling Hayden performance.
__________________
“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
2 for 2 today. The Asphalt Jungle was my #10 pick. I wasn't sure if it would make the countdown because I thought my #13 (featuring the same lead) was the more well known heist flick. They're both great movies in their own particular way so I won't be surprised if they each make it.
Mildred Pierce is a classic but I see it as more of a melodrama maybe? I've seen it countless times and whenever I think of it the first thing that comes to mind is them killing off the kid sister in such an abrupt manner. It's become a running joke with my family. She gives that little cough and *BANG* the next thing you know she's dead and buried. The Golden Age of Hollywood did not mess around.
52 of 86 seen.
Mildred Pierce is a classic but I see it as more of a melodrama maybe? I've seen it countless times and whenever I think of it the first thing that comes to mind is them killing off the kid sister in such an abrupt manner. It's become a running joke with my family. She gives that little cough and *BANG* the next thing you know she's dead and buried. The Golden Age of Hollywood did not mess around.
52 of 86 seen.
I wasn't sure if [The Asphalt Jungle] would make the countdown because I thought my #13 (featuring the same lead) was the more well-known heist flick. They're both great movies in their own particular way so I won't be surprised if they each make it.
Last edited by Holden Pike; 1 week ago at 03:18 PM.
X
Favorite Movies
Hmm, didn't know this. Did you see it? Is it good?
X
Favorite Movies
X
