The MoFo Top 100 Neo-noir Countdown

[Holden Pike]

98171

The Dark Knight placed on the original MoFo Top 100 (#46), the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium (#3), the MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s (#10), and the MoFo Top 100 Comic Book Movies (#1).

[Thief]

At the risk of earning crumbs' ire, I admit I have yet to see a single Cassavetes. Is Bookie a sufficient gateway movie?

For what it's worth, I took my first dip into Cassavetes a little over a year ago. I decided to go with his first one, Shadows, and it went fairly well (You can check my review here (https://letterboxd.com/thief12/film/shadows-1958/)). Haven't seen any other, though.

[Thief]

For what it's worth, even though weekdays reveal times should be fairly stable, weekends are always up in the air for me. It all depends on what the "family schedule" is, and sometimes I don't even touch my computer until late in the afternoon. I'll try to pop in from my phone and let you know in advance, but that's not always possible either, so keep that in mind for the upcoming weekends. Reveals might come as early as 8:00am or as late as 8:00pm.

But anyway, buckle up. Next two reveals in the next few minutes.

[Balor]

Interesting to see The Dark Knight appear here. It's not one I would have considered, but it feels appropriate nonetheless.

[Thief]

https://cdn.dribbble.com/users/1013/screenshots/2065953/attachments/369905/maxresdefault.jpg

[Thief]

3lists63pointsTrue Romance (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/319-true-romance.html)Director
Tony Scott, 1993

Starring
Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Michael Rapaport, Bronson Pinchot

[Thief]

7lists63pointsBound (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/9303-bound.html)Director
The Wachowskis, 1996

Starring
Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano, John P. Ryan

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wNYNDzKpuQ

True Romance - When a comic-book nerd and a prostitute fall in love, they end up stealing her pimp's cocaine, which puts them at odds with law enforcement as well as the mobsters who own the drugs. But can they make it out alive?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToCMwdOaWh4

Bound - When the lover of violent gangster, Caesar, falls in love with a tough ex-convict, they both concoct a scheme to steal millions of dollars of mob money while putting the blame on Caesar. But can they make it out alive?

[Thief]

I'll be honest and say that Bound is a film I haven't seen in more than 10 years. However, it left a really good impression since so I had it at #12. It's violent, it's sexy, it's thrilling. I should definitely revisit it, but it's one that has always stuck in my mind.

I like True Romance a lot. I recently revisited it (was it for a HoF?) and held up pretty well (you can read my review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2296426-true_romance.html)), but I really never considered it for my ballot.


SEEN: 24/42
MY BALLOT: 6/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Following (#84)
9.
10.
11.
12. Bound (#59)
13.
14.
15.
16. Blue Ruin (#82)
17.
18. Red Rock West (#88)
19.
20. Killer Joe (#66)
21.
22. Mother (#67)
23.
24.
25.

[Thief]

Ha! It's serendipitous how some of these pairings come up. Two films about new lovers stealing money and/or drugs from their previous lovers and trying to make it out alive.

[Allaby]

Seen and liked both, but neither made my ballot.

Seen: 32/42

[Holden Pike]

98175

True Romance was #47 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1990s.

[Miss Vicky]

True Romance has long been one of my favorite movies. It's sexy, it's funny, it's exciting and is just an absolute blast to watch. When I saw it appear on some already existing lists and saw that it met the criteria for voting, it was a no brainer that it would be on my ballot. I had it at #7.

Here's what I wrote about it when I nominated if for the Hall of Fame in 2022:

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics2/trueromance.jpg
True Romance (Tony Scott, 1993)
IMDb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108399/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 3/13/2022
Rewatch: Yes.

Full Disclosure: With his roles in Untamed Heart, Heathers, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and this movie, Christian Slater was pretty damn hot stuff to adolescent/teenaged me and I've had a soft spot for him ever since. That I saw this movie in the theater when I was 12 certainly didn't have any negative impact on my opinion of it.

I know some other participants found Slater and Patricia Arquette's characters unlikeable, and I can kind of understand that considering the collateral damage they leave in their wake and Clarence's obsessive personality and bravado, but frankly I find them endearing. Again, I'm pretty biased towards Christian Slater - and, after all, this is my nomination - but they come off to me as dumb kids who are in way over their heads. Clarence is kind of a nerd. He spends his days watching movies and reading comics where the heroes save the day and get the girl. When he finds himself living out his fantasy, he fails to recognize the very real danger and the consequences that innocents will have to pay for what he's done. I think this makes him feel real. And yet if he actually were real I'd be right there with those who are criticizing him. But he isn't real. This whole thing is a fiction and I don't feel even a scrap of guilt watching him blaze through this world filled with crazy characters, vibrant colors, and tense violence. As for Alabama? She's mostly just eye candy for a bit (and she is pretty damn hot in this), but things turn quite in her favor during that brutal motel room scene. Mad respect to both the character and actress for that.

And of course it would be absolutely remiss to not address those crazy characters they encounter. Brad Pitt is a big standout, of course. It's almost a shame he's so good looking because he's really a gifted character actor, especially in comedic roles like this. Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Bronson Pinchot, and Gary Oldman are also great. Literally every familiar face (and wow are there a lot of them) makes an impact with their screentime regardless of how small. Even the like two seconds we get of Samuel L. Jackson is great (and definitely helps to cement the movie as more of a Tarantino flick than a Tony Scott one for me).

Now I won't deny that this film is not flawless. The Elvis scenes feel a bit silly even in a movie filled with things that are utterly ridiculous (but they're brief enough that they don't detract much) and I suppose some of the dialogue could've been cut a bit short, but it's not like this is serious drama. This is a movie with the sole purpose of entertaining its audience and it absolutely excels at it. It is one damn fun ride.

4.5


My Ballot:
3. The Man From Nowhere (#87)
7. True Romance (#60)
12. Shutter Island (#86)
17. Killer Joe (2011) (#66)

[Holden Pike]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tEgzGnzojc&t=149s

[SpelingError]

I haven't seen Bound.

I watched True Romance for a Hall of Fame. I was pretty lukewarm on it as a whole. Here's what I wrote:

True Romance (1993) - 3

This film was a mixed bag for me. For one, I don't know what it was going for with the characters. Clarence and Alabama's flaws are left out in the open, but given the weird 'they live happily ever after' ending, it seems like you're meant to root for the two of them, and that connection just wasn't there for me. Like, Clarence's Elvis Presley hallucination in the first act screamed "This guy needs serious help!" and I kept that impression all throughout the film. Alabama didn't prove much better in this regard as the way she shrugged Clarence's violence off (the line "I think what you did is so romantic" made me cringe so hard) also annoyed me. As per Tarantino style, the action is highly stylized, but I found very little of it exciting. Those scenes really could've used some tightening up in terms of editing and cinematography. Even the final shootout, though interesting on paper, suffered from this to a degree. With that being said, I liked a few aspects about this film. Tarantino's writing style isn't for everyone, and while a couple scenes like the n word conversation are cringe inducing, I enjoyed most of the dialogue and felt it brought enough style to the film to keep it entertaining from beginning to end. Tarantino has a talent for writing catchy and witty scripts and this film was no exception to that. The film also lives up to another of Tarantino's strengths as it has a strong ensemble cast. Slater, Hopper, Walken, Rubinek, Rapaport, and even Arquette, though her acting occasionally annoyed me, ranged from good to great. Finally, while the story didn't interest me much, I did enjoy a few smaller scenes within the larger story, like Elliot being pulled over by a cop. Issues aside, I enjoyed my time with this film and, while I doubt I'll ever end up loving it, I might watch it again if I'm in the right mood.

[Harry Lime]

Very cool nineties pairing here. It just works doesn't it. Bound is the Wachowski's best film not named The Matrix Part 1 and by far because the rest is bleh.


A couple of fun, stylish, very memorable crime noir films from the nineties with great casts especially supporting cast for True Romance.

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... TRUE ROMANCE

https://i.imgur.com/NI192If.jpg
RT – 93%, IMDb – 7.9


Roger Ebert said:

"True Romance, which feels at times like a fire sale down at the cliche factory, is made with such energy, such high spirits, such an enchanting goofiness, that it's impossible to resist. Check your brains at the door." (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/true-romance-1993))

Richard Harrington, from The Washington Post, said:

"Despite its noir references and evocations, this slick film, directed by Tony Scott from Quentin Tarantino's script, is a preposterously bloody mess, as is the plot." (read full review here (https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/trueromancerharrington_a0ab89.htm))

Gideon58 said:

"This movie envelops the viewer from the beginning, not so much by the story itself, but the way the story is told...Tarantino again proves to be a master storyteller who knows how to let a story unfold slowly, let the viewer not only get to know the characters but to get to care about them so that when they're in the thick of it, we're with Clarence and Alabama." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1547222-true_romance.html))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... BOUND

https://mediaclature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bound-movie-1996.jpeg
RT – 87%, IMDb – 7.3


Roger Ebert said:

"Bound is one of those movies that works you up, wrings you out and leaves you gasping. It's pure cinema, spread over several genres. It's a caper movie, a gangster movie, a sex movie and a slapstick comedy." (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bound-1996))

James Robert Douglas, from The Guardian, said:

"Watch the film now and you’ll find not only an immaculately crafted neo-noir, but also a skeleton key to the [Wachowski] sisters’ entire career." (read full review here (https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jul/30/bound-the-wachowskis-immaculately-crafted-queer-thriller-was-a-test-run-for-the-matrix))

Takoma11 said:

"In a typical crime thriller, the character of Corky would be a man. A brooding, maybe not so bright, hunk who gets drawn in by the sexy gangster’s moll very much to his detriment. But making Corky a woman, and by extension making Violet queer, does really interesting things to the character dynamics and what we’d normally expect from the direction of the story." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2403532-bound.html))

[stillmellow]

I've seen both, but didn't consider Bound for this competition. I probably should have. It might have made 24-25 on my list.


I thought True Romance was just okay.


I believe I'm at:


Seen 20 of 42

[Gideon58]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... BOUND

https://mediaclature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bound-movie-1996.jpeg
RT – 87%, IMDb – 7.3


Roger Ebert said:



James Robert Douglas, from The Guardian, said:



Takoma11 said:

LOVED this movie...a link to my review:

https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2026836-bound.html

[Thief]

LOVED this movie...a link to my review:

https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2026836-bound.html

Yeah, I almost went with yours, but had already used your review for True Romance :cool:

[Gideon58]

Wasn't looking to be used, just wanted to share my enthusiasm about the movie.

[Thief]

Wasn't looking to be used, just wanted to share my enthusiasm about the movie.

I know. Just wanted you to know that you had good reviews for both.

[mrblond]

#60. True Romance (1993)

This is fully in my radar. I've seen it several times, first in theatre, last - about ten years ago. For some reason, I didn't think of it when started constructing my ballot.
Yes, a rich collection of colorful characters. (In those early nineties, I've passionately followed Christian Slater's films, being heavily obsessed by The Name of the Rose (1986) and True Romance totally satisfied my expectations).
4+
82/100
98181

[WHITBISSELL!]

1 for 2. Watched True Romance years ago but never felt compelled to check out Bound. TR has so many great actors in juicy roles. Walken and Dennis Hopper. Rapaport and Pitt. Oldman, Gandolfini, Samuel L. Neither of these made my ballot.

Have seen 23 of the 42.

[Gideon58]

#60. True Romance (1993)

This is fully in my radar. I've seen it several times, first in theatre, last - about ten years ago. For some reason, I didn't think of it when started constructing my ballot.
Yes, a rich collection of colorful characters. (In those early nineties, I've passionately followed Christian Slater's films, being heavily obsessed by The Name of the Rose (1986) and True Romance totally satisfied my expectations).
4+
82/100
98181

Brad Pitt was SO funny in this movie.

[cricket]

Love True Romance but didn't see it as a fit for this countdown, not that I'm convinced that some movies I voted for fit, or some movies I didn't vote for don't. I just went with my gut.

I'm very convinced that Bound fits here perfectly.

1. Killer Joe (#66)
3. Gone Baby Gone (#64)
9. Mona Lisa (#78)
11. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (#62)
12. Body Double (#69)
15. The Driver (#79)
21. Manhunter (#77)
24. Bound (#59)

[Thursday Next]

Bound was my #15 and one of the first films I thought of when compiling my list.

[Kaplan]

A couple friends taking me to see True Romance all those years ago was my first introduction to Tarantino, and while a bit of its shine has worn off, and I'm definitely not the Tarantino fanboy I once had been, True Romance is still a huge favorite. I probably saw it thirty times or more back in the 90s, and so I had it all the way up at #5.

My List:
5. True Romance (#60)
11. The Friends of Eddie Coyle (#100)
12. Branded to Kill (#71)
18. Following (#84)
21. Mother (#67)
22. Purple Noon (#94)

[beelzebubble]

Oh hey, look at that, Bound is on my list at #23. Klute is also on my list at #7. Jane was my style icon. The hair, the outfit, the jewelry. I loved Bree Daniels' look. I sported a shag throughout the late seventies.

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://www.rabbit-reviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/True-Romance-1993-Movie-Screenshot-8.jpg


True Romance received the following nominations and awards:


Three (3) Saturn Award nominations, including Best Writing (Quentin Tarantino)
One (1) MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Kiss (Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette)
One (1) International Fantasy Film Award nomination for Best Film
One (1) London Critics Circle Film Award for Newcomer of the Year (Tarantino)

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://canvas-bridge.tubitv.com/lex8-PKY0Ervqeq4YYYuIEkS3vw=/0x0:1920x1069/1920x1080/smart/img.adrise.tv/5885c65c-c7cb-4b54-affe-d7a7bce16ea4.png


Bound received the following nominations and awards:


Five (5) Saturn Award nominations, including Action/Adventure/Thriller Film
Two (2) International Fantasy Film Awards for Best Film and Best Actress (Jennifer Tilly)
One (1) MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Kiss (Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon)
One (1) Chlotrudis Award nomination for Best Director (The Wachowskis)
One (1) GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film

[Iroquois]

no votes. true romance is definitely a fun time, easily my favourite of qt's writer-only films and given more than enough style by t. scott to compensate for an aggressive lack of substance to its fundamentally fluffy love story (to say nothing of a killer ensemble cast rounding out proceedings). bound is great, easily the best non-matrix wachowski film (and i would not dismiss arguments that it is their overall best) - tightly-plotted and emphatically brought to life by an extremely capable lead trio.

[rauldc14]

Totally was underwhelmed by True Romance. Only seen once though.

[Thief]

4lists65pointsThe French Connection (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/1051-the-french-connection.html)Director
William Friedkin, 1971

Starring
Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco

[Thief]

6lists66pointsAlphaville (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/8072-alphaville.html)Director
Jean-Luc Godard, 1965

Starring
Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Akim Tamiroff, Valérie Boisgel

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T76K3RxJY0A

The French Connection - A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzaATgGHmy0

Alphaville - A U.S. secret agent is sent to the distant space city of Alphaville where he must find a rogue agent and the scientist that built the tyrannical computer that's controlling the residents of the city.

[Thief]

It's so weird how, regardless of how good they are, some movies stick while others don't. I was saying yesterday how Bound has stuck with me even though I haven't really revisited it in 10+ years. On the other hand, I saw The French Connection 4 years ago (had to confirm via Letterboxd) and I barely remember bits and pieces. I rated it fairly well (3.5 stars), but I couldn't tell you details about the plot or how it ended :shrug:

I haven't seen Alphaville but I'm just now reading the synopsis and it sounds like something really intriguing. Godard is a bit of a blind spot for me; I've only seen Breathless and I wasn't a big fan of it, but maybe this is a better choice for me...? Who knows.


SEEN: 25/44
MY BALLOT: 6/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Following (#84)
9.
10.
11.
12. Bound (#59)
13.
14.
15.
16. Blue Ruin (#82)
17.
18. Red Rock West (#88)
19.
20. Killer Joe (#66)
21.
22. Mother (#67)
23.
24.
25.

[Allaby]

Seen both. French Connection was fine, but a little overrated. I rated it a 7/10. Alphaville was underwhelming and I rated it a 6/10.

Seen: 34/44

[Holden Pike]

The French Connection is an all-time great film and not a Noir by any reasonable criteria. But such is this list. ANYway, it was also #31 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1970s.

98190

[Citizen Rules]

I watched The French Connection first run at the theater with my parents...I was way in grade school and way too young to see an R rated film! I'm sure it bored me because I was a little kid and didn't understand what was going on. I've never seen it since 1971.


Alphaville was on my ballot! It was my #17. I can't say I love the movie but it's sure different.

[Sedai]

Seen both titles from today, but didn't consider either for my ballot. The French Connection because it's not a noir, and Alphaville because while I enjoyed it from a sort of distant and clinical perspective of analysis on the film making, it didn't do much for me otherwise.

And catching up from yesterday, again I have seen both Bound and True Romance, but neither made my ballot. I am not as big of a fan of True Romance as many on the site, but I haven't seen it in years, so perhaps it needs another viewing. I thought Bound was good, but wasn't ever in contention for my ballot.

28/44 seen

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THE FRENCH CONNECTION

https://images.amcnetworks.com/ifccenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/the-french-connection-stakeout-2.jpg
RT – 96%, IMDb – 7.7


Roger Ebert said:

"The movie is all surface, movement, violence and suspense. Only one of the characters really emerges into three dimensions: Popeye Doyle Gene Hackman, a New York narc who is vicious, obsessed and a little mad. The other characters don't emerge because there's no time for them to emerge. Things are happening too fast." (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-french-connection-1971))

Mark Johnson, from Awards Daily, said:

"Embedded in the style and themes of classic film noir, The French Connection is a grim and relentless detective thriller that is celebrated as one of the most authentic films about police work." (read full review here (https://www.awardsdaily.com/2023/06/08/95-years-of-oscars-ranking-the-best-picture-winners-part-four-25-1/))

TheUsualSuspect said:

"The French Connection is a slow burn of a cop/crime/thriller. I didn't know what to expect because I had no idea what the film was about, other than it starred Gene Hackman and was famous for a car chase. While that car chase was indeed thrilling and had me on the edge of my seat, I found myself engaged in the tailing sections of the film." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2076350-the_french_connection.html))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... ALPHAVILLE

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTc2NjE0NTk0MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTA2NDU5MTE@._V1_.jpg
RT – 92%, IMDb – 7.0


Matt Zoller Seitz, from RogerEbert.com, said:

"A combination film noir, social satire and riff on tough-guy movies, set in a world of nonstop night [...] It's a disorienting, often unnervingly quiet and patient film that deliberately tries to induce a dream state in its audience, to the point of seeming to hypnotize them with repetitious bass-voiced narration and alternating black screens and closeups of flashing lights. Like a lot of great science fiction movies, it's more of an experience or vibe than a coherent set of philosophical or political ideas." (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/alphaville-film-review-2023))

Time Out said:

"One of Godard's most sheerly enjoyable movies, a dazzling amalgam of film noir and science fiction." (read full review here (https://www.timeout.com/movies/alphaville-1))

Wooley said:

"I think I am ready to go ahead and call this a masterpiece. I feel fairly close to how I felt about Last Year At Marienbad, which I think of as a Horror movie, by the way, for this 'genre' film, that presages Blade Runner and other future/dystopian Noir films, yet this is also something that transcends genre, has a great deal to say about the soul and the human condition, and is a work of art that could be hanging in The Louvre. I don't know if this film is for everyone, but I am glad it exists and will selectively recommend it to people I think will appreciate it." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2334883-alphaville.html))

[seanc]

This is an interesting pair for me because I have only seen each once, and it’s been a long time for both. One really never got considered for my list for that reason, yet the other hung in no matter how many times I fiddled.

Alphaville hung on for a couple reasons at number 23. It feels so Noir, yet so unique. Not a surprise considering it’s Godard. Also not a surprise, any reason to say Karina is one of the most beautiful screen presences of all time. Any chance to mention her or put her on a favorite list has to be taken.

[crumbsroom]

At the risk of earning crumbs' ire, I admit I have yet to see a single Cassavetes. Is Bookie a sufficient gateway movie?

Noooooo. It is already a film sort of designed to deeply frustrate expectations, and if you aren't already acclimatized to what Cassavetes does, it would probably be torture.


Minnie and Moskowitz is probably the softest entry point. And Woman Under the Influence is the classic of his that isn't too too demanding of ones patience.

[cricket]

Seen Alphaville once and thought well of it, and it definitely fits the genre.

It's been so long since I've seen French Connection that I have it on my watchlist. I couldn't even say if I like it but I assume the answer will be yes. From what I remember, I'm surprised to see it show up on this specific countdown.

[Thursday Next]

Alphaville is very noirish. I didn't really like it overall but there are definitely some memorable sequences.

[WHITBISSELL!]

1 for 2.

Now we're talking. The French Connection was my #1! The soundtrack, the cinematography, NYC at it's seediest and Popeye Doyle. I thought it was quintessential noir.

Started watching Alphaville one time but didn't get very far. I'll have to give it another try sometime.

24 of 44.

[Thief]

Here's an interesting article on The French Connection. Talks about a bunch of things, but makes a case about its noir-ish leanings.

The French Connection: 8 Things That Still Hold Up Today (https://screenrant.com/the-french-connection-things-that-still-hold-up-today/)

Check it out!

[Harry Lime]

The French Connection is a classic but is it a noir? I don't know but it qualifies so it is! It's been a while since I watched but Hackman kills it and the direction is on point. Great chase scene(s) too.

Now Alphaville...no arguing this one. Such a brilliantly unconventional approach to sci-fi, noir, and film in general - surprising from Godard! This one has played well on rewatches for me, like a lot of Godard, and this was an automatic add to my list.

4. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
10. Alphaville (1965)
17. Fireworks (1997)
22. The American Friend (1977)
25. Série noire (1979) - One pointer

[SpelingError]

The French Connection is pretty good, but it's too cold and distant to rise to favorite status to me. Which is saying a lot as I'm normally into films like it. The car chase is excellent though. That can't be overstated.

Alphaville was #23 on my ballot. One of my favorite Godard films.

[SpelingError]

17. The Silence of the Lambs
22. Point Blank
23. Alphaville

[Citizen Rules]

This:Alphaville is appealing like some strange cuisine in a 5 star restaurant...you don't know if you should eat it or not but it does look intriguing laying there on your plate. Alphaville is one film I'd like to watch again as it didn't gel with me and yet I'm still interested in exploring it...or maybe it's just Anna Karina.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F66.media.tumblr.com%2F463ee321ef675b5a965be247fbd6c080%2Ftumblr_ptodh2wzIg1w1y15so1 _500.gifv&f=1&nofb=1

[beelzebubble]

Noooooo. It is already a film sort of designed to deeply frustrate expectations, and if you aren't already acclimatized to what Cassavetes does, it would probably be torture.


Minnie and Moskowitz is probably the softest entry point. And Woman Under the Influence is the classic of his that isn't too too demanding of ones patience.


Interesting to know.


As for the today's movies, I haven't seen either. Alphaville sounds intriguing and I love Breathless. I knew of The French Connection. I was a little kid when it came out so a lot of the more adult fair from that time period is something I missed.

[Thief]

Forgot to mention that The French Connection is William Friedkin's second entry in the countdown. He had Killer Joe a couple of days ago.

Speaking of The French Connection, is the sequel worth a watch?

[GulfportDoc]

Forgot to mention that The French Connection is William Friedkin's second entry in the countdown. He had Killer Joe a couple of days ago.

Speaking of The French Connection, is the sequel worth a watch?
Yeah, I think you might enjoy French Connection II, although it doesn't nearly have the impact of the first one.

Doyle is in Marseille in pursuit of the drug dealer from the first film.

I think there are several problems with the 2nd picture: there's too much conflict between Doyle and the French city, their police, the language, etc. It wears a little thin.

Also Doyle survives a forced upon him heroin addiction in the middle of the story, which is too long, and slows down the film. Good line: "I'd rather be a lamp post in New York than the mayor of Paris."...:D

It's definitely worth a watch though, if for nothing more than Hackman's artistry, and also the closure to the story carried over from the first one.

But the original was a landmark film, with no weaknesses. NYC was a perfect setting for the story, and it perfectly captured the NYC of 1971. The chase scene was of course one of the best ever filmed. I watched it when it came out while on a tour, and I couldn't wait to see it again.

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://www.cinematheque.qc.ca/workspace/uploads/projections/thefrenchconnection1971-75646-fr-1695934083.jpg


The French Connection received a good bunch of nominations and awards. These are some of the most notable:


Eight (8) Academy Award nominations, including wins for Best Picture and Best Actor (Gene Hackman)
Five (5) BAFTA Film Award nominations, including Best Actor (Hackman)
Four (4) Golden Globe Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director (William Friedkin)
Two (2) National Board of Review Awards, including Best Actor (Hackman)
One (1) Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://www.cineluxe.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Alphaville-HERO-II-1024x542.png


Alphaville received the following nominations and awards:


One (1) Golden Berlin Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival (Jean-Luc Godard)
Fifth (5th) Place in the Top 10 Film Award at Cahiers du Cinéma

[Iroquois]

no votes. french connection is, of course, very good (just checked and found a 3.5/5 review i did almost a decade ago and that's definitely underrating it). alphaville is a welcome inclusion since there are comparatively few attempts to combine sci-fi and noir (though i imagine there will be at least two more films that fit the bill on the list at some point), and having jlg do it as this amusingly downplayed depiction of both dystopian future and spy thriller is very much welcome.

[Little Ash]

Catching up:
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie - I seriously contemplated this movie for my ballot but couldn't decide if I felt it was a neo-noir or just a crime/drama. For whatever reason, I decided for submitting the ballot, it was a crime/drama (because in my mind Good Fellas isn't what I think of when I think of neo-noir (based off of my decades-old memory of it). Then Eddie Coyle showed up in early in the list, and my brain went, "yeah... Chinese Bookie was a neo-noir, I don't know why I was thinking otherwise." Probably would have been in contention for my top 5). Personally I prefer the '78 cut. For people needing to start with Cassavetes, I'd advise starting with Woman Under the Influence first. I'll just say that. Rowlands and Cassavetes were both nominated for lead acting Oscars, which is indicative of it being more accessible.

The Dark Knight - This came out while I was still high on Nolan. I subsequently soured on Nolan between The Dark Knight Returns and Inception. I have not revisited it since. I suspect it would not age well in my opinion outside of Ledger's performance, but maybe. :shrug: I also saw it on imdb when scrolling through neo-noir - I had a bad feeling it would show up. While it has noir influences (from the Frank Miller source material, which in turn was a lot more noir influenced - which also might not age well to me now, but who knows), in my mind it's still more of a superhero movie.

True Romance - I've never actually seen this. I suspect I might be too old to particularly like it now if I'm encountering it for the first time, but I could be wrong, but my age probably wouldn't help.

Bound - I missed this when it first came out. I also missed it when it came around last year on the criterion channel as part of the erotic thriller collection. Now I'm hearing it brought up in comparison for Loves Lies Bleeding and wish I had made time for it.

The French Connection - This one didn't cross my mind. It's like, my brain just went completely blank for New Hollywood neo-noirs when doing my ballot.

Alphaville - I contemplated this movie for being such an early, influential techno-noir. But then I ultimately had to go, "I watched this decades ago and wasn't hot on it. I revisited it in the past couple of years and still wasn't hot on it." So I didn't include it on my ballot.

[stillmellow]

French Connection is good, but I didn't consider it Noir enough for the list. In retrospect, it seems to have enough elements to qualify.


I've never seen or even heard of Alphaville. I'll have to check it out.


Seen: 21 of 44

[PHOENIX74]

Nothing list-worthy for me in the last 4 :

60. True Romance - Really good Quentin Tarantino-penned film which is memorable for me because of the great actors and performances in it. Dennis Hopper is great, Gary Oldman is great, Brad Pitt is great, Christopher Walken is great and James Gandolfini is great - I would have liked better leads, but it hardly matters when a screenplay and a film's supporting players are this good. Val Kilmer, as the Elvis-figure we see throughout, is barely there, and whatever happened to Bronson Pinchot and Michael Rapaport? I wish Samuel L. Jackson had a bigger role, and I wish Chris Penn had of lived longer. Tom Sizemore is there as well - although some of these names weren't as big as they are today. Lots of extreme violence and Tarantino-like "cool", which I don't necessarily believe is cool but have to acknowledge as it's own thing. Seen it many times, and I guess will one day see it again.

59. Bound - Hmmm, never heard of this, but it's in my watchlist - so I have, it's just that I forgot about hearing about it.

58. The French Connection - A confession. I've never really got what all the fuss is about when it concerns The French Connection. I've tried to appreciate it a few times, and walk away each time wishing I could love it as much as everybody else does. Good performance from Gene Hackman though - that part is definitely not in question - it's a great one from an actor I've always really liked. Considered "one of the greatest films ever made" - and that's my stumbling block. I want to watch it and feel like I'm watching one of the greatest films ever made - but I just feel like I'm watching "that film with the unbelievable chase sequence in it". Perhaps, the next time I see it, I'll be able to appreciate all the finer points, and how well made The French Connection is. To me, it's a really good movie - but doesn't excite me as much as it seems it should.

57. Alphaville - Yeah, I've been wanting to see this for a while but haven't got around to it yet. I haven't seen any of Jean-Luc Godard's films yet, but I'll be tackling his oeuvre one day soon.

Seen : 26/44

[Thief]

4lists67pointsThelma & Louise (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/1541-thelmalouise.html)Director
Ridley Scott, 1991

Starring
Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen

[Thief]

6lists67pointsLost Highway (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/638-lost-highway.html)Director
David Lynch, 1997

Starring
Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Blake

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iBFmKlO4BY

Thelma & Louise - Two best friends go out on a trip to escape their daily lives, but soon find themselves running away from the law, as they find themselves involved in a series of crimes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nKjO9QCSic

Lost Highway - A jealous jazz musician finds himself accused of murder, while a young mechanic is drawn into a web of deceit by a temptress who is cheating on her gangster boyfriend.

[Thief]

Thelma & Louise is one of those films I haven't seen in decades. I remember liking it but I'm pretty sure it would fare better now. Been meaning to revisit it for a while; just haven't gotten to it.

I haven't seen Lost Highway but I'm a Lynch fan. It's one of a handful of his that I haven't seen, but I'll get to it.


SEEN: 26/46
MY BALLOT: 6/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Following (#84)
9.
10.
11.
12. Bound (#59)
13.
14.
15.
16. Blue Ruin (#82)
17.
18. Red Rock West (#88)
19.
20. Killer Joe (#66)
21.
22. Mother (#67)
23.
24.
25.

[Allaby]

Thelma and Louise was my #11. Great film with fantastic performances. Lost Highway is good, but not one of my favourites.

Seen: 36/46

[Sedai]

Briefly considered Lost Highway for my list, but instead with with another Lynch picture, which I consider to be his masterpiece. Thelma and Louise never crossed my mind when considering ballot entries.

Seen both but no votes!

30/46 seen

[SpelingError]

I like both those films quite a bit, but neither of them made my ballot.

[stillmellow]

Lost Highway is my #11! A great neo-noir that will leave you even more confused than Under the Silver Lake.😃


I liked Thelma and Louise, but hadn't considered it neo-noir.



My list:
3. Brick
8. Point Blank
11. Lost Highway
16. Basic Instinct
24. Under the Silver Lake


Seen: 23/46

[Miss Vicky]

I haven't seen either of yesterday's movies or Lost Highway and, given my past experiences with Lynch movies, I have no desire to see more of his work. I know I've seen bits and pieces of Thelma and Louise, but I don't know if I've ever seen all of it. Maybe I'll remedy that.

[Citizen Rules]

Yeah! My #6 Thelma & Louise (1991)...Love that movie and only have seen it once. I really, really, really want that T-Bird convertible and in that color! My past review:


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=46197&stc=1&d=1531793483

Thelma & Louise (1991)


Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Ridley Scott, Callie Khouri and a 1966 T-Bird convertible is what makes 1991's Thelma & Louise one helluva a special movie!

When Thelma & Louise hit the screens almost 30 years ago it caused a sensation...and a back lash against the film that some called irresponsible film making, and some called male bashing. There were worries that little girls would see the film and become gun slinging wild women who drove their cars off cliffs! I just watched the film, then I watched the commentary track with Geena, Susan and script writer Callie Khouri. And they talked at length about how this film was reacted to. I'll just say I loved it!

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=46201&stc=1&d=1531793511


The movie starts off like a drama-comedy but then turns serious with an attempted rape and beating on Louise (Geena Davis) by a local low life at the bar. What happens next is telling and sets the tone for the movie. After the man stops attacking Louise and she's safe, Thelma (Susan Sarandon) in a fit of indignation and rage shoots and kills the unarmed man. The film never says that's a good thing, and indeed this is what makes the two women go on the run. We then watch their lives for the next few days as they try to survive on the open road. We see their friendship and understanding of each other deepen, until it's so deep that they can't bear to be separated, even at the final tragic ending.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=46200&stc=1&d=1531793502


It's the personal story of these two women and the way the two actresses give them life that makes me really care about their plight. The chemistry between the two is dynamite. I don't know if it's circumstance or not, but both have red hair and that too seems to fit the film.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=46198&stc=1&d=1531793488


Much of what makes Thelma & Louise dynamic is the script written by Callie Khouri. This was Callie's first big movie and you can tell it's a script that she poured her soul into. Callie gives Thelma and Louise depth, she gives them a back story and she transforms them by the journey that they take.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=46199&stc=1&d=1531793494


Shout out to Ridley Scott. We all know Ridley does world building and set details like no one else. Here, Ridley is in fine form with so many rich shots and sets that are truly stunning enough to be a stand alone photograph!

This was the first big film Brad Pitt ever starred in. He's quite young here and does one helluva job as the colorful and roguish JD. I couldn't help but wonder if J.D. might be an acronym for James Dean. Indeed Pitt reminded me of James Dean in Giant.

My only complaint: I wish this movie was longer, as I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of it!
rating_5

[Tugg]

My #4. Thelma & Louise (1991) and #25. Lost Highway (1997)

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THELMA & LOUISE

https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/05/20/14/newFile-17.jpg
RT – 86%, IMDb – 7.6


Roger Ebert said:

"This film shows a great sympathy for human comedy, however, and it’s intriguing the way he helps us to understand what’s going on inside the hearts of these two women -- why they need to do what they do." (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/thelma-and-louise-1991))

Peter Bradshaw, from The Guardian, said:

"Just over 30 years later, it looks punchier, bolder, hotter and sweatier than ever. This is a masterclass in narrative construction and character development and director Ridley Scott puts his pedal to the metal with pure action brio." (read full review here (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/may/31/thelma-and-louise-review))

Citizen Rules said:

"Much of what makes Thelma & Louise dynamic is the script written by Callie Khouri. This was Callie's first big movie and you can tell it's a script that she poured her soul into. Callie gives Thelma and Louise depth, she gives them a back story and she transforms them by the journey that they take." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1924386-thelmalouise.html))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... LOST HIGHWAY

https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/styles/full/public/image/lost-highway-1997-004-patricia-arquette-bill-pullman.jpg
RT – 68%, IMDb – 7.6


Roger Ebert said:

"David Lynch's Lost Highway is like kissing a mirror: You like what you see, but it's not much fun, and kind of cold. It's a shaggy ghost story, an exercise in style, a film made with a certain breezy contempt for audiences. I've seen it twice, hoping to make sense of it. There is no sense to be made of it. To try is to miss the point. What you see is all you get." (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/lost-highway-1997))

Jordan Blum, from Consequence, said:

"Full of trademark mysterious imagery, cryptic plot points, devious characters, and surreally sinister sound design, [Lost Highway] soars as Lynch’s most overtly neo-noirish statement." (read full review here (https://consequence.net/2022/02/david-lynch-lost-highway-why-its-good/))

Iroquois said:

"To me, Lost Highway is either David Lynch's best bad film or his worst good film (probably the latter). The first and third acts build up such a great atmosphere that it even keeps the sub-Twin Peaks antics of the second act from sinking the film completely, deliberately hokey and somewhat-sensible-in-context narrative be damned." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1330593-lost-highway.html))

[Thief]

This is Ridley Scott's first film on the countdown, but his brother Tony already had one as well. Will they appear again? How about Lynch?

[Allaby]

This is Ridley Scott's first film on the countdown, but his brother Tony already had one as well. Will they appear again? How about Lynch?

I think Ridley will show up again, but not Tony. I predict at least one more Lynch film will make the countdown.

[Holden Pike]

This is Ridley Scott's first film on the countdown, but his brother Tony already had one as well. Will they appear again? How about Lynch?
98200

Ridley definitely will. Blade Runner is inevitable. Someone to Watch Over Me is his most obviously Noir homage, but I doubt it got this many votes. His Black Rain has a good MoFo fanbase, it'll show.

As for Tony, his Revenge is his most overtly hardcore Noir, plot and style wise, but I don't expect it'll make the cut. His remake of Man on Fire probably will. Maybe Enemy of the State, too, even though it is only tangentially Noir-ish. That certainly doesn't seem to matter.

98201


And of course David Lynch will show again.

98202

[Little Ash]

It looks like Lost Highway ended up at as my #3. How and where Lynch movies ended up on my ballot was a weird balance of how much I liked them, how noir I felt they were, and I guess because of one I didn't include, maybe how frequently I included them.

I think at least two more Lynch movies show up, outside chance of three more, unlikely but not impossible for four more.

Putting this high up on the noir category of dark melodrama centered around a mystery, a murder, and a femme fatale, with a nefarious criminal figure lurking in the background.

To date, I still have never seen Thelma & Louise. It's one of those weird cultural blind spots where I have neither any type of strong interest nor strong disinterest.

[seanc]

It’s been so long since I have seen Thelma And Louise, you may as well say I haven’t seen it. I won’t be saying that when it’s list counting time though, of course.

Watched Lost Highway last year. I would definitely say Lynch’s style has grown on me the last few years, but not enough to love these purposely befuddling flicks. It was just okay.

[WHITBISSELL!]

1 for 2.

I can't believe I still haven't seen Thelma & Louise. Maybe it's a mental block at this point. And after watching Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive and ending up feeling adrift I watched Lost Highway in a gird-my-loins kind of moment. Sat there feeling the same way until Robert Blake strolled in. Then I was firmly in dafuq? territory. I actually enjoyed Dune. Eraserhead I was able to grasp. Somewhat. Maybe just go ahead and add me to whatever group thinks The Straight Story is David Lynch's best film.

EDIT: Oh and Blue Velvet. I definitely liked that one. And Wild at Heart too. :up:

25 of 46 seen.

[mrblond]

#56. Thelma & Louise (1991) is my #16 for ten points from me.

When the discussions in the preliminary thread marked it as acceptable for noir scope, this film immediately landed on my ballot. Moreover, I feel it's been somewhat ignored in the internet film-forums during the last decades.

Saw it twice in theatre when it came out and several more times on the telly in the following years. That's a highly entertaining and watchable film. Flawless story, superb cast, Susan Sarandon at her best here. Very nice adventure road movie!

4++
85/100
98208
-----

My Ballot
▽
...
4. The Driver (1978) [#79]
5.
6. Red Rock West (1993) [#88]
7. The Hot Spot (1990) [#85]
8. Shallow Grave (1994) [#95]
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Purple Noon (1960) [#94]
15.
16. Thelma & Louise (1991) [#56]
...
21. Mona Lisa (1986) [#78]
...

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/bd175Fmt3Web3j0qXahSKmdZPOe.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/wI6CalCMdSKXgx10gzfHY3vwyzf.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/iQCP69183K1QZo8bb23nkcLap3W.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5t0mGiFlj5GBrZ7ggvvkMdFJ7fV.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7n1KNXs4OFfeVLjJ3g10M8oK1fM.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/cQaqpwN5Nq0GNNKE1hIgYLpLlca.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8VuPD8ZKAqxT6F1HaH9sFFURmsi.jpg

-----

Others in my radar:
▽
The Ninth Gate (1999) [one-pointers]
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) [#96]
True Romance (1993) [#60]

[Thursday Next]

I love Thelma and Louise but didn't think of it for this list.

[beelzebubble]

To date, I still have never seen Thelma & Louise. It's one of those weird cultural blind spots where I have neither any type of strong interest nor strong disinterest.
You need to change that. This is an A #One Popcorn movie. Totally enjoyable. Excellent performances by Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon and Michael Madsen. This is Brad Pitt's break out role. People could not stop talking about it. You root for these ladies the whole time as the wild ending comes for them. You will love it.

[rauldc14]

I had Lost Highway at 24. I really enjoyed it when I saw it last year

Haven't seen Thelma and Louise surprisingly.

[Citizen Rules]

I was looking for pics of the T-bird convertible from Thelma & Louise and seen this, what a cool car!

Thelma and Louise Reunion Includes Original 1966 Thunderbird, That Kiss (https://www.autoevolution.com/news/thelma-and-louise-reunion-includes-original-1966-thunderbird-that-kiss-163573.html)

[Harry Lime]

So Thelma & Louise is a noir?
https://64.media.tumblr.com/a23a0d09a3fbb287f1c0271d67e5a729/tumblr_o183eg7Okh1tjydheo3_500.gif
It's a good film, though.

Lost Highway...I mean it's David Lynch tough to discount there. Not my favourite of his, and those two will certainly make this countdown - probably both top 10, but I'm glad to see it make the list. It's been way too long since I last watched it.

[cricket]

I love Thelma & Louise but wouldn't in a million years vote for it in this category.

Thought Lost Highway was decent.

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/thelma-and-louise-1991/EB19910101REVIEWS40823002AR.jpg


Thelma & Louise received a good bunch of nominations and awards. These are some of the most notable:


Eight (8) BAFTA Film Award nominations, including Best Actress (Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon)
Six (8) Academy Award nominations, including a win for Best Original Screenplay (Callie Khouri)
Four (4) Golden Globe Award nominations, including a win for Best Screenplay (Khouri)
Three (3) National Board of Review Awards, including Best Actress (Davis and Sarandon)
Two (2) MTV Movie Award nominations, including Best On-Screen Duo (Davis and Sarandon)

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://images-prod.dazeddigital.com/900/azure/dazed-prod/1320/0/1320861.jpg


Lost Highway received the following nominations and awards:


Four (4) Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, including Best Supporting Actor (Robert Blake)
Two (2) Stinker Award nominations, including Worst Sense of Direction (David Lynch)
One (1) SIYAD Award nominationf or Best Foreign Film (5th Place)
One (1) SESC Film Festival Audience Award for Best Foreign Film
One (1) Cahiers du Cinéma Top 10 Film Award (Third Place)

[Balor]

I felt like Lost Highway was far from Lynch's best when I first saw it, but I have found that I think about it way more than any of his others. While I have yet to watch Inland Empire, I might hesitantly say it's my favorite film he has done.

[stillmellow]

I haven't seen either of yesterday's movies or Lost Highway and, given my past experiences with Lynch movies, I have no desire to see more of his work. I know I've seen bits and pieces of Thelma and Louise, but I don't know if I've ever seen all of it. Maybe I'll remedy that.



It's a very 'Lynchian' Lynch movie. Makes Mulholland Drive seem normal in comparison. I like it, but it's definitely not for everyone.

[stillmellow]

I felt like Lost Highway was far from Lynch's best when I first saw it, but I have found that I think about it way more than any of his others. While I have yet to watch Inland Empire, I might hesitantly say it's my favorite film he has done.




Inland Empire is a tough watch, due to its length and uneven film quality, but very rewarding.

[Wooley]

As for The Dark Knight, it is a film that I really liked when I saw in theaters, but have liked less and less every time I revisit it. Sure, there's great craft from Nolan, it's an entertaining film, and Heath Ledger owns the role of the Joker. However, the third act is massively problematic and sticks out like a sore thumb the more I think of it. It's too rushed and frantically executed. And that's without getting into how much neo-noir it is (or isn't) :shrug:


I agree with you completely. Liked it initially, liked it less every time I saw it, now I can't imagine sitting through the whole thing. Largely because, like so many Nolan movies, the third act just flops. As you said.
Also, I'm just gonna say it, I found Bale to be an utter bore as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Despite the love he gets and the praise of being the "best Batman" I actually think he was terribly miscast and drags down almost every scene he's in.
I might watch Ledger's scenes again going forward, they're pretty fun, but that's as much as I can afford The Dark Knight at this point.

[Wooley]

I loved The Dark Knight the first few times I saw it, but liked it less and less after that. At this point the only thing I like about it is Ledger’s performance.

Exactly how I feel about it in fewer words than I used.

[Iroquois]

no votes. thelma & louise is definitely one of r. scott's better films, especially as far as his more overt exercises in doing crowd-pleasers go (and it's definitely leagues ahead of most of his other "small" pictures). i rewatched lost highway not too long ago and i'd probably pick it as my second least favourite film of lynch's (only just beating out wild at heart) - easy to retroactively view it as a rough draft for similar exercises in straight-up bending reality like mulholland dr. or inland empire, but so much of that middle section plays like a rather flat and straight noir narrative (femme fatale, mr. big, horny dope of a protagonist) to the point where its more overtly lynchian elements start to feel besides the point. no matter.

So Thelma & Louise is a noir?
https://64.media.tumblr.com/a23a0d09a3fbb287f1c0271d67e5a729/tumblr_o183eg7Okh1tjydheo3_500.gif
It's a good film, though.

going on the run after killing a guy, mixing it up with various crooks and lowlifes in the process, fatalistic ending...it has enough of the hallmarks.

[John-Connor]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... ONE FALSE MOVE
RT – 93%, IMDb – 7.1

Roger Ebert said:

Came across this video about One False Move; Gene Siskel's best film of 1992 @ 14:15
https://youtu.be/qLSOPS7ukXA?si=xtFYPGaJzgXAeY8b&t=840

[Thief]

4lists71pointsPale Flower (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/61475-pale-flower.html)Director
Masahiro Shinoda, 1964

Starring
Ryō Ikebe, Mariko Kaga, Takashi Fujiki, Naoki Sugiura

[Thief]

4lists74pointsThe Departed (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/1422-the-departed.html)Director
Martin Scorsese, 2006

Starring
Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOOr4nuWFqU

Pale Flower - A Japanese gangster is released from prison and has to adjust with the recent shifts of power between the gangs, while taking care of a thrill-seeking young woman, who might lead him to his own destruction.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iojhqm0JTW4

The Departed - An undercover cop infiltrates the mob, while a mob criminal infiltrates the police department, starting a tense cat and mouse game between them and their respective organizations.

[Thief]

The Departed is a fun film and one of my favorite Scorsese films. I think the whole cast is great and it's a very rewatchable film. I saw it in theaters and the whole last act had me like "WTF!?" more times than I can remember. That said, I didn't really see it as neo-noir so never really considered it. Not sure if it would've made my list, though. Maybe, maybe not.

I haven't seen Pale Flower.


SEEN: 27/48
MY BALLOT: 6/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Following (#84)
9.
10.
11.
12. Bound (#59)
13.
14.
15.
16. Blue Ruin (#82)
17.
18. Red Rock West (#88)
19.
20. Killer Joe (#66)
21.
22. Mother (#67)
23.
24.
25.

[Miss Vicky]

I'm about to leave for work and don't have time to look if I've ever written it up, but The Departed is a big favorite of mine and at one point was even in my all time top ten. It's fallen a ways since then but it was never not going to be on my ballot. I had it at #4.


My Ballot:
3. The Man From Nowhere (#87)
4. The Departed (#53)
7. True Romance (#60)
12. Shutter Island (#86)
17. Killer Joe (2011) (#66)

[Holden Pike]

98213

The Departed was #7 on the original MoFo Top 100, #12 on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millenium, and #19 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s.

[Allaby]

#53? The Departed should be a lot higher than that! It's top 25 neo noir for sure. This is an outrage! I'm going to write an angry letter and send it to someone. The Departed is fantastic and #1 on my ballot. I haven't seen Pale Flower.

Seen: 37/48

[Holden Pike]

#53? The Departed should be a lot higher than that! It's top 25 neo noir for sure.
It really and truly is not.

[Allaby]

It really and truly is not.

I can't think of 25 neo noir films that I could honestly rank above The Departed. It's a fantastic film with excellent performance, a great screenplay and brilliant direction.

[Sedai]

I love The Departed, and have seen it many times, but I didn't put it on my ballot. It honestly never crossed my mind as I compiled my list. I just qualify noir quite a bit differently than some, it seems!

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... PALE FLOWER

https://criterion-production.s3.amazonaws.com/carousel-files/695ed7403ddd3606d2588705f61fab63.jpeg
RT – 92%, IMDb – 7.7


Roger Ebert said:

"Pale Flower is one of the most haunting noirs I've seen, and something more; in 1964 it was an important work in an emerging Japanese New Wave of independent filmmakers, an exercise in existential cool. It involves a plot, but it is all about attitude." (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-pale-flower-1964))

Patrick Dunn, from Ann Arbor Observer, said:

"Even as it emulates the subject material and aesthetic of American noir in many ways, Pale Flower establishes a unique tone. Where many an American noir revels in glib, motormouth dialogue and a sense of near revelry in the perverse behavior depicted onscreen, Shinoda gives his characters room to breathe and react." (read full review here (https://annarborobserver.com/pale-flower/))

Takoma11 said:

"The whole movie is involving, from beginning to end, but I especially have to mention the final scene, which is compelling both in its staging and its content. It was a bold way to end a film, and in the wrong hands it could have soured the whole film. Instead I thought that it was surprising and bracing." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2176645-pale-flower.html))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THE DEPARTED

https://www.thesamfordcrimson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/The-Departed-Fram-750x375.jpeg
RT – 91%, IMDb – 8.5


Roger Ebert said:

"Having just re-read my 2004 review of , I find I could change the names, cut and paste it, and be discussing this film. But that would only involve the surface, the plot and a few philosophical quasi-profundities. What makes this a Scorsese film, and not merely a retread, is the director's use of actors, locations and energy, and its buried theme." (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-departed-2007))

Aga Skrodzka-Bates, in The American Gangster is Dead, said:

"Although it’s arguably aesthetically less noir than the Hong Kong original, [I]Infernal Affairs, The Departed has the classic noir preoccupation with the lawed detective who is in the business of finding himself rather than the criminals, the stolen goods, or the body." (read full review here (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/may/31/thelma-and-louise-review))

Holden Pike said:

"It's two and a half hours long, but doesn't drag at all; very well paced and constructed. And while there is violence and the threat of violence throughout, most of the bloodletting is saved for a Hamlet-like final act...and then it gets VERY bloody. It's not especially ambitious and doesn't have the arc of something like Michael Mann's Heat, it's just a damned enjoyable flick." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/347894-the_departed.html))

[crumbsroom]

The Departed is a movie that is good to the point of almost being boring. Sure, it is entertaining enough, and has a couple of good performances, and of course it is competently made...but is also easily in Scorsese's bottom 5 movies. And as good as his filmograhy is, that doesn't get it even on a list of top 100 neo noirs in my book.



It's honestly a movie that feels like it should be destined to be forgotten about, not really good enough or interesting enough on any level to stick out enough to be remembered fifty years from now. Sort of like Mystic River, only not stupid and bad.

[Thursday Next]

The Departed < Infernal Affairs

[Citizen Rules]

I wrote this in a past HoF:

The Departed (2006)
On the positive side, the story hooked me quickly with it's interesting plot and the characters kept me invested. I never got bored. And DiCaprio was great in this and the rest of the actors up to par too. The shooting locations were great.

On the negative side I couldn't help but feel that Martin Scorsese was emulating Quentin Tarantino's style of film making. The scenes were short and fast edited, the dialogue overly colorful to the point of me not believing cops would be talking this way...I thought the ending sucked. It was like the writer's ran out of ideas and just used a form of deus ex machina to end the movie...It was like boom, boom, boom and all the character arcs were wrapped up.

[Thief]

Some notes about the list so far...


The points gap between these two entries (4 and 3) are among the biggest so far. As I said before, most of it so far has been pretty tight with lots of ties and 1 or 2 points gaps. But as expected, as we go further, the spread gets bigger.
The Departed has one of the highest IMDb scores of the countdown so far at 8.5, behind The Dark Knight (9.0) and The Silence of the Lambs (8.6)
Speaking of Scorsese, this is his second entry on the countdown, after Shutter Island at #86. Does he have any more "neo-noir" in him?

[Allaby]

Some notes about the list so far...


The points gap between these two entries (4 and 3) are among the biggest so far. As I said before, most of it so far has been pretty tight with lots of ties and 1 or 2 points gaps. But as expected, as we go further, the spread gets bigger.
The Departed has one of the highest IMDb scores of the countdown so far at 8.5, behind The Dark Knight (9.0) and The Silence of the Lambs (8.6)
Speaking of Scorsese, this is his second entry on the countdown, after Shutter Island at #86. Does he have any more "neo-noir" in him?


I expect at least one more Scorsese to show up.

[Wyldesyde19]

Pale Flower was my #4. Shinoda is a master.

I really like The Departed, but Nicholson chews the scenery, sometimes.

[Holden Pike]

Speaking of Scorsese, this is his second entry on the countdown, after Shutter Island at #86. Does he have any more "neo-noir" in him?

To usurp an earlier pronouncement, Taxi Driver is a legit, bonafide, Top Twenty-Five Neo Noir. The Departed is just....popular.

https://i.redd.it/21i8m97ndh4a1.gif

[Thief]

I've just skimmed over them, so I'm not vouching for them, but here are two more articles that argue about or mention The Departed noir leanings:

Is “The Departed” a Member of the Noir Genre Essay (https://ivypanda.com/essays/is-the-departed-a-member-of-the-noir-genre/)

Film experts debate whether 'The Departed' stays true to late 20th century Boston (https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2023/01/27/boston-movie-crime-whitey-bulger-martin-scorsese)

I know there are always disagreements about what is or isn't noir/neo-noir, but like I said in the opening post:


rather than piss and argue about how X or Y film "isn't really neo-noir!", let's focus on "WHY someone saw it as neo-noir". Like I said in the preliminary thread, all of the films complied with our eligibility requirements, which means that somebody – here or there – saw some flavor of "neo-noir" in it.

[Thief]

To usurp an earlier pronouncement, Taxi Driver is a legit, bonafide, Top Twenty-Five Neo Noir.

https://i.redd.it/21i8m97ndh4a1.gif

https://y.yarn.co/9ce5d1bc-2d42-4817-b71a-a039703327d9_text.gif

:D

[Wyldesyde19]

Another issue I had with The Departed was its dialogue. There were some awful lines. Mostly by Nicholson.
“This ain’t reality TV!!”

Baldwin has some bad ones too. Marky Mark had some, but seemed to know and had fun with it and spun that into an Oscar nomination.

I wouldn’t rank it on the bottom half of Scorsese, more like firmly in the middle.

[WHITBISSELL!]

At first glance I thought, "Oh well, one for two. Not too shabby." But then Pale Flower started ringing a bell and when I read the synopsis I realized I had indeed watched both. It's been awhile since I had a chance to enjoy Asian noir (thanks to TCM). I remember liking PF. Lean and concise.

I think I share the same opinion of others here about The Departed. Not sorry I watched it (It's a Scorsese gangster flick after all) but at the time I remember thinking he maybe should have stuck with Italian gangsters. I actually preferred something like Black Mass or The Town to TD. It was too ... I don't know ... cerebral maybe?

27 of 48 seen.

Still only 4 entries accounted for on my ballot

#1 The French Connection (#58)
#4 In the Heat of the Night (#98)
#18 One False Move (#73)
#24 Point Blank (#72)

[SpelingError]

Pale Flower is very good, but it didn't make my ballot.

I watched The Departed once years ago and barely remember it. I remember enjoying it though.

[Wooley]

If I had finished my list in time to submit, Alphaville would have been about No.15, possibly higher.

[CosmicRunaway]

I haven't posted in days because I haven't really had anything to say about any of the reveals, but I figured I'd do an update anyway so you guys know I'm still alive haha.

I've seen The Dark Knight, True Romance, Alphaville, Thelma & Louise, and Pale Flower, but the only one that was on my shortlist was True Romance, and it was a very early cut.

I wish I liked Alphaville more than I did, but I tried rewatching it a little while ago and just turned it off. I saw Pale Flower for the first time just a couple years ago, and while I liked the idea of it, I found the score so abrasive, that disliking it is really the only thing I remember about the film now (other than the gambling den).

I've been meaning to watch Lost Highway for ages now, but keep forgetting. Will this be the last reminder I need, or will it once again slip out of my memory?

Seen: 23/48

My List: 5
05. Blue Ruin (2013) - #82
06. Mother (2009) - #67
08. Strange Days (1995) - #65
10. The Man from Nowhere (2010) - #87
15. Infernal Affairs (2002) - #91
25. The Chaser (2008) - DNP 1-pointer

[Little Ash]

You need to change that. This is an A #One Popcorn movie. Totally enjoyable. Excellent performances by Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon and Michael Madsen. This is Brad Pitt's break out role. People could not stop talking about it. You root for these ladies the whole time as the wild ending comes for them. You will love it.

I'm struggling to recall any movies I enjoy as popcorn flicks. I even hate actual popcorn in real life. Can't even stand the smell of recently popped stuff.
Maybe a different descriptor to sell it?

[Citizen Rules]

I'm struggling to recall any movies I enjoy as popcorn flicks. I even hate actual popcorn in real life. Can't even stand the smell of recently popped stuff.
Maybe a different descriptor to sell it?It's the smell of cooking butter. Hot buttered popcorn in a theater makes me gag it smells so bad. Yet I do like air popped white popcorn, no butter! But with fresh ground black pepper.

[crumbsroom]

I'm struggling to recall any movies I enjoy as popcorn flicks. I even hate actual popcorn in real life. Can't even stand the smell of recently popped stuff.
Maybe a different descriptor to sell it?


So anything that smells better than popcorn?


Rotting hot dogs?

[beelzebubble]

I'm struggling to recall any movies I enjoy as popcorn flicks. I even hate actual popcorn in real life. Can't even stand the smell of recently popped stuff.
Maybe a different descriptor to sell it?
It's an A #1 smoked brisket movie!

[Citizen Rules]

The Departed is much more of a popcorn movie than Thelma & Louise. Though nothing wrong with popcorn movies, but I prefer beer and pizza movies:D

[Balor]

Inland Empire is a tough watch, due to its length and uneven film quality, but very rewarding.

The length is what has kept me from it thus far... Maybe since I have tomorrow off...

[Balor]

To usurp an earlier pronouncement, Taxi Driver is a legit, bonafide, Top Twenty-Five Neo Noir. The Departed is just....popular.

https://i.redd.it/21i8m97ndh4a1.gif

Top 25? Not top 10?

[beelzebubble]

To usurp an earlier pronouncement, Taxi Driver is a legit, bonafide, Top Twenty-Five Neo Noir. The Departed is just....popular.

https://i.redd.it/21i8m97ndh4a1.gif
This is true.

[Little Ash]

Pale Flower was my #4. The vibes, fatalism, and attraction to death made me love this one the first time I saw it. There was no way I was submitting a neo-noir ballot without this on it.

The Departed is a movie that exists and that I have seen. I did not dislike it, and probably more-or-less enjoyed it, but I have not given it any thought since that viewing. As was expected from a best picture winner (they sometimes award really good movies, but during this era, it seemed the ratio was a lot more, "okay movies." According to my tastes at least)

[beelzebubble]

I haven't seen either movie.

[stillmellow]

I wrote this in a past HoF:

The Departed (2006)
On the positive side, the story hooked me quickly with it's interesting plot and the characters kept me invested. I never got bored. And DiCaprio was great in this and the rest of the actors up to par too. The shooting locations were great.

On the negative side I couldn't help but feel that Martin Scorsese was emulating Quentin Tarantino's style of film making. The scenes were short and fast edited, the dialogue overly colorful to the point of me not believing cops would be talking this way...I thought the ending sucked. It was like the writer's ran out of ideas and just used a form of deus ex machina to end the movie...It was like boom, boom, boom and all the character arcs were wrapped up.



That's pretty much my opinion too. It's a good movie, a very good one, but it doesn't have the quality, subtlety, or timelessness of many of his other films. It's a movie I watched and enjoyed, but with the truly greatest movies, you can completely lose yourself inside of them.


To be fair, it's almost impossible to make something both mainstream and truly great. Scorsese prioritized the former over the latter, and in that way, he succeeded.

[stillmellow]

I've seen and enjoyed the Departed, but not enough to make my list. It's the sort of movie you watch once in a very great while. You don't regret seeing it, but there's nothing you missed the first time.


I know it seems like nitpicking to say a movie isn't challenging enough, or doesn't merit repeat viewing, but we are talking about the greatest dramatic thrillers of all time. 53 out of 100 top neo-noirs is certainly not bad.

[rauldc14]

If I thought about it enough, The Departed would have made my list. I just didn't think of it.

[Harry Lime]

So The Departed is a noir?
https://64.media.tumblr.com/a23a0d09a3fbb287f1c0271d67e5a729/tumblr_o183eg7Okh1tjydheo3_500.gifIt's a good movie though. Not great. And I kid I'm sure I've got a few on my list that can be questioned. As for that other taxi driving neo noir it could have parked on my list but even though it's my #2 of all-time I lowered it a bit because well just because. Or I didn't Spoiler alert.

Pale Flower was on my list at #18. Shinoda is a wild great filmmaker and this is his best. It's a neo noir in a very Japanese way. It's not experimental but it has that feel like a lot of the Japanese New Wave does. It's raw and for me I love that score. It just works.

4. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
10. Alphaville (1965)
17. Fireworks (1997)
18. Pale Flower (1964)
22. The American Friend (1977)
25. Série noire (1979) - One pointer

[cricket]

The Departed is another that I love but would never consider for this genre.

I saw Pale Flower in 2015 and gave it 3. I suspect that I would like it more now.

[PHOENIX74]

I was just about 100% sure that Pale Flower was on my ballot - until I checked it, and my heart sunk in disappointment. Why did it not make it? I can't even tell you. I thought I'd put it there. Anyway - I've seen 3 out of the past 4 reveals...

56. Thelma & Louise - I first saw this a few years ago after my father (of all people) continued to recommend it to me as one of his favourite movies, over and over again until I finally relented. I didn't dislike it - it's the kind of movie where I'd get a kick out of seeing a scene here and there, but not watch the whole thing from start to finish again. I don't know why. Some movies are like that for me - I really like how they were made, and the performances in it (to the point where watching a scene is very enjoyable) but as a whole there might be a little too much misfortune piled up to that crazy ending that makes it hard for me to see it all in one go. Underneath the fist-pumping roar of freedom is a story about a dark, disaster-plagued couple of days for Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon). I get it, but part of me refuses to look past that element.

55. Lost Highway - Have not seen this.

54. Pale Flower - This is brilliant. It should be on my ballot! Perhaps I decided that I'd seen this too recently, and only once so far. It's fascinating to see the whole film noir formula from another nation's perspective - which I find to be pretty rare with this genre. Japan had a very strict culture which somewhat clashes with the influence the United States has had over the past 80 years or so - and that's where a lot of the tension in Pale Flower comes from. It's superbly stylish, always looking cool and pleasing the eye, and it also sounds fantastic - emphasising effects over score and dialogue (which was controversial at the time.) I was surprised how the femme fatale breaks free of Japanese gender rules so overtly - and yet so easily, providing an addictive source of life and a certain edge to main Yakuza character Muraki (Ryō Ikebe). A movie with a lot to give, Pale Flower - I loved it at first sight.

53. The Departed - I don't like this as much as most other people do - much preferring Infernal Affairs. Still, I enjoy watching Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga and Alec Baldwin ply their trade. That is one superb cast - and by far The Departed's best feature. I think it's at least a half hour too long, and a little too dour. There was far more tension in Infernal Affairs because it didn't move so slowly or take itself too seriously.

Seen : 29/48

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/02/the-departed-04.jpg


Pale Flower didn't receive any awards, but The Departed did get a bunch. These are some of the most notable:


Seven (7) Critics Choice Award nominations, including a win for Best Picture and Best Director (Scorsese)
Six (6) BAFTA Award nominations, including Best Film and Best Screenplay
Six (6) Golden Globe Award nominations, including a win for Best Director (Scorsese)
Six (6) Satellite Award nominations, including a win for Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)
Five (5) Academy Award nominations, including a win for Best Picture and Besst Director (Martin Scorsese)
One (1) MTV Movie Award for Best Villain (Jack Nicholson)

[Iroquois]

no votes. i saw pale flower at some point in the last year or two and liked it very much, would definitely watch it again. the departed is a film i have a somewhat complicated opinion of - you can dig up a 1 review of it i wrote on here almost a decade ago, but i've watched it again and again (far more than so many scorsese films that i allegedly like more - the last time was just a couple of months ago). i think i noted this when infernal affairs made the list, but i respected how that film knew its whole undercover narrative was better suited to a swift thriller than a drawn-out epic and the ways in which departed tried to add texture or rework the story never really worked for me as a result. at least it got marty an oscar, i guess.

[Thief]

Reveals will come late today. I'm out with the family so don't wait up.

[Thief]

Ok, buckle up. Reveals in 5-10 minutes.

[beelzebubble]

It's been sixteen minutes since Thief last posted. What could be keeping him?

[Thief]

6lists75pointsOldboy (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/670-oldboy.html)Director
Park Chan-wook, 2003

Starring
Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Byeong-ok

[Thief]

5lists77pointsThe Naked Kiss (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/26031-the-naked-kiss.html)Director
Samuel Fuller, 1964

Starring
Constance Towers, Michael Dante, Anthony Eisley, Virginia Grey

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAaBkFChaRg

Oldboy - A man is abducted and held captive for 15 years. When he's released, he is tasked with finding his abductor in a quest that might lead to revenge and something more.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VfAkiDj4uA

The Naked Kiss - A former prostitute flees her pimp and relocates in a suburb, where she's determined to fit in. However, dark secrets are hidden beneath the surface.

[Thief]

The Naked Kiss was my #14. A lurid and captivating look into the hidden desires and perversions of suburbia. Love to see a 1960s film tackling complex themes. Constance Towers carries the film marvelously and Samuel Fuller's direction is great.

I'm a big fan of Oldboy, but for some reason, it didn't come to mind when making my list.


SEEN: 29/50
MY BALLOT: 7/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Following (#84)
9.
10.
11.
12. Bound (#59)
13.
14. The Naked Kiss (#51)
15.
16. Blue Ruin (#82)
17.
18. Red Rock West (#88)
19.
20. Killer Joe (#66)
21.
22. Mother (#67)
23.
24.
25.

[Citizen Rules]

I seen Oldboy, not my type of movie, too violent for my taste, but it is well made.

[Citizen Rules]

Finally one neo noir I love! Samuel Fuller's The Naked Kiss (1964) was #4 on my ballot.

The Naked Kiss (1964)
This is one gutsy flick, especially for the time. Sam Fuller directed, wrote and produced The Naked Kiss and his potent tabloid style of realism is stamped all over this hidden gem.

Kelly, played to steely perfection by Constance Towers, is a prostitute come to the small town of Grantville. She's told in no uncertain terms by Police Capt. Griff (Anthony Eisley), that her kind doesn't belong in the town. Instead he sends her to a gentleman's club across the state line. It seems the Police Capt. likes working girls, just not in his tidy town.

Sickened with her life, Kelly decides to stay put in Grantville and finds she has a real talent helping disabled children in the local hospital. That's the set up, the movie starts from there.

Cinematography: Sam Fuller uses a mixed bag of cinema styles to great effect. In a long shot, he uses a classic Film Noir technique with low key lighting and the characters silhouetted in shadow. In a dream sequences, the filming style is reminiscent of Italian films of the time, very artsy and different than the rest of the film. For the opening sequences, he was one of the first to use a hand held camera for an 'in your face look'.
4.5

[SpelingError]

Seen both, like both, but voted for neither.

[MovieFan1988]

Have seen so far: 9 - Silence of the Lambs - Decent crime/thriller movie, not much of a fan of the Hannibal stuff.

Killer Joe - This movie was alright, found nothing special about it, imo.

The Dark Knight - A great batman movie and #3 on my ballot list.

True Romance - A decent crime movie from the 90's

The French Connection - An okay movie from the 70's

The Departed - One of the best crime movies out there, it never crossed my mind that this would count as a neo noir movie, this would have been #1 on my ballot list for sure.

Have not seen so far: 41

My Ballot List
#3 - The Dark Knight

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... OLDBOY

https://i0.wp.com/cultfollowing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/oldboy-2003-review.jpg
RT – 83%, IMDb – 8.3


Roger Ebert said:

"Oldboy ventures to emotional extremes, but not without reason. We are so accustomed to 'thrillers' that exist only as machines for creating diversion that it's a shock to find a movie in which the action, however violent, makes a statement and has a purpose." (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/oldboy-2005))

Patrick Brzeski, from The Hollywood Reporter, said:

"A lurid, wretched neo-noir that draws equally from the storytelling aesthetics of Japanese manga and Greek tragedy, Oldboy is anything but a soothing viewing experience." (read full review here (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/oldboy-at-20-park-chan-wook-film-korean-wave-1235559009/))

seanc said:

"Oldboy at its most basic is a revenge story, this film is however much more complex than that. It is a barrage on the viewers senses. Visually stunning as well as emotionally visceral. On the surface the narrative is very straightforward, but little is as it seems throughout the entire film up till the last few minutes." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/890418-oldboy.html))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THE NAKED KISS

https://www.literallyanythingmovies.com/uploads/8/6/7/8/86780370/the-naked-kiss_orig.jpg
RT – 93%, IMDb – 7.2


Mick LaSalle, from Datebook, said:

"It comes as a pleasant surprise to discover this late noir from director Samuel Fuller — a twisted, lurid, bizarre film that seems, at first, like a deliberate provocation." (read full document here (https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/datebook-pick/the-naked-kiss-is-a-rare-bizarre-feminist-statement-from-1964))

Bryan Cyr, from Everything Noir, said:

"This film is unique and a bit campy in places, but well worth viewing for fans of classic film noir. This is not my favorite film from Fuller, but he has made it interesting enough that I’m glad I did see it." (read full review here (https://everythingnoir.com/2015/10/27/review-the-naked-kiss/))

Citizen Rules said:

"I was totally impressed with The Naked Kiss. It's not like anything I've seen. For one it's rare to see a movie from the early 1960's that's so frank in it's exploration of the seedy side of humanity. It's equally rare to see an actresses play a powerhouse lead in the film. And make no mistake about it, Constance Towers is a powerhouse." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1235067-the-naked-kiss.html))

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTUzNTk2NTE5OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjU4MTI2NQ@@._V1_.jpg


The Naked Kiss didn't receive any awards, but Oldboy did get a bunch. These are some of the most notable:


Two (2) Asia-Pacific Film Festival Awards, including Best Actor (Choi Min-sik) and Best Director (Park Chan-wook)
Two (2) Cannes Film Festival Award nominations, including a win for the Grand Prize of the Jury
Eleven (11) Grand Bell Award nominations, including a win for Best Actor (Choi) and Best Director (Park)
Three (3) Baek Sang Art Awards, including Best New Actress (Jin-Seo Yoon)

[Thursday Next]

These were both on my list! Oldboy was my #2 and The Naked Kiss was my #12.

[Torgo]

The Naked Kiss just missed my ballot. Here's my writeup anyway:

Samuel Fuller is at the top of his game in this neo-noir that's all about dirty little secrets. In a jarring opening scene, we learn Kelly's: she's a now ex-prostitute whose shabby treatment by her johns did major damage to her temper and humanity. She hopes to start all over again in Grantville, a quaint, peaceful, all-American town not far removed from ones in The Twilight Zone, first as a purveyor of fine champagne and later as a nurse at a ward for handicapped children. It's hardly a smooth transition, though: not only does she discover that her final john, Griff, is a police officer there, Grantville is also like The Twilight Zone towns in that it has its own dirty little secrets.

Does Kelly qualify as a femme fatale? Probably, but it's a moot point because Constance Towers makes her so much more than that. With traits like a refusal to let others push her or her friends around, remorse about what her career did to her, etc., she makes Kelly into one of the more fully realized protagonists I've seen in this genre. The same descriptor applies to Grantville, with another one being prescient because when it comes down to it, life in American places like it has not changed that much. Despite its smiling, generous and clean-living populace, vice like booze and what Kelly used to do is tolerated. As for the moments that make the movie a neo-noir, the typical one is not the kind with blood, guts and bullets found in Le Samourai or Blood Simple. While I love such violent fare as much as the next noir lover, credit goes to Fuller, Towers, et al for not needing them to make their tension unbearably thick, whether it's if Kelly will revert to her old ways, her romance with the richest and most eligible bachelor in town will fail or if her comely co-worker is another Kelly in the making. The movie is rough around the edges: nearly every scene transition made me assume I missed something even though I did not. Also, the last act puts quite a few coincidences and conveniences into a small space. That does not take away from it being a classic of its genre, especially for how well it makes you wonder if prosperity in America is impossible without dirty little secrets being involved.

[beelzebubble]

I got nothing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Every night I decide to see one of the movies from the noir countdowns. And every night, it's unavailable. And by unavailable, I mean costs money.

[Little Ash]

Samuel Fuller is still mostly blindspots that I'm filling in at roughly one a year, which is to say, I guess I'll now watch The Naked Kiss at some point this year? (It's on the criterion channel for those who have it. *Looks at beelzebubble*)

Old Boy is an okay movie. I like Park Chan-wook's most recent films more than his earlier, popular genre films (i.e. The Vengeance trilogy). I don't know why, I just never got into them. Mr. Vengeance was probably the one I liked best, fwiw.

[John W Constantine]

My entries so far.....

04. Dirty Harry (#80)
07. Following (#84)
10. Madeo (Mother) (#67)
12. The Manchurian Candidate (#97)
14. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (#62)
18. Klute (#63)

[Thief]

I got nothing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Every night I decide to see one of the movies from the noir countdowns. And every night, it's unavailable. And by unavailable, I mean costs money.


What streaming services you have?


According to JustWatch, Oldboy is available on Netflix, while The Naked Kiss is available on Prime, Max, Tubi, and several others.

[Balor]

I felt like Lost Highway was far from Lynch's best when I first saw it, but I have found that I think about it way more than any of his others. While I have yet to watch Inland Empire, I might hesitantly say it's my favorite film he has done.

OK, I have now gone and watched Inland Empire---I can now solidly say that Lost Highway is my favorite Lynch.

But, then again, I have not seen Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me...

[Balor]

Probably should tease my ballot too (a simple top 10):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. The French Connection (1971)
7.
8.
9.
10.

[John W Constantine]

I got nothing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Every night I decide to see one of the movies from the noir countdowns. And every night, it's unavailable. And by unavailable, I mean costs money.

Try google also along with some of the others mentioned here.

[Thief]

Stats: Pit Stop #5
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYmNjNWI4OGItNDQzYy00MjliLWE5N2UtYTEzYWVmYzEyNGRiL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDU5NDcxNw@@._V1 _.jpg

-

After hitting our fifth pit stop (50), here's were we are now:

Decade Breakdown


1960s = 10
1970s = 7
1980s = 3
1990s = 16
2000s = 8
2010s = 6
2020s = 0


Will the 1990s run away with this? They have a strong showing in this last batch, but the so did the 1960s and the 2000s.


Recurring Directors


Martin Scorsese = 2
William Friedkin = 2
Christopher Nolan = 2


Martin Scorsese and William Friedkin joined Christopher Nolan as the only directors with more than one entry. There are a lot more to come on the second half. Who are you calling? Will these three get something else?

[Thief]

We're at the halfway mark and, somewhat in line to what I said yesterday and in the opening post about "what's neo-noir?" and "what's not?", I wanted to ask... after 50 films, what are some common threads you can see tying all, or most, of these films together? Common themes, archetypes, plot devices?


Also, what has been your biggest positive surprise yet? That film you really didn't expect to show up and yet TA-DAAA! There it was.

[SpelingError]

I got nothing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Every night I decide to see one of the movies from the noir countdowns. And every night, it's unavailable. And by unavailable, I mean costs money.

You can always ask me for help :)

[Thief]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRpUU8KxRc_QNPhAJZQDXVU4rQ4t6bqNtsf-hb4fpgamg&s

[SpelingError]

You posted the same message twice, Thief.

[beelzebubble]

You can always ask me for help :)
Thanks for the offer. I don't have a computer so I would have to watch it on my phone. Which I'm not going to do.

[Thief]

You posted the same message twice, Thief.

There was a glitch in the matrix.

[SpelingError]

There was a glitch in the matrix.

Perhaps me encouraging someone to illegally watch a film was what caused the glitch.

[WHITBISSELL!]

I got nothing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Every night I decide to see one of the movies from the noir countdowns. And every night, it's unavailable. And by unavailable, I mean costs money.Right? I go looking for ones I haven't seen as well but without fail they're only available to rent or buy. Title after title. Even the ones I consider obscure. I did find The Big Combo on Prime and will be watching it soon enough. But then you have to first be a Prime member. I've found others but you have to more or less get creative.

[WHITBISSELL!]

1 for 2. Have watched Old Boy but have never heard of The Naked Kiss. I've only seen four of Fuller's films but if I had to pick the next one it would have to be Pickup on South Street.

28 of 50 seen.

[LAMb EELYAK]

Seen 20/50.


12. The Dark Knight #61
18. Shutter Island #86
25. The Little Things - One-pointer

[stillmellow]

Old Boy is my #15! Taking 'flawed characters' to whole new levels, this one certainly pulls no punches. Extremely violent and dark, with a final confrontation that goes nothing like i expected. No fight. Instead, a complete breakdown, followed by the 's mutual breakdown and suicide. The only thing keeping it from ranking higher is the weird resolution. It is NOT okay for him to stay with her. And i always hate it when hypnotism is portrayed like this in serious films. It's guided meditation, not mind control.


I haven't seen Naked Kiss.


Seen: 25/50


My list so far:


3. Brick
8. Point Blank
11. Lost Highway
15. Old Boy
16. Basic Instinct
25. Under the Silver Lake

[Thursday Next]

Seen 30/50
My list 8/25

[CosmicRunaway]

After saying for years that I should rewatch Oldboy, I finally got around to doing so in preparation for the Countdown. I'd mostly remembered the plot, but had forgotten a lot of the film's visual style, and those aesthetics are what really caught my attention and kept me interested during that most recent viewing. It ended up being on my list at #21.

I haven't seen the remake and have no desire to, but apparently I need to watch one of the other films revealed so far so that I can be at a solid 50% seen lol

Seen: 24/50

My List: 6
05. Blue Ruin (2013) - #82
06. Mother (2009) - #67
08. Strange Days (1995) - #65
10. The Man from Nowhere (2010) - #87
15. Infernal Affairs (2002) - #91
21. Oldboy (2003) - #52
25. The Chaser (2008) - DNP 1-pointer

https://66.media.tumblr.com/c10e899811a9f70a713019430135aaa8/b3a274f93e9f23e7-b5/s500x750/7ea95fb1442456a5b4f3bec1cd07c3b78c897884.gif

[John-Connor]

One Pointers

The Little Things (2021)

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w600_and_h900_bestv2/tLO1aD1ghdtVMT32z2sRmzgYKYd.jpg

25. The Little Things
^ Watching tonight!
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/ox2Spk9rH4PL4hBlleyUoJeLYeQ.jpg

[Harry Lime]

A couple of twisted films. Oldboy was a wild ride when I first watched it and a lot of fun. For a while it was one of my go to international film recommendations for people who like the more edgy and action packed films - but nowadays it's pretty mainstream and widely seen. The Naked Kiss is a classic neo noir. It's been a long time since I saw it but I recall Fuller's direction and Constance Tower's performance were top quality.

Also there are a lot of films available on youtube to watch for free. For example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGV90a3YHiI

[Iroquois]

no votes. oldboy is solid, though it might well be my least favourite of park chan-wook's vengeance trilogy (or maybe tied with lady vengeance behind mr. vengeance) because it's probably the most straightforward of the three, but at the same time there's very little that's genuinely straightforward about a film as inherently twisted as this. at the very least, it still warrants enough of its reputation as a modern classic. the naked kiss is, like most fuller films i've seen, pretty good - it definitely feels like one of those films that marks a true delineating shift from "classic" noir to "neo" noir purely in terms of how it can blindside a modern audience who might expect something a little (a lot?) softer due to its vintage.

[Allaby]

Seen both Oldboy and The Naked Kiss and rated both a 7/10. Neither were in contention for my ballot.

Seen: 39/50

[cricket]

Oldboy has been on my watchlist. I've seen it once and was disappointed, but it's one where I think it's possible that I was just having a bad day.

Don't think I've seen The Naked Kiss but it looks good.

[Thief]

INTERMISSION

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu5csDmS7BM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_j7wjcgzEw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJgaByQhC5I

Have fun with these videos that talk a bit about what makes a film a neo-noir, while presenting some examples (at least from the perspective of those making the video). If you think there have been "contentious" choices in the list, try to expand your boundaries and see if they, at least, submit to one of these common traits. Have fun!

[Thief]

4lists79pointsYou Were Never Really Here (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/398181-you-were-never-really-here.html)Director
Lynne Ramsay, 2018

Starring
Joaquin Phoenix, Judith Roberts, Ekaterina Samsonov, John Doman

[Thief]

5lists80pointsGet Carter (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/1485-get-carter.html)Director
Mike Hodges, 1971

Starring
Michael Caine, Ian Hendry, Britt Ekland, John Osborne

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8oYYg75Qvg

You Were Never Really Here - A traumatized veteran that works as an enforcer tries to track down a missing girl, and uncovers a conspiracy of corruption that could lead him to his own death.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV4XrUDBlfM

Get Carter - A London gangster tries to track down the killers of his brother, who died under mysterious circumstances, taking him down a bloody trail of revenge through the seedy underbelly of Newcastle.

[Thief]

I think I briefly considered You Were Never Really Here, but cut it pretty early. Pretty good film with yet another great performance from Joaquin Phoenix. Should probably rewatch it, though.

Get Carter is one of those iconic neo-noir films I wanted to get to before the countdown, but just couldn't. Looks like the kind of thing I would enjoy, though.


SEEN: 30/52
MY BALLOT: 7/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Following (#84)
9.
10.
11.
12. Bound (#59)
13.
14. The Naked Kiss (#51)
15.
16. Blue Ruin (#82)
17.
18. Red Rock West (#88)
19.
20. Killer Joe (#66)
21.
22. Mother (#67)
23.
24.
25.

[Allaby]

You Were Never Really Here is excellent. I rated it a 9/10, but it just missed my ballot. I found Get Carter to be underwhelming and rated it a 6/10.

Seen: 41/52

[Thief]

You Were Never Really Here is the third film directed by a female (Lynne Ramsay) to show up in the countdown. The other two were Bound (The Wachowskis, #59) and Strange Days (Kathryn Bigelow, #65).

[Miss Vicky]

You Were Never Really Here is a really haunting and beautiful, if brutal film, with a really incredible performance from Joaquin Phoenix. I've watched it many times and there was never any question about its inclusion for me once I knew it was eligible. I had it all the way up at #2.

Here's what I wrote when I rewatched it for the 2010s countdown:

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/2010s/neverhere.gif

You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay, 2017)
(Rewatch)

Like another, better known (and Oscar winning) Joaquin Phoenix role, You Were Never Really Here is a character study of a man struggling with psychological trauma and social isolation who turns to violence as a means of coping.

But this is a very different sort of film. The violence is not cathartic for either the audience or the film's protagonist. Indeed, we often don't even get to witness his acts of brutality, but instead only get to see the aftermath. And whereas that other film (which I'll likely be watching next) is a bit showy and bombastic, this film is quiet and meditative and its central performance hinges on subtlety. Dialogue is sparse and the film always keeps its audience at arm's length, and yet even so I feel very much connected to it because we also get small glimpses of this man's humanity and capacity for gentleness - stopping to pet a cat or offering comfort and pain relief to a dying man that he's just shot.

It's a wonderful showcase for Phoenix's talent and a very unique and engrossing film to watch. It's also a lock for my ballot and I'll be very disappointed if it fails to make the countdown proper.

4

My Ballot:
2. You Were Never Really Here (#50)
3. The Man From Nowhere (#87)
4. The Departed (#53)
7. True Romance (#60)
12. Shutter Island (#86)
17. Killer Joe (2011) (#66)

[Harry Lime]

You Were Never Really Here is a good film and I think the most recent movie to make the countdown so far? Phoenix is amazing as always and while I liked it I still prefer the Lynne Ramsay's other work over this one. As for Get Carter I definitely prefer the Sly Stallone version...but really Michael Caine in a neo noir from the seventies as a gangster seeking vengeance for his brother's - tough to make a bad movie here...

[Little Ash]

Two movies I have not seen, but would probably enjoy.

[Torgo]

Get Carter is #18 on my list. Not much to stay about it, but...Caine. He's pretty damn intimidating in it. If I knew he were after me, I'd probably need a new pair of pants and I'd be on a bus to the nearest coastal city. He may even out-intimidate Lee Marvin in Point Blank.

[Hey Fredrick]

"I heard you were brutal... I want you to hurt them." I'm sold. You Were Never Really Here made my list at 19. Joaquin is one of those actors that never gives a bad performance and if he does I haven't seen it yet. This is one of my favorite performances from him. He is completely believable as a veteran with PTSD who hunts down missing girls and doles out justice with a hammer - a tool that's one step above the rock on the evolutionary scale of tools. He doesn't get medieval on their asses, he gets prehistoric. The movie is much more than find bad guy, beat bad guy to pulp, though. It's a real character study of a traumatized dude. This is one hurting individual. It's not the most uplifting film so unless you found that special someone probably not a good first date film but oh so worth it.


After seeing all the movies that are considered noir I can't wait to redo my list when this is over. So far my guess is half the films on my ballot would have been left off for something else. I never looked at TMDb for eligibility. Whoops!

[LAMb EELYAK]

Seen 20/50.


12. The Dark Knight #61
18. Shutter Island #86
25. The Little Things - One-pointer


Fun facts about the reveals from my ballot so far: I didn't like The Dark Knight when I first saw it. I avoided Shutter Island for over a decade because the trailer put me off so much (and played before every movie i went to for months). The Little Things is the only movie I've walked out on in the theater. (When ya gotta go...)

[Miss Vicky]

I forgot to mention, I've seen Get Carter and even voted for it for the 70s Countdown, but I don't really remember it. I haven't seen either of yesterday's movies.

[John-Connor]

98250

SEEN: 47/52
BALLOT: 6/25

25. Mirage (1965)
22. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
17. The Driver (1978)
11. Get Carter (1971)
08. The Hot Spot (1990)
04. One False Move (1992)

[honeykid]

We're at the halfway mark and, somewhat in line to what I said yesterday and in the opening post about "what's neo-noir?" and "what's not?", I wanted to ask... after 50 films, what are some common threads you can see tying all, or most, of these films together? Common themes, archetypes, plot devices?


Also, what has been your biggest positive surprise yet? That film you really didn't expect to show up and yet TA-DAAA! There it was.

Here's what I've learned.
1. I don't know what neo-noir is.
2. You don't know what neo-noir is.
3. No one knows what neo-noir is.

Had I known Get Carter counted, I'd have probably had it top 3. :mad:

You Were Never Really Here is a good film and I think the most recent movie to make the countdown so far? Phoenix is amazing as always and while I liked it I still prefer the Lynne Ramsay's other work over this one. As for Get Carter I definitely prefer the Sly Stallone version...but really Michael Caine in a neo noir from the seventies as a gangster seeking vengeance for his brother's - tough to make a bad movie here...

Excuse me, what now?... There are no words....

https://media1.tenor.com/images/838ba62d025dfa2e40f133d3d5cd22fe/tenor.gif?itemid=7582764

[SpelingError]

You Were Never Really Here is very good, but it didn't make my ballot. I think it was one of the late cuts.

Get Carter is very good as well.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Wait. So if you watch a noir that made the countdown you're able to add it to your tally of movies seen? That doesn't seem kosher. Shouldn't there at least be an asterisk or something?

[WHITBISSELL!]

Had I known Get Carter counted, I'd have probably had it top 3. :mad:I feel your pain. #3 is exactly where I placed Get Carter on my ballot.Excuse me, what now?... There are no words....

https://media1.tenor.com/images/838ba62d025dfa2e40f133d3d5cd22fe/tenor.gif?itemid=7582764 I have to agree.

[WHITBISSELL!]

You Were Never Really Here is a good film and I think the most recent movie to make the countdown so far? Phoenix is amazing as always and while I liked it I still prefer the Lynne Ramsay's other work over this one. As for Get Carter I definitely prefer the Sly Stallone version...but really Michael Caine in a neo noir from the seventies as a gangster seeking vengeance for his brother's - tough to make a bad movie here...https://media1.tenor.com/m/JCW-4lIvKhUAAAAC/bigbird-one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-others.gif

[WHITBISSELL!]

The nitty is getting gritty. 2 for 2 and they're both on my list. You Were Never Really Here is my #2. I've only seen it once which I consider a huge transgression on my part. I've mentioned how Joaquin Phoenix has become a go-to actor for me and this is one of the roles that convinced me.

It's immediately followed on my ballot by my #3 Get Carter. That entire movie is a vibe. From the antithesis-of-picture-postcard locales to the regional dialects to the cinematography to the mod fashions and Michael Caine's cold and hollowed out antihero. It's like a how-to for an unpretentious British gangster film.

30 of 52 seen.

[stillmellow]

Dang, I didn't think of You Were Never Really Here as neo-noir, but I can see how it counts. I love that movie. It probably would've been on my list, in the 5-10 range.


It joins Manhunter as my list's 'could've beens'.


Seen 26 out of 52.

[cricket]

I like Get Carter but didn't care for Never Really Here

[Harry Lime]

Just in case my statement where I claim preference to the Sly Stallone version of Get Carter wasn't absurd enough for people to never take it seriously I will clarify here and now that in no way shape or form do I prefer or even like the Sly Stallone version of Get Carter. Thank you for your time.

[Thief]

Here's what I've learned.
1. I don't know what neo-noir is.
2. You don't know what neo-noir is.
3. No one knows what neo-noir is.

Had I known Get Carter counted, I'd have probably had it top 3. :mad:



You're not wrong about those 3, but regarding Get Carter, it's a film that came up in pretty much all the videos and articles about neo-noir I found during research, some of which I linked in the first posts. It's even included in the picture banner included in the first post, and there was a 3-4 month period to bring forth any questions or doubts about eligibility, so I don't know what else we could've done :shrug:

[WHITBISSELL!]

Just in case my statement where I claim preference to the Sly Stallone version of Get Carter wasn't absurd enough for people to never take it seriously I will clarify here and now that in no way shape or form do I prefer or even like the Sly Stallone version of Get Carter. Thank you for your time.https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExOGswczAxcWt2aG5ndjdpanZyeXhlMmlyZ3VoMHFubnJjbWdhYnUzNCZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfY nlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/3og0IPBdowkBBNtKTK/giphy.gif

[mrblond]

Just in case my statement where I claim preference to the Sly Stallone version of Get Carter wasn't absurd enough for people to never take it seriously I will clarify here and now that in no way shape or form do I prefer or even like the Sly Stallone version of Get Carter. Thank you for your time.

Now, I'll have a healthy sleep, because I was confused earlier today.

Mostly because of the mystery appearance of Mickey Rourke, I saw the Sly version in the theatre when it came out,
2 40/100
-----
I just saw the original version with Michael Caine. (after been for years in my to watch list)
4 80/100

[GulfportDoc]

You Were Never Really Here (2017)

A prime example of "stoner noir" this is one of those movies which, prior to watching, really requires a primer guide or plot summary in order to avoid being lost. The film is short on explanation and long on mood, so if one likes to understand plots as they’re watching them unfold, a little pre-knowledge is recommended.

The film has the feel of, and some similarities to, a modern day Taxi Driver; or perhaps a psychedelic version of The Big Sleep. Because the plot is semi-ridiculous, screen writer/director Ramsay has focused on the study of the protagonist, “Joe” (Joaquin Phoenix). And Phoenix turns in another excellent performance full of incoherence, neurosis, and pent up emotions --the type of character that no one does better-- while lumbering and mumbling through the film. He can play a stoner or a schizophrenic with equal authenticity.

I was reluctant to view the picture since it was reported to contain plenty of graphic violence and gore. But the majority of that was mostly shown at a distance. Or we’re shown the result rather than the process of the violence. There were a couple of brief scenes showing violence in real time, but not enough to nix the whole picture.

Not having read the book by Johnathan Ames, it’s unknown how closely Ramsay followed Ames’ story, but the emphasis was clearly on tone, style and interplay-- with its disorienting method
covering a thin plot.

In that regard, the impressive score by Johnny Greenwood was pitch perfect. His use of full spectrum sound and styles, along with percussion and electronic instruments compliments and magnifies the telling of the story. He’s a prodigious talent, scoring both “Here” and Phantom Thread in the same year. Film editor Joe Bini did a fine job as well, whose work was essential in order to piece together the action.

Judith Roberts does a first rate job as Joe's semi-senile mother. And Ekaterina Samsonov is perfectly cast as the kidnapped teenager Joe is tasked to rescue.

Being an indie or art house type of picture, it will not be a big money maker, however the high level of work involved makes it well worth experiencing.

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE

https://images.mubicdn.net/images/film/156132/cache-217069-1631116428/image-w1280.jpg
RT – 89%, IMDb – 6.7


Sheila O'Malley, from RogerEbert.com, said:

"You Were Never Really Here is a taut and almost unbearably intense 90-minutes, without an ounce of fat on it. Ramsay doesn't give you a second to breathe. It's grim, it’s dark, it’s delirious fun." (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/you-were-never-really-here-2018))

BFI said:

"A stunningly lean and intense avenger noir, its thriller storyline studded with cryptic flashbacks and off-kilter violence. Where Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin nimbly married ‘bad seed’ horror elements with arthouse interiority, [You Were Never Really Here] is a wholesale and exhilarating reimagining of genre." (read full review here (https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/you-were-never-really-here-lynne-ramsay-pointillist-poetry-hard-boiled-brutalism))

GrantD2 said:

"This film also subverts expectations towards the end in a way that I initially made me think 'Ah, man', but the more I thought about it the more I liked the way the story concluded [...] Like most indie films, this one isn't for everyone, but I thought it was very good. Go for the story, not for the violence." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1927729-you-were-never-really-here.html))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... GET CARTER

https://mikestakeonthemovies.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/get_carter.jpg?w=816
RT – 87%, IMDb – 7.3


Roger Ebert said:

"Get Carter is a tense, hard-boiled crime movie that uses Michael Caine, for once, as the sure possessor of all his unconscious authority. Caine has been mucking about in a series of potboilers, undermining his acting reputation along the way, but Get Carter shows him as sure, fine and vicious -- a good hero for an action movie." (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/get-carter-1971))

Liam Gaughan, from Collider, said:

"Get Carter isn’t just one of the best crime thrillers ever made, but a film that essentially created the neo-noir revenge style that so many modern filmmakers have adopted." (read full review here (https://collider.com/get-carter-mike-hodges-revenge-thriller/))

the samoan lawyer said:

"Superb camerawork and a great score make this vengeful, gritty film an absolute must see for any gangster film fans [...] I found this to be almost like a mix between a Guy Ritchie movie and Liam Neeson’s Taken. But don’t let that put you off, Get Carter is better than both." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1025174-get-carter.html))

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/you-were-never-really-here-3.jpg


You Were Never Really Here received several nominations and awards. These are some of the most notable:


Eight (8) British Independent Film Award nominations, including a win for Best Music (Jonny Greenwood)
Three (3) Cannes Film Festival nominations, including a win for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
One (1) BAFTA Film Award nomination for Outstanding British Film of the Year
One (1) Odyssey Award nomination for Best Lead Actor (Phoenix)

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTVm1G5NaDk1DNbw1nebR8ep4QuddeyBqK3E3XcXAWc73KAjxDR69APaRRZGMfqAWuVl6emw2OmDUwJ4uxEiqm6J3CHxv 9s5Xbdpti0vndJVld0qSu0wjCujMAd9plp-tVfAE/s1600/Hendry-Get-Carter-1971-2.jpg


Get Carter only received one award nomination: a BAFTA Film Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor (Ian Hendry)

[PHOENIX74]

52. Oldboy - A friend of mine was a fan of Asian cinema when she introduced me to Oldboy, and while I didn't know her well enough at the time, looking back now I'm surprised she was a fan of this violent, and at times shocking, movie. I guess quality is quality, with Park Chan-wook's undeniable talent making Oldboy a fascinating and original film with an inventiveness that makes it a joy to watch. There's a lot of artistic expression existing side-by-side with the skull-splintering moments of bloodshed, and through it all we're teased with a mystery that made for an incredibly jaw-dropping finale to this film. Based on a Japanese manga of course, and remade in the United States - a crime really, when you consider how good this is and how bound to fail that remake would therefore be. This is up among by "best of all time" films, and I really ought to do a deeper dive into Park Chan-wook's work. I really like Decision to Leave as well. I had Oldboy at #11 on my list, and I'm not surprised it's this far down as I find it's a real 'love it or hate it' movie.

51. The Naked Kiss - I'm not at all familiar with this film, and I'm genuinely surprised that films I don't know about are appearing this high!

50. You Were Never Really Here - I've only seen this once but I rated it very highly and remember loving it. I remember that Joaquin Phoenix's character was extraordinarily violent and that he had an occupation that made the most of that character trait. I remember that someone kills his mother, which is obviously not a good thing to do considering what this guy is like, and that we take a psychological deep dive into the complexities inside of him. What makes a man more primal, and willing to hurt others if need be? I really need to see this again, as obviously my memory hasn't retained much more than those impressions - especially one scene where Phoenix holds the hand of a dying man who he killed, which has a beautiful sense of irony to it.

49. Get Carter - I've been meaning to see this one day, and I'm sure it'll come up in my rotation at some stage because I have a feeling I got the DVD at a discount price and it's in the queue. Not sure if I saw the remake.

Is that really the first entry on my ballot since Brick??? Wow - I wonder how things will finish up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seen : 31/52
I'd never even heard of : 8/52
Movies that had been on my radar, but I haven't seen yet : 13/52
Films from my list : 2

#52 - My #11 - Oldboy (2003)
#81 - My #17 - Brick (2005)

[Iroquois]

no votes. i really liked you were never really here and saw it twice in theatres. a welcome variation on the vigilante sub-genre that had been reinvigorated after the success of taken (do i have to wonder if that's liable to crack the list?), one that manages to be more than just a straightforward deconstruction of that film's particular brand of power fantasy and actually creates a solid psychological portrait of its wounded protagonist. get carter is one of those classics that is undeniably indelible but i haven't watched it in forever (as with many films on this list, i am circling a rewatch).

You Were Never Really Here is the third film directed by a female (Lynne Ramsay) to show up in the countdown. The other two were Bound (The Wachowskis, #59) and Strange Days (Kathryn Bigelow, #65).

all three films have placed on the mofo top 100 directed-by-women list - you were never really here made the list at #69 (at the time, the newest film to make the list), strange days made the list at #9, and bound made the list at a surprisingly low #90 (then again, i remember there were users who considered the wachowskis' pre-transition work ineligible for a directed-by-women countdown so who knows how much of that influenced voting in that regard).

[stillmellow]

no votes. i really liked you were never really here and saw it twice in theatres. a welcome variation on the vigilante sub-genre that had been reinvigorated after the success of taken (do i have to wonder if that's liable to crack the list?), one that manages to be more than just a straightforward deconstruction of that film's particular brand of power fantasy and actually creates a solid psychological portrait of its wounded protagonist.



Yes! That's why I love it. It removes the power fantasy, but leaves all the pain and violence.

[Thief]

5lists81pointsBlast of Silence (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/32008-blast-of-silence.html)Director
Allen Baron, 1961

Starring
Allen Baron, Molly McCarthy, Larry Tucker, Bill DePrato

[Thief]

6lists81pointsThe Player (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/10403-the-player.html)Director
Robert Altman, 1992

Starring
Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98LLczbSi2A

Blast of Silence - A hitman from Cleveland comes to New York after being hired to kill a gangster, only to find a girl from his past and an eccentric gun dealer get in his way.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpDDTS08wPs

The Player - When a Hollywood producer starts receiving death threats from a screenwriter, he tries to solve things on his own, but ends up ensnared in a web of murder, romance, deceit, and dark humor.

[Thief]

The Player is one of those films I saw back in the late 90s, when I was getting more into film, that blew my mind. I remember having a loooot of fun with it. That said, even though I remember it fondly, I don't think I've seen it since. I recently revisited the opening scene to prepare for a podcast episode I did on long, continuous shots but that's about it. I should probably rewatch it.

I haven't seen Blast of Silence.


SEEN: 31/54
MY BALLOT: 7/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Following (#84)
9.
10.
11.
12. Bound (#59)
13.
14. The Naked Kiss (#51)
15.
16. Blue Ruin (#82)
17.
18. Red Rock West (#88)
19.
20. Killer Joe (#66)
21.
22. Mother (#67)
23.
24.
25.

[Iroquois]

no votes. have been holding off on watching blast of silence since it's my understanding that it's a christmas movie. the player is really good, but i wouldn't have thought to count it as a neo-noir - can see how it makes sense, though.

[SpelingError]

I like Blast of Silence quite a bit, but it didn't make my ballot. Interestingly enough, I somehow forgot to log the film when I checked just now, but I fixed it.

The Player was #19 on my ballot.

[SpelingError]

17. The Silence of the Lambs
19. The Player
22. Point Blank
23. Alphaville

[Miss Vicky]

I watched The Player in 2020 for a Personal Recommendation HOF and quite enjoyed it, but I kind of forgot about it after that and didn’t vote for it.

[Sedai]

Need to catch up a bit here:

You Were Never Really Here was a fantastic film, but sort of slipped my mind as I compiled my ballot.

Oldboy is excellent stuff, but didn't get a vote from me.

I love Altman's The Player, but I chose a different Altman pic for my ballot, which I presume will appear later.

I haven't seen Get Carter or Blast of Silence.

No votes from me on any of the past few day's entries...

[Little Ash]

The Player - fun movie. It wouldn't cross my mind to classify it as neo-noir. Or at least, of I wanted to watch something neo-noir, I don't think it's what I'd put on.


Blast of Silence - I don't think I've ever heard of this one, so I'm intrigued.

[Allaby]

The Player is my #5. It's an entertaining, sharply written film with strong performances. I haven't seen Blast of Silence and I don't think I have even heard of it.

Seen: 42/54

[Sedai]

Oh also: My wife and I watched Mona Lisa last night.

I wasn't over the moon for it, but I did love how the film sucked you in to the character play as they navigated the seedy underbelly of the city, in true noir fashion. Some excellent scenes, even if the film does lift quite a bit in both theme and execution from Scorsese's Taxi Driver.

3

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... BLAST OF SILENCE

https://assets.americancinematheque.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/30170157/Blast-of-Silence-HERO.jpg
RT – 83%, IMDb – 7.4


Roger Ebert said:

"You know the anti-hero type that's so popular now, especially in TV? Blast of Silence is a pioneer in that department. It's a film that plays with noir, comedy, and even existential dread, and it's gorgeous in its visual language" (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/home-entertainment-guide-december-2023))

Richard Brody, of The New Yorker, said:

"This compact and forceful low-budget film noir, from 1961, is one of the greatest of New York movies; it compresses a week in a hit man’s bitter life into a dazzlingly brisk yet richly nuanced drama." (read full review here (https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/blast-of-silence))

Eric Henderson, from Slant Magazine, said:

"The neglected standing of Blast of Silence is the film’s own best proof of its uniquely wallflowerish take on film noir tropes, but even more intriguing is its standing as one of the greatest and most unsung of American Christmas movies." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1927729-you-were-never-really-here.html))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THE PLAYER

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/the-player-3.jpg
RT – 97%, IMDb – 7.5


Roger Ebert said:

"Robert Altman's The Player [...] is a movie about today's Hollywood -- hilarious and heartless in about equal measure, and often at the same time. It is about an industry that is run like an exclusive rich boy's school, where all the kids are spoiled and most of them have ended up here because nobody else could stand them." (read full document here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-player-1992))

Criterion Collection said:

"Mixing elements of film noir with sly insider comedy, The Player, based on a novel by Michael Tolkin, functions as both a nifty stylish murder story and a commentary on its own making, and it is stocked with a heroic supporting cast and a lineup of star cameos that make for an astonishing Hollywood who’s who." (read full review here (https://www.criterion.com/films/28835-the-player))

PHOENIX74 said:

"Altman hasn't created something here that's mean-spirited or depressing, instead he lets us be seduced by what is ever so seductive about Hollywood - giving us glimpses inside and showing us why we should all admit to ourselves that the machine cranking out soulless films for mass consumption are part of an obsessive quest to give "the audience" exactly what they want." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2338108-the-player.html))

[Citizen Rules]

I never considered The Player for my ballot actually it never crossed my mind, but it's an excellent film. I wrote this:

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=79200
The Player (Robert Altman 1992

The Player is right up my alley, it was a fun watch. As a plus, I was glad to explore more of Altman's filmography as I haven't seen many of his movies. The Player reminded me of another favorite movie, by the Coen Brothers, Barton Fink.

What I really liked about The Player was the insider story of a Hollywood movie executive who listens to movie pitches and green lights only a handful of films...I want that job!!! OMG that was so cool to see someone actually performing this movie job on screen. I loved the inside look at the movie business, very cool.

I also loved the detail of the sets at the studio, and I loved spotting all the stars who made cameos and there was a lot of them!. Tim Robbins is a favorite actor of mine and I liked him here he's quite good and personable which makes his story all the more relatable.

I liked that the story was part comedy and never intense. I dislike intense, realistic crime thrillers, though I do like old 40s-50s film noir. Luckily this film had a lighter feel to it, which suited me. I thought the ending twist was pretty clever too and it gave the movie a film within a film feel.

The Player is one film I'd like to revisit again.
rating_4_5

[rauldc14]

The Player was number 10 for me. My favorite Altman movie.

[seanc]

98262

Me looking at my list wishing I had put The Player on. It’s definitely Neo Noir and definitely belonged on my list.

[edarsenal]

90. Dead Again I have forgotten all about this one. I need to revisit it. It was a favorite of mine when it came out, and I am very glad to see it here.

89. La Haine Angry young French man gets a gun. News at Eleven.
I'm a huge fan of Vincent Cassel, never a disappointment.

87. The Man from Nowhere Won Bin, as Tae-Sik Cha, does an excellent job as the "quiet" stranger who owns a pawnshop and is drawn into the violent repercussions of the little girl's mother stealing from the wrong people. The basis of the friendship between Tae-Sik Cha and the young girl, Jeong So-mi (Sae-ron Kim), is quite genuine and, at times, quite touching. Gives a great balance to the well-executed violence that erupts as Tae-Sik goes after the "bad guys" while dodging the Police, who are also after the bad guys and believe him to be associated with them.

86. Shutter Island I quite enjoyed this, even on the rewatches, being an unabashed fan of Leo. Bit of a Hollywood ending, but still a good watch.

83. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo I have not seen it since it came out with a near-blank memory of what occurred, but remembering the tension is well done throughout.

82. Blue Ruin Dwight, played with such incredible depth by Macon Blair, is not an ex-hit-man or ex-military or, hell, ex-anything. He's not even an everyday man caught in an extraordinary situation. He's a broken shell, overwhelmed by grief, at the very bottom of the emotional well to the point of paralysis. Trying to find the impetus to move. Not so much forward, but to simply move.
I felt for this crumpled derelict with anguished eyes and a broken soul from the get-go, and I respected the filmmaker for not presenting any reason for us to cheer or support this man attempting to find his "revenge" only to get spun deeper into the whirlwind.

80. Dirty Harry The beginning of the franchise with Eastwood's Inspector Harry Callahan chasing down a serial killer based on the Zodiac Killer. Classic!

77. Manhunter A great psychological thriller.

75. The Silence of the Lambs And being a continuation, ditto. It's difficult to see it as neo-noir, but that's just my view. I'm happy to see the love.

Coming in at #24
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e4/61/86/e4618641c5aabd41888ae1facae0f5db.gif
https://reverseshot.org/uploads/entries/images/basicinstinct-590x308.jpg
70. Basic Instinct This is a delightful shock to see the love for this erotic thriller. Did not expect to see this make it and thought it was a private naughty pleasure from way back that I would be intrigued to revisit with the confidence that I would applaud and enjoy when I continuously rewatched it. Especially at the movie theater. Cheering Sharon Stone's disdain for conformity, her refusal to hide, and her amusement at the men being stupid boys time and again throughout this film.

Coming in at #8
https://www.legrandaction.com/wp-content/uploads/mystic-river-01.jpg
https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-27-2021/JpH9fN.gif
68. Mystic River The review from a critic at Giant Freakin Robot that Thief posted is an excellent description: "Coming from the direction of Clint Eastwood, it’s no surprise that Mystic River is a gritty neo-noir crime drama. But it’s also so much more than that. This movie is a masterful exploration of guilt, grief, and the enduring impact of trauma." and definitely far better than I can express. I've seen this a number of times. It's a hard, brutal watch, but utterly compelling and fascinating that embeds itself into your memory and your heart and will not go away.

Coming in at #14
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2010/8/18/1282140814231/Mother-006.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none
https://64.media.tumblr.com/abea8afc194f12463d5f00d586707e34/d0a5b02a54b64332-4d/s540x810/7d76f295d48fcccc1d245430b7e21de208ceb592.gif
67. Mother I was captivated by Hye-ja Kim playing a slightly off-centered mother, her simple son getting accused of murder, and her willingness to do everything for her beloved child. It is played out within the dark-humored, well-spun tale and Bong Joon Ho's jaw-dropping turn of events. A top-of-the-line quality, style, f@ckin amusing, HOLY SH#T neo-noir experience with poetic symmetry.

66. Killer Joe McConaughey is chilling and insists on your full and complete attention as he steals scene after scene after scene.

65. Strange Days This one is a tragic screw-up on my part for not including it. No excuse, really. It is a favorite and often watched film though it has been some time since seeing it. A strong cast in a very believable near future setting with social issues that are never soap-boxed but befitting of the storyline. Hell, I even love the songs that Juliette Lewis sang herself. Everything works here. The intricate and colliding relationships, the turns, the twists, the tension, the world-building, and the characters beautifully entwined strengths and weaknesses. F@ck, I'm an idiot for not including this one

61. The Dark Knight is the second and most loved of Nolan's Batman trilogy, which I've watched countless times. Just utterly love it. If I were to choose a Batman film, I would have gone with the more recent The Batman just a little more. I do not in any way dispute the iconic Dark Knight's appearance here.

60. True Romance An excellent call from a number of Tarantino films that scream neo-noir. A suitcase full of blow, the need to sell it and run from the ruthless people after it, and the cops looking to bust those involved, a hellacious ride that I've loved since seeing it at the movie theaters. Another should have, though I did go with a different Tarantino that is a greater favorite for me.

59. Bound This is an electrifying erotic thriller that I haven't seen since its debut. I wanted to rewatch it for my list but was unable to.

58. The French Connection I have not seen this since my younger daze, and I am very curious to see a rewatch of this Based-On-A-True-Story crime film to explore its neo-noir aspects.

56. Thelma & Louise I think I saw this once when it first came out and never revisited it. It's a solid placement.

53. The Departed A sweet, gentle, life-affirming, heart-warming film about brotherly love, kindness, forgiveness, and how humility is the only way to truly aspire in this world.
Oh, wait, this is the f@ckin Departed -- f@ck all that sh#t.
https://media2.giphy.com/media/dNnjszUOQOhjO/source.gif

52. Oldboy (2003) One of our household's introductions to South Korean Cinema with one of the most sadistic, twisted, long-game revenge stories. Gripping you and dragging you along from Dae-su Oh's (Choi Min-Sik) drunken stint in a police station, his anonymous abduction, and equally anonymous release into the wild. And the sh#t that occurs in his pursuit of who and why he was kept captive for years.

I never heard of Blast of Silence, and The Player is one I should see but never made an effort to. Get Carter is on Serious Watchlist, and like Harry Lime, I do have a serious love for the remake. It was a serious consideration for my vote. However, placement would insist on watching the original and discerning between the two. You Were Never There is a Phoenix film I truly need to see and hopefully will. My interest has increased reading though the comments made. Especially Miss Vicky.



Seen 26 out of 54 (48.15%)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Mystic River (2003) #68
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Mother (2009) #67
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.Basic Instinct (1992) #70
25. Things to do in Denver When You're Dead (1995) One-Pointer

[honeykid]

Just in case my statement where I claim preference to the Sly Stallone version of Get Carter wasn't absurd enough for people to never take it seriously I will clarify here and now that in no way shape or form do I prefer or even like the Sly Stallone version of Get Carter. Thank you for your time.

You've seen the internet right? These days, it's just possible that an otherwise normal, sensible person is actually completely mental. :D

Ten years ago the joke would've been obvious to me, so it's good to have that reminder.

You're not wrong about those 3, but regarding Get Carter, it's a film that came up in pretty much all the videos and articles about neo-noir I found during research, some of which I linked in the first posts. It's even included in the picture banner included in the first post, and there was a 3-4 month period to bring forth any questions or doubts about eligibility, so I don't know what else we could've done :shrug:
I'm not blaming or criticising you at all or your handling of it or the whole thing. I never bother with the 'research' part of a countdown. The chances are if I'm interested I've seen it already or I'm aware of it and then it's up to me to see it. But I'd only do that to fill out a list because it's not really a favourite if I've only seen it once or twice. But these are self-impossed rules and ones that I have to be more lax about when it comes to stuff like Noir which, had it happened 5 years ago, I wouldn't have bothered making a list for as I don't care for the genre. Neo or otherwise. I literally wrote my list up and sent it to you. :)

[Little Ash]

I guess in the game of, "this movie that some of us don't think of neo-noir, but actually has x-movie as an analog that no one challenges as noir," The Player probably is most analogous to The Sweet Smell of Success in terms of hustle and bustle of quick talking, seedy underside of media vibes (one might go Sunset Boulevard, but that seems a little off in terms of content of what a lot of the interactions going on screen are like - but that's just my quick take).

[mrblond]

#47. The Player (1992)

Saw it in theatre when it was released. Re-watched it couple more times since then.
Good, entertaining film. Didn't think of it for this countdown.
4
80/100
98263

[Thursday Next]

The Player was my #20. Good film.

[cricket]

I was never interested in seeing The Player but then someone picked it for me in a Personal Rec HoF. Super entertaining and I loved it.

Seen Blast of Silence several years ago and enjoyed it.

1. Killer Joe (#66)
3. Gone Baby Gone (#64)
4. The Player (#47)
9. Mona Lisa (#78)
11. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (#62)
12. Body Double (#69)
15. The Driver (#79)
21. Manhunter (#77)
24. Bound (#59)

[Kaplan]

Allen Baron wrote, directed, and stars in Blast of Silence. He plays a lone hitman as he comes to New York during Christmas to do a hit, and the film is truly elevated with its location shooting and a wonderfully extra noirish narration. I placed it at #14.

My List:
5. True Romance (#60)
11. The Friends of Eddie Coyle (#100)
12. Branded to Kill (#71)
14. Blast of Silence (#48)
18. Following (#84)
21. Mother (#67)
22. Purple Noon (#94)

[Harry Lime]

Darn I love The Player and didn't think of it for the countdown. Gee how many of us are going to make the same post. It certainly does reference noirs...a lot. Oh well. A must watch for anyone that loves movies. I like Blast of Silence but I think I like New York in the film more than the film itself. It's been a long time since I watched it, though.

[WHITBISSELL!]

2 for 2 and Blast of Silence (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2264991#post2264991) is my #5 pick. Watched it on TCM otherwise I probably wouldn't even have heard of it. Writer/director/star Allen Baron manages to do more with less than any other film I can remember. I would never have categorized it as a "Christmas movie" though.

Haven't seen The Player in ages. I remember thinking it was okay at the time and I have no real urge to rewatch it. This makes like 7 (I think) of my 25 picks accounted for.

32 of 54 seen.

[stillmellow]

Haven't seen either of today's unfortunately. I've been meaning to see Blast of Silence, but haven't gotten around to it.


Seen 27 of 54

[Thief]

68. Mystic River The review from a critic at Giant Freakin Robot that Thief posted is an excellent description: "Coming from the direction of Clint Eastwood, it’s no surprise that Mystic River is a gritty neo-noir crime drama. But it’s also so much more than that. This movie is a masterful exploration of guilt, grief, and the enduring impact of trauma." and definitely far better than I can express. I've seen this a number of times. It's a hard, brutal watch, but utterly compelling and fascinating that embeds itself into your memory and your heart and will not go away.


Thank you! at least somebody is checking all that stuff :laugh:

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTkxNjk2MTg5NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTc3NTU0NA@@._V1_.jpg


Blast of Silence didn't get any nominations or awards, but The Player received a couple. These are some of the most notable:


Five (5) BAFTA Film Award nominations, including a win for Best Director (Altman)
Four (4) Golden Globe Award nominations, including a win for Best Comedy/Musical Picture
Three (3) Academy Award nominations, including Best Director (Robert Altman)
Three (3) Cannes Film Festival nominations, including a win for Best Actor (Tim Robbins)
Two (2) Awards Circuit Community Award nominations, including Best Director (Altman)

[GulfportDoc]

One couldn't ask for a better film than Blast of Silence to usher in the neo-noir style in modern times. Filmed on a micro budget, director/writer Allen Baron fashions a bleak story of an out of town hitman who returns to his home town of NYC for a job. The portrayal of his activities and their outcome is the basis for the story. Baron perfectly captures the noir ethos in this gem of a neo-noir.

I'm puzzled why The Player is included as neo-noir. It's a very enjoyable clever picture with a stand out performance by Tim Robbins, but it's simply a black comedy about the film studio industry.

[Thief]

9lists84pointsA Simple Plan (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/10223-a-simple-plan.html)Director
Sam Raimi, 1998

Starring
Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda, Brent Briscoe