Film Noir HoF III

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i'll likely be rewatching the asphalt jungle tonight and angel heart tomorrow night. i have crossfire (my own nom) and the stranger watched already, i just have to find time to write about them. a couple reviews might come after the deadline but i'll definitely have all the movies watched by then and will be able to turn in my ballot on time.
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Most Biblical movies were long If I Recall.
seen A Clockwork Orange. In all honesty, the movie was weird and silly
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...will be able to turn in my ballot on time.
Thanks.

I might need a few days to finish this, sorry everyone. Things have been a mess lately around here!
OK, I'll add a few days to the deadline.

The final deadline will be midnight PST June 14th. No extensions after that.



The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible
Watched these 2 today, and I would hesitate calling either one of them noir even admitting they do have some noir elements.

Crossfire (1947)


It's not a bad film, but one that didn't connect with me. I missed a whole bunch of noir elements and that ultimately made me love the genre and the story fell kind of flat. I never really cared about any of the characters (though the acting was good), and the reveal of the murderer did nothing for me.

There are some interesting moral issues being raised though, but the delivery of the film ultimately hurts the message.

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Le Corbeau (1943)

I am proud of me cause I watched this without subtitles and managed to keep up!

A French film made in nazi occupied France, that's something new to me! I liked how convuluted the story became. You could feel it from the start that something heavy was about to happen, but I never thought that it would be such a small thing starting it! And the fact that the sequence of happenings looks believable is quite a feat.

However, all the characters seemed too 2 dimensional and that made the experience a lot less enjoyable! I loved the old doctor, though, he just brightened the screen!




The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible
Only two rewatches left that I reaaaally need to rewatch cause I just remember liking them but don't remember a thing about the story! Will do it Sunday!



The trick is not minding
Will finish Spellbound tonight. Started to fall asleep (nothing to do with the film) and realized I wasn’t given it the proper attention it deserved so called it a night. I may restart it entirely.



The trick is not minding
Spellbound

Poor Constance. She just wants to be taken seriously as a psychoanalyst. When you look like Ingrid Bergman though, the men won’t take you as seriously I guess.
A new Psychoanalyst, Dr Edwards (Peck) arrives and it’s clear he has issues. It also be some sap parent he really isn’t the Dr. Constant decided to take him in and help him but instead they fall in love. As you do. What unfolds is a mystery that takes a backseat to their burgeoning love story at times. Much to the detriment of the story I feel.
Peck is never believable. Neither is their romance. He’s almost like he isn’t attracted to her, he’s so stiff.
The story is slightly uneven. We’re treated to an series of analysis meant to explain his condition, so as to help when they finally figure out the main mystery of what happened to the real Edwards. By the time it’s revealed what happened I found myself not caring.
This is lesser Hitch. Which is a shame. Evaluate it wastes good performances from Bergman and Chekhov as Dr Brulov.



The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible
The Big Heat

Very good noir!
While it has some very quintessential elements it also introduces a few new things that work really well! I love that the main character already is happily married with a girl who doesn't look like a femme fatale and that is the murder of his wife that sets the main sequence of events.
The villains are credible, and I don't share the love that most of people here have for Gloria Grahame, and the act of the dumb blonde does nothing for me, even if I recognize that what she does, she does well!

There are some very good lines being dropped here and there, mostly by Grahame in a very solid script all around. I also loved the ending.




The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

Last time I watched this was 3/4 years ago, but couldn't remember a thing about it.

There are some issues with the pacing, and the movie drags a little especially in the first act. I get that characters needed to be introduced and we had to see their motivations but still, I feel this could have been done in a different way. Then it picks up and ends up being quite enjoyable.
I liked the acting (Monroe was stunning in here) though Sterling Hayden gave me some mixed feelings. I found him quite stiff but I sympathised with his character more than with any other.
Overall it's a very solid film that tries to escape from the typical black and white morals withing each character and that deserves some praise.

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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Watched these 2 today, and I would hesitate calling either one of them noir even admitting they do have some noir elements.

Crossfire (1947)


It's not a bad film, but one that didn't connect with me. I missed a whole bunch of noir elements and that ultimately made me love the genre and the story fell kind of flat. I never really cared about any of the characters (though the acting was good), and the reveal of the murderer did nothing for me.

There are some interesting moral issues being raised though, but the delivery of the film ultimately hurts the message.

-


Le Corbeau (1943)

I am proud of me cause I watched this without subtitles and managed to keep up!

A French film made in nazi occupied France, that's something new to me! I liked how convuluted the story became. You could feel it from the start that something heavy was about to happen, but I never thought that it would be such a small thing starting it! And the fact that the sequence of happenings looks believable is quite a feat.

]However, all the characters seemed too 2 dimensional and that made the experience a lot less enjoyable! [BI loved the old doctor, though, he just brightened the screen![/b]

The old doctor was my absolute favorite in that film. Did NOT suspect him AT ALL. What a crafty, delightful old codger.
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~Mr Minio



The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible
The old doctor was my absolute favorite in that film. Did NOT suspect him AT ALL. What a crafty, delightful old codger.
I suspected him since the moment he appeared on the screen