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Marlowe (2022)
Was hanging to watch a new detective noir. Really enjoyed Marlowe, really hit the spot. Love the poisoning scene. Great to see Alan Cumming in there too. Danny Huston plays a great villain, would love to see more Bond villains like him. I'm also keen to watch See How They Run and Death on the Nile.
I like it quite a bit as well. Pity it didn't get much of an audience. I thought Neeson was a good Marlowe, especially trying to cast that role today. Made a nice older version of the character.
I Know, IMDB is not very reliable but this is crazy.
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8503-the-criterion-channel-s-july-2024-lineup?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=monthly-lineup-announcement&utm_content=jul-2024
While film noir had its heyday in the disillusioned postwar era of the 1940s and ’50s, its seductively moody style and dark, cynical edge have continued to inspire more recent filmmakers to put their own stamps on the genre. Featuring unforgettable femmes fatales (Linda Fiorentino’s ice-cold bad girl in The Last Seduction) and rogue detectives (a shockingly sleazy James Woods in Cop, Harvey Keitel and Nicolas Cage as two very different Bad Lieutenants), these next-generation crime thrillers reveal the myriad ways in which the hard-boiled vocabulary of noir has endured and evolved over the decades. Bringing together acclaimed modern classics (L.A. Confidential) and hidden gems (The Deep End) from the New Hollywood of the 1970s (Night Moves, Obsession) to the VHS era of the 1980s and ’90s (Crimes of Passion, Out of Sight) and beyond, this selection proves that noir is more than just a single era or movement—it’s a state of mind.
FEATURING: Night Moves (1975), Obsession (1976), The Big Sleep (1978), Absence of Malice (1981), Blow Out (1981), Eyewitness (1981), Blood Simple (1984), Crimes of Passion (1984), Cop (1988), Blue Steel (1990), Bad Lieutenant (1992), The Last Seduction (1994), Blood and Wine (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), Out of Sight (1998)*, The Deep End (2001), The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)*, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)*
Eddie Muller's 2001 book "Dark City Dames" is being republished in April 2025 in expanded form.
In Dark City Dames, acclaimed film historian Eddie Muller takes readers into the world of six women who made a lasting impression in this cinematic terrain—from veteran “bad girls” Audrey Totter, Marie Windsor, and Jane Greer to unexpected genre fixtures Evelyn Keyes, Coleen Gray, and Ann Savage. The book provides in-depth profiles of these formidable women during the height of their careers, circa 1950, as they balanced love and career, struggled against typecasting, and sought fulfillment in a ruthless business.
....
This edition also includes compelling new profiles of ten additional women who left an indelible mark on film noir, including Joan Bennett, Gail Russell, Rhonda Fleming, and Claire Trevor—all packaged in a stunning redesign that offers the ultimate look at performers who helped define a still-resonant and inspiring epoch of Hollywood history.
And as a teaser .....
The Criterion Streaming Service has added several series of note for Noir fans this November,
In celebration of both Noirvember and the 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures, we’re revisiting one of our most popular collections with a refreshed slate of seductively shadowy, cynical gems. While rival studios like MGM and Paramount lavished money and top-tier production values on splashy musicals and prestige literary adaptations, the notoriously budget-conscious Columbia was right at home in the seedy world of film noir.
Queerness simmers beneath the surface of classical Hollywood noir, with its heightened ambiguity, shadowy identities, and free-floating sensuality. Made during the era of the Production Code, which banned “any inference of sex perversion,” these films, with their characters’ murky pasts and murkier motivations, moved to the rhythms of teasing, unspoken eroticism.
The formidable Ida Lupino lent a defiant toughness and intelligence to some of classic Hollywood’s most unforgettable female characters. Born into a celebrated English family of music-hall artists, Lupino was initially cast in movies that showed off her charm and musical flair, but less of her unique abilities as a dramatic actress. She fought to play the evil, vengeful Bessie in William A. Wellman’s The Light That Failed, and at last Hollywood took notice. Lupino’s steely presence is essential to film noir classics like They Drive by Night and High Sierra, and her fearless intensity anchors her roles in The Sea Wolf and The Hard Way. Though she began to focus on producing and directing in the late forties, she continued to deliver searing performances, such as her standout work as a lonely blind woman in Nicholas Ray’s On Dangerous Ground (1951)—some scenes of which she also directed when Ray fell ill.
In addition to the cover article detailing the neo-noir films of Director David Cronenberg, there are writeups on the women of ACT OF VI0LENCE (1948), another on how THE THIRD MAN’s Harry Lime has become a “role model” for our current times and a summary history of the many adaptions of Jame M. Cain’s THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE.
… so, it seems that my New Year’s Day calendar is now full.
For @ToTheRight (actress Lana Turner behind the scenes).
Thanks @Dwayne! 2025 is now offically off to an amazing start!
I'd update my top 25 favorite noirs.
1. OUT OF THE PAST (1947)
2. THE BIG SLEEP (1946)
3. THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946)
4. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
5. THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942)
6. IN A LONELY PLACE (1950)
7. DARK PASSAGE (1947)
8. HIS KIND OF WOMAN (1951)
9. THE BLUE DAHLIA (1946)
10. LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945)
11. JOHNNY EAGER (1941)
12. DETOUR (1946)
13. MACAO (1951)
14. DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK (1952)
15. RAW DEAL (1948)
16. THE KILLERS (1946)
17. THE BRIBE (1949)
18. THE NARROW MARGIN (1952)
19. ON DANGEROUS GROUND (1951)
20. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
21. LAURA (1944)
22. GILDA (1946)
23. KEY LARGO (1948)
24. WHITE HEAT (1949)
25. KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (1952)
If I'm comparing your older list correctly, I see that you added:
THE BLUE DAHLIA (1946),
DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK (1952),
THE NARROW MARGIN (1952)
GILDA (1946) and
KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (1952),
while losing
THE BIG COMBO,
MY GUN IS QUICK,
PORTRAIT IN BLACK
CRISS CROSS and
I WALK ALONE
My own list of "Essential" film noirs is now up to fifty. Mind is not a "best of" list, but more a set of films that covers most of the key directors and actors of that era. I do need to add an Alan Ladd/Veronica Lake (proto-noir) film to the list, however, and I'm thinking of going with THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942) since it makes for a good pairing with 1967's LE SAMOURAI.
... now which film should I drop? :))
I've been watching the Ladd/Lake films a lot lately. I just watched SAIGON, kind of their least acknowledged flick. I loved it, though.
The Noir Alley intro/outro for WITHOUT PITY (1948)
PS. I wish I were in Oakland this weekend for the latest NOIR CITY Film Festival. Among the films being screened are:
THE NARROW MARGIN
KISS OF DEATH,
OUT OF THE PAST
THE KILLING
TENSION
DETOUR
RAW DEAL
WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (which I haven't seen yet!) and
ACE IN THE HOLE
The co-host is also nice .... :x
I need a bit of help. I'm currently re-doing my list of Fifty Essential film noirs of the classic era and I want to add THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942). While not perfect, ideally my list is designed to touch on some of the mainstays of this era and not simply be a top 50. And the frequent pairing Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake certainly qualifies as an important aspect of this period,
Now, which of the following twenty films should I drop to make room? And secondly, should I select 1946's THE BLUE DAHLIA instead?
Thanks.
I always enjoy watching "The Glass Key", which was remade by the Cohen brothers as "Millers Crossing"
That's a tough one. All great films. If I had to chose, I'd probably drop PICKUP for THIS GUN FOR HIRE. I'd certainly put THE BLUE DAHLIA in as well.
I should be done with my "cast and crew" summaries for all fifty films by next week. And then the real fun will start:
As you stated, so many great films.
In a controversial opinion, I ended up phasing DOUBLE INDEMNITY from my top 25 recently. As great as it is, I only tend to watch it once few years. POSTMAN and OUT OF THE PAST I can watch everyday. :D
It's often considered the definitive example of noir, but for some reason, I'm more drawn towards John Garfield, Bogie and Mitchum than Fred MacMurray. Actually, I prefer him in SINGAPORE with Ava Gardner. My better half watched DOUBLE INDEMNITY for the first time recently and she felt similarly. She did love the look and feel of the film, though.
"Do I laugh now, or wait 'til it gets funny?"
or ".. But they keep the liquor locked up/ That's ok, I always bring my own keys."
So, for me it will always be an essential noir. That said, DOUBLE INDEMNITY was an "A" movie from beginning to end, and most noirs fall somewhat beneath that. Therefore, in some ways, OUT OF THE PAST is a better representation of classic era noir for me, but I love them both.
Excellent points, @Dwayne .
While I was on my honeymoon I caught THE ASPHALT JUNGLE on the tube late one night. Another excellent noir. I must say, though the television in the hotel suite didn't really do the movie any favors. Eddie Muller has talked about the look of old movies on hi-def televisions in a couple of his ASK EDDIE episodes.
I think this TV had a motion smoothing feature that made the film look like it was shot on video. It looked like an episode of DARK SHADOWS or something.
That said, Marilyn was amazing.
1. OUT OF THE PAST (1947)
2. THE BIG SLEEP (1946)
3. THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946)
4. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
5. THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942)
6. DARK PASSAGE (1947)
7. IN A LONELY PLACE (1950)
8. HIS KIND OF WOMAN (1951)
9. THE BLUE DAHLIA (1946)
10. LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945)
11. DETOUR (1946)
12. JOHNNY EAGER (1941)
13. MACAO (1952)
14. DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK (1952)
15. THE KILLERS (1946)
16. THE BRIBE (1949)
17. LAURA (1944)
18. GILDA (1946)
19. ON DANGEROUS GROUND (1952)
20. KISS ME DEADLY (1955)
21. KEY LARGO (1948)
22. WHITE HEAT (1949)
23. KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (1952)
24. THE GLASS KEY (1942)
25. WHERE DANGER LIVES (1950)
Earlier today, I realized why I had PICKUP on my list .... Hugo Haas. I really wanted one of his films to be part of my "Essentials". Question, however, should it be this film or 1957's HIT AND RUN? Beverly Michaels or Cleo Moore? :))
It looks like I'll be dropping ODDS AGAINST TOMMOROW to make room for Ladd and Lake.