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When Works of Art Bewitch, Haunt … and Judge
Detective Mark MacPherson is mesmerized by the portrait of Laura Hunt. Noir anti-heroes often come from the wrong side of the tracks, and then struggle to brush off the dust from the old neighborhood. Lured by the trappings of the filthy rich — jewels, swell apartments, gorgeous babes — they cross the line into a…
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A Simple Plot is the Backdrop for Murder
Ben Gazzara, Timothy Carey, Robert Phillips, Seymour Cassel and Morgan Woodward. Sometimes, your favorite films play tricks on you. You carry around a memory of the plot, atmosphere and pacing, but later you find that your recollection was all wrong. That happened to me recently when I saw John Cassavete’s 1976 film,”The Killing of a…
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FEARSOME 15: Movie Gangsters to Watch Out For
In the movies, henchmen climb to the top of the crime heap by using bombs, bullets and intimidation. Of course, being a terrifying SOB isn’t just a job security tactic – any mobster who’s not feared will often end up as landfill. The range of badass criminal types runs the gamut: There are those who…
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You Only Live Once: Outlaws on the Road
Sylvia Sidney and Henry Fonda in ‘You Only Live Once.’ D irector Fritz Lang’s masterpiece of German cinema, “M” (1931), delves into the murky waters of criminality with an assuredness that few films of that era can match. A frantic search is on for a serial killer who murders children, resulting in an uptick in…
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James Ellroy to Discuss New Novel, ‘Perfidia’
Celebrated L.A. crime novelist James Ellroy will be talking about his new book, “Perfidia,” at the main branch of the L.A. Public Library on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Wait list tickets are all that are left, and admission is free. He’ll be signing “Perfidia,” but only copies you buy from the library — proceeds help support…
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A SIMMERING ‘RAW DEAL’ IS COOKED TO PERFECTION
From left, Pat Cameron (Claire Trevor), Ann Martin (Marsha Hunt) and Joe Sullivan (Dennis O’Keefe) in ‘Raw Deal’ (1948).Be forewarned, there are many SPOILERS contained below. In film noir, it’s unusual for the femme fatale to act as narrator. But in “Raw Deal,” the dilemmas of conscience are seen through the eyes of the morally challenged…
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A Touch of Orson: Venice Beach as Border Town
Orson Welles prepares a crucial scene in “Touch of Evil” Downtown L.A.’s refurbished Million Dollar Theater recently screened the Orson Welles classic dark tale of corruption and murder, “Touch of Evil.” The film was originally released in 1958 after the studio took control of it from Welles. There’s a recut and redubbed version in circulation…
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Johnny Depp to Play Whitey Bulger After All
Whitey as the godfather. You’ve heard it all here before. So, Johnny Depp is going to take another shot at playing a famous gangster. The money was finally right, according to Deadline Hollywood. How do you think this one will stack up next to “The Departed,” the other Whitey picture that was made before he…
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Horror Hotel: Don’t Drink the Water!
The Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles has been the scene of strange goings on. I t’s probably not overdoing it to say that the Cecil Hotel, recently rebranded as the Cecil Hotel Apartments, is one of L.A.’s spookiest buildings. At least two bona fide serial killers – “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez in 1985 and Jack…
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Crime Writer Ripped Hitch for ‘Flabby Mass of Clichés’
Farley Granger and Robert Walker in ‘Strangers on a Train.’ Alfred Hitchcock at work. A number of celebrated writers have had tortured relationships with Hollywood. Take Raymond Chandler, the writer whose work is closely associated with Los Angeles (he detested the city), and whose crime fiction elevated the genre to an art form. Chandler…