Category: Uncategorized
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Just Desserts for a Bad Apple
The Hoodlum (1951) Director: Max Nosseck Writer: Sam Neuman Stars: Lawrence Tierney, Allene Roberts and Marjorie Riordan See the full movie on YouTube, or rent it on DVD. Sometimes a rat gets what he deserves – it just takes a while. “The Hoodlum” begins documentary style with a rundown of anti-hero Vincent Lubeck’s dirty dealings.…
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Scene of the Crime (Film) IV: Shock of Recognition
If you live in or visit Hollywood you can find lots of buildings used as film exteriors. You might be familiar with the address, such as 77 Sunset Strip, named after the 1950s-60s TV detective show set in Los Angeles, For the record, the building where they filmed the opening sequence and some exterior scenes…
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Punks, Thugs Rule the City in ‘Crime Wave’
One of the better rediscovered crime films of the past few years is “Crime Wave.” Remember James Ellroy’s top 10 favorite crime films, which we discussed here a few posts ago? As you may remember, “Crime Wave” made the list, and for good reason. It should have come as no surprise when I got ahold…
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The Bad, The Horrible And The Unbalanced
They say good villains make good drama. Here are my Top 5 favorite crime film villains. These five are particularly memorable as some of the screen’s finest psychopaths. They look and sound normal at first. But if you cross them, things quickly become unpleasant. 1.) Max Cady (Robert Mitchum) “Cape Fear” Max turns the crazy…
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The Humanity of a ‘Mad Dog’ in ‘High Sierra’
In “High Sierra” (1941), Humphrey Bogart is Roy “Mad Dog” Earle, an ex-con who is full of contradictions. Earle, apparently a hardened criminal, gets sprung from prison, and the first place he wants to go is to a park, where the grass is growing underfoot and he can breathe the fresh air. He may be…
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Get ‘Ruthless’ Via Online Streaming, Or Get Gone
The New York Times will report in its Sunday edition that Edgar G. Ulmer’s “Ruthless”(1948), is available to stream from Netflix in its full 105 minute version, rather than the 88-minute public domain cut that’s been the only version available for years. Ulmer is also known for classic noirs “Detour” (1945) and “The Black Cat”…
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Bogart Still Center Stage As American Screen Idol
I talk about film here for the most part, but I would be shirking my duty as a reporter if I didn’t mention a book that I finished reading some time ago that deserves to be noted in this forum. It’s Stefan Kanfer’s biography of Humphrey Bogart, “Tough Without A Gun: The Life and Extraordinary…
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Let There Be ‘Brighton Rock’
Some great news: “Brighton Rock,” the acclaimed new adaptation of Graham Greene‘s classic novel, will be seen in U.S. theaters August 26, thanks to IFC. The film depicts the story of Pinkie, a lowly gangster who romances a naive, lonely waitress, Rose, after she discovers evidence he committed murder.Fans of British cinema will certainly remember…
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Hammer Swings Again
Although he died in 2006, Mickey Spillane has a new crime novel out featuring New York private detective Mike Hammer. Spillane wrote numerous crime novels from the 1940s until shortly before his death, including “I, the Jury” (which sold 3 million copies and launched Spillane’s career), Vengeance is Mine” and “My Gun is Quick.” He…
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Dead Hollywood Starlet Still Spotted at Old Haunt?
17575 Pacific Coast Highway, once home of silver screen star Thelma Todd. Quite by accident I had the opportunity to tour a historic L.A. crime scene this week. I’d seen pictures of the place a thousand times, but I didn’t recognize it until my host pointed out the tawdry historic significance of the location —…