Official Film Noir on Blu-ray Thread

[Gunsnroses092789]

Richard Wright adapted and starred in the original 1951 film version of his controversial and enduring novel NATIVE SON, which exposed the deep injustices of Black life in America. We're proud to present a brand new restoration of the film with a special introduction by film historians Jacqueline Najima Stewart (co-curator of our Pioneers of African-American Cinema collection) and Eddie Muller (Film Noir Foundation), courtesy of Turner Classic Movies.
Opens September 25 in Kino Marquee virtual cinemas supporting independent theaters! kinomarquee.com

Since Kino is releasing this to virtual cinemas, I bet they'll release a Blu-ray of it down the line

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by jdw89

They are BD-R's though aren't they?

Mostly. They've started to shift to pressed blu-rays recently, such as with The Sin of Nora Moran.

[noirjunkie]

Shout Factory just announced that this title is out of print. Amazon (and perhaps some other retailers) still have some copies, so if you've been sitting on it, now's the time to pick it up. Also, it should be added to the OP.

[mogwai_macabre]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

Shout Factory just announced that this title is out of print. Amazon (and perhaps some other retailers) still have some copies, so if you've been sitting on it, now's the time to pick it up. Also, it should be added to the OP.

Thanks, just placed an order. This one has been kinda halfway down my watchlist for years, and I just never got around to watching it.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

Shout Factory just announced that this title is out of print. Amazon (and perhaps some other retailers) still have some copies, so if you've been sitting on it, now's the time to pick it up. Also, it should be added to the OP.

As entertaining a movie as you'll ever see. Don't miss out.

[Jazzmonkie]

[BladeRunner2007]

THE BIG SLEEP


First time viewing. What a timeless classic. One of the best movies ever made. The chemistry between Bogart & Bacall is off the charts.

[jayrobb9]

Always love the Big Sleep, watch it maybe once a month. Always got more out of it than the Maltese Falcon (which, for some reason, it is often compared to).

[Jobla]

Really exciting news about NATIVE SON. I read that book in school, but had no idea that the author starred in a film version of it.

I would definitely blind-buy a copy on disc.

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by Jobla

Really exciting news about NATIVE SON. I read that book in school, but had no idea that the author starred in a film version of it.

I would definitely blind-buy a copy on disc.

Has a disc been announced yet? I've been waiting to see if it's getting the blu-ray treatment. I want to see it, in part because I want to see Wright's take on his own creation. It is odd, however, to see him in the lead role, since Bigger is about twenty years old in the book and Wright was in his forties when they made the film.

[Gunsnroses092789]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

Has a disc been announced yet? I've been waiting to see if it's getting the blu-ray treatment. I want to see it, in part because I want to see Wright's take on his own creation. It is odd, however, to see him in the lead role, since Bigger is about twenty years old in the book and Wright was in his forties when they made the film.

No disc announcement but since Kino is releasing it theatrically, the odds are extremely in its favor.

[Leonidas King]

How is Thoroughbreds considered neo-noir?

Seems off.

Yet something more suitable like Shutter Island is not even listed, smh.

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by Leonidas King

How is Thoroughbreds considered neo-noir?

Seems off.

Yet something more suitable like Shutter Island is not even listed, smh.

I don't see either as neo-noir.

[MifuneFan]

Throroughbreds as a a neo-noir was suggested by The Great Owl's review. If enough people object, I'm open to removing it. Personally, I didn't see it as a neo-noir either, but I respect TGO's input, and can see what he means by some of the noir-ish aspects of it.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm all good with placing this one squarely in the neo-noir camp. There's even an overt reference to the 1949 film, D.O.A.



Lily and Amanda, played respectively by Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) and Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One), were close as children in their affluent Connecticut suburb, but drifted apart years ago. Lily is a preppy and competitive boarding school student whose home life is unsatisfactory, thanks to her arrogant stepfather, who seems to have married her mother as a trophy wife and who regards her as a necessary baggage inconvenience to the arrangement. Amanda is a self-described sociopath who has undergone psychiatric treatment after a tragedy from her past and who admits to mimicking normal human emotions in order to make her way in the world. Shortly after they reconnect as teenagers, Amanda casually asks Lily if she has ever considered killing her stepfather. The late Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Green Room) stars as an overambitious local drug dealer whom the girls enlist to help in a deadly plan.

The premise of emotionally detached privileged rich girls who are capable of murderous crimes when they band together has received cinematic treatment many times, but rarely as effectively as in Thoroughbreds, the 2017 directorial debut of Cory Finley, a playwright turned filmmaker. From the opening sequence, where the camera eye slowly explores the posh expanses of Lily's mansion before the narrative reveals the dysfunction of its occupants, to a late moment where a leisurely-paced widescreen point-of-view zooms in while a horrific event is occurring elsewhere, this film takes cues from classics like Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train, and molds them into a picturesque neo-noir for the new millennium. One of my favorite scenes shows Lily and Amanda outside the house next to a concrete chess set lawn decoration as they play cat-and-mouse games with each other's sensibilities while discussing their destructive agenda.

Anya Taylor-Joy has such a great face, and much of the impact of this movie comes from the camera's fixation with her reactions to her odd friend. Olivia Cooke, in turn, displays an impressive acting range in a wonderfully deadpan role that seems a million miles removed from her turns in earlier blockbuster films. Yelchin's part is merely a supporting one, but he commands attention every second that he's on the screen, and his presence in this motion picture that is dedicated to his memory is a testament to the loss that cinema suffered as a result of his untimely death two years ago.

If you're looking for a riveting small-scale dramatic thriller that makes brilliant use of enclosed settings with an absence of flashy special effects, then Thoroughbreds is a winning bet.

[MifuneFan]

Also, Leo, you brought up Shutter Island (and Gone Girl) years back, and got a very large response from others that disagreed with you. This is what noirjunkie and others said on the topic back then

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

I've seen both and am in the not "neo-noir" camp as well.

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

It does have the elements you listed, but they don't cohere into a story that fits into anything resembling noir or neo-noir, especially considering the way it ends. The plot is essential to defining whether or not a film fits into noir, and I just don't think the story fits the noir/neo-noir mold.

Originally Posted by jayembee

I haven't seen Shutter Island, but I've read the novel. If the film is like the novel, then I'd agree with you that it's not noir.

I would also agree that Gone Girl has some noir-ish elements, but ultimately, I don't think it fits.

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

I haven't seen A Prophet, but Shutter Island doesn't really have any noir characteristics. It's a psychological thriller. Gone Girl, on the other hand, is probably a borderline case. I can see valid arguments being made either way regarding its inclusion.

Originally Posted by tallrichard

I would agree...Shutter Island nor Gone Girl are film noir, not even neo-noir. Neither are dark enough in tone or content to make it into that genre...

I get an imagine of Bogie's Sam Spade or Victor Mature's Nick Bianco turning over in their respective graves with the thought of Ben Affleck joining their club.

Chinatown is definitely Neo-Noir...

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

Almost all criticism written on the topic disagrees with your central premise. The term "noir" was applied after the fact because critics looked back at the films of the 40s and 50s and saw similar thematic (i.e., story) elements that tied together the films we now call noir. The style was not enough to determine genre, especially given that that same filmmaking style (chiaroscuro lighting, dutch angles, etc.) is present in other genres; it originated in classic horror films, none of which are labeled noir.

That's also why I would argue that Shutter Island is not a neo-noir, because while some of the style markers are present, neo-noir updates the story elements of classic noir and places them into contemporary (or even futuristic) settings.

I understand your argument and I can see where you're coming from; you just happen to fall into the minority in terms of how you define both noir and neo-noir.



Speaking as one of "these people" you so cavalierly discard, unless you've studied this topic at the graduate school level, teach it professionally, and have published several essays on it in both magazines and books, I'd say I have more experience understanding what does and does not constitute noir and neo-noir than you do.

As always, I welcome feedback, and discussion on titles included on the list. Rather than just calling out a list for its exclusions or inclusions, it would actually be a lot more constructive to give a detailed explanation for why you believe it should or shouldn't be there

[noirjunkie]

I can see where The Owl is coming from with his take. For me, the film has to strike a particular tone to fit into the noir aesthetic, and while I think Thoroughbreds is a strong film with an important message, it also felt more like a dark comedy with a wicked satirical streak than a true-blue noir.

Also, thanks so much for digging up that old quote of mine about Shutter Island. While I stand by my original belief that the film has similar style markers but is utterly lacking in thematic similarities to the original noirs, I couldn't have sounded more pretentious in that last section if I'd tried.

[Leonidas King]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

I don't see either as neo-noir.

I see Shutter Island as one. It checks a lot of the characteristics of a neo-noir film

It's even in the books. According to John Grant the author of this book:

[Show spoiler]

I own this book. And it's definitely on page 583.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

Just announced on Facebook: Robert Siodmak's The Suspect (1944) is coming to blu-ray via Kino.



Credit to Dailyan.

As revealed on HTF, and in the Kino thread, The Suspect now has a tentative release date of February 9th.

(Credit to BarnDoor)

[crazednoir]

Why hasn't 'The Devil Thumbs A Ride'(1947) shown up on Blu-ray or DVD yet?

Also it has rarely or never been aired on TCM.

Long overdue.

[skipkassidy]

Amazon is matching Target's "Get 3 for the price of 2" promotion this week.

If you search Film Noir Blu-ray, around 90 titles appear. Not all of them are noir titles, but there's a nice assortment.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/promotion/...65bfc591920INT