Noirvember 2022 - 30 days of film noir

[kingdoxie]

Noirvember.jpg

3rd Annual Blu-ray.com Noirvember - 30 Days of Film Noir!

Past Noirvember threads:

2020
2021

The Challenge
Watch films noir to attain the following levels based on common film noir characters:

5 films: Unsuspecting Dope or fall guy
10 films: Dirty Cop
15 films: Nightclub Owner
20 films: Femme Fatale
25+ films: Private Detective

District Attorney Challenge
The set-up: you’re the Big City DA with political ambitions and an eye on the Governor’s mansion, but you’re behind in the polls. You need a conviction against Mr. Big and his crime syndicate to turn your campaign around. To get the conviction you’ll need to watch 20 films noir starting with a different letter of the alphabet. Because you’re a savvy DA, you’ve successfully argued for the judge to grant two exceptions: 1) you may use one letter twice and 2) one of your titles may start with a number. The films can be from either the classic film noir period (1940-1959) or neo-noir; build a case with these 20 films and you’ll get your conviction.

The Films
Every time you watch a film, post your rating and thoughts on the film and be sure to use spoiler tags when appropriate. Hopefully everyone can discover a new dark alley to wander down or an irresistible femme fatale that just blew into town.

Be sure to check out the Official Film Noir on Blu-Ray thread to find inspiration.

[kingdoxie]

Noirvember 2020 | Noirvember 2021

Recent:

Double1.jpgChampion1.jpgWithoutPity1.jpgDeepCover1.jpgReckless1.jpg

Total: 44

DA case files
#: 99 River Street ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
B: Black Angel ⭐⭐⭐⭐
C: Cast a Dark Shadow ⭐⭐⭐⭐
D: Double Indemnity ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
E: Enter Arsene Lupin ⭐⭐⭐
F: The Fearmakers ⭐⭐⭐
G: The Guilty ⭐⭐⭐⭐
H: The Harder They Fall ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I: I Wouldn’t Be in Your Shoes ⭐⭐⭐⭐
J: Johnny Stool Pigeon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
K: Knock on Any Door ⭐⭐⭐⭐
L: The Locket ⭐⭐⭐½
M: My Gun is Quick ⭐⭐⭐⭐
N: Nightfall ⭐⭐⭐⭐
O: Out of the Past ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ w/ commentary
P: Pickup Alley ⭐⭐⭐⭐
R: The Raging Tide ⭐⭐⭐⭐
S: So Dark the Night ⭐⭐⭐½
T: Temptation ⭐⭐⭐
V: Violence ⭐⭐⭐
W: Wanted for Murder ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Extra Case Files
1. Stranger on the Third Floor ⭐⭐⭐½
2. Woman on the Run ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Dead Reckoning ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Night Has a Thousand Eyes ⭐⭐⭐½
5. My Name is Julia Ross ⭐⭐⭐½
6. Street of Chance ⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. The Boss ⭐⭐⭐
8. The Spiral Staircase ⭐⭐⭐½
9. Hidden Fear ⭐⭐⭐
10. Conflict ⭐⭐⭐⭐
11. I Love Trouble ⭐⭐⭐
12. The Reckless Moment ⭐⭐⭐⭐
13. Time Without Pity ⭐⭐⭐⭐
14. Champion ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Neo Noir Sunday
1. Wild Things ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Devil in a Blue Dress ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Se7en ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
4. Deep Cover ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Film Noir locations
1. Sirocco ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Tokyo Joe ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Singapore ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Chicago Confidential ⭐⭐⭐½
5. The Phenix City Story ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[odguitar]

Recently Solved

[Show spoiler]

Case Files
#: 99 River Street 4/5
A: Appointment with Danger 3/5
B: The Brothers Rico 4/5
C: Crossfire 4/5
E: Edge of Doom 3/5
F: Fallen Angel 3.5/5
G: The Glass Key 3.5/5
H: The Hitch-Hiker 4/5
I: I Want to Live! 4/5
J: Johnny Eager 3.5/5
K: Kiss Me Deadly 4.5/5
L: Laura 5/5
M: Murder by Contract 4.5/5
N: Naked Alibi 3.5/5
O: Out of the Fog 3.5/5
P: Panic in the Streets 4.5/5
Q: Quicksand 3/5
R: The Racket 3/5
S: The Stranger 4/5
U: The Unsuspected 3.5/5

Neo-Noir
1. Decision to Leave 4.5/5
2. In Cold Blood 5/5
3. Thief 5/5
4. Devil in a Blue Dress 4.5/5

International Noir
1. Ossessione 4/5

Total: 25

[Travis]

Recent

[Show spoiler] B3BD1D10-ACAB-4673-9735-7A5B6FD92712.jpg

District Attorney Challenge
A: Abandoned (1949)
B: The Big Heat (1953) 1/2
C: The Chase (1946)
D: Deadline - U.S.A. (1952) 1/2
E: The Enforcer (1951)
F: The Fallen Sparrow (1943) 1/2
G: The Glass Key (1942) 1/2
H: Hidden Fear (1957)
I: I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
K: The Killing (1956)
L: Laura (1944)
M: Mildred Pierce (1945)
N: Naked Alibi (1954) 1/2
O: Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) 1/2
P: Pitfall (1948) 1/2
R: Revolt In The Big House (1958) 1/2
S: Sudden Danger (1955)
T: They Drive by Night (1940) 1/2
U: Union Station (1950)
W: The Web (1947) 1/2

Neo-Noir
1. Blood Simple (1984)
2. Miller's Crossing (1990)
3. Blue Velvet (1986)
4. Dressed to Kill (1980) 1/2
5. Thief (1981)

[Travis]

Deadline - U.S.A. (1952) 1/2

[kingdoxie]

Stranger on the Third Floor ⭐⭐⭐½

Often credited as the first film noir in 1940, it's easy to see why: an innocent man caught up in a crime he didn't commit, voice over narration, told mostly in flashback scenes, and Chiaroscuro lighting. Two great film noir actors are also present: Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook Jr. in an early roll.

[kingdoxie]

Black Angel ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another Peter Lorre film where he plays a sleazy night club owner. More film noir stalwarts fill out the cast with Dan Duryea as the drunk musician who thinks Lorre killed his wife and Broderick Crawford as the tough police captain.

[prkchopexpress]

there is no reason not to have criterion channel, but they just put up some fox noir titles. (and that’s on top of their noir selection for the month)

they really do a great job of finding noir titles that you haven’t seen before.

[odguitar]

Decision to Leave (first-time viewing)



A really great start to the month! This feels akin to many great classics of the genre: the femme fatale, the detective pulled under by her, the multiple cases with ties to bribery and the underworld. And some stunning visuals to boot!

4.5/5

[Gwanum]

Recently Solved


District Attorney Challenge

#: 99 River Street (1953)
A: Abandoned (1949) 1/2
B: The Big Combo (1955) 1/2
C: Crashout (1955)
D: Detective Story (1951)
E: Elevator to the Gallows (1958) 1/2
F: Framed (1947) 1/2
G: The Garment Jungle (1957)
H: He Walked By Night (1948)
I: I, The Jury (1953)
J: Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949) 1/2
K: Key Largo (1948) 1/2
L: The Lady Gambles (1949) 1/2
M: Murder, My Sweet (1944) 1/2
N: No Man of Her Own (1950) 1/2
P: Pickup On South Street (1953)
R: The Raging Tide (1951)
S: The Sleeping City (1950)
T: To Have and Have Not (1944)
W: The Web (1947)

Extra Case Files
1. Singapore (1947) 1/2
2. Alias Nick Beal (1949) 1/2
3. The Crooked Way (1949)
4. Double Indemnity (1944)
5. Shakedown (1950)
6. Road House (1948)
7. He Ran All The Way (1951) 1/2

[lemonski]

Chased across the border by a bunch of two bit hoods, this place is a low dive to spend Noirvember in but the clients pay good and I need the dough

#:
A: Adventures in Vienna (Abenteuer in Wein) 1/2
B: Blonde in a White Car (Toi...le venin) 1/2
C: Carancho
D:
E: Everybody Wants to Kill Me (Tous peuvent me tuer) 1/2
F:
G:
H: Hit and Run
I: I Died a Thousand Times 1/2 Impact 1/2
J:
K:
L: Loophole 1/2
M: The Maltese Falcon
N: Nocturne 1/2
O: The Ogre of Athens (O Drakos) 1/2
P:
Q:
R: Riffraff 1/2
S: The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry
T: The Tall Target 1/2
U:
V:
W: When the Clock Strikes
X:
Y:
Z:

[lemonski]

Case W:
When the Clock Strikes (1961)
James Brown, Merry Anders
Dir: Edward L. Cahn

You don't see this sort of film often - one with a ludicrous setup, poor execution and sloppy acting that teeters on the edge of disaster and winds up for an Olympic level shark leap...and then miraculously does neither, ending up being quite a good little film. A trial witness with a guilty conscience (James Brown) picks up a dishy blonde hitchhiker (Merry Anders) in a storm, they take refuge at a lodge not far from the prison where an execution is about to take place. Hidden somewhere is $160,000 the condemned man stole in a bank robbery, and things go from there.

When the Clock Strikes has a little bit of Detour, some Double Indemnity, and maybe a dash of Pushover thrown in. Make no mistake though, this is not any of those movies - what you'll get is one set, crummy acting, flubbed lines, B-grade stars and wild contrivances. If you can stomach the first 20 minutes or so, you'll have a good time with it.

[Ender14]

Double Indemnity

Might as well start Noirvember with arguably the greatest noir ever made. I had not gotten around to watching my Criterion disc yet and figured this was the perfect opportunity.

[Travis]

I Wake Up Screaming (1941)

Bumped up 1/2 a star. Interesting characters; great performances, mostly. Could’ve done without final scene at the nightclub….no need for those jokesters. Lock ‘em up.

[kingdoxie]

Spoiler gif:

[Show spoiler]

Woman on the Run ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of the great tough guys of the genre, Dennis O'Keefe, plays a reporter helping Ann Sheridan find her husband who is hiding somewhere in the city after he is the sole witness to a murder. Great ending at a boardwalk amusement park and roller coaster.

[Al_The_Strange]

Killer's Kiss (1955)
UHD

A boxer meets a dame, but a jealous old man gets all jealous, kills a guy, kidnaps the girl, and generally things get out of hand.

Notable for being an early Stanley Kubrick joint, and for being one of the first noirs I took a liking towards. It seems like folks tend to brush this one off as a lesser effort either because of the short runtime or the weak story. I think it deserves serious style points though--there are a lot of fantastic-looking shots in this flick. Inventive framing, camera angles, scene staging makes this a consistently eye-popping feature, even during the slowest of scenes.

I can't deny that it takes a good 20 minutes (a third of the total runtime) before the excitement kicks in, and I realize that there's not much of a hook to make the first act really compelling. It does lead up to a great finale though with a badass fight scene (with an axe nonetheless, Jack Torrance can eat his heart out).

8/10

-----------------------------------

Cases Closed: 1
11/02: Killer's Kiss

DA Challenge: 1

[Show spoiler]Killer's Kiss

* = First time to the crime scene
Purple = The bright neon lights of 4K

[kingdoxie]

Violence.jpg

Violence ⭐⭐⭐

Definitely a Poverty Row production: no big names, cheap sets, and short run-time.

A female reporter goes undercover at a corrupt union (or communist?) HQ to get the scoop but gets in a car accident before she can file the big story and winds up with amnesia. Can she get her memory back before she unknowingly blows her own cover? At only 1:12, we'll soon find out!

[odguitar]

The Stranger (first-time viewing)



Not typically the biggest Orson Welles fan (admiration more than actual enjoyment), but this is quite the picture. Noir God Edward G. Robinson is a federal agent with reason to believe that Mr. Welles is a Nazi official that has hidden in plain sight in a small, quiet Connecticut town, and Loretta Young is the woman who loves him. This one moves and clocks in at a tight 95 minutes. Onto the next case.

4/5

[Travis]

They Drive by Night (1940) 1/2

Perfect movie for the time; around 4 AM was wide awake. Kinda prefer the hero to get it in the end like in Detour or Double Indemnity. They lived happily ever after doesn’t work for me in Noir.

[bonehica]

Watched



Case Files:

#:
A: Address Unknown - 1944 (Menzies)
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W: Where the Sidewalk Ends - 1950 (Premminger)
X:
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