For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life./For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:16-17
John 3:16-17
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List of Movie Reviews
ACT OF VIOLENCE
Frank Enley (Van Heflin) is a success story. He is a pillar of his community with a lovely young wife Edith (Janet Leigh) and a toddler son. He heads his own construction company that has broken ground on another housing development. The community knows him as a decorated bomber pilot and former P.O.W. They do not know that he is a coward responsible for the deaths of ten fellow P.O.W.s.
For a trope listed as one of Film Noir's most significant there is very little of post-war trauma to be found in film noirs. The attempt to portray America as a country in a state of malaise might be a case of critics projecting their own feelings of hopelessness, desperation and pessimism. Act of Violence far more than any film noir emphasizes the stress of returning veterans. Click to read the rest of the review.
For a trope listed as one of Film Noir's most significant there is very little of post-war trauma to be found in film noirs. The attempt to portray America as a country in a state of malaise might be a case of critics projecting their own feelings of hopelessness, desperation and pessimism. Act of Violence far more than any film noir emphasizes the stress of returning veterans. Click to read the rest of the review.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT ELISHA COOK, JR
Elisha Cook, Jr. was usually cast as the as the weak, put down, neurotic, wanna be tough guy. Had his character a philosophical bent it would been along the line of Robert Browning’s quote, “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp/Or what’s a heaven for?” Whether it was confronting Jack Palance, Lawrence Tierney or Humphrey Bogart, or trying to make it with women like Ella Raines or Marie Windsor, his character never knew when he was out of his league. Often Cook had so little screen time his character was only given a nickname, ”Sweeper,” “Inky,” “Banjo,” “Shorty,” or he’d be referred to by the role he played like ‘piano player,’ ‘crazed drummer,’ or ‘taxi driver. His high water mark in screen credits was in Magnum P.I. (where he had twelve appearances) where not only was he given a first and last name but also a nick-name any tough guy would be proud to have: Francis(Ice-Pick)Hofstetler.
With over 215 screen credits it is tough to pin down his best performance. A lot of people remember him from, Phantom Lady, House on Haunted Hill, Electraglide in Blue, Rosemary’s Baby, A Kiss Before Dying, and scores of television appearances. And of course there are, The Maltese Falcon, Shane, and The Killing. Read the rest here.
With over 215 screen credits it is tough to pin down his best performance. A lot of people remember him from, Phantom Lady, House on Haunted Hill, Electraglide in Blue, Rosemary’s Baby, A Kiss Before Dying, and scores of television appearances. And of course there are, The Maltese Falcon, Shane, and The Killing. Read the rest here.
FEMALE JUNGLE
The more crime/mystery/noir films I watch the tougher it is to find one worth my time to write a review. So, when Female Jungle opened with a blaring saxophone, a hot female getting out of a cab in front of an empty bar and then getting murdered across the street I thought to myself, 'so far so good.' Suffice it to say but 'so far so good,' made it all the way to the end.
Perhaps the biggest reason why the 50s were called The Golden Age of Television was the combination of seasoned actors, primarily from the 40s but some as far back as the silents, with equally talented newer and younger actors. This is a must have template for almost any new director and especially those with a limited budget. Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are great examples. Coincidentally Lawrence Tierney, who falls in the former category, starred in both Reservoir Dogs and Female Jungle.
John Carradine joins Lawrence Tierney as another of the prerequisite seasoned actors. There are a couple of respectful homages to their previous screen personas. John Carradine stands outside a door dressed as if he's just off the boat from Transylvania. We first see Lawrence Tierney leaning outside the back door of a bar literally three sheets to the wind wondering how he got there and then being ripped a new one by his superior.
Another seasoned veteran is the celebrated cinematographer Elwood Bredell. This would be Mr. Bredell's swan song to a career spanning three decades that included Phantom Lady, The Killers, Hellzapoppin' and Christmas Holiday. Click for the full review.
Perhaps the biggest reason why the 50s were called The Golden Age of Television was the combination of seasoned actors, primarily from the 40s but some as far back as the silents, with equally talented newer and younger actors. This is a must have template for almost any new director and especially those with a limited budget. Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are great examples. Coincidentally Lawrence Tierney, who falls in the former category, starred in both Reservoir Dogs and Female Jungle.
John Carradine joins Lawrence Tierney as another of the prerequisite seasoned actors. There are a couple of respectful homages to their previous screen personas. John Carradine stands outside a door dressed as if he's just off the boat from Transylvania. We first see Lawrence Tierney leaning outside the back door of a bar literally three sheets to the wind wondering how he got there and then being ripped a new one by his superior.
Another seasoned veteran is the celebrated cinematographer Elwood Bredell. This would be Mr. Bredell's swan song to a career spanning three decades that included Phantom Lady, The Killers, Hellzapoppin' and Christmas Holiday. Click for the full review.
BORN TO KILL
Claire Trevor and Lawrence Tierney In A Noir Classic
Born To Kill is at its core a B movie replete with B movie essentials. The plot is simple and easy to follow. It's well developed sub-plot does not intrude into the film, and the characters involved all put in memorable performances. It runs a bit long for a B at ninety-two minutes, but it’s directing, writing and acting are so good it seems shorter. The film clicks a lot of film noir boxes, especially some of my own personal preferences. Born To Kill is a fun watch, which cannot be said for many of the higher budgeted and slicker film noirs. It is with no trepidation I rank this film in my top10 of favorite/best film noirs. Click for the full review.
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Johnny Mack Brown-1904-1974. All-American HB at Alabama, Cowboy Actor. When my Dad was a kid growing up on E. 113th in NYC, he wanted to be a cowboy and Mr. Brown was his favorite. This is for you, Dad. Miss you.
Robert Praino. Born in Manhattan, grew up in Hackensack, living in Gulfport.
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