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Posts Tagged ‘film noir’
TCM FEST 2012: The Films of Faye Dunaway
23, Apr 2012
I have to admit that I’m fairly unversed in the films of Faye Dunaway. There’s not really any agenda to speak of; I just haven’t gotten around to seeing much of her filmography. At this year’s TCM Classic Film FEST 2012 I was able to rectify that, seeing both The Thomas Crown Affair and Chinatown. The films aren’t exactly related – one being a caper and the other a post-noir – but the actress turns in some very interesting performances in each. I figured it would make for an interesting post to try to take a look at her performances in each of these films and suss out which one was the better. Should be easy, right?
TCM FEST 2012: The Noir Triple-Threat
17, Apr 2012
It’s tough deciding what to write about first for a film festival. For my AFI FEST 2011 series I tried to go in linear order as best I could, but that went out the window as later showings all vied for my attention. In the end I only reviewed a handful of films when I could have reviewed pretty much everything. This year I aim to fix that and put more of a Flickchart spin on my festival coverage, starting with the TCM Classic Film Fest 2012. There will be a couple of single reviews, of course, but I’ll also be ranking and comparing some of the films I’ve seen based on a theme or particular element that ties the films together.
I’d like to start this post series with a look at TCM’s selection of Noir films. Considering the theme of the festival was “style in the movies,” it’s only natural that they would have films from that genre handy. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to work all the Noir films into my schedule, but the ones that I did see were an absolute treat.
But which one was best? Which one had the edge over the others? In true noir fashion, let’s set all the cards on the table and see how it all shakes out!
by Dan
New on DVD and Blu-ray:
The Bounty Hunter – (DVD and Blu-ray)
Flickchart Ranking: #8825
Times Ranked: 517
% Times Won: 34.88%
Times Top 20′d: 0
As you can probably tell by this movie leading the way, it’s a bit of a down week for new releases. There are a few solid classics and re-releases though.
Chloe – (DVD and Blu-ray)
Flickchart Ranking: #7815
Times Ranked: 249
% Times Won: 66.15%
Times Top 20′d: 0
With Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, and Julianne Moore.
Greenberg – (DVD and Blu-ray)
Flickchart Ranking: #6123
Times Ranked: 1239
% Times Won: 64.56%
Times Top 20′d: 3
Ben Stiller in a more “serious” role.
Caught in the Crossfire – (DVD and Blu-ray)
Chris Klein and his mega-acting and 50 Cent in the same DTV movie. I can see this being one of the most insanely watchable trainwrecks to come out in the last few months.
Other New Releases of Note:
- The Greatest – with Susan Sarandon, Carey Mulligan, and Pierce Brosnan
- Our Family Wedding- with Regina King, Carlos Mencia, America Ferrera, and Forest Whitaker
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by Dan
New On Blu-ray and/or DVD:
Brooklyn’s Finest – (DVD and Blu-ray)
Flickchart Ranking: #8014
Times Ranked: 193
% Times Won: 53.13%
Times Top 20′d: 0
This cop movie has a very good cast: Wesley Snipes (!), Don Cheadle, Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke. Definitely looks like it’s worth the time it takes to watch.
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – (DVD, Blu-ray, and Netflix Instant Watch)
Flickchart Ranking: #5682
Times Ranked: 586
% Times Won: 73.76%
Times Top 20′d: 3
Roger Ebert got behind this movie something fierce. David Fincher is apparently on board to remake it for everybody too lazy/ignorant to enjoy a movie in a different language.
A Single Man – (DVD)
Flickchart Ranking: #4612
Times Ranked: 1413
% Times Won: 75.86%
Times Top 20′d: 4
Colin Firth in a career defining role as an English teach dealing with the loss of his same-sex life partner.
- In: New Releases
- Tags: A Single Man, Below, Brooklyn's Finest, Buster Keaton, Capitalism, Chicago, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, film noir, Gigli, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Good Will Hunting, Jack, Jason and the Argonauts Steamboat Bill Jr, Moonlight Mile, Richard Gere, The Damned United, Wesley Snipes
Reel Rumbles #10 – “Donnie Darko” vs. “Memento”
20, Nov 2009
In This Corner…
Like the universe itself, film is a fragile medium that can produce monumental changes with just the slightest tweaks, twists, or turns. In life, a decision to stop off for a loaf of bread and a six-pack of beer on the way home from work can mean the difference between a lonely weekend and meeting the love of your life. Likewise in film, a change of genre can result in a vast improvement over a weaker effort or a new creation of wonder and excitement equivalent to its original source. Such is the case in this week’s Reel Rumbles as two modern classics go head-to-head, each taking a previous film comedy and twisting the concepts into different genres for fresh, exciting, and provocative filmmaking. Taking its cue from the less than stellar Dana Carvey comedy Clean Slate (1994), Memento revitalizes the film noir genre with a mystery told in reverse, while a touch of teenage angst and ominous foreshadowing makes a classic like Harvey (1950) into a dark and supernatural tale of apocalyptic proportions. So question your identity, follow the clues, and leap through the time travel continuum, it’s time for Donnie Darko vs. Memento.
- In: Reel Rumbles
- Tags: 1950, 1994, 1998, 2008, Beth Grant, Carrie-Anne Moss, Christina Applegate, Christopher Nolan, classics, Clean Slate, creepy, crime, Dana Carvey, dark, Donnie Darko, Drew Barrymore, film noir, Flickchart, Following, Guy Pearce, Harvey, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Joe Pantoliano, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Married with Children, Memento, memory, murder, murder mystery, mystery, Patrick Swayze, Polaroid, Quentin Tarantino, rabbit, revenge, Richard Kelly, Seth Rogen, sleepwalks, Smurfette, supernatural, tattoos, Vantage Point
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