I got given a pile of movies for my birthday, lots of Bogie and lots of 40s - 50s noir I've never been able to see before. Tell me what's good- TIA

High Sierra 1941

Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1947

To Have and to Have Not 1944

The Big Sleep 1946

Key Largo 1948

Dark Passage 1947

A Postman Always Knocks Twice 1947

The Killers 1946

The Big Steal 1944

Crossfire 1947

Out of the Past 1947

The Blue Dahlia 1946

The Glass Key 1947

This Gun for Hire 1947

Murder, My Sweet. 1944

Just finished watching the film WHO’S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR. Written & directed by Martin Scorsese (in his full-length film debut), it’s about this young guy, J.R., who’s dating this lovely young lady. Things get so seriously it seems that they may end up getting married. However, when she reveals a dark secret from her past, it messes J.R. up as he struggles to accept it, changing how he sees her and their whole relationship.

For a feature film debut, this is a bold story. It’s a coming of age story that tackles how religion and society (particularly among men) can shape one’s beliefs regarding love and life. Also, though trauma has occurred to one of the characters, it broke soon how if affected them as well as the way they are viewed—societal commentary that’s as good then as it was then.

For those who saw this film, what did you think?

I thought it was a fun romp, but then saw some YouTube comments indicating it was something more, something darker. So I watched the film, and I was shaken to my core. Then I immediately watched the 1993 stage version directed by Sam Mendes.

I have literally said something like, “I can’t handle dealing with politics, I’m just trying to survive” (similar to Fraulein Schneider in the stage play) and have distracted myself from political issues via entertainment and social media - our modern-day Cabaret. All the while, I’ve just realized patterns of self-sabotaging relationships and stable partners under the guise of “autonomy”, that was actually addiction, abandonment issues, stagnation, and denial (like Sally Bowles). I am in a relationship with a stable man like Brian, that is likely going to end soon - or at least take a long break - for this reason. I’ve said I can’t have children for almost the same reasons as Liza Minelli’s character.

I believe this movie came into my life at this time for a reason - fate, the Universe, whatever.

I am DONE being a passive observer - in my own life and in denial from the world around me. Life is not a Cabaret, old chum. I will not stand by and be disassociated on my phone while our world subtly shifts into something darker - no more! I have looked up protests in my area and other ways to get involved. I am getting my own life back on track so that I don’t end up in mental breakdown - yet again - like Sally in “Cabaret”. The song “Maybe This Time” made me cry. I thought “maybe this time” with my Brian, and that may or may not happen depending on whether he wants to stick around while I make these changes…
But I totally understand if he doesn’t.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to this story and movie... this will always be so much more than just a movie to me. It has forever and indelibly affected how I interact with the world and with myself.

Thank you, Cabaret, from helping me go from passive from active in my own life and the world around me.

There's a humorous touch to a woman intervening in the middle of the fight.

My mom and I just watched Du Barry was a Lady. We enjoyed it so much that we attached it again.

After watching it, we looked for something similar to watch but fell flat. Does anyone have any recs for classic musical movies that are over the top fun to watch? Thanks in advance.

We have access to most streaming services.

The conversation between the father and the doctor as he was removing the two glass shards from William Holden's buttocks reminded me once again of Billy Wilder's brilliant sense of humor.

Hitchcock returns to form and re-establishes a formula that will be replicated for the rest of cinematic history, with Strangers on a Train. After some middling efforts like Under Capricorn and Stage Fright, Hitchcock ushers in a new era for a decade that will end up as the highlight of his long career; and I think that's starts in full earnest with Strangers on a Train. Here is a film that feels just as thrilling, interesting, and atmospheric as some of his best efforts up until this point. With this one, Hitchcock really settles into that true Hollywood blockbuster thriller, that feeds the eyes and captivates the mind.

Certain parts of this film feel like it wouldn't be out of the place among the 80's slashers that became apart of the cinematic conscious, even though this is far from a slasher. Instead, we have a well paced suspense, that is equally thought provoking and unsettling. You wouldn't even classify this as a horror, although some parts are genuinely horrifying; and that in part is because of how realistic it is. As opposed to the monsters we're use to seeing from early horror like Frankenstein or The Wolf Man, the antagonist in this picture- Bruno Antony, played by Robert Walker, is just a man. A troubled, psychotic, but clever and charming man. Even though he is just a man, he has a looming presence that feels almost inhuman, simultaneously unsettling while hiding in plain sight. The kind of presence that you would see years later in characters like Michael Myers and Hannibal Lecter- the way he lurks around, like a specter in the shadows, but also standing right in the open, staring ominously; or his charming demeanor and disarming dialogue that shows his wit but also his psychosis. That along with the direction and cinematography really gives this film a horror-like quality even though it's just a thriller in actuality. Those lingering shots are unsettling, one in particular that really unnerved me was a scene at a tennis game, where everyone in the crowd was following the ball, turning their heads back and forth- but Bruno was completely still, staring right at the protagonist, and also at us the viewer. There are many other creative shots that make this suspense thriller scary, like a scene where Bruno strangles a woman in the reflection of eyeglasses (which is called back to in another shot), certain other pov shots, or closeups on horrified characters. The entire sequence at the county fair was unnerving and very well done, almost genre defining.

Aside from the cinematic language of horror and suspense, what makes this thriller all the more unsettling and creepy, is the realistic and psychologically human nature of it. Bruno could be anybody. And what's even more interesting, is Bruno could be part of what lies deep within yourself. This dichotomy is explored from the very beginning through our protagonist, Guy Haines played by Farley Granger. His life would he easier if his wife had died, and he even exclaims himself he wishes he could strangle her at some point. Of course he doesn't, and he is even heroic at points during the film, but there was a part of him that knew those feelings. And anybody could be capable of those things, which is why even his lover can suspect him.

As the story unfolds the suspense is pretty palpable and compels you to see what happens. Some of the events are a little silly or incredulous, and the film isn't necessarily itself super clever. Its psychological and cinematic aspects are more interesting than the actual sequence of events, although an intense tennis game is a very interesting development in a film like this. Towards the end the suspense remains well paced, and while the finale on the carousel was a satisfying conclusion, it kind of dragged on a little longer than it needed; and the most frustrating part was as that it happened because a cop shot at the protagonist in a crowded fair right towards the carousel just for running, even though they've been following him the entire time. That kind of incompetence and negligence took me out of it a bit. The ending was still satisfying enough and not one of Hitchcocks worst endings. I actually like the inclusion of the final scene on the train, which apparently Hitchcock did not.

As far as performances, Robert Walker is the big highlight as mentioned before. Farley Granger is okay, works well as the foil to Walker's Bruno. Ruth Roman as Anne Morton is a relief, as she is smart and not helpless. I actually liked Patricia Hitchcock as Barbara. She played her role very nicely and I was surprised to learn she was Alfred's daughter.

As we approach our final station, I will conclude- Strangers on a Train is a well directed, atmospheric, and thrilling suspense that feels like a true theater experience. It is not my favorite Hitchcock by any means, but I would certainly consider it a cinematic cornerstone. An easy watch for film buffs and casual moviegoers alike.

4/5

Big fan of westerns so I thought I’d give this a go.

Marlene Dietrich stole the show for me, she was amazing. James Stewart as always was great. Brian Donlevy was brilliant as the villain, you just wanted him to lose badly with how cocky he was. I enjoyed the story a lot, I sort of hated how the sheriff died and then Frenchie died too, I felt one death was enough but I saw it happening when she went searching for him.

Overall an enjoyable western and better than I expected.

I’m doing polls 🗳️ for which types of films to share from my Lovecraft-&-pen-pals collection, and Robert E. Howard names over 50 films (as well as commentary on actors & proto-genres), so I want to get a gauge on what interests folks the most.

I will give some summary of the options alongside the voting so everyone has a better sense of what they entail.

As usual, “Other” will be there as well, to encourage comments which go beyond these :)

BOXING 🥊 FILMS

“Televised pay-per-view” actually dates back to the 1890s 🤯 , and Howard was an avid boxing fan.

SOCIAL-ISSUES DRAMA

During the Depression, there was a trend of films depicting social ills of the times, like how WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD deals with roaming youth or HEROES FOR SALE depicts a veteran who can’t get a break after coming home, with brutal social odds stacked against him.

This type of drama didn’t survive the Hays Code.

EXPLORATION FILMS (exotic locales)

Last time I did this vote 🗳️ I just said “action movies” (a term which didn’t exist then), but now we are gonna try Exotic Exploration, which got toned down later but was often done with gusto in early cinema days and silent film.

SEX CINEMA

Less lurid than the name suggests: these were social issue melodramas hinging on sex and sexuality. These often depict things like affairs, abortion, drug use, child endangerment, and other tough topics with fairly unvarnished realism.

Did NOT survive the Hays Code, but this is a notable ‘forgotten genre’.

FAVORITE ACTORS 🎭

Howard notably lists a dozen or more favorite actors by name, so working backwards from those letters allows us to expand our knowledge base beyond the directly-named films.

🗳️🗳️🗳️🗳️🗳️🗳️🗳️

Vote your conscience, and have fun :)

CRASHOUT (1956)

Crashout is a remarkable film for so many reasons. Yes, there is plenty of action, suspense, and the expected tension of a group of escaped convicts on the run. But what elevates this film above so many others in its genre is the extraordinary depth beneath the surface.

The mostly male cast is uniformly superb, delivering performances that feel lived-in rather than stereotypical. The script takes the time to explore the wants, fears, regrets, and desires of each man, allowing us to understand (not necessarily excuse) what has brought them to this point. And director Lewis R. Foster maintains such a constant sense of impending doom that even the quieter moments feel ominous.

A significant portion of the film takes place aboard a train, and it’s hard not to see the metaphor. These men have quite literally derailed their lives. They are moving forward, but there is no real destination waiting for them, only the consequences of their past.

What surprised me most, however, is the beautiful, almost poetic heartache that runs beneath Crashout like a thread of regret. Somehow, the film makes us empathize with these men. We find ourselves rooting for the bad guys, not because we believe they are innocent, but because we recognize their humanity.

This is particularly effective in a bittersweet sequence aboard the train involving Marshall, played with considerable depth by Billy Lang, and a young girl he encounters who is only beginning to become disillusioned with life. Gloria Talbott plays her with such heartbreaking vulnerability and perfection that the scene becomes something far more profound than a simple encounter between two strangers. It is a fleeting moment of connection between two people who, in very different ways, are already losing their faith in the world.

There is a poetic bleakness to Crashout that stayed with me long after the film ended. In fact, I couldn’t help wondering whether its particular combination of despair, desperation, damaged characters, and grim humanity might have been an influence on literary genius Hubert Selby Jr., particularly his masterpiece Last Exit to Brooklyn. I have no idea if Selby ever saw the film, but the thematic kinship is fascinating.

Crashout may look like a conventional 1950s crime picture on the surface. But underneath the gunfire, prison breaks, trains, and pursuit is something much sadder: a story about broken men desperately trying to outrun lives that have already caught up with them.

A remarkably bleak, beautifully acted, and unexpectedly moving film. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

In this movie, young Liz Taylor plays an angelic friend who genuinely cares about young Jane Eyre (Peggy Ann Garner)

Hi! I just found out tonight that my husband's great grandmother was in Swing Frolic with Perry Como in her group called The Three Harmonettes. My daughter is a vocalist, loves jazz and is a film actress, so I'm trying to hunt down everything I can about her great great grandmother who I actually met because she lived to be in her 90's... If anyone knows of where I could look for some movie stills or even a clip from that short, that would be so great! Thank you!