No messing around. Lets drop the score. Yep it’s a straight 10. Been sitting on The Asphalt Jungle for a while. You know the feeling. You know full well that it’s gonna hit the spot. Enough people have nudged me. I’m sure you’re like me? It’s gotta be the right time, you want that perfect time. That perfect head space to sit back and let it flood over you. Last night was that time. Damn man! Was it fantastic! Ready to watch it again. Not only did it look incredible and believable, you could feel the sweat and hot heads bursting through the screen. All the characters felt rounded and real. Every single player dropped into the drama. They all linked perfectly up with the other. Each move, how big or small, effected the next play like a chain of events that fell fateful into place. The darkness, the grimy opening dirty streets. The sweat, the tension, the running and the pounding of fists.
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High Sierra (1941) Bogie, Ida & Special Guest Star, Zero The Dog
When the best thing in a film is your own blooming terrier dog showing off and stealing all the top scenes right from under your nose. What was Humphrey Bogart to do with this camera hogging pooch Zero, well he had to up his game and show his four legged friend who the boss was! And work his ass off he did. Continue reading
Violent Saturday (1955) What! Film Noir in Technicolour? Plus Victor Mature Movies?
I know there must be hundreds of noir thrillers in colour but still it felt weird not having the smokey dark backlit, black and white photography that goes so well with the genre. The thing that hits you right from the start of Violent Saturday is the simply gorgeous colour print. I read that at the time of filming it was one of the cheapest movies made using the CinemaScope wide-angle lens and the De Luxe colour print, it really shows. The photography brings out the beautiful deep bright hues in abundance. I wasn’t expecting it, as all I had seen before hand was black and white stills from the picture. Continue reading
Robbery (1967) The Great Train Robbery
Stanley Baker plays Paul Clifton, a man with a plan. An ultra-careful plan he painstakingly put together, every angle researched to perfection, no stone unturned. This plan is rock solid, no way the rozzers going to get wind of this plan. Hey! by the time the old bill get wind of this job we are going to be high and dry and fancy free. Ain’t nothing that could go wrong!
Tagline – Who says crime doesn’t pay? 3 Million pounds says it does!
Plunder Road (1957) Ghost Faced Bandits
One of the best things about the genre Film Noir is that the majority are fast paced, straight to the point, no frills stories packed into a short run time of nothing much more than 70 odd minutes. No messing around with pointless story points which distract from the main plot, just wham bam inject me direct into the crime, chase, drama, hit. No dragged out endings, just a quick flash, punch in the face and The End plastered up on the screen and you sit back with a wow, take a deep breath, boom job done. They are the perfect week day evening watch. Continue reading
Johnny Handsome (1989) – Revenge Has A New Face
Mickey Rourke plays criminal minded John ‘Johnny Handsome‘ Sedley and manages to channel the spirit of Eric Stoltz portrayal of Rocky Dennis until he meets Dr Fisher (Forest Whitaker) for some experimental cosmetic surgery giving Johnny the chance to change his face. Turning him into Bruce Willis with hair whilst sprouting the vocal style of Marlon Brando.
Tagline – Revenge has a new face
Wolfmans Cult Film 