cigarjoe

I saw it yesterday, I'll just say this it's very entertaining and very restrained from your typical Tarantino flick. Bravo Quentin!

Cruising (1980) Gay/Fetish Neo Noir Written and Directed by William Friedkin. Friedkin directed (The French Connection (1971), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), and the relatively recent Killer Joe (2011)). Based on a novel by New York Times reporter Gerald Walker. Cinematography was by James A. Contner and Music by Jack Nitzsche and Egberto Gismonti The film stars Al Pacino as Steve Burns, Paul Sorvino as Captain Edelson, Karen Allen as Nancy Gates, Richard Cox as Stuart Richards, Don Scardino as Ted Bailey, Joe Spinell as Patrolman DiSimone, and Powers Boothe as Hankie Salesman. The movie plot is a mess. It purposely leaves quite a bit of questions about the depth of Burns' involvement into the sadomasochistic leather fetish Gay subculture. Is he Bi? Is He Gay? Is he just **** up in the head? Burns as depicted is an enigma. The ambiguous treatment of the Burns character as already mentioned was an artistic decision that weakens the piece. The open ending Friedkin decision is because in the real police case that the movie is based upon it was determined that in fact there was more than one killer. The strange sexually charged underground leather fetish S&M world was probably pretty frightening to a certain latent segment of square john America back in the day and probably still is. No denying its dark Noir-ish-ness. Hence the reason, besides of course, also having a lot of hairy musclebound **** on display, that the film has been off the radar screens. The whole scene looks pretty bizarre on first look but then upon repeated glimpses throughout the film they look like quasi Nazi/Biker mirror shaded leather god worshipers in some desperately outré Halloween costume party. Anyway, the interesting NYC locations include Hotel St. James, Central Park, Christopher Street, Greenwich Village, Claremont Avenue, Manhattan, Chelsea, Manhattan, Broadway & 116th Street, Manhattan, Columbus Circle, Eleventh Avenue, Greenwich Village, Jones Street, Police Plaza, Manhattan Municipal Building, and West Street. 6/10 Full Review with screencaps in Film Noir/Gangster Pages.

Cruising (1980) Gay/Fetish Neo Noir "Subversive and Controversial" Written and Directed by William Friedkin. Friedkin directed (The French Connection (1971), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), and the relatively recent Killer Joe (2011)). Based on a novel by New York Times reporter Gerald Walker. Cinematography was by James A. Contner and Music by Jack Nitzsche and Egberto Gismonti The film stars Al Pacino as Steve Burns, Paul Sorvino as Captain Edelson, Karen Allen as Nancy Gates, Richard Cox as Stuart Richards, Don Scardino as Ted Bailey, Joe Spinell as Patrolman DiSimone, and Powers Boothe as Hankie Salesman. Here is a film that pretty much fell off the face of the Earth once it's theater run was over. This was my first viewing and what sparked that decision was the reviews I glanced at that mentioned it's dark and gritty nature. I've since found out that the eight week shooting of the film was fraught with controversy, and blamed on a negative piece written by The Village Voice columnist Arthur Bell. In a New York Times interview Friedkin feels that the gay community "have labeled him, unjustly, as homophobe. “Anyone who knows me or knows anything about me knows that I am not antigay,” he said. “I don't make a film because I'm against something. For that matter, I don't make a film because I'm for something —don't make propaganda. If anything, all the films I've made are enormously ambiguous." Friedkin goes on to say that "The book struck me as a very unusual murder mystery,” he said. “Not unusual from the standpoint of homosexuality, but because of the way the three main characters were poised against one another.” In researching the book for the film Friedkin, with the help of his NYPD friends from his The Fremch Connection shoot, "he began to visit the best‐known New York bars that cater to sado‐masochistic posturing." He was fascinated. "What struck me was the level of energy, and the total dedication to this fantasy world. It seemed to me to be very exciting. And unusual. And outside my own experience. Whenever a group of people are giving themselves over to something completely, whatever it is, it's of interest to me. Avidity is something that interests me. Obsession ‐ there was true obsession in these places. All the films I've made in one way or another deal with characters who are obsessed, driven, perhaps sexually confused, given over to a macho image, which is generally bluff, and living on the edge of danger.” Al Pacino as patrolman Steve Burns Steve Burns with Paul Sorvino as Captain Edelson, Karen Allen as Nancy Gates Don Scardino as Ted Bailey The Story Body parts are beginning to show up floating about in New York harbor. The victims are gay men. NYPD Captain Edelson assigns patrolman Steve Burns to go undercover into the kinky underworld of gay leather bars down along the border of the West Village and the appropriately named "Meat Packing" distinct. Burns matches the over all general description of the victims. Edelson wants him to be the bait. Burns is instructed to tell no one not even his girlfriend Nancy Gates. The reward that's dangled in front of him is a promotion to detective. A grisly find discussing the case The serial killer picks up men at various bars takes them to cheap flop house apartments has sex, ties them up and stabs them to death telling them that "you made me do this." The M.O. a casual pickup The movie plot is a mess. It purposely leaves quite a bit of questions about the depth of Burns' involvement into the sadomasochistic leather fetish Gay subculture. Is he Bi? Is He Gay? Is he just **** up in the head? Burns as depicted is an enigma. Richard Cox as Stuart Richards, During the course of the investigation Burns rents an apartment, befriends a gay neighbor, Ted Bailey, where the subject is treated in a mature and surprisingly up to (today's) date manner, and starts to be the bait. He gets a few false positives. He's exposed to some police brutality. Finally following a new lead from a college yearbook Burns zones in on the real killer Stuart Richards who attacks him with a knife. After Burns takes him into custody it all goes Noirsville when Ted's body is found with multiple stab wounds. Noirsville Joe Spinell as Patrolman DiSimone The ambiguous treatment of the Burns character as already mentioned was an artistic decision that weakens the piece. The open ending Friedkin included because in the real police case that the movie is based upon it was determined that in fact there was more than one killer. The strange sexually charged underground leather fetish S&M world was probably pretty frightening to a certain latent segment of square john America back in the day and probably still is. No denying its dark Noir-ish-ness. Hence the reason, besides of course, also having a lot of hairy musclebound **** on display, that the film has been off the radar screens. The whole scene looks pretty bizarre on first look but then upon repeated glimpses throughout the film they look like quasi Nazi/Biker mirror shaded leather god worshipers in some desperately outré Halloween costume party. Anyway, the interesting NYC locations include Hotel St. James, Central Park, Christopher Street, Greenwich Village, Claremont Avenue, Manhattan, Chelsea, Manhattan, Broadway & 116th Street, Manhattan, Columbus Circle, Eleventh Avenue, Greenwich Village, Jones Street, Police Plaza, Manhattan Municipal Building, and West Street. Screencaps are from an online screener 6/10 Full Review with more screencaps at Noirsville

Once Upon A Time In... Hollywood (2019) Directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Margaret Qualley, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, and Bruce Dern. Epic Hollywood fairy tale, if only 9/10.

Once Upon A Time In... Hollywood (2019) Directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Margaret Qualley, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, and Bruce Dern. Epic Hollywood fairy tale, if only 9/10.

Silent Running (1972) Hippie In Space Space Biologist/Gardner/Hippie "Freeman" Lowell (Bruce Dern) is in charge of various geodesic domed ecopods attached to American Airlines Space Cargo Ship Valley Forge. The Valley Forge and other ships are in orbit around the sun between Jupiter and Saturn. Lowell and three other shipmates are on the ninth year of a mission to preserve the various ecosystems in botanical terraria holding the flora and fauna of an Earth. The Earth has long stabilized into a mostly barren always overcast planet with a constant temperature of 75 degrees. The crew are mostly in caretaker mode with lots of leisure time. All ship maintenance is carried on by three diminutive drones who work on a round the clock basis. Lowell grows and eats his own food shunning the prepossessed frozen deep fried crap that John, Marty, and Andy his crew mates chow on. Lowell's like a St. Francis figure all the animals of the forest (his favorite ecopod) are his friends. Lowell is one with the gardens and at peace with himself. These idyllic images are accompanied by really dated Joan Baez songs. It may have been cool once but now its pretty cheesy. John, Marty, and Andy are fun loving gearheads who fight boredom playing poker and by driving basically space golf carts at breakneck speeds up and down the various race courses they've set up in the cargo bays. They also like to tear up the ecopods with these antics which tick off Lowell. When Earth command gives the Valley Forge the orders to come back home they also are ordered to eject the pods into space and nuke them. John, Marty, and Andy are ecstatic and eagerly go off to detach the pods and destroy them. Peace-Love-Dove Lowell goes crazier than a sheethouse rat and kills John, and vaporizes Marty and Andy on one of the ecopods where they were installing a warhead. 7/10 Source Streaming on line in a good print.

Definitely pretty similar.

Like Barnabas House Of Dark Shadows avatar

Dats Right!

R.I.P.

The better Rooney Noirs are Quicksand and Drive a Crooked Road

For a change of pace reading Liz Renay's My Face For The World to See, an autobiography she was a "V" Girl, a 52nd Street "the Street" stripper, mob gal pal to NYC mobsters and L.A.'s Mickey Cohen, TV actress, was an extra in Noir Sound of Fury, starred in late Film Noir Date with Death (1959) with Gerald Mohr, served time for perjury at Terminal Island, and then starred in Exploitation Noir The Thrill Killers (1964) and later John Waters' Desperate Living (1977). I'm at the point just before she is incarcerated.

I haven't seen these, quite a few, and probably wont ever go out of my way to look for them (unless any are Westerns or Neo Noirs, which I doubt, lol): This is Spinal Tap Gremlins Footloose Stranger Than Paradise The Killing Fields A Soldier's Story The Goonies Spies Like Us Commando Hoosiers Broadcast News Hamburger Hill Bull Durham Bloodsport Say Anything ... Parenthood "House Party" "To Sleep with Anger" "Slacker" "Blue Steel" "L.A. Story" "Boyz n the Hood" "Daughters of the Dust" "Point Break" "The Prince of Tides" "Hangin' with the Homeboys" "Trust" "Poison" "Beauty and the Beast" "Little Man Tate" "Rambling Rose" "Juice" "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T." "Gas Food Lodging" "Boomerang" "Poetic Justice" "Dazed and Confused" "Crooklyn" "Four Weddings and a Funeral" "Fresh" "Little Women" "Higher Learning" "Friday" "The Basketball Diaries" "Dead Presidents" "Waiting to Exhale" "How to Make an American Quilt" "Bad Boys" "Clueless" "Welcome to the Dollhouse" "The Brothers McMullen" "Waiting for Guffman" "Set it Off" "Swingers" "Grace of My Heart" "Walking and Talking" "Soul Food" "Rosewood" "Out of Sight" "Rushmore" "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" "The End of the Affair" "Office Space" "The Best Man" "Runaway Bride" "Notting Hill" "Toy Story 2" "Man on the Moon" "The Hurricane" "Girl, Interrupted" "The Insider" "Election" "Boys Don't Cry" "The Virgin Suicides" "Three Kings" "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" "Training Day" "Shrek" "Monsters, Inc." "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" "Something's Gotta Give" "The Incredibles" "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" "The Bourne Supremacy" "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" "Brokeback Mountain" "Dreamgirls" "The Holiday" "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" "Transformers" "Knocked Up" "Superbad" "Mamma Mia!" "Slumdog Millionaire" "Step Brothers" "Iron Man" "Up" "It's Complicated" "The Hangover" "The Hurt Locker" "Precious" "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" "The Kids Are All Right" "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" "Bridesmaids" "Thor" "Captain America: The First Avenger" "Lincoln" "Moonrise Kingdom" ""Silver Linings Playbook" "The Avengers" "The Hunger Games" "Good Deeds" "Fast & Furious 6" "The Heat" "Fruitvale Station" "The Grand Budapest Hotel" "American Sniper" "Guardians of the Galaxy" "Selma""Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation" "Spy" "Joy" "Ant-Man" "Creed" "Tangerine" "Straight Outta Compton""Doctor Strange" "Fences" "Spider-man: Homecoming" "Mudbound" "The Florida Project" "Lady Bird" "Get Out" "Wonder Woman" "Avengers: Infinity War" "Crazy Rich Asians"

The Shape Of Water I'd watch Again, haven't seen the Phantom Thread yet.

Did you watch the BoobOvision version? Or a safe for work censored version? Inquiring minds want to know?

NCFOM is they type of film you'd wait a few years to do a re-watch, that way it's all fresh again. Even something repeatedly shown like North By Northwest is worth a re-watch after a suitable period of time, if you don't watch the multiple showings on TCM. I liked A Clockwork Orange and will someday do a re-watch some of the visuals are striking. I'd say stuff like The Kings Speech, The Theory of Everything, Birdman, The Black Swan, 12 Years A Slave, The Master, Inside Llewyn Davis, Inherent Vice, I'll never watch again

It's a nice fantasy, helps to forget all today's BS for a while. For me I could watch it over and over with no problems.

What Am I Doing in the Middle of a Revolution? (1972) Che c'entriamo noi con la rivoluzione? (original title) Third Zapata Western in Sergio Corbucci's Revolution Trilogy, stars Vittorio Gassman, Paolo Villaggio, Riccardo Garrone and staple Corbucci actor Eduardo Fajardo. This one is a full on Comedy Western with quite a bit of slap stick humor. Watchable 6/10. Can be found online in a crappy multi-generational print.

Sonny and Jed (aka La banda J. & S. - Cronaca criminale del Far West (original title)) (1972) 6-7/10 Stars Tomas Milian, Susan George, and Telly Savalas along with the usual Spaghetti Western regulars. OK I actually found this on line and in a pretty good print. Never seen it before and was pleasantly surprised, Corbucci actually restrained himself and didn't go overboard. It's a sort of a reluctant Bonnie & Clyde story set along the Mexican Border in the early 20th century. It was sufficiently entertaining. As with most Spaghetti Westerns the cinematography by Luis Cuadrado was gorgeous. It has a Morricone score similar to Cheyenne's Theme from Once Upon A Time In The West and the soundtrack for Companeros.

What Am I Doing in the Middle of a Revolution? (1972) Che c'entriamo noi con la rivoluzione? (original title) Third Zapata Western in Sergio Corbucci's Revolution Trilogy, stars Vittorio Gassman, Paolo Villaggio, Riccardo Garrone and staple Corbucci actor Eduardo Fajardo. This one is a full on Comedy Western with quite a bit of slap stick humor. Watchable 6/10. Can be found online in a crappy multi-generational print.

Yea there are quite a few Zapata Westerns to check out. The American Mexican, Euro and Spaghetti Westerns to view to get a comprehensive overlook of the Zapata's are the following: Viva Villa (1934) Wallace Beery Fay Wray & Leo Carillo, I remember this one Berry is a great actor, allways enjoyed him this was the first major Hollywood treatment of the Mex Rev. Viva Zapata (1952) Marlon Brando & Anthony Quinn (gave the subgenre its name) If "Viva Villa" (1934) was the blueprint for the "fun" Zapata Western, then the same could be said that "Viva Zapata" was the outline of the serious Zapata Western. So in these two films we have a ying/yang treatment of the MexRev. The Treasure Of Pancho Villa (1956) Rory Calhoun, Shelley Winters, and Gilbert Roland Bandido (1956) Dir Richard Fliesher, Robert Mitchum, Gilbert Roland, Ursula Thiess, this is the first Hollywood treatment in color and that addition really adds to the genre up to this point where the previous films were shot in B&W. They Came To Cordura (1959) Dir. by Richard Rossen, Starring: Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, Van Heflin, Tab Hunter, Richard Conte, Dick York, Robert Keith, it interestingly depicts one of the last US cavalry charges when the US uniforms where khaki instead of Kersey Blue. Así era Pancho Villa (1957) The disembodied head of Mexico's best-known rebel Poncho Villa narrates several short stories from his own life. Cast Pedro Armendáriz as Pancho Villa, María Elena Marqués as Jesusita de Chihuahua, and Carlos López Moctezuma as Fierro. Dir: Ismael Rodríquez. Pancho Villa y la Valentina (1960) The many sides of Pancho Villa, one of Mexico's best-known rebels, are revealed. Cast: Pedro Armendáriz, Elsa Aquirre, Carlos López Moctezuma. Dir: Ismael Rodríquez. Cuando ¡Viva Villa..! es la muerte (1960) Stories of the life of Pancho Villa are recounted by teachers, prisoners, farm hands and other small town residents.Cast: Pedro Armendáriz, Elsa Aquirre, Carlos López Moctezuma. Dir: Ismael Rodríquez. C-92 mins The Taste of Violence (1961) Director: Robert Hossein Stars: Robert Hossein, Giovanna Ralli, Mario Adorf The Professionals (1966) Director: Richard Brooks starring Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode, Jack Palance, Claudia Cardinale, and Ralph Bellamy starring. A Bullet for the General (1967) Quién sabe? (original title) Directed by Damiano Damiani starring Gian Maria Volontè, Klaus Kinski, Martine Beswick, Lou Castel. The Mercenary (1968) ( (Il mercenario) Directed by Sergio Corbucci starring Franco Nero, Tony Musante, Jack Palance, Giovanna Ralli, and Eduardo Fajardo Villa Rides (1968) (Get a lode of this cast!) Yul Brynner, Robert Mitchum, Charles Bronson, John Ireland, Jill Ireland, Herbot Lom, Frank Wolff, Frenando Rey, and with the screen play by Sam Peckinpah, and Chinatown''s Robert Towne. 100 Rifles (1969) Jim Brown, Bert Reynolds, Raquel Welch, Frenando Lamas, Eric Braden, and Aldo Sambrell. Tepepa (1969) Director: Giulio Petroni with Stars: Tomas Milian, Orson Welles, John Steiner. The Wild Bunch (1969) directed by Sam Peckinpah with William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Warren Oates, Jaime Sánchez, Ben Johnson, Emilio Fernández, Strother Martin, and L.Q. Jones. Companeros (1970) Vamos a matar, compañeros (original title) Directed by Sergio Corbucci starring Franco Nero, Tomas Milian, Jack Palance, Fernando Rey, and Iris Berben Duck, You Sucker! (Giù la testa) Directed by Sergio Leone starring Rod Steiger, James Coburn, Mari Monti, and Romolo Valli. Pancho Villa (1972) Director: Eugenio Martín starring Telly Savalas, Clint Walker, Chuck Connors and Ann Francis What Am I Doing in the Middle of a Revolution? (1972) Directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Vittorio Gassman, Paolo Villaggio, Riccardo Garrone, and Eduardo Fajardo. And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003) directed by Bruce Beresford, Stars: Antonio Banderas, Eion Bailey, Alan Arkin. There may be a few more...

Dana Andrews isn't bad in Transitional Noir Brainstorm either, it's worth a look.

Sonny and Jed (aka La banda J. & S. - Cronaca criminale del Far West (original title)) (1972) 6-7/10 Stars Tomas Milian, Susan George, and Telly Savalas along with the usual Spaghetti Western regulars. OK I actually found this on line and in a pretty good print. Never seen it before and was pleasantly surprised, Corbucci actually restrained himself and didn't go overboard. It's a sort of a reluctant Bonnie & Clyde story set along the Mexican Border in the early 20th century. It was sufficiently entertaining. As with most Spaghetti Westerns the cinematography by Luis Cuadrado was gorgeous. It has a Morricone score similar to Cheyenne's Theme from Once Upon A Time In The West and the soundtrack for Companeros.