I’ve met many a fem fatales in film noir, but I think I met the absolute worst one on record. The film noir is titled,  “Too Late for Tears,” (1949). Lizabeth Scott and Arthur Kennedy play Jane and Alan Palmer a middle class couple who don’t make much money, just enough money...

Turner Classic Movies kicks off its “Summer under the Stars” tonight starting at 8:00 PM. And what a way to start, tonight’s movie star is none other than Henry Fonda. TCM’s Summer… is when movie stars have their very own day to show their stuff. A whole 24 hours of one...

The story of classic movie start Frances Farmer is one you rarely hear about, but it is one that is sad and interesting. Her story is well documented in her book, “Will there ever be morning?” The movie “Frances,” where Jessica Lange played Frances, sparked an interest and I decided to read the...

This is news to me…. a 1981 remake of “Double Indemnity.” Read how the 1981 “Body Heat,” with William Hurt and Kathleen Turner used shadows, lighting , femme fatal, schnook and all to give the full film noir effect. Supposedly the “best film noir ever.” Read...

Round up the usual film noir suspects: melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, pessimism, ambiguity, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia. Film History Snippet: Film noir developed during and after World War II. After the war, an ambiance of anxiety, paranoia,...

Round Up The Usual Suspects Round up the usual film noir suspects: melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, pessimism, ambiguity, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia. Film History Snippet: Film noir developed during and after World War II. After the...

Here is a youtube parody of the classic film noir Double Indemnity. I wanted to make you hopeless “glued to the tube” movie buffs laugh this Friday!  “I think you’re swell… so long as I’m not your husband.” Remember this line? How can you not? Out of all the...

Recently Hollywood has released two films that are film “noir-ish.” Hollywoodland, and The Black Dahlia both movies loosely inspired by true events. Both movies are set in LA—film noir capital. This is where you’d expect a story that is “dark” and “foreboding”...

The Town Players of Newtown are attempting to do what many theater companies have tried in vain to do — re-create on stage the heady romanticism of the 1944 film noir “Laura.” It’s not an easy task. Film noir utilizes two elements of drama that are generally contrary to stage...

Billy Wilder’s Film Noir DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) with Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray , and Edward G. Robinson, which btw is playing tonight on TCM is on DVD and includes ‘73 REMAKE with Richard Crenna & Samatha Eggar–and no, lightening did not strike twice. How can you even...