For It Is Man's Number: noir

Showing posts with label noir. Show all posts

Friday, 28 November 2025

Noir-vember: Leave Her To Heaven (1945)

I love Gene Tierney. I love Gene Tierney so much that there's a chance I start every review of any Gene Tierney movie by stating my love for her. It doesn't make it any less true though. I've seen a fair few Gene Tierney movies, but there have been some blind spots that I should have seen long before now. Thankfully, I have friends to remind me of the many movies that I should make a priority, and last week I was told that I should definitely fit Leave Her To Heaven into my viewing schedule.

Tierney plays the beautiful and captivating Ellen Berent, a woman who captures the heart of a writer named Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde). Things move along quickly, a bit too quickly for the ex-fiance of Ellen, Russell Quinton (Vincent Price), and it's not long until the happy couple are living in wedded bliss. Well, there's the happy couple and Danny (Darryl Hickman), the polio-crippled younger brother of Richard. Ellen doesn't like to share though, and that isn't necessarily a good thing for a healthy relationship. It's also not a good thing for those who may take up some of the time and attention of her husband.

Based on a novel by Ben Ames Williams, Leave Her To Heaven is a good enough story that it would have been a great film in many different forms. It's directed well by John M. Stahl, who shows the right amount of confidence in the screenplay and his stars, and the writing from Jo Swerling does well to move viewers from a fairly standard opening act to the wild and heightened melodrama of the finale.

Nobody really puts a foot wrong in front of the camera, although Hickman has to lean into the vulnerable and innocent "patient" persona as he tests the patience of Tierney's character. Speaking of Tierney, she conveys her willpower and steely resolve so well that it's easy to imagine her carrying the whole movie on her own. She essentially plays someone who is truly monstrous, but the edges are softened slightly by the fact that she's, well, Gene Tierney. She's ably supported by Wilde (even if he has to be a bit of a damn squib), a delightful Jeanne Crain, and a suave Price. There are a few other people populating this tale, but that central quartet is the reason for it being such a memorable and enjoyable experience.

While I wouldn't place this alongside the absolute best Tierney films you could watch, that's only due to other specific titles setting a very high bar indeed. This would definitely be jostling with a few others just below the very best though, and it's certainly something you come away from with no questions about why it is so highly thought of. The runtime may be a bit longer than most noirs from this era, it's 110 minutes, and the bright colours may seem incompatible with the growing darkness of the plot, but don't let either of those things put you off. This is a classic. I'd love to spend much more time picking out specific highlights, but that would ruin the experience for anyone else yet to get around to it.

9/10

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Thursday, 27 November 2025

Noir-vember: Fortune Is A Woman (1957)

A film noir that focuses on an insurance investigator who has his head turned by a beautiful woman. I must admit that I thought I knew how everything would play out when I pressed play on Fortune Is A Woman. It's not hard to predict the beats when a noir sets itself up in ways that lead to comparisons with one or two of the all-time greats. Surprisingly, things didn't play out exactly as I thought they would, although I did start to get in step with everything as the second half unfolded.

Jack Hawkins is Oliver Branwell, the aforementioned insurance investigator. When sent to deal with one Mr. Tracey Moreton (Dennis Price) he encounters an old flame, now married, Sarah Moreton (Arlene Dahl). After some conversation that includes some talk about arson, Oliver moves on to other work, although he enjoys being reconnected with Sarah. Things sadly get a bit too coincidental when Oliver spots a painting elsewhere that he believes belongs to the Moretons, just before there's some arson and a death, leading to a large windfall for Sarah.

There are a number of reasons to watch, and enjoy, Fortune Is A Woman, with the dialogue and plotting being quite an obvious draw. Adapted by Val Valentine from a novel by Winston Graham, the screenplay written by director Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder maintains a great feeling of fun and a frisson of danger for the majority of the runtime. A big plus, however, is the inherent British politeness of the character played by Hawkins. There are at least two occasions that have him ready to fall on a sword that hasn't necessarily been placed directly in front of him.

Aside from Hawkins, who is a delight in his role, Dahl is also very good, and is allowed to work within an area of pleasing ambiguity while viewers try to figure out who is the real villain of the piece. Price is fine in his small role, Violet Farebrother is very good as his mother, and there are enjoyable performances from Ian Hunter, Geoffrey Keen, Bernard Miles, John Phillips, Greta Gynt (a scene-stealer), and even Christopher Lee, sadly only in the film for a couple of minutes.

There's a comforting cosiness to this. It's not one of those many noirs that will have you awaiting the ending with dread. It does still have stakes for the main characters though, and there's at least one corpse thrown into the mix. I had a great time with it, and the pacing of the 95-minute runtime is helped by the way in which the plot is almost broken up into a number of mini-vignettes (the set-up, the crime, and some investigative work only takes you to just over the halfway point, there is a bit more bobbing and weaving on the way to the end credits). The very last scenes may feel a bit underwhelming, but they don't do enough to spoil everything that came along before them.

7/10

Tuesday, 25 November 2025

Noir-vember: Framed (1947)

This is the stuff. This is what you want when you start to swim through the murky waters of lesser-known noirs. Framed is enjoyably fast-paced, very blunt, and hits a lot of the expected tropes. It's also helped by the stoic Glenn Ford in the lead role, as well as a fine turn from Janis Carter.

Ford is Mike Lambert, a mining engineer who we first see finishing up a job as a truck driver. That job ends with him crashing into someone's car, thanks to some faulty brakes. His employer doesn't want to pay up, or accept any responsibility, but Mike demands his pay and then passes a compensatory amount over to the man who had his vehicle damaged. Stuck in town for a little while, and hoping to find a job in his main field, Mike eventually meets a woman named Paula (Janis Carter). Paula helps him out when he is arrested and ordered to pay a $50 fine, but she sees that as an investment to get Mike roped into a scheme that she has involving the vice-president of the local bank, Steve (Barry Sullivan), and a prospector named Jeff (Edgar Buchanan).

With a tight and lively screenplay from Ben Maddow, director Richard Wallace does plenty to keep viewers distracted from the fairly low budget here. It helps that everything begins with the old standby of the "stranger coming into town", and the pacing feels planned around the introduction of the various characters. There's Mike, the crash that makes his moral compass clear, then Paula, then Steve, Jeff being optimistic about a find that he needs money to properly mine, and one or two other individuals who present some key evidence on the way to a final scene that should lead to some kind of satisfying conclusion, whether it's for our hero or villain.

Ford may not be the most charismatic performer onscreen, but he does well when required to be fairly decent and blunt, making him a good choice for the lead here. Carter is a delight, delivering the kind of turn that makes her character a very entertaining and convincing femme fatale. Sullivan and Buchanan both do well enough, and it's also worth mentioning the main sequence featuring Barbara Woodell and Jim Bannon as our hero pretends to be an investigative reporter looking for some answers to report on a crime that isn't as clear cut as it first appears.

Having honed his skills throughout the first half of the 20th century, Wallace may not be a director many would think of as being worth checking out, but his filmography has a number of treats scattered throughout. Framed is one of them. It's not the best, and lacks the star-power and real darkness of many others I could mention, but Wallace does well with what he's given, and I can imagine many other film fans will enjoy it just as much as I did.

7/10

Monday, 24 November 2025

Mubi Monday: House By The River (1950)

If you're like me then hearing the name Fritz Lang has your mind going immediately to two all-time classics of cinema. At the very least. Lang helmed some enduring masterpieces. You could even say that he Brigitte Helmed at least one of them (hey, it might be a weak pun, but I felt the need to share it). There are so many more movies throughout his filmography that are also worth checking out though, and House By The River is one such example.

Unable to control himself when the housemaid, Emily (Dorothy Patrick), comes close to him while dressed pretty and smelling nice, author Stephen Byrne (Louis Hayward) makes an unwanted advance. Being loudly rebuffed, he sets out to keep Emily quiet as a neighbour moves around outside. Which leads to murder. Stephen then concocts a story to garner the sympathy and assistance of his brother, John (Lee Bowman), and the two of them set out to dispose of the body and conceal the crime. Soon making use of the "disappearance" of Emily to gain some publicity for his books, Stephen starts to become more brazen, and it soon becomes clear that he can easily shift the blame to his brother if the finger of suspicion is pointed his way. It could be his wife, Marjorie (Jane Wyatt), piecing things together though.

Based on a novel by A. P. Herbert, this was one of a good run of thrillers and noirs written by Mel Dinelli, and I highly recommend checking out their first half dozen or so movies (at the very least). It's a delicious and dark premise, especially when the second half shows Stephen being "inspired" in his writing, and the two brothers being inextricably tied together by the crime is a great way to give viewers a way to easily root for one and against the other.

It's hard to remember to credit Lang, but the fact is that he does such a good job with the direction that the film never feels forced or awkward, despite the contrivances being dotted around the plot to keep raising the stakes on the way to a strange, but very entertaining, final sequence. Lang steers the whole thing with a steady hand, allowing for it to jump between a feeling of very dark comedy and very palpable danger.

Hayward is very good in his role, always getting close to full-on panto villain without becoming outright laughable, and he's helped by some solid supporting performers. Bowman may have a decent amount of screentime, but he has to be the growing conscience of the film, meaning that he doesn't get to have nearly as much fun. He's easy enough to like though, as is Wyatt, and both deserve so much better than the apparent fate awaiting them in the third act. Patrick doesn't get many scenes, obviously, but does well enough in her role, and Ann Shoemaker, Jody Gilbert, Peter Brocco, Howland Chamberlain, and Will Wright all deliver enjoyable character turns.

Like some other Lang movies I could mention, although they are movies that aren't the first ones to be brought up when his filmography is being discussed, this has an excellent mix of superior visual language, dark content handled with a light touch, and sheer entertainment. Recommended.

8/10

Wednesday, 19 November 2025

Prime Time: Play Dirty (2025)

Another attempt to successfully adapt some of the "Parker" books, written by Donald E. Westlake, into something that could be viewed as a profitable movie property, Play Dirty has the bonus of being directed by Shane Black, who also worked with Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi to create the screenplay. Unfortunately, it's the Shane Black of recent years, and not peak Shane Black. And he's decided to give himself a challenge by putting Mark Wahlberg in the main role.

Parker (Wahlberg) is involved in a heist that ends well, until his team is killed off by someone who betrays them. Aiming to get another payday lined up, as well as some revenge, Parker ends up helping Zen (Rosa Salazar) with a planned robbery that will once again get him targeted by the powerful and dangerous Lozini (Tony Shalhoub). Lozini has his goons, but Parker has Zen, Grofield (LaKeith Stanfield), Ed and Brenda (Keegan-Michael Key and Claire Lovering), and Stan (Chai Hansen). And he aims to stay one or two steps ahead of everyone else.

This should be great. It's a perfect marriage of material and writer-director. So the fact that it isn't feels like a confirmation that things started to go wrong when the casting decisions were made. Wahlberg can be good in movie roles, and I've enjoyed him in many other features over the years, but it has become harder and harder to view him as some kind of cheeky charmer with every opportunity to be reminded of how he puts himself across in everyday life. Not that Play Dirty necessarily wants the character to be viewed that way, but, then again, the film doesn't ever really settle on what it wants.

This is a mess, disappointingly inconsistent as it lurches from one unsteady set-piece to the next. Parker is sometimes ready to quip and wink at others, sometimes just intent on being dead-eyed and murderous. The characters around him have the potential to be a fun mix, but most of them are either underused or not used in the right way. This should have been a home run for Shane Black. He barely avoids a strike out.

Salazar is a great fit for her role, and arguably the highlight of the film. Other standouts include Hansen, Chukwudi Iwuji (who plays someone caught up in the unfolding scheme), and Nat Wolff as one of the main generals to Lozini. That maybe tells you all you need to know. Wahlberg has a bit of presence, but no charisma, Stanfield is crying out to be allowed to have more fun with his role, and both Key and Lovering seem to have been picked for one scene that makes decent use of them.

There are similarities between bad action movies and bad comedies. Cast the wrong person in the lead and you're scuppered. Punchlines aren't effective if nobody cares about the setups. And you can't cover up your mistakes by simply making things louder and busier on the way to a weak and completely mishandled ending. Play Dirty is a bad action movie, but it occasionally mixes things up by also being a bad comedy. The opening sequence is decent, and had me getting my hopes up for the rest of the film, but it quickly goes downhill from there.

I think it's unlikely to happen, but I'd love to see Shane Black take things down a notch and bring us a stripped-down and low-budget detective film for his next feature. Something that would sit nicely alongside his best work, but also sticks to a grittier tone that might still surprise his fans.

3/10

Wednesday, 12 November 2025

Prime Time: Out Of Time (2003)

While this isn't the best noir directed by Carl Franklin, nor the best star vehicle for Denzel Washington, nor the best noir directed by Carl Franklin that ALSO doubles as a star vehicle for Denzel Washington (that is, of course, Devil In A Blue Dress), Out Of Time is the kind of enjoyable and silly entertainment that makes you wish that Franklin and Washington worked together on a dozen more movies.

Washington is Matt Lee Whitlock, a police chief in Florida who is separated from his wife, Alex (Eva Mendes), and tries to make plenty of time to get hot and heavy with Ann (Sanaa Lathan) whenever her husband (Chris, played by Dean Cain) is busy at work. Ann has some bad news though. Cancer. The treatment that might save her life is far too expensive. Whitock thinks he may be able to help though, if he can temporarily make use of a large stash of cash being held in his evidence room. The evidence won't need to be examined for a while, which gives him plenty of time to sort everything else out and get it back before anyone notices. Unfortunately, things change very quickly. Whitlock needs to work fast to stay one step ahead of people investigating a crime on his patch, as well as some people heading to his office to collect that pile of money.

Out Of Time is ridiculous for almost every moment of the runtime, but it's ridiculous AND entertaining. The 105 minutes just fly by, helped by the fact that Whitlock has to keep moving faster and faster as soon as he knows that people are breathing down his neck and watching his every move. One of those people being his ex-wife adds a layer of tension, but that's offset slightly by a good friend (Chae, played by John Billingsley) who is always eager to help. Dave Collard's screenplay keeps the emphasis on the fast-thinking and happy coincidences that allow our lead to maintain his freedom, even if that looks set to inevitably come to an end before the end credits roll, and Franklin directs everything with the perfect level of energy and Denzel-charged charism.

Washington is great in the lead role, at his most charming and confident, even as the walls close in tighter around him. Both Lathan and Cain also do well, with the latter really making the most of a moment opposite Washington that is the absolute highlight of the entire movie, both men speaking to each other directly while covering the truth in a very thin layer of metaphorical clothing. Mendes does well with what could have been a nothing part, considering how she is one of the people who have to be kept a step or two behind Washington's character, and Billingsley is just the right kind of comic relief, highlighting the true moral compass of our lead by often referring to his own willingness to exploit the situation.

Absolutely disposable nonsense, more interested in allowing a star to spend time delivering some of that star swagger than anything else, but everyone gives their usual attention to their individual work, from Theo Van De Sande's cinematography to Graeme Revell's score. It may not be one you'll think of revisiting often, but it's a fun time while it's on.

6/10

Thursday, 6 November 2025

Noir-vember: I Am Waiting (1957)

While I have seen numerous crime films from Japan, I've never gone out of my way to seek out something that seemed to be specifically belonging to the noir style. I Am Waiting is as good a place as any to start, from my experience, as it makes use of some standard staples in an effectively lean tale that blends character moments with the expected noir beats.

Yûjirô Ishihara plays Jôji Shimaki, a former boxer biding his time until he can head to Brazil and join his brother there. Jôji feels like he's made too many mistakes in his life already, but getting away might give him the chance for a whole new start. Saeko (Mie Kitahara) is a woman considering suicide to escape her own life, being made to work as a singer at a cabaret by gangsters who won't let her leave. I Am Waiting begins with these two characters meeting, allowing both of them to recognise pain and regret in one another. Can they work together to improve their situations though? Will the people around them allow it?

While I have enjoyed numerous other films from the long-running Nikkatsu studio, I don't think I have seen anything else written by Shintarô Ishihara or directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara. I'll try (and undoubtedly fail) to keep their names in mind though, because this is a great little film that manages to work in some bleak subject matter with a light touch that offers viewers a sense of optimism throughout, even when dragging our main characters down lower and lower. Jôji and Saeko are broken spirits, but there's a constant tiny hope that they might figure out a way to get the damage repaired.

It helps that both Ishihara and Kitahara are captivating figures. Both manage to show their characters as desperate, far from where they want to be, but also proud and ready to believe in the smallest chance to turn things around. Once they have one another, that belief is exponentially increased, and you can feel some extra warmth and light emanating from the screen. Hideaki Nitani is a suitably menacing presence as the main gangster, and Isamu Kosugi delivers a fine supporting turn as a kindly older gentleman named Uchiyama.

There's at least one coincidence strengthening the connection between our two main characters that viewers may not like, but it didn't bother me at all. The rest of the film plays out, for the most part, how you'd expect. It's just very well done though, thanks to the writing and the balance between the time spent exploring some emotional wounds and the efficiency of the plotting and dialogue. While there's no big puzzle or mystery at the heart of things, it's still easiest to describe this as a gorgeous jigsaw puzzle that has every piece perfectly interlocking with those surrounding it. Absolute top-quality stuff.

8/10

Wednesday, 5 November 2025

Prime Time: The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950)

NOTE - please be wary of the horrible colourised version on Prime Video. I am reviewing the film, but went out of my way to find the original B&W presentation after quickly realising how awful the Prime Video version looked.

Written by Seton I. Miller and Philip MacDonald, The Man Who Cheated Himself is one of many typical noir films you can stumble across once you've made you way through most of the more well-known titles. It has a director (Felix E. Feist) who seems to be a safe and competent pair of hands, there's at least one star name (Lee J. Cobb) to help hold your attention, and the thrills and tension are couched in a feeling of familiarity and cosy expectation that things will somehow work out alright in the end . . . for someone.

Cobb plays Lt. Ed Cullen, a man who is about to work more closely with his newly-promoted brother, Andy (John Call). Andy is doubly happy, having done well at work just before his wedding to Janet (Lisa Howard). Ed has his own looming happiness whenever Lois Frazer (Jane Wyatt) separates from her husband, Howard (Harlan Wade), but things abruptly change when Howard returns home to catch his wife being unfaithful to him. Some bullets fly and Ed has to take charge, getting rid of the body and ensuring that everything looks good enough for when the main investigating officer turns up. And wouldn't you know it . . . Andy ends up on the case.

I'm not sure if I'll remember this a year from now. I'm not even sure if I'll remember it next month. I had fun with it while it was on though. It's all about the situation, watching Ed alternate between relaxing and tensing up as he tries to stay one step ahead of the investigation, and there are particularly enjoyable scenes featuring Charles Arnt and Marjorie Bennett as two people who may have inadvertently witnessed some corpse disposal. It's just a shame that things never get more intense, and the third act feels a bit padded out, making the 81-minute runtime feel surprisingly overlong. Feist does well enough with the material, but he undermines everything slightly by refusing to add any edge to any scenes.

Cobb is a great choice for the main role, a man forced to make one bad choice after another, yet also doing his best to protect everyone he cares about. Call has to play his part with a bit more sappiness and innocence throughout the first half, especially in scenes that allow him to be loved up and happy alongside the lovely Howard, but he's easy enough to keep rooting for as he skirts closer and closer to a danger he is often oblivious to. Wyatt is just fine, but it's a shame that there are only two quick moments that allow her to show any sharp edges.

Like so many others of this ilk, there are obvious reasons why this isn't included alongside the classics of the era. It's still worth a watch though, especially when you have worked your way through many of the more obvious noir titles from the '40s and '50s.

7/10

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Friday, 29 November 2024

Noirvember: Dead Reckoning (1947)

If you're a younger film fan, or maybe just a casual film fan, and you can't quite understand why Humphrey Bogart was such a big star for a while then, forgive me, I would have to insist that you just haven't watched a Humphrey Bogart movie. The man is riveting, and often also feels like the personification of cool, and he had the added benefit of being placed in some great features. While not at the very top of any ranked list, Dead Reckoning is a very enjoyable noir that pairs our leading man alongside the lovely Lizabeth Scott.

Bogart is Rip Murdock, a military man who ends up on a personal quest when he finds out about the death of a fellow serviceman. Not only that, he discovers that the man may not be who he thought he was, and he was suspected of murder. His quest leads him to meet Coral Chandler (Scott) and Martinelli (Morris Carnovsky), a criminal masquerading as a legitimate businessman.

Mainly written by Oliver H. P. Garrett and Steve Fisher, with various people responsible for the main story and adaptation, and directed by John Cromwell, there's nothing here behind the cameras to mark out Dead Reckoning as an above-average noir. It looks good enough, the screenplay has some excellent lines of dialogue sprinkled throughout, and the plot is both slippery and fairly easy to predict. That doesn't make it special though.

Bogart, however, Bogart makes it special. As does Scott. The two leads work well, particularly when sizing one another up and trying to maintain a relationship that is mutually beneficial, and Bogart feels completely at ease in a role that plays to his strengths. He's confident, smart and quick enough to recognise when he's being conned, and he's willing to risk letting someone inside his exterior armour if they can prove that they're not working an angle on him. Scott plays the ambiguity of her character all the way to the end, as expected, allowing viewers to constantly wonder about her role in the murder being investigated. Carnovsky doesn't need to be ambiguous. He's very enjoyable as a charming and unflappable antagonist, and Marvin Miller is also good value as his main henchman, Krause. Others worth keeping an eye out for are William Prince (in the small, but vital, role of Johnny Drake), George Chandler, James Bell, and Charles Cane.

More of a comfort viewing than many other noirs, thanks to the charisma quotient and the perfect pacing that helps the 100-minute runtime breeze by easily enough, this may not be considered essential, but it's one I will highly recommend to those who want to spend some time in the company of some star performers shining brightly in material that seems to have been nicely tailored around them.

8/10

Tuesday, 26 November 2024

Noirvember: They Made Me A Fugitive (1947)

Considering how well it depicts post-war England, and also how well it makes use of Trevor Howard in the main role, you may be surprised to find out that They Made Me A Fugitive was directed by a Brazilian, Alberto Cavalcanti. Fans of classic British film may be less surprised though, considering the fact that Cavalcanti also helmed a number of films for the mighty Ealing Studios at this time.

Howard plays Clem, a thieving criminal who has a major pang of conscience when the ruthless Narcy (Griffith Jones) starts dealing in the drug trade. Clem doesn't want any part of the drug business, and plans to quit after one last job. That last job doesn't go to plan, which leads to Clem being framed for the murder of a policeman. He ends up sentenced to fifteen years in prison. An escape is inevitable, considering the title of the movie, and Clem is soon seeking revenge against those who framed him for a murder he didn't commit.

Based on the novel "A Convict Has Escaped" by Jackson Budd, They Made Me A Fugitive was turned into a screenplay by Noel Langley, who does a great job of mixing together a large cast of characters into a frothing pot of dark soup that is destined to be spilled all over by the time the finale comes around. While everything is tame compared to more modern content, there are moments of nastiness and grit that keep you feeling as if nothing is guaranteed. Main characters may or may not survive to the end credits, pain will be the main currency for everyone involved (be it physical or emotional), and as for a happy ending . . . this is a noir, after all, so even that isn't a given.

Howard may not seem like the best fit for the lead role, but he grows into his performance with each minute of screentime, and has that essential spark of charm that keeps viewers onside. Jones is deliciously dastardly and irredeemable as Narcy (short for Narcissus, which basically tells you all you need to know about him). Jack McNaughton does well as another crook, Soapy, and Ballard Berkeley is entertaining as Rockliffe, an officer heading up the manhunt for Clem. It's not all about the men though, and Sally Gray, Rene Ray, Mary Merrall, and Vida Hope all get time to shine as they play their part in the unfolding drama, with Gray cutting a particularly sad and vulnerable figure as things turn even darker in the third act.

It may lack some of the style and edge of similar films being made in the USA at this time, but that is what helps to make They Made Me A Fugitive so memorable. It's very British, but the Britishness is placed around some serious unpleasantness and violence that wasn't usually part of the fabric of UK cinema at this time. It was there, and you can certainly find some other classics from this time that make good use of it, but it was very rare.

8/10

Sunday, 24 November 2024

Netflix And Chill: Reptile (2023)

Not only is Reptile co-written by director Grant Singer, but star Benicio Del Toro apparently had a helping hand in the screenplay, alongside Benjamin Brewer. That makes it even more curious, considering how Del Toro is the best thing in it DESPITE the weak screenplay. A messy mix of neo-noir tropes and moments that seem to be struggling to give the movie more substance, Reptile is enormously unsatisfying. And it's made all the worse by how badly it wastes a great cast.

Del Toro plays a cop named Tom Nichols. He's been entangled in some bad stuff in the past, but he seems to be trying his best to be good at his job. That is essential when he is called to the scene of Summer Elswick's murder. Summer's body was discovered by Will Grady (Justin Timberlake), making him a prime suspect, but others soon start to arouse suspicion. It doesn't help that Grady and his mother (Frances Fisher) have upset people with their business practices. One of those upset people is a young man named Eli (Michael Pitt), who blames the Gradys for the suicide of his father. Maybe there's more to the case than what seems obvious though. Maybe Tom needs to start looking at everyone around him with equal suspicion.

Although he has a wealth of experience helming music videos, this appears to be the feature debut from Singer. That makes complete sense when you consider how much (misplaced) faith he has in the strength of such clumsy and half-baked material. There are some good moments here, some strong individual images, but there are just as many moments that don't work, whether it's the plotting of the central mystery that doesn't feel worth really caring about or the moments that have a discordant piece of music increasing in volume in a way that's supposed to unnerve viewers and lead to some nerve-tingling climax, but then fails to present anything to justify that audio choice. With both Brewer and Del Toro similarly inexperienced in the role of feature writer, Reptile is left as a collection of decent images that can barely cling on to the decomposing skeleton of the script that should have given it a strong centre.

Del Toro is much better in front of the camera though, and he's the best thing about this. His performance is easily on a par with some of his best work, and equally thoughtful and morally discombobulated, at times. Alicia Silverstone is excellent in the role of his wife, although she also suffers from one or two moments that seem to just peter out just as they could get more interesting. Timberlake is fine, working comfortably with a persona that he tends to portray well in movies, Fisher is riveting, despite having disappointingly little screentime, and Pitt adds another quirky turn to his repertoire. The fact that the film also has room for great work from Eric Bogosian, Domenick Lombardozzi, and Ato Essandoh (playing the partner to Del Toro's character) is both a plus and a minus, because everyone here deserves to be delivering that great work in a stronger film.

I'm guessing that this is a story that Del Toro was passionate about, considering he also attached himself as an executive producer, and I can see how the whole thing could have been handled much better, but the end result feels like a wasted opportunity. The cast cannot be faulted though, nor can the cinematography from Mike Gioulakis (with shot choices and framing complemented by some fine editing from Kevin Hickman). Technically, all is well. It's just the writing and direction that work against it, but those are the two areas that need to be locked down for this kind of material.

4/10

Friday, 22 November 2024

Noirvember: My Name Is Julia Ross (1945)

I've been to some dubious job interviews in my time (and I'll take a moment to remind everyone that group interviews are a very special form of torture for some people), but I am thankful that I've never headed along for a job to then wake up some time later being called a different name by someone claiming I am married to them. I mean, hey, before I embraced the sober life it was always a remote possibility. That is the fate of our main character, Julia Ross (Nina Foch), in this enjoyable mystery noir.

While things move very quickly in this film, the runtime is only 65 minutes and it doesn't take long to set up the main premise, viewers get a quick sketch of the life of Julia Ross in the first few minutes. She is looking for work, most importantly, but she also has a male friend/potential love interest in the form of Dennis Bruce (Roland Varno). This will prove to be an essential wrinkle, of course. Once woken up in the household of Mrs. Hughes (Dame May Whitty) and her son, Ralph Hughes (George Macready), Julia is repeatedly told that she is actually Marion, the wife of Ralph. Attempting to escape, Julia inadvertently helps her captors as they continue to inform those in the local area about the sad ill-health of "Marion".

Based on a book, "The Woman In Red", by Anthony Gilbert, My Name Is Julia Ross is written by Muriel Roy Bolton, who helped to co-write the enjoyable The Amazing Mr. X only a few years later. It manages to stay just about plausibility, despite how brazen and overt the villains are, and weaves the plot around a couple of very enjoyable set-pieces. The ending is a bit abrupt, but anyone knowing the runtime before starting to watch the film should be ready for that.

Director Joseph H. Lewis was fairly prolific with his film output between the mid-1930s and mid-1950s, and this is almost right in the middle of this fertile period. He knows what he's doing, and he makes great use of a talented cast making the most of their colourful characters, whether in main roles or amusing supporting turns.

Foch is a decent lead, and she does well with a role that requires her to stay vulnerable and helpless for most of the runtime. Macready is enjoyably dastardly, and it's easy to loathe him whether he's being charming or showing his true nature, and Whitty is an absolute delight throughout. Varno is appropriately pleasant and harmless in the role of Dennis, and both Doris Lloyd and Joy Harington provide some lighter moments without overdoing the comedy of their scenes. I could happily mention almost everyone else involved, but then it might take longer to read this review than it would take to watch the actual film.

As simple and slim as the short runtime would suggest, this is a great little noir that everyone should be able to make time for. Balancing a sense of fun and menace in equal measure, it may not feel essential, but it's one I can see myself revisiting every so often.

8/10

Thursday, 21 November 2024

Noirvember: Another Dawn (1943)

AKA Distinto Amanecer

Based on a play by Max Aub, although it doesn't feel too stagey throughout, Another Dawn is a noir-tinged melodrama that feels, coincidentally or not, like a gender-flipped riff on the classic Casablanca. An estranged man and woman end up reunited during a time that has one of them trying to deal with a rather sensitive political situation that could land them in major trouble. There's a bit more to it, of course, but that is the one-line summary.

Andrea Palma plays Julieta, a woman who is delighted to meet Octavio (Pedro Armendáriz) while he is hiding away from people who want him dead. Octavio has some important documents on him, documents that others want to recover, and he ends up being assisted by Julieta and her husband, Ignacio (Alberto Galán). Things are helped by the fact that Julieta, Ignacio, and Octavio are old friends, but complicated by the closer relationship that Julieta and Octavio once had. As the net closes in around Octavio, it also becomes clear that Julieta and Ignacio don't exactly have a happy and idyllic marriage.

Co-written and directed by Julio Bracho (who also wrote and directed the wonderful Twilight), with input from Xavier Villaurrutia, this is a brisk and engrossing melodrama that is paced perfectly to help the 108-minute runtime absolutely fly by. While the plot is based around political intrigue and a dangerous "mission", it dedicates even more time to the turbulent emotional journeys of the three lead characters, raising the stakes for all involved as they all realise just how feelings are changing between one another.

Palma is the heart of the whole thing, and she plays her part with grace, strength, and thoughtfulness. Both Armendáriz and Galán try to essentially have their cake and eat it, but the former gets to act suave and more caring than the latter, who is portraying a man who doesn't realise how good he has things until there's a threat to the status quo. Narciso Busquets also does well, playing Juanito, the son of Julieta and Ignacio, and there are a number of wonderful performances from the supporting cast members.

There may not be anything here that stands out as spectacular, but it's all put together in a way that works in service to the characters and the material. The melodrama is interspersed with moments of real menace, and everything leads to a finale that perfectly blends the physical danger with the emotional noose bringing everyone together. It becomes more than the sum of its parts, and I definitely recommend it to all, but particularly anyone who has already dipped their toes into the rich and rewarding history of Mexican cinema.

7/10

Wednesday, 20 November 2024

Prime Time: Hickey & Boggs (1972)

If I remember right, some technicality means that you cannot label Bill Cosby as a rapist nowadays. That didn't stop me from feeling no small amount of reservation, however, when I realised that Hickey & Boggs starred Robert Culp alongside the definitely-not-rapey Bill Cosby. I debated how to get the review done, and then I remembered that movies are chock full of people that I wouldn't necessarily want to say good things about, personally, and so I'd have to go on with business as usual. There may even be other movies I watch one day that feature the definitely-not-rapey Cosby, and I would just do the same thing. I won't use any images of him, and I won't feel great about it, but he is one of many threads woven throughout the fabric of cinema.

Culp is Frank Boggs and Cosby is Al Hickey. Both of them work together as private investigators who end up tasked with tracking down a missing woman. What begins as a simple case soon turns into something a bit more complicated, and much more dangerous. Everyone involved in the central investigation starts to die, and both of our leads eventually figure out that the missing woman is at the heart of a very sticky web.

Written by Walter Hill, this is a strange film, but I can see why it has retained a cult following throughout the decades since it was released. Things start off fairly light, and the chemistry between Culp and Cosby is as you would expect, but they soon spiral into much darker waters. The third act is about as bleak and nihilistic as can be, with the typical fight back from our heroes given no fanfare or cool edge. Yes, you get men holding their ground while also holding huge hand cannons, but it's ultimately dissatisfying when so many lives have already been ruined.

Culp does well in his role, Cosby less so. I'm not sure I can blame the leads for that though. The script doesn't quite know how to keep things consistent, and clearly lures viewers in before dragging them towards an abyss. Culp's direction is solid, if a bit flat, and there are a couple of set-pieces that struggle to impress while weighed down by that darker tone.

Elsewhere, both Rosalind Cash and Isabel Sandford get a couple of good moments, and Robert Mandan, Michael Moriarty, Vincent Gardenia, and Ed Lauter help to populate the cast with interesting and watchable characters.

While it's certainly not a bad film, Hickey & Boggs feels worse in comparison to most of the other films that have gone for a similar vibe. The mystery element never feels as intriguing as it should, the occasional moments of shocking violence are toned down by the shot choice and editing, the interplay between the two leads starts to fade away as the bodies pile up, and it all plays out like a neo-noir presented by people who aren't really all that keen on making a neo-noir. Everything is there, but none of it fully works.

6/10

Tuesday, 19 November 2024

Noirvember: The Kid Detective (2020)

Being a kid detective is a very good thing. Or so it seems. Getting to help the local community, being underestimated by many people dealing with you, and acting wise beyond your years in a way that many view as endearing. It all becomes a bit more difficult to deal with when you're no longer a kid though, particularly when you stay in the same job, carrying around the weight of your childhood success.

Adam Brody stars here as Abe Applebaum, the kid detective who is now an adult in an apparent state of arrested development. He hasn't let go of his past, and hasn't moved beyond what many expected to just be a phase. He doesn't see why he should change though, considering his gift for detection. But his latest case, a young woman named Caroline (Sophie Nélisse) asking him to find out who murdered her boyfriend, turns into an opportunity to completely re-evaluate his past, and perhaps even allow himself to move on to the next chapter in his life.

A great mix of comedy and drama, and with a proper and well-constructed mystery at the heart of it, The Kid Detective is an excellent character study that benefits from Brody being such a great fit in the lead role. Writer-director Evan Morgan nails the tone throughout, jumping deftly between effective little gags and scenes that show the pain of someone feeling more adrift in the turbulent sea of life, and his script is full of an obvious affection for the tropes being used/subverted.

Brody carries the film on his shoulders, but does so in a way that emphasises how slim those shoulders are. He's been playing variations on this kind of role for much of his career, someone a bit emotionally-stunted and selfish, but this gives him a number of layers to work through as the plot unfolds. Nélisse is very good as the young woman who doesn't realise that the mystery she needs solving may lead to something even darker and more dangerous, and Sarah Sutherland is a lot of fun as the sullen Lucy, a woman who has somehow found herself as trapped in her role as secretary to the kid detective as he is trapped by his own history. Wendy Crewson and Jonathan Whittaker are bemused parents who expected their son to have moved on from this "phase" long before now, Peter MacNeill is the local school Principal, and Dallas Edwards plays a boy named Calvin who may be the key to unlocking the case.

Much darker than expected, but all presented in a way that stops that darkness from weighing it down too much and making it unbearable to watch, The Kid Detective is a surprisingly brilliant mix of the old and the new, making use of a fun core idea to springboard into muddy waters familiar to anyone who has watched their fare share of neo-noirs. Every individual aspect is handled with care, especially the set-ups and payoffs to gags that are used throughout to maintain the well-balanced tone throughout, and the end result is a gem of a film that should develop a strong cult following as more people discover it and recommend it to like-minded film fans.

8/10

Friday, 15 November 2024

Noirvember: Stage Fright (1950)

Although I am far from an expert of Alfred Hitchcock, I always like to think that I have seen much of his filmography. I haven't. I think every film fan spends some time exploring his numerous classics, but it's easy to remember just how many films he made. Okay, the silents are easier to overlook, and perhaps less essential (although I have a nice boxset coming my way that will allow me to make up my own mind shortly), but there always seems to be one or two relatively big title that sits in a blind spot for some people. Stage Fright was one of those movies for me. I wonder if it was one I kept forgetting about because of the title being re-used a couple of times in the horror genre.

Richard Todd plays Jonathan Cooper, a man who ends up on the run when some major evidence points to him having murdered the husband of stage performer Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich). Relying on the goodwill of a friend, Eve (Jane Wyman), Jonathan tries to stay hidden while police investigate the case and try to locate him. Eve also enlists the help of her father (played by Alastair Sim), ends up in an undercover role working for Charlotte, and starts to develop a bond with Detective Inspector Wilfred O. Smith (Michael Wilding) which could complicate things further.

Adapted from Selwyn Jepson's novel (Man Running AKA Outrun The Constable AKA Killer By Proxy) by the talented Alma Reville and Whitfield Cook, this is a typically dark and delightful feature from Hitchcock, one that has an abundance of dark comedy running in between the moments of tension. In fact, almost any scene with Sim front and centre is on par with anything from an outright comedy of this time (particularly his scene with Joyce Grenfell, who spends a lot of time shouting out "lovely ducks" to encourage people to try their hand at the fairground shooting gallery).

As good as the material is, in terms of the characters and the ongoing attempt to prove the innocence of a man who keeps looking increasingly guilty, Stage Fright is as wonderfully entertaining as it is thanks to the cast. Sim is undoubtedly a highlight, but scenes that show Dietrich performing the routines that make her character such a beloved success are so mesmerising that nobody should really mind the fact that the plot comes to a standstill while we get to enjoy a couple of good songs from the blonde bombshell. Wyman is an appealing lead, but she is overshadowed by the likes of Kay Walsh (playing a housekeeper who hopes to profit from the situation) and the aforementioned Grenfell. As for the other men onscreen, Todd and Wilding are disappointingly bland, but they're essentially pawns being moved around the board until things come to a crucial point when some kind of victory can be celebrated.

In hindsight, it's actually quite easy to see why I kept forgetting to check this out. It wasn't just to do with the title. There aren't any big set-pieces here, the real star turns are mostly tucked away in the supporting roles, and it just lacks that refined Hitchcock brilliance. It still deserves to be seen though, especially if you're a fan of Dietrich, Sim, Walsh, or Grenfell. I had a lot of fun with it, but I suspect I may struggle to remember much of it in a month or two. It has certainly reminded me that I want to watch even more Hitchcock films though, as well as more films featuring the brilliant Dietrich.

7/10

Wednesday, 13 November 2024

Prime Time: The Prowler (1951)

Credited to writer Hugo Butler, but actually written by Dalton Trumbo, The Prowler may be easier to overlook than many other films from director Joseph Losey, but that doesn't necessarily make it not worth your time. In fact, it's a deliciously dark and twisted little noir that develops a growing sense of real danger and dread all the way to a fantastic finale.

Evelyn Keyes is Susan Gilvray, a woman who phones the police one evening when she suspects a prowler in her area (hence the title, but there may be more than one prowler as the movie plays out). Susan is married to a radio personality who spends most of his evenings entertaining the masses before signing off with a namecheck for his wife. That makes it easier to plan some evening-time shenanigans when Susan is given some attention from Webb Garwood (Van Heflin), one of the cops who was called about the prowler situation. Both of our main characters seem to want the same thing, but feelings can change, and that's when The Prowler starts to twist and turn as Webb plots to have Susan all for himself, as well as a bit of money that could help them to lead a comfortable life together.

Like many other wonderful film noirs from this time, The Prowler starts off with a spark between two people who should really know better than to help turn it into a crackling fire. The fact that one of the main characters is a policeman adds an interesting layer to the proceedings, as does the fact that it's the male who may well prove to be the more dangerous and manipulative character. A potential homme fatale.

Trumbo's script is more interested in the plotting than any sharp dialogue, and it's wonderful to watch everything fall into place as he builds towards a powerful third act. Nothing is left ambiguous, and it's amusing to see every step toward temptation highlighted like some tasty apple hanging from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Losey directs with the sure hand that he had on almost every film he helmed, knowing the noir elements being brought to the fore while also happily exploring the relationship and dynamic between the two main characters in ways that feel ever so slightly removed from the more entrenched ways of presenting this kind of morality play.

Both Keyes and Heflin are enjoyable in the main roles, neither one afraid to fully lean into the moments that shade their character with even more darkness. Although the supporting cast isn't expansive, it includes John Maxwell, Katherine Warren, Wheaton Chambers, and one or two others circling the core of the premise while trying not to get themselves dragged down into the developing whirlpool. Those just mentioned are highlights, but everyone onscreen does a fine job with the roles given to them.

Despite the 92-minute runtime, which I would say is a bit lengthy for this premise, the film never drags. It may be slight, but it's a viewing experience akin to being placed on the beach and allowing loved ones to cover your legs and body with lots and lots of sand until, despite the warmth and the fun of it all, you suddenly notice that you can't actually move enough to extricate yourself from what has been a happy and sun-kissed burial.

7/10

Thursday, 23 November 2023

Dark Passage (1947)

This is much more like it. As much as I enjoyed them, I had inadvertently spent the past couple of days watching some film noirs that felt decidedly lighter than other films in that style. Dark Passage feels like it has everything you could want from a classic noir. A majorly flawed, perhaps truly dangerous, lead. At least one potential femme fatale. Supporting characters looking to profit from a bad situation. And Bogart and Bacall guaranteeing at least one or two moments that show a marked rise in temperature.

Based on a novel by David Goodis, this is written and directed by Delmer Daves, a solid director with a number of treats tucked away in his filmography (including this very title). It starts with a man escaping from prison, seeming to be undone by bad luck before a beautiful woman (Irene Jansen, played by Lauren Bacall) helps him reach somewhere he might be able to safely shelter for a while. The man, although unseen for most of the first half of the movie, is Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart), and he was in prison for the crime of murdering his wife. He claims that he's innocent though, but to stay out of prison he's going to have to go to some extreme lengths, including having his face changed (which explains the decision made to show the first half of the movie from his POV). But a different face is only worth a damn if nobody else is keeping a close eye on Vincent's movements.

This is excellent stuff throughout, thanks to a lovely script, excellent cast, and the fact that viewers are pretty sure from the earliest scenes that they are really watching an innocent man growing increasingly desperate as he starts to look more guilty. The first half of the film may irritate some people, it’s a bit gimmicky, although it makes sense when we get to the midway point, but it is probably the best way to let things unfold without using any other tactic that could take you out of the movie completely. It helps that Bogart is our guide, that iconic line delivery helping us know where this will all be leading eventually.

While this isn’t the best work delivered by either star, both Bogart and Bacall are as good as expected in the lead roles. They always have brilliant onscreen chemistry, even when one of them isn’t visible onscreen, and both feel capable of handling their turbulent journey towards what they hope could be a happy ending. Agnes Moorehead is enjoyable in a supporting role, perhaps with a key to our lead’s proof of innocence, and Clifton Young plays someone who is set to really throw a big spanner in the works when he figures out how he could earn himself an easy payday. Bruce Bennett also has a small role, although he doesn’t get to do much, and Tom D’Andrea and Houseley Stevenson get to steal a couple of scenes as, respectively, a cabbie and a doctor who could turn out to be life-changing allies.

Although not a title I had heard mentioned in too many conversations about the classic film noirs, Dark Passage certainly already has enough fans that will be rolling their eyes and wondering what took me so long. There are one or two scenes that already felt familiar to me, due to them influencing other works (I would assume Spielberg is a fan, considering a certain sci-if title he made that feels indebted to this at times . . . or maybe that is just me), and I will happily rewatch this any time. In fact, I suspect I may enjoy my second watch a bit more as I settle into it while knowing what to look out for as the plot starts to unfold. Superb stuff.

9/10

Sunday, 19 November 2023

Netflix And Chill: No Panic, With A Hint Of Hysteria (2016)

A bizarre comedy noir that feels like something that could have worked in better hands, No Panic, With A Hint Of Hysteria is one of the many titles in the filmography of Polish writer-director Tomasz Szafranski. Having started his career in his early twenties, Szafranski has been working in film and TV now for just over two full decades. I don't know if his other work tends to be better than this, but I'm certainly not enthused to be exploring more of his work after getting through this one.

Alexander Chance plays Toby, an accountant who is trying to move into the more lucrative role of hitman. He is being mentored by Fakir (Toasz Karolak), but isn't really showing himself as a natural fit for the job. A disastrous convergence of unfortunate events lead to Toby and his wife (Melanie, played by Charlotte Kirk) trying to dispose of a corpse, dealing with someone Toby quite rightly assumed was already dead, and placating various dangerous characters while avoiding too much attention from the police.

Set up as a classic farce, and low-key enough for most of the runtime to feel as if it's been adapted from a stage play, No Panic, With A Hint Of Hysteria feels overdone, mishandled, decades too late, and (ironically enough) just poorly executed in almost every way. Szafranski clearly knew what he wanted to deliver, but he ties one hand behind his back from the very start by assembling such a weak cast.

Chance is arguably the biggest weakness, considering his character is the focus of pretty much every scene. It's a role that requires someone who can perform with the required comedy skills, appeal, and physical prowess, and Chance appears to have none of those things. Having him acting alongside Charlotte Kirk doesn't help, her being a performer yet to show any talent worthy of some of the roles she has managed to bag, and watching her and Chance interact is the cinematic equivalent of a fish trying to ride a bicycle. It's unnatural, and it just doesn't work. Karolak only has a few scenes, Stephen Baldwin has a central role (and tries hard, but is hampered by the material . . . and by being more affordable and available than Alec for a reason), and other people have to spend time looking mean or dopey while Szafranski continues to move the pieces into place for the finale. Magdalena Lamparska is a highlight as Kamila, we'll call her The Woman In Red, but she's sidelined almost immediately after making a strong impression in her very first scenes.

The convoluted plotting doesn't give you anything to care about, the comedy doesn't work, and the cast give nothing. The visual style throughout is admittedly decent (shout out to cinematographer Michael Grabowski and the others who helped maintain the specific palette), with muted colours and framing emphasising the noir over the comedy, but that's a very minor saving grace in a film far too overstuffed with mis-steps and major failings, including a poor score from Luke Corradine. No need to panic though, this is one easily avoided. I just happened to find it buried on Netflix, and I should have left it buried. Considering one of the main plot points, the irony is not lost on me.

2/10

Monday, 6 November 2023

Mubi Monday: Before The Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

Writer Kelly Masterson may not have a long list of credits to their name, but they certainly provide quality ahead of quantity. I have enjoyed everything I have seen from him so far, and there are one or two of his screenplays that I absolutely love. Including this one.

Things pretty much start with a botched robbery. Gunshots are fired, and people are wounded, in potentially fatal ways. We then start to jump back and forth in time, watching both the planning for the robbery and the many loose ends that need tied up in the aftermath. At the heart of everything stands Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke), two brothers trying to seize an opportunity. Both need a large cash injection to improve their lives, and both have feelings for the lovely Gina (Marisa Tomei). Both also find themselves way out of their depth as soon as their plans go awry, but one of the brothers may have more determination to do whatever is necessary to turn their mistakes into an opportunity.

Directed by Sidney Lumet, a man who has directed more classics than I could list here (just check out his filmography and start working your way through them all, you won’t be disappointed), Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead is a classic neo-noir structured to draw viewers closer to the main characters before showing everything falling apart around them. Every extra detail revealed works to compound the initial error in judgement that set everyone on a path to somewhere predictably dark and unpleasant. Lumet isn’t interested in making things overly stylish or slick, and I don’t think he ever is, as he once again makes his life easier by marrying up a perfect cast to an absolutely brilliant script. There’s a sadness and desperation to the leads that stops them from ever feeling too entertaining or too cool, and each performance feels built wholly around a kernel of authenticity that makes it so much easier to watch the events unfold without feeling held back by a layer of cinematic artifice.

Hoffman and Hawke absolutely nail their onscreen sibling relationship, with both delivering superb performances that complement one another beautifully. Hoffman is the man with the plan, and the one who actually needs everything to work out as intended, while Hawke’s character is much more nervous, and much easier to push around than his brother. Tomei is an excellent choice for the role of Gina, a believable motivator for the men who want to keep her in their lives, and Albert Finney has a role that becomes more and more integral to the film as we watch things come to a head. On top of that, you have some screentime for Michael Shannon, Amy Ryan, Alexsa Palladino, and Leonardo Cimino, all doing excellent work, whether onscreen for just the one scene of a few different moments.

Carter Burwell’s score is a beautiful accompaniment to the changing pace of the writhing plot, and the very end of the film has both Masterson and Lumet making a couple of strong choices that I think were absolutely the right ones, delivering a finale that is impactful and satisfying.

I don’t know why I didn’t ever make time for this before, but I am glad I finally got around to it now. Slot it into your own viewing schedule as soon as you can. I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed by this.

9/10