Shirley MacLaine Gives Michael Caine a Lesson in Comedy Thriller ‘Gambit’
Themes of masquerades and flim-flam in the comedy thriller Gambit see Shirley MacLaine’s Nichole Chang giving Michael Caine’s Sir Harry Dean a much-needed lesson.
crime
‘The Pale Blue Eye’ Looks Upon the Poe You Didn’t Know
Scott Cooper’s The Pale Blue Eye has Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling) making an unconventional partner to Christian Bale’s 1830s sleuth.
She Acts Like a Man and Men Act Like Monsters in 1950s Noir ‘The Unguarded Moment’
Film noir from the 1950s The Unguarded Moment gives off cozy WASP-American TV vibes for its increasingly sinister and sick Technicolor world.
‘Miss Sherlock’ Homages Sherlock Holmes with an Androgynous Twist
The television show Miss Sherlock bends and twists the conventional Japanese character into something that fills the world of Sherlock Holmes.
Real-Life 1950s Gang Busting Inspired Film Noir ‘The Turning Point’
Remastered and on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber is William Dieterle’s The Turning Point, a noir film at the intersection of several crossroads in America’s early ’50s.
BFI LFF: ‘Argentina, 1985’ Dir. Santiago Mitre on Dictatorship to Democracy
Director Santiago Mitre discusses how his fear for democracies worldwide motivated him to dramatise the Trial of the Juntas in the courtroom drama Argentina, 1985.
‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ Drags America’s History From the Dark Dank Basement
Frank Capra’s America is always on the edge of madness and nightmare. The deeper you dig into his Arsenic and Old Lace, the darker and queasier it becomes.
‘Devil in a Blue Dress’ Is Among Neo-Noir’s Finest Films
Denzel Washington’s voiceover in neo-noir Devil in a Blue Dress is an equal mix of deadpan charm and wide-eyed innocence, which textures and nuances his performance.
The Beginning of a Beautiful Affair Between Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond
Love in the Afternoon deserves credit for its artistic merit but also for serving as the beginning of a beautiful affair between Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond.
‘Evil’ Series Is Chicken Soup for the Horror-Lover’s Soul
On the surface, Evil has all the makings of traditional catholic horror, yet it continuously brings a unique perspective to one of the horror genre’s most well-trodden grounds.
Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford Play ’60s Spy Hipsters, Baby
Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford camp up their too cool for school ’60s spy hipsters personas for Richard Donner and Jerry Lewis comedies Salt and Pepper and One More Time.
Val Guest’s Thriller ‘Jigsaw’ Isn’t Cozy Agatha Christie Territory
Jigsaw‘s gritty tone flew in the face of commercial conventions and signaled, in the ’60s, that public discontents were coming for pop entertainment territory.
