The German Film Festival in Los Angeles ends today

October 21, 2025 by

“Two to One,” starring Sandra Hüller, played to a full house on Friday night at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.

On Friday, we attended opening night of German Currents: the 19th Festival of German Film, thanks to our lovely friend Debra Levine of artsmeme.com. Held at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, the featured film was “Two to One,” a comedy-caper from writer-director Natja Brunckhorst, starring Sandra Hüller, Max Riemelt, and Ronald Zehrfeld. Hüller garnered international acclaim for “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Zone of Interest” (both 2023; she got an Oscar nom for the former). The festival, which ends today, is a co-production of the Goethe Institut and the American Cinematheque.

In “Two to One,” we meet an East Berlin family who, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and before unification, sees a way to make a bundle by exchanging ostmarks for deutschemarks at the rate of two to one – but only if they act quickly.

The Aero was packed, even though the LA Dodgers were playing at home in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series (they won!). Following the show, Ronald Zehrfeld did a Q&A; then guests headed to the after party to nosh on schnitzel sliders and custard buns, and sip excellent Tupetz wine.

Alle hatten eine gute Zeit!

Comments

Filed Under: Noir Style, Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Meticulously made ‘Mastermind’ inspired by real-life robbery

October 16, 2025 by

Less than a week after seeing “Roofman” – starring Channing Tatum as an ingenious but goofy thief in a story “based on actual events and terrible decisions,” as per the movie’s tagline – I went to a screening of “The Mastermind.” It’s a heist film inspired by the 1972 robbery of the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts, in which two Gauguins, a Picasso, and a Rembrandt were stolen.

The movie opens with a young family wandering around the “Framingham Museum of Art” (a place invented for this flick). The mom Terri Mooney (Alana Haim) silently leads the boys Carl and Tommy (Sterling Thompson and Jasper Thompson) as Carl chatters about a guessing game. The dad James Blaine Mooney (Josh O’Connor) hangs back. They have the place mostly to themselves; the security guard is zoned out as he catches z’s. It’s the perfect moment to contemplate the paintings or, if you’re a feckless art-school grad who’s bent on rebellion, as James Blaine (JB) is, pull a key out of your pocket, open a display case, and help yourself to a carved figure.

JB’s initial pilfering is just a prelude to his carelessly thought-out plan of stealing four paintings, a feat he pulls off with the help of two accomplices (Cole Doman and Javion Allen), one of whom is armed with a gun. JB hides the artwork in a barn, hoping he’ll be able to sell it and rustle up a wad of cash. Presumably, he’ll add the money to his family’s finances, convincing his wife and parents (Hope Davis and Bill Camp) that he’s finally having success as an architect.

But his deeper motivation appears to be two-fold: railing against the confines and ennui of his middle-class existence, and in some way defying his father. The fact that his father is a local judge paradoxically figures into JB’s cover story when he is questioned by the police.

After JB leaves town and goes on the lam (rather haphazardly), his comfort, security, and entitlement slip away as he grows increasingly desperate, though not exactly downhearted. Watching “The Mastermind,” as it slowly unwinds, there is ample time to ponder JB, his relationships, what drives him, and what he’s lost.

Visually, the film is impeccable. Writer-director-editor Kelly Reichardt meticulously recreates the look and feel of early 1970s Massachusetts and the Midwest under overcast skies. Wardrobe, hair/makeup, art direction, production design, set decoration, lighting, and documentary-like camerawork all contribute to the precise rendering of each scene. Rob Mazurek’s scintillating jazz score provides a dynamic complement to the underplayed performances and spare dialogue.

However, as much as I typically enjoy a slow-burn film and as much as I tried to invest in JB’s fate, I ultimately disconnected with “The Mastermind.” While O’Connor does possess a breezy, everyman energy, he lacked the requisite charisma to make me care about this misguided man trapped somewhat by societal expectations but mainly by his own choices.

“The Mastermind” opens in theaters on Friday, Oct. 17.

Comments

Filed Under: Neo Noir Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

‘Roofman’ manages to climb into your heart and charm you

October 15, 2025 by

“Roofman” sneaks into the film noir genre like a clumsy cat burglar – and that’s fitting because the movie’s protagonist is real-life robber Jeffrey Manchester (played by Channing Tatum) – a US Army vet with a high IQ who’s bold, brilliant, and daring, but also a colossal screw-up. Indeed, the name of the film might just as easily be “Goofman.”

In an early scene, Jeffrey’s friend Steve (LaKeith Stanfield) – a fellow vet and a straight shooter – shakes his head at Jeff’s smart-dumb dynamic and his lack of a steady income, telling him to capitalize on his gift for noticing a myriad of details. Jeffrey heeds Steve’s advice in his own wily way by thinking outside the box to find a novel way of getting inside a box and plundering it. In other words, instead of breaking and entering through a door or window, he goes through the roof.

He starts by stealing cash from a local McDonald’s, gets away with it, and goes on to commit more than 40 robberies. For a while, it’s all good as far as he’s concerned and he’s able to provide a better life (and better birthday gifts) for his three kids and his ex-wife (Melonie Diaz).

Eventually, he’s arrested and sentenced to 45 years in jail. But he plots a clever escape and evades capture by holing up in a hidden space in a Toys “R” Us store. By day, he surreptitiously keeps tabs on the pompous store manager named Mitch (Peter Dinklage) and staffers Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a recently divorced, hardworking, church-going mom of two girls, as well as meek and mild Otis (Emory Cohen).

At night, Jeffrey disables the security cameras and leaves his “room” to roam the aisles, nosh on candy, and purloin video games, which he will later sell for cash. After learning that Leigh is organizing a toy drive at her church, he grabs toys to donate. When he shows up at the church to drop them off, he introduces himself as John Zorin, from New York. Leigh is intrigued and later, at a church singles event, they hit it off and begin dating. To account for his mysterious comings-and-goings and vague backstory, “John” tells her he is an undercover government agent.

From there, “Roofman” becomes a tale of doomed love as we wait to see how long Jeffrey can keep the ruse going without Leigh suspecting or the police narrowing in. Jeffrey wins not only Leigh’s heart but also the affection of her daughters, sweet and adorable Dee (Kennedy Moyer) and Lindsay (Lily Collias), a moody teenager. We’re rooting for Jeffrey and Leigh’s crazy relationship to work out, though, as mentioned, this is a tale of doomed love …

As such, it’s surprisingly affecting and moving, thanks to sharp direction from Derek Cianfrance and first-rate acting, especially from Tatum, a great casting choice. Tatum’s performance, while very human, exudes more sweetness than menace, more sincerity than malice. And Dunst rings true as a harried mom who wants a second chance at love.

“Roofman” gives us entertaining moments, no doubt, but it’s not quite a dark comedy. Cianfrance – whose previous work includes “Blue Valentine” (2010), “The Place Beyond the Pines” (2012), and “The Light Between Oceans” (2016) – counters the playful, almost whimsical, mood with an undercurrent of sadness. Cianfrance co-wrote the script with Kirt Gunn.

Cinematographer Andrij Parekh uses 35mm to lend a sometimes-garish brightness and Christopher Bear’s subtle piano score reminds us that Jeffrey’s freedom is merely fleeting. “Roofman” manages to climb into your heart and charm you with a heavily flawed main character, full of head-scratching contradictions and unrealized potential.

“Roofman” opened in theaters on Friday, Oct. 10.

Comments

Filed Under: Neo Noir Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

‘Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan’ documentary reveals host’s hidden depths and courageous stance

August 4, 2025 by

Today’s consumers of pop culture and infotainment might not have vivid memories of iconic TV host Ed Sullivan, given that he died more than 50 years ago, at age 73, on Oct. 13, 1974 (about 2,000 people attended his funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York). That said, he made his mark so deeply and was so famous in his day that even people who were too young to watch “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which ran on CBS from 1948-1971, nevertheless recognize his place in showbiz history.

Not that he was a king of cool. Just the opposite – in fact, he came across as staid, old-fashioned and a bit of a fuddy-duddy, particularly with the advent of rock ‘n’ roll. But the show was still the place to reach mainstream America. When the Beatles appeared on the variety show on February 9, 1964, they drew a record-breaking 73 million viewers.

Ed Sullivan talks with Mick Jagger while Keith Richards (right) looks on. When the Rolling Stones performed on the show, Mick found a way to express himself without getting on Sullivan’s bad side. Hence, the Stones were invited back to the show.

Several rock performers made appearances during which they went against the grain – delighting the audience and drawing Sullivan’s ire. Before singing “Light My Fire,” Jim Morrison and the Doors indicated that Morrison would accept Sullivan’s request to substitute “girl, we couldn’t get much better” for “girl, we couldn’t get much higher.” On air, Morrison stuck to his original lyrics. Scandalous! Prior to the Rolling Stones’ appearance, they were told to change “let’s spend the night together” to “let’s spend some time together.” Mick Jagger complied but added a thick layer of sarcasm to his delivery. (To paraphrase Jagger, it wasn’t that what they were doing was especially shocking, it was that people at that time were easily shocked.)

The times were definitely changing. But even before those milestones, Sullivan was changing the course of entertainment in America with his commitment to racial equality and his determination to book Black artists on his show – something that was extremely rare in TV’s early years and an aspect of Sullivan’s character that’s not well remembered today. A fascinating documentary “Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan” directed by the late Sacha Jenkins highlights the lasting impact Sullivan made by challenging the norms of the day and introducing top-tier artists to the country and the world.

“Sunday Best” showcases performances from Sullivan’s guests, including Mahalia Jackson, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, Harry Belafonte, Ray Charles & Billy Preston, The Beatles, Ike & Tina Turner, Bo Diddley, Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, and The Jackson 5. There are also clips of guests Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Sammy Davis Jr., and others.

Photo by Tony Spina, Detroit Free Press
Outside Hitsville USA in 1964, Berry Gordy, Detroit native and founder of Motown Records, shows off The Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go.”

Numerous interviews with luminaries like Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records in Detroit, help to put Sullivan’s fighter’s stance (and the risks he took by standing up to CBS and its sponsors) into context. “With Ed, everything changed,” said Gordy. “He seemed to be fearless.”

On the surface, Sullivan was an unlikely choice for such a prime slot in the CBS lineup. He was not a handsome gladhander or a slick showman. As the documentary points out, Sullivan was pilloried by the press for his lugubrious demeanor, stone-faced expression and sour-looking smile.

But he took the role seriously and brought to the job the skills he’d acquired as a journalist. Growing up in a poor but tightknit family in Harlem (at that time residents were mostly Irish and Jewish), he knew early on he wanted to be a writer. Eventually he became a sports reporter and editor, and developed an eye for identifying and describing the unique traits of great athletes.

After working at many newspapers, by the early 1930s, he was the Broadway columnist at the New York Daily News (and had a fierce rivalry with Walter Winchell). Sullivan worked hard to find the best up-and-coming entertainers (often visiting Harlem clubs) and was extremely confident in his critical judgment of talent. Also, he lauded TV’s ability to give everyone in the audience a front-row seat to a superb performance.

Wilda Crawford and Thomas Lee were the 1940 Lindy Hop dance winners at the Harvest Moon Ball amateur dance competition, which was held annually in NYC.

While still writing his column, he gave radio broadcasts and starred in the 1933 film “Mr. Broadway.” In 1947, CBS televised the Harvest Moon Ball, an amateur dance competition held annually in New York, and Sullivan was the master of ceremonies. The next year, he was selected to host “Toast of the Town” (later renamed “The Ed Sullivan Show”).

By that time, he’d developed a singular stage presence that was dry, straightforward and sincere without being star-struck or sycophantic. “On TV, I’ve been myself and it’s the only thing that saved me,” he said.

In breaking racial barriers, he credited his parents, especially his father, whom he described as sensible and courageous. As Irish immigrants, they’d faced prejudice and ignorance, and were quick to defend an underdog.

“Sunday Best” also gives a glimpse into Sullivan’s personal life. He clearly adored his wife Sylvia and their only child, a daughter named Betty; they were equally devoted to him. Their elegant apartment in the Delmonico Hotel on Park Avenue was packed with photos and other mementos, such as a pair of shoes that had belonged to Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.

By the time Sullivan’s show hit its 20-year mark, the mood and mores in America were far different than they’d been at the time of the program’s launch. The show slowly lost popularity and began to sink in the ratings. Sullivan was angry when in 1971 CBS canceled the show, but he hosted a 25th anniversary special in June 1973.

Though Sullivan could be dictatorial, short-tempered and thin-skinned, his equanimity usually won out. Toward the end of his life, he said, “I had a good long run. I put a good fight for what I believed in. And I have no complaints at all.”

“Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan” was recently released on Netflix.

Comments

Filed Under: Neo Noir Reviews, Noir Stuff Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Despite engrossing story, ‘Shoshana’ lacks emotional core

July 25, 2025 by

 

Director Michael Winterbottom knows how to use the tools of his craft to build a world the audience can enter and, over his long career, has rendered onscreen realities that merge with superb storytelling, across a variety of genres. A few highlights of his work include: “Jude” 1996, “Welcome to Sarajevo” 1997, “Wonderland” 1999, “24 Hour Party People” 2002, “The Road to Guantanamo” 2006, “A Mighty Heart” 2007, “The Killer Inside Me” 2010 and “The Trip” series (starting in 2010 and starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.)

His latest effort is “Shoshana,” a political thriller/drama that takes place in 1930s-1940s British-run Palestine and is based on real-life events and people. For a little background: Britain gained control of Palestine after World War I and, in 1922, the League of Nations granted a mandate over the territory. The mandate, which aimed to establish a national home for the Jewish people while safeguarding the rights of the existing Arab population, ended on May 14, 1948, with the declaration of the State of Israel. Arab nationalists opposed the mandate, leading to violence and clashes with British authorities.

Shoshana (Irina Starshenbaum) and Tom (Douglas Booth) try to keep their love alive.

The film stars Irina Starshenbaum as Shoshana Borochov, a strong-willed Jewish writer and member of the Haganah underground military organization, who’s romantically involved with a smart, charming, easy-on-the-eyes British police officer named Tom Wilkin (Douglas Booth). Tom reports to Geoffrey Morton (Harry Melling), who becomes increasingly ruthless as they pursue Zionist militant Avraham Stern (Aury Alby). At the same time, Shoshana and Tom’s relationship grows more and more fractious.

No doubt, Winterbottom does an excellent job of transporting the viewer to Tel Aviv (shot in Italy) and creating a mood of tension and uncertainty, thanks to seamless production design, wardrobe, music and other period detail. Though riveting and fast-paced, the movie is sometimes a bit hard to follow.

“Shoshana” doesn’t really belong to its eponymous character (it’s hard to connect with what she’s feeling below the surface), and the love story seems more tacked on than central to the narrative. The script, previously titled “Promised Land” and written by Winterbottom, Laurence Coriat and Paul Viragh, doesn’t draw Shoshana and Tom vividly enough. Because their relationship lacks chemistry, they never sizzle, even during their tempestuous scenes. Without much of an emotional core in “Shoshana,” it’s hard to be moved by the actors’ performances, despite the high-stakes situations the characters find themselves in amid the ominous onset of World War II.

“Shoshana” opens in Los Angeles theaters on July 25.

 

Comments

Filed Under: Neo Noir Reviews, Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

‘Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight’ offers richly textured, nuanced portrait of turbulent childhood in Africa

July 9, 2025 by

Childhood comes with a singular sense of time, place, atmosphere, and emotion – which stamps our memory both indelibly and unreliably – as each of us tries to stake out our small corner of the world and understand our place within it.

Exploring this formative chapter of life has long been fertile ground for master filmmakers, and has produced classics of the genre, such as: “Pather Panchali” (1955, Satyajit Ray),  “Les Quatre Cents Coups,”/“The 400 Blows,” (1959, François Truffaut), “Ivan’s Childhood” (1962, Andrei Tarkovsky), “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962, Robert Mulligan), “The Spirit of the Beehive” (1973, Victor Erice), “Fanny and Alexander” (1982, Ingmar Bergman), “Au Revoir Les Enfants” (1987, Louis Malle), “Hope and Glory” (1987, John Boorman), “Celia” (1989, Ann Turner), and “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006, Guillermo del Toro).

A new and notable entry in the category is “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” by Embeth Davidtz, who wrote, directed and acted in the movie. Davidtz adapted the screenplay from Alexandra Fuller’s acclaimed 2001 memoir of the same name. The story, told through the eyes of an 8-year-old child nicknamed Bobo (Lexi Venter), recounts a British family’s life on a farm in Zimbabwe (then known as Rhodesia) during the Rhodesian Bush War, which ended in 1980.

“I fell in love with the book,” said Davidtz, an American-South African actress, at a recent sneak preview at the Laemmle Royal Theatre. Davidtz optioned the book and, though she hadn’t intended to write the screenplay, eventually began chipping away at it and decided to direct as well. “I thought the characters would be amazing in a film and I really wanted to play the part of the mother [Nicola Fuller],” said Davidtz, 59, adding that she felt a kinship with the author, since much of her own childhood was spent in South Africa.

Bobo (Lexi Venter), her mother (Embeth Davidtz) and father (Rob Van Vuuren) know how to fend for themselves.

The film, like the memoir, avoids sentimentality, giving an unvarnished view of the highs and lows of Bobo’s day-to-day life. Her flinty mother (Davidtz) and tough father (Rob Van Vuuren) while fundamentally loving are a far cry from helicopter parents (both sleep with guns at their sides). Bobo’s older sister Vanessa (Anina Reed), almost a teen, considers her a pest. When the family faces a personal tragedy, her mother’s struggles with alcoholism and mental illness are intensified.

As a result, the rough-and-tumble tomboy is often left to her own devices – riding a horse or a motorbike, steering clear of snakes and scorpions. She finds comfort in smoking cigarettes, snuggling up to the family cat or bugging their kind and patient maid Sarah (Zikhona Bali) to tell her a story. Sarah’s affection for Bobo is mixed with resentment at the privilege unfairly bestowed on the child. Sarah’s husband Jacob (Fumani Shilubana) is tired of being patient and urges Sarah not to get attached.

Bobo often turns to Sarah (Zikhona Bali) when she needs a friend.

In its sensitive, even-handed rendering of quotidian routines and rhythms, the film simultaneously captures broader elements: the magnificent beauty of the African landscape, the turbulent upheaval of the war, the dehumanization of Black workers, the often-hardscrabble existence of the tenant farmers.

Briskly paced (Davidtz’s narrative is much shorter than Fuller’s) and evocatively shot in South Africa by cinematographer Willie Nel, not far from where Davidtz grew up, this ambitious first feature succeeds as an assured and poignant foray into storytelling that resonates long after the ending. “It echoes and mirrors my own childhood,” said Davidtz at the Laemmle q&a.

Bobo and her older sister Vanessa (Anina Reed) share a moment.

She credits much of the film’s authenticity to Fuller’s contributions. “Alexandra Fuller was extremely involved in the process of getting me ready to write the screenplay and make the film,” said Davidtz. “She really educated me on the difference between the Zimbabwean story and the South African story. She was very exacting, and her help was invaluable. I don’t think I would have the details I have without her.”

But perhaps most impressive of Davidtz’s accomplishments is the spontaneous and nuanced acting from her cast, especially the knockout performance from newcomer Lexi Venter, who had no previous acting experience.

Zikhona Bali, Lexi Venter and Embeth Davidtz promote the film.

Davidtz explained: “I sent out a Facebook post and I said I need a dirty, feral, wild-haired, barefoot, grubby little child – a kid who has grown up barefoot and dirty like I did. And someone knew someone who said, ‘I know a kid like that.’ ”

As soon as they met, Davidtz said, she knew she’d found the right child. Of course, directing a non-actor had its challenges. “There’s a lot of antics – it was me saying, ‘now look sad, now look over here, now look over there’ and then piecing things together. But she has star power, she has that face and she has spirit.”

“I really wanted to play the part of the mother [Nicola Fuller],” said actress, writer and director Embeth Davidtz.

Additionally, she went through an exhaustive search to cast Zikhona Bali. “I think I saw every wonderful South African Black actress of that age group and the minute I saw her take, because she was so still and so deep and had so much humanity, I knew she was the right person.”

Clearly, Davidtz was the right person to helm the project and highlight the experiences of strong, complicated, multidimensional women. And her willingness to take a risk – financially and creatively – paid off. As she puts it: “I approached American producers, and nobody wanted to touch this material. I think people were very scared of the race aspect. It was just too threatening a subject matter to go near. So, I cobbled together the tiniest budget … I put in some of my own money, we got money in South Africa, and it really was stitched together. Every part of this has been a miracle.”

“Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” opens in Los Angeles theaters on July 11.

Comments

Filed Under: Noir Style, Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

‘The Seven Year Itch’ turns 70; see it on the big screen

June 6, 2025 by

The Girl: I think it’s wonderful that you’re married. I think it’s just elegant.

Richard Sherman: You do?

The Girl: Of course. I mean, I wouldn’t be lying on the floor in the middle of the night in some man’s apartment drinking champagne if he wasn’t married.

Richard Sherman: That’s an interesting line of reasoning.

Ah, sweltering New York summers, sipping champagne with flirty neighbors, creative ways to cool off (think subway-grate breezes and a billowy white dress) and the gorgeously radiant comic genius, The Girl aka Marilyn Monroe. Come and see her on the big screen in “The Seven Year Itch” on Wednesday, June 25, at Laemmle Royal Theatre, part of the Anniversary Classics Series.

 

 

Based on George Axelrod’s 1952 play and co-starring Tom Ewell, reprising his stage role, the film was well received, though director Billy Wilder, who co-wrote the screenplay with Axelrod, felt hindered by the Hays Code. Nevertheless, Monroe’s captivating, charismatic performance makes the movie well worth watching.

Can you think of a better way to spend a Los Angeles summer night? We at FNB cannot.

 

Comments

Filed Under: Noir Style Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Clive Owen plays cards close to his chest in compelling ‘Croupier’ revisited after 25 years

June 6, 2025 by

Clive Owen and critic Stephen Farber discuss “Croupier” Wednesday night at the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles.

Writers are a bit like gamblers. They look for lucky breaks, they hope agents or editors will give their work a chance, they meet deadlines with a nervous mix of triumph and trepidation. Win, lose or break even, they keep taking the bet.

This comparison comes to life in “Croupier,” a British neo-noir directed by Mike Hodges and starring Clive Owen, which released in the US in 2000 and put Owen on the path to Hollywood stardom. The film screened Wednesday night at the Laemmle Royal, as part of the Anniversary Classics Series, with Owen in attendance.

Clive Owen plays it cool in the casino.

Owen plays Jack Manfred, a man in need of a job and a writer in search of material. He finds it amid the grit, stale glamour and greed at the Golden Lion casino in London – a job his cheerful grifter father Jack Sr. (Nicholas Ball) has secured for him. His dad likely has had more downs than ups in his business ventures, but breezily pretends to be a big success.

Night after night, cooly detached Jack sees people at their worst as he encounters shady players, sweaty addicts and sexy ladies. While we see him deal cards, we hear the voiceover of his novel in progress based on his observations at the casino – his inner monologue is reminiscent of the flashback VO recounted by screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) in “Sunset Boulevard” (Billy Wilder, 1950).

Gina McKee as Marion sits by her man, Jack (Clive Owen).

When not working, Jack is writing or sleeping, and friction grows with his supportive, supremely loyal, live-in girlfriend Marion (Gina McKee), a department-store security guard. She’s put off by the cynical tone of his book and by the main character who enjoys seeing people lose.

Though Jack says he cannot tolerate cheaters and claims he never gambles, he is a scribe on the sly, after all, and it’s not long before he performs some slick shuffling of his moral code – his risk-taking begins with entanglements that put his job on the line. He’s drawn to co-worker Bella (Kate Hardie) and flirts with a mysterious casino patron hailing from South Africa named Jani (Alex Kingston). “If you don’t call me, I’ll understand, but I hope that you do,” she informs him matter of factly, as she hands him her phone number.

Yani (Alex Kingston) does her femme fatale finest to lure Jack into a scheme.

Not surprisingly, this cig-puffing femme fatale leads Jack further down the road of debauchery, tempting him with a simple role in an inside-job robbery. Steely-eyed, laconic Jack exudes an enigmatic intensity and shows little to no emotion – except on the rare occasion when he completely loses control.

Fast paced with brisk editing and harsh, bleak lighting (nary a noir shadow here), “Croupier” is smart, engrossing, entertaining and laced with moments of dry humor.

Paul Mayersberg’s suspenseful script touches on sexual politics, class divisions, family dynamics, creating art, the duality of human nature and the randomness of existence. If the ending is slightly pat, it doesn’t spoil the story. Owen gives a fine performance as the unflinching anti-hero and his fellow cast members meet him every step of the way, each shining in their roles.

At Wednesday’s screening, critic Stephen Farber and veteran producer/marketing luminary Mike Kaplan introduced the film. Known for his ingenuity and dogged tenacity, Kaplan rescued “Croupier” from almost-certain obscurity. Released with virtually no promotion, the movie (which reportedly had a budget of £3 million) didn’t do well in England.


Director Mike Hodges (1932-2022) remarked at the time, “It wasn’t released. It escaped.” Hodges also directed “Get Carter” (1971), “Pulp” (1972), “Flash Gordon” (1980) and reunited with both Owen and Kaplan for 2003’s “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.” He hoped “Croupier” would fare better in America if Kaplan got involved.

“It played for a week in London and it was gone,” said Kaplan. “It was a tragedy because it’s a great movie, but it wasn’t recognized as such … It had an amazing texture of violence with a lot of integrity. It’s technically perfect and it introduced Clive Owen to an international audience in a performance that’s unlike any other.”

Humphrey Bogart, shown here in 1940, was one of many actors’ names critics mentioned in their reviews of “Croupier.” Last year, in a TV miniseries, Owen played Sam Spade, one of Bogart’s most iconic roles.

So, Kaplan championed the film – coming up with a brilliant ad campaign highlighting major actors Owen had been compared to in critics’ reviews. The esteemed list included Humphrey Bogart, Richard Widmark, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, James Mason, Nicolas Cage, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood. “It played at the Fairfax Theatre (now closed) for two weeks and ran at the Aero, which was a second-run theater at the time, for several months,” said Kaplan.

Farber summed up: “It turned out to be a tremendous success and everybody in Hollywood took notice.”

After the film, Owen talked with Farber. Already an established actor in England, Owen recalled that the script intrigued him, especially the dialogue, which was not naturalistic. “The combination of Mike Hodges who’s very specific, very noir, very grounded and Paul Mayersberg who’s very intellectual and abstract in some ways [results in] the scenes having a kind of heightened quality,” said Owen.

Farber asked him to talk about his co-stars. “It was a great cast Mike Hodges put together,” said Owen. “The actors embraced the non-naturalistic style of dialogue and when you’re all committed to it, then the thing can sing.”

Owen added that he loves noir and has returned to the genre over the course of his career, most recently playing Dashiell Hammett’s famous private detective in the “Monsieur Spade” TV miniseries, which ran last year on AMC.

Actress Gina McKee epitomizes the good-girl archetype.

During the audience Q&A, noted Los Angeles writer and publisher of artsmeme.com, Debra Levine asked Owen to share his thoughts about the three female characters and the actresses who played them. She pointed out, in classic noir, there’s a bombshell who brings the character down and, in this film, the women have different trajectories, especially Gina McKee’s character.

Owen responded: “I actually think all the women in their own way are very strong in this movie. They’re all very independent. When I look at it, I think it’s refreshing. I think they are really great parts for women. They’re interesting and they’re powerful women. I think, especially considering it was made 25 years ago, they’re really well written parts and were fun to play. They were all really good actresses as well.”

For him, he acknowledged, the film was a major gear change, radically shifting everything. Said Owen: “It’s something that stayed with me ever since.”

 

Comments

Filed Under: Neo Noir Reviews, Noir Style Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Happy birthday, Miss Monroe! Your beautiful memory lives on

June 1, 2025 by

Marilyn was born June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles.

Happy birthday to the amazing Marilyn Monroe! She would have been 99 today.

Read more about her and see more photos here.

 

 

Comments

Filed Under: Noir Style Tagged With: ,

Add a little Marilyn to your Monday at the Culver Theater

October 7, 2024 by

In honor of MGM’s 100th anniversary, Culver City’s Culver Theater is running a classic film series on Monday nights: The Lion’s Roar: MGM at 100. On Monday, Oct.7, at 7 p.m., you can see the great Marilyn Monroe, looking particularly luminous, in one of her early roles. Watching “The Asphalt Jungle,” a riveting film noir about a failed heist, on the big screen allows you to fully appreciate Monroe’s magic as well as Harold Rosson’s terrific black-and-white cinematography. Rosson earned an Oscar nom for his work as did John Huston (for directing and co-writing with Ben Maddow) and supporting actor Sam Jaffe.

For more details, FNB has pulled a review from the archive (see below) and if you’re interested in more info on the founding of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, be sure to read Chris Yogerst’s excellent story in The Hollywood Reporter, published earlier this year.

The screening series at Culver Theater runs through Dec. 30.

 

Huston explores ‘Asphalt Jungle’ with an unflinching eye

The Asphalt Jungle/1950/MGM/112 min.

“The Asphalt Jungle” was a departure in that it humanized its villains.

“The Asphalt Jungle” was a departure in that it humanized its villains.

“The Asphalt Jungle” from 1950 by director John Huston is rightly considered a masterpiece. Excellent storytelling and an outstanding cast, including Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Sam Jaffe, Jean Hagen and Marilyn Monroe, have helped it stand the test of time.

But its stark, unwavering realism is not for everyone. Louis B. Mayer, head of MGM, where Huston made the movie, had this to say about the flick: “That ‘Asphalt Pavement’ thing is full of nasty, ugly people doing nasty things. I wouldn’t walk across the room to see a thing like that.”

This small but pivotal role helped put Marilyn on the map.

This small but pivotal role helped put Marilyn on the map.

Um, did he not see luminous and fragile Monroe as mistress Angela Phinlay? Huston portrays a gang of thieves as flawed humans trying to make a living. “We all work for our vice,” explains menschlike mastermind Doc Erwin Riedenschneider (Jaffe). Recently released from jail, Doc has planned every detail of a $1 million jewel robbery and seeks to round up the best craftsmen he can find for one last heist.

A fat wallet means Doc can head to Mexico and court all the nubile girls he can handle. Dix Handley (Hayden), a tough guy with swagger to spare, hopes to pay his debts and return to his beloved horses in Kentucky. Getaway driver Gus Minissi (James Whitmore) is sick of running his dingy diner. Bookie ‘Cobby’ Cobb (Marc Lawrence) covets booze. Safecracker Louis Ciavelli (Anthony Caruso) has a wife and kid to support. Alonzo ‘Lon’ Emmerich (Calhern) is a wealthy but overspent lawyer who wants to be solvent again.

“You may not admire these people, but I think they’ll fascinate you,” says Huston in an archive clip included on the DVD. They pull it off, but what heist would be complete without a doublecross and crossing paths with the police?

In this macho, man’s-world movie, there is alas no femme fatale. But rest assured there are flawed women aplenty. Hagen plays the neurotic Doll, a struggling performer, and her vice is Dix. Monroe, as Lon’s barely legal girlfriend, orders mackerel for his breakfast, flips through travel magazines and is fond of saying, “Yipes!” Lon’s bed-ridden wife May (Dorothy Tree) wishes Lon were home more often. Teresa Celli plays dutiful wife Maria Ciavelli.

Said Huston of Marilyn: “She had no techniques. It was all the truth, it was only Marilyn.” (He later directed her in “The Misfits.”)

Said Huston of Marilyn: “She had no techniques. It was all the truth, it was only Marilyn.” (He later directed her in “The Misfits.”)

The actors complement each other deftly. Jaffe, both sage and seedy (when he lusts after pretty young things) is particularly entertaining; he nabbed an Oscar nom for best supporting actor. Helping his rich characterization is the fact that he gets some terrific lines, for instance: “Just when you think you can trust a cop, he goes legit.”

The movie is full of such dry asides. The whip-smart script, by Huston and Ben Maddow, also scored an Oscar nom. W.R. Burnett‘s novel provided the source material, though the book told its story from the police point of view; Huston and Maddow flipped the perspective. Huston was also nominated for best director; Harold Rosson for best B&W cinematography. (None won.)

“Asphalt Jungle” is the only noir I know of that’s set not in NYC, LA, Chicago or London, but in a smaller city in the Midwest, usually seen as the bedrock of integrity, and it’s fun to try to figure out exactly where this is happening.

The dark film was a departure for MGM—known for upbeat, lavish, escapist fare—but the studio’s production chief Dore Schary ushered in a period of social consciousness for the company, notes Drew Casper, film scholar and author of “Post-War Hollywood Cinema 1946-1962,” in his DVD commentary.

Rififi posterAs for the look of the film, Casper points out that in addition to elements of Expressionism (fractured frames and diagonals or horizontals blunting verticals to create tension), Huston’s experience filming war documentaries as well as the work of Italian Neo-realism (1945’s “Open City” by Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica’s “The Bicycle Thief” from 1948) also influenced his visuals.

In turn, Huston’s groundbreaking movie clearly had an impact on the great Jules Dassin, director of 1955’s “Rififi,” one of the best of all noirs. “Asphalt Jungle” was remade three times: “Badlanders” (1958), “Cairo” (1962), and “Cool Breeze” (1972). None is considered as good as the original.

Dry but never dull, “Jungle” is a straight-shooting portrait that undermines Hollywood’s often-moralizing and hypocritical gloss. “Crime is only a left-handed form of human endeavor,” as Lon so matter-of-factly puts it. Yipes!

Comments

Filed Under: Classic Noir Reviews, Noir Stuff Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Next Page »