Year: 1946Director: Tay GarnettStars: Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil KellawayWhen people are done naming historical figures, corporations or celebrities, the diner is one of the quintessential fixtures of American iconography. Broadly the diner connects to the vast country's optimism and self-perceived innocence.Particularly the imagery strikes a chord with the first half of the twentieth century, … Continue reading Why I Love… #102: The Postman Always Rings Twice
Year: 1955 Director: Robert Aldrich Stars: Ralph Meeker (Mike Hammer), Cloris Leachman (Christina Bailey), Maxine Cooper (Velda Wickman), Albert Dekker (Dr G. E. Soberin), Fortunio Bonanova (Carmen Trivago), Paul Stewart (Carl Evello), Marian Carr (Friday). Genre: Film Noir Well, what a nasty piece of work this is. Deliciously so. Based on Mickey Spillane's bestseller, Robert … Continue reading Why I Love… #44: Kiss Me Deadly
Year: 1945 Director: Michael Curtiz Stars: Joan Crawford (Mildred Pierce), Jack Carson (Wally Fay), Zachary Scott (Monte Beragon), Ann Blyth (Veda Pierce), Eve Arden (Ida Corwin), Bruce Bennett (Bert Pierce) Genre: Melodrama / Film Noir Michael Curtiz’s Mildred Pierce is a film of pure class. The kind of film that feels like an indulgence to … Continue reading Why I Love… #21: Mildred Pierce
Year: 2001 Director: Joel Coen Stars: Billy Bob Thornton (Ed Crane), Frances McDormand (Doris Crane), James Gandolfini (Big Dave Brewster), Michael Badalucco (Frank), Scarlett Johansson (Birdy Abundas), Tony Shalhoub (Freddy Riedenschneider), Richard Jenkins (Walter Abundas), Jon Polito (Creighton Tolliver) Genre: Film Noir / Comedy Pick your favourite Coen Brothers movie. Go on, pick. Got one? … Continue reading Why I Love… #19: The Man Who Wasn’t There
Year: 2001 Director: David Lynch Stars: Naomi Watts (Betty/Diane), Laura Elena Harring (Rita/Camilla), Justin Theroux (Adam Kesher) Genre: Mystery / Film-Noir David Lynch’s cinema has always been pre-occupied with dreams. From Eraserhead’s monochrome nightmare to INLAND EMPIRE’s freefall spiral of images, the enigmatic director’s work has been driven by a fascination with the subconscious and … Continue reading Why I Love… #1: Mulholland Drive
