Best New-to-Me: December 2023

 My last post and last New-to-Me list of 2023. I actually did a list for every month this year which is the baseline of consistency I was looking to accomplish in this space. As always, thanks for reading those and the other little lists and reviews I've managed to put up this year. If you have not checked it out already, please take a look at my French Crime Christmas movie list and reviews. I watched a lot of other great flicks in December, but I still think Paris Pick-Up is probably my discovery of the month. Much like in November, I've been getting out to the theater very regularly as the onslaught of festival films starts to hit our shores and awards season approaches. I love our local repertory scene but it's also fun to go out to new movies with other people who are excited to see them - even if the films don't always land cleanly with me. I'm definitely looking forward to the Film Independent Spirit Awards screenings starting next month for similar reasons. There are always some great movies programmed and there's at least a touch of that festival energy in the air. Anyway I hope you had a good holiday or at least a break from the grind and here are the final new-to-me movies of the year.

T.R. Baskin (1971) - Baskin is a movie I'd heard of  but had no inkling of where to watch it until it was recently released by Fun City Editions. It stars Candice Bergen as the titular Baskin - a young woman who recently moved to Chicago looking to find "fame and fortune" and herself to a degree. Her story is told largely through flashback during a confessional conversation she has with a traveling businessman played by Peter Boyle - who was under the impression that she was some kind of escort. The film is a genuine curiosity - in many ways it fits within the milieu of New Hollywood films but bucks against the themes and conventions the movement is often associated with. The story centers squarely on a woman, she's a fully realized character, and though she is sexually objectified by men around her, it's not really the story about sex lives or sexual awakenings (quite a contrast to Carnal Knowledge which came out the same year starring Bergen). It's also shot fully on location in Chicago which was extremely rare at the time and gives the film a unique look and feel compared to the deluge of of New York and Los Angeles movies that are synonymous with the period. The films cover reads "Candice Bergen Is T.R. Baskin" and that statement couldn't ring more true. If there was ever a woman born to play this role, it's Bergen. Although she was quite young at the time, there's this inherent maturity to Bergen that fits Baskin perfectly - the character both being naive about city living and possessing an incredible astuteness in her observations. Boyle is also tremendous in his role as a sad-sack foil to Baskin's unrelenting wit. It's a complete about-face from his breakout role in Joe only one year previous. The film does employ a plot conceit that's a touch awkward for me, but it's overflowing with rich dialogue, great performances, and a brilliant collection of Chicago location work. The disc looks terrific and supplemental features add some great context to what is a real discovery for me this year.

One False Move (1991) - This definitely falls into the better-late-than-never category. I'm not sure what's been keeping me from watching Carl Franklin's relentlessly hardboiled 90s neo-noir standout, but I knew that grabbing a copy of the Criterion 4k would ensure that I finally got around to it. There are a couple of aesthetic choices that I did not love but One False Move has a violent authenticity to it that apparently stems from both Franklin's biography (he sets up a scene similarly to how he saw someone get shot) as well as extensive conversations between LAPD and writers Thornton and Epperson. Bill Paxton totally inhabits the character of Dale Dixon but I was truly impressed with Cynda Williams and Michael Beach in their comparatively nuanced performances. You probably don't need me to recommend this one to you but if you need a nudge, you have been nudged.

 Dirty Money (1972) - Another absolute 70s Quebecois crime banger from the good people of Canadian International Pictures. I was under the impression that Dirty Money would be more of a comedy but I didn't really perceive it as such. It's frequently compared to Blood Simple and like that film, it does have a certain dark irony and there is a stark absurdity to its brutality. However, also like the Coen's debut, Dirty Money delivers on low budget yet hard hitting genre goods. I'm absolutely loving these crime films coming from CIP so I hope more are in the works.

Les Cousins/The Cousins (1959) - I've been watching a lot of Chabrol this year and especially in December so I'm going to cover a few in a row. I'm trying not to just include all of them but this truly has been a rewarding pursuit and one I'm happy to continue into next year. Cousins was supposed to be Chabrol's debut feature but he was able to put the funding together for Le Beau Serge first so Cousins had to wait. Still one of the earliest Nouvelle Vague pictures out of the gate, it mirrors Serge in many ways. The country is exchanged for the city and while the two leads aren't a precise exchange of their previous roles, Jean-Claude Brialy becomes the brasher character while Gerard Blain assumes an introspective demeanor. I like both films but Cousins is more indicative of the kind of Chabrol movies I've become such a fan of - bad behavior, class conflict, generational strife, deceit, and generous helpings of existential angst. Henri Decaë shot both films and while the neo-realist informed Serge is undoubtedly a handsome picture, Decaë seems more assured in the urban milieu - street scenes, driving sequences, and a camera lurking around corners, capturing stolen moments. The leads are both excellent but Cousins was also the screen debut of Juliette Mayniel. She's probably best known for Eyes Without a Face but I really fell in love with her watching Night of the Hunted last month. She delivers an impressive performance as the woman caught between the desires of the cousins as well as her own. 

La Femme Infidèle/The Unfaithful Wife (1968) - The first film in Chabrol's Hélène cycle and perhaps the original text for the "Chabrol-ian" thriller. Stéphane Audran (Chabrol's wife at the time) plays a beautiful woman who is bored in her marriage to a successful insurance executive played by Michel Bouquet. The film follows them as they go through the motions of their bourgeois life but suspicions are aroused around how Audran's character spends her free time. The plot beats for La Femme couldn't be more straightforward though the finale does twist ever so slightly - however it's how everything is presented that makes this such a powerful viewing experience. The deliberate pacing, the wry sense of humor, the character studies all conspire to rachet up the tension and hold the viewer in suspense. If I had a better mind for classic films I'm sure I could see more of the Hitchcockian references on display but there are certainly some nods towards Psycho and Vertigo that even I could pluck out. I've been hopping all around Chabrol's filmography this year, but this might be where I recommend people start if they're interested in his thriller mode of filmmaking. 

Poulet au Vinaigre/Cop au Vin (1984) - I've seen this get some middling reviews from people who I think must either be expecting something more shocking or something more conventional. In Poulet Chabrol delivers something akin to an Agatha Christie mystery but the investigation doesn't even start until midway through the film. However (and this is something that I've noticed in a lot of French mystery stories) the first hour of the film is spent painstakingly immersing the viewer in all of the local intrigue that's as important if not more important than the details of the murder. I was able to re-watch some of the scenes with commentary from Chabrol (thanks to Arrow's truly excellent box set) and he sets it all up so beautifully that it's impossible not to admire his craftsmanship. This is perhaps on the lighter side of his filmography but I really enjoyed it and actually prefer it to the more conventional Inspector Levardin films that would follow.

Betty (1992) - A somewhat detached but no less engrossing tale of a woman (Marie Trintignant) spiraling into self-destruction following the implosion of her bourgeois life. The present storyline unfolds in a bizarre limbo-like hotel and restaurant somewhere "near Versailles" and the tale of Betty's downfall is revealed via interwoven flashbacks (and occasionally flashbacks within flashbacks). The style doesn't feel overwrought and though Betty has thriller plot beats at a distance, the execution feels much closer to an arthouse film. Trintignant is very good and Stéphane Audran is tremendous and even heartbreaking as the affluent older woman who takes Betty into her care. Following the release of La Cérémonie, Chabrol addressed why so many of his films were centered around women, "They live in a world that is still very macho. So to be heroines, they don't have to do extraordinary things. It's enough for them to be women to have very real problems." While the situation the women of Betty find themselves in is hardly universal, their struggles around desire, addiction, and self-worth are highly relatable. 

Ménage (1986) - The cinematic personification of "Be Gay, Do Crimes." Whatever philosophy actually drives Bertrand Blier is not clear to me other than his love of chaos, provocation, and absurdity. I also have to wonder what Gerard Depardieu was really like as a younger man (he seems mostly horrible as an older one). I read Ménage as a largely a joyous expression of ridiculousness but, as always with Blier, your mileage may vary.

Italianamaerican (1974) - I've been on a slight Scorsese binge with Killers of the Flower Moon in theaters this year and After Hours and Mean Streets releasing on 4K. His early documentary where he interviews his parents is as effortlessly charming as they both would prove to be in his fictional work. There are conversational beats in this film that are essentially echoes of their later performances in films that I've totally internalized after a youth spent watching them on repeat. I love that the conversation settles around storytelling as an artform as Scorsese's own work is so frequently fueled by a recreation of oral storytelling - either through first person narration or iconic scenes of characters sharing anecdotes. I also watched American Boy and would recommend that as well if only to hear the original version of Pulp Fiction's famous overdose scene.

Full Time (2021) - I loved Laure Calamy in Origin of Evil which I saw earlier this year so perhaps I would have tracked this down one way or another - but I confess that I was definitely nudged towards watching Full Time after hearing Samm Deighan recorded a commentary track for Music Box Film's blu ray release. Either way, I'm so glad to have watched it. I think there's a fair criticism that the politics of Full Time isn't exhaustively articulated - however I think it presents perfectly well a perspective from a person struggling to put the pieces together in the face of repeated hardship and frustration. A key point of the film and the source of its anxiety inducing kinetics is Julie's problems getting from her (presumably) more affordable suburban home to her job in Paris in the midst of a transit strike. The strike and the transit workers are largely without a voice in the film, only providing an obstacle to Julie's frantic attempts to keep her life on the rails - but that's part of the insidiousness of the system we're in. Julie may well be sympathetic to the transit workers' plight (she does not criticize them in the film) but it doesn't stop her from having to get to work, to pick up her children, to feed them, and to try to improve her lot. Julie's one source of optimism is her pending application for a corporate marketing job - one which she is actually overqualified for - which could be seen as politically reactionary. Scrambling at all costs - including abusing the trust of her co-workers - to get out of a working class position at a hotel to achieve the incremental victory of landing in the white collar world. However, I don't know that the film even paints this possible future as particularly promising. It's a respite perhaps, the boot is lifted ever so slightly for a moment, but there's no reason to think that the corporate churn will treat her much better.

Mademoiselle (1966) - Tony Richardson's largely French study in cruelty is a bit of a conundrum to me. On the one hand, it's beautifully shot and Jeanne Moreau's portrayal of an icy sociopath is as good as anything she's ever done. No small part of me wants to see this theatrically as soon as possible. On the other hand there's elements of Mademoiselle that come off as ham-fisted: the clunky Freudian imagery, the seemingly actual pain and death inflicted on animals, and the idea that Jeanne Moreau has somehow been driven mad from sexual frustration doesn't quite convince. It's still a hell of a movie and well worth seeking out if you think you can stomach it. Richardson is a huge blind spot for me and it sounds like Mademoiselle is somewhat singular in his filmography. Still, I'd like to watch more of his stuff.

The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974) - I confess that I do not universally adore the M.R. James "Ghost Story for Christmas" adaptations but Abbot Thomas is now one of my favorites. Genuinely disturbing and spooky with a terrific final sting. It follows the usual story of academics failing to heed the warnings of older, esoteric arts and finding the darkness that lurks in hidden places. Good stuff!

Theatrical Screenings!

The Holdovers (2023) - Genuinely excellent. I wondered if the 70s setting was just going to be aesthetic gimmickry or pasted-on nostalgia but I was very pleasantly surprised. It is definitely a nod towards a certain kind of film from the 70s (Hal Ashby comes immediately to mind) but it's also an authentic part of the story being told. I think all of the performances are solid and I couldn't be happier to see Da'Vine Joy Randolph getting some award nominations. I'm sure part of this was just due to my recent visit but I totally nerded out in Rick Dalton meme fashion when they visit Brattle Book Shop in Boston. 

 The Boy and the Heron (2023) - Every bit as visually arresting as I thought it would be. Stunning images and ideas - some of them disturbing, some of them silly, and some of them reflective. Heron (more appropriately titled How to Live originally) touches on most of Miyazaki's visual motifs - nature, grotesquerie, transport, work, labyrinthine interior spaces, etc. - and appears to have direct references to his previous films. I was surprised how often I could see reflections of the Castle of Cagliostro in this, but I've been perhaps over-invested in that film since the early 90s. Thematically, I felt things getting a little muddled. I wasn't connecting particularly well to the emotional thrust of the film and often wasn't that invested in its characters. Of course the mere existence of a new Miyazaki film in 2023 is reason to celebrate but I don't know that this is one that will become as dear to me as his previous efforts. 

Found Footage Festival Vol. 10 (2023) - I've enjoyed the Found Footage Festival for years now but had not managed to make it out to a live show before. I can't imagine missing one now. I haven't laughed so hard during anything in recent memory and was amazed when they showed a bunch of clips from my home town's public access channel! I was invited by friends and did not realize that Strange Tapes was opening the show. Not only did Scott show some hilarious stuff but I believe Strange Tapes is where I first discovered Hamburger Dad which is the kind of debt I'll never be able to repay.

Poor Things (2023) - The latest phantasmagoria from Yorgos Lanthimos is definitely in line with his previous work. It's by turns grotesque, hilarious, and filled with excellent (if highly affected) performances. I also found it to be perhaps his slightest piece yet. The Favourite was similarly bombastic but even that had something more to chew on - the self actualization tale being told in Poor Things doesn't feel particularly provocative or revelatory. Looking in to the source novel, it seems that Yorgos and McNamara excised a significant element that would have possibly convoluted their film a step too far but also appears to (I haven't read it so I'm hypothesizing) add some complexity and focus to the thornier issues that the film breezes by. In no way would I discourage you from seeing Poor Things and I'm always willing to allow cinematic stylists exist as just that. I always like to consider the films that captured my imagination as a younger viewer that are less that perfectly realized in hindsight. Poor Things could very easily be that influential piece of fantastique for someone else, I just wish it was as rich in ideas as it is in aesthetics.

Ferrari (2023) - I hate to end the year on a sour note, but I found Ferrari to be incredibly dull. Fine performances I suppose but I failed to give a shit about anything that was happening. People seem to like it so it might just be me but I was struggling to stay conscious during Mann's latest and that's definitely disappointing. Maybe Heat 2 should remain a novel.

That's a wrap on 2023, thanks so much for reading and I'd always love to hear your thoughts on any of these you've watched. Happy New Year!

Crimes de Noël - Four French Crime Films for Christmas

 Alternative Christmas movie watchlists have been going strong for years now and there's no shortage of resources to turn towards if you're looking for action, horror, thriller, or noir films with at least a tinge of holiday spirit. While I'm not the world's largest holiday movie enthusiast, I did think it would be fun to offer a list that I think you're only likely to find on this blog: French Christmas Crime Films! The degree of holiday trappings varies amongst these four films but they all take place firmly within the season so it's more than just a nod towards Christmas during a narrative that covers years of a character's life. However you celebrate (or don't) during the winter months, why not plunk down and enjoy some murder, existential angst, and the dark heart of the holidays.

Un Flic (1972) - If you are somehow unfamiliar with the work of Jean-Pierre Melville, I don't know that I'd recommend starting with his final film. However, if you have seen his other Delon films and either haven't seen Flic or haven't seen it in many years - this could be a great chance to catch up to it. Opening with a dreary seaside robbery and proceeding through a grim, wintry Paris - Flic presents a blue/grey modernist pallor that stands in stark contrast to the normally vibrant holiday colors. It's an incredibly stylish and stylized effort from Melville and one that's attracted admiration and dismissal in equal measure. Though Melville's use of rear projection, painted backdrops, and anachronistic details doesn't bother most viewers, his very obvious use of scale models during an otherwise tense railway heist sequence appears to be a step too far for many. For my own part, I can't fully subscribe to Melville's apologists for this artifice and yet it also doesn't prevent me from enjoying the film immensely. Flic is still a marvelous immersion into Melville's themes and symbols and I think it's a fascinating piece of hardboiled fiction even if it doesn't rise to the level of his greatest work. Delon is at his icy best before he started to become a caricature of his own cinematic persona and Richard Crenna (most recognizable to modern audiences as Col. Trautman from the Rambo films) performs admirably as his foil. Flic also stars Catherine Deneuve in a supporting role, but one that's uncharacteristically developed for female roles in Melville's filmography. There isn't an abundance of Christmas references in the film, but it is present particularly in Delon's many long drives through the city.

Who Killed Santa Claus? (1941) - Who Killed Santa Claus spends its first 45 minutes detailing the characters and intrigue inhabiting the French mountain town in which it is set: the local schoolmaster (an avowed atheist) is in love with the daughter of the local globe maker who also plays the role of Father Christmas for the town children every year. The globe maker's daughter lives in a world of her own fantasies and faerie stories, largely indifferent towards the schoolmaster's advances. There's a widow who wanders the town searching for her long lost cat. The local nobleman has returned from a years-long global journey during which he might have contracted leprosy? Most ominously, there's an shadowy figure roaming the streets at night who may be looking to steal the priceless jewel that hangs on the church nativity scene. Finally, there are the town children including one depressed little boy who has a bad leg and needs some Christmas cheer. It's a scenario heaving underneath the weight of its plot  and things only get stickier when theft and murder enter the picture. Honestly, the film doesn't resolve in a particularly satisfying way but it still has tremendous atmosphere - all the Christmas decorations, the Father Christmas scenes, the wintry mountain town. It's ethereal and has moments both fantastic and haunting. The movie is stolen (for me) by Marie-Hélène Dasté as La mère Michel wandering the streets in a veil, looking for her lost cat Mistou, and offering dire proclamations: "Everyone, everyday, loses a small piece of life." 

Farewell, Friend (1968) - Another Alain Delon film pitting him against an American actor, in this case none other than Charles Bronson. It's the story of two French Legionnaires, Delon and Bronson, returning to Marseilles after a deployment in Algeria. As part of an awkward scheme to return some bearer bonds to a financial institution before they're discovered to be missing, Delon plots to break in and crack their safe over Christmas weekend. Bronson insinuates himself into the job after overhearing millions could be held there and the two manage to get themselves locked into the vault room with no food or water. While they are initially at complete odds with each other, they ultimately join forces to escape and realize there's more to the heist than they imagined. Farewell, Friend has a somewhat bizarre structure that subverts many expectations one might have for a heist film but it's still such a visually rich thriller that focuses more on bonds of friendship and an honor code instantly recognizable to fans of Melville, Woo, or Mann. The film truly leans into the physicality of both actors and Bronson's rough playfulness counters Delon's reserve rather well. Of contextual interest to Bronson fans, Farewell, Friend was his first big European hit which set the then journeyman actor on the path to international stardom. Bronson would only ever play leading and co-leading roles for years to follow. 

Paris Pick-Up (1962) -  Pick-Up is a Parisian noir set during Christmas Eve and the events play out mostly over the same night running into Christmas Day. Robert Hossein plays a man returning home who encounters and pursues a beautiful married woman played by Lea Massari. They're both looking for someone to help alleviate their loneliness on Christmas but they both have dark secrets they'd rather not reveal to each other. They walk the empty streets, visit each other's respective empty apartments and navigate the pronounced sexual tension between them. The intrigue only increases following an unexpected death and the methodical reveal of those secrets. It's impossible to talk too much about the plot without spoiling it so it will have to suffice to say that Pick-Up is an elegant and melancholy dive into the darkness and isolation the holiday season means for so many people. It takes elements from American noir narrative conventions but also has strong elements of the "doomed lovers" of French poetic realism (Port of Shadows comes to mind). The film is bursting with holiday aesthetic from Parisian shopping sequences, Massari's decorated apartment, and even a midnight mass. I'm often taken by these 60s cool gallic interpretations of the genre and this was my favorite "discovery" of the list. I'd love to see Pick-Up in a collection of international or French noir films like we've seen from Kino Lorber and Radiance and it's certainly deserving of a wider audience.

Joyeux Noël!

Best New-to-Me: November 2023

 With the end of the year soon approaching and the holiday season fully upon us, I'm actually a little surprised at how many movies I've been watching. I've been getting out to the theater more often as well - in no small part because the onslaught of blockbusters seems to have slowed and the festival/prestige films are giving me a little more incentive to get out there. I'm not a big Thanksgiving movie person (though I did revisit the excellent House of Yes this year on the day) so I put together a list of my favorite Hangout Heists as a post meal suggestion for engaging genre films that have a laid back, character driven nature to them. Had I not talked about it there, Breaking In would have certainly made my list this month. I think Kino Lorber is having a sale right now so you should probably snag a copy. I should mention that after doing an October horror movie challenge, I don't intentionally attempt Noirvember even though I like the idea behind it. However, I naturally watch a ton of hardboiled, neo-noir, crime, and even some classic noir as a matter of habit so there will be some possible picks for those of you looking to put together a list for next year.

Gloria (1980) - John Cassavetes' pulp thriller featuring a fabulous Gena Rowlands. Rowlands as the titular Gloria takes guardianship of her neighbor's kid after the rest of his family is wiped out by mobsters. She spends the duration of the film either in hiding, on the run, or confronting mafia goons. Definitely a must see for Rowlands fans and for those of us who can't get enough of "fun city" era NYC. What surprised me most was the sheer body count of Gloria, Rowlands kills the ever-loving shit out of so many mobsters in this!

They All Laughed (1981) - I've been wanting to catch this Bogdanovich screwball for ages but it hasn't been particularly accessible. They All Laughed is probably more famous (or notorious) now for being Dorothy Stratten's final film appearance before her murder and how Bogdanovich put himself into dire financial straits when he determined to distribute it himself. I found it incredibly charming - it's genuinely funny, the cast is outstanding, and it's crammed with gorgeous NYC photography courtesy of Robby Müller.  It's also necessarily bittersweet - the way it mirrors Stratten's tragic biography, the loss of so many of its principals too young, and the loss of urban vibrancy all over the US. Bogdanovich's inclusion of Sinatra music makes sense and is probably expected (Sinatra famously offered the use of his music at no cost following Stratten's death) but in a move both strange and inspired - much of the film is centered around Colleen Camp as a country musician. I think she's terrific and apparently there was a brief period of time where country was on the ascent in Manhattan. I actually stumbled across an NYT article chronicling the rise of country music venues in the early 80s.

French Connection II (1975) - I think it's my adoration for the preceding film that has kept me away form the Frankenheimer helmed sequel for so long. It's a shame because it's a terrific international crime thriller that could largely be its own entity were it not for Hackman's magnetism as Popeye Doyle. The action set pieces are immaculate and Marseilles comes alive as a setting in a different but equally compelling way as NYC in the first film. Bernard Fresson is terrific and demonstrates his ability to hold his own with Hackman just as he has with Bronson, Delon, Montand, etc. The first FC was one of the films that helped usher in a tidal wave of antihero cop movies (which I also enjoy) but I appreciate both Friedkin's and Frankenheimer's refusal to lionize Doyle as the guy willing to bend the rules for justice. The system is corrupt, money talks in the highest chambers of power, but even an "honest" cop is still thrashing around in the dark with mixed results.

Pretty Baby (1978) - Another film perhaps more notorious than famous and certainly one that's divisive in its reviews. There's no easy way to discuss a film that deals so frankly with sex work involving children and to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure that making a definitive statement on the subject was what Polly Platt and Louis Malle were looking to do here. I think they do deliver a complex portrait of a real time and place in American history that includes both the harsh realities and the hopeful moments people depend on for survival even in dark circumstances. Nobody gets off the hook but it's not a screed, either. The production design (no doubt influenced by Platt) is exquisite and the photography is immaculate. All of the performances are good to excellent but Brooke Shields is really quite amazing. She's both written and spoken a lot about the film and that commentary is worth seeking out for additional context regarding a challenging piece of art.

The Inquisitor (1981) - Taught, pressure-cooker, cat and mouse interrogation film that I assumed was based on a play due to it's nearly single room setting. Turns out it's based on a novel by the prolific crime writer, John Wainwright. Inquisitor manages to be surprisingly cinematic despite it's verbal focus and features both an excellent performance from the patron saint of this blog, Lino Ventura, as well as Michel Serrault. Interestingly (to me anyway), this came out the same year as Possession and both films were shot by Bruno Nuytten who seems to have a certain facility for capturing dialogue heavy sequences in interesting ways. I definitely need to catch more Claude Miller movies and probably hunt down some John Wainwright books as well.

Fear Over the City (1975) - Another longtime watchlist denizen for me, so I was thrilled to finally track down a copy. Totally gonzo action thriller from Henri Verneuil whose usual visual coolness gets the hell out of the way of full throttle Belmondo ferocity. An early car chase could be right out of peak poliziotteschi territory and Belmondo's stunts and antics only build from there. While he doesn't possess the grace or gravity defying nature of someone like Jackie Chan, there's an enjoyable grittiness to Belmondo's work here. Rooftop scrambles, subway car surfing, and helicopter rappelling all against a propulsive story of a crazed killer who delights in messing with the cops. This absolutely needs a physical media release ASAP.

The Burglars (1971) -  Another Verneuil/Belmondo collaboration (also scored by Morricone for that matter), this is the kind of charming, international thriller I associate with Verneuil's strengths as a director. There's a tremendous heist scene that helps put the story in motion but the majority of the film is dedicated to either chase sequences or verbal jousting between Belmondo's rakish rogue and Omar Sharif's corrupt inspector. Belmondo is definitely flexing leading man charisma and also has a series of fantastic stunt sequences. Sharif is compelling in his own right though he does give his character a real sadistic edge. The plot runs out of steam in the final act and Nicole Calfan is fairly lackluster here (particularly compared to Dyan Cannon as a street smart pinup model) even though I admire her other work. The shruggable finale keeps La Casse/The Burglars from reaching that top tier of jet-setting caper films but the gorgeous photography (Claude Renoir shooting largely on location in Athens), killer action, and swinging style is more than enough for me to enjoy.

The Death of Richie (1977) - I picked up Fun City Editions' second volume of made-for-television films, Primetime Panic 2, and watched them all mostly over my Thanksgiving holiday. From what I can tell, the Valerie Bertinelli gambling picture - The Seduction of Gina - is the favorite in the set among people I follow on social media. I totally get that, but I have to say I was more won over by Paul Wendkos' tale of adolescent drug use and crumbling family dynamics. A big part of that is the cast: Ben Gazzara, Eileen Brennan, and Robby Benson in the title role are all so incredibly watchable. Even as the messaging gets somewhat muddled, I was totally engaged with these characters and invested in their story. The transfer from original 16mm elements is a little rough around the edges but that almost adds to the charm and it's a visually interesting film as well (at least partially thanks to Willard  and Night Strangler cinematographer Roger B. Hauser) You'd think the title is a total spoiler but I honestly picked my jaw up off the floor in the finale. I've really come around on classic made-for-tv movies this year and Richie is certainly a favorite.

He Died with His Eyes Open (1985) - A later Jacques Deray crime thriller based on the first of a genuinely weird sounding series of novels by Derek Raymond (occasionally credited as the father of British noir). Eyes Open is not Deray's best film and it sometimes feels like a particularly well made Masterpiece Theater or BBC feature that would find its way to public television in the US. It does go considerably darker and the exquisite Rampling bares far more than any PBS fare might offer. One thing that Deray does so well and continues to do so here is allow the mystery to unfold more through the motivations of the characters than simply understanding the details of a murder. This features another good Michel Serrault performance and both he and Rampling are interesting and enigmatic and offer up enough personal intrigue to keep the viewer hooked. I feel like I'm definitely going to want to look into Raymond's novels further and coincidentally Andrew Nette recently wrote about the murky origins of British noir over on his substack.

Narc (2002) - I've given a lot of thought to comfort movies over the last year. What do you reach for when you're tired, emotionally drained, and just don't want to put in too much effort? For me, it's often 21st Century crime thrillers - particularly if they are modestly budgeted and referred to repeatedly as "gritty." Joe Carnahan's Narc is just such a film and was the perfect antidote after a long day at work. What was so particularly rewarding is that it's one of the best Ray Liotta performances I've ever seen and it was something he was clearly passionate about doing. It reminds me in some ways of Nick Nolte's revelatory turn in Q&A but Liotta retains a sensitivity that comes rather naturally to him. The opening sequence of Narc is absolutely savage and sets the stage for a genuinely mean, grimy cop story that does manage to salvage a shred of humanity towards the end.

The Butcher/Le Boucher (1970) - For one of Chabrol's more popular films, you'd think Le Boucher would be easier to come by. It's not streaming anywhere and I believe it has only had a dvd release in the US. It's a shame as it's an extremely taught, surprising thriller that subverts a lot of the familiar tropes in a classically Chabrol-ian way. It's centered around a burgeoning relationship between Stephane Audran as young schoolmaster who's heart was broken years ago and Jean Yanne as the town butcher and a veteran who was forever affected by the things he saw in wartime. A series of brutal murders begin occurring in the town and the mystery around the unfolds as the two characters get to know each other more intimately. Equally an exploration of PTSD as a murder mystery and while the basic plot beats seem rather obvious, there's a surprising degree of emotional complexity and motivation. This is an absolute must-see for Audran fans. 

Dog Day (1984) - Tonally bizarre neo-noir that I've been side stepping due to its mixed reviews. I found myself totally on board with this absolutely gonzo, nihilistic tale of a armored car job gone sideways. Lee Marvin is a professional thief, bank robber, and killer who finds refuge at a French farm while fleeing the authorities. Marvin's character would turn out to be significantly less cruel, amoral, and exploitative than the deranged residents he encounters on the farm. This garners multiple comparisons to Prime Cut which I can understand from its rural setting and that movie is possessed of some genuine strangeness, but Dog Day leans even further into the wild hicksploitation energy in ways that nearly remind me of  Sonny Boy even if this isn't quite as bonkers. It's definitely weird, definitely mean, and I think it might have some of the best final lines in cinema history. Lee Marvin was never afraid to take chances!

East End Hustle (1976) - Newly released on a gorgeous 4k disc by Canadian International Pictures, Hustle is reflective of the same Montreal art scene as The Rubber Gun (writer/director/actor Allan Moyle co-wrote and also acts in Hustle). While both films provide a similarly strong sense of place, Hustle is an earnest effort to produce a pulpy exploitation film. The story of a former prostitute now working to liberate her fellow sex workers from an abusive pimp offers a sufficiently gritty context and there's adequate sex and violence for a thrill seeking audience. However, in the actual presentation Hustle avoids many of the more obvious genre conventions and certainly has something to say regarding female empowerment, collaboration, and sexual power dynamics. This could have easily been a film where all the men are horrible and all the women are wounded but instead there are more interesting gradations involved - the protagonists have fulfilling relationships and while sexual violence is part of the story, the mutually satisfying expression of sex is portrayed as well. I am an absolute mark for this kind of gritty, regional filmmaking and I was totally taken with this (much as I was with CIP Gina). The disc looks amazing and I'm looking forward to digging deeper into the special features.

Theatrical Screenings!

Hi, Mom! (1970) - Screened by local heroes, The Cult Film Collective, on 35mm at the venerable Trylon Cinema. Hilarious, harrowing, chaotic, confounding, and definitely angry. De Palma threw everything he could as far as film formats, camera techniques, performance styles, and narrative structure into this one and it's an absolute riot of a picture. I can't stress how important it was for me to see this with an audience. The funny moments were huge but when things started to become uncomfortable, that feeling of anxiety flooded the entire theater. As this film is totally obsessed with film formats, it seems only appropriate to see it in 35mm as well.

Blood and Black Lace (1964) - I have a rule about going to Bava in the theater whenever it is reasonable to do so. Screened at the Emagine Willow Creek as part of the Cinema of the Macabre series, I don't know what else there is to say about Bava's proto-giallo masterpiece. It's iconic, it's influential, and the new restoration looks incredible. 

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) - I know this was a long movie but I didn't feel that length for a second. Part of that was the incredibly comfortable accommodations at the Edina Theater but I was wholly engrossed for the duration. I still find it kind of incredible that this was the first film Scorsese and Jack Fisk have collaborated on - what a wonderful synthesis of vision that is. Two veteran filmmakers who have dedicated so much of their careers to faithfully recreating periods of (largely) American history. I'm so glad it finally happened.

Anatomy of a Fall (2023) - I honestly didn't know that much about Anatomy other than it won some accolades in the earlier festival season and that Sandra Hüller was supposed to be quite good in it. It is worthy of those accolades and Sandra is excellent. Largely a courtroom drama but one that occurs entirely in France so the procedural aspects are perhaps fresher to me. There's much to examine here on the nature of truth and the slow erosion of trust, but mostly I was just in the grip of the narrative. Technically really impressive with how the camera uses both documentary style set ups and these roving tracking shots. 

May December (2023) - Todd Haynes latest domestic melodrama with a hint of crime is another one I tried to approach without much previous knowledge. It's much funnier than I anticipated but that doesn't keep it from being totally disturbing - that might even make it more so. There's an arch-ness to it, the performances are mostly big and the repeated Michel Legrande musical stabs definitely lend a touch of drama, but it's handled with a seriousness that balances everything remarkably. If you're looking for dark, prestige entertainment for adults with something on its mind, this will give you plenty to chew on. It almost makes me wish I subscribed to Netflix so I could watch it again easily.