Tag Archives: crime movies

September 2024 Viewing Diary

My First Film (2024; d. Zia Anger) In my Top 10 of the year (so far). I reviewed for Ebert. Sweetheart Deal (2024; d. Elisa Levine and Gabriel Miller) A very upsetting and beautifully made documentary, representing a decade of … Continue reading

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April 2024 Viewing Diary

To Be or Not to Be (1942; d. Ernst Lubitsch) It’s 82 years later. 82 years. And it’s still a little bit shocking this film even exists. The film lampoons Nazis, and Hitler, and tyranny, which – in 1942 – … Continue reading

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“I got my luck with Gun Crazy. It’s a part I thought I could play, don’t ask me why. ” — Peggy Cummins

It’s her birthday today. I wrote this in 2011 for a Film Noir Blogathon. I post it today in tribute to a great actress. 5 Things About Peggy Cummins in Gun Crazy Introduction Joseph Lewis’ brilliant, erotic, and influential Gun … Continue reading

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Review: Barber (2023)

A fairly typical crime drama – but the real subject is the new “woke Ireland” and all the tensions social change brings. And the secrets everyone still keeps. I love Aiden Gillen though – always good to see him. I … Continue reading

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August 2023 Viewing Diary

Oppenheimer (2023; d. Christopher Nolan) In general, I am not a Nolan fan (the only one of his I liked was Dunkirk), and I went into this hesitantly because I read an interview with him where he said the whole … Continue reading

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April/May 2023 Viewing Diary

River of Grass (1994; d. Kelly Reichardt) Reichardt’s first film. Wendy and Lucy (2008; d. Kelly Reichardt) The start of Reichardt’s collaboration with Michelle Williams. Showing Up (2023; d. Kelly Reichardt) Reichardt’s latest. I reviewed for Ebert. It’s fine. Her … Continue reading

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Review: The Night of the 12th (2023)

I reviewed this extremely effective multiple-Cesar-winning crime/procedural film for Ebert.

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Folie à deux

Over on my Substack: riffing on one of my favorite subjects: the Folie à deux, in film, plays, books, and of course in life. Culminating in a discussion of Joël Séria’s controversial 1971 film Mais ne Nous Délivrez Pas du … Continue reading

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November 2022 Viewing Diary

Something in the Dirt (2022; d. Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson) I really liked this. If you like losing yourself in conspiracy theories – without being, like, a QAnon-type ready to shoot up a pizza parlor – then this is super … Continue reading

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You said it, sister

Holy Spider (2022: d. Ali Abbasi) Been really looking forward to this one, and it did not disappoint. It’s about Saeed Hanaei, the notorious Iranian serial killer who killed prostitutes in the holy city of Mashhad. Yeah, not so holy, … Continue reading

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