Tag Archives: crime movies

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

Posted on December 18, 2024 by sheila

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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September 2024 Viewing Diary

Posted on October 7, 2024 by sheila

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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“I never made a message picture, and I hope I never do.” — Howard Hawks

Posted on May 30, 2024 by sheila

My favorite director. I’ve written so much about his movies, here and elsewhere, it’d be too much to link to all of it. I’ve seen it all. Only Angels Have Wings is my favorite movie ever made. One of the … Continue reading →

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April 2024 Viewing Diary

Posted on May 1, 2024 by sheila

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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Review: Barber (2023)

Posted on September 22, 2023 by sheila

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

Posted on September 3, 2023 by sheila

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

Posted on June 9, 2023 by sheila

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)

Posted on May 19, 2023 by sheila

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

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Folie à deux

Posted on March 9, 2023 by sheila

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

Posted on December 3, 2022 by sheila

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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