The Relic is one of those movies that no one ever talks about because it isn’t particularly that amazing and that’s sad. It may not be a masterpiece but I stand by it as being one of the more effective big budget monster movies of the 90s. It’s a simple premise, scientist goes to the Amazon, eats something weird, gets turn into a giant reptile that needs to eat people’s hypothalamus glands to stay alive and ends up in a Chicago Museum where it wreaks havoc during the gala opening of a new exhibit and feasts upon a buffet of 1%-ers. Who doesn't love that? The simplicity works in it’s favor and allows director Peter Hyams to stage an old fashioned atmospheric and tense monster movie. 

Penelope Ann Miller (that actress who any kid who saw Carlito’s Way or The Shadow instantly developed a crush on) and Tom Sizemore (that guy who did a lot of coke with Heidi Fleiss) play the leads, something that would never happen today outside of a cheap movie on SyFy. Miller does what she can as Dr. Margo Green with the thin material her character is given but she handles the scary scenes quite well, displaying both a vulnerability and intelligence that is a welcome change from other similar roles. Sizemore brings a weathered quality to his Lt. D’Agosta, a guy who’s seen it all while also still believing in lucky charms. His character takes charge when the shit hits the proverbial fan and just gives what could have been a bland cop role a bit of a gruff Sizemore-like edge. Linda Hunt and James Whitmore add a bit of class to the proceedings. Whitmore especially is a favorite of mine. His mentor character to Miller’s protege is another role that could be pretty rote but he has a grandfatherly warmth to him that I can’t help but love. 

Peter Hyam’s has always been criticized for his cinematography, he’s the rare director who is his own DoP, but I’ve always enjoyed his near pitch black compositions. He brings the image just to the brink of being totally dark but knows where to put his highlights to give you an idea of exactly what’s going on. This process works wonders in this film with shots being lit only by emergency lighting, flashlights and strobes. Hyams keeps the monster in the shadows for the majority of the movie and then slowly reveals it bit by bit. It’s not the most original monster but it’s movements have a lot of weight to it and, along with an interesting Stan Winston-created look that leans towards Predator but still works, it does pose a believable threat. It’s mostly a CGI creation but it tends to blend well with the exception of the finale. CG fire will never look good, people.

It’s a bit of a shame that the movie wasn’t a hit. It was based on a book and the D’Agosta character appears in the novel’s sequels. It would have been nice to have had a series of monster/supernatural movies starring Sizemore back then. 

All in all, The Relic is a fun and simple monster movie that already has it’s fans but does deserve to be seen by more movie lovers. I revisit it every so often just because I think it moves pretty quickly and features more than it’s fair share of decapitations of rich white people. I’m a simple man with simple tastes.

Showers, gloves and razors.

People always accuse Brian DePalma of ripping off Hitchcock. While it's true that DePalma uses many of the same visual and story motifs as Hitch, he uses them in his own way. He fully takes advantage of the R rating. Hitchcock only got to play within the R rating once and while De Palma goes to places that I don't think Hitchcock would have gone to, he does so with such exquisite camerawork and editing that we can't help but forgive him for borrowing so much from the master. 

DePalma had included his Hitchcock homages earlier in 1973's Sisters and in 1976's Obsession. But it's in 1980's Dressed To Kill that we see so many of them in one place. Right from the start we're thrown into a very sleazy version of Psycho. It opens on a scene where our protagonist Kate Miller, as played by Angie Dickinson, is fantasizing of being sexually assaulted in the shower. It turns out that she's imagining this in order to get through boring sex with her husband. She is sexually frustrated to no end and says as much to her psychiatrist played by Michael Caine during her appointment. She proceeds to head to an art museum where she spots an attractive man and awkwardly attempts to  flirt with him. The attempts are apparently ignored and she marches off annoyed but she drops a glove as she leaves. A glove that is then picked up by the man and used to lure her into a cab where he proceeds to "seduce" her. I say "seduce" because it's borderline rape. I won't get into the blatant sexism in this movie. You could write a book on how DePalma treats the women in his films. For the sake of this review, I'll move on. 

DePalma plays around so much with the camera in this film. A sizable chunk of this story is told on a purely visual level. The entire museum sequence is played without any dialogue as the camera floats around as Kate's POV as she chases the man down hallways and around corners in pursuit of her glove. A later sequence has her awaking in the man's apartment and getting dressed to head back home while little by little she remembers details that will give her away to her husband. A missing wedding ring, missing underwear. She's panicking and even moreso when she finds a letter addressed to the man informing him that he has a venereal disease. It seems DePalma is using Kate as an example of what might happen if you cheat on your negligent husband with a stranger. But I digress. 

At this point we're 45 minutes into the movie and almost half of it has had no dialogue.  DePalma uses split-focus diopters, steadicam, mirror shots within split screens, a melodramatic score by Pino Donaggio. And all in support of this apparent morality tale. Now, if you've seen Psycho, you'll know what happens next. Kate grabs the elevator and is murdered by a woman with a straight razor. Yeah, DePalma kills off his leading lady at the end of the first act. Not as revolutionary as when Hitchcock did it but just as shocking. 

It's at this point that we're then introduced to multiple different characters. A high-priced call girl played by Nancy Allen who witnesses the murder, Kate's son who is seeking justice and the detective investigating the case as played by Dennis Franz. And it's a role that Franz plays to the hilt. He's a tough NYPD cop who's also racist, sexist, homophobic and woefully ignorant. And he does this all while wearing an absolutely ugly jacket. Although part of me wishes DePalma would have done a sequel with Franz's character investigating another case. 

Now, while I've spoiled the big twist in the film, I'm not going to spoil the killer's identity. Needless to say, the rest of the movie is as visually interesting as the first act. It all builds to a tense finale that includes a very offensive motive for the killer. But hey, it was the 80s. This movie is very much a product of it's time and I choose to accept it as a great example of DePalma's mastery with visual storytelling while trying not to let it's outdated points of view affect me. Dressed to Kill is not quite the masterpiece some say it is but it's still a damn fine good movie. 

Ravenous is a tough movie to pin down. It's mostly horror but it has a twisted sense of humor throughout. It's tongue is planted firmly in cheek and it is not afraid to defy your expectations. When it came out in 1999, audiences avoided it en masse. The trailers didn't really give you an accurate version of what type of film you should expect. It sold it more as an action comedy and it is definitely not that. Not to mention the fact that 20th Century Fox barely promoted it and dumped it into theaters. Simply put, Ravenous is a tale of redemption with a heavy dose cannibalism thrown in. 

Guy Pearce plays Captain John Boyd, a veteran of the Mexican-American war. He is awarded for bravery but his superiors know that he is actually a coward who played dead when the battle was raging. As a punishment, they send him to a remote military outpost in the Sierra Nevada mountains. There he encounters your typical motley crew of rejects. The drunk, the religious nut, the stoner, the alpha male. Boyd keeps to himself and is withdrawn until a man named Colqhoun stumbles into the camp half-dead and with a story about being a guide for a group of settlers who got lost in the snow covered mountains. Together they all set out to rescue the settlers. And it wouldn't be much of a spoiler if I told you that things don't go well. 

The film had a trouble production involving the firing of two directors after filming had already started. One of them being Raja Gosnell, a man who is the definition of a hack. I shudder to think how he could have taken the subject matter and made an awkward mess of it. Eventually, Antonia Bird came in and made the film. Right from the start the movie announces itself as not your typical fare. The score from Michael Nyman and Blur frontman (and later, Gorillaz) Damon Albarn sets the weird tone that you're going to experience for the next 100 minutes. It defies description, especially because I am not at all musical and suck at describing what something sounds like, but it remains one of my favorite film scores ever and one that I still listen to frequently. That tone wavers from horror to comedy to thriller without causing whiplash. It lives within it's own genre and doesn't play by the rules that'd we've grown accustomed to expect. Boyd as our protagonist is a spineless wimp that is difficult to sympathize with but Pearce holds our attention and makes us kinda like Boyd despite his lack of character. The supporting cast made up of Jeffery Jones, David Arquette, Jeremy Davies and Neal McDonough are all fun and make their roles memorable but it's Robert Carlyle as Colqhoun that is the real standout. He plays Colqhoun as traumatized but a bit off and you know, if you've seen more than two movies in your life, that Colqhoun has a secret. And it's when that secret is revealed (it's in the trailers, and in the first paragraph) that the movie, and Carlyle, hit high gear. And while everything devolves into chaos, Bird shoots the movie wonderfully. She is not afraid of making the 1800s look as grimy as they actually were. This is not an idealized version of the west. Things are tough, the weather is harsh and the blood is sticky. The gorgeous shots of the mountains combined with the score, a score that actually uses period instruments, transport you to a version of the west you rarely see. All this in support of a strong story about how one man tries to find a way to redeem himself even if it costs him dearly. Boyd goes through hell and doesn't exactly come out of it intact. 

Ravenous is the type of film I like to champion. I've loved it ever since I first saw it in 1999 and keep trying to get more people to see it. It's at times hilarious and disgusting. Scary and mesmerizing. It's a shame that Antonia Bird never returned to the genre before she passed away last year. She made a film that will stick in your head long after you've seen it. And if you like it, spread the word. The cult of Ravenous has been slowly growing these past 15 years and there's plenty of room for new members. 

This top ten list is mine and no one else's! It is unique and an extension of myself!

1. Drive

This is what would happen if Michael Mann, Jean-Pierre Melville and William Friedkin had a baby together. A film that is stripped to the bone. No subplots that bore us, no useless characters. Ryan Gosling brings a silent honor to his nameless role. A silence that hides a dark side that comes out when he feels the need to protect others. We're never told about his past and we don't need to know. He simply is and we're left to fill in the blanks ourselves. Albert Brooks is surprisingly menacing in the role of the villain. He comes off as a man who is just tired of having to clean up other people's messes but will not hesitate to do so. I did not expect to actually be afraid of him. Director Nicolas-Winding Refn proudly pays respect to his influences throughout the movie but also places his stamp on it. An opening scene scored to one song, a car chase that never leaves the inside of the car and the neon title sequence. All classic and able to keep me smiling throughout the entire running time. I cannot find a single thing to complain about in this movie and that is why it's my favorite film of 2011.

2. The Descendants

It took Alexander Payne seven years to make another movie but it was well worth the wait. A simple but incredibly emotional story that rests all its weight on George Clooney's more than capable shoulders. He gives a performance worthy of the Best Actor Oscar this year. Payne films Hawaii with a respect to it's beauty and yet is able to find a sadness in it. His films tend to be pretty dry but funny affairs. Wistful and elegiac. This one is all of that but also a dramatic roller coaster (I hate that comparison but its the best I've got at the moment) that really puts us through the ringer. Characters reveal depth with every line. People we thought were simply there for comic relief end up being people that other characters can lean on for help. The film is slow but never boring. Each scene taking exactly the right amount of time to play out. Payne knows the right moment to cut and displays that to amazing effect here. It's a gorgeous and heartbreaking movie that I hope more people discover and love as much as I do.

3. Hobo With A Shotgun

The purest form of fun in cinema form of 2011. It's a film that oozes exploitation in every single frame. It wears its influences on its sleeve and is able to be both an homage and a step forward in low budget B-movies. Rutger Hauer hits every grizzled note of his nameless hobo. Once he buys the titular shotgun, the movie, which already seems like an insane 80's fever dream, shifts into high gear. Flame-broiled kids on a school bus, pedophile Santas, perverted cops with fecal fetishes and baseball bats with razor blades. It has everything I every wanted in a movie. Even the score feels cheap and made on a Casio keyboard, which is entirely the point. It sent me on a nostalgic trip down memory lane to my childhood. A childhood filled with cheap Troma VHS rentals viewed at 2am in an old house. It's a film that made me giddy while watching it and that is a rarity.

4. I Saw The Devil

"Brutal" is a word that can't even begin to describe the tone and plot of this Korean film. A simple premise of a cop chasing a serial killer takes many unexpected twists and turns and delivers, not only a satisfying story, but also a visceral look into a incredibly disturbed mind and the man who is forced to become as evil as the man he's chasing. Director Jee-Woon Kim, is able to deftly balance the horror of the killer's acts with an elegance that doesn't make us mind that we're being forced to watch an animal stalk and cruelly kill its prey. Once the end hits, we have the ending we wished for but we're left to ask ourselves if it was worth it.

5. X-Men: First Class

Trying to make a new X-Men movie after the double whammy of disastrous crap that was X-Men: Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was no easy task but Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman were able to create a film that gives the series a fresh start while also paying respect to the first two films in the series. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender anchor a story that blends both action and character in ways that I wasn't expecting. Supporting characters each get something to do with no one really being wasted. While Kevin Bacon brings a nice level of "evil prick" to his role. Villains these days try to be funny or charming. Bacon is not afraid of being just a total dick.

6. Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol

You'd think that after three films that this series would be on its last legs but you'd be wrong. After an incredible bounce back with Mission: Impossible 3, a film that I defend vigorously as a perfect example of popcorn filmmaking, Tom Cruise and company were able to bring in new blood while not losing the sense of fun that the previous film had. All credit to Brad Bird for that. Coming from animation, where every beat has to be perfect, Bird was able to pace this film to the millisecond. Nothing is wasted. Each scene tells the story while adding to the characters. That's a rarity these days where big budget films pad out their running time in order to justify their costs. Exposition is given on the move and action scenes are staged with a refreshing return to the lost art of spatial geography. Sure, the villain was weak but it doesn't lessen the impact of a film that never stops being entertaining.

7. Captain America: The First Avenger

When it comes to this movie, everything rested on the choice of both director and star. Captain America is unlike most modern superheroes in that he is pure. He has no ego and no desire to add a quip or sarcastic phrase at the right moment. Handing the reins to Joe Johnston was the first good decision. His ability to tell a comic story in a period setting was proven with The Rocketeer. Johnston's choice of casting Chris Evans was the second good decision. I was wary due to Evans previous work as a smart-ass in most of his roles but he was able to convey the essence of a pure character with ease. This film is simple fun, it doesn't change the world but it will put a smile on your face, and unexpectedly, punch you in the gut.

8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Hitting the landing was not going to be an easy task for director David Yates and company, but they managed it and closed out an amazing series on a high note. As a film, in and of itself, this entry isn't as strong. It plays much more better when viewed back to back with Deathly Hallows Part 1. It's all third act stuff but that same stuff is so strong and beautifully told that I didn't mind it. The Battle of Hogwarts is as epic as I'd imagined and Alexander Desplat's score adds a weight to every scene. A sense of melancholy is evident from the first scene and the film is able to slow down to almost a crawl for the moments that matter. Some characters get the short shrift but that was to be expected. I'm glad that Harry and friends got the ending they deserved. I'm going to miss them.

9. The Guard

One of the best surprises of the year. Brendan Gleeson gave one of the best performances of the year in this small but charming film. His work as a racist, coke-snorting Irish cop was pitch-perfect. Today's emphasis on political correctness tells you that you shouldn't like him but it's impossible not to. Writer-director John Michael McDonagh's dialogue is deliciously vulgar and has bite to it. Not a surprise when you realize his brother wrote and directed the endlessly quotable In Bruges. The tone of this film is very different to that one but their similar in that neither pulls any punches. McDonagh populates this film with lots of colorful characters. My favorite being Mark Strong as muscle for hire who is basically bored with his surroundings and the lack of an actual challenge.

10. Sucker Punch

The guilty pleasure on this list. This one got way too much hatred when it came out and has mostly been forgotten. Yes, it's very shallow and, at times, kinda sexist. But it's such a beautifully shot movie, each frame feels like it can be mounted on the wall. The action scenes are each distinctive and the soundtrack is pretty awesome. It's not very original but the way Zack Snyder was able to bring his own touches to what could have been a repetitive bore, is to be admired. It never really tries to be more than what it is and I love it for that. It boils down to pure cinema. A visual and aural feast that should be consumed as is and its existence never questioned. Just enjoy it for what it is.

Serial Fun

When it comes to Marvel super-heroes, there aren't any purer than Captain America. Steve Rogers is a man who knows the value of his newfound power. A man with a pure heart and who's dedication and loyalty to his country and friends is almost a little too much. As a character, he is one of the toughest to adapt as well in today's culture of cynicism and sarcasm. That was the biggest challenge facing Marvel Studios and director Joe Johnston when they decided to tackle a film of the 70 year old comic book hero.

I'm more than happy to say that they succeeded. Chris Evans was a risky choice to play Rogers due to his countless previous roles where he displayed his patented cockiness, a trait that if given to Rogers would make him nothing like the selfless hero we all know and love. Johnston saw something in Evans that I couldn't see. That something is what gives the movie it's heart. Without it, the film would have just been another period super-hero movie that would be quickly forgotten like THE SHADOW and THE PHANTOM. Two films that are still pretty fun but have no real emotional heft to them. Evans brings a sincerity that is missing from most super-heroes today. He has no real tragic back-story. He isn't a victim of some accident with gamma rays. He's a man who chose to be who he becomes because he wants to serve his country in a way that he could never do in his natural state. He's all skin and bones but he doesn't let that keep him down. He'll face down a bully even if it means getting his ass handed to him. It's that central purity of heart that makes him stand out. And it's all thanks to Evans that that heart comes across in spades.

Joe Johnston has had practice with period comic book movies thanks to his incredible adaptation of THE ROCKETEER back in 1991. Given a good script, he is able to make very solid films. Handing him the reins of CAPTAIN AMERICA was another great choice by Marvel. Johnston is a man who is as passionate about period detail and quirks as those of us who flock to these movies. He is able to balance the spirit of the period while presenting us with modern action in a way that doesn't let either suffer. There is just the right amount of action in this film. Yes, I would have liked more with the Howling Commandos but there's a reason the movie isn't called CAPTAIN AMERICA AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS. Perhaps if their promise of a sequel comes true, they can find a way to give us another trip to 40's Europe with Cap and his team.

The supporting cast is quite strong considering the film's pulpy roots. Tommy Lee Jones does a great job as Colonel Phillips. Just the right balance of humor and respect. He isn't a fan of Cap but he does realize his value once he starts to prove himself. Stanley Tucci brings such a beautiful humility to his role as Professor Erskine. His experiment turns Steve Rogers from a scrawny weakling to a super soldier. Erskine is Rogers' moral compass. He reminds him that he's a good man and that no matter how strong he is, he should never forget who he was. Power corrupts and he is the reason that it doesn't happen to Rogers. Hayley Atwell brings a elegance and toughness to her role as Peggy Carter that makes it undeniable that she would be the girl Rogers falls for. It's a cute and chaste romance that never gets in the way of the proceedings. There are a couple of cliche dramatic moments in their relationship that emerge out of convenience of plot but it isn't distracting enough to hurt the film.

And I can't finish this review without mentioning Hugo Weaving's absolutely amazing performance as Johann Schmidt, a.k.a. The Red Skull. Weaving chews up the scenery with such glee that I'm shocked that he didn't steal the movie out from under Evans. A hero is only as good as his villain and this movie doesn't forget that. Too many comic book films these days either under-use their villain or have them be part of a third act reveal that doesn't bring any dramatic weight to it. IRON MAN, BATMAN BEGINS and THOR being recent examples. We know Weaving is the villain right from the start, we are done the favor of not seeing his origin story presented parallel to Rogers'. We get it in a short but quite visually interesting flashback sequence. Thanks to this, Red Skull hits the ground running as a credible threat to our characters and the world. His plot is typical world domination but I wouldn't expect any less from a movie like this. Weaving does a great German accent that is quiet yet has a hint of menace underneath it. Kinda sounds like Werner Herzog most of the time. He also doesn't forget to crack a few jokes. This is a comic book movie, remember?

All in all CAPTAIN AMERICA is exactly the movie I hoped for all summer. Just the right balance of character and action. It also doesn't make the mistake of IRON MAN 2 and THOR in it's setting up of next year's THE AVENGERS. It stands alone as a complete film. My complaints are few. A bit more of the Commandos and Red Skull and the end reveal needed more clarity. Besides that, it's a great super-hero movie that actually makes you care, so much so that the ending hits you right in the gut.

Good work, Johnston, Evans and company.

8.5/10

My favorite film noirs

I recently played and completed L.A. Noire. While the game isn't exactly "noir", it does include many cute references to actual film noirs of the era. Discovering these made me reminisce on all my favorite noirs and reminded me that I haven't written anything for this blog in almost a year. So, here's a list of my favorite film noirs in no particular order. I chose to only do classic noirs. No neo-noirs or western noirs. Just the ones that most encompass what makes a movie "noir". Now, back then the filmmakers weren't really making these movies with the knowledge that they were making noir. Noir wasn't really a concept until about the late 50's when the writers for France's top film magazine "Cashiers du Cinema" started noticing a thematic and visual style in the American movies they were just starting to get for the first time due to the war. It was as influx of these movies almost all at once that made them stand up and notice that America had been making these films with an almost unconscious style and cynicism.

THE MALTESE FALCON

Bogart, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet make this movie for me. It's a simple plot but one that really encompasses everything that defines noir. John Huston needs to be commended for making such a confident film on his first shot at directing. It's more noir-lite than the other ones on this list. It lacks the brutal cynicism that is prevalent in the others but I still love it as a film that contains the framework for all others to follow

OUT OF THE PAST

Robert Mitchum and Humphrey Bogart have to be my favorite noir actors. Mitchum's performance in this is simply superb. His narration is perfect and filled with the hard-boiled language that is always associated with noir. Kirk Douglas plays the slimy villain with the right amount of charm and disgusting attitude. The story is simple yet deeper than what you'd expect. It hinges on Mitchum's personal decision and not on a twist of fate. As a result, it's downward spiral get an added layer of emotion. Add some great direction and style from Jacques Tourner and you have one of my favorites.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY

Billy Wilder has to be the biggest cynic in classic Hollywood. His films always seemed bitter and angry but we're never turned off by it because they also had a delightful charm that Wilder possessed in person as well. The stories of his writing this film's screenplay with Raymond Chandler are legendary and having such a perfect film emerge from that clash of egos is something we must all be thankful for. Barbara Stanwyck plays the femme fatale role to the hilt. While I'm not physically attracted to her, I can see why poor Fred MacMurray lets himself be led to his doom by her. The story is very typical but the storytelling and Wilder's touch is not. Thanks to that, we're able to somewhat sympathize with some very unsympathetic characters.

ACE IN THE HOLE

Speaking of unsympathetic characters, we have Kirk Douglas in this film. One of cinema's all-time bastards. A reporter so desperate to get a big story that he prolongs a man's suffering simply to keep his own name in the paper's. It's no surprise that Billy Wilder also directed this and even less surprising that people outright hated it when it was released. It has a contempt for people and their delight in the suffering of others. The way that fellow humans rush to try to make a dime off a tragedy. Perhaps audiences didn't like having a mirror put up to them and be forced to deal with their inherent flaws? No matter, it took decades but this movie is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

DETOUR

My personal favorite in the "sad-sack noir" sub-genre. Tom Neal plays a drifter who's pretty down on his luck. He accepts a ride from a guy and thanks to a cruel twist of fate, ends up being fate's bitch for the rest of the film's 67 minute running time. The things that happen to this poor bastard are just terrible but we believe it because we know that any one of us could end up in a situation where simply nothing goes right for us. Ann Savage plays a woman who has to be one of the most evil and manipulative female characters in film history. She is the type of woman you wouldn't even want to spend two minutes with, let alone have to drag her along with you like Neal is forced to do. Director Edgar G. Ulmer keeps this movie short and fast-paced and his ability to make the most out of what is basically two sets is pretty amazing.

THE KILLING

My favorite Stanley Kubrick film. Only Dr. Strangelove comes close. It's less noir in it's visual style, it prefers a more documentary style but it's ending and central plot unraveling is what makes it noir. Sterling Hayden brings a nice gruffness to the main character, a career criminal trying to make that one last proverbial "big score". I don't have to tell you that it all doesn't work out as planned. Why? A woman. That's why. It's always a woman. This is a movie that oozes realism and all credit to Kubrick on that. It's one of his least measured films and has a momentum that most of the other films lack. And it's always good to see noir's go-to sad sack, Elisha Cook Jr, grow some balls for once.

GUN CRAZY

A great take on the Bonnie and Cylde style film. Two people who are hopelessly attracted to each other and are doomed because of it. Again, we get a woman pulling a man to a life of crime with her. The noir style isn't as strong in this either but the pessimism is thick. We know as an audience that these characters are doomed and we are kinda happy to see it. These are not nice people, they rob banks, kill innocent people. We have a shred of sympathy for the main character, Barton Tate, we see him making poor decision after poor decision but we know why he's making them. Peggy Cummings as the femme fatale makes it more believable that Tate would turn to a life of crime for her. Kudos to director Joseph H. Lewis for setting a entire bank robbery from the back seat of a getaway car. Given the limitations of the time, it's pretty incredible.

THE SET UP

Robert Wise made this tiny forgotten gem in 1949 and, in a way, set the stage for every movie about down-on-their-luck boxers that came after. It takes place almost in real time and the story is as bare as you can get. Robert Ryan brings such a defeated attitude and look to his role as a boxer who is determined to win a fight no one thinks he has a chance to win. What he doesn't know is that his manager took money for him to take a dive but never told him because he was so confident he would lose anyway. Ryan wins and from there things get bad. Wise pumps some effective atmosphere into the proceedings. The sets are oppressive and dirty, we feel everything closing in on us just as it's closing in on him. The boxing scenes are pretty realistic for the time. We get a sense of the blood and sweat. Unlike most noirs, the female lead in this is actually supportive and fleshes out Ryan and his reasons for not wanting to simply give up. Just a great little slice of noir that will stay with you much longer than it's very short running time.

RIFIFI

Jules Dassin made this film in France right after leaving the U.S. thanks to his refusal to name names during the McCarthy era. Dassin had already made a few great noirs beforehand. NIGHT AND THE CITY, THIEVES HIGHWAY, THE NAKED CITY and BRUTE FORCE. But this is his masterpiece. A tale of criminals being pulled together to commit a difficult jewelry store robbery. The highlight of the film is, without a doubt, the 30 minute heist scene. It's completely played out in silence. The only sounds are of the environments and the instruments they use to make a hole in the ceiling. It's one of the tensest scenes in film and it only comes in the middle of the film. It's a film where every character is a professional. They all follow a code of ethics. But it wouldn't be a noir if everything went right. They have a code, but people around them don't. Then things get bad.

THE THIRD MAN

I had doubts whether to put this one on the list due to it being more or a thriller than a noir but then I started to consider it's general cynicism and the ending. So here it is. One of my absolute favorite movies in general. It's a movie about friendship and where does the line get drawn when it comes to what you'll do for a friend. Joseph Cotten faces this when he goes to Vienna to bury his old friend, Harry Lime. When he starts to hear that the circumstances surrounding Harry's death are suspicious at best, he starts to investigate. He has to deal with the police and a growing attraction to Harry's girlfriend who he's been consoling and yet, wanting for himself. The morality in this movie is as murky as the sewers the film ends up in. Orson Welles plays Harry Lime as that charming bastard we can't help but like even though we know what he's doing is selfish and borderline murderous. Carol Reed films Vienna with an eye for the beauty in it's streets and dark alleys. Every corner calls to us and repels us. It's a movie that makes us want to watch closer, and for that, it's a masterpiece.

We Are Sex Bob-Omb!

Forgive the lateness of this review but there comes a time when you see a movie that is so completely different and which refuses to follow any type of convention that the simple writing of a review is a near-impossible task. You find that words can't do it justice. A film that you have to experience in order to actually get it. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is such a film. Edgar Wright's adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's independent comic book is a cinematic orgasm of all things geek.

Mr. Wright made a name for himself by directing Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Two films, that in this reviewer's not-so-humble opinion, are perfect films. He already had a very frantic style to his editing and his visuals so the decision to follow those two masterpieces with this comic adaptation seemed like a great fit. He's a comic fan, a music aficionado and already has shown an incredible talent for balancing both style with substance. His talent has made Scott Pilgrim vs. The World into one of the best movies of the year and one of the most endlessly entertaining in recent cinema history. I dare you to watch this film and not have a smile on your face for 95% of it.

At it's heart is a deceptively simple story. Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) meets Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). It's the epitome of a schoolboy crush. Ramona is the very definition of the cute "pixie" girl. Scott pursues her even though he's still in a kind-of relationship with a 17 year old schoolgirl named Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). Knives is a little obsessive with Scott and his pretty crappy band, Sex Bob-Omb. But she's not the only thing standing in Scott's way towards a relationship with Ramona. Her seven exes have formed a League of Evil Ex-Boyfriends. In order to be with her, Scott has to fight and defeat each one. But it isn't as easy as it sounds. The world Scott and the rest of these characters inhabit is a world where anything is possible. People shatter into coins when defeated. Pee status bars appear when relieving yourself. Where people have super strength and fighting styles straight out of Street Fighter. Vegans have telekinesis. Instruments produce gigantic id monsters that fight above concert audiences like the world's most insane light show. Instead of trying to ground the movie in reality, Wright fully embraces it unrealistic stylings and turns it into a living, breathing comic book.

Michael Cera brings a nice semi-grounded sense to Scott. He's a bit of a jerk and selfish but he doesn't do it out of malice. He just doesn't know how to go about things. Ramona, as played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, is a beautiful cypher. The type of girl you so want to figure out but you're ok with knowing that you never will. As long as she's by your side, anything is possible. Ellen Wong is able to keep Knives Chau right on that precarious edge between being annoyingly clingy and adorable. Her character's arc is simply delightful. All of the actors portraying Scott's friends do great jobs. The standouts being Johnny Simmons as Young Neil. He's the quiet member of the group but one that is always vigilant. His aloofness is offset by his heart. Go see this movie and make an effort to just watch him during some scenes. You'll see that he's does so much with very little. Kieran Culkin does an amazing job as Scott's gay roommate, Wallace. Loyal but brutally honest when he has to be. He drags Scott back down to reality for his own good. Culkin has so many stand out scenes and has an unique ability to seduce straight men in record time.

Now we come to the ex-boyfriends. Each one is different from the other and each fight is it's own little set piece. It would have been boring if each one was a simple hand to hand fight. Matthew Patel is Ramona's first evil ex-boyfriend. His fight is more traditional but includes an uncomfortably hilarious Bollywood musical number. Chris Evans gives his evil ex-boyfriend/skater/actor character Lucas Lee just the right amount of douchebag-ness. The kind of typical fratboy dick that you love to hate. To make matters worse, he makes crappy movies. Except for "Action Doctor", I'd pay to see that. Brandon Routh's Todd Ingram is a total blank minded "him"bo. A vegan who doesn't even know the definition of the word. Then we have Roxy, Ramona's one evil ex-girlfriend. Just a tiny little ball of fury who just can't stomach the fact that Ramona went back to men. And she does not appreciate being punched in the boob. Kyle and Ken Katayanagi constitute Ramona's 5th and 6th evil ex-boyfriends. Their characters don't really do much but they're able to instill a hatred for them with a few simple cocky looks. And now we come to Gideon, Ramona's seventh and final evil ex-boyfriend. Jason Schwartzman has always been able to give us memorable smarmy rats in his films. Gideon may be the ultimate one. A petty and jealous man who decided to form the League simply out of his desire to keep Ramona for himself, he is the last and most difficult obstacle Scott has to face. Their fight is equally epic and emotional. The stakes are never higher when they finally face off. When they do, it's epic. Needless to say, Scott has his work cut out for him.

A good test for a film is to turn the sound off and still be able to follow the story and have an emotional investment in it. Scott Pilgrim passes that test. There is so much happening on screen at any one moment that every frame is like it's own self-contained comic book page. Literal representations of sounds, whip-pans, scene transitions without edits, multiple focus points within the frame that tell their own story, each one a tool used by Edgar Wright to pull you into story.

From the characters to the acting to the editing and the fights and the music, this is filmmaking at it's purest. There is not one bad moment in this film. It moves at a breathless pace and yet never forgets to keeps us interested in the characters. We want to see a happy ending for them cause we can see ourselves in them. The film speaks to us, a generation of young people and young adults raised on video games, comic books and anime. Not with random references made to elicit cheap laughs but with an actual respect for it's viewers and the material. General audiences are simply not getting it. But I can say with confidence that this movie will live on forever. It's a standout and while the box office isn't all that impressive, years from now we will still be talking about it and won't even be able to remember which movie beat it on it's opening weekend.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It's a world that I hated to leave and that I wish actually existed. Cause having my own pee status bar would actually be incredibly helpful

10/10