Noir City Sentinel July/Aug 2008
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DARK NO STOCKS KNIGHT NO SPORTS REVIEW ™ ALL NOIR www.noircity.com www.filmnoirfoundation.org VOL. 3 NO. 4 CCCC**** A PUBLICATION OF THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION MONTHLY 2 CENTS JULY/AUG 2008 START MAKING YOUR PLANS! UNIVERSAL FIRE DATES SET FOR NOT AS DIRE AS NOIR CITY 7 FIRST FEARED Fave Frisco Fest Back At Castro Palace Jan. 23 Studio Working 24/7 to Replace Damaged Films SAN FRANCISCO — The 7th annual edition of Noir City: The San Francisco Film Noir A SENTINEL STAFF REPORT Festival will take place January 23 through February 1, 2009, at the majestic Castro UNIVERSAL CITY, CA — “Casualties” from Theater in San Francisco, hosted by the Film the June 1 fire at Universal Studios— Noir Foundation. which burned part of the studio’s main film Sentinel subscribers are getting a vault—are not as extensive as initially sneak peek at the poster (right) before it’s feared. posted on the Noir City website. Prominently Yes, numerous prints were lost, of featured is the new Ms. Noir City, Alycia contemporary and vintage titles. But Tumlin, selected as this year’s festival sources within the company, who supply femme fatale from more than 70 contenders. the Noir City festival and other festivals As savvy viewers might already have and repertory cinemas around the world, guessed, the theme of Noir City 7 is the indicate that a quickly paid insurance set- newspaper racket, and programmer and host tlement has allowed the company to work Eddie Muller discloses that “most of the virtually round-the-clock striking new films have a media theme: publishing, news- prints of all the films that were either lost papers, radio, that sort of thing.” or damaged. The full schedule of films will be Since studios make it a policy to released in the next issue of the Sentinel, and never store circulating prints and original will be posted on the FNF and Noir City elements together (a hedge against inci- websites in October. dents exactly like this), the materials need- “We’re still trying to lock down a few ed to strike new prints were not affected. really rare items,” said Muller, “but we’re Universal’s plan is to start by replac- pretty well set. It’s an eclectic line-up.” ing films that had screenings already This year’s poster is once again the scheduled, so those bookings can be met. work of the FNF’s graphics designer Bill Eventually, all the “lost” films will be res- Selby and photographer David Allen, work- urrected in new prints. ing from a concept supplied by Muller. San Especially heartening is that none of Francisco’s Mechanic’s Institute Library was the Universal-International titles scheduled enlisted to portray the 1940s-era newspaper for the next Noir City festival were affect- office. ed. One print of the five U-I selected for “There’s a storyline within the poster,” screening in San Francisco was damaged, Muller noted. “And Alycia is eager to enact but a new print will be struck in time, it. She’s a very enthusiastic Ms. Noir City, Universal sources confirmed. which makes me a little nervous.” FILM NOIR: NO LAUGHING MATTER? An Opinion-Editorial What get the biggest laughs invariably BY ERIC BEETNER are the juiciest slices of hard-boiled dialogue. Special to the Sentinel Sterling Hayden can scarcely get a word out without being chuckled at for his rat-a-tat-tat nyone who has attended a screening of delivery and flat, tough-guy speech pattern. In a classic film noir with a modern audi- The Killing (1956) he dresses down Marie ence has experienced it. The proceed- Windsor with “You’ve got a great big dollar Aings onscreen are anything but light and yet a sign there where most women have a heart,” line of dialogue or burst of action elicits chuck- and it’s hard not to get a kick out of it—but is les, if not outright peals of laughter. At a recent it worthy of guffaws? Outrageous bon mots screening of Night Editor (1946) at the annual and double entendres are part of why we love Palm Springs Film Noir Festival, you would noir, but at their core these films are hard- have thought the Marx Brothers had wandered boiled crime dramas. Too often, modern o k t on-screen to judge by the knee-slapping audi- moviegoers act as if they’re watching a slap- i D e ence reaction. stick comedy. v e t What is this phenomenon? Why are con- There are a variety of opinions as to what S y b temporary audiences compelled to laugh at sparks the laughter. American Cinematheque n o films from a different era? Or, more pointed- programmer Chris D. (who coordinates the i t a r ly—are they laughing at the films or with NOIR CITY festival in Los Angeles) believes t s u l l them? (continued on pg. 7, col. 1) I 2 Noir City Sentinel July/Aug 2008 external excursion, and Ejiofor’s sad eyes Mr. Modern Noir empathetically reflect the conspiratorial cir- THIS DIRTY TOWN cumstances engulfing him. Also in the cast is The Martial Art comedian Tim Allen, who at first seems cast against type when introduced during a bar- By J.J. Hunsecker Jr. Of David Mamet room brawl, but when it’s revealed he is playing a narcissistic movie star, his presence TAKING HIS CUE from classic sports noirs such makes sense. He inhabits Mamet’s hard- et’s all follow the bouncing ball of • as Body and Soul (1947) and Night and the boiled cutthroat world with impressive ease. the “new” Bad Lieutenant: First came Los Angeles residents might want to City (1950), David Mamet fashions a hard- I was rather relieved when Joe Mantegna L word that Werner Herzog was take their film noir badges to the city of hitting macho meditation on honor and showed up, since he (like William H. Macy) remaking Abel Ferrara’s 1992 bile-noir Sierra Madre to check out Earth and Sky, an betrayal with his latest film, Redbelt. Instead is to Mamet what Walter Matthau was to Neil with Nicholas Cage standing in (full intriguing new play billed by its author, of boxing or wrestling, the central physical Simon—a natural mouthpiece for a man- frontal?) for Harvey Kietel. Herzog is shoot- Douglas Post, as “a romantic film noir source of conflict here is jujitsu, but the nered but unique linguistic rhythm, which ing in New Orleans, figuring the post- thriller.” underlying theme of personal ethics versus not all actors can master so effortlessly. Katrina environment will add heft to the pro- • organized corruption is no less resonant. Mamet-speak is as distinctive as Runyonese. ceedings. Ferrara said to French reporters: “I Just how deeply is noir permeating the Directing his own script, Mamet deliv- The pivotal role of a cop who is also wish these people die in hell. I hope they’re Southern California arts community? Well, ers his trademark quick-jab dialogue within a Mike’s prize martial-arts student, unwitting- all in the same streetcar and it blows up.” dancer-choreographer Meg Wolfe’s latest bob-and-weave storyline that is less convo- ly caught up in the random whirlwind of Nothing like esprit de corps. work, Eleven Missing Days, features herself luted—and less compelling—than previous unfortunate “coincidences,” is played by a Now Herzog declares that the film is and four “movement collaborators” using walks on the dark side such as House of little-known actor with the lounge-lizard not a remake, but the first of a possible series film noir as a “starting point to explore Games (1987) and Things Change (1988), moniker of Max Martini, who reveals an of noir-style films about a corrupt cop: Bad doomed love, the femme fatale, disappear- but he manages to keep the audience fully inner vulnerability that nicely complements Lieutenant: Port of Call: New Orleans. ance, and the creative process.” Be warned: engaged until the final bell. his stock tough-guy persona. In the lower- Herzog also bemoans the inevitable confu- The San Diego Union Tribune refers to The main protagonist, jujitsu instruc- profile female roles, Emily Mortimer ably sion that will dog his project. Werner, here’s Wolfe as a “postmodernist jokester with a sly tor Mike Terry, is portrayed with carefully plays a lawyer who is the initial catalyst for an (albeit far-fetched) suggestion: New Title. sense of humor.” controlled passion by Chiwetel Ejiofor (Talk the proceedings, and Alice Braga is stern and A funny interview with Herzog about the • to Me [2007], American Gangster [2007]). sexy as Mike’s long-suffering but somehow whole mess can be found at Defamer.com. Due in theaters this November is Dark Noir is more of an internal journey than an suspicious wife. • Streets, a musical noir set in 1930s New Redbelt ends with a TKO despite its Another reported project we’re won- Orleans with a plot about big-business cor- somewhat ridiculous (but crowd-pleasing) dering about is Black Wings Has My Angel, ruption that sounds straight out of the Enron forays into martial-arts mayhem, particularly an adaptation of Elliott Chaze’s 1953 novel debacle, if the Enron debacle had featured during the feverish but fully satisfying finale. that was announced last spring as the initial singing and dancing (which might have A few of the plot points seem slightly forced producing effort of actor Elijah Wood, in helped). The film, directed by Rachel too, especially a stunning suicide midway conjunction with Indalo Prod-uctions.