Noir City 9 memorial reel honors movie greats

February 3, 2011 by

At the recent Noir City 9 in San Francisco, besides the marvelous movies, audiences got to see a memorial reel for talent who died in 2010, created by Richard Hildreth, Noir City showrunner.

Peter Graves in "The Night of the Hunter"

The reel honored: Blake Edwards (“Experiment in Terror”), Gloria Stuart (“The Old Dark House”), Peter Graves (“The Night of the Hunter”), John Forsythe (“In Cold Blood”), Anne Francis (“Rogue Cop”), Kevin McCarthy (“Invasion of the Body Snatchers”), Patricia Neal (“The Breaking Point”) and Tony Curtis (“Sweet Smell of Success”).

Seeing Graves’ name and the clip from “The Night of the Hunter” (recently re-released by Criterion) reminded me to feature this movie on my site and I’m lucky to have a review to share from critic Michael Wilmington.

MW rightly praises Robert Mitchum’s performance. But for me it is the child actors, Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce, who make the film so moving and resonant.

Peter Graves image from today.msnbc.msn.com
 
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SF noir fest: Who’s driving whom nuts?

January 25, 2011 by

Hallucinations, imaginary family members, gold diggers and good girls, cheating spouses, murder, fake death certificates, freaks, fiends and assorted psychopaths … there was much to love over the weekend at Noir City 9, the ninth annual San Francisco Film Noir Festival. This year’s theme is “Who’s Crazy Now?” and the madness continues at the Castro Theatre through Jan. 30.

Addressing the sold-out crowd on Saturday night, fest founder and czar of noir Eddie Muller commented on the fact that this year’s lineup of films, all of which touch on insanity, featured more female protagonists than ever before.

“But there’s no hidden message there,” he said. “Men are driving them crazy. And the idea that noir is a man’s world? This festival disproves that.”

Good answer, Eddie. 😉

I spent a whirlwind weekend in SF, watching movies, eating, shopping and enjoying this pretty city. Here are some highlights from the trip.

The view from a balcony overlooking Union Square.

 

The Castro Theatre hosts Noir City 9.

 

The poster shows Marilyn in a red bustier, great to wear when baby-sitting, of course.

 

The festival crowd at the Castro on Saturday night.

 

Lobster cappuccino at Chez Spencer.

 

Christian Louboutin's retro red gingham in the window at Neiman Marcus.

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FNB is crazy for Noir City 9

January 22, 2011 by

Monroe and Widmark in "Don't Bother to Knock."

Happy Saturday and hello from San Francisco! It’s beautiful weather here and there’s much to see at Noir City 9, the terrific film festival put on by the Film Noir Foundation.

This year’s theme is “Who’s Crazy Now?” described by festival organizers as a lineup of 24 tales of madness, ranging from Oscar-winning performances by Ingrid Bergman (“Gaslight”) and Ronald Colman (“A Double Life”) to obscure rarities, all presented as originally intended, in glorious 35mm. The fest runs through Jan. 30.

Just returned from “Strangers in the Night” by Anthony Mann at the Castro Theatre and will be returning for tonight’s double feature, the little-known “They Won’t Believe Me” and “Don’t Bother to Knock,” the sexy thriller starring Marilyn Monroe.
Between movies, there are so many divine restaurants, I’m afraid I might lose my mind. 😉
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What’s new at the Aero and the Egyptian in January

January 5, 2011 by

There’s much for noir aficionados to see this month at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles. Highlights at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica and the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood include:

That Special Something: A Tribute to Great Screen Icons, spotlighting “film actors [who] transcend the realm of mere celebrity, reaching a more profound level of cultural significance.” The series honors Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, John Wayne, James Dean, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Elvis.

Humphrey Bogart

Film noir entries include: “In a Lonely Place,” 7:30 p.m. Jan. 7 at the Egyptian as well as Hitchcock gems “Rear Window” and “Dial M for Murder” starting at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Egyptian. The Screen Icons series runs Jan. 5-29.

“Chinatown” and “The Tenant” will show at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28, at the Egyptian as part of Traumatic Rendition: A Roman Polanski Retrospective.

William Friedkin’s “The French Connection” and “To Live and Die in L.A.,” will run at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, at the Aero. This double-bill is part of Strangle-Hold: The Gripping Films of William Friedkin.

This is just scratching the surface, so be sure to check complete schedule. The Egyptian Theatre is at 6712 Hollywood Blvd. The Aero Theatre is at 1328 Montana Ave. General admission is $11; members pay $7.

Meanwhile, I just booked my ticket to attend the Film Noir Foundation’s Noir City 9 in San Francisco, Jan. 21-30 at the Castro Theatre. Looking forward to the excellent lineup of films!

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Wishing for non-stop noir? SF film fest will oblige

December 9, 2010 by

Something splendid is going on next month: The Film Noir Foundation’s Noir City 9, San Francisco’s annual film festival celebrating classic dark-side flicks.

The schedule of films and the new poster will be revealed Wednesday at the first Noir City Xmas double feature. The films are: “Remember the Night” 1940 and “Mr. Soft Touch” 1949.

“Remember the Night” stars Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray (they reunited for the ultra-famous noir classic “Double Indemnity” 1944) as well as Beulah Bondi. Preston Sturges wrote the original screenplay and Mitchell Leisen directed.

“Mr. Soft Touch,” a comedy-drama set in San Francisco, stars Glenn Ford and Evelyn Keyes. It was directed by Gordon Douglas and Henry Levin.

Film Noir Foundation founder and president Eddie Muller always does an amazing job with the festival and I can’t wait to hear the details for next year.

Noir City Xmas is Wednesday Dec. 15 and Noir City 9 runs Jan. 21-30, 2011, both at the Castro Theatre. For full details, visit www.noircity.com.

Last year’s highlights included:

Marilyn is both steamy and scheming in "Niagara" from 1953 by Henry Hathaway.

Marilyn Noir: “Niagara” 1953 and “The Asphalt Jungle” 1950.

Bad Girls of Film Noir: “One Girl’s Confession” 1953 and “Women’s Prison” 1955.

The Magnificent Gloria Grahame: “Human Desire” 1954 and “Odds Against Tomorrow” 1959.

Image from pixdaus.com

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