J
JOHN-O
Tiki Socialite
Dogtown, USA
Joined: May 16, 2008
Posts: 2721
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J
I've wanted to post my list of top ten favorite neo-Noirs for quite some time. I'll probably elaborate on my choices in future posts.
Here it is for now....
- Memento (2000) - I'll stack this up with any of the original Film Noir classics. I love this movie.
- Blade Runner (1982) - Even though I got burned out on it (too many versions).
- Chinatown (1974) - Here's a true story. Faye Dunaway - "What's my motivation for this scene?" Roman Polanski - "Your paycheck's your motivation. Just say the fucking lines !!"
- Taxi Driver (1976) - Possibly more ambitious than Noir but I'll put it on my list anyway.
- The Grifters (1990) - I could have imagined this being made in the late 1940's.
- Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) - Walter Mosley translates better to the screen than James Ellroy.
- Hard Eight (1996) - Little known gem from Paul Thomas Anderson (his film before Boogie Nights). I love the final shot.
- The Yakuza (1975) - Starring Robert Mitchum. Screenplay by Paul Schrader & Robert Towne !!
- The Player (1992) - Arguably more of a satire but that's what they said about Sunset Blvd too.
- Repo Man (1984) / Big Lewbowski (1998) - It's a tie between Punk Noir and Bowling Noir.
What JOHN-O, no "L.A. Confidential" ?? !! I admit I loved it when it first came out, but the more I watch it I don't think it holds up. It almost seems like a self-conscious and unintentional parody of period Noir. I think maybe they should have stopped doing period Noir after "Chinatown" (how are you going to top that one?). Chalk it up as "Ellroy Light". Read the book instead. I watch it now to see interior shots of Neutra's Modernist classic, the Lovell House. I got to visit that place once.
[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-10-15 07:59 ]
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