🎥 Review: The Big Combo (1955)

"First is first, and second is nobody."

Shot in only 26 days, The Big Combo (1955) is a masterpiece of American film noir, directed by Joseph H. Lewis, who also helmed the classic Gun Crazy. Written by Philip Yordan and shot by the legendary cinematographer John Alton, the film is a stunning example of how to create a moody and atmospheric crime drama on a low budget. Lewis's style mainly involves capturing scenes without any cuts or breaks. Then incorporating Alton's elements like black velvet, a fog machine, and well-placed single lights, it skillfully creates an enchanting chiaroscuro effect. Co-produced and starring Cornel Wilde, featuring Helen Walker (known for her role in Nightmare Alley) in her final performance, and with Helene Stanton portraying his burlesque dancer girlfriend. But this film also showcases the exceptional talent of Richard Conte, who delivers a chilling portrayal of a sadistic crime boss, his second in command Brian Donlevy who he loves to humiliate, Lee Van Cleef, and Earl Holliman as his henchmen, who are clearly more than just friends, and Jean Wallace (Cornel's real-life wife), as the object of Conte's obsession. Their scenes are both disturbing and erotic.

The story revolves around a determined police detective who is determined to bring down a notorious gang leader. However, his obsession with the gangster's girlfriend has become unhealthy, as he believes she holds the key to his victory.

A woman dresses for a man. You dress for me. Go put on something white!

In an era filled with daring and provocative moments, one scene stands out as both risqué and controversial. It involves Conte gracefully disappearing from the frame to engage in an oral sex act with Wallace. Wallace made a special request for Wilde to stay away from the set during the filming of this scene. After watching the final cut of the movie, Wilde was said to be furious with the suggestive and bold depiction of sexuality. The film is filled with violence and torture, but it's also a work of art, with crisp and cynical dialogue and stunning visual storytelling. If you're a fan of film noir, The Big Combo is a must-see.

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🎥 Review: Key Largo (1948)

"When your head says one thing and your whole life says another, your head always loses." John Huston directed this film-noir masterpiece with an incredible cast which included the legendary Humphrey Bogart, Lionel Barrymore, Lauren Bacall, Edward G. Robinson, and the fabulous Claire Trevor - who won an Oscar for her outstanding performance. The movie is set in Key Largo, where a hurricane is fast approaching, adding to the already-tense atmosphere inside the hotel. The sadistic mobster Johnny Rocco storms in and takes the hotel owner, James Temple, his widowed daughter-in-law Nora, and ex-GI Frank McCloud, hostage at gunpoint. Fun fact: When Claire Trevor asked John Huston for some insight into her character, he gave her a hilarious description of "a drunken dame whose elbows are always a little too big, voice a little too loud, and a little too polite. Very sad, very resigned." And to top it off, he even showed her how to embody the character by leaning on the

🎥 Review: Shoot the Moon (1982)

There have been motion pictures made about the collapse of marriages. Scenes froth with denial, anger, depression, to bitter custody battles and destructive emotions of jealousy and abuse. Some that comes to mind like Scenes from a Marriage (1974), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), An Unmarried Woman (1979), and more recently A Marriage Story (2019). But none of them in my opinion quite captured the confusion, heartbreak, and turmoil like Shoot the Moon (1982). The phrase "shoot the moon," comes from the card game hearts. It refers to taking a risk when playing your hand to achieve a higher score. Directed by Alan Parker (Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Fame) and written by Bo Goldman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Melvin, and Howard). The film depicts an intense look at marital disintegration from the perspective of both parents and their children. Parker and Goldman called upon their marriages to create the screenplay. The late Albert Finney and Diane Keaton are The Dunlap

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🎥 Review: Three on A Match (1932)

“I suppose I should be the happiest woman in the world. Beautiful home, a successful husband, and a nice youngster, but . . . somehow, the things that make other people happy leave me cold. I guess something must have been left out of my makeup.” Today marks the 90th anniversary of the enforcement of the Production Code on this day in film history. The Hayes Code, or Hays Code as some like to call it, was established in 1930 but didn't start cracking down on those filmmakers until 1934. Its main goal was to keep films squeaky clean and avoid government interference. But before mid-1934, some movies were rebels who didn't care about those guidelines. This era gave us some raw and unfiltered cinema that truly captured the essence of the time. I'm low-key obsessed with pre-code flicks, there's just something so refreshingly honest about them. I recently introduced the pre-code classic Three on a Match from 1932, to my boyfriend, who had never seen it before

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In June of last year, I had the good fortune to take a tour of the Clark Gable Museum located in Cadiz, Ohio. The museum is an exact reconstruction of the original house where Gable was born, which sadly, had been previously demolished. The two-story home is full of Gable memorabilia from his early days in southeastern Ohio, including his prized New Port Blue 1954 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, which was my personal favorite part of the tour. Additionally, famous Gone With The Wind stars Cammie King-Bonnie Blue Butler, Ann Rutherford, and Butterfly McQueen have also left their handprints and signatures on display at the museum. Interestingly, my hand size happens to be the same as Ann Rutherford's, which was a fun fact. However, the tour also contained a somber and poignant moment with the Carole Lombard room. Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take any photographs of the personal notes or jewelry that Gable had gifted to Lombard, or any of his childhood memorabilia, including his b

🎥 Review: Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

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