Simon Killer - terrible title, interesting movie, 100 odd minutes inside the head of a real scumbag, an amoral chancer who casually ruins lives without a second thought. Some good choices elevate this above the crowd - the synch of soundtrack with central characters I-pod - wish they'd taken this further, underplayed convincing performances all round, avoiding the gore route to offer a more insidious way of freaking you out. Compelling little film, I liked it a lot.
Sin City 2 - A Dame To Kill For - credits rolling as I type - I absolutely hated this film - surely one of the worst scripts ever written - a load of cliched adolescent shite masquerading as 'hard boiled' married to an incomprehensible plot which never clicks or involves or even makes any sense. Frank Miller, as any comic reader will tell you, has well and truly lost it and here's horrible proof. Main reason for my hatred though? The sheer talent involved - the wonderful visuals, the top notch actors, Eva Greens naked body, Powers Booth 's craggy mug in glorious B&W - all this gold wasted - sob.
Appointment WIth Danger - An example of what Miller's exploiting - a 1950s crime noir which gets by on snappy dialogue, classy cinematography and star power (pocket dynamo Alan Ladd) - there's not an animated multiple decapitation by levitating Asian swordstress in sight and the picture's all the better for it. Special mention for Jack Webb bashing his future Dragnet partner Harry Morgan to death with the bronze cast of his estranged, beloved infant son's bootees - now that's nasty!
When Strangers Marry (1944) - If, like me, you love the Robson/Lewton horror The 7th Victim, you'll love this. Once again innocent Kim Hunter is adrift in a hellish shadowy NY. Once again Lou Lubin ( the PI) is one of the lost souls she meets. At least this time she has a pipe puffing square (Robert Mitchum) looking out for her as she discovers her new husband is a murdering psycho - but wait a minute, Robert Mitchum?... A great creepy little noir, which does the business in 67 tight minutes - just pretend the last 2 didn't happen.
Last edited by Handyman Joe; 18th July 2015 at 08:13 PM.
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