Top Ten Tuesdays

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

It is one where I'm not entirely convinced, but it is a modern take on the PI and I was tempted to put Shaft instead as he is a PI rather than a policeman.

It's not a take on a PI. Callaghan's a homicide detective who doesn't really fit into any of the typical Noir conventions.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

I'm not disagreeing on purpose, Nos, just debating the subject of Noir with you. Some of the TTT topics don't warrant debate so it's nice to find one that does.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Films About Amnesia and Memory Loss

1. Psycho*
2. Mulholland Drive
3. Memento
4. Dark City
5. Spellbound
6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
7. Lost Highway
8. Shutter Island
9. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
10. Finding Dory

*I'm surprised this isn't on many online lists as the titular antagonist is someone who suffers from blackouts and memory loss (clinically known as disassociative amnesia/psychogenic amnesia) due to his dissociative personality disorder.

Narrowly missing the cut:

• Angel Heart
• The Bourne Identity
• Girl on the Train
• The Long Kiss Goodnight
• The Killer inside Me
• Total Recall

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

It's not a take on a PI. Callaghan's a homicide detective who doesn't really fit into any of the typical Noir conventions.

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I'm not disagreeing on purpose, Nos, just debating the subject of Noir with you. Some of the TTT topics don't warrant debate so it's nice to find one that does.

As I said, it's one where I was not entirely convinced myself, but it was on a number of online lists for noir films in the 1970s. I've been looking back over my uni notes from when I did a module on film noir and completely missed out Taxi Driver, a film which does have many noir tropes and which I'll put on my list instead of Dirty Harry.

Like you say, it is good that this subject has sparked a couple of pages of discussion already debating the merits of Lost Highway and Dirty Harry as fitting the amnesiac and film noir categories, respectively.

[Prince_Vajda]

I'm sorry I'll have to stay away from this thread this week. There are way too many spoilers for way too many unwatched films of mine.

SPOILER:

Why don't you use the spoiler tag?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Prince_Vajda

I'm sorry I'll have to stay away from this thread this week. There are way too many spoilers for way too many unwatched films of mine.

SPOILER:

Why don't you use the spoiler tag?

Because it's a film discussion forum.

Why not watch some of your films?

[Prince_Vajda]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Because it's a film discussion forum.

Why not watch some of your films?

I think spoiling major plot twists (at least without any kind of warning) is a no-no, even in a film discussion forum.

However, I am not in the mood for a quarrel and will simply keep my distance.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Prince_Vajda

I think spoiling major plot twists (at least without any kind of warning) is a no-no, even in a film discussion forum.

However, I am not in the mood for a quarrel and will simply keep my distance.

I take your point on new films but not films like Lost Highway and Carnival of Souls which are decades old.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I take your point on new films but not films like Lost Highway and Carnival of Souls which are decades old.

One of the joys of being a film enthusiast is finding new films to oneself whether they be new or old. Or at least getting round to watching films. I've seen Carnival numerous times but never Lost Highway. So I think being wary of spoilers for films regardless of their age is a valid concern and can appreciate Princes desire to avoid this thread for the week. That said its a risk I'm personally willing to take as such things come with the territory on a forum like this.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Spoiling a new film is one thing, but I'm of the opinion that anything over a decade old is fair game for in-depth discussion on a film forum – it would be ridiculous to have an entire thread discussing films from the 1950s or '60s full of spoiler tags.

If you see a film title which you haven't seen it is a discussion rather than a review (which should be spoiler-free), browse past the post.