Re: NOT NECESSARILY NOIR II @ The Roxie Nov 4 - 8
Posted: November 6th, 2011, 4:54 pm
We had a terrific time at the Roxie last night despite the pouring rain. Dewey served up Brainstorm, a sensationally weird little film produced and directed by William Conrad. The film stars Jeff Hunter as the hero who may or may not be faking going crazy due to his love for Anne Francis. Bad news for Hunter, Francis is married to a very old looking Dana Andrews who will let her go but she has to leave her young daughter behind.
Hunter works for Andrews' research company and saves Francis from a suicide attempt of death by leaving your car on the train tracks. She gets a hankering for Hunter though it takes him a bit to respond to all the moves she puts on him, including showing up with friends after hours at her husband's company. They are all pretty sauced and on a scavenger hunt. Hubby is out of town. They talk Hunter into joining them back at the house. This despite the fact that even his computer has warned Hunter that Francis is dangerous. Even spells it out for him right there on its screen in case Hunter has a hard time processing the information.
From there, the two fall in love and plot to kill Andrews so they can be together.
But, I guess having watched Double Indemnity and Postman Always Rings Twice, Hunter decides that it's best if he act crazy but not be able to fall back on an insanity defense. So, he starts acting all crazy like.
He should have watched more Hollywood movies about plotting against a lover's hubby because he ultimately discovers that Anne Francis isn't exactly pining away for him while he is serving out his sentence in the looney bin. She has moved on. Poor Jeff is left in the looney bin and proves to the audience he really is crazy.
Viveca Lindfors is terrific as the psychiatrist who Hunter feels is in love with him. Strother Martin excels at playing an inmate in the looney bin who gets on Hunter's bad side and even William Conrad does an homage to Hitchcock by showing up as an inmate in the looney bin.
The film has some wonderful cinematography and some great Wellesian touches with sound and visual transitions but it probably isn't enough.
The music score has some great jazz motifs and some hysterical rock and roll motifs that include a middle aged couple dancing that brought laughter from the audience. The score reminded both Marco and me of tv police dramas of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Maybe this is where various composers got the idea for all those music cues from?
Some great shots of Los Angeles including the Greystone mansion and the old International hotel down near LAX as well as Burbank Airport back in the day.
We look forward to Dewey returning to the Roxie in the Spring with another great line-up. I've got my fingers crossed for either (or both) American Hot Wax or The Outsiders.
I know it's an outside chance but a girl can dream......
Hunter works for Andrews' research company and saves Francis from a suicide attempt of death by leaving your car on the train tracks. She gets a hankering for Hunter though it takes him a bit to respond to all the moves she puts on him, including showing up with friends after hours at her husband's company. They are all pretty sauced and on a scavenger hunt. Hubby is out of town. They talk Hunter into joining them back at the house. This despite the fact that even his computer has warned Hunter that Francis is dangerous. Even spells it out for him right there on its screen in case Hunter has a hard time processing the information.
From there, the two fall in love and plot to kill Andrews so they can be together.
But, I guess having watched Double Indemnity and Postman Always Rings Twice, Hunter decides that it's best if he act crazy but not be able to fall back on an insanity defense. So, he starts acting all crazy like.
He should have watched more Hollywood movies about plotting against a lover's hubby because he ultimately discovers that Anne Francis isn't exactly pining away for him while he is serving out his sentence in the looney bin. She has moved on. Poor Jeff is left in the looney bin and proves to the audience he really is crazy.
Viveca Lindfors is terrific as the psychiatrist who Hunter feels is in love with him. Strother Martin excels at playing an inmate in the looney bin who gets on Hunter's bad side and even William Conrad does an homage to Hitchcock by showing up as an inmate in the looney bin.
The film has some wonderful cinematography and some great Wellesian touches with sound and visual transitions but it probably isn't enough.
The music score has some great jazz motifs and some hysterical rock and roll motifs that include a middle aged couple dancing that brought laughter from the audience. The score reminded both Marco and me of tv police dramas of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Maybe this is where various composers got the idea for all those music cues from?
Some great shots of Los Angeles including the Greystone mansion and the old International hotel down near LAX as well as Burbank Airport back in the day.
We look forward to Dewey returning to the Roxie in the Spring with another great line-up. I've got my fingers crossed for either (or both) American Hot Wax or The Outsiders.
I know it's an outside chance but a girl can dream......