Movie Reviews: Where The Sidewalk Ends

Where The Sidewalk Ends
directed by Otto Preminger

This was a quality film noir that stood out because of its serious criticism of the police.

Still the writer and director quickly mute that story line before transforming it into something a little more sympathetic to police as well and focusing on individual and not systemic wrongdoing.

This film allowed for more moral complexity than was then showed for police filmic depictions. Where The Sidewalk Ends was simultaneously stylized and ultra realistic. This film is among the best examples of what a film noir should look like. Visually it's quite the treat. The film used some New York City locations.

 

Unless you're a saint you've committed a few sins. What determines your morality is not just whether you've ever broken a law or internal moral code but how you've behaved after doing so. Did you take responsibility? Offer recompense or apology to those that you've harmed? Examine what you did wrong and make changes in yourself?

Movie Reviews: Soda Cracker

Soda Cracker aka The Kill Reflex
directed by Fred Williamson

This 1989 movie is another independent low budget action film starring (and directed by Fred Williamson). It's not very good. 

It does fit in with similar contemporaneous larger budget schlock featuring better known white actors like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Kurt Russell. 

One difference was that by this time Williamson was beginning to age out of kick butt He-Man action roles. Nevertheless Williamson was a former professional athlete and still maintained an imposing physique and impressive screen presence. 

At this time there weren't many roles in Hollywood in which the Black man got to be the hero, kick a$$, and get the girl instead of being an incompetent criminal, comic relief, a sidekick, or a Magical Negro who is only there to help the white hero reach his full potential.

So despite the often cliched writing, bad cinematography, and pained fight scenes I appreciated that Williamson was continuing to provide RARE examples of cinematic Black male heroism. The plot is pedestrian. Soda Cracker (Williamson) is a Chicago cop who plays by his own rules--is there ever any other kind? 

Movie Reviews: Antlers

Antlers
directed by Scott Cooper

This somber horror movie was directed by Scott Cooper, who also directed the gangster flick Black Mass, which as I wrote at the time felt more like a horror movie than a crime drama. 

Too often these days, if you think of horror movies, you will think of nubile coeds who are slaughtered in increasingly inventive ways, often after helpfully stripping down to bra and panties or even less. There is a faceoff between the monster and final girl who is usually but not always, not as attractive or as overtly sexual as the sex crazed women (and men) who have died before.

 

This young woman, perhaps with the assistance of some "loser" or at least someone who is non-sexual because of age or race reasons, will overcome the monster or escape it to hopefully set up some profitable sequels. It's a formula. I don't like that formula but people wouldn't use it if it didn't work. 

Antlers does not use that formula. So that was good. I could argue that it used a common different formula in which everything is shot under a gray/blue filter and supernatural evil and more prosaic human evil are interwoven. 

The Whistler Radio Show

The Whistler Radio Show was an old time radio show that ran from 1942 thru 1955. It was a noir radio drama that tracked closely to many of the noir films of the time. Usually a desperate man or woman or a hardened criminal would do something illegal or unethical. They might get away with it at first but would almost always get caught at the end, usually by some small detail they had overlooked or their own greed. IIRC every so often an innocent person might get in trouble or there might be a happy ending but these were rare occurrences. 

The narrator, The Whistler, would offer commentary, usually sardonic and grim, on events.  Everything would always wrap up in 24-27 minutes. Things moved fast. Many episodes can be found on youtube, on various old time radio sites, satellite radio, or in CD collections. I like the music and the Trans-Atlantic/Mid-Atlantic accents.

Opioid Deal Finalized But Victims Get Squat!

Say you're the CEO of a heroin importation and wholesale distributorship company named Junk, Smack, & White Horse Inc. Life is good. 

You have begun vertical integration with overseas suppliers and some smaller dealers, bringing them into your conglomerate. 

You still have large competitors (those disrespectful muyerfuyer SOBs at Mexican Brown & China White LLC are testing your patience) but at least when police crackdowns occur you're not the only target.  

You face the minor irritations of customers dying, prostituting themselves, robbing others to pay for your product, becoming homeless, abusing their loved ones, and becoming unproductive junkies, but as any cook will attest, you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs. Anyway, your customers don't live in your neighborhood. Your bank account, stock portfolio, homes, yachts, cars, children's private schools, and wife's dresses and jewelry let you know it's all worth it. 

Movie Reviews: They Won't Believe Me

They Won't Believe Me
directed by Irving Pichel

This 1947 film noir was really good. People of a certain age may remember the lead actor, Robert Young, from his titular roles in the television series Father Knows Best and later Marcus Welby M.D. Young's role in this film was quite different from those portrayals. There was a radio show titled The Whistler that was running at the same time that this film was released. 

In The Whistler, usually a desperate person or a hardened criminal committed some crime. The person almost got away with it before realizing that he or she had overlooked some minor detail that led to their arrest and conviction, imprisonment, or even execution. 

The protagonist would often discover that it had been unnecessary for them to commit the crime. They might learn that even if they got away with it there was no profit to be had.

If I recall correctly sometimes even an innocent person might be wrongly caught up in a web of mistaken identities and wrong place at the wrong time situations. I really like listening to The Whistler. They Won't Believe Me works the same side of the street as The Whistler. 

This movie would have worked well as an episode on The Whistler. But it works just as well as a noir movie. The performances by Young and the three (count 'em three!) female leads are just perfect. Everyone is believable.

Movie Reviews: Malignant

Malignant
directed by James Wan

This is a suspense/thriller movie that reminded me of Brian DePalma's film, Sisters, with Margot Kidder. Younger people might have other touchstones. 

I thought Malignant wasn't what it could have been because it switched mood and tone too often.

 

One second it's a glorious B movie homage to scientists investigating things that should not be before turning into a somber statement on loneliness, loss, and domestic violence and finally morphing into a bloody action/horror film. 

 

Or maybe it's just a parody of those things. Malignant mixes a lot together. James Wan directed Malignant. James Wan made a name for himself by directing Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring, before going to even greater glory with Aquaman and Fast and Furious 7. 

Wan is a master of his craft, especially when it comes to using sets and lighting to make the viewer feel uneasy and uncomfortable. Wan does that to massive effect in Malignant. Malignant has some impressive camera work. The camera silently communicates the loneliness and fear felt by the lead actress. But too often the music interferes with that, leading to a cheesy "BE SCARED NOW" effect.