OUT OF THE CAST - THE FILM NOIR PODCAST

Another podcast appears! The Curmudgeon (myself) has started a brand new podcast series exclusively for film noir. From episode to episode, myself and a guest will discuss various instalments into the film noir canon. Join Green Ornstein and I as we trawl through Fargo season 1 (2014), the snow-swept neo-noir continuation of the Coen Brothers' '96 classic.

Comments

W A T C H M E N: A Retrospective

Words by The Curmudgeon . Title image compliments of Green Ornstein . [WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Alan Moore's 1986 graphic novel, Watchmen . If you haven't read Watchmen, I SERIOUSLY RECOMMEND IT. If you have, or you don't mind the odd spoiler, read on!] Special thanks to Green Ornstein for providing the title image! I can’t help but feel a trifle trepidatious over the recent absorption of Alan Moore’s Watchmen (1986) into the rest of the DC Universe. Of course, Moore’s original text was always a property of DC comics, seeing publication under their banner in 1986-87. But it was never a part of the universe which DC had established. This could be taken as implicit , given that none of the flagship franchise heroes of DC’s monopoly make so much as a cameo in Moore’s world. Those familiar with Watchmen will know that there are even major historical events which unfold in its timeline – a major law , for example, which mandates the conscr...

Porco Rosso - DISTANCE

Words by Curmudgeon Film Talk There’s this scene in Porco Rosso (1992) wherein the protagonist, Marco, dines in solitude with his childhood friend, Gina. She relays a recently-acquired anecdote: a boisterous yet conceited seaplane pilot named Curtis - whom she’d just met - asked to marry her. “I’ve married three pilots,” she tells him, “one died in the war, one in the Atlantic, and the third in Asia.” I recall, upon watching Porco Rosso for the first time, this line irked me. “Here are two people who’ve been friends for many years. Why would she tell him this? Surely, he would already know,” I thought to myself. An excuse for exposition, I imagined. My criticism came too soon, though. As Marco hesitates, his face gone blank, it becomes clear – in the most indirect manner possible, Gina discloses her husband’s death. The solemn words follow: “they found him?” Their subdued manner keeps them composed. And yet, something in director Hayao Miyazaki’s detailed ey...

Carole and Tuesday vs. Kids on the Slope - Part 1.

Written by The Curmudgeon SPOILER WARNING: The following contains spoilers for both Carole and Tuesday and Kids on the Slope . Go watch them first if you don't want the plot spoiled. If you have seen them, or you just don't care, read on! I love Shinichiro Watanabe. I love ‘im. He’s responsible for some of my favourite things; from Cowboy Bebop (1998) – smart, sombre, and slick – to the utterly hilarious and bizarre Space Dandy (2014) , he’s got a style that suits me just fine. Although it’s unlikely he’ll ever make something which moves me quite like Bebop , he always finds a way to imbue his work with such panache. Also, he wears sunglasses all the damn time. I’m not kidding, it’s actually challenging to find out what this man’s eyes look like. The problem is that he doesn’t helm too many original titles. As such, when Watanabe’s most recent series, Carole and Tuesday (2019), debuted this year, it made some serious waves. Something about this...

Search This Blog