Preview – “Patrick Tam’s My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989)” by Thomas M. Puhr

FILM REVIEW: “Violent, sensual, and at times poetic Hong Kong neo-noir….”

“Soderbergh’s Neo-Noir Heist: No Sudden Move (2021)” by Anees Aref

FILM REVIEW: “Soderbergh knows the genre terrain, soaking up the urban atmosphere through his typically crisp camerawork and editing….”

“Faith, Sport, and Tragedy: Don’t Know Tough” by William Blick

BOOK REVIEW: “As deadly serious as an infected a wound that Billy and people like him live with every day. No humorous anecdotes here. The novel is consistently tragic….”

“La Chienne: Renoir Begins (Preview)” by Christopher Sharrett

REVIEW: “While the film is credited with bringing German Expressionism to French cinema and thus another step toward film noir, the film is notable for its sense of stillness….”

“Noir with a Social Conscience: Ride the Pink Horse (1946)” by William Blick

BOOK REVIEW: “Using a distinct setting, a complex anti-hero, a series of unsavory, as well as empathetic characters, and most notably, a social heartbeat, Dorothy B. Hughes’ Ride the Pink Horse offers an extremely compelling journey.”

“No stupid moves: Frank Oz’s The Score” By Anees Aref

REVIEW ESSAY: “Thieves should respect their elders, too.”

“Jonathan Latimer, Skilled Artisan of the Crime Genre: Headed for a Hearse (1935)” by William Blick

BOOK REVIEW: “Demonstrates a degree of mastery of plot, character, and structure as the mystery is solved with all twists and turns readers have come to expect from the genre….”

“Back to Troubled Grounds: The Two Jakes” By Anees Aref

“You can’t forget the past…just as much as you can’t change it” –Jakes Gittes (Jack Nicholson) in The Two Jakes The Two Jakes almost never happened. The sequel to the legendary 1974 film Chinatown (directed by Roman Polanski and written by Robert Towne) was a project doomed from the start, with creative clashes behind the […]

“Hard Case Crime, April 2022: It’s Westlake!” by Matthew Sorrento

NONFICTION: “As the renown imprint presents the last unpublished novel by the author, it delivers one of his most unique and rewarding….”

“Graham Moore’s Unified and Inventive The Outfit” by Ken Hall

REVIEW: “The intricately plotted tale of betrayals, informants, and outbreaks of violence is presented in a format familiar to classical theatre but not as common in contemporary filmmaking. The scope of the onscreen narrative is restricted to the tailor shop, the time span is very limited, and the action of the film, while complex, focuses on the importance of some elusive evidence of a ‘rat’ in the Boyle gang.”