“A Hybrid Noir Played Hot: The Beast Must Die” by Ken Hall

FILM REVIEW: “A finely crafted, clever combination of film noir, Gothic melodrama, and ‘classic’ detective narrative from Argentina….”

“Complex Nuances in the Underworld: Dusk for a Hitman” by Ken Hall

FILM REVIEW: “A brutal tale of a hitman that is very effectively presented without excessive resort to shock violence….”

“Flashbacks and ‘Second Sight’: The Ravine” by Ken Hall

FILM REVIEW: “The combination of noir, suspense, and spiritual and fantastic elements prevents the film from being an ordinary inspirational piece.”

“Dead at the Center: Enigmatic Noir Femmes and Psychopaths” by Ken Hall

NONFICTION: “Such characters differ in their affect from another class of noir figures, those who seem ‘dead at the center,’ displaying little or no genuine emotion as they proceed through the narrative. Perhaps these characters might be classified popularly as ‘psychopaths,’ although the definition of the term according to psychological theory and practice is complex….”

“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.”

“Femme Fatale Assassins and the Time Clock” by Ken Hall

NONFICTION: “A more recent twist on the general narrative arc [of the hitwoman] places the female assassin as a child, perhaps orphaned, but certainly appropriated by a handler, who is trained from an early age, in a morally perverse adoption scenario, to become the ideal robotic killer…..”