film noir

Episode 346: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

This week we finish out our LA neo-noir series with the revolutionary Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Robert Zemeckis directed this adaptation of Gary K. Wolf's 1981 novel, Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, a hilariously smart satire that leads hard-boiled private detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) on a journey to prove one of Toon Town's biggest stars, Roger Rabbit (voice of Charles Fleischer) is not guilty of murder. Together they must clear Roger's name and save him from the dreadful Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd).
Nominated for 6 Academy Awards and winning 3, the film was an astonishing blend of live-action and animation, creating new technology along the way. It is also the only film to include characters from both Disney and Warner Bros. together onscreen.
We're off next week, but we'll be back with some holiday cheer in December!

Episode 345: Chinatown (1974)

This week we grapple with the problematics of Chinatown (1974), arguably one of the greatest neo-noirs, with a fraught and complicated history thanks to its director, Roman Polanski. Starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, Chinatown represents the bleakness of noir amid the sunniness of LA, with a hefty dose of political and sexual corruption. Oof.
TW for discussions of sexual assault and incest. Next week, we conclude Noirvember with a far happier entry: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

344: LA Confidential (1997)

We continue our look at Los Angeles-set neo-noir films, this time with the 1997 Academy Award-winning L.A. Confidential.
Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey star as three very different LAPD detectives in a changing city where some cops embrace the corruption, some look the other way, and some are determined to root it out. An investigation into a series of murders in 1950s Los Angeles threatens to expose what's really going on beneath the sunny, shiny surface.
Based on the novel by James Ellroy, L.A. Confidential was directed by Curtis Hanson and also stars Kim Basinger, James Cromwell, Danny DeVito, David Strathairn, and Ron Rifkin. It was nominated for 9 Oscars including Best Picture, winning two: Best Supporting Actress, Kim Basinger; and Best Adapted Screenplay, Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson.

Episode 343: Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

The Dames are back with Halloween hangovers and the start of Noirvember! This month, we're looking at neo-noirs set in 40s/50s LA. We begin with Devil in a Blue Dress, starring peak Denzel Washington as Easy Rawlins, an out-of-work machinist who gets caught up in the search for a missing woman, leading him into the seedy underworld and racist high society of the City of Angels.
Next week, we'll go into even more sun-soaked political corruption and police brutality with LA Confidential!

Episode 335: Suspicion (1941)

Happy September! It's Cary Grant month (because we say it is), so we're starting out with Suspicion, the first film that brought together Grant and Alfred Hitchcock. They would go on to work together on three more films, but Suspicion is probably the most contentious for casting Cary Grant as a maybe-murderer who falls under suspicion from his wife (Joan Fontaine, who won an Oscar for her portrayal).
Next week, we'll be discussing one of Grant's most famous screwball comedies, Bringing Up Baby!

304: L'assassinat du Père Noël/Who Killed Santa Claus? (1941)

The Dames are kicking off a month of holiday movies, beginning with the 1941 French production, L'assassinat du Père Noël/Who Killed Santa Claus?
Directed by: Christian-JaqueWritten by: Charles Spaak; based on the novel by Pierre VéryStarring: Harry Baur, Renée Faure, Raymond Rouleau, Robert Le Vigan, Jean Brochard
Produced by Continental Films

Episode 303: The Naked Kiss (1964)

The Dames close out Noirvember in pulpy style with Samuel Fuller's still shocking The Naked Kiss, starring Constance Towers as a prostitute who moves to a small town and upends its social and sexual hierarchy by actually being a kind, ethical person.
(TW for discussions of sexual abuse.)

302 - Touch of Evil (1958)

This week, we discuss Orson Welles' noir classic, Touch of Evil. Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh star as a Mexican official and his wife who find themselves embroiled in a drug trafficking scandal that also involves an American detective (Welles) and his questionable methods of bringing people to justice.

Episode 301: The Night of the Hunter (1955)

We kick off Noirvember 2024 in style with Charles Laughton's exceptional directorial effort: The Night of the Hunter, starring Robert Mitchum as a fire and brimstone "preacher" who preys on widows in Depression-era West Virginia, but meets his match in two small children hiding an expensive secret. The Night of the Hunter was Laughton's only film as a director, in which he employed a blend of silent film and stage techniques that make it one of the most unique and effective noirs in cinematic history.

Episode 262: Holiday Noir - The Thin Dame

This week, the Dames welcome the holiday season with a look at three holiday noir films: The Thin Man (1934), Repeat Performance (1947), and They Live By Night (1948).

Episode 261: Billy Wilder - Double In-dame-nity

Just us for the last Noirvember episode of the year! The Dames are talking all things Billy Wilder this week, focusing on Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, and Witness for the Prosecution. Just promise not to tell anyone the ending. 

Episode 260: Women Direct Noir - Damewitness

This week, the Dames take a look at three noirs directed by women: Ida Lupino's The Hitch-Hiker (1953), Muriel Box's Eyewitness (1956), and Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky (1976). 

Episode 259: Barbara Stanwyck - Sorry, Wrong Dame

The Dames kick off Noirvember by discussing fast-talking, fast-living dame Barbara Stanwyck in three iconic roles: Baby Face, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, and Sorry, Wrong Number. No man stands a chance. 

Episode 237: Erotic Thriller - The Dame Seduction

The Dames return to discuss the totally not controversial and complicated subgenre of Erotic Thrillers. Films include Body Heat, The Last Seduction, and Jade, so be sure to watch these first if you don't want them spoiled! 
Plus:
Some updates on the David Choe problem: https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/beef-stars-defend-david-choe-casting-internet-reaction-is-not-great
Jonathan Majors's issues go from bad to very bad: https://variety.com/2023/film/news/jonathan-majors-more-alleged-abuse-victims-cooperate-with-da-office-assault-1235588870/

Episode 223: Dame Tierney

This week, the Dames close out Noirvember with Gene Tierney and her iconic film noir roles, including deep dives on the nature of perception and the femme fatale in Laura and Leave Her To Heaven. 
Plus, Karen talks Disney's Strange World and Lauren has feelings about Cate Blanchett in Tar. 

Episode 222: Night and the Dame

This week we're talking about noir star Richard Widmark, from his Academy Award-nominated debut, Kiss Of Death to his intense work in Night and the City, Panic in the Streets, and Pickup on South Street. Plus, his work in one of Sidney Poitier's earliest films, No Way Out.
We're also talking a bit about the (not?) death of Twitter and whether maybe it's in the best interest of everyone for it to go quickly - though not so gently - into that good night.

Episode 221: Sweet Dame of Success

The Dames plunge into Noirvember with discussions of Detour, The Blue Dahlia, and Sweet Smell of Success. Plus, what the hell is happening on Twitter?

Episode 182: The Velvet Dame

This week! The Dames finish up Noirvember with a look at gender tropes and traits in classic noir. From The Velvet Touch and Black Widow to The Blue Dahlia and The Dark Mirror, we take a particular look at the women of noir, the femme fatales and the virginal girls. 
We also spend a little bit of time talking about the talk around Licorice Pizza and revisit the disturbing way social media treats people with opposing views.

Episode 180: His Kind of Dame

This week is all about Robert Mitchum! From The Night of the Hunter to His Kind of Woman and plenty of movies in between, the Dames talk about his career, his unexpected charisma, and how we still find him a little terrifying. Also, Lauren hypothesizes that he is, in fact, a vampire. We also talk a *little* bit about the hoopla over Eternals.

Episode 179: Scarlet Dame

The Dames ease from Spooky Season into Noirvember with a discussion of Expressionist director Fritz Lang. Including:
Is Metropolis Lang's most watched work?
What can M and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse say about contemporary America?
How Lang's interest in unlikable protagonists and likable villains contributed to the development of film noir
Plus: Karen justifies her Dune reaction.