I hope you guys all had a great Noirvember, I know I did. You can see all the films noir I watched after the cut, as will as a list of my favorites. I saw some great things in the theatres this month, some new-to-me and others old favorites. Last night I saw a double feature at the New Bev of The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. So good. So so so good. I managed to watch a little more than 30 new-to-me films noir, actually, as well as a few repeat viewings. Next year will be Noirvember Five and I’m hoping it’ll be the most epic yet.

1. The Stranger on the Third Floor
2. The Polar Express
3. Kiss The Blood Off My Hands
4. Flamingo Road
5. Nora Prentiss
6. The Woman On Pier 13
7. Hard, Fast and Beautiful
8. The Window (1949)
9. While the City Sleeps (1956)
10. Possessed (1947)
11. Dallas Buyers Club
12. Belle of the Yukon
13. Christmas Holiday
14. Southside 1-1000
15. The Fallen Sparrow
16. Experiment Perilous
17. The Locket
18. Lou Reed’s Berlin
19. Get Crazy
20. Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (1956)
21. The Verdict (1946)
22. Crime Wave
23. Violence (1947)
24. Inside Llewyn Davis
25. My Name Is Julia Ross
26. High Wall
27. About Time
28. He Walked By Night
29. Decoy
30. The Visitor (1979)
31. Lady Gangster
32. Go For Sisters
33. The Second Woman
34. The Red House
35. Party Girl (1958)
36. Suspense (1946)
37. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
38. Destination Murder
39. The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash
40. Real Genius
41. The Unsuspected
42. Starlet
43. Twilight (1998)
44. Call Northside 777
45. Heaven’s Gate

1880s: 0
1880s: 0
1890s: 0
1900s: 0
1910s: 0
1920s: 0
1930s: 0
1940s: 24
1950s: 8
1960s: 0
1970s: 2
1980s: 3
1990s: 1
2000s: 2
2010s: 5

I saw a lot of really great films for this year’s Noirvember. While Flamingo Road was probably my favorite new-to-me Noir I watched, I also want to call out the following: Kiss The Blood Off My Hands, While the City Sleeps, Possessed, Christmas Holiday, The Locket, Crime Wave, High Wall, He Walked By Night, Decoy and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.  I saw a handful of films with Van Heflin this Noirvember, and oh my word am I now smitten.

Flamingo Road, 1949 (dir. Michael Curtiz)

Flamingo Road features one of my favorite Joan Crawford performances, matched by a fragile and layered performance from the terminally underrated Zachary Scott as the man who loves her, but is stuck in a prison known as class. It’s one of those melodramatic noir films that aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but really, really do it for me. For fans of Joan, this is a must.

Get Crazy, 1983 (dir. Allan Arkush)

This was seriously everything I love about movies and everything I love about the 80s combined into one spectacular extravaganza. I was lucky enough to see it at the New Beverly cinema because it’s never been on DVD (there’s a terrible rip of it on YouTube). I met the director Allan Arkush on a plane earlier this year and have cultivated a wonderful internet friendship wherein we discuss our mutual love of cinema, so I love it when I am able to see more of his work as a director. I wish this were on DVD, because I really just want to watch it on repeat over and over. Oh, and it’s a Ne Year’s Eve movie, so it would make a perfect end of the year film, if only it were available on home video!

Inside Llewyn Davis, 2013 (dir. Joel and Ethan Coen)

I saw this one at the Director’s Guild theater with a Q&A with the Coen Bros. moderated by Sam Raimi (livin’ the dream, I am). I really loved it. It’s not a film with an easy lead character. In fact, this may be the least likable character the Coens have ever created. Yet, I understood where he was coming from and I felt like I knew him as well as I knew myself. From a screenwriting perspective, I found this film interesting because they continually give Llewyn choices and he always, always does the wrong thing (or does he?). Plus, it’s got another killer T. Bone Burnett soundtrack.

Starlet, 2012 (dir. Sean Baker)

I’m really kicking myself for not seeing this on the big screen last year, as I’m pretty sure it would have made my Favorite Fifteen if I had. It’s a sweet film, without being saccharine about two very unlikely women who become great friends. This is precisely the kind of film I would like to make someday and it’s a shame it didn’t get a wider release. It’s on Netflix now and I do not hesitate to recommend it.

Heaven’s Gate, 1980 (dir. Michael Cimino)

I’ve been waiting to watch this one for a long time. The Cinefamily showed it yesterday, so I finally got to see it and I must say, I think it is masterpiece of post-modern westerns. I could say how some might call it “self-indulgent,” but I don’t think that’s fair. It’s epic in every aspect of the word. It’s a movie that takes its time and it’s a film you can luxuriate in, that you should luxuriate in. It’s also a great allegory for American imperialism, using our own history to reflect on the present. We’re a country that likes to hide our dirty linen and this film shows us ourselves in all our glory, good, bad and ugly. See it on the big screen if you get a chance, you will not regret it.

So that was Noirvember. I have my final review for my M.F.A. in a few weeks, followed by my graduation. Needless to say, I am pretty excited about that. I’m also going to try to go on a little road trip to Arizona, which if it does happen, will mean a bit of a hiatus on the blog. But since 2014 will be a whole new year, with a whole new me, I think there will be a lot of changes coming to this site. So look forward to that, and I hope you enjoy this last month of 2013!