Episode 355: L.A. Confidential (1997)

Special Guest: James Ellroy
Guest Co-Hosts: Richard Edwards, Eric Cohen

Eric Cohen and Richard Edwards return to take a ride in a convertible time machine, be-bopping back to the year 1997 to look at Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential. Starring more folks from down under than you can shake a boomerang at, this jazzy flick plays with many classic noir tropes while playing fast and loose with the third book of James Ellroy's first L.A. Quartet.

We examine how Hanson and co-writer Brian Helgeland masterfully condensed Ellroy's compelling and complicated story to craft a Neo-Noir that some rank among the best. The film features dazzling performances from "newcomers" Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce.

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Listen to "Episode 355: L.A. Confidential (1997)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy L.A. Confidential on Blu-Ray
Buy L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy
Listen to the Out of the Past episode on The Black Dahlia
Read The Dark Places of James Ellroy by Mike White
Buy L.A. Confidential by Manohla Dargis

Music:
"Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" - Johnny Mercer
"Bloody Christmas" - Jerry Goldsmith

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Episode 354: The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Guest Co-Hosts: Richard Edwards, Eric Cohen

Written and directed by John Huston in his directorial debut, The Maltese Falcon (1941) stars Humphrey Bogart as gumshoe Sam Spade who unravels the mystery of the titular black bird.

Eric Cohen and Richard Edwards join Mike to discuss the original Dashiell Hammett story, the two other film adaptations of The Maltese Falcon, and the 1975 sequel.

Links:
Buy The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Buy Dashiell Hammett: A Life at the Edge by William F. Nolan
Read Wim Wenders Discusses Painful ‘Hammett’ Collaboration With Coppola, Friendship With Nicholas Ray by Edward Davis

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 354: The Maltese Falcon (1941)" on Spreaker.

Music:
"Main Title - The Maltese Falcon" - The Global Stage Orchestra
"The Maltese Falcon" - Warner Chappell Productions

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Episode 274: Apocalypse Now (1979)

Special Guest: Fax Bahr
Guest Co-Host: Paul Zimmerman, Rich Edwards

We get off the boat and go all the way on this episode about Francis Ford Coppola's landmark 1979 Vietnam film Apocalypse Now. Based on a script by John Milius, the making of the film is nearly as fascinating as the film itself. To that end, Fax Bahr, director of Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse discusses the creation of the fascinating and illuminating documentary about Apocalypse Now.

Professor Rich Edwards and former Film Threat editor Paul Zimmerman join Mike to examine the film, the "Redux" version, the nearly five-hour assembly version, and many of the parodies that the film has inspired from Porklips Now to Apocalypse Pooh and more.

Listen/Download Now:
Listen to "Episode 274: Apocalypse Now (1979)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Apocalypse Now: The Disclosure Edition on Blu-Ray
Buy Notes: The Making of Apocalypse Now by Eleanor Coppola
Buy The Apocalypse Now Book by Peter Cowie
Buy Apocalypse Now Scene-by-Scene by John David Ebert
Buy Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Buy Porklips Now on DVD
Buy Virgin Noir (Indie Legends of the 1990s Volume 1: Icons) by Paul Zimmerman
Read The Holy Grail of Workprints: The Five Hour Rough Version of Apocalypse Now on Cinephilia and Beyond
Read Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now Must Be the Key Lecture in Anyone's Filmmaking Education on Cinephilia and Beyond
Read Napalm in the Morning storyboards for the Ride of the Valkyries scene
Read The New Cinema: A Fascinating Documentary on the Restructuring of 1960x Hollywood on Cinephilia and Beyond
Keep up with Rich Edwards at Noircast.net

Music:
"Apocalypse Now" - Koto
"Charlie Don't Surf" - The Clash
"Holiday in Cambodia" - The Dead Kennedys

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Episode 192: Detour

Special Guest: Noah Isenberg
Guest Co-Host: Richard Edwards

Noir November continues with a discussion of Edgar G Ulmer's Detour. Tom Neal stars as a down-on-his-luck musician who picks up the wrong hitchhiker (Ann Savage) in a tale of fickle fate, phones, and flashbacks.

We're joined once again by Professor Rich Edwards of the Out of the Past podcast and we spoke to Noah Isenberg, author of Edgar G. Ulmer: A Filmmaker at the Margins (9780520235779)

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "TPB: Detour" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Detour on Blu-Ray
Buy Edgar G. Ulmer: A Filmmaker at the Margins by Noah Isenberg
Buy Detour (BFI Classics) by Noah Isenberg
Buy Detour on DVD
Buy Detour by Martin Goldsmith
Buy Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off Screen on DVD
Hear more of Rich Edwards at Out of the Past: Investigating Film Noir
Listen to the Detour episode of Confessions from The Dark City, a film noir podcast

Music:
"I Can't Believe You're in Love with Me" - Keely Smith
"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" - Alice Cooper

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Episode 88: Shoot the Piano Player (1960)

Edouard Saroyan plays piano in a rinky dink honky tonk in Paris when he used to tickle the ivories in the best concert halls. We see his fall from grace and into the icy hands of fate in this adaptation of David Goodis's Down There by François Truffaut.

Joining us from the streets of Philadelphia this week is Professor Richard Edwards who discusses the French New Wave, Goodis, and the nature of film noir.

Listen/Download Now:
Listen to "TPB: Shoot the Piano Player" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy The Maltese Touch of Evil by Shannon Clute and Richard Edwards
Listen to Clute & Edwards's podcast, Out of the Past
Buy David Goodis's Shoot the Piano Player
Buy François Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player
Buy Larry Withers's David Goodis: To A Pulp
Find out more about Noircon

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Video from Noircon 2012!

Episode 36: Hickey & Boggs (1972)

Hickey & Boggs, a nihilistic neonoir directed by and starring Robert Culp, gets examined in The Projection Booth by Mike and Mondo Justin along with guest Joe Robin and Richard Edwards.

Get Clute & Edwards's, The Maltese Touch of Evil and be sure to check out their podcast, Out of the Past at Noircast.net.

Keep up with Joe Robin at DailyGrindhouse.com.

Buy Hickey & Boggs on DVD

Listen/Download Now:

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