A Goth’s Month in Review: March 2012

This GeekvsGoth.com racket’s all about the numbers, savvy?

The twist and gink that run this joint are totally goofy for moving pictures. Not counting their two lists this month, there’s 592 reviews on this crazy site. 74 of them’s film noirs. That’s a tall order.

Yes, it is true. We must be jingle-brained for film noir. (You know, I can’t really stop writing like this…)

This month was a slog, at times, the goings got so tough we thought we’d need to be hauled off in the meat wagon. But we put the screws on, didn’t welch and made our quota (sort of).

I’ll tip my mitt and admit I am a palooka for film noir. Here’s my favourite, surprise, disappointment, least liked and film I’d most like to turn a hard-boiled eyeball to based on the reviews of GeekvsGoth.com‘s resident trigger man.

Favourite
The Great Flamarion (1945) on 2012/03/26

“I like solitude. I need it. Like water and air. Being around people all the time completely exhausts me. I need to sneak away at frequent intervals to recuperate. It is for this reason that I believe I was pre-destined to adore the black-and-white noir classic, The Great Flamarion. Directed by Anthony Mann, this movie is all about a solitary man who just wants to do his job and be left alone.”

Surprise
The Roaring Twenties (1939) on 2012/03/12

“The futurist Ray Kurzweil wrote that ”the 21st century will be equivalent to 20,000 years of progress at today’s rate of (change).” Watching The Roaring Twenties made me think that perhaps things today aren’t that very different from the 20th century. The only thing the poor saps depicted in this James Cagney vehicle could count on was the rug … no, the floor … being yanked out from under them.”

Disappointment
The Woman in the Window (1944) on 2012/03/13

“Fritz Lang’s The Woman in the Window is a promising early noir with a terrible finale. Terrible not for its lack of morality, nor the death of undeserving characters, but for…

…oh no, that would be telling.”

It should be said, a bad Edward G. Robinson movie has a pomaded head and several fine cigars over most films out there.

Least-Liked
Machine Gun McCain (1969) on 2012/03/11

 “I first became interested in John Cassavetes (Rosemary’s Baby) when I heard the song “Asshole” by Dennis Leary. I believe Leary was indicating, in his subtle and ineffable way, that Cassavetes was extremely manly and good in a fight. Turns out Mr. Leary was correct, John Cassavetes was pretty manly. In fact, there’s so much testosterone in this 1969 movie about gangsters, casino heists and men not sharing their feelings, that it should come with a health warning.”

Show Me
They Live By Night (1949) on 2012/03/16

“Although it’s easy to understand why everyone compares this feature to Rebel, I was inclined to recognize other inheritors: Gun Crazy, Bonnie and Clyde, and Natural Born Killers. But each of those movies sent their couples on a killing spree. They Live By Night stands apart for its heroes’ relative pathos. For many romantics, this difference might well prove more agonizing than their followers’ violence.”