This record is beyond fantastic. Order HERE. I'll have more to say about this later. Right now I'm prepping to get up and drive to Chicago tomorrow for a second Thanksgiving on Saturday.
Watch:
Rounding out Noirvember with a rewatch of the entire Cowboy Bebop original series. Doing this always makes me wish there was more than there is, but it also really underlines how the limited run and the longing it creates when it's over really help make this show immortal.
It will spill over into December, but that's no problem. I love the place this takes me in my head. I always love taking it back to the first episode, where it's just Spike and Jet, and then rolling through in order, watching how things build, and the other characters filter in. Such chemistry, and the music. Oh, the music!
Playlist:
Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Ray Brown - The Giants
Joe Pass - Intercontinental
David Lynch & Alan Splet - Eraserhead OST
The Cramps - Stay Sick
Gylt - I Will Commit A Holy Crime: Tandem
Witchfinder - Hazy Rites
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth
Mai Yamane - The Real Folk Blues (single)
Seat Belts - Cowboy Bebop OST
Etta James - Third Album
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• V: The Hierophant
• King of Swords
• XV: The Devil
Cut through the bullshit by paying attention, applying yourself, and not being misled by dodgy thinking. Don't blame others for B.S. Seek the truth - it's not always nice looking, but it is always the better alternative.
Yeah, I know that sounds like an elaborate fortune cookie at a stoner-owned and operated Thai place, but I just don't have a lot in me at the moment. I can feel that this is directly referencing elements of my life, but it's hard to completely lay it all out at the moment. As ever, I'll carry it with me and try to apply in the day-to-day.
From the 1958 soundtrack to Louis Malle's Ascenseur pur l'échafaud, which I'll get into in a minute below.
Watch:
Big Noir weekend. Here's the playlist:
I started Friday night with a film my good friend and Horror Vision cohost Prof. John Trafton recently put on my radar - Louis Malle's 1958 Elevator to the Gallows, or, properly in French, Ascenseur pur l'échafaud.
I knew nothing about this one; I basically took a list of films John had mentioned on the most recent episode of The Horror Vision - our Noirvember episode, which you'll see posted in the little widget to the right - and started looking them up on the Criterion Channel. When I hit this one and saw a pre-Kind of Blue Miles Davis did the score, well, I didn't really need any more convincing. Also, I've been trying to watch a few French and Japanese Noirs this month, but haven't really had any luck. This proved to be precisely what I needed.
We start with a love triangle not unlike the one found in Blood Simple. Employee and the boss's wife, boss needs to be taken out of the picture for the other two to be happy. Only where Blood Simple takes a somewhat straight-ahead path - somewhat - Elevator to the Gallows has all kinds of interesting twists and turns that include grand theft auto, stolen identity, and multiple senseless homicides. Can't recommend this one enough; it really set the vibe for our weekend.
Next up, a British Noir made at the famous Pinewood Studios back in the early '60s. Basil Dearden's 1962 All Night Long caught my eye because of the cast, which includes Charles Mingus, Tubby Hayes and Dave Brubeck. Yeah, that's right, and they all perform on screen throughout the film. The film takes place in a swanky London loft where a whole scene of professional Jazz musicians gather to celebrate the first-anniversary party for two of their own. Only one of their number is a jealous bastard who manipulates everything and everyone to try to break them up. Patrick McGoohan - whom I inadvertently got back to on Sunday with a rewatch of David Cronenberg's Scanners - schemes to break up the marriage for his own devious reasons. McGoohan is a phenomenal cunt in this - his performance is fantastic and really anchors the film in a different kind of Noir than we're used to.
Saturday night was Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton in what I still say is probably the most beautiful black and white film I've ever laid eyes on. Carol Reed's 1949 masterpiece, The Third Man, filmed among the bombed-out ruins of post-war Vienna, uses shadow in ways that leave me speechless. Robert Krasker's Cinematography burns the city onto your retinas, and even though this one takes a little while to really get going, it's easy to see why this is the BFI's "Greatest Film of All Time." I don't know that I'd go that far, but as I mentioned up top, The Third Man is by far the best black-and-white film I've ever seen.
Next, Seijun Suzuki's 1966 iconoclastic Japanese Crime Noir, Tokyo Drifter. This is another film I'd heard John mention previously, way back on an old episode of his podcast This Movie Saved My Life, where he and cohost Miles Fortune discussed it as a film featuring elements of the Yakuza film spiced up with elements culled from the classic Western and Secret Agent genres as well.
This one lives up to all that and has a main character who sings his own theme song throughout the film, to boot.
This is my first film by Seijun Suzuki, but it will not be my last. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that, if, like me, you're a Cowboy Bebop fan, this film will endear itself to you just by how much it obviously influenced Shin'ichirô Watanabe in the making of that.
Playlist:
The Rolling Stones - Some Girls
Patti Smith - Horses
John Cale - Fear
Sharon Tandy - The Best of Sharon Tandy
Ashes and Diamonds - Are Forever
Pepper Adams - Encounter!
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Peter Peter & Julian Winding - Copenhagen Cowboy OST
Pessimist - Burundanga EP
Spotlights - Rarities
Miles Davis - Ascenseur pur l'échafaud OST
Ell Fitzgerald - The Best Of (Vol. 2)
Bohren & Der Clob of Gore - Sunset Mission
Tubby Hayes Quintet - Down in the Village (Live at Ronnie Scott's Club1962
Charles Mingus - Blues & Roots
Oliver Nelson - The Blues And The Abstract Truth
Perturbator - Lustful Sacraments
Hangman's Chair - Saddiction
Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Patchouli Blue
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• Eight of Swords
• XIV: Temperance
• IX: The Hermit
Restrictions come from feelings of imbalance caused by isolation. Isolation is good, but can often perpetuate at toxic levels in our culture today.
I'm not really sure what this means at the moment. I am pretty isolated sometimes, even from the people in my everyday life. I'd imagine this is a reminder to 'get out of my head' a little more often.
This past Monday morning, a text from a good friend put John Cale's 1974 album Fear back on my radar, and I have to say, I'm not sure how I've gone so long since last listening to this. This ended up setting up a whole "70s NY" day on the stereo. I needed it!
NCBD:
Big Pull. Let's go:
Dreadnok War Part 2! Already! I either didn't realize or forgot this book was going bi-weekly for the duration of this event. An event which, might I add, is off to a really good start. As Mike Shin and I talked about on a recent Drinking with Comics, Issue 13 was easily the best issue of the Energon Universe's G.I.JOE title to date. Hope they keep it up!
This one started strong but really suffered during the middle, so I'm hoping the story will come back around again at the end. I love the art, but it limits how the story is unfurled. There is a lot of "You're telling me everything, but I want you to SHOW ME!"
I find the unrelenting pace of Larazus: Fallen almost intimidating at this point! Hahaha. Seriously, I'm spending November reading the three Criminal Deluxe Editions, but I may make Lazarus my re-read project in December or January. Can't wait to catch up!
The first issue of this was fantastic, so I'm excited to see where it goes. I believe I read this won't be an issue-to-issue series, but rather it will jump around and chronicle High Strangeness across the 20th-century American landscape.
The Laphams have me hooked on their small-town, Southwestern Crime story.
One of the VIP titles of 2025, Michael Walsh, James Tynion and friends have crafted one helluva bloody good time with Exquisite Corpses.
Watch:
Not much in the way of movie news lately, or at least nothing I care about. Here's a trailer for Edward G. Ulmer's 1945 Noir Detour.
I discovered this one last year for Noirvember and just had my second viewing the other night. A nice, tight little Noir with all the elements you've come to expect from the genre. Ulmer's not reinventing the wheel here, but that's not really what Noir is about. If we want that, we fast forward to Neo Noirs. Or how about, Sci Fi Neo Noirs?
I cracked Ridley Scott's Blade Runner out after watching Chinatown this past weekend. It just seemed like the perfect follow-up to Polanski's film. This film still feels fresh and beautiful. Only one problem, and I'm looking at Warner Bros home releasing as the guilty party. Ever heard of DVD rot? I have the Blade Runner Ultimate Edition 5 Disc collection, and when I went to fire up the disc with the US and UK Theatrical cuts, the Anti-Piracy statement came up, and then literally nothing else.
Okay, fine. I moved on to the version I usually watch, the Final Cut. I made it to Roy's arrival at JF Sebastian's place and the disc stopped.
AHHHH!!! I looked this up online and found that there are apparently a lot of issues with DVD Rot Warner Bros. discs produced from 2006-2008. The Ultimate Edition came out in 2007, so this puts what was once a fairly expensive set squarely in the affected timeline.
Fucking Warner Bros! I LOVE the packaging on this one, so this hurts. Thinking I'm going to suss out any issues with the remaining discs, then try and find a Blu-ray copy and just transfer those discs into this package. That said, if the Blu-rays were also manufactured in 2007, well, am I just setting myself up for future failure? Why does this shit have to be so difficult!
Playlist:
John Cale - Fear
Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
Roxy Music - Eponymous
Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Iggy Pop - The Idiot
Television - Marquee Moon
The Rolling Stones - Some Girls
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks - Live 1977-1979
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
The Cramps - Stay Sick
Failure - Fantastic Planet
Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
Ministry - HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES
Soundgarden - Louder Than Love
Young Widows - Power Sucker
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• Nine of Swords
• II: High Priestess
• Queen of Pentacles
Conflicting Wills can be assuaged with nurturing. Those who oppose you do not have to be your enemy.
From their 1996 album Fantastic Planet, which is really pretty new to me here, thirty years after its release. Failure was never really on my radar in 1996. About twelve years ago, I remember reading something Heaven Is An Incubator wrote about them and wondering how I'd missed them. I gave Fantastic Planet a spin back then, but it didn't leave an impression. Also, that would have been before the advent of Apple Music, so I'm unsure how I listened. Regardless, I would not have had the ability to relisten as often as I can now.
I played Fantastic Planet through once this past Friday morning because Mr. Brown and I decided to hit next year's Space Echo concert and see Baroness, Spotlights, and, with Failure headlining, I figured it would be a good time to take another dip in their sound.
On my first go-through, I instantly understood why/how I had missed these guys. I actually think I was aware of them to some degree in the early to mid-90s, but here's the thing - I was DONE with this sound by 1996. Just done with it. By the time Nirvana's In Utero came out, I was pretty finished with anything that shared DNA with their sound, be it in songwriting, production or both.
I'm not saying Failure is a copycat band. Not at all. However, the production on this album definitely owes something to the zeitgeist sound of the day, which is all based on Nirvana's sound. "Alternative" radio beat that shit to death in 1994-97, and just that through-line would have been enough for me to turn my nose up at this back then.
Back to the present, by the end of that first listen last Friday, I found I wanted more, so I played FP through a second time. By the end of that, I was hooked (album opener "Saturday Savior" has been in my head all day as I write this on Saturday). It's nice to go back and find something from that era to look at with fresh eyes, so to speak, because the only bands from the "grunge/alternative" watershed that I followed were Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. The two that, in my opinion, have the most distinct sound. Now that we're thirty years away from this sound, though, I can hear this album for what it is. Pretty fucking great.
Watch:
We continued the Noirvember celebration this past Friday with a double feature of two Noir classics: one from the original era of the genre and one of the Neo-Noir persuasion. First up, Joan Crawford and Jack Carson in Mildred Pierce. I adore this film, and recently picked up the Criterion Blu-ray as part of the current Criterion sale.
I love this film even more now that I've realized the actor who plays Monte is also the screenwriting cop in Arsenic and Old Lace. I guess I'd never watched these two films close enough together before to pick up on that. So many classic Noir elements, from the covetous nature of many of the characters to the lighting, which has stayed with me since K first showed me this one when we began dating.
Next up, Rian Johnson's debut, Brick.
I'd not watched this one in some time, and was thrilled to see how well it holds up. A very clever approach to updating the Neo Noir formula and applying it to the Southern California High School vibe, not unlike Rob Thomas' Veronica Mars, of which I am also a pretty big fan. Here, though, Johnson makes the choice to have his teenage characters talk in a quasi-Mickey Spillane dialogue; this could have gone way wrong, like that one guy's Romeo and Juliet movie from the '90s. Instead, it just really works, principally because the performances are so strong. Joseph Gordon Leavit stopped being the kid from that shitty sitcom about aliens, and Nora Zehetner, Luke Haas, Noah Fleiss, Noah Segan and Matt O'Leary all knock it out of the park.
Read:
Last December, I stumbled on Hellbore Magazine. A fantastic Occult/Folklore/Folk Horror magazine with articles on everything from Haunted Sites to Nigel Kneale. My primary contact with Hellbore was twitter, which I denounced earlier this year, and it wasn't until recently I found them on IG. Glad I did. Check out this offering they have up on their site at the moment:
How could I not procure a copy of this for my overfilled bookshelves? You can check this out and order it on Hellebore's site HERE.
Playlist:
Orville Peck - Appaloosa
Failure - Fantastic Planet
Failure - Comfort
Odonis Odonis - Eponymous
The Velvet Underground - Sister Ray
The Velvet Underground & Nico - Eponymous
Slow Crush - Thirst
Sylvaine - Nova
Willie Nelson - Oh What A Beautiful World
The Volume Settings Folder - Negotiating Obstacles EP
Mars Red Sky - Eponymous
Dean Hurley - Analog Resource Vol. II: The Philosophy of Beyond
Perturbator - Age of Aquarius
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
From White Hex's 2014 album Gold Nights, released by the always lovely folks at Felte Records. This is an old favorite, part of the music that helped me rise from the ashes of my old life. Unfortunately, this Australian duo retired in 2015, so we only have the two albums, only one of which I am familiar with, the aforementioned Gold Nights. While I'm thinking about it, time to check out 2012's Heat, which you can listen to on any of the music streamers, or, at the group's Bandcamp, which thankfully is still up. Highly recommended.
NCBD:
I'm excited to read a couple of the titles in this week's pull. Let's go!
Last month's #25 was Robert Kirkman and Dan Mora's first issue taking the reins on the title from Daniel Warren Johnson and Jorge Corona and they did an outstanding job! Really set the tone for what is to come, while building on all the little threads woven throughout the book so far. I think Mr. Corona's visual style was the perfect accompaniment for DWJ's narrative; Dan Mora's style feels super slick in comparison - not a bad thing! Look at this cover - it looks a bit more like the Transformers titles Dreamwave or IDW used to put out. That said, there's definitely room to bring the 'bots out of the wreckage they've all languished in thus far, and this could be the perfect way to do that.
We covered this recently on Drinking with Comics, but I'll reiterate here that my favorite thing about reading my first Spider-Man: Noir series is that all the character's dialogue is in Nick Cage's voice in my head!
Event Horizon: Dark Descent is still shaping up, so I'm not entirely certain how I feel about it. That said, last issue's inclusion and specific naming of the Demon Paimon really surprised me, so I'm here for whatever Hell Dimension madness Christian Ward and Tristan Jones are serving up as we go deeper into the events that set up the film Event Horizon!
The final issue of Dan Watters and Hayden Sherman's brilliant Batman: Dark Patterns! I've loved this series, but it's time to let ol' Bats go for a while. going out on a high note with this one, though.
The solicitation promises, "... a return to the Terror Drome..." and I am all about that. Kind of a bucket list toy I never procured as a child and I'd be hesitant to invest in if Classified did it now - which they won't - the Terror Drome always felt like the coolest thing in Cobra's arsenal when I was a kid. The way Larry Hama's run depicted Cobra mass-manufacturing them as arms to be sold to any country or mercenary that would pay their price - I loved it so much. It's been a minute since I've even thought about this thing, so let's take a moment and check out the old school toy commercial to cap off today's NCBD!
Man! That takes me back something fierce.
Watch:
Noirvember continues with Roy William Neil's 1946 Black Angel.
I knew nothing about this film before K and I stumbled across it on the Criterion Channel a couple of nights ago. Honestly, I don't even really remember the description, just "staring Peter Lorre can often be enough to get me to press play. And this one did not disappoint.
Pretty conventional to start, there's a drunk on a bender, a couple shady dudes with hats, and a dead woman. Where this one makes its mark is the fact that it incorporates musical elements and then gets really freakin' dark at the end.
If you're looking for a Noir that does a little something different, this one's worth your time. And hey - Peter Lorre, right?
Playlist:
Steve Moore - Jimmy and Stigg OST
Coleman Hawkins - Wrapped Tight
Pepper Adams - Encounter!
White Hex - Gold Nights
Ritual Howls - Their Body EP
Melvins - Thunderball
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Young Widows - Power Sucker
Dance with the Dead - Psycho Disco (single)
The Wraith - Gloom Ballet
Odonis Odonis - Eponymous (pre-release singles)
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• Two of Pentacles
• Eight of Wands
• Eight of Cups
Successful partnership requires a sublimation of the Will to allow for Emotion.
That's kind of a surface level, even shit reading, but it actually holds meaning for me at the moment. Really, that's all I'm looking for with these.
I was first turned onto Dublin's Lankum when we interviewed All You Need Is Death director Paul Duane last year. Ian Lynch - who did the brilliant soundtrack for that film - counts his time as a member of this group, and that's really all I needed to know.
From their 12" of the same name, which you can buy HERE.
Noirvember:
I blew through a rewatch of NWR's Copenhagen Cowboy over the last few days. I am in love with this man's approach to Cinema all over again.
I've never seen anything like this. It's Noir, Gothic, Modern, Horror, Fairytale...
..
1) Too Old To Die Young
2) Mona Lisa
3) Thief
4) Copenhagen Cowboy
5) Black Angel
Playlist:
Ritual Howls - Their Body E.P.
Drain - ... Is Your Friend
Steven Moore - Jimmy and Stiggs OST
Etta James - Third Album
Creeper - Sanguivore
Various - Copenhagen Cowboy OST
Wake the Devil - Singles Playlist
The Leather Nun - F.F.A. (single)
lords. - bleeding out
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• Six of Cups
• Nine of Wands
• XX: Judgement
Nostalgia works against perseverance. Judge past loyalties accordingly.
Continuing the Noir theme for November, I can't think of a more Noir track than Barry Adamson's The Big Bamboozle, from 1993's Oedipus Schmoedipus.
Watch:
I continued Noirvember this past weekend with a handful of first-time watches. First up, Fritz Lang's 1953 The Big Heat.
This one knocked my socks off. Glen Ford is absolutely fantastic in the role of Sgt. Dave Bannion and a young Lee Marvin chew up the scenery and spit it out on your shoes, man! Everyone here is a hard case, and it works because they all really inhabit that space and energy. Some of the violence shocked me a bit for '53, and overall, there's just such a nihilistic tone that the black-and-white cinematography feels etched into the screen as it moves. I'll definitely be adding this to the collection at some point, although, having watched this on the Criterion Channel, I would have assumed they put out a BR. That does not seem to be the case.
Next up, one I've heard about forever. Edgar G. Ulmer's Detour, from 1945.
Once nearly lost, Detour is considered an important film by the historical archives. Tom Neal plays Al Roberts, a frustrated nightclub piano man whose girlfriend leaves him in NYC for dreams of stardom in Hollywood. Eventually, Al decides to follow by hitchhiking across the states. He makes it as far as Arizona, then ends up embroiled in a pretty dicey situation he can't help but make worse with every decision he makes. Constantly giving him more slack for the noose is Ann Savage as the enigmatic Vera. Damn folks, this dame is merciless!
The chemistry here is fantastic, and at one hour and six minutes, Detour is a short film and thus made a great second film in a Friday night double feature.
Read:
Now that I have acquired all three issues of DC's Black Label The Bat-Man: First Knight, I finally read the entire storyline in a single sitting over the weekend. Perfect for Norvember!
Writer Dan Jurgens really thought out and researched what a Batman story set in 1939 would look like. The overall story centers around a mysterious ring leader known only as The Voice. From the shadowy comfort of closed quarters, The Voice is conducting a series of hits on city officials - Councilmen, the Mayor, even the Police Commissioner. The perpetrators seem more than human, and people are scared.
In the background, helping to ramp up the tension is the world of 1939. The world is still reeling from the first "Great War." Uncertainty is everywhere, and to make matters worse, the cunt with the funny mustache is threatening the Jewish people of Europe. America sits on her hands, wishing against the inevitable. Hate spreads quickly, though, and travels on the wind. Hate crimes are on the rise in Gotham, and people are scared and frustrated. Sounds like a proper powder keg, eh?
Jurgens does some really interesting things with The Bat-Man's supporting cast - Bruce is new to this and none of the confidants we're used to are anywhere to be found. Well, except Gordon. Tried and true, that man.
As you can see, I ended up with a cross-section of the different covers available, but that's fine by me. Each gives a different aspect of the tone series artist Mike Perkins has created here - with no small contribution from colorist Mike Spicer. This book really conveys the era - from the shop signs that line the streets of Gothamn, to the filth that clings to the buildings, shanty towns and alleys, First Knight really puts you there.
Playlist:
Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
Godflesh - Us and Them
Godflesh - Songs of Love and Hate
Raffertie - The Substance OST
Genghis Tron - Dream Weapon
Genghis Tron - Board Up the House
Sumerlands - Dreamkiller
Justin Hamline - The House with Dead Leaves
Godflesh - Post Self
Marilyn Manson - One Assassination Under God Chapter 1
Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar
Fvnerals - Let the Earth Be Silent
The Soft Moon - Criminal
Crystal Castles - II
Drug Church - Prude
Fugazi - Steady Diet of Nothing
Fela Kuti - Sorrow Tears and Blood
Mrs. Piss - Self-Surgery
Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja
Card:
Today's card is the Five of Cups, or as Crowley dubbed it, "Disappointment."
An important note from my notes on this card: "Examine your expectations." I believe this is the root of the card for me. I can and will go into a little bit of whatever A.C. has in The Book of Thoth, but the older I get, a lot of the "in-depth" elements of association with Tarot feels... cunty. Or to quote Mr. David Byrne, "When I've got nothing (else) to say, my lips are sealed." I increasingly get the feeling that Crowley would have talked for days about any card in the deck if allowed, which means a lot of what he'd have to say would be, ahem, bullshit double talk. But then, the man sold his own semen as a "Health Elixir," so of course that's what he'd do.
The root of this card isn't the disappointment; it's understanding disappointment as at least partially the disappointed one. Five's are Geburah, severity. These are demanding cards (which makes me wonder if the card is the one that's disappointed; is drawing it a scolding?).
Surprisingly, Crowley must, at least in part, agree that this is a simple card. Severity indicates simplicity, in a manner, so that tracks.
Like in Trump 12, The Hanged Man, we once again see the inverted Pentagram, the triumph of Matter over Spirit. That's a disappointment.
New music from The Jesus Lizard! This non-album single follows in the wake of this year's Rack, the band's first album in 26 years. Hoping for an E.P.
Watch:
I continued Noirvember last night with my first-time viewing of Jules Dassin's 1948 TheNaked City.
I have to say, this eventually won me over, but I didn't love it. I think the expectation set by notoriety and my previous obsession with the John Zorn album may have led me to believe this would be something more than it is. Darker. Also, it doesn't help that this is essentially the template for all of the Bug Bunny cartoon Noir trope lampoons, from Muldoon down to the narrator. Still, as the story evolves, it grows more endearing. Released four years after Double Indemnity, though, I was expecting sharper teeth.
Playlist:
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats - The Night Creeper
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats - Nell' ora blu
The Jesus Lizard - Rack
Antibalas - Where the Gods Are in Peace
Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
Moon Wizard - Sirens
PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Yesterday would have been Ennio Morricone's 95th birthday. Sadly, the legend left us back in 2020, but here at the onset of Noirvember, I couldn't pass up posting the title theme from his score for Sergio Sollima's 1970 Città Violenta, AKA Violent City.
Watch:
So yeah, I have so much fun with 31 Days of Horror every year that I've decided to pick up on another month-long theme for viewing. That's right - Noirvember is officially underway!
This is the first time I remember hearing about this one, courtesy of an article on Bloody Disgusting last week. It sounds perfect for the early darkness of November (which is totally f**king with me this year, for some reason). We kicked this off last Friday night with a screening of The Cohen Brothers' stunning debut, Blood Simple!
I love this film. So stark, brutal and just dark, man. DARK! Every performance is a gem; so many little Cohen Brothers flourishes help endear this one. Perfect example - the incinerator out back of Julian's bar. I would argue this is as much a Horror film as it is Noir, but there's no need to argue because no matter how you classify Blood Simple, it's a powerhouse and a classic, perfect for kicking off Noirvember! (Also, I love how much this poster reminds me of my favorite poster for Lucio Fulci's House By the Cemetery).
Next up, Billy Wilder's 1944 seminal classic Double Indemnity!
Nothing I can say about this film that hasn't been said a million times by people far smarter than me. A masterpiece and seminal Noir that sits right up alongside Sunset Blvd. Stanwyck really brings it; she's seductive, cold and evil. And MacMurray - it's hard to believe he was largely known for comedies up to this point. He's just perfect (if a skosh overcooked). Plus, Edward G. Robinson as Keyes - one of my favorite characters in film history.
Doc:
I absolutely love Drug Church's new record, Prude, so when a short making-of documentary popped up in my YouTube feed, I cracked a beer and hit play.
Prud is a serious contender for my favorite album of the year, and although I only recently learned that Patrick Kindlon - who I was familiar with from writing comics - is also the singer of the group, I know very little else. Sometimes, learning anything about a band is a bad thing. With Drug Church, however, you can just tell by their lyrics that these guys walk it like they talk it. And filmmaker Dookie Meno did a helluva a job with this. Highly recommended.
Playlist:
The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
Melvins - Tarantula Heart
Frankie and the Witch Fingers - Data Doom
Dreamkid - Chrissy (single)
Melvins - (A) Senile Animal
Morphine - The Night
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Blood Lust
The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World
Swans - The Seer
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot!
The Jesus and Mary Chain - Darklands
John Carpenter - Lost Themes IV: Noir
Card:
Today's card:
From the Grimoire:
"Break the cycle! Pattern interrupt (is) a definite counter to this card's presence. Physically write down the object/cause of anxiety."
That's a HUGE part of this card for me. It's not just a meaning; it's a tactic. Not a lot of how I have learned to interpret the Tarot gets that pragmatic, but I'd like to get there. Beyond that, in The Book of Thoth, Crowley says, "instability in the very foundations of Matter. This reminds us of the 'intense strain' of physical existence.
