Hold the Dark (2018)

Aging, morose naturalist Russell Core (Jeffrey Wright) is summoned to a remote Alaskan village a few days after a woman’s young child is taken by wolves. The mother, Medora Sloane (Riley Keough) greets Core with long, whispered poetic soliloquies about her...
Cutter’s Way (1981)

Cutter’s Way (1981)

A somewhat self-involved bit of noir drama, this film a principle charm that surprised me: John Heard. The “That Guy” actor nails it – absolutely NAILS it – in the eponymous role of Alex Cutter, a troubled-but-brilliant alcoholic Vietnam War...
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

I don’t know why this film isn’t more roundly praised. It is, for the genre it embodies, note-perfect. I kicked off my week with this one as part of a self-imposed “80s action noir” bender – and I couldn’t help observing how each of...
Inherent Vice (2014)

Inherent Vice (2014)

There was so very, very much to enjoy about the first few moments of this film that I was uniquely disappointed to watch it fall apart. This is a drug-fueled neo-noir with a lot of star power, and lead actor Joaquin Phoenix was wonderful. Even if the project...