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Dead Reckoning

“Something of an ur-noir as the genre was still developing its rhythms while also pointing forward towards the more brutalist and suffocating films to come, Dead Reckoning is a second-tier noir that functions perfectly as an introduction for the genre. In production before the seminal essay which gav” read more

Johnny O’Clock

“Labyrinthine plot, moody and inky images, and a director, Robert Rossen, that on the surface all seem like surefire bets for a film noir that’s undervalued actually add up to one misfire that’s as promising as it is frustrating. Where exactly should we place the blame? It’s a bit hard to tell.” read more

Blind Alley

“This was potentially a game changer in 1939, a proto-noir where the action is squared away on psychoanalysis and not on fisticuffs and brute strength. Sure, the Freudian psychobabble hasn’t aged well, but there was a rough charm to the likes of Chester Morris, Ann Dvorak, and Ralph Bellamy that pa” read more

Just Can’t Get Enough: New Wave Halloween

“Much like New Wave Xmas, this entry in Just Can’t Get Enough is all peaks and valleys. Mostly valleys as there are six songs named “Halloween” jammed together towards the end of a fifteen-song compilation. That’s not even counting song titles with the word somewhere in them. There isn’t a ” read more

RCA Country Legends

“Short of a comprehensive multi-disc box set, the best compilation album for Dolly Parton was the two-disc The Essential collection. It surveyed all of her biggest hits across her various career phases: upstart country bombshell, genius songwriter, American icon, pop crossover superstar, return to he” read more