I‘ve been messing around with ChatGPT, the AI chatbot that promises to take any writing project and remove the need for human involvement. As a blogger, I’m excited about this technology. Once I’m finally freed from this clacking keyboard, I’ll have lots more time to stare moodily into the middle distance. Or perhaps take […]
Joan of dark
Film noir of the week is “Sudden Fear,” starring Joan Crawford and Jack Palance. You weren’t aware of Film Noir of the Week? Yeah, that’s something I just came up with. I fully expect to forget about it over the next few days. Anyway, “Sudden Fear” is a perfectly respectable noir, made in 1951 […]
Neo-noir in L.A.
Netflix is now streaming “Nightcrawler” for free — a fact I discovered after paying four bucks for it on Amazon Prime. If you like a smart noirish crime thriller, it’s definitely worth a look. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Lou Bloom, a weird loner who gets by selling stolen scrap metal in outer L.A. One night […]
Seen any ancient films lately?
Lately we’ve been watching really old movies, streamed through our really old Wii to our really big TV. Old movies — black-and-white ones that mostly seem to star Barbara Stanwyck — are about all we have left. We’ve gone through all the good shows on streaming Netflix and Hulu Plus, then through the OK […]
It ain’t heavy; it’s a heist picture
I don’t want to be that tiresome guy who’s always raving about obscure foreign films while sneering at American blockbuster sequels. But I will anyway. Last night, while the rest of the nation was lining up for Toy Story 3, The Karate Kid and Shrek Whatever Number This One Is, I was sprawled on […]
In film, you can keep the classics
I admit it: I’m not particularly fond of old movies — the term “old” in this case meaning those made before about 1958. To be more honest, I usually like them even less if they’re considered “classic.” While I can credit their groundbreaking moments, movies made in the 1930s and ’40s rarely hold up […]