Review-O-Sphere

Subway~The French Connection - Don Ellis           Ah, the film noir, one of the most classic types of film genres that can flip a switch for a specific type of cinephile into total delight. Cops and robbers stories had existed since the dawn of cinema and the heavy dark shadows that define the genre draws its influence from the Expressionism Wave of Weimar Germany during the Roaring 20s. But starting with The Maltese Falcon (1941) (which itself was influenced by Citizen Kane (1941)), crime thrillers would start blending these shadows with cop protagonists who were a little more cynical, world-weary and occasionally morally onerous. This would be one of the genres that defined the 1940s and gained a second wind in Europe, with the retroactive name of film noir being used to describe these movies. A lot of these noirs would influence the French New Wave which in turn would influence the Hollywood New Wave.           We’ve dis...

To see part 1, click here . Dirty Harry Soundtrack Suite~Dirty Harry - Lalo Schifrin           1971 was yet another great year for movies and was arguably the high-water mark of the auteur era in Hollywood. When you read some of the movies that producers cut blank checks to, it's hard not to so feel generationally jealous. In fact, the number of high-quality movies was so high that it can make you wonder just how they ascertained these choices as to which is the single best but I digress. Let’s check out some cool flicks, shall we?         Before we talk about the New Wave , let’s first start out with some pulpier quick-hitters that made their mark in cinematic history. After George Lazenby’s outing as Bond ended after only one film, the producers brought back Sean Connery (for a then-record $1,250,000 salary) in Diamonds Are Forever .           While the 60s spy films tended to take themselves seriousl...