Life and Death in L.A.

Allen Baron, “Blast of Silence” (1961). Noir for the year's last day. Was that a popping cork or the report of a firearm? By Paul Parcel...

Ángel Magana in "Never Open That Door" (1952). Bedarkened, beshadowed Argentinian film noir treated to a stunning restoration, dis...

Robert Montgomery, “Lady in the Lake” (1946), an odd seasonal thriller. By Paul Parcellin S ometimes you need relief from the hectic days th...

Lee Marvin, as Charlie Strom, a man in a quandary. One of hitman Charlie Strom's victims didn't try to run and save his own life, an...

Alan Ladd, William Bendix, “The Blue Dahlia” (1946). When Returning War Vets and Others Suffer Memory Blackouts, Murder is Often Afoot By Pa...

Left, Burt Lancaster, “The Killers” (1946). Right, Lee Marvin, “The Killers” (1964). In both versions, sports heroes have tragic downfalls a...