Amidst the outpouring of love for #SamNeill, I keep thinking about the first two films I saw him in: Plenty (1985) and A Cry in the Dark (1988), both costarring Meryl Streep. He was only in his 30s, but it was clear to everyone in the theatre that he was destined for stardom.

I was playing the piano yesterday, and Gregory planted himself beneath it. ❤️🐶

Philip planted this months and months ago, then forgot what it was. Today it finally opened up enough that we could see inside. It’s a cauliflower!!!! (I know, who gets that excited about a cauliflower, but it’s our first. 😅)

And now it’s working again. 🤷‍♂️

Of everything I’ve seen Tierney do – and that’s a lot – I think this is my favorite scene. You completely understand why Morgan’s decency and conviction and fear and outrage get through to Dixon. You realize he’ll come through – even if it’s in his own way. #TheNoirCollective #WhereTheSidewalkEnds

I love how Hecht leans into the hypocrisies of human behavior. Foley reprimands Dixon for his strong-arm tactics, then recommends the department adopt the exact same practices: “Try talking to him like Dixon would.” The film is in black and white, but the script is all grays. #TheNoirCollective

Hecht’s construction is ingenious. He creates a problematic cop in Dixon: the sort it’s tough to warm to. But then he makes his superior officer so obstinate and maniacally wrong – and so intent on railroading an innocent man – you *have* to warm to Dixon. Only he can sort it. #TheNoirCollective

I love Tom Tully. The last time we saw him – during our inaugural watch, The Turning Point – *he* was the one playing a cop with a dark side. We’ve come full circle. 😊 #TheNoirCollective #WhereTheSidewalkEnds

This same year, the Tony Award-winning musical Guys and Dolls presented its own (less upscale) version of the “floating crap game,” so they were pretty much ubiquitous in 1950. 🤷‍♂️ 🎶 The Biltmore garage wants a grand But we ain’t got a grand on hand. 🎶 #TheNoirCollective #WhereTheSidewalkEnds

Anecdotally, my favorite show growing up was Bewitched, and Robert Simon (Insp. Foley) played Darrin’s father. I had no idea he was quite the dramatic actor, understudying Lee J. Cobb in Death of a Salesman. This was his first film role, & he was uncredited. #TheNoirCollective #WhereTheSidewalkEnds

Here for #TheNoirCollective, and what promises to be super fun with @ladykdesigns.bsky.social & @jauntworksstudio.bsky.social hosting. FYI, yesterday, as Philip and I were driving around looking at movie stars’ former homes, we passed this sign, and I took it as a good omen. 😅 #WhereTheSidewalkEnds

Every time I read about another Mitch McConnell sighting, I keep thinking, “He’s probably on a houseboat in Brazil with Judge Crater and Laika the Russian space dog.” If you don’t get the reference, you probably have not watched this #DesigningWomen episode nearly as much as I have. 🤷‍♂️😊

And of course, that ties into the insane furnishings. ⬇️ This is how Chuck *imagines* rich people live. 🤷‍♂️ #TheNoirCollective #TheChase

I put Gregory in the sink to bathe him – as always – but look at those sad eyes. I don’t know if I can go through with it. 😅😅

#CrissCross was the first noir I ever wrote about, over a decade ago. Back then I described Anna as “a catalyst who never lets on how much she’s in control.” Rewatching now for the first time in a while, I pretty much stand by that; I find her a fascinating character. 😊😊 #TCMParty #SummerOfDarkness

Anna’s not obvious like some femme fatales; the camera doesn’t imprint her with the mark of a dangerous woman. It imprints her with a mark of a fascinating one: one whose energies you enjoy, and whose practicality you admire – for a while, at least. 🤷‍♂️ #TCMParty #CrissCross #SummerOfDarkness

Steve is among the most aggressively self-deluded of noir protagonists. He returns to town after a year away to see Anna; he denies it over and over, but everyone knows better. Even characters who don’t know him well see right through him. 😅 #TCMParty #CrissCross #SummerOfDarkness

Planer’s first Hollywood film was Holiday (1938) ⬇️; by the ‘40s, his services were being requested by A-list directors from John Huston to William Wyler to Max Ophüls. Five Oscar nods: for Champion, Death of a Salesman, Roman Holiday, The Nun's Story and The Children's Hour. #TCMParty #CrissCross

Noir fans are getting a whole lot of cinematographer Franz Planer in July. If you missed #TheNoirCollective watch of The Chase on Wed, here’s a copy of UCLA’s amazing restoration: archive.org/details/the-.... And July 22, Planer rejoins #TheNoirCollective for 99 River Street. #TCMParty #CrissCross

One of my favorite noir openings. As Steve and Anna make plans, Siodmak starts by shooting Anna over Steve’s shoulder, then switches to a POV shot – and that pretty much says it all: it’s Steve’s story, and Anna’s his obsession. #TCMParty #CrissCross

Here for #CrissCross, one of my top-10 noirs – and for some reason, often overlooked and/or underrated. But let’s face it, folks, this one’s got it all. 😊😊 #TCMParty #SummerOfDarkness

Brief visit to the park, and a quick family photo – with Gregory, as ever, staring off into space. 🤷‍♂️😊

OK, I need you to understand that I had that scene all ready to go, but decided yesterday not to use it, because I had no idea how quickly people would realize it was a dream. But behold, ready to go. 😅😅 #TheNoirCollective #TheChase

By the way, now that we’ve announced our CABBIES OF NOIR series, you’ve probably noticed that the final shot of tonight’s film was – in fact – a cabbie. Coincidence, or careful planning? Or is it that, as noir forever reminds us, “Chance is a fool’s name for fate?” 🤷‍♂️ #TheNoirCollective #TheChase

Thank you for joining me for #TheChase. But before we part, I want you to ruminate on a question that the film leaves unanswered, that will haunt you: Can Chuck really play the piano – or only in his dreams? 🤷‍♂️😅 #TheNoirCollective

At Noir City in 2015, Eddie Muller described #TheChase as something David Lynch might have directed had he come along in the 1940’s. I think the surreal ending is closer to Buñuel. Is Chuck psychic? Is he dreaming again? Did any of this happen? Were we all even *here* tonight? #TheNoirCollective

NEXT WEEK, join us on our wildest ride yet, as we celebrate the CABBIES OF NOIR with four films in three weeks: three at #TheNoirCollective, one at #NoirAlley. It starts Wed, July 8, as @ladykdesigns.bsky.social & @jauntworksstudio.bsky.social cohost WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (1950). See you then! 😊

Presuming there’s more than one club in Miami, this is a wild set of coincidences. But director, art director and cinematographer – armed with a singularity of purpose – manage to make them seem more like the hand of fate. I love it when noir juggles suspense and a sense of humor. #TheNoirCollective

Now that we’re back in the “real world,” we’re reminded that there’s nothing titillating or “escapist” about violence against women. This is just downright ugly. #TheNoirCollective #TheChase

(2/3) But there was a big clue early on that Havana was a dream. The music playing when Chuck lies down to read the paper – the music from the phonograph Eddie is playing downstairs – is the same music Chuck plays on the ship’s piano. The tune he falls asleep to haunts his dreams. #TheNoirCollective