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    Studio One

    Studio One

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    TV Show

    A pinnacle of the Golden Age of Television, "Studio One" presented a wide range of memorable dramas...

The Royalist (William Falkland #1)
The Royalist (William Falkland #1)
S.J. Deas | 2014
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Set during the period of the English Civil Wars, I have to say that I found this to be rather unusual in that it is not about (per se) the wars themselves: rather, it is set in the New Model Army camp over a winter period, between hostilities, with William Falkland (the Royalist of the title) plucked from his prison cell by none other than Oliver Cromwell himself and sent to investigate reports of suicides/disturbances in the camp.

Reading very much like a ECW version of a whodunnit, with the author - in the afterword - not at all shy to point out the influences of the hard-boiled detective hero/film noir of the 40s (think Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler) on this work.
  
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Michael Barker recommended The Killers (1964) in Movies (curated)

 
The Killers (1964)
The Killers (1964)
1964 | Crime, Drama, Mystery
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Ernest Hemingway’s superb eight-page short story is the jumping-off point and inspiration for these two essential and very different movies (Stacy Keach reads the story magnificently in one of the DVD extras). I don’t understand why more people don’t know the 1946 Siodmak film. For my money, this is not only the best noir movie of all time but is just about my favorite Hollywood drama from the 1940s. The complex narrative structure begins as a jumbled Rubik’s Cube, and, slowly but surely, each piece falls into its precise place by movie’s end (the stuff Quentin Tarantino’s dreams are made of). The moody atmosphere provided by Siodmak and his technicians is a marvel. The cinematic execution of a heist has never been better. Here marks the birth of two glorious stars: Burt Lancaster (a beautiful caged animal, all teeth) and Ava Gardner (wow). Paul Schrader’s seminal essay on film noir, as a DVD extra, is invaluable. For those of you who wonder why Siegel’s 1964 violent, stylish, quirkily entertaining B version (the first TV movie ever made) is on this list, I have two words for you: Lee Marvin. There has never been a star like him before or since. Words simply cannot do justice to the magic of this guy—the timbre of his voice, the calm, paranoid, roughneck danger in his physical moves. In a spectacular extra on this DVD, fellow actor Clu Gulager gives a very moving (and, one feels while watching it, very truthful) account of working with Marvin, Siegel, and Ronald Reagan (who hated the movie—yet another reason to see it!)."

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Milleen (47 KP) rated The Girl Before in Books

Nov 14, 2018  
The Girl Before
The Girl Before
J.P. Delaney | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.7 (25 Ratings)
Book Rating
A twist on the popular domestic noir novels that have dominated the bestseller list. This psychological thriller revolves around Jane, recovering after a traumatic loss, she moves into an architectural showhome, an austere house with strict rules. One Folgate Street is a formidable fortress of technology that promotes, sleek, sterile, minimalist living but it hides a murky past. Jane is not the first resident to enjoy the stark lifestyle and her interest is piqued when a stranger leaves flowers at the door. Who was the girl before and will the same fate befall Jane?
This narrative uses the two women’s perspectives to draw you into the plot. The film is being directed by Ron Howard so there’s time to read the book before you see the movie. One for your travels.