|
by Brody Wilder 03/20/2026, 7:35pm PDT |
|
 |
|
 |
|
WINNER: The Petrified Forest
Nestled coldly in the bosom of the Great Depression, 1936 was the year Hollywood began slouching towards film noir. The Petrified Forest stars a fresh-faced Humphrey Bogart (he was only 36!) in his breakout role, opposite a still-skinny Bette Davis and the guy from Gone with the Wind who wasn't Clark Gable, Leslie Howard. Bogart plays the sociopathic gangster who takes hostage one of those little roadside diners in the middle of the desert - or "petrified forest", as they call it (sounds made up). Bette Davis is the big-eyed/big-titted waitress who dreams of a better life, while we in the audience are meant to sympathize with sensitive Leslie Howard as the disillusioned drifter who stumbles into this mess.
Trivia: Warner Bros wanted Little Caesar himself, Edward G. Robinson, to assay the Dillingeresque gangster. But leading man Howard said he'd only work with the actor who had originated the role on stage. Bogart repaid the favour by naming his daughter Leslie after him.
By Any Means Necessary: Bullets or Ballots
Robinson made do with the heroic lead in this, the story of a hard-apple cop who goes undercover as a mobster. Bogart once again plays the antagonist, a ruthless crook who thinks there's something off about this new guy. These are the sort of roles he'd be stuck in for the remainder of the decade; for Warner Bros to give dessicated and regretful-looking Bogart the lead, he'd have to be the last actor of his calibre on Earth - or at least on the homefront (foreshadowing!). The always delightful Joan Blondell also appears.
What Comes After M: Fury
Reichsminister of Propaganda Goebbels once offered expressionist director Fritz Lang control of the entire German film industry. Lang said he'd have to think about it, then hocked his wife's jewelry for cash and hopped a train out of the country. His humanist ideals were fundamentally incompatible with Nazi ideology, something which should've been clear to anyone who'd seen his films. Lang specialized in externalizing his characters' subjective perception of the world, casting internal turmoil across the screen in light and shadow. His first Hollywood film was this disorienting depiction of an innocent man accused of kidnapping a child, based on a then-recent real life lynching. Germany may have been a lost cause, but Fritz could still champion social justice in that eternal bastion of liberty, America. *sparklers*
Do It For Randolph Scott: The Last of the Mohicans
It'd be another few years before the western would once again rise above the level of matinee fare, so for now we'll make do with this rollicking adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper's French and Indian War novel. Future big cowboy hero Randolph Scott makes an unconvincing but likeable Hawkeye in a series of lush outdoor adventure setpieces. Often lambasted for turning sombre historical fiction into dime store pulp; if that doesn't sound appealing, you'd be better off watching Michael Mann's 1992 version for your book report.
Prophetic: Things to Come
Britain delivers the speculative fiction film of the decade with Things to Come. It is future year 1940. An unprecedented second world-wide war breaks out between Germany and England, which persists in the style of the first well into the 1960s. By 1970, humanity exists only in feudal enclaves, terminating with extreme prejudice the victims of "wandering sickness" - contagious walking corpses created by chemical and biological warfare. I won't spoil too much more, save that the third act takes place in one of those enlightened post-post-apocalyptic Star Trek futures, where everyone decides to put on the same silver jumpsuit and turn their eyes to outer space. Optimistic in that pre-war fascist sort of way, the fetishization of technocracy doesn't play quite so well in our modern capitalist dystopia. |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
The Best Movie of Every Year by Brody Wilder 03/14/2026, 8:42pm PDT 
The Best Movie of 1930 by Brody Wilder 03/14/2026, 8:46pm PDT
Best thread in ages NT by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/15/2026, 1:05pm PDT
Do you have a job/family NT by Mysterio 03/15/2026, 3:16am PDT
God forbid. NT by Brody Wilder 03/15/2026, 8:56am PDT
Is this Tom Chick? NT by mysterio 2 03/17/2026, 11:37pm PDT
He might honestly be the last person to read and post here. NT by Kenji Carter 03/18/2026, 8:05am PDT
The Best Movie of 1931 by Brody Wilder 03/15/2026, 3:53pm PDT
Holy cow, Caltrops is back! by Mischief Maker 03/15/2026, 4:46pm PDT
Are your motivss pure, Maker of MischIEF? NT by Tomorrow People 03/16/2026, 9:39pm PDT
Re: The Best Movie of 1931 by E. L. Koba 03/19/2026, 5:15pm PDT
Set your expectations for "early talkie" and you should have a good time. by Brody Wilder 03/19/2026, 6:25pm PDT
Dubbing is actually pretty crucial, when you think about it. by Brody Wilder 03/19/2026, 7:21pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1932 by Brody Wilder 03/16/2026, 6:15pm PDT
Keep 'em coming! NT by MM 03/16/2026, 6:34pm PDT
That's SIR Ian McKellan to you, smart guy. NT by caltrops analyzer 03/17/2026, 6:54am PDT
I gave Sir Ian's knighthood to Charles Laughton, who never got one. by I felt like he deserved it. 03/17/2026, 4:46pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1933 by Brody Wilder 03/17/2026, 4:45pm PDT
Thanks for doing these. by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/17/2026, 8:48pm PDT
Thanks for reading! NT by Brody Wilder 03/17/2026, 8:56pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1934 by Brody Wilder 03/18/2026, 1:06pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1935 by Brody Wilder 03/19/2026, 5:43pm PDT
Hitchcock by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/19/2026, 8:28pm PDT
I like Hitchcock. by Brody Wilder 03/19/2026, 9:22pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1936 by Brody Wilder 03/20/2026, 7:35pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1937 by Brody Wilder 03/21/2026, 7:30pm PDT
We need more movies with electric chairs in them. by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/22/2026, 9:50am PDT
The Best Movie of 1938 by Brody Wilder 03/22/2026, 7:33pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1939 by Brody Wilder 03/23/2026, 4:59pm PDT
I have nothing to contribute, but I love these. NT by Hangman 03/25/2026, 12:58pm PDT
Fukk yes NT by Gary 03/25/2026, 10:02pm PDT
Re: Fukk yes by PICKLES 03/26/2026, 5:47pm PDT
#Beep# NT by Hero detector 03/26/2026, 7:07pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1940 by Brody Wilder 03/26/2026, 7:25pm PDT
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! by HES BACK YOU LITTLE SHIITS! 03/26/2026, 8:47pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1941 by Brody Wilder 03/27/2026, 8:02pm PDT
I love Hammett. An actual real-life PI turned author, his writing rings true. by Mischief Maker 03/27/2026, 10:48pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1942 by Brody Wilder 03/29/2026, 8:20pm PDT
I was half-expecting you to be edgy and not pick Casablanca. NT by Mischief Maker 03/29/2026, 9:35pm PDT
I admit, I considered doing Arabian Nights with Maria Montez and Sabu. by Brody Wilder 03/29/2026, 9:57pm PDT
Wizard of Oz is still good, right? 1939? NT by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/30/2026, 8:39am PDT
Probably, but it's not my cup of tea. by Brody Wilder 03/30/2026, 4:43pm PDT
I didn't realize these weren't Oscar Best Picture winners until just now by laudablepuss 03/31/2026, 11:43am PDT
The Academy has rarely selected films of cultural, historical, or aesthetic impo by Brody Wilder 03/31/2026, 5:25pm PDT
How the hell did "Arthur" wind up being oscar-bait? by Mischief Drunkard 03/31/2026, 5:43pm PDT
Vince Gilligan said the comedic engine of Pluribus is a descendant of Bewitched. by Fullofkittens 03/30/2026, 7:26am PDT
Re: Vince Gilligan said the comedic engine of Pluribus is a descendant by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/30/2026, 8:40am PDT
Ooooh. So Bogart was 43 in Casablanca, not 37 as the script says. I'd chalked it NT by up to the smoking & booze -MM 03/31/2026, 8:53pm PDT
This was supposed to be a reply to the 1944 list. Whoops! NT by MM 03/31/2026, 8:54pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1943 by Brody Wilder 03/30/2026, 9:22pm PDT
I'm cumming!!! NT by 8======D ~ ~ ~ 03/31/2026, 4:48am PDT
The Best Movie of 1944 by Brody Wilder 03/31/2026, 8:20pm PDT
Double Indemnity is the first of these I have seen, and a top 10/15 movie for me by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/31/2026, 9:18pm PDT
Loving these! NT by The entire world 04/01/2026, 5:48am PDT
Justifies ICJ not pulling the plug on this place in 2011. NT by Keister M. Feister 04/01/2026, 7:33am PDT
The Best Movie of 1945 by Brody Wilder 04/01/2026, 7:47pm PDT
Waaaaaaaait a minute! by Mischief Maker 04/01/2026, 9:23pm PDT
Lots of people like that movie! I could be anyone. by Brody Wilder 04/02/2026, 2:49am PDT
The Best Movie of 1946 by Brody Wilder 04/05/2026, 8:36pm PDT
Brody, what makes for good film noir - to you? NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 04/05/2026, 9:33pm PDT
First of all, it has to hate women as much as I do. by Brody Wilder 04/05/2026, 10:46pm PDT
I'm still working on your question. Thank you for asking it. NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 04/08/2026, 9:42pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1947 by Brody Wilder 04/08/2026, 3:24am PDT
The Best Movie of 1948 by Brody Wilder 04/11/2026, 11:08pm PDT
|
|
