Monday, November 30, 2009

What to do next...

I'm wondering if folks would be interested if I did go with a noir countdown? I could probably even make that one a 100-movie countdown, but at that length there would be some non-favorites that started the countdown. But, the plus for doing a Top 100 would be that there are some noirs that I would enjoy writing about that might not make a Top 50. It would actually be more like a Favorite 100, but that's pretty much what the Year's Best was anyway! I guess it's kind of a catch-22. I've seen over 100 noirs, so compiling a list is not the issue, but including some at the end of the list that I might not necessarily care for could be a bit misleading.

What I would have in mind is doing a countdown like this starting after the holidays. It would probably be something more akin to the write-ups that Allan does at WitD, meaning not some of the monstrosities that I churned out for the Top 100 (although I say this now, and being long-winded at times, I might not stick to it). As Allan proves, though, being able write reviews within a confined amount of space is an art unto itself and is actually (I think) at times more difficult. Basically, I'm just looking for thoughts for everybody that checks in here. I'm not going to do something if nobody has any interest in it, because while I do write for myself, the fun for me in these countdowns is having others chime in and comment in the process.

11 comments:

  1. I for one would love to see a noir countdown. I'm sure there'd be a lot I haven't seen, so I'd look forward to seeing what you come up with. Even — or especially — if the list features a lot of non-classics and oddball picks, it'd be very enlightening.

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  2. Needless to say, it sounds like a great idea to me. Are we talking about a countdown or a chronological list here?

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  3. Definitely a countdown... and to the point that Ed makes, the way that I would rank favorite noirs, there would be many non-classics in a Top 50 or 100 (obviously) but not necessarily in conventional order. A lot of the ones that the very top of the list would be obvious, as they took spots in the Year's Best (Out of the Past, Sweet Smell of Success, The Killers, Criss Cross, etc.), but I think the path getting there could be fun. There are many unheralded or little known noirs that I love.

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  4. I like the idea, especially if noir is broadly defined across genre lines to spark debate sometimes. The only other thing I might suggest is actor-based countdowns where you'd go through your favorites from particular performers like the guy who stands in for you on your icon.

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  5. I'm with Sam on that. To round out the 100 and keep things interesting, you could consider contemporary noir ('The Grifters', 'Bound' etc), sci-fi noir hybrids ('Dark City', 'Matrix') or even animated noir ('Rennaisance').

    All told, this could be a fascinating project.

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  6. Dave - You know I am in on this. There are certainly enough noirs to do a top 100 and plenty of little known noirs that deserve attention.

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  7. Dave, I say that's one hell of an idea, and go for it by all means. I like to call myself a noir aficionado though, to be honest, I haven't watched as many noirs as I'd like to. But I've seen a few allright. So it would be doubly interesting for me - on one hand I'll be able to revisit some of my favourite noirs, and on the other get that much more drawn towards those that I haven't managed to watch yet :)

    In fact I'd say, even make a separate albeit smaller countdown for acclaimed neo-noirs as that will serve as the perfect desert to the grand feast preceding it.

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  8. I bet you are John! And you'll be a force during the discussions too. Dave, I'll admit that noir is the one area in film I am particularly weak in. I've seen most of the great classics, but I know I have only scratched the surface. Your passion for this genre is all it takes to make thi venture a huge success. I'm excited!

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  9. Dave, I'm all for this!!! You and John will give this entire venture consumate knowledge and classy writing both in the reviews and comment section. It's the one area in film where I feel I have a severe weakness, and from a selfish viewpoint I can gain much. But so many here can also benefit greatly. This is exciting news!

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  10. Glad to see everyone would enjoy it... I'm far from a noir expert -- particularly when compared to some others in the blogosphere -- but I've seen a lot. I'm going to go with it, and as I said before, plan to start it after the holidays.

    I guess at this point, the key will be to decide the parameters of everything. Include neo-noir or do those separate? Other restrictions? I'm open to any suggestions, as I've seen both mentioned.

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  11. I think it's a fun idea too.

    What about 100 animated films? I think it would be exciting exploring a medium few have encyclopaedic knowledge of and to try and go beyond the animation powerhouses of America, Japan, Russia and France.

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