Bogart By Twilight

Greg Dulli's "not nearly popular enough" ninties band The Afghan Whigs was often described as "cinematic". The Whigs even had a one film deal written into their record contract, which sadly never came to be. They were guitar rock by way of a Motown revue, that was way to sexy for the Grunge years. Their next to last album Black Love seemed to be the long lost soundtrack to a film noir. After their demise Dulli moved on to the even more "widescreen" and sexy Twilight Singers, btw, the Singers have nothing to do with sad vampires.They've had songs featured in the FX show Rescue Me. The Twilight Singers newest, "Dynamite Steps" is smokey and open and waiting for Bogart to walk in the room and steal your girl.

I rewatched The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon over the past couple of days. Bogart, like Cary Grant, could show up and knock on your door, throw a nod your wife's way, and she'd walk out with him without really knowing why. And you'd be cool with it.  Of course the ladies in the films, Mary Astor and Lauren Bacall give as good as Bogey does. Step by step, icy stare by icy stare. And I could listen to Greg Dulli sing about them all day long.

Bogart was equal parts cool, calculating, dangerous and funny. There was no one else you could put in a trench coat and fedora who could pull it off quite like he could, and he knew it.Bogart was short, balding, and well, a little funny looking. And that was half the fun. With a little nod or a wink, we were in on the joke right along with him. 

God's Lonley Man

Christopher Nolan's Memento just turned ten years old, making me feel even older than I already did with my birthday fast approaching. My wife, in her "pre-wife days", and I  went to see this at the one and only "art house" in town. Or in any town near here for that matter. Living in the middle of Tennessee, its hard to find a theatre that doesn't cater to 'splosions only. I had read a Rolling Stone review and only knew it was "told backwards" and it had Guy Pearce, who had a lifetime pass from me for being in L.A. Confidential.

It was a totally unknown Christopher Nolan's second flick, the first being Following, in which a guy, um...."follows" people. To be fair, I need to revisit Following soon. (But its totally about a guy following people). The film plays in the film noir sandbox without being "too noir" or over the top. Voiceover, creepy, untrustworthy sidekick Joey Pants, the ice cold lady. Memento could have easily been filmed completly in black and white (some segments are) and felt completly natural.

It really begins Nolan's genre bending. Insomnia twisted the "crime thriller". The Batman films changed the "super hero" movie. The Prestige tricked us into thinking we were watching a drama. And Inception took a Hitchcock film and turned the whole movie into the "mcguffin", while Nolan made a movie about, well, making movies. Also, if  you are "in someone's dream", you MUST wear a smart looking suit.

Memento's main character Leonard, reminds me of Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle. Leonard could easily find himself as part of the Scorseseverse. He's obssessive, guilt ridden and conflicted.If he's Catholic, he's in. Because of his lack of memory, he is all alone. No one can truly share his space, just like Travis. Both are driven to revenge or a misguided form of justice by hazy motives at best. Although if Leonard was your cab driver, he would never remember where you wanted to go.

Leonard, like Travis, seems destined to wander for the rest of his life, not finding or even knowing, what it is he's looking for. And we can't help but watch.