#Out of the Fog

[ltwilliammowett]

Out of the Fog, by Marshall Johnson Jr. (1850-1921)

[emeraldexplorer2]

Ida Lupino in Out of the Fog (1941)

[movieposters1]

[tourneurs]

“Look baby, you only live seventy years if you’re lucky.”

Out of the Fog (1941) dir. Anatole Litvak

[johngarfieldtribute]

JULIE DOING “STUFF” WITH FAMOUS PEOPLE (14th post in the series)

Is. This. Real??? Just saw this publicity pose of Julie with Lana Turner from the POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE above. Nothing to see here except two amazingly beautiful people! SIZZLING!

Above looks like the actors are reacting to some fun information from their director, Tay Garnett.

Julie is shown on the OUT OF THE FOG set with director, Anatole Litvak and costars John Qualen and Thomas Mitchell.

Litvak watches as Julie and Ida Lupino practice a scene for the same film. Although he is looking suave and smooth above, this was Julie’s MOST dastardly characterization.

A few years before he was unjustly called to testify, Julie is pictured above with Hollywood colleagues following a congressional session probing communist activities. Shown from left: writer-director, Paul Stewart; writer, Phillip Epstein; actor, Uta Hagen; Julie; actor, Bernice Parks; dancer, Paul Draper; producer, Oscar Serlin; and writer, Julius Epstein.

Shelley Winters shares a laugh as Julie picks her up in the pool on set for his last film, HE RAN ALL THE WAY. I don’t think either of them laughed in any of the scenes in this tense noir.

Another example of “no laughing matter” in a scene from the same movie. Julie’s pictured with Norman Lloyd. Lloyd’s character didn’t care if Julie had a bad hunch that day.

Director, John Houston confers with Julie and Gilbert Roland on the set of WE WERE STRANGERS.

Tyrone Power greets Julie with a handshake. Too bad Power is blinking. His performance in the original NIGHTMARE ALLEY was powerful, although the Bradley Cooper remake packed a punch too.

Julie sits next to Marlene Dietrich at a ballgame in Los Angeles on Sept. 8, 1943. To Dietrich’s left among others are Jean Babin, Ginny Sims, Jinx Falkenberg and Ann Rutherford.

[ex-foster]

I think many former foster kids are completely in the fog about liberals.

Once you notice that liberals only bring up foster kids in the abortion debate, you can't unsee it.

[rogueish]

I think the first time I heard Daniel Herskedal must have been on Mike Marshall's version of "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" in the Last Black Man in San Francisco, though I didn't actually know Herskedal was on it until fairly recently. One of the distinctive things about Herskedal's music is his use of overblowing to effectively play a topline, so it makes sense that his style would work well for vocal music, as on Out of the Fog.

[eclecticpjf]

Now watching:

[ccthewriter]

CC’s Top 10 New Watch Ranking - November 2022

It’s an exciting day for movie lists! The Sight & Sound Top 100 has dropped, everyone’s pouring over the details, and I thought I’d share my own equally famous and important list. Not my personal Sight and Sound - I’ve only seen 45% of this decade’s S&S, so am woefully underinformed to make such a judgement. But, whatever I’ve seen in the last 30 days? That I can do. 

Every month on Letterboxd, I make a list of the 10 best films I’ve seen for the first time. It’s a fun way to compare movies separated in time, country of origin, and genre, and helps me keep track of what I’m watching! The accidental theme of this month has been Journeys Into Underground Worlds, whether that’s crime, cults, or supernatural realms! Click below to see the breakdown! Click here for the list on LB!

#10 - Lair of the White Worm 1988. Director: Ken Russell

A pulpy, erotically charged horror movie starring a baby-faced Hugh Grant and Peter Capaldi. Amanda Donohoe is a centuries-old priestess of a snake god that needs human sacrifices, and frankly, I volunteer as tribute. This embodies all the things I like most about high camp horror - a thin plot, corn-syrup gore, a practical effects monster, and visually striking low-budget dreamscapes. The vision shown in this gif is an incredible high point of the film, just absurd 80′s video editing using all its tricks. Recommended for anyone who loves Evil Dead 2 or the scarier episodes of Doctor Who. 

#9 - Sullivan’s Travels 1941. Director: Preston Sturges

An out-of-touch movie director pretends to be homeless to make his next film more ‘real,’ while the studio sends a crew to follow him to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble. He ditches them, and experiences the true injustice and harm that he had been fantasizing about all along. Like that director this movie feels out of touch for much of its run time, until the last act when the main character faces some *really real* injustice at the hands of the carceral system. That’s what elevates this from a mild comedy into something really special. A parody of a studio system that barely exists anymore - imagine executives shaking a writer down, begging to pay him - but still feels relevant in the way that some people can simply stop existing if they’re handed over to the uncaring police state. 

#8 - Out of the Fog 1941. Director: Anatole Litvak

A noir-tinged parable about how fascist bullies can take control of your lives if you don’t stop them. Two immigrant Brooklynites dream of buying a fishing boat and sailing to Cuba, but a racketeer shakes them down at the pier for ‘protection money,’ threatening the life of one of their daughters, who has fallen for his strongarmed charm. This war-time film was an argument by the director in favor of the US entering WWII, showing how the threat of fascism wasn’t just a European problem. Anyone, anywhere, is susceptible to a thick-fisted jerk who sells dreams of power to the weak, and an ever-escalating use of violence to take everything from people who just want to keep their heads down. Incredible for its ending, where - spoilers - the two men effectively murder the racketeer, and everyone they know agree to bury the crime because they know he’s better off dead. Talk about community action! 

#7 - Doctor Sleep 2019. Director: Mike Flanagan

I loved Midnight Mass so much, so was excited when my favorite movie podcast gave me an excuse to watch this film. I rewatched The Shining last month as part of a Kubrick filmography run, so my mind was primed for everything this movie had to offer. Though a sequel to The Shining feels unnecessary on paper, Flanagan managed to find wonderful new layers to explore in the original film’s premise, marrying Kubrick’s nightmarish reality with King’s original intention for the work. What is the responsibility of traumatized people? In a cruel world, do you keep perpetuating harm, do you run away and numb yourself, or do you - miraculously, heroically - find a way to end the cycles of violence wherever you can? Incredible performances all around. Rebecca Ferguson is also in this month’s micro-theme of Very Evil Women Are Allowed To Kill Me. I can’t wait to see what Kyliegh Curran does with the rest of her career. 

#6 - Brute Force 1947. Director: Jules Dassin

A movie that feels like The Shawshank Redemption until its brutal, tragic end. A demonstration of the banality of the prison system and how it is a breeding ground for pain and arbitrary violence. I thought a lot about Andor while watching this - both are examples of a collective forming a rebellion. Both have tragic ends for some of their central characters, but give a feeling of hope that success and victory are possible. That the revolution will win out. Andor is the inception of a revolution that we know will win - the Force will indeed awaken - but Brute Force leaves an air of melancholy as you recognize that the struggle these prisoners face is something we’re still dealing with today. The system has only gotten crueler since this movie was made. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be changed. 

#5 - Eyes Wide Shut 1999. Director: Stanley Kubrick

A movie I’ve often wondered and fantasized about because of its raunchy, taboo reputation. It really moves me how a film with so much sex and erotic content can ultimately leave the viewer feeling drained of any sensuality. From my LB review: “Queerness can't just be a mission to conform 'outsiders' to the mainstream. It must destroy the thing that controls us all! I'm so interested in the way the masked orgy-goers kiss - an imitation of intimacy without connection, without the actual nerve-tingling *sensation* of locking lips. Their secrecy, immovable and grand, must be maintained above all else. Pleasure must be obtained through this barrier that conceals the self. God, the straights have it bad. Even in their most elaborate fantasies they just can't let go. They've always got to look over their shoulder, in case someone realizes they're just as perverted and human as the rest.”

#4 - Michael Clayton 2007. Director: Tony Gilroy

Another film that’s been on my list for a long time! With Tony Gilroy proving himself a genius in the TV sphere, like Mike Flanagan, I wanted to turn to one of his films to see what he’s got there. This didn’t disappoint. Michael Clayton is a seedy corporate fixer sent to save a huge case from being ruined by the lead attorney, whose doubts are arising out of a psychotic breakdown. It’s just fucking *fun.* Someone in the group I was watching this with said that Gilroy nails the perfect balance between effective and flowery dialogue. His characters ramble, speaking outside any sort of naturalism, but it never feels stagey. They’re people stuck in grand, outlandish circumstances, and their speech rises up to match the stakes of their surroundings. This movie has one of the most satisfying endings in movie history. I adore the end credits that just track on Clooney’s face - it’s a great demonstration of what a good actor he is. You can see everything he’s thinking in the small motions of his eyes. 

#3 - Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery 2022. Director: Rian Johnson

Benoit Blanc is back, baybeee! I love a good whodunnit, and Rian Johnson is proving himself to be the master of this genre in the modern age. Knives Out is one of my favorite movies, and I’m pleased to report that the latest entry in this series is just as satisfying as the first. I want Johnson to make as many of these as he wants, forever. My movie circle has made a lot of noise about the things this film has repeated from the original. I think 2 films is too early to say what the pattern for “A Knives Out Mystery” is going to be, but I hope the essence stays the same. An incredible cast, a colorful setting, and the relatively blank character of Benoit Blanc taking a backseat to let the ensemble shine. Oh, and the hyper-wealthy suffering under the weight of their own greed! That’s good, too. I’ve read about 35 Agatha Christie novels this year, and Johnson has found some of these essential ingredients that made her works so compelling, too. 

#2 - Sweet Smell of Success 1957. Director: Alexander Mackendrick

If there were an award for ‘Most One-Liners In A Motion Picture,’ this one would win, hands-down. I watched this while visiting my dad, who is a kind of passive movie fan and not often interested in films this old - but after just a few minutes of dialogue, he sat down and got sucked in. Sidney Falco is a press agent looking to score big by sucking up to J. J. Hunsecker, a manipulative narcissist who runs the biggest column in town. All Sidney has to do is break up the relationship JJ’s sister is striking up with a jazz guitarist. Through the glamor, glitz, and grime of late 50′s Broadway, this spirals into an immensely satisfying tale of ruthless ambition. The writing is phenomenal, the essence of New York is captured like nothing else, and JJ proves to be one of cinema’s most memorable villains. You can jump to any point in this movie and get one of the zingiest lines you’ve ever heard. A personal favorite: “If you’re funny, Walter, I’m a pretzel!” 

#1 - Labyrinth 1986. Director: Jim Henson

Somehow I had never seen this???? I can’t believe it either. The composite ingredients of this work - the fantasy, escapism, puppetry, fairy lore, danger, design - are all things I have loved from a very early age, and this *feels* like something I would have loved as a kid. Maybe that’s the power of this work - it speaks to a childish part of us that yearns to escape into fantasy, that wants to make cruel oaths to those we love, but knows the epic consequences of what would happen if we did. The journey we would have to go on to repair the hurt caused. I was lucky enough to go to the Henson exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image last month and saw some of these costumes in person. They are so richly designed. Every last inch of this frame is dripping with precision, from the fish-eyed lens to the mixed fabrics that makes each puppet come to life. Just like fantasy drawings often use inks, charcoals, and paints to create a textured image, these puppets are made from a variety of fabrics, metals, and other materials to make them seem organic and real. It’s an incredible feat. Jennifer Connelly embodies such a precise moment of youth, too. The very first steps out of childhood and into the passionate teenage years, where all the consequences of your actions seem massive and the weight of responsibility is dawning. This is a truly unique dreamworld. How lucky we are to have had a visionary like Henson create something like this.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you for reading! If you liked any of these thoughts feel free to follow me on Letterboxd, where I post reviews and keep meticulous track of every movie I watch. Look forward to more posts like these next month! 

[insidious-journalist]

Mixed Feelings, part 1. Out of the Fog.

It was one of those days that made Danny really regret not fixing his air conditioning. He couldn’t focus in the hot van he resided in, sweat beading down his forehead and onto the yellow pad sat on his lap, threatening to smudge his notes. It was a hotter than usual day in Florida and he was paying dearly for it, cursing under his breath for even going out today. But it was necessary, for today was an important day for him. It was the last day he would document his target until his design would come to fruition. A man in his early 20s, working for the local grocery store as a cashier and had a smile that just put people to ease. No roommates, not many friends, and a little too awkward for most people to tolerate. A victim he chose personally. In a few days their name would be plastered in the headlines, and he’d be gone for good.

But he’d be a liar if he were to tell anyone that this kill was entirely just for the headlines.

It started with a simple trip to the grocery store. Nothing special for Danny, really. He just needed some spices he was lacking at home, along with eggs and a loaf of bread. Simple. Easy. But as he was placing his things onto the conveyor belt a voice caught his attention. “How’d you get that scar?” He blinked, confused and not expecting to be talked to as his gaze lifted to meet the green eyes of the cashier. The man he’d come to know as Brennan immediately turned sheepish, eyes lowering back to scan his items as he apologized in earnest. “Sorry, that’s personal, don’t mind me. Bad habit.” Danny didn’t consider asking inappropriate questions to strangers as a “bad habit”. Regardless, he laughed it off and shook his head. It was time to be friendly and sociable, a front he was well acquainted with.

“Pool accident. I was a dumb kid and didn’t listen to my parents about running around the poolside, and nearly cracked open my head on the tiles. Don’t worry about it.” False. Sharing a funny childhood story was always a good way to get people to laugh and not think into things too much, and he had multiple different stories relating to the scars on his forehead. This one was just for small talk. It added to his persona, making him perhaps seem clumsy or dimwitted. The man fell into it, snorting and looking at him with amusement and a warm smile. “Hey, at least something cool came out of it. Sorry again, I just kinda... say what’s on my mind, yaknow? No clue how that hasn’t given me some scars of my own yet, but hey, there’s a time for everything...”

Talkative. Not exactly his favorite kind of person but he could work with this. It was his turn to chuckle. “Really, It’s fine. I’m used to getting stares like that anyways, so I’ll just add you to the bunch.” “Not a surprise in the slightest considering how it kinda compliments your whole rugged look. I kinda dig it.” The man before Danny froze up, no doubt speaking his mind too much and regretting opening his mouth. His reaction made it very clear that he found Danny attractive, probably why he noticed the scar in the first place. Had he been starring? Brennan’s face flushed a warm red color and he quickly finished ringing up his stuff, practically squeaking out the total and looking like he wished he could vanish into his uniform. The awkward tension in the air was thick enough that it felt suffocating.

And worst of all, Danny returned the blush and stared in awe at the flustered man avoiding his gaze like the plague. It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to compliments, even vaguely flirtatious ones. His work space had enough room for banter and female coworkers occasionally complimented his hair, admired his eyes and praised the way he presented himself. It was all a front to keep up his image however. Not too much as to stand out, but enough to give an air of professionalism to himself that made others more willing to be on his good side. This though... it was out of nowhere. Unprovoked. He hadn’t put serious effort into his appearance today and it caught him off guard.

 It took Danny a second to realize he had to pay and he cleared his throat, fishing the money out of his wallet and completing the transaction with a courtesy nod. And it was done. He was out of the store quickly with the groceries in hand, not even sparing the cashier a second glance as he rushed for his car. It wasn’t a big deal. Danny was being dramatic. But no matter how much he acknowledged the overreaction he still had to take a second in his van to calm down. The reaction that brought out of him felt... overwhelming. Uncomfortable. He felt exposed, too seen for comfort.

He couldn’t get that dumb awkward cashier out of his head, and as he drove out of the parking lot he made a vow on the spot to not only never shop there, but to avoid the man at all costs lest this happened again.

[lets-pretend-i-exist]

Matilda the movie is for little kids who have toxic families but don’t know it yet.

Matilda the song is for adults who have toxic families and know it but still live with guilt.

[ltwilliammowett]

Out of the Fog, by Maarten Platje (1967-)

[erstwhile-punk-guerito]

[emeraldexplorer2]

Ida Lupino in Out of the Fog (1941)

[bequia3]

A Terrific Day - The Green Valley Writers' Book Fair

Saturday, November 25th Sally and I attended the Green Valley Book Fair sponsored by the Society of Southwest Authors to promote Telling Tales and Sharing Secrets. There were forty-four authors there, some had as many as nine different books to sell.  It was a very good turnout of book lovers/readers. Sales of our book went well but the most fun we had was talking with other writers and the…

[sluttyjonahmagnus]

Beloved mortal unknowingly near their immortal body hopping lover.

“Yes I loved him. I just wish I knew if he felt the same.”

“… I’m sorry he made you feel as if you were not loved.”