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Please help me identify a movie using only this vaguely remembered scene

mindwarp — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:32:59 -0800

There is a movie I saw very distractedly around 1996-2000, featuring a scene I keep thinking about. I don't remember much beyond that one scene but I do recall the haunting mood of the film. I'd like to watch it again sometime, but can't seem to identify it. It is a tale taking place in the nocturnal underworld of some city featuring a young boy (a teenager, I think -- coming of age aspects to the main plot?) and an older but still relatively young man, who has a dark, somewhat devilish vibe to him and is a sort of guide/mentor to the boy as they navigate the city. There is a definite David Lynch like quality to this movie, and the story unfolds as if in a dream.

In the scene I remember the man takes the boy to some woman he knows; she appears to be one of the man's shadier and more bizarre contacts in the city. She is a psychic or clairvoyant or voodoo type or some other sort of occultist. The boy's introduction to the woman is arguably accompanied by a suggestion of sexual tension. The woman gives drugs to the boy, in the form of powder to be snorted. I think the boy takes the drug first, then asks what it was, seeming to believe it was cocaine. It is then revealed that the white powder was in fact heroin, at which the boy becomes flustered and afraid. As the drug kicks in, however, he has some sort of inner vision or psychic experience which is somehow important to the plot.

That's about all I remember, written down as carefully as I could. Some of it could be inaccurate or misleading. I realize that the chances of identifying this movie going on so little are next to nil. Nevertheless, if any of the above rings a bell for you, I would greatly appreciate any guesses. I believe I would recognize it readily if I was looking at it on IMDB.

Thanks a lot! :)

Chiaroscuro to the extreme.

Neilopolis — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 06:55:21 -0800

What are some great examples of paintings that make dramatic use of light and shadow? I have to shoot a short film noir as a final project for my film class. In addition to researching past examples of films noir, I'd also like to turn to famous and/or obscure paintings for inspiration. I'd like to know what paintings you think use light and shadow rather effectively. Any artist will do. Thanks!

Did I dream this movie, or...?

kittens for breakfast — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:10:15 -0800

Did I dream this movie, or...? Surreal neo-noir probably from the '70s, featuring scary Batman-style villains and brutal murder -- anybody know it? This movie has haunted me for twenty-plus years, provided it really exists at all. I blogged about it last year -- to an audience comprised almost entirely of sf/fantasy/horror geeks -- and not one of them could place it. And they've had eight months to do it. I don't think it's gonna happen. I begin to lose hope. Anyway, of the film in question I wrote the following, way back in December '06 (take a deep breath...this is long):

First of all, I figure it was made in the '70s; it was on TV, and this was probably '82 or '83. It may have been in black and white (but all my memories of movies I saw then are in black and white, because we didn't have a color set). The movie is kind of a noir pastiche thing, I'm guessing set in the '30s. The main guy is this cop or PI or something. It's all very hardboiled, and while it's over the top, it isn't (or anyway, it didn't seem to be) campy. Far from it. Somehow this ridiculous thing was played straight, and at least to a ten-year-old, it worked. Basically, this guy has got enemies -- like Batman enemies. There's a montage that shows you the enemies (all gangster types) and one of them is, I kid you not, a dude with a long and pointy schnozz that he makes more pointy by sticking it in a pencil sharpener and turning the crank. I don't remember the other bad guys, but I'm sure they were all similarly fucked up. In any event, dude faces off against these guys. And they tommygun him. Like, right in the street. Graphically. Guy falls down dead. Super fucked up guys walk away laughing. Night falls, guy continues to be dead. Lying in a pool of cold blood. Then it rains. Something happens -- I don't remember what exactly, but he's found by good guys, who declare him dead. REAL dead. I think...I'm not sure, and I may be mixing this up with one of the bad guys' bizarre ass backstories...that they have to give him a full blood transfusion, and maybe do plastic surgery to his face? I dunno. That's where it starts to get kinda murky, and about where I had to leave -- NEVER TO SEE THE FILM AGAIN!

Sooooooooo...anybody?

Looking for good mystery novels/films centered around missing persons.

SmileyChewtrain — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:51:07 -0800

I'm doing research (for a writing project) into Film Noirs and Mystery Pulps, and I'm looking for good selections of a certain plot type: the "missing person" scenario. Any recommendations for books or movies that are good examples of this "follow-the-clues" style story would be greatly appreciated. I'm fairly familiar with the genre, but as is usually the case when in need, I've forgotten most of the films and books I've come across that fit the bill for this project. As far as movies go, some examples I can give off the top of my head are "The Vanishing," "Chinatown," or "The Third Man." Unfortunately I can't think of any good Chandler, Hammett or Spillane books at the moment that fit this plot, but I'm sure I've come across a few.

I'm really interested in finding stories in which a small "personal" investigation gradually unravels to reveal a situation of a much larger scope. "Kiss Me Deadly" has this type of stake raising, only the investigation centers around a missing object, not a person.

Examples of this plot type that have struck you as unique takes on the subject would be excellent, as would more typical (though "quintessential" would be preferred) examples. Thanks very much!

Film Noir Music

cosmicbandito — Tue, 07 Jun 2005 11:53:37 -0800

MusicFilter: I'm looking for music that I like to think of as "film noir music": small combo jazz with no lyrics, usually one horn, keyboards, and a bass. In my head it sounds sad and mournful. I'm at a loss for examples too. Can any mefites step up and suggest music to read Chandler or Hammett by?