Movies
Lupino is known for her noir(-adjacent) dramas, but this one plays more like a romantic drama. It's a rather generous portrayal of a man who marries two women and the emotional struggles that come with the deceit. I'm not sure if there are any important takeaways here, but as a simple narrative drama, the film isn't the worst. The performances are decent, the pacing is okay and the runtime is short. These are all things that made the film easy to get through, but nothing that made me become excited about it. It's all very basic and forgettable, then again that's what I think about many (if not most) classic dramas.Read all
A very stale and bare-bones noir. The title gives you a pretty good idea of what the plot's about, the rest of the film (which luckily isn't all that long) rests on three underperforming actors who never manage to draw any real tension from their predicament. It's a bit baffling this is considered a bona fide classic (though I assume it's somewhat related to Lapino's status). The wooden performances really hurt the film, the cinematography is very dull, the plot is incredibly predictable and the only real reason to cheer for the good guys is to get the film over with quicker. It's short, but it's anything but snappy and even for a classic noir the pacing is sluggish. Not good at all.Read all
There are some big names attached to this film. Ray helms the film, while Lupino is credited as the lead actress and co-director. Not that it shows in the final result. On Dangerous Ground is a pretty bland and generic film noir, sporting the usual traits that do absolutely nothing for me. The acting is overstated, the plot is simplistic and lacks the tension needed to keep it interesting and the presentation is dull, despite the focus on strong black-and-white contrasts. The only positive here is that the film is short, clocking in well under 90 minutes, but the film certainly felt longer to me.Read all
Now here's a movie that gets by on age and topic alone. Directed by a woman, Outrage tells the story of a young girl whose life is ruined when she gets raped on her way home. And for sure, for its time, it's a pretty bold and daring undertaking, but the film itself is pretty damn terrible. The setup is pretty simple, and it could've been effective too. It could've worked as a subtle/nuanced film, or as a punch-in-the-gut type drama, but instead, you get bad melodrama and poor performances. At least the film is short and moves about at a decent pace, but it leads nowhere interesting.Read all