Movies (fiction) by Category

Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a train c2004, 1951

Guy Haines, a tennis star who hates his wife, is approached on a train by a stranger, Bruno Anthony, who hates his father. Anthony offers a plan: each could kill the other's victim. No motive, no clue would link the two murders save the casual meeting of strangers on a train. 2 videodiscs (101 min.)

MEDIA 10-4055

 

The big sleep 2005

Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love. 1 videodisc (114 min.)

MEDIA 10-5477

 

Blonde ice 2003, 1948

Society reporter comes under suspicion when her series of rich husbands die mysteriously. 1 videodisc (74 min.) :

MEDIA 10-3780

 

Body and soul 2000, 1947

Abraham Polonsky, Bob Roberts, Robert Rossen, John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anglo Amalgamated Film Distributors, Enterprise Studios, Republic Pictures Home Video (Firm), and Artisan Home Entertainment (Firm)

Charley has become the middleweight champion of the world by winning a "fixed" fight. In his devious climb to the top, Charley has become hard and arrogant, and has estranged both his mother and the girl he loves. 1 videodisc (104 min.) :

MEDIA 10-3091

 

Clash by night  2005, 1952

A party girl decides she has had enough of the wild lifestyle and returns to her childhood home, where she finds security with a new husband but soon finds herself in an affair with his best friend. 1 videodisc (105 min.) :

MEDIA 10-3832

 

Dark passage 2005

Vincent Parry, a man unjustly accused of murdering his wife, escapes from San Quentin and sets out to clear his name; but, he needs the help of someone he can trust. He finds both help and love in Irene, a San Francisco artist who is convinced he's innocent.  1 videodisc (ca. 106 min.)

MEDIA 10-5478

 

Deep cover 1999

A cop goes undercover to bring down a major drug supplier with the help of a drug dealing attorney. 1 videodisc (ca. 107 min.)

MEDIA 10-4968

 

Le deuxičme souffle c2008, 1966

Charles Lumbroso, André Labay, José Giovanni, Jean-Pierre Melville, Marcel Combes, Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Raymond Pellegrin, Christine Fabréga, Marcel Bozzuffi, Paul Frankeur, Bernard Gérard, José Giovanni, Société nouvelle Prodis, and Criterion Collection (Firm)

A French criminal, recently escaped from prison and trying to pull off a robbery, finds himself being chased by an inspector. 1 videodisc (144 min.) :

MEDIA 10-2851

 

Le Doulos 2008

Carlo Ponti, Georges de Beauregard, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Serge Reggiani, Jean Desailly, Renae Lefaevre, Fabienne Dali, Carl Studer, Philippe Nahon, Michel Piccoli, Paul Misraki, Pierre Lesou, Rialto Pictures LLC, Studio Canal, and  Criterion Collection (Firm)

As the title screens explain, in gangster slang, 'doulos' means 'hat.'  In the slang shared by criminal and police, 'doulos' also designates the person who wears it: the informer.  Through shadowy back streets on the edge of Paris, an ingenious cat and mouse game is played as two underworld characters, seemingly working against each other, find themselves in a deadly entanglement of their own making but infinitely larger than both of them.  Faugel, a thief recently released from prison, and Silien, Faugel's best friend and all-around suspicious character, are up against shady nightclub owner Nuttheccio, and the police's Capt. Clain, ruthless as any criminal.  The hapless gangsters know two things: their sense of honor is the only thing they can take with them to the grave, and that date with the grave is coming all too soon.  By Jean-Pierre Melville, French poet of crime cinema, full of shadows, night, trench coats, guns, tough guys, cigarettes, slinky dames, cocktail bars, crooked cops, betrayal, and loot. 1 videodisc (109 min.)

MEDIA 10-2049

 

Farewell, my lovely 1999, 1975

A tough, street wise private eye is hired by an ex-con to find a missing sweetheart. In the course of his investigation he is beaten unconscious and wakes up next to a corpse, implicating him in murder and making his job even harder, but that's just the beginning of his troubles. 1 videodisc (95 min.)

MEDIA 10-4214

 

Following 2012

Is the fragmented tale of an unemployed young writer who trails strangers through London, hoping that they will provide inspiration for his first novel. He gets more than he bargained for with one of his unwitting subjects, who leads him down a dark, criminal path. Special features included. 1 videodisc (70 min.)

MEDIA 10-5384

 

Force of evil c2012, 1948

A lawyer whose connection to a ruthless racketeer has nearly destroyed his sense of morality. His participation in a rigged numbers racket could prove disastrous for his high-strung brother whose small-time policy bank stands to go broke when the rigged numbers pay off. 1 videodisc (78 min.)

MEDIA 10-4390

 

Gilda 2014

A deceitful woman plays with the lives of her husband, his crime lord boss, and his right-hand man. 1 videodisc (110 min.)

MEDIA 10-5594

 

Gun crazy 2004, 1950

Peggy Cummins, John Dall, Berry Kroeger, Morris Carnovsky, Russ Tamblyn, Joseph H Lewis, Maurice King, Frank King, MacKinlay Kantor, Millard Kaufman, King Bros. Productions, and Warner Bros. Entertainment

Classic film noir based on a short story by MacKinlay Kantor. A greedy sideshow sharp-shooter marries an ex-army man, then leads him down the road to crime for easy money. Includes a bank robbery sequence, noted for being filmed in one shot. 1 videodisc (86 min.) :

MEDIA 10-3308

 

The iron curtain 2013

Based on an actual case in which Igor Gouzenko, a cipher clerk in the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa, sought political asylum for himself and his wife and child after becoming disenchanted with Soviet espionage activities and the Russian way of life. Basically it is a restrained and well mounted melodrama, anti-Soviet propaganda which was described at the time of its release as a "semi- documentary", presumably because of the use made of Ottawa locations and the screenplay's ostensible base in the report of a 1946 Canadian Royal Commission on Espionage, evidence presented in court and Gouzenko's 'personal story'. 1 videodisc (87 min.)

MEDIA 10-5094

 

Klute 2010, 1971

Enigmatic small town Detective John Klute is hired to track down his best friend, a research scientist who has disappeared without a trace.  His investigation leads him to New York City, and Bree Daniels, skilled, intelligent, cynical, and personally troubled part-time model and full-time call girl.  She was savagely beaten once by a man from Pennsylvania, who may have been his friend.  Taking a journey into the underbelly of the Big Apple the two begin to realize that everything and everyone may not be what they seem.  Dangers lurk in the shadows, old habits become harder to break, and love is a four-letter word best left unspoken for two people from two very different worlds. 1 videodisc (114 min.)

MEDIA 10-4229

 

The lady from Shanghai 2000, 1947

A seaman becomes involved in the murderous intrigue of a crippled lawyer and his homicidal, frustrated wife. Culminates in a shoot-up in a hall of mirrors. 1 videodisc (87 min.)

MEDIA 10-4026

 

Lady in the lake 2006, 1947

Detective Marlow sets out to find the missing wife of a publishing magnate. Several smack-arounds, one dead gigolo, a few angry cops, a booze-soaked frame-up and one dame in the lake later, Marlowe finds the killer and finds that he's also looking at the business end of a gun. 1 videodisc (103 min.)

MEDIA 10-4217

 

The late show c2004

Aging private eye Ira Wells has agreed to help a Hollywood kook named Margo locate her missing cat. 1 videodisc (93 min.)

MEDIA 10-5470

 

The long goodbye 2002, 1973

Robert Altman successfully transports Philip Marlowe, incarnated by Elliott Gould, to the over-privileged, full-color 70s. Marlowe is lonely and shabby, yet does not seem an anachronism in the contemporary world. Unlike Bogart's Marlowe, this is a not especially tough Marlowe. He's a bright, conscientiously solemn nut, a guy who hopes for the best but expects the worst. This particular Philip Marlowe, despite evidence to the contrary, persists in believing that not all relationships need be opportunistic or squalid . 1 videodisc (112 min.)

MEDIA 10-4222

 

The Maltese falcon 2006, 1941

After the death of his partner, San Francisco private eye Sam Spade is dragged into a quest for a priceless statuette. He encounters a gallery of high-living lowlifes who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the jewel-encrusted falcon. 1 videodisc (100 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 10-4218 disc 1 10-4218 disc 2-3

 

The Maltese falcon 2010, 1941

John Huston, Hal B Wallis, Humphrey Bogart , Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Gladys George , Dashiell Hammett, Warner Bros. Pictures (1923-1967),  First National Pictures, Inc, and Warner Home Video (Firm)

Detective Sam Spade goes in search of a priceless statuette after the death of his partner. 1 videodisc (100 min.) :

MEDIA 10-3094

 

Mulholland Dr c2002, 2001

A beautiful woman riding in a limousine along Los Angeles' Mulholland Drive is targeted by a would-be shooter, but before he can pull the trigger, she is injured when her limo is hit by another car. The woman stumbles away from the accident and meets up with a plucky ingénue new to L.A. But are things really as they seem? 1 videodisc (147 min.)

MEDIA 10-4447

 

Murder is my beat 2013, 1955

Pretty Eden Lane earned herself a one-way ticket to the slammer for the murder of her boyfriend. But the cop escorting Eden to prison has his doubts about her guilt, especially when Eden glances out their train window and claims she sees the dead man, very much alive. 1 videodisc (77 min.)

MEDIA 10-4215

 

Norainu Stray dog 2004, c1949

Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Eiko Miyoshi, Noriko Sengoku, Keiko Awaji, Fumiko Honma, Asakazu Nakai, Fumio Hayasaka, Toho Kabushiki Kaisha, Eiga Geijusu Kyokai, Criterion Collection (Firm), and Home Vision Entertainment (Firm)

A bad day gets worse for rookie detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo's sweltering streets for the thief, whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, the cop and the criminal's lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami's own dark side. 1 videodisc (122 min.) :

MEDIA 10-2897

 

Scarlet Street  2005, 1945

Chris Cross, 25 years a cashier, has a gold watch and little else. One rainy night, he rescues the delectable Kitty from her abusive boyfriend Johnny. Smitten, amateur painter Chris lets Kitty think he's a wealthy artist. At Johnny's urging, Kitty lets Chris establish her in an apartment (with his shrewish wife's money). There, Chris paints masterpieces; but Johnny sells them under Kitty's name, with disastrous and ironic results. 1 videodisc (102 min.)

MEDIA 10-3843

 

The seventh victim c2005, 1943

Mary Gibson, a naive orphan, goes to Manhatten to find her missing sister Jacqueline. Her investigation leads her to Jacqueline's secret husband, and also to a strange cult of Diabolists who are also hunting Jacqueline. 1 videodisc (71 min.)

MEDIA 10-4463

 

Shaft 2006, 1971

John Shaft, a private investigator, is hired by a Harlem crime boss to find his kidnapped daughter. During his investigation, Shaft uncovers a Mafia plot to take over a chunck of the Black underworld's uptown territory. 1 videodisc (100 min.)

MEDIA 10-4021

 

Strange illusion c2000, 1945

A son is haunted by the mysterious death of his father and dreams which seem to be coming true. 1 videodisc (85 min.)

MEDIA 10-4461

 

Suspicion 2009, 1941

Alfred Hitchcock weaves a terrifying web of suspicion around a fragile young English bride and captures a classic suspense thriller. Joan Fontaine is the bride, a gently-reared heiress who fears she has married a murderer. Cary Grant is the husband, a dashing ne'er-do-well with a penchant for the high life--and a bank account that's strictly low-life. 1 videodisc (99 min.)

MEDIA 10-4334

 

The tattooed stranger 2011, 1950

Cops swarm a Central Park crime scene where a cold corpse sits in a hot car. The victim is a Jane Doe, shot elsewhere and driven to the park in a stolen van. A veteran cop and a rookie are charged with finding out who did it and who the victim is. From the tattoo on the victim's arm to sand-packed shotgun casings that defy ballistics analyisis to a balde of rare grass found in the car, the cops pull a case together. 1 videodisc (64 min.)

MEDIA 10-4213

 

This gun for hire 2004, 1942

A hired-gun seeks revenge from a client that betrayed him. 1 videodisc (81 min.)

MEDIA 10-4216

 

Touch of evil 2008, 1958

Orson Welles, Albert Zugsmith, Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Joanna Moore, Ray Collins, Dennis Weaver, Valentin De Vargas, Mort Mills, Marlene Dietrich, Zsa Zsa Gįbor, Whit Masterson, Universal-International (Firm), and Universal Studios Home Entertainment (Firm)

A narcotics officer and a corrupt cop are involved in a murder investigation in a small border town. See all three versions of the film: the theatrical version, the preview version, and the restored version. Features include commentaries and featurettes. 2 videodiscs (161 min.) :

MEDIA 10-3432

 

Undertow After being released from prison, an ex-convict is framed for a murder. The man sets out to find the real killers before the police blame the crime on him. 1 videodisc (70  min.)

MEDIA 10-5510

 

Weird-noir six B-movies c2012

Girl on the run: A whodunit set at a small, seedy carnival where a reporter tries to discover who killed his boss while his girlfriend joins the burlesque show.
Naked road: When a woman is left with a corrupt judge as collatoral for a speeding ticket, a good samaritan bails her out and then holds her prisoner as a sex slave.
Seventh commandment: A preacher with amnesia and the power to heal quickly lands in the gutter when his ex-girlfriend shows up to blackmail him.
Fear no more: Accused of killing a woman on a train, Sharon Carlin runs home to find another corpse there too!
Fallguy: A hot shot teenager stops to help the victim of an auto accident but quickly realizes he's stepped into a murder in progress. Worse, he's framed for the murder by the mon and a professional hit man is already hunting him.
Stark fear: After her abusive husband disappears, a woman tries to find the bum and, as expected, things get worse. 2 videodiscs (447 min.)

MEDIA 10-4668

 

Who framed Roger Rabbit? 1999, 1988

Tale of a detective, an unstable rabbit and his sexy wife in a world where cartoons and people live side by side. 1 videodisc (104 min.)

MEDIA 10-4224

 

The woman in the window 2009, 1944

Nunnally Johnson, Fritz Lang, Edward G Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond Massey, Edmund Breon, Dan Duryea, J. H Wallis, International Pictures, Inc, and Shock DVD

A professor of criminology is the pawn in a shocking crime thriller with a surprising twist. 1 videodisc (99 min.) :

MEDIA 10-3093