Shades of Noir -

I recently watched the neo-noir movie Mullholland Falls again. The first time I saw it I didn't know what to expect except that the opening credits disclosed that the story was written by Pete Dexter, a well-respected writer.

The story started out in a seemingly classic noir place, then seemed to sag in the middle, when it took an unexpected turn into what looked like X-Files territory.

But when I watched it again recently, I didn't notice a middle sag as much. The music was lovely, the art direction attractive, and the cinematography atmospheric. I enjoyed the film much more the second time around.

# Speaking of Noir-ish matters, if you're in London this Thursday, you may want to attend a discussion with John Banville and John Mullan about Philip Marlowe and The Black-Eyed Blonde.

# Sarah Weinman has returned with a new blog-like newsletter called The Crime Lady. Here's a sample piece. Welcome back, Sarah!

# Have you been watching Grantchester? Here's some background on the Grantchester TV series by the author, James Runcie.

# Geoffrey O'Brien reviews the new Pynchon movie.

# And Jonathan Shapiro reviews Perfidia by James Ellroy.

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