NOIR CITY 11: HELL DRIVERS (1957)—Alan Rode Introduction

Continuing their tribute to Peggy Cummins, Noir City offered two vehicles from 1957: Cy Endfield's Hell Drivers and Jacques Tourneur's Curse of the Demon (aka Night of the Demon). Alan K. Rode—who I interviewed at Noir City 6 upon the publication of Charles McGraw: Biography of a Film Noir Tough Guy—provided the introduction to both films.When Eddie Muller first phoned Rode to advise that the Film Noir Foundation (FNF) was flying Peggy Cummins out for Noir City, Rode encouraged FNF to consider Hell Drivers. Through the auspices of Noir City programmer Anita Monga, they were able to reach ou

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NOIR CITY 11: GUN CRAZY (1950)—Movie Posters

Alternate title: Deadly Is the Female 

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NOIR CITY 11: PEGGY CUMMINS—Autograph Hound

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NOIR CITY 11: GUN CRAZY (1950)—Eddie Muller Introduction and On-Stage Conversation With Peggy Cummins

I have literally grown up in San Francisco's Castro Theatre where—at the tender age of 20—I caught my first film on its giant screen (if I remember correctly, Bette Davis in Now Voyager). That would have been back in 1975 and now nearly four decades later, my mind swims with the myriad premiere events, celebrity tributes and film festivals that have taken place in that majestic movie palace—one of the few remaining venues of its stature left in the United States—where the Mighty Wurlitzer ritually belts out "San Francisco" to enthusiastic audiences clapping time in unison. Nearly every majo

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PSIFF 2013: ENDNOTES

The Roman god Janus, patron of the month of January, inspired my participation at the 24th edition of the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), as I looked both North and South while sifting through 180 films from 68 countries, including 61 premieres (3 world, 21 North American and 37 U.S.) to shape—as is often done in the face of so much choice—my own private film festival. I drew heavily from PSIFF's Cine Latino and Nordic Light sidebars for my selections.Although programming for PSIFF has in the past been criticized by some for consisting of middling titles that coddle their s

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PSIFF 2013: NORDIC LIGHT—A Few Evening Class Questions for Alissa Simon

Alissa Simon is a Senior Programmer for the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF). A film curator for more than 25 years, Simon was named a 1999 Chicagoan of the Year for her innovative work as Associate Director /Programming at the Film Center of the School of the Art Institute. Simon began her career at the Film Department of Walker Art Center and the International Museum of George Eastman House. In addition to her regular work with the festival, she programmed this year's special Nordic Light spotlight. She reviews films for Variety and has served on international film festi

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PSIFF 2013—Jackpot / Arme Riddere (Dir. Magnus Martens, Norway, 2011)

Variety's presence is felt throughout the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), no less through several of the program capsules cribbed from Alissa Simon's reviews, along with Boyd van Hoeij's seminar on film criticism, but most importantly through the invitation-only luncheon honoring Variety's "10 Directors to Watch", which this year likewise celebrated David O. Russell with Variety's Indie Impact Award.Variety's "10 Directors to Watch" debuted in 1996 and the annual event moved to PSIFF in January 2011. It was the first of Variety's "10 to Watch" series spotlighting the most e

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