I am not easily shocked by movies, but the first time I saw Angel Face , I actually yelped out loud. There are two moments in the picture that I did not see coming, and they were the best kind of a screen surprise, right up there with “I see dead people” in The Sixth Sense or “the secret” twist in The Crying Game . Needless to say, I won’t spoil what happens in Angel Face, but I will recommend that you see for yourself. Considered a flop in 1952, this offbeat sleeper’s ren

Critic Roger Ebert called it “perfection.” I call it “The Gateway Drug to Film Noir.” Nobody knew Laura was destined for success when the cast reported for duty in the spring of 1944. The early signs weren’t promising. Two weeks into the shoot, producer Otto Preminger fired director Rouben Mamoulian, scrapped his footage, revised the screenplay, redesigned the sets and costumes, and hired a new director – himself. Against all odds, Laura went from hot mess to cool classic. G

“Billy Wilder has a mind full of razor blades.” That’s William Holden’s mic-drop take on Wilder’s creative genius. Holden should know....