Welcome to The Morning After, where I share with you what I’ve seen over the past week either in film or television. On the film side, if I have written a full length review already, I will post a link to that review. Otherwise, I’ll give a brief snippet of my thoughts on the film with a full review to follow at some point later. For television shows, seasons and what not, I’ll post individual comments here about each of them as I see fit.

So, here is what I watched this past week:

Pickup on South Street

I had not intended to participate in Noirvember, because I’ve never been a particular fan of the genre. There are some good films in it, but I’ve never understand the devoted fascination to it. It just so happens that, because of the way Netflix was working and how I was adding films from Feed the Queue to the list, Pickup on South Street arrived in my mailbox this past week, so I guess it was fate that I watch a Noir in Noirvember.

Samuel Fuller’s story of a common pick pocket (Richard Widmark) who targets a woman (Jean Peters) on the subway, stealing a crucial piece of material that puts him into a dangerous position between the cops and Communist sympathizers. As he attempts to avoid his fourth strike with the cops and make some money off the situation, things turn deadly and his criminal mind begins unwinding the events in an effort to save himself and possibly the woman he’s falling in love with (Peters).

My earliest memories of Widmark are from his work as the disgusting victim in Murder on the Orient Express, but its clear his hard-broiled nature was a perfect fit for the genre. Widmark delivers a fine performance opposite a weak Peters. Peters evokes the common femme-fatale motif, but adds little emotional or physical depth to her performance. She’s offset by Widmark, a young Richard Kiley as her fearful and murderous boyfriend, and the superb Thelma Ritter in one of her greatest performances as a tie-selling, information broker trying to put together money to avoid a pauper’s burial.

Fuller’s screenplay is filled with common Film Noir tropes, blending them together in a cohesive and fascinating narrative that unfolds brilliantly as our protagonists try to eke out a meager existence while foreign forces will stop at nothing to harm the U.S.. Sitting firmly at the height of McCarthyism, it’s little surprise that the film uses a Communist attempting to steal government secrets as a framework for the story. Less subversive than films like The Day the Earth Stood Still, it’s no less exemplary of the type of film that propagandized the fight while telling a compelling story. The film could easily have worked without that anti-Communist element, but it’s not so egregiously constructed that it dismembers the film’s best qualities.

Bad Day at Black Rock

Looking over the body of work of director John Sturges (no relation to Preston Sturges), it’s hard to get an idea that Sturges was anything more than a journeyman director working in a bountiful period of Hollywood history. Yet, looking at a movie like Bad Day at Black Rock, you wonder why he isn’t among the most celebrated directors of the period.

Black Rock tells a fascinating story of a retiring military man (Spencer Tracy) who arrives by train in the small, secluded town of Black Rock to discover a mystery that he never intended to find. His ultimate purpose being there is revealed as the film progresses, but it’s the aggressive, suspicious nature of the town’s inhabitants that gooses up the suspense as he, along with the audience, attempts to piece together the cause of the town’s antagonistic approach to strangers.

Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin supported Tracy as denizens of Black Rock. No one trusts him, but as the film progresses, their suspicions turn in different directions as some (Jagger and Brennan) tire of constantly keeping quiet when a crime has been committed while Ryan, Borgnine and Marvin tighten their connection and increase their hostility towards the stranger.

Other than the performance of John Ericson as Francis’ brother the hotel keeper, the performers apply their lengthy experience to strong characters. Some may be playing roles they’ve played a long time (Marvin in particular), but each does their best at portraying even the most stereotypical of characters. Ericson was out of his league, but provides adequate support in spite of his inexperience.

This is the kind of movie where you can pick up the crime early on from all the hints given, but which remains taut and engaging even afterwards. Will Tracy’s John J. Macreedy make it out of town alive or will the perpetrators of the crime be brought to justice. Those questions are wrapped up neatly by the film’s end, but the audience is never permitted to rest. Sturges showcases how filmmaking at its best can generate tension and suspense without the need of quick editing or mood lighting. Through performances and careful structuring, Bad Day at Black Rock is a fascinating exposure of small town politics, protectionism and the power of right to triumph over wrong.

Thor: The Dark World

Chris Hemsworth reprises his role as the Norse god Thor. In his third outing, the second as a solo participant, Hemsworth ably slips back into his charismatic, boisterous, hot-headed alter-ego. Trading on his good looks and bold stature, Hemsworth commands the screen as Thor: The Dark World endangers earth once again with forces unleashed by the careless efforts of the Asgardian gods.

Apart from Josh Dallas who played the role of Fandral in the original film, the cast of 2011’s Thor reprises their roles in the film. The premise revolves around the Dark Elves who were nearly eradicated by Odin’s (Anthony Hopkins) father. The Dark Elves, led by Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) were attempting to bring darkness to all the nine realms through use of a strange substance called Aether. Hidden away so that none might ever find it, the impending alignment of the realms provides both an opportunity for Malekith to release the shadow on all the realms simultaneously, but the barriers between realms aligning enables Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) to stumble across the Aether and become its host for a time.

Pulling in TV director Alan Taylor to helm the film might not have been the best option. Able to keep the action flowing, the screenplay he’s presented is left almost intact as he winds the audience through the uncomplicated and sometimes contrived situations that lead to the final confrontation between Malekith, Thor and released bother Loki (Tom Hiddleston). The story makes sense for what it is, but there’s no real emotional or psychological depth, pleasing the audience with mindless entertainment and avoiding any possible social commentary. Love transcends time and space, we got that the first time out. Apart from that, the credible villain Eccleston creates is one of the few redeeming qualities of the film.

Hemsworth and Hiddleston play well together as actors even if their characters are frequently at odds. The two convey a competing level of brother love that enlivens the scenes they share and makes you wonder what an interesting road trip picture they might make together. Fans of the franchise will appreciate the attention to detail, but ultimately this isn’t even close to being one of the best films of the series and the Thor films remain among the series’ worst entries, even if they are passable bits of entertainment.