Existentialism

Existentialism defines itself: one emphasizes, of course, in oneself. There's nothing more unique and valuable than our own experience, but still our existence itself is unexplainable, sometimes absurd and tiring. All existentialist movies by Ingmar Bergman, Robert Bresson and Michelangelo Antonioni seem to be great movies, indeed. I will find a time on vacation to see them (as well as some Film Noir movies I haven't seen yet). 

Now, talking about more recent examples, I could somehow identify Antonioni's 'L'Avventura' with Woody Allen's 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona', where nothing in the characters' lives is changed and they end up living the same misery they have at the beginning of the movie (a few could think this is a movie about some American being seduced by a bohemian Spaniard and his crazy ex-wife, but I think it is more deep than that... one can simply get that from the opening scene that introduces to us the girls 'Vicky and Cristina decided to spend the summer in Barcelona...).

Another great example is, of course, 'Groundhog Day' in which this man will have to live the same day (the Groundhog Day) over and over again until he gets it all right... 

Finally, and the best of all, these series of pure existentialist videos of Henri, the cat:

(The series continues with more videos, it's great!)

Late Noir - The Last of the Truly Great Film Noir

Brainstorm by William Conrad

Even though the plot could be now considered a cheap cliché that has been used in a great bunch of movies and soap operas (this could be not so a cliché in those times, though), I just think that this scene is really beautiful; the light composition, the sets, the camera movements... everything seems just perfect for the scene and for the character. *Hats off*

Radio Noir

I'd never though of radio as an effective way of telling a story, but I think it just works perfectly with Noir... it is even more mysterious because you're not actually seeing what it's happening; you need to imagine the whole set up, how the characters look like, their faces, their clothes, how they are feeling according to their voice level, etc. Radio Noir usually seems like if you're listening the real people having a natural talk, it does not look like plain and dull radio transmission, but it neither looks like an overacted piece. (I really liked when actors start talking with themselves, it's like hearing oneself talking with one's conscience) Besides, I think there's a really nice sound composition beside the actors' voices (background music, background voices, sounds of cars, horses, police sirens, etc.) 

Film Noir

Film Noir is the origin and mother of all mystery, crime and detective movies and series with which we live today. It is hard for me to believe that any mystery and suspense recent movie hasn't at least one element that derives from this productive period for cinema. Film Noir itself is composed by a great set of unforgettable movies, but it is also the reason for other amazing movies to exist.

Film Noir movies are energetic and really entertaining; they somehow portray this sense of tension, mystery and crime of their time, but I think they were rather a way of escaping of your problems by being delighted and intrigued by the problems of the people in the screen (people surely wants to be detective too!). Besides of their plot, these movies feature some noticeable marvelous photography that create  really beautiful shots like the one above this text. Moreover, Film Noir constructed a new face to women as 'femmes fatales', seductive girls that greatly influence men to do rather inconvenient things, but I also thing these films constructed a new image of partnership and complicity for men and women.

In my opinion, Film Noir is just magnificent, these guys were practically inventing everything that we use today in modern films. I mean, those years where highly creative, folks were practically constructing cinema as we know it! Amazing! It's hard to believe that someone can be that creative now that everything has been invented. What would have happened if Hitchcock hadn't make Physco? Would Tarantino be portraying  violence as he does today? Maybe Physco doesn't scare anyone today, but this film open a whole new panorama for later cinematographers. All great directors nowadays would be anything is these folks of the XX century didn't exist!