﻿<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:spout="http://www.spout.com/schemas/rss/core/2006" xmlns:cf="http://www.microsoft.com/schemas/rss/core/2005">
  <channel>
    <cf:treatAs>list</cf:treatAs>
    <cf:listinfo>
      <cf:group element="type" label="Type" ns="http://www.spout.com/schemas/rss/core/2006" data-type="text" />
    </cf:listinfo>
    <title>The Killers's Recent Activity - Spout</title>
    <link>http://www.spout.com/</link>
    <description>Recent community activity around The Killers on Spout</description>
    <copyright>Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC</copyright>
    <generator>Spout RSS</generator>
    <image>
      <url>http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg</url>
      <title>The Killers's Recent Activity - Spout</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/</link>
      <width>136</width>
      <height>30</height>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>Film:The Killers</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/films/The_Killers/81099/default.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<table width='100%' style='font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><tr><td><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/v71260cbsby.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' /></td>
<td>
<strong>Title:</strong> The Killers<br/>
<strong>Year:</strong> 1946<br/>
<strong>Director:</strong> Robert Siodmak<br/>
<strong>Plot:</strong> The Killers uses Ernest Hemingway's short story as a springboard for a complex film noir. Two mysterious men (<a href="/players/P____85717/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>William Conrad</a> and <a href="/players/P____47513/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Charles McGraw</a>) muscle their way into a small town and kill an aging boxer (<a href="/players/P____98588/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Burt Lancaster</a>, making his screen debut), who offers no resistance and seems to be welcoming his death. An insurance investigator (<a href="/players/P____53260/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Edmond O'Brien</a>) is hired to locate the beneficiary to Lancaster's policy, and in the course of his investigation reopens a long-dormant robbery case. In a series of flashbacks, O'Brien makes the connection between Lancaster and the robbery and tracks down the "brains" behind the operation. He also comes in contact with Lancaster's former girlfriend (<a href="/players/P____25893/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ava Gardner</a>), whose duplicity played a big part in Lancaster's demise -- and his indifferent reaction to it. Siodmak's hard-edged, moody direction of the Oscar-nominated screenplay by <a href="/players/P___115262/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Anthony Veiller</a>, makes The Killers one of the definitive films noirs, including what is considered to be one of the greatest opening sequences in movie history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide<br/>
<strong>Times Tagged:</strong> 4<br/>
<strong>Number of Lists:</strong> 14<br/>
<strong>Number of blog posts:</strong> 6<br/>
<strong>SpoutRating:</strong> 3<br/>
</td></tr></table>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:23:08 GMT</pubDate><spout:Title>The Killers</spout:Title><spout:Year>1946</spout:Year><spout:Director>Robert Siodmak</spout:Director><spout:Plot>The Killers uses Ernest Hemingway's short story as a springboard for a complex film noir. Two mysterious men (&lt;a href="/players/P____85717/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;William Conrad&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="/players/P____47513/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Charles McGraw&lt;/a&gt;) muscle their way into a small town and kill an aging boxer (&lt;a href="/players/P____98588/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Burt Lancaster&lt;/a&gt;, making his screen debut), who offers no resistance and seems to be welcoming his death. An insurance investigator (&lt;a href="/players/P____53260/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Edmond O'Brien&lt;/a&gt;) is hired to locate the beneficiary to Lancaster's policy, and in the course of his investigation reopens a long-dormant robbery case. In a series of flashbacks, O'Brien makes the connection between Lancaster and the robbery and tracks down the "brains" behind the operation. He also comes in contact with Lancaster's former girlfriend (&lt;a href="/players/P____25893/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Ava Gardner&lt;/a&gt;), whose duplicity played a big part in Lancaster's demise -- and his indifferent reaction to it. Siodmak's hard-edged, moody direction of the Oscar-nominated screenplay by &lt;a href="/players/P___115262/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Anthony Veiller&lt;/a&gt;, makes The Killers one of the definitive films noirs, including what is considered to be one of the greatest opening sequences in movie history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide</spout:Plot><spout:TimesTagged>4</spout:TimesTagged><spout:taglevel>Slightly Tagged (1-5)</spout:taglevel><spout:Numberoflists>14</spout:Numberoflists><spout:NumberOfBlogPosts>6</spout:NumberOfBlogPosts><spout:SpoutRating>3</spout:SpoutRating><spout:FilmCoverURL>http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/v71260cbsby.jpg</spout:FilmCoverURL><spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL>http://www.spout.com/films/The_Killers/81099/default.aspx</spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL><spout:type>Film</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: The Alphabetical Favorites Meme</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/11/7/37063.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/v71260cbsby.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/19702/default.aspx'>Karina</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/default.aspx'>Karina on SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 11/7/2008 2:01:06 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> A number of our blogging friends have picked up the Alphabetical Favorites meme. The idea is that you list 26 favorite movies, one for each letter of the alphabet. Some people are adding comments, but I think it’s more interesting to just toss the titles out there, to see how they fit together within a single list and how they match up to other lists. Also, it’s been a hell of a week and I’m exhausted. I will say this: after not being able to think of a single movie beginning with the letter “J” that I enjoy more than Joe Versus the Volcano, I noticed that several commenters at the House Next Door had slotted the same film in the same face. So much for Todd McCarthy’s contention in his Doubt review that John Patrick Shanley’s first directorial effort was “misguided.”
So! My list is after the jump.

Ali: Fear Eats The Soul
Barry Lyndon
Charade
Deconstructing Harry

Eyes Wide Shut
Forty Second Street
Ghostbusters
Happy Together
I Walked With a Zombie
Joe vs. the Volcano
Killers, The (1946)
Long Goodbye, The
Morocco
North By Northwest
On The Town
Purple Rain

Querelle
Rules of the Game, The
Star is Born, A (1954)
They All Laughed
Une Femme est une Femme
Vivre Sa Vie
When A Woman Ascends the Stairs
Xanadu
Yolanda and the Thief

Zabriskie Point Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:01:06 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>Karina</spout:postby><spout:postto>Karina on SpoutBlog</spout:postto><spout:postdate>11/7/2008 2:01:06 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>A number of our blogging friends have picked up the Alphabetical Favorites meme. The idea is that you list 26 favorite movies, one for each letter of the alphabet. Some people are adding comments, but I think it’s more interesting to just toss the titles out there, to see how they fit together within a single list and how they match up to other lists. Also, it’s been a hell of a week and I’m exhausted. I will say this: after not being able to think of a single movie beginning with the letter “J” that I enjoy more than Joe Versus the Volcano, I noticed that several commenters at the House Next Door had slotted the same film in the same face. So much for Todd McCarthy’s contention in his Doubt review that John Patrick Shanley’s first directorial effort was “misguided.”
So! My list is after the jump.

Ali: Fear Eats The Soul
Barry Lyndon
Charade
Deconstructing Harry

Eyes Wide Shut
Forty Second Street
Ghostbusters
Happy Together
I Walked With a Zombie
Joe vs. the Volcano
Killers, The (1946)
Long Goodbye, The
Morocco
North By Northwest
On The Town
Purple Rain

Querelle
Rules of the Game, The
Star is Born, A (1954)
They All Laughed
Une Femme est une Femme
Vivre Sa Vie
When A Woman Ascends the Stairs
Xanadu
Yolanda and the Thief

Zabriskie Point Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: The Alphabetical Favorites Meme</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/7/37062.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/v71260cbsby.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 11/7/2008 2:00:55 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> A number of our blogging friends have picked up the Alphabetical Favorites meme. The idea is that you list 26 favorite movies, one for each letter of the alphabet. Some people are adding comments, but I think it’s more interesting to just toss the titles out there, to see how they fit together within a single list and how they match up to other lists. Also, it’s been a hell of a week and I’m exhausted. I will say this: after not being able to think of a single movie beginning with the letter “J” that I enjoy more than Joe Versus the Volcano, I noticed that several commenters at the House Next Door had slotted the same film in the same face. So much for Todd McCarthy’s contention in his Doubt review that John Patrick Shanley’s first directorial effort was “misguided.”
So! My list is after the jump.

Ali: Fear Eats The Soul
Barry Lyndon
Charade
Deconstructing Harry

Eyes Wide Shut
Forty Second Street
Ghostbusters
Happy Together
I Walked With a Zombie
Joe vs. the Volcano
Killers, The (1946)
Long Goodbye, The
Morocco
North By Northwest
On The Town
Purple Rain

Querelle
Rules of the Game, The
Star is Born, A (1954)
They All Laughed
Une Femme est une Femme
Vivre Sa Vie
When A Woman Ascends the Stairs
Xanadu
Yolanda and the Thief

Zabriskie Point Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:00:55 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>11/7/2008 2:00:55 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>A number of our blogging friends have picked up the Alphabetical Favorites meme. The idea is that you list 26 favorite movies, one for each letter of the alphabet. Some people are adding comments, but I think it’s more interesting to just toss the titles out there, to see how they fit together within a single list and how they match up to other lists. Also, it’s been a hell of a week and I’m exhausted. I will say this: after not being able to think of a single movie beginning with the letter “J” that I enjoy more than Joe Versus the Volcano, I noticed that several commenters at the House Next Door had slotted the same film in the same face. So much for Todd McCarthy’s contention in his Doubt review that John Patrick Shanley’s first directorial effort was “misguided.”
So! My list is after the jump.

Ali: Fear Eats The Soul
Barry Lyndon
Charade
Deconstructing Harry

Eyes Wide Shut
Forty Second Street
Ghostbusters
Happy Together
I Walked With a Zombie
Joe vs. the Volcano
Killers, The (1946)
Long Goodbye, The
Morocco
North By Northwest
On The Town
Purple Rain

Querelle
Rules of the Game, The
Star is Born, A (1954)
They All Laughed
Une Femme est une Femme
Vivre Sa Vie
When A Woman Ascends the Stairs
Xanadu
Yolanda and the Thief

Zabriskie Point Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Universal Fire To Have Major Impact on Rep House Booking?</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/6/3/30431.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/v71260cbsby.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/19702/default.aspx'>Karina</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/default.aspx'>Karina on SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 6/3/2008 5:01:10 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Two days after the Universal Studios fire, there are a lot of rumors going around as to the extent of the damage. A FishbowlLA tipster from a revival house in Alabama fed the blog an email that they say came directly from Universal, warning that “nearly 100% of the archive prints kept” on the lot went up in flames, and as a result, the studio “will be unable to honor any film bookings of prints that were set to ship from here.” The tragic details after the jump.

Basically, any theater scheduled to rent an archive print directly from Universal is now advised to consider their reservation “canceled,” although “If the shipping instructions say ship from Deluxe then those dates are still good.” Any while the studio’s vault of masters was apparently unharmed, it’s apparently only going to be practical for them to reprint a fraction of the lost titles. The email goes on: “The bad news is that most likely, only the ‘big’ titles will ever be reprinted in 35mm. Many Universal titles will never be seen in 35mm publicly again.”
What’s going to qualify as “big”? Is something like the original The Killers “big,” or is that a distinction that’s going to be reserved for “classics” with more contemporary value, like Jaws? I get a pit in my stomach just imaging all of my beloved B-level Universal horror films that’ll never be projected again. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:01:10 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>Karina</spout:postby><spout:postto>Karina on SpoutBlog</spout:postto><spout:postdate>6/3/2008 5:01:10 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Two days after the Universal Studios fire, there are a lot of rumors going around as to the extent of the damage. A FishbowlLA tipster from a revival house in Alabama fed the blog an email that they say came directly from Universal, warning that “nearly 100% of the archive prints kept” on the lot went up in flames, and as a result, the studio “will be unable to honor any film bookings of prints that were set to ship from here.” The tragic details after the jump.

Basically, any theater scheduled to rent an archive print directly from Universal is now advised to consider their reservation “canceled,” although “If the shipping instructions say ship from Deluxe then those dates are still good.” Any while the studio’s vault of masters was apparently unharmed, it’s apparently only going to be practical for them to reprint a fraction of the lost titles. The email goes on: “The bad news is that most likely, only the ‘big’ titles will ever be reprinted in 35mm. Many Universal titles will never be seen in 35mm publicly again.”
What’s going to qualify as “big”? Is something like the original The Killers “big,” or is that a distinction that’s going to be reserved for “classics” with more contemporary value, like Jaws? I get a pit in my stomach just imaging all of my beloved B-level Universal horror films that’ll never be projected again. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Universal Fire To Have Major Impact on Rep House Booking?</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/6/3/30430.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/v71260cbsby.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 6/3/2008 5:00:59 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Two days after the Universal Studios fire, there are a lot of rumors going around as to the extent of the damage. A FishbowlLA tipster from a revival house in Alabama fed the blog an email that they say came directly from Universal, warning that “nearly 100% of the archive prints kept” on the lot went up in flames, and as a result, the studio “will be unable to honor any film bookings of prints that were set to ship from here.” The tragic details after the jump.

Basically, any theater scheduled to rent an archive print directly from Universal is now advised to consider their reservation “canceled,” although “If the shipping instructions say ship from Deluxe then those dates are still good.” Any while the studio’s vault of masters was apparently unharmed, it’s apparently only going to be practical for them to reprint a fraction of the lost titles. The email goes on: “The bad news is that most likely, only the ‘big’ titles will ever be reprinted in 35mm. Many Universal titles will never be seen in 35mm publicly again.”
What’s going to qualify as “big”? Is something like the original The Killers “big,” or is that a distinction that’s going to be reserved for “classics” with more contemporary value, like Jaws? I get a pit in my stomach just imaging all of my beloved B-level Universal horror films that’ll never be projected again. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:00:59 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>6/3/2008 5:00:59 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Two days after the Universal Studios fire, there are a lot of rumors going around as to the extent of the damage. A FishbowlLA tipster from a revival house in Alabama fed the blog an email that they say came directly from Universal, warning that “nearly 100% of the archive prints kept” on the lot went up in flames, and as a result, the studio “will be unable to honor any film bookings of prints that were set to ship from here.” The tragic details after the jump.

Basically, any theater scheduled to rent an archive print directly from Universal is now advised to consider their reservation “canceled,” although “If the shipping instructions say ship from Deluxe then those dates are still good.” Any while the studio’s vault of masters was apparently unharmed, it’s apparently only going to be practical for them to reprint a fraction of the lost titles. The email goes on: “The bad news is that most likely, only the ‘big’ titles will ever be reprinted in 35mm. Many Universal titles will never be seen in 35mm publicly again.”
What’s going to qualify as “big”? Is something like the original The Killers “big,” or is that a distinction that’s going to be reserved for “classics” with more contemporary value, like Jaws? I get a pit in my stomach just imaging all of my beloved B-level Universal horror films that’ll never be projected again. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Killer Waitress Slither</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/dibot/archive/2007/5/30/9780.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/v71260cbsby.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/17539/default.aspx'>dibot</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/dibot/default.aspx'>dibot Blog</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 5/30/2007 9:32:00 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Oh, happy day, finally some good films.The filmspotting guys are having a film noir marathon now, so I queued up The Killers and had a blast. Based on an Ernest Hemingway short story (so you know automatically that women are going to be evil), the film is set up so that the main character dies at the beginning. Excellent opening sequence with the killers coming into a local diner to look for "The Swede." The rest of the movie follows an insurance investigator as he tries to piece together the puzzle of why the Swede left everything to a hotel worker whom he barely knew. I enjoyed the flashbacks, the moody cinematography and the great score. Noir rules.Slither is one of those comedy/horror films that are just loads of fun. A meteor lands in a sleepy little town, infects one of the locals and all hell breaks loose. I laughed alot, especially at the mayor, Greg Henry ("The Black Dahlia"), and reveled in the gore. Nathan Fillion ("Waitress"), fast becoming my new favorite actor, brings some comedy as well as emotion as he tries to save the woman he&#39;s always loved from her alien-infested husband. I really enjoyed that the film didn&#39;t take itself too seriously. And there were a few tense scenes that played really well. But on the whole, this is a comedy. A good one.I just saw Waitress this afternoon, and maybe, with time, I&#39;ll come to find some flaws in it. But right now, I absolutely love it. Kerri Russell ("Mission Impossible: III") stars as a small town waitress with a gift for pie-making who is trapped in an unhappy marriage. She&#39;s planning an escape when she discovers that she&#39;s pregnant. The film follows her through the months of her pregnancy as she tries to find what will make her happy. The dialogue is great. Witty and thoughtful. All of the side characters are fleshed out. And Russell has some great chemistry with Nathan Fillion. The movie takes a few sad turns, but it never drags down too long, with the comedy pulling it back out of the hole. It&#39;s a very sweet film. Writer/director Adrienne Shelly also has a small role. And this is the sad part. She was murdered just before the film debuted. So there won&#39;t be any more magic. But I&#39;m going to check out her previous films. If this is playing in your town, go see it.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 31 May 2007 01:32:00 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>dibot</spout:postby><spout:postto>dibot Blog</spout:postto><spout:postdate>5/30/2007 9:32:00 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Oh, happy day, finally some good films.The filmspotting guys are having a film noir marathon now, so I queued up The Killers and had a blast. Based on an Ernest Hemingway short story (so you know automatically that women are going to be evil), the film is set up so that the main character dies at the beginning. Excellent opening sequence with the killers coming into a local diner to look for "The Swede." The rest of the movie follows an insurance investigator as he tries to piece together the puzzle of why the Swede left everything to a hotel worker whom he barely knew. I enjoyed the flashbacks, the moody cinematography and the great score. Noir rules.Slither is one of those comedy/horror films that are just loads of fun. A meteor lands in a sleepy little town, infects one of the locals and all hell breaks loose. I laughed alot, especially at the mayor, Greg Henry ("The Black Dahlia"), and reveled in the gore. Nathan Fillion ("Waitress"), fast becoming my new favorite actor, brings some comedy as well as emotion as he tries to save the woman he&amp;#39;s always loved from her alien-infested husband. I really enjoyed that the film didn&amp;#39;t take itself too seriously. And there were a few tense scenes that played really well. But on the whole, this is a comedy. A good one.I just saw Waitress this afternoon, and maybe, with time, I&amp;#39;ll come to find some flaws in it. But right now, I absolutely love it. Kerri Russell ("Mission Impossible: III") stars as a small town waitress with a gift for pie-making who is trapped in an unhappy marriage. She&amp;#39;s planning an escape when she discovers that she&amp;#39;s pregnant. The film follows her through the months of her pregnancy as she tries to find what will make her happy. The dialogue is great. Witty and thoughtful. All of the side characters are fleshed out. And Russell has some great chemistry with Nathan Fillion. The movie takes a few sad turns, but it never drags down too long, with the comedy pulling it back out of the hole. It&amp;#39;s a very sweet film. Writer/director Adrienne Shelly also has a small role. And this is the sad part. She was murdered just before the film debuted. So there won&amp;#39;t be any more magic. But I&amp;#39;m going to check out her previous films. If this is playing in your town, go see it.</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: The Killers</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/jimbell/archive/2007/3/24/6475.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/v71260cbsby.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/7717/default.aspx'>JimBell</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/jimbell/default.aspx'>JimBell Blog</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 3/24/2007 3:36:00 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> The Killers (1946) is an excellent film noir. It is based on an Ernest Hemingway short story published in Scribner&rsquo;s in 1927. In rough drafts, Hemingway had called it &ldquo;The Matadors,&rdquo; and his concern, apparently, was how to die like a man. Although Hemingway got equal billing with producer Hellinger and director Robert Siodmak, the 1946 film version is more concerned with why than how the protagonist died. Thus The Swede (Burt Lancaster in his break-through role) is murdered in the first few minutes of the film. The insurance investigator, played with zest by Edmond O&rsquo;Brien, just won&rsquo;t rest until he has solved the puzzle. He has that old-fashioned quality that the British call &ldquo;an enthusiasm.&rdquo; The investigator unravels The Swede&rsquo;s past, his failed boxing career, his powerful and instant attraction to Kitty Collins (Ava Gardner), his involvement in a huge payroll heist, and the aftermath of double crosses. It is a classic case of the burden of the past. The film adds a new wrinkle: The Swede does not even quite know everything about the past that is pressing in on him. His classic line &ldquo;I did something wrong once&rdquo; is true but not the whole story. The cinematography is wonderful. The opening shot by Siodmak and cameraman Elwood Bredell is an over-the-shoulder shot of two hit men in dark suits driving at night, the headlights glaring off the pavement leading them to The Swede. As the killers walk from the diner to The Swede&rsquo;s boarding house, they walk unsettlingly in and out of pools of bright light and inky shadows. The clothing is classic. The men sport suits with wide lapels, and sometimes a handkerchief peaking from the breast pocket. A bright white shirt with a darkish tie and cuff links contrasts. A fedora is pulled down over greased back hair. The only weak spot in the movie is Ava Gardiner&rsquo;s acting. This is unfortunate because as the &ldquo;femme fatale,&rdquo; she plays a prominent role. I put &ldquo;femme fatale&rdquo; in quotation marks because, as I am discovering as I watch more film noir, most of these roles are not the stereotypical femme fatale, that is, a woman who seduces a man and employs her magnetism to use him for her own purposes, thus ruining his life. When The Swede first sees Kitty Collins, she is sitting at a piano, and he is drawn to her like a moth to a flame, and she merely sits at the piano. When she realizes he has fallen for her without a word spoken, she begins to act seductive, and Ava Gardner mainly looks and sounds awkward as she tries to sing a romantic song in a hushed voice. The Swede and Kitty become an item while her &ldquo;man&rdquo; is in jail. One day while Kitty and colleagues eat in a restaurant, she is nabbed for theft. The Swede walks in on the scene and with nothing but poor-acting tears from Kitty he falsely says he, not she, stole the jewellery, and so, with no encouragement from her at all, he takes the fall and spends three years in the slammer. When he gets out, Kitty is, of course, back with her &ldquo;man,&rdquo; but when The Swede sees her in the hoodlums&rsquo; hangout, he is instantly drawn to her again. She simply reads a magazine. I will not give away the ingenious ending to the movie, but I will say that Kitty and her man set The Swede up, and it is entirely unclear how much of the scheme was his idea and how much hers. Unfortunately, as Ava Gardner reveals the truth behind the heist, instead of looking distraught, or cornered, or desperate, or guilty, she has almost a twinkle in her eye as if she is having fun and cannot get into the role. In the final scene, she sobs hysterically and ludicrously in melodramatic overacting in stark contrast to the understated performances by the other characters.  A solid film that stands the test of time.Jim Bell<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 24 Mar 2007 19:36:00 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>JimBell</spout:postby><spout:postto>JimBell Blog</spout:postto><spout:postdate>3/24/2007 3:36:00 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>The Killers (1946) is an excellent film noir. It is based on an Ernest Hemingway short story published in Scribner&amp;rsquo;s in 1927. In rough drafts, Hemingway had called it &amp;ldquo;The Matadors,&amp;rdquo; and his concern, apparently, was how to die like a man. Although Hemingway got equal billing with producer Hellinger and director Robert Siodmak, the 1946 film version is more concerned with why than how the protagonist died. Thus The Swede (Burt Lancaster in his break-through role) is murdered in the first few minutes of the film. The insurance investigator, played with zest by Edmond O&amp;rsquo;Brien, just won&amp;rsquo;t rest until he has solved the puzzle. He has that old-fashioned quality that the British call &amp;ldquo;an enthusiasm.&amp;rdquo; The investigator unravels The Swede&amp;rsquo;s past, his failed boxing career, his powerful and instant attraction to Kitty Collins (Ava Gardner), his involvement in a huge payroll heist, and the aftermath of double crosses. It is a classic case of the burden of the past. The film adds a new wrinkle: The Swede does not even quite know everything about the past that is pressing in on him. His classic line &amp;ldquo;I did something wrong once&amp;rdquo; is true but not the whole story. The cinematography is wonderful. The opening shot by Siodmak and cameraman Elwood Bredell is an over-the-shoulder shot of two hit men in dark suits driving at night, the headlights glaring off the pavement leading them to The Swede. As the killers walk from the diner to The Swede&amp;rsquo;s boarding house, they walk unsettlingly in and out of pools of bright light and inky shadows. The clothing is classic. The men sport suits with wide lapels, and sometimes a handkerchief peaking from the breast pocket. A bright white shirt with a darkish tie and cuff links contrasts. A fedora is pulled down over greased back hair. The only weak spot in the movie is Ava Gardiner&amp;rsquo;s acting. This is unfortunate because as the &amp;ldquo;femme fatale,&amp;rdquo; she plays a prominent role. I put &amp;ldquo;femme fatale&amp;rdquo; in quotation marks because, as I am discovering as I watch more film noir, most of these roles are not the stereotypical femme fatale, that is, a woman who seduces a man and employs her magnetism to use him for her own purposes, thus ruining his life. When The Swede first sees Kitty Collins, she is sitting at a piano, and he is drawn to her like a moth to a flame, and she merely sits at the piano. When she realizes he has fallen for her without a word spoken, she begins to act seductive, and Ava Gardner mainly looks and sounds awkward as she tries to sing a romantic song in a hushed voice. The Swede and Kitty become an item while her &amp;ldquo;man&amp;rdquo; is in jail. One day while Kitty and colleagues eat in a restaurant, she is nabbed for theft. The Swede walks in on the scene and with nothing but poor-acting tears from Kitty he falsely says he, not she, stole the jewellery, and so, with no encouragement from her at all, he takes the fall and spends three years in the slammer. When he gets out, Kitty is, of course, back with her &amp;ldquo;man,&amp;rdquo; but when The Swede sees her in the hoodlums&amp;rsquo; hangout, he is instantly drawn to her again. She simply reads a magazine. I will not give away the ingenious ending to the movie, but I will say that Kitty and her man set The Swede up, and it is entirely unclear how much of the scheme was his idea and how much hers. Unfortunately, as Ava Gardner reveals the truth behind the heist, instead of looking distraught, or cornered, or desperate, or guilty, she has almost a twinkle in her eye as if she is having fun and cannot get into the role. In the final scene, she sobs hysterically and ludicrously in melodramatic overacting in stark contrast to the understated performances by the other characters.  A solid film that stands the test of time.Jim Bell</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:murder</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/murder/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/murder/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>murder</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 8748</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 157</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 831</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:42:29 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>8748</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>157</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>831</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:noir</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/noir/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/noir/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>noir</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 77</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 67</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 134</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:23:43 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>77</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>67</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>134</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:heist</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/heist/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/heist/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>heist</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 169</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 47</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 109</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:02:59 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>169</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>47</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>109</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:robbery</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/robbery/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/robbery/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>robbery</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 3798</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 42</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 103</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:33:51 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>3798</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>42</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>103</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:boxing</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/boxing/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/boxing/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>boxing</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 746</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 31</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 55</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:04:16 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>746</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>31</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>55</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:criminal</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/criminal/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/criminal/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>criminal</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 3388</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 27</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 56</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:02:59 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>3388</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>27</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>56</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:hitman</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/hitman/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/hitman/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>hitman</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 650</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 20</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 34</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:56:17 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>650</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>20</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>34</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:doublecross</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/doublecross/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/doublecross/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>doublecross</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 343</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 14</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 20</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:56:52 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>343</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>14</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>20</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:fivestar</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/fivestar/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/fivestar/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>fivestar</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 94</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 5</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 100</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 08 Sep 2007 03:28:23 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>94</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>5</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>100</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:mistress</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/mistress/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/mistress/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>mistress</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 623</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 1</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 3</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2009 13:04:03 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>623</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>1</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>3</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:beneficiary</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/beneficiary/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/beneficiary/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>beneficiary</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 17</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 0</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 0</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:01:21 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>17</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>0</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>0</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:insuranceinvestigator</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/insuranceinvestigator/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/insuranceinvestigator/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>insuranceinvestigator</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 54</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 0</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 0</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:02:29 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>54</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>0</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>0</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
  </channel>
</rss>