Gin Joints and Magic Nights: Desideria Mesa’s Bindle Punk Bruja

Rose works by day as a newspaper reporter. By night, she runs someone else’s speakeasy. She’s not without dreams: she wants her own gin joint, wants to be her own boss, wants to get out from under the thumbs of the cruel, sexist, ambitious men who think they know all about her. In fact, they […]

A Girl Ought to Get All She Can: Party Girl (1958)

Vicki Gaye (Cyd Charisse) is a dancer at a swinging Chicago nightspot. Her friend Ginger D’Amour (Barbara Lang) is seriously caught up on the idea of a man making all her wishes come true …. if only she could find the right one to fall for. Gaye is a lot more practical. She’ll take what […]

To The Victor Go The Spoils: King of New York (1990)

Frank White (Christopher Walken) is out of prison. He’s been gone a while, and in his absence some former allies and rivals have gotten a lot fatter and wealthier. Now, he sees his chance to grab the pie. He’s head of a gang of mostly African Americans, whose roster includes his number two, triggerman Jimmy […]

While the Police Bumble, the Secretary Sleuths: Secret of the Red Orchid

When FBI Capt. Allerman (Sir Christopher Lee) boots gang boss Kerkie Minelli (Eric Pohlmann) our of Chicago, he expects the crime lord to land in Italy. However, Minelli is bound for London along with his hoods … as well as the remnants of a rival gang. Minelli rubbed out the leader of that gang—a dude […]

Tonight We Eat, Tomorrow We Shoot: Massacre Mafia Style

Mimi Miceli (Duke Mitchell) and his childhood pal Jolly Rizzo (Vic Caesar) show up at a nice office building for a meeting. Ushered into an office, they encounter a guy in a wheelchair, assault him, gag him, drag him to the toilet, douse his foot in the urinal, connect the leads of a stripped wire, […]

No Such Thing As Easy Money: His Kind of Woman

When Dan Milner (Robert Mitchum) comes home to find a trio of strangers playing cards in his room, filling his ashtrays and leaving empty bottles around, he handles the situation with charm and wit: “You guys need a fourth? And do you mind cleaning up before you leave?” They are gangsters, come to collect on […]

The World Is Mine: New Jack City

Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) has a plan to ascend to the top of the drug dealing food chain. Using crack cocaine, he can hook people in seconds. Cut out the mobsters, get a supply directly from the Peruvians, and he can save on graft, putting that money directly into investment. But Nino dreams bigger. He […]

Good to Have You Back, Blood: J.D.’s Revenge

Isaac (Glynn Turman) is burning the candle at both ends, studying for law school when not running a cab all over NOLA. When he takes a night off with his girl Christella (Joan Pringle) and some friends, he makes the mistake of becoming a guinea pig in a hypnosis show. He opens his shirt and […]

CONSIDERING WESTLAKE: 361

When his son Ray gets out of the air force, Will Kelly breaks his rule about not going to New York City. It will be the last mistake of Will Kelly’s life. The Chrysler comes out of nowhere while father and son are on the road heading home. A passenger in the Chrysler sticks a […]