STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR: The First Film Noir?

STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR (Blu-ray)

1940 / 64 min

Warner Archive 

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😽

Stranger on the Third Floor is touted by many to be the first film noir as we came to know it. Depending on how one defines the genre, that can be debated and it would likely be a spirited argument. Having finally seen it, the film certainly has that noir aesthetic. Narratively, I’m not sure. Let's just call it noirish.

It tells a pretty good story, though. Mike Ward (John McGuire) is a newspaper reporter whose eyewitness testimony is key in convicting Joe Briggs (Elisha Cook Jr) of killing a local coffee shop owner. While he didn’t actually see the act itself - just Briggs fleeing the scene - it’s a slam dunk case, and Briggs is sentenced to death.

Ward’s fiancee, Jane (Margaret Tallichet), has her doubts about Briggs’ guilt, which soon has him wondering if he helped condemn an innocent man. Then one night in his apartment building, Ward sees a shifty looking stranger (Peter Lorre) flee a neighbor’s room. He considers checking it out, then ponders whether or not he should, because if the man’s dead, Ward could be a suspect (especially since he hated him). His worst fears are realized when goes into the room to find the man murdered…the same way the coffee shop owner was. Remembering what happened to Briggs, Ward considers fleeing, but Jane talks him into reporting the murder to the police. And sure enough, Ward is the primary suspect.

"Sorry, I'm a little distracted with this light shining in my face."

Stranger on the Third Floor is efficiently paced and features perfunctory performances by the entire cast (but despite top billing, Lorre isn’t really in the film all that much). The unquestionable highlight is a lengthy, Kafkaesque dream sequence in which Ward is caught, tried and convicted. This montage is a masterwork of imaginative camerawork and production design. Elsewhere, the striking use of shadows and shade are pure film noir, enhancing the tension. Conversely though, the story unfolds more like a straight crime thriller about the hunt for a psycho killer, with an overall tone that doesn’t feel like pure noir…as I’ve come to define it, anyway. It certainly doesn’t end like one. 

But hey, what do I know? I don’t think Sunset Boulevard qualifies as noir, either, so maybe I’m way off base. I doesn’t really matter though because, noir or not, Stranger on the Third Floor is an agreeable way to kill an hour & change. And if nothing else, the movie is visually striking, and one can easily see how that aspect inpacted the genre.

EXTRA KIBBLES

2 LOONEY TUNES SHORTS - Ceiling Hero and Wacky Wildlife, both directed by Tex Avery.

MYSTERY ON THE AIR - Three episodes from the radio series featuring Peter Lorre.

WESTWORLD (4K): Nostalgic Warm Fuzzies

WESTWORLD Limited Edition (4K UHD)

1973 / 88 min

Arrow Video

Review by Mr. Paws😺

I know fans of the HBO series, Westworld, who had no idea this movie even existed until I told them (rather incredulously, I might add). One of my childhood favorites, I remember going with my parents to see it as a double feature with Soylent Green. We didn’t stay for all of the latter because Mom found it too depressing, but Westworld blew my mind. 

Whereas Soylent Green was indeed kind of a Debbie Downer and sorta confusing, Westworld had action, killer robots, gunfights and a plot simple enough for a 10-year-old to digest and appreciate without much scrutiny. I walked out of the theater thinking Yul Brynner, all duded-up in black as The Gunslinger, was a total badass (long before I was ever allowed to use that term around my folks). At the time, I had no idea it was an homage to his character in The Magnificent Seven.

Author Michael Crichton’s directorial debut, Westworld takes place in the near future, where people willing to shell-out $1000 per day can vacation at Delos, an adult amusement park which consists of three distinct sections, Roman World, Medieval World and Westworld. Whatever world you choose, you can indulge in your every whim, no matter how decadent, which will be serviced by willing, obedient and lifelike androids.

Much of the story focuses on James Brolin and Richard Benjamin as Peter & John, two spoiled yuppies who decide to play cowboys in Westworld. They get into gunfights by day (repeatedly blowing away gunslinger Brynner) and bang saloon prostitutes by night. And while the guests are sleeping-off their debauchery, Delos’ maintenance crew gathers all the damaged robots for repairs in order to get them ready for the next day.

Because this is Michael Crichton we’re talking about, something goes fatally wrong…the park’s computer system begins to malfunction, making the robots turn homicidal. In the gripping final act, The Gunslinger methodically and mercilessly stalks Richard Benjamin throughout the park. No real explanation is given for the malfunction, though some technicians briefly kick around a theory that it might be some sort of virus. 

Somebody obviously didn't see the 'No Smoking' sign.

But who cares about the hows or whys? I sure didn’t at the time, and even now, watching this classic for the umpteenth time, I still don’t. Oh sure, I’ve since questioned why anyone would bother arming these robots with real ammo in the first place. I’ve also pondered what unfortunate Delos employees are tasked with cleaning out the pleasure models after a long day of being boned by tourists (someone’s gotta do it). However, it’s a credit to Crichton, Brynner and everyone else involved that none of Westworld’s implausibilities impede the thrill of the chase. 

Unless you’re a total killjoy, of course, which I suspect some of those weaned on HBO’s show would reveal themselves to be if they ever watched this. Too silly, too quaint, too far fetched, they might say, to which I’d argue that their precious dystopian drama wouldn’t exist without this scrappy little thriller. There’s every possibility Jurassic Park wouldn’t either. Conceptually similar, Westworld could easily be seen as Crichton’s dry run for the novel that would spawn one of the world’s biggest movie franchises. 

Or maybe my own sense of nostalgia is building-up this movie to be more historically important than it really is. While certainly not a forgotten film by those of a certain age, Westworld isn’t some kind of sci-fi milestone…just fast, fun cinematic junkfood that struck a chord with moviegoers back in ‘73, a lot of ‘em probably impressionable pre-teens like yours truly. As such, this Limited Edition 4K release is a terrific blast from the past. The film has been given a nice video upgrade, along with four audio options: remixed 5.1 DTS-HD and restored 2.0, 1.0 and 4-channel stereo options. Best of all are the bonus features, most of which are brand new and sure to please anyone who grew up loving this film. The new artwork kinda sucks, though, and what's with copping the same font used for Rollerball?

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

FEATURETTE - Cowboy Dreams is a new conversation between actor Richard Benjamin and producer/screenwriter Larry Karaszewski.

INTERVIEWS - Actor James Brolin and producer Paul Lazarus III are featured in new, separate interviews.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By filmmaker/historian Daniel Kremer. This is also new.

BEYOND WESTWORLD - The pilot episode of the ill-fated (and ill-advised) TV show based on the film. An amusingly cheesy relic from 1980.

ON LOCATION WITH WESTWORLD - A promotional making-of documentary from 1973.

TRAILER

IMAGE GALLERY

THE POOP SCOOP: Springtime Kibbles!

UPCOMING KIBBLES THAT MAKE US PURR!

Landmark Giallo film, THE BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA, Coming to 4K and Blu-ray May 12 from Cellucloid Dreams. A serial killer has Rome on edge! Paralyzing his victims, then proceeding to slice them open before their own eyes, this sadistic maniac must be stopped! Conflicted, burned-out, and feeling overwhelmed, Inspector Tellini must find the madman before he claims another victim in a case that edges closer and closer to his personal life. Starring three Bond girls (Claudine Auger, Barbara Bouchet, and Rossella Falk), alongside another Bond alumnus, Giancarlo Giannini, "The Black Belly of the Tarantula" is a giallo cornerstone that broke the genre wide open and became one of Italy's true classics. "La Tarantola dal Ventre Nero," or "The Black Belly of the Tarantula," as it is known in English, will arrive in a beautiful slipbox that features the film, along with a vast array of bonus features that provide more insight into the film and its production than ever before. It is now available for preorder on the Celluloid Dreams website.

GREENLAND 2: MIGRATION on Blu-ray, 4K and DVD March 31 from Lionsgate. In the aftermath of a comet strike that devastates most of the Earth, GREENLAND 2: MIGRATION follows devoted family man John Garrity (Gerard Butler) and his wife and son (Morena Baccarin, Roman Griffin Davis) after they’re forced to leave the safety of their bunker in Greenland to search for a new home in a shattered world. John leads the family on a dangerous journey, guided by his burning hope in a rumored safe haven. It’s a journey against the odds that will test the family’s deepest sense of love, sacrifice, and instinct to survive.

THE HOUSEMAID on Blu-ray, 4K and DVD March 17 from Lionsgate. THE HOUSEMAID is a wildly entertaining thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, based on the best-selling book. From director Paul Feig, the film plunges audiences into a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems. Trying to escape her past, Millie (Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous — a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters’ closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end.

THE RUNNING MAN on 4K, 4K SteelBook and DVD on March 3 from Paramount. Starring Glen Powell and directed by Edgar Wright from Stephen King’s classic novel, this release also includes several bonus features.

ZOOTOPIA 2 on digital Now and 4K, Blu-ray & DVD March 3 from Disney. Rookie cops Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde find themselves on the twisting trail of a great mystery when Gary De’Snake turns the animal metropolis upside down. Both the digital and physical releases include several featurettes and deleted scenes.

The New ANACONDA on 4K and Blu-ray March 17 from Sony. Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) have been best friends since they were kids, and have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favorite movie: the cinematic "classic" Anaconda. But things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. 

The Original WESTWORLD on 4K February 24 from Arrow Video. The Limited Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films, hours of special features, and newly commissioned extras. There is also a Blu-ray release.

EXCALIBUR on 4K February 24 from Arrow Video. The Limited Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative by Arrow Films presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 for the first time on home video,and hours of special features, and newly commissioned extras. There is also a Blu-ray release.

Dave’s a little pissed…POINT BLANK Coming to 4K and Blu-ray April 21 from Criterion Collection. Free Kittens’ CEO bought himself an older Blu-ray copy of this action classic, then literally the next day, Criterion announces this release! In addition to a 4K restoration, this disc comes with a bunch of bonus features.

MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN on 4K and Blu-ray April 14 from Criterion Collection. Featuring ribald Roman puns, sharp political commentary, and an audacious crucifixion-themed musical number, the Pythons’ most ambitious film is a hilarious satire of dogma and blind faith in which nothing is sacred.

It’s about damn time! Martin Scorsese’s KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON on Blu-ray, 4K and DVD March 24, 2026 from Criterion Collection. An epic elegy of greed, betrayal, and murder, Scorsese brings a dark chapter of American history to the screen with gripping narrative power and a profound feeling for the weight of systemic injustice.

The Sobering Nuclear War Classic, TESTAMENT, on Blu-ray March 17 from Criterion Collection Taking a hauntingly intimate approach to an often sensationalized subject, the singular Testament depicts one family’s daily life in the wake of nuclear devastation.

The Ironic Part of FRONTIER CRUCIBLE

FRONTIER CRUCIBLE (Blu-ray)

2025 / 122 min

Well Go USA

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😾

Frontier Crucible is a western produced by Dallas Sonnier and written by S. Craig Zahler, who aren’t strangers to the genre. They’re the guys responsible for unleashing Bone Tomahawk on the world. And if you’ve seen that one, love it or hate it, chances are you haven’t forgotten it. That won’t be the case here, for multiple reasons, one of which is kind of ironic.

Based on an old pulp novel by Harry Whittington, the basic plot is pretty good. Ex-soldier Merrick Beckford (Myles Clohessy) is tasked with taking a wagon of medicine to a town suffering from an epidemic. To do this, he must travel across hostile Apache country by himself. Along the way, Beckford comes across a group who were just recently attacked…a trio of outlaws led by Mule (Thomas Jane) and a young married couple, Valerie (Mary Stickley) and Jeff (Eli Brown), the latter who’s been seriously wounded. 

Suspecting the Apaches will return, Beckford offers to take them with him. Mule insists they should head in the opposite direction, leading to tense conflicts, especially with one of Mule’s gang, Edmund (Armie Hammer), repeatedly threatening Beckford. The situation is compounded when Mule’s son, Billy (Ryan Mason), shoots a lone Apache who Beckford was preparing to negotiate with. Knowing this will incur the wrath of the whole tribe, the group needs to get moving as soon as possible, but Jeff’s wounds and constant disagreements on which direction to go keep them put…until it’s too late.

The story ain’t the problem. It’s the execution. First off, Frontier Crucible is light on action and extremely slow moving. Worse yet, it’s over two hours long, and most of that time consists of these folks constantly bickering, as well as increasingly rote song interludes about cowboy life (all warbled by the same guy with a guitar). In the disc’s making-of feature, director Travis Mills brags of cranking out 12 westerns in 12 months. Perhaps he should consider taking a little extra time in the editing room instead, because this story could have just as easily been told in less than 90 minutes.

"I told ya we should've gassed 'er up at the last town."

Some of the performances are decent (Jane, in particular, is a stand-out), but most range from bland to godawful. Hammer appears happy to simply have a job, while dreary leading man Clohessy must have prepared for his role by watching Clint Eastwood westerns. I’ll give him this much…he’s mastered the art of dramatically removing the smoke from his mouth to say something important (he must do it a dozen times here). But Clohessy is Daniel Day-Lewis compared to Stickly, whose wooden performance sinks every scene she appears in and exacerbates how terrible much of the dialogue is…

…which brings us to the ironic reason the film doesn’t work. Screenwriter S. Craig Zahler has a reputation for writing and directing gritty, uncompromising films that are definitely an acquired taste, but at least feel authentic in terms of characters and dialogue. But here, that dialogue is often jawdroppingly bad, sometimes laughably so. This is especially the case with Stickly’s character. Nearly every syllable that escapes her mouth might have the viewer going, “Good God, nobody speaks like that…even in the old west.” I suspect Zahler knew he pumped-out a pooch, too, because his name doesn’t appear anywhere in the credits.

The film is almost rescued by a climax that boasts the same type of gonzo, wince-inducing violence that made Bone Tomahawk a memorable cult classic, but this time it’s too little, too late. Long, slow and atrociously written, Frontier Crucible is a interminable endurance test.

EXTRA KIBBLES

MAKING-OF FEATURETTE

TRAILER

Revisiting BEN-HUR in 4K...and a Bit of Blasphemy

BEN-HUR (4K UHD)

1959 / 222 min

Warner Bros

#InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Mr. Paws😸

Before I commit a bit of cinematic blasphemy, let me get the good stuff out of the way first…

This brand new 4K release of Ben-Hur is the best the movie has ever looked on home video, which is really saying something because it’s been nicely presented on both Blu-ray and DVD over the years. With a much sharper image and more vivid color, the overall picture quality alone makes this worth picking up. It also includes two audio options, a DolbyAtmos track and a DTS-HD 5.0 Master Audio track. Both are excellent. 

In terms of bonus features, this version actually includes fewer supplements than some previous ones (more specifically, the 2011 Ultimate Collector’s Edition). However, it does includes a couple of new featurettes to go along with a handful of archival extras…and a digital copy, if that’s you’re thing (but it shouldn’t be). 

As for the movie itself…look up the word ‘epic’ in a dictionary and you’ll probably see a picture of ol' Chuck Heston riding a chariot. Ben-Hur is an epic in every sense of the word…the scope, the budget, the cast of thousands, the storytelling, the length (it takes up two of the three discs in this set). Even presented in one of the best 4K transfers I’ve ever seen, watching it from the comfort of a living room sofa will never equal the experience of seeing it in a theater. And for two-thirds of its running time, Ben-Hur remains one of the most massively entertaining movies of the 1950s, with engaging characters, solid performances, compelling drama and thrilling action (the legendary, lengthy chariot race still ranks among the most jaw-dropping sequences ever shot).

"Could you throw a shirt on or something? The rest of us feel pretty inadequate."

That being said, it’s at this point I must break from the general consensus with a contrarian view that Ben-Hur should’ve ended after the chariot race. Not only is everything that transpires afterwards anticlimactic, the film undergoes a jarring narrative and tonal shift that simply isn’t as interesting. As a character, Judah Ben-Hur (Heston) is far more engaging in his quest for revenge against childhood-friend-turned-Roman commander Messala (Stephen Boyd) than he is learning the power of forgiveness while following Jesus around. 

Of course, this film and every other Ben-Hur adaptation are based on Lew Wallace’s Christianity-driven novel, and removing those elements would be unthinkable to some (hell, probably most). I realize Ben-Hur was never intended as a tale of revenge. But for the first two-and-a-half hours, it’s such a phenomenal tale of revenge that you could chop-off the entire last act and still be left with one hell of a movie. Or at the very least, Judah’s epiphanies could’ve been wrapped up more succinctly than director William Wyler does. That’s probably why I usually shut the movie off shortly after Judah confronts bloody, battered, ex-bestie Messala on his deathbed. 

Still, Ben-Hur remains one of Hollywood’s definitive epics and arguably deserved most of the 11 Oscars it won (a record at the time). But as someone who always viewed it more as a cinematic experience than a spiritual one, I just don’t think it ever needed to be a biblical epic. It’s a minority opinion, of course, one that certainly won’t (and shouldn’t) carry any weight among classic movie lovers who continue cherish the film. Those people will absolutely love this new 4K release, because it looks and sounds absolutely stunning. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Ben-Hur: Anatomy of an Epic and The Cinematography of Scale are a couple of brief new featurettes that are more of an overall appreciation of the film than anything informational; Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures consists of still photos and storyboards.

CHARLTON HESTON AND BEN-HUR: A PERSONAL JOURNEY - Though not new, this feature length doc is a nice look that Heston’s personal and professional life around the time he was making the film, told by his children and others. Includes a lot of home movie footage.

BEN-HUR: THE MAKING OF AN EPIC - Similarly, this hour-long piece is nothing new, but is arguably the most comprehensive making-of documentary you’ll find about the movie.

SCREEN TESTS

DIGITAL COPY