Not a lot of film action this week. I’m taking a bit of a break to get caught up on TV series I haven’t seen. However, I did take time out to watch Laura, the film I didn’t get to watch last week. Below, you will find my reviews of Otto Preminger’s film noir Laura, plus the final episodes of True Blood season 2, the entirety of Torchwood season 3 and the first three episodes of Dexter season 4.

So, here is what I watched this weekend:

LAURA

One of the finest aspects of the legendary film noir Laura is its cinematography. The images are crisp, clean and well selected, but the film owes much of its visual flair, plotting and design more to the successful Citizen Kane three years earlier than to anything else. The stories are as different as can be and the originality of the story of Laura is what has made it the enduring classic it is today. The film is about a detective (Dana Andrews) haunted by and investigating the death of a beautiful young woman. He suspects everyone and makes no bones about casting suspicion wherever it leads. He uses trickery, misinformation and old fashioned detective work to examine every aspect of the case in hopes of finding out who killed Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney) and why.

The performances are satisfactory, but as stilted and confined as the genre will allow and perhaps its film noir itself, but I didn’t find myself emotionally invested in much of the film. The characters are kept at a distance to be observed and not appreciated. And with the painting of Laura having more looming presence over the film than any single character, it becomes hard to focus on more than just the mystery. And it’s a well oiled, plotted and mechanized case that has inspired many imitators over the years. From the “well, I wasn’t being fully honest, but I will be now” constant in the film to the mid-film twist that spins the case from one investigative shadow to the next.

Tierney is probably the better actress in the film with Judith Anderson a minimal presence in the film and Dorothy Adams a caricature. Andrews is stiff and inexpressive for much of the film, which plays perfectly well into the character and his few emotional outbursts still lack zeal despite fitting well in the scene. When you first see Clifton Webb on screen, you’re immediately turned off by his brashness, selfishness and general ill temper, but once you discover who he is, it makes sense, but doesn’t make him any less frustrating. And that leaves Vincent Price, who became the prince of horror tropes. His persona here is a significant departure from his more familiar (to younger audiences) later work in films like House of Wax. Yet, there are kernels of excellence in his performance. Several times you actually feel for him, but distressingly not often enough.

Film noir’s a genre that after many experiences just doesn’t appeal to me as much as it probably should. I adore murder mysteries and I celebrate the atmospheric feature, yet the lack of sympathy for the characters, lack of depth and unexceptional performances dissuade me from appreciating this type of yarn. While I can appreciate the multitude of genres at play in the film, the tendency towards film noir is my biggest road block to full enjoyment.

TORCHWOOD: CHILDREN OF EARTH

Instead of holding to the standard seasonal format of a television program, the producers and writers of Torchwood decided to turn season 3 into a miniseries of only five episodes. Yet, what is generated in such a short term makes for a more intense and investing story. Even watching the third season as a standalone entity, you can’t help but admire the tenacity, bravery and originality on display. This is a well acted, well written and well executed science ficiton program that reached its prime of narrative storytelling with Children of Earth.

The children of Earth have become radio transmitters for an alien force coming to earth to take a portion of the planet’s children through threat of force. As the story unfolds, we discover that the aliens have been to Earth before taking only a handful of orphans, but the reason, culprit and result is part of the emotional thrust of the film. Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) and Rhys Williams (Kai Owen) return from the successful season 2 as they investigate the incursion of alien species and the dangerous temporal rift that has centered itself in Cardiff, Wales. However, the rift takes a back seat as Harkness and company battle for survival, attempting to protect the human race and save themselves from annihilation by forces that want their knowledge to be eradicated.

The performers are at their peak, creating even more rich characters that rest on moral imperatives, fight for their lives and involve themselves in the emotional well beings of strangers, friends, family and themselves. It’s almost impossible to go further into the story without giving away immense plot spoilers, so I’ll simply recommend you pick up this short season and relish the strength of its story, but prepare for a very saddening, but satisfying conclusion.

TRUE BLOOD, season #2

With only two episodes left in the season, I was concerned that we might be forced to sit through two episodes of fluff until the final act. And while there is a great deal of such content, the final two episodes work decently well with the final episode much more intriguing and clever than the prior. If you haven’t kept up with the plot to this point, you’ll probably be a bit confused and before you read too far and spoil some of the season’s mystery, you may wish to stop reading the next paragraph.

[spoiler]The season to date has involved the revelation of a maenad in their midst. Maenads are erratic followers of the Greek god Dionysus. This one, Maryann Forester (Michelle Forbes), has come to Bontemps to track down a mythological creature to sacrifice in an attempt to resurrect the goat-headed god and bring about a new age of debauchery on Earth. While a lot of the narrative thrust of the season has been split across three stories, little of which converges in the final episodes, it is Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) and his attempts to thwart Maryann that take the central focus. Although it requires the assistance of both Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Bill (Stephen Moyer) to resolve, the emotional resolution belongs entirely to Sam.[/spoiler]

A lot of the actors got to have a great deal of fun with sexual humor, dancing, wickedness and violence in the entire second season, but that allows for some rather enjoyable encounters and, for some, a serious amount of character development. I’m not sure I’m a fan of how the season ends in the post script to the story, setting up season 3, but it isn’t enough to dissuade me from catching it as soon as I am able.

DEXTER, season #4

Not until now has the full-season baddie been so disgusting, vicious and chilling as the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow). Lithgow, in three episodes, has simply and effectively created a despicable character with more emotional depth than a lot of what passes for such on network and even cable TV. Though, he’s got many more episodes to go, I have to agree with a friend’s assessment that he may well be the most satisfying guest star the series has yet had (especially after the rather limp Jimmy Smits character in season 3).

Anyone familiar with the series will know who and what Dexter (Michael C. Hall) is, but for a refresher, Dexter is a serial killer whose chief purpose is to use his position in the police department as a blood splatter analyst to seek out murderers, rapists and other criminals the law cannot touch, and erase their existence. He is methodical, educated and unflinching. His ability to become emotionally involved with others fits the profile of a killer, but as the series has progressed, he has slowly become invested in the lives of those around him. In season 4, he begins his new suburban life as a husband to divorced Rita Bennett (Julie Benz) after their marriage at the end of the prior season. He must now explore the difficult life of serial killer, husband, detective and father of an infant son, without getting himself killed. A lack of sleep, distractions and other issues threaten his survival not only as a homicide detective, but as a family man and an unidentified and uncaptured killer.

Most of the cast from season 3 returns with even Keith Carradine as Special Agent Frank Lundy in tow to confuse Dexter’s sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) who fell in love with him before he left her at the end of the season and left an emotional hole that she’s now attempting to fill and avoid as this season progresses. After only three episodes, I am once again reminded why I enjoy this series so much. It’s smartly written, richly detailed and filled with intense and interesting characters that you frequently cheer on, even if one of them is conflicted with homicidal tendencies.