ChorusGirl

Satan meets THE TOWERING INFERNO, with a bit of SAW thrown in. A disorienting opening credit sequence gets things off to a good start, but eventually characters must mouth the dialogue (not M Night Shyamalan's forte). The premise--Satan stuck amongst 5 passengers in a stalled elevator--sets up some intriguing scenarios, none of which are mined fully for suspense, dread, or even shock.

Nothing is scarier than the unknown, but DEVIL bends over backward to explain away the reason for Lucifer's visit, even resorting to a dire, laughable voice-over narration. You will simply not believe the contortions this film gets into to reach its desired conclusion. In Night's world, no sacrifice is too great to get to that obligatory "A-ha!" moment, and in nearly all of his films, the ride simply isn't worth it.

Lilyan Tashman could sit and read the telephone book and make it funny. Someone needs to give this woman, and her tragically short career, a retrospective. This time she's got a sumptuous Paramount production, George Cukor at the wheel, everyone's favorite clotheshorse Kay Francis as co-star. Not enough? How about the great black actress Louise Beavers, whose entrance in the film is a scream (I'll say no more, lest I ruin it). It's a witty piece of art deco comedy, with Tashman and Francis as ermine-caped gold diggers, and Eugene Palette (not quite yet obese) and handsome Joel McCrea as the latest targets. Like so many Paramount films of the early 30s, its still fresh and contemporary, thanks to its grown up, pre-Code script. And those opening credits--couples dancing over the new york skyline--just icing on the cake. Don't miss this.

Decent, B-NeoNoir with the expected trimmings--boxer, dame, thugs, dingy walk-up apartments--given some class (to use the noir vernacular) via Kubrick's lush direction, and a wildly unsettling finale amongst disemboweled mannequins. Earns a place on your "must" list for its remarkable on-location NYC photography, some of the best of any noir. Two locales in particular--the cavernous original Penn Station (already on the road to ruin) and 1955 Times Square with its acres of movie palaces and neon marquees--get plenty of footage, serving as an irresistible time capsule. It lends great realism to one of the least glamorous urban films since the Warner pre-Code era.