With tv shows like Fargo, True Detective, The Killing, Ozark, Mindhunter, Broadchurch, Top of the Lake, The Americans, Veronica Mars, Luther, and The Dublin Murders (we’re really excited to check that one out). It seems that we have been in the middle of a Neo-Noir renaissance for some time now. All of this probably started with Breaking Bad, which was very noir in both story and visually. It may have started even earlier with Twin Peaks and The X-Files. Whatever it is, I’m not hating it.
While I’m on the subject, here’s a video on film noir that talks about Breaking Bad‘s noir cinematography. He explains it in the video better than I could here.
Aside from this Noir renaissance, we’re also living in a time where studios are re-making more stuff than original content. I talked about this in our article about the book Sticking It to the Man so I won’t go deep into it. But so many people are sick of these comic book movies and remakes of remakes it’s worth bringing up here. That’s because the classic 1970s Neo-Noir film Chinatown is coming to Netflix as a series.
To be fair, I understand why studios are coming out with so many re-makes. It’s not only safe but with so many streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, Peacock, Disney+, Hulu, Quibi, etc. etc. These people just need content and it makes perfect sense to go back to the well every now and again and make a safe and profitable bet.
I mean, if I was an executive and I had to put my job on the line for either a well established IP or two assholes with a bonkers pulp story. I’d pick the well established IP. That’s at least what John and I tell each other after each pitch meeting where some executive get’s uncomfortable with our ideas.
Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown
Netflix is in early development with a prequel series to the 1974 classic, Chinatown. David Fincher and the screen writer for the original movie, the great Robert Towne are attached to series to write the script.
To say that we’re excited about this show would be an understatement. Chinatown is a classic neo-noir and it’s not your typical film about Los Angeles. Almost any movie involving tinsel town has, the tinsel, aka Hollywood in mind. This has none of that, it’s about the farmers in the valley and the movers and shakers at City Hall. And how one screws the others over for political and monetary gain.
It’s about the very real Owens Valley Aqueduct, the St. Francis Dam disaster, and powerful families like the Hodel’s (the doctor who more than likely killed The Black Dahlia and according to the Root of Evil podcast we wrote about a while back. That’s not the worst thing Hodel did). The beautiful thing about the movie is that you don’t realize how they’re all tied together until the last 10 or so minutes of the film. From there it’s a train wreck you can’t look away. A beautifully shot train wreck with a message: don’t fight the powers that be.
And with David Fincher, the Chinatown world is in good hands. Here’s a guy who’s brought us, Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl, Mindhunter and the underrated Love, Death & Robots.
We really hope this one goes to series.
