To mark the closing of Videomatica we're renting and discussing 1 film a day that you can't easily download or find anywhere else.


Dear Videomatica,

Today we stumbled upon a small anthology of Noir short films that celebrate the works of award-winning author and Comic-Con frequenter, Max Allan Collins. Perhaps best known for creating the graphic novel “Road to Perdition” (the very same one Tom Hanks and Paul Newman brought to life on screen) this collection focused on some of his earlier works and even included one short entitled “Three Women” directed by the writer himself.

The short that interested me the most, however, was called ‘A Matter of Principal’ and was based on Collin’s pulp noir series ‘Quarry’. Quarry is the epitome of an anti-hero and it’s hard not have a good time rooting for a bad guy whose after other bad guys.



Now I haven’t read the actual short story by Max Allan Collins yet, but now that I’ve seen the short, directed Jeffrey Goodman, I’d really like to. Having just adapted and directed my own short film – based on the work of another Pulp and Sci-Fi master Fredric Brown, I’d love to see how and if Goodman got creative with his source material or found that what was on paper was exactly what he wanted to put up on screen.

Adapting is never easy, and there is always a tremendous pressure when you’re working with someone else work – especially when they’re still alive. Fredric Brown sadly passed away over a decade before I showed up, so I can only hope that he’d approve of my handling of his writing.

Anyway, back to Jeffery Goodman’s film. What I loved about the film was that it had a unique setting - in a quaint, snow-covered little town in the US of A. It had elements that reminded me of Fargo, but Goodwin really has his own original style.

Quary is a hitman who stumbles across Harry and Louis, a couple of thugs – literally. They're a gay couple holding the daughter of a wealthy business tycoon for ransom in a small cabin by a lake. But when Quarry stumbles across the situation he decides to intervine. Without spoiling the film, just remember, Quarry’s not a great guy, and he’s not looking to be a hero.

In the spirit of filmmakers like the Cohen Brothers, Hitchock and Lynch, Goodman creates a really fun and twisted world for 16 minutes that kept me guessing until the last scene. Though I’ve always loved film noir and the odd pulp short I’ve come across over the years, I’m still pretty green to this black and white genre. But the more degenerates and vixens I keep meeting in these stories, the more I love the unlikable, lawless cast that populate this seedy, and very shadowy world.


Off the record, on the QT and very hush-hush,
Mark & Nimisha