Last movie you watched......

Then he wrote “Presumed Innocent” (very fun) which led to “The Firm”.

For me what started the law explosion was “LA Law” (which prompted my handle)

 

LA Law was 30-Something set in a law office.

 

"Chinatown," with Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway ... the second classic film I've recently seen with the latter being shot dead at the end (do I need a spoiler alert for a 50-year-old movie?)

I enjoyed the movie, but mostly it has me wanting to read more about the L.A. water wars on which it was based.

 

Nah, Thirtysomething was a bunch of whiners.

 

John Taliaferro's bio of Edgar Rice Burroughs has a great recap of it, oddly enough. Also, see American Lightning about the 1910 bombing of the L.A.Times.

 

There are several apparently good biographies of William Mulholland that you might want to check out.

This is also really interesting, as it touches on the water wars depicted in Chinatown but also explains how Mulholland’s career ended in tatters thanks to his ill-fated decision to expand a dam that ultimately collapsed in one of the biggest disasters in California history.

 

If you're on a noir kick and can handle black and white, I think "The Third Man" still holds up really well.

 

I watched that when it was first broadcast. Knew a little about Mulholland, namely that he advocated for daming Yosemite Valley and a whole bunch of other places (including Kings Canyon).

This is a really sad story. I don't know how people that knowledgeable and experienced could have made the changes on the fly, which caused the collapse.

The picture they paint of Mulholland in his final years is a somewhat satisfying ending.

 

My fav noir:

Red Rock West
Blood Simple.

Saw ISS this weekend, tight, suspenseful thriller.

 

"Haymarket," available via Kanopy (from my library). Documentary of the Haymarket Square incident in Chicago in 1886. Not a great look for the judicial system.

 

Kanopy is cool. My library also has Hoopla.

 

Dumb Money was fun, if rushed. Great cast.