We know about the appreciation of, and contributions to, noir film and fiction by the French. We know that they celebrated the likes of Jim Thompson when the now-revered American noir author was kicked to the curb in his home country. And in 1960 another striking example of U.S. noir being recognized by the French occurred when rising star French film director Francois Truffaut used a novel by American David Goodis as the basis of his second film. Truffaut had come across Goodis’s bleak 1956 title Down There along the way, was enthralled by it, and had one of his legal reps buy the movie rights. Then, after dazzling the movie-watching universe with his groundbreaking debut, 1959’s French New Wave classic The 400 Blows, Truffaut wanted his next film to be something less blatantly French and something that showed the influence American cinema had on him. Cue Shoot the Piano Player and Goodis’s downbeat tale of a once-famous musician, who is now playing tacky fare in a rank-and-file bar, was the perfect vehicle through which the director could put these desires into effect.

[First, we move from Philly to Paris...]

Here at Criminal Element we are not normally in the business of giving advice to the bad guys, but a man in Costa Mesa, California might want to rethink his love for the popular El Pollo Loco chain. So here is our advice… After you burglarize a place, it’s probably best to not return for some grub a few hours later. Or at the very least least, change your darn clothes first.

Authorities report that the man was caught on a surveillance camera breaking in to the restaurant and making a mess of the place as he searched for loot. He didn’t find any, so he must have thought to himself that it would be cool if he came back for some lunch — while wearing the same super-bright green shirt and a neon hat featuring the beloved “Animal” from the Muppets.

That’s an easy outfit to remember, right? The manager who had seen the surveillance footage earlier made the connection in a split-second. He quickly called the cops to report that, as a police statement explained, “a subject matching the description of the suspect seen on the store video was back at the restaurant, in line to order food.”

The cops showed up and arrested the man right in the restaurant. He’s also suspected of a number of other commercial burglaries in the area.

For the third straight summer, Buffalo, Wyoming magically transformed (with the help of one hard-working Chamber of Commerce and an incredible team of volunteers) into Durant, the Absaroka County seat, and the characters of Craig Johnson’s fictional crime series came to life as thousands of fans converged on the town of about 4,600. This is, of course, the annual Longmire Days, which occurred July 18-20, 2014.

And for the second year, many of the stars of the A&E television show based on Johnson’s series also attended and took part in the festivities. That included: Robert Taylor (Walt Longmire), Katee Sackhoff (Vic Moretti), Adam Bartley (The Ferg), Cassidy Freeman (Cady Longmire), Zahn McClarnon (Mathias), and Louanne Stephens (Ruby).

THE ACTORS

Friday, July 18th kicked off with an autograph session featuring Craig and all the actors, except Cassidy Freeman. (Editor’s Note: These are the very signatories to the poster in the comments sweepstakes below!) Fans from far and wide began lining up outside the old Clear Creek Elementary School before 7 a.m., when Craig Johnson pulled into the lot in the replica sheriff’s Bronco. The signing wouldn’t start until 9 a.m., but in the meantime, souvenirs were sold, people took pictures with the Bronco and chatted with fellow fans, and volunteers mingled throughout the crowd letting everyone know what to expect. There was an excitement in the early morning Durant air.

[And that was only the beginning...]

The penultimate episode of the season started with a bang and barely came up for air as writer Sarah Nicole Jones scrawled another corker of a show that had me satisfied almost to the end.

Editor's Note: We feel free to put episode spoilers in after the jump, but at this point in the season, it's become almost all spoilers, so there's nothing left!

[Read on if you dare...]

In the new trailer for the upcoming film Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Lou Bloom, an aspiring journalist who speeds around the the streets of Los Angeles in the middle of the night looking to get to the scene of the crime before anyone else. Gyllenhaal conveys an intensity in this voice-overed trailer, but it's not the same type of intensity he's used in some of his recent films like Prisoners and End of Watch. I found myself suspicious of Gyllenhaal's character, comparing him to Scott Templeton in Season 5 of The Wire. And my suspicions were furthered by the last shot of the trailer, a long take on Gyllenhaal's face as he puts on a creepy smile. Nightcrawler hits theaters October 17.

Episode 3, “Gone Smooth”, opens with a truly Extreme Makeover. While sweeping classical music plays in the background, a man who most certainly isn’t a man sets to work affixing a fake nose over the gaping hole in his face. Glues a foam neckpiece over some disturbing folds. Attaches rubber ears and inserts normal dentures over serrated teeth. And adds a layer of healthy flesh tones over his corpse-gray skin. The transformation complete, he adjusts his tailored suit and brushes his shoulders clean with a satisfied smirk.

Of course the man is none other than Herr Eichhorst. Fitting, that a Nazi pretending to be otherwise to the outside world is also a monster pretending to be a man.

At the CDC headquarters, not even the higher ups are sure what happened to the missing bodies. Knowing how inept government agencies can be, they assume that the military has gotten involved and is perhaps mixed up in the cover-up. Not a bad guess, really, except it allows everyone to turn a blind eye to the truth. Thinking the situation out of their hands, Eph’s boss at the center assures him to forget what’s happened. It’s none of their concern any more.

[Well that doesn't seem like the best way to act...]

The “Big Four” has a particular meaning in this episode of Poirot, but to those of us who love him as played by David Suchet, the “Big Four” can only refer to Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser), Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson), the inestimable Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran), and the brilliant Belgian himself. (No offense to George the butler, but how often does he actually leave the flat?)

To my delight, and perhaps to yours, Captain Hastings, Miss Lemon, and Japp—as well as George (David Yelland)—all appear in the opening minutes of this episode.

To my horror, and perhaps to yours, they all were preparing to attend Poirot’s funeral.

“Pourriez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît,” you say.

I repeat: Oui, mes amis, Poirot’s funeral.

A few seconds later we are transported to a date four weeks earlier to learn how an affair so tragique could have occurred.

[It is news so devastating as to be unthinkable...]

The island perches among canals south of Mexico City, and didn't start out moth-eaten, mold-covered, and terrifying... probably.

The story goes that the island’s only inhabitant, Don Julian Santana, found the body of a drowned child in the canal some 50 years ago. He was haunted by her death, so when he saw a doll floating by in the canal soon after, he hung it in a tree to please the girl. He hoped to both appease her tortured soul and protect the island from further evil.

But now, he's passed on—by drowing in the same canal *shudder*—and the hundreds and hundres of well-intentioned tributes hung, tied, and nailed in the trees have become, um, scary enough to attract tourists. Read more about it and see many more photos at WebUrbanist.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of film noir’s landmark year, we’re looking at the six key films of 1944: Double Indemnity, Laura, Murder My Sweet, Phantom Lady, When Strangers Marry, and The Woman In the Window. The first film we looked at Billy Wilder’s adaptation of James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity. Today we look at Otto Preminger’s film of Vera Caspary’s Laura.

[Let's go take a look...]

No, this is not a still for BBC's Sherlock. This is an image from the upcoming Oscar's hopeful The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, and Charles Dance.

Set during WWII, Cumberbatch plays Alan Turing, the man famously known for breaking the enigma code and allowing the Allied Forces to thwart Germany. Knightley plays fell0w code-breaker and possible love interest Joan Clarke. And Charles Dance, fresh off his remarkable run as Game of Throne's Tywin Lannister plays Commander Denniston, an apparent antagonist with no patience for the slow art of codebreaking.

The Imitation Game will hit theaters November 21, 2014, right in time for Oscar season. Could this be the next The King's Speech, or will it go the way of J. Edgar?

Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran is the first book in the Read ’Em and Eat cozy mystery series (available August 5, 2014).

I picked up Well Read, Then Dead having read several of Terrie Farley Moran’s short crime stories and curious about how she would handle the longer format. Immediately, I was drawn into the world of Sassy Cabot and Bridget Mayfield and their bookstore and bakery, Read ’Em and Eat in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. I went to Florida [mumble] years ago, but I’ve never been to Fort Myers Beach, but this book definitely made me want to visit!

It’s not just the scenery one wants to visit reading Ms. Moran’s book. Her characters are amusing and lively, described clearly without overly many tedious details. Take Judge Harcroft, who spends his mornings at the Read ’Em and Eat and being, well, somewhat annoying, especially to the Books Before Breakfast Club.

[Can't we just read in peace?!]

Atmosphere is such an important aspect of movies. I’ve never attempted to make a film, so I can’t intelligently discuss the techniques involved in pulling off this vital part of the endeavor, but I know quality cinematic atmosphere when it crosses my path. If someone asked me to explain what I mean by this facet of movies, I might either try to describe it verbally, or I might just sit them down and have them watch the 1971 erotic/gothic vampire film Daughters of Darkness.

The spellbinding atmosphere in the movie is there from the opening scene and is strong enough to keep a hold over a bewitched viewer throughout the duration of the story. It’s there in the mesmerizing speaking voice of Delphine Seyrig, who plays an ageless and exotic Hungarian countess who also happens to be a lesbian vampire who feeds off the blood of young girls. The mood is present in the striking physical beauty of Valerie (played by Danielle Ouimet), a young Swiss woman who is unlucky enough to, while on her honeymoon, wind up staying at the same hotel where the Countess decides to stop. It’s in the stormy soul of Stefan (John Karlen), Valerie’s new husband, a blue-blooded Englishman who’s a nice enough guy most of the time but who is prone to sudden and inexplicable violent outbursts and who is drawn to the Countess in a love/hate sort of way. And the atmosphere exists in the personality and look of Ilona, the Countess’s personal secretary and co-drinker of young female blood: Ilona is a moody/sexy Goth girl who is constantly both on the brink of suicidal despair yet ready to seduce somebody.

[Watch out!]

“Weird Al” Yankovic is known for his puns and parody. For his latest album release, Weird Al released a music video a day including the above song—“Word Crimes.” It's based on the controversial song, “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke and might help you get a better grade in grammar class...or remind you that you have to commit murder for those who commit word crimes in your presence. Listen with caution, and prepare to call the grammar police!