Angel City: Town Without Pity

Dolores Dare was once a starry-eyed ingénue, fresh off the bus from Muncie with a heart full of Hollywood dreams. Today, she’s an enforcer whose life is confined to Tinseltown’s shadows. When an old friend shows up in a dumpster, however, the tension between Dare’s past and present peaks–with violent results. Dare is embittered, exhausted, but ultimately hungry for justice. Though this midcentury noir treads familiar ground—slain starlets, mob bosses making their moves, intrepid journalists getting their hands dirty—Harvey (Batman) presents the story with style and verve. Levens (Madame Frankenstein) brings a wonderful visual weight to the cast: dresses drape luxuriously, suits strain at the shoulders, and the set lights throw the glamour and decay into sharp relief. This is Hollywood mystery at its most classic. (Aug.)