iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 13h

Agree. And about five other things. 😂

Reposted by Frank Vatel

Will McKinley @willmckinley.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

I'm hosting the watch party for Jacques Tourneur's NIGHTFALL (1956) w/ Aldo Ray and Anne Bancroft —Wed Oct 21 8pm ET/5pm PT w/ #TheNoirCollective Naturalistic performances, extensive location photography, and taut pacing give this latter-era daylight noir an exhilarating, contemporary vibe #FilmSky

Anne Bancroft and Aldo Ray in the snowy climax of NIGHTFALL.

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 18h

Lawrence Block’s earliest noirs, likable as they are, feel rushed and implausible at times. Happily, his work matured at a rapid pace. THE GIRL WITH THE LONG GREEN HEART (1965) is a pleasure to read—confident, unhurried, and supremely knowledgable about the art of the grift.

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Reposted by Frank Vatel

Rob D. Smith @robdsmith.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

New fiction from me. Who needs likeable characters when you have Tasha? coldcallermag.substack.com/p/when-push-...

coldcallermag.substack.com

When Push Comes to Shove

Fiction by Rob D. Smith

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Thank you, Lady K!!! And thank you @anne-hockens.bsky.social for hanging out with us!

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

If I'm a woman in 1940s, I'm starting to think twice about accepting a beverage from Claude Rains. #TheUnsuspected #TheNoirCollective

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

I just read that novel! Very atmospheric with some brilliant social observation. I can see him in that role. I'll have to watch the film now.

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Morally gray Claude Rains is the greatest thing ever. But outright-bastard Claude Rains is pretty great, too. #TheUnsuspected #TheNoirCollective

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

For me, that was the surprise discovery of Noir City: Chicago this year. I'd never heard of the film and it was outstanding. A great take on Othello. #TheNoirCollective #TheUnsuspected

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Never trust a radio host. Or a beautiful psychiatrist. #TheUnsuspected #TheNoirCollective

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Very much still there. And still goth in the right weather.

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

"Sounded too much like the truth to be true." Great noir line. #TheUnsuspected #TheNoirCollective

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

My wife came up with the idea of using AI to read gothic novels in the voice of George Sanders. Claude Rains would work, too.

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Delighted to have contributed one of the sinister tales in this year’s GRITMAS noir anthology from Anxiety Press. Some drunken, disorderly elves told me we’re looking at an early November release date. Stay tuned... Edited by @jdclappwrites.bsky.social

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Claude Rains, Audrey Totter, and @anne-hockens.bsky.social! A good night to tune in. #NoirCollective

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

You’re naive to think stuntmen are a tragic, exploited people when in fact they are artists who take pride in their dangerous jobs. And the CGI effects that have put them out of work—much to their chagrin—look like garbage.

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

It's amazing to remember a time, during our childhoods, when actual cars driven by actual stuntmen flew through the air and crashed in explosions of actual fire, all caught on actual film stock.

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

I'm so ADHD that I wind up with a de facto outline because I jump around and sketch in all the most fun and interesting beats first. Before long, the whole thing is essentially plotted out without an actual draft being produced. For me, "pantsing" requires tremendous executive functioning skills.

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

🤣 Hmm. These people look... market tested.

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Reposted by Frank Vatel

Michael Downing @kmwriter01.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

This week's Side B features @keithroysdon.bsky.social . Bad Intention story "Sunset Stakeout" ..a cool story about Hollywood dreams, dangerous deals & the fine art of settling for less. This one hit a 70s detective show sweet spot for me. Side B michaeldowning3.substack.com/p/side-b-286...

michaeldowning3.substack.com

Side B

Hollywood dreams, dangerous deals, and the fine art of settling for less.

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Reposted by Frank Vatel

C.W. Blackwell @cwblackwell.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Happy to share that the first page of my next novel was selected to appear in CRIMEBITS, edited by the great @mickherron.bsky.social! More details here 👇👇👇 www.simonandschuster.com/books/CrimeB...

simonandschuster.com

CrimeBits 3

A puzzle book for crime fans, introduced by Mick HerronCrimeBits is back with a new collection of 100 first pages of thrillers, selected by best-se...

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

By the 1980s, heist novels with a tragic bent had mostly given way to funny, stylish capers in the Leonard/Westlake mold. Stephen Dobyns’ A BOAT OFF THE COAST is an underrated exception that uses both the rugged coastline and waning economy of its Maine setting to great effect.

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

The hapless barista at my neighborhood coffee shop takes each order like Cosmo Kramer trying to defuse a bomb, but I relate to her struggles and enjoy interacting with her. A little harmless chaos is a nice counterpoint to all the terrible stuff.

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The fate of the proletarian male…

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Reminds me of a classic Steve Martin humor piece published in The New Yorker. In it, the man who invented cellophane CD wrappers dies and goes to hell.

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Reposted by Frank Vatel

Tommy Krasker @tommykrasker.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

THIS WED at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, @ctmillion.bsky.social & I are hosting #TheNoirCollective watch party of 1945’s Best Picture THE LOST WEEKEND. And at 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT, join us for a pre-show, as we unveil the secret history of noir no one talks about. 🤫 Link to watch: archive.org/details/the-...

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Got an acceptance today. Always liked the story, but the ending is incongruously bleak for a Christmas piece, so I wasn’t sure if there was a print market for it. I’ll let the publisher announce the details, but with a little torque the anthology should fit nicely in a stocking...

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

A perfect pretext for impeachment does not exis—

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The Noir Collective @thenoircollective.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

NEXT WED at #TheNoirCollective: one of the first American films hailed as “noir” – and the most honored. 4 Oscars, incl. Best Picture. @tommykrasker.bsky.social & @ctmillion.bsky.social host THE LOST WEEKEND (1945). What happens when you hunger for the American Dream – but can’t quench your thirst?

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Ever watch a movie that feels exactly like the work of a certain filmmaker but isn’t? Not a pale imitation, either, but a truly great film… I know Billy Wilder did not write or direct THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, but every cell in my body forgets that when I’m viewing it.

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Letting other people control your self-worth is a cornerstone of mental illness. It’s also a cornerstone of modern life, which tells you what we’re up against.

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Frank Vatel @frankvatel312.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Little-known fact: There’s a factory located halfway between Guangzhou and Vatican City that churns out the flavorless cardboard used in both fortune cookies and Holy Communion wafers.

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