In mentioning that film noir can be considered either a style or a genre, Nate subtly made the point that it's hard to define exactly what film noir is, which naturally leads to the question of whether to have the term at all. Yet somehow film scholars agree that High Sierra, The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, This Gun for Hire, and Stranger on the Third Floor all should be categorized as "film noirs", not so much because of one great common element in allf them but instead because of many quasi-definitive characteristics including the femme-fatale, a plot revolving around crime or criminal activity, and a flawed protagonist. These dark stories are made all the darker, however, with the all-important film noir cinematography and lighting, influenced by German expressionism and the director émigrés from UFA. The approach to photography that became a characteristic aspect of film noirs is so iconic that it remains one of the most commonly spoofed and imitated cinematography to this day. While the effect can be purposely exaggerated and comical (as it is in countless satirizing short films and cartoons), film noir today continues in the ever-popular neo-noir, a modern variation of the cinematic approach, which includes such films as Blade Runner, Sin City, Batman, Memento, and Blue Velvet.