Showing posts with label agatha christie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label agatha christie. Show all posts

Monday, July 27, 2009

Movie Monday - Yea, Nay, and What the Hey???

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Miss Marple, Series IV: Murder is Easy (2008)

[Julia McKenzie, Shirley Henderson, Sylvia Syms, Benedict Cumberbatch]

Another episode of the BBC Marple series, this was better than the previous one, possibly because Miss Marple is much more involved in solving things here.

On a train, Marple meets a woman headed to Scotland Yard, intent on proving a friend was murdered. But she is soon murdered, as well, and Miss Marple takes it upon herself to investigate the woman's claims. She finds quite a hotbed of secrets and death before her trip is done.

An interesting story holds your interest, and the acting is just wonderful. Great fun!

Highly recommended.

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Sabretooth (2002)

[David Keith, Vanessa Angel, John Rhys-Davies, Josh Holloway]

Yeah. Okay, so I watched this one even though I was warned by a friend not to. I think that made me want to watch it even more. Masochistic? Never said I wasn't, when it comes to horror films.

Sadly, this was another bad one that is just bad.

Plot: A scientist and the man who is financially backing her lose the cloned, rapidly aged sabretooth tiger they have bred. Tiger goes on a rampage through the forest, where some unlucky campers become meals.

Acting is blah, characters are worse, excitement is nil. Avoid it, even though I didn't.

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Lady in the Water (2006)

[Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bob Balaban, Freddy Rodriguez]

Well, this was an odd film. I don't really know how to explain it or what to think of it.

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, this is a story about an apartment superintendent (Giamatti) who finds a strange girl in the pool. Why she is here and how to get her back safely make up the plot of the movie.

The film isn't bad, but it also is a bit too "clever" for me. Like I said, I am not really sure what to make of it.

If you like fantasy or Shyamalan's work, this might appeal to you. Not sure otherwise.

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Monday, July 20, 2009

Movie Monday - Four Films, Two Yutes & a Short

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Hancock (2008)

[Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, Jae Head]

Well, this movie wasn't what I expected it to be. It turned out to be pretty cool.

Hancock is a man with superhuman abilities. But he does almost as much damage as good in his attempts to help humanity. Crossing paths with Ray, a public relations expert, is a changing point in his life. And in Ray's life, as well.

This film starts out one way and, about halfway through, becomes something even better. Won't say anymore, as I really hate to be the one to spoil things for others. But, my family and I liked it, a lot.

Recommended, for movie fans of all kinds. This is more than just a super-hero flick.

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Miss Marple, Series IV: A Pocket Full of Rye (2008)

[Julia McKenzie, Rose Heiney, Laura Haddock, Matthew Macfadyen]

Haven't watched any of these Miss Marple episodes (really films) before, this was a first. And I liked it.

Miss Marple learns that an ex-maid has been killed at her new employer's home, so she sets off to investigate. Soon enough, she is sorting through the family drama to find the murderer.

Good enough, but I wasn't as pulled in as I have been with the Poirot stories. Still, better than most stuff out there.

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Mammoth (2006)

[Vincent Ventresca, Summer Glau, Tom Skerritt, Cole Williams]

Well, this wasn't your run-of-the-mill SciFi Channel film. It does have the giant creature wreaking terror and death. But it also has a dose of aliens and a humorous streak.

Aliens revive a woolly mammoth, and it proceeds to suck the life out of people. I think. But a scientist and a federal agent are on the case, with the scientist's father and daughter, among others, in tow.

Not great, not even really good, it at least attempts to be something more than the usual straight-to-TV or -DVD film. That's got to count for something, right?

Recommended if you like cheesy scifi/monster flicks. Or if you are masochistic.

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My Cousin Vinny (1992)

[Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei, Fred Gwynne, Lane Smith]

My son picked this when it was his turn in our Netflix queue, so it's good to know his taste is great already! We may have watched this several times before, but it's just a wonderful movie.

Pesci and Tomei are just great together here. And yeah, she did deserve her Oscar for playing Lisa. Fred Gwynne is so terrific, as well. Love it.

Always recommended.

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Treevenge (2008)

[Mike Cleven, Glen Matthews, Kristin Slaney]

Well, this was different. This short (15 minute) film was all over the horror blogs this week. I heard about it from Freddy in Space.

It is a holiday-themed horror flick about Christmas trees fighting back. And it DOES NOT hold back on the gore. Interesting, and well made for a little film. It won an award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

NOT recommended for everyone. If you are a fan of hardcore horror, then you will dig it, but otherwise don't view it.

You have been warned.

Click to view TREEVENGE, at TwitchFilm.net.

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Monday, July 13, 2009

Movie Monday - With a Bonus Film to Watch Now!

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Carver (2008)

[Natasha Malinsky, Erik Fones, Matt Carmody, Neil Kubath]

Well, I did it again. I saw the write-up for this movie on the cable guide and set the DVR immediately. Mistake.

This film, about some young friends who wander too close to some homicidal maniac, is just not good. The acting is so-so, the story is just a retread we have seen done better before, and the directing and editing is even worse. Some of the scenes are just disgusting, and not in a good horror way, just in a repulsive way. Ugh.

Avoid it. You won't be missing anything. In fact, you'll be better off.

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Ghost Town (2008)

[Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Tea Leoni]

A fun comedy with a heart, this movie was just great.

Gervais plays a dentist who is a jerk, keeping everyone in his life at arm's length. A routine medical procedure ends up giving him the ability to see and hear the dead, and they want his help to finish things with the living.

Soon, he finds himself caught up with one certain ghost, a man who was cheating on his wife and is determined to stop her from marrying the wrong man.

Gervais makes this film great, bringing depth to his character and making him more than just the lonely loser, instead showing us a real man who has just lost his way with life. Great actor.

Highly recommended!

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Agatha Christie: Poirot "Mrs. McGinty's Dead" (2008)

[David Suchet, Zoe Wanamaker, Paul Rhys]

Another great outing with Suchet as Poirot, this episode find him agreeing to look into the murder of a char-woman, even though a man has already been found guilty of the crime and sentenced to hang for it.

When Poirot goes to the small town where the murder occurred, he finds plenty of suspects. But clues from the past both muddy and clear the waters for his keen mind.

Just wonderful, as usual. The mystery novelist Ariadne Oliver is featured here, and it is great fun to listen to her complain about her annoying, yet popular, character Sven Hjerson. Christie used Oliver as a way to deal with her own frustrations with the difficult charter of Poirot.

Definitely recommended!

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Tower of Evil (aka Beyond the Fog) (1972)

[Bryant Haliday, Jill Haworth, Mark Edwards, Anna Palk]

The summary for this film on the cable guide was something like "cadavers, an old lighthouse and archaeologists searching for a Phoenician treasure". So, I was expecting some kind of eerie murder-mystery.

What it was is a sort of pre-slasher horror film, with ample doses of blood (too shiny and fake, though), death, sex and nudity. And this was on Turner Classic Movies! Although, to be fair, it aired in their TCM Underground slot, which is post-midnight on Friday nights.

After some Americans are murdered while hanging out on the creepy Snape Island, British detectives uses hypnosis to try and get the full story from the sole survivor. Soon, the archaeologists are going to the island to figure things out, and look for the lost treasure. What they find is weirder and more deadly than they are prepared for.

Not a great film, it is chock full of some horror cliches and some pretty horrible dialogue. But if you watch it remembering the time it was made, it can be more palatable.

Recommended if you are a fan of older horror, otherwise not so much.

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Prey Alone (2004)

[Ger Carey, Andy Moore, Kurt Savage]

I had never heard of this short film before. According to what I have read, except for the actual actors and the sets they are in, the rest of the 15-minute film was made using computer graphics. Pretty cool.

The plot at first seems just run-of-the-mill action. But watch it to the end. Good, I think.

Recommended, and hey, it's only 15 minutes long!

Prey Alone

Click for a pop out version of the film. And here for the official site.

Thanks to Neatorama for the heads up on this one.

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Monday, July 6, 2009

Movie Monday - Four Takes On Justice

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Agatha Christie: Poirot "Cat Among the Pigeons" (2008)

[David Suchet, Harriet Walter, Susan Wooldridge]

A great version of one of Christie's Poirot stories, about an all-girls school in England that is suddenly awash in international mystery and murder. Who among the teachers and staff is a killer?

Poirot helps a friend, the headmistress of an elite girls' school, by staying on to help her decide who is best to run the place when she retires. Soon, a murder is committed and Poirot has to put his great mind and awesome observational skills to use to bring the killer to justice.

Suchet is so wonderful as Poirot, bringing the character to life perfectly for twenty years now!

Highly recommended!

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The Bride Wore Black [La mariée était en noir] (1968)

[Jeanne Moreau, Claude Rich, Charles Denner]

Directed by Francois Truffaut, this is a film which many consider to be Truffaut's homage to Alfred Hitchcock and his style of film making.

A mysterious woman is visiting men and murdering them. We soon learn her reason for the mission she is on, and the reason she has chosen these certain men.

A great movie about revenge and the lengths some people will go to when they feel they have nothing to lose.

Wonderful film with an engaging plot, you are eager to see how it will all end. This is a French film with English subtitles. If that is no problem for you, this is highly recommended!

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Lakeview Terrace (2008)

[Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington]

My wife chose this film, as she isn't a fan of horror but she does like a good thriller now and then.

Unfortunately, and my wife agrees, this wasn't really that thrilling. More like boring.

A young couple moves into a new house in a cul-de-sac and immediately end up on the wrong side of their next-door neighbor's friendship.

What could have been a tense, nail-biting thriller was just drawn out, boring and blah.

If you are looking for a good thriller, look elsewhere.

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Public Enemies (2009)

[Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Jason Clarke, Billy Crudup]

My daughter (a big Depp fan) was super-excited to see this movie (read her review here), so I saw it with her this past weekend, and my wife and younger son saw "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs".

The movie was good, with great acting from the leads and the supporting players. The period costumes, sets and scenes were great, too.

Depp is good playing John Dillinger, and Bale is great as Melvin Purvis. I also really liked Crudup as J. Edgar Hoover. Jason Clarke is really good as Dillinger's best bud, Red, and Cotillard is sweet as the innocent girl turned mobster's moll.

However, I feel the film was too long and that made it drag too much. Some stuff could have been cut for a shorter run time. Heck, even 2 hours would have been better than the 2 hours and 20 minutes it runs.

And there is one other issue I have with the film, in a scene towards the end. Won't say more about it, but if you have seen it, I would like to know your take on it.

Recommended, if you have time to spare.

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Monday, June 1, 2009

Movie Monday - Netflix Meme

Okay, so I have been really lax in my movie watching this week. But mainly this is due to my wife, our kids and I trying to catch up on season finales and all that stuff that builds up on the DVR. Add in Red Sox games, and life itself, and movies fell by the wayside.

So when Gilligan over at Retrospace did a "Ten Movies in Your Netflix Queue" meme, I was one happy blogger. (Thanks, Gilligan - I like memes, too!)

Here are the ten movies at the top of our Netflix Queue.

(Remember, this queue is used by me, my wife, our 13-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son.)

1. 10 Things I Hate About You (My daughter's choice, she is gaga over Heath Ledger.)

2. Essence of Echoes (I have had this in the queue for a long time, and keep moving it down in favor of something else. May just let it go through this time and get it over with.)

3. Lakeview Terrace (My wife chose this one, she likes thrillers. I am looking forward to it, too.)

4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (My son chose this last week, but at the last minute asked me to switch it with MLB Bloopers, which we just finished watching. Good choice!)

5. Rest Stop (Have been looking forward to this one. Maybe Essence of Echoes will lose it's spot once more. hahaha)

6. Babel (Heard it was good, but keep moving it down. Mainly I haven't been in the mood for a heavy movie lately.)

7. Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus (Oh boy - forgot about this one. Really want to see this, and my daughter does, too. Might be moving up the list ASAP!) [Don't judge me!]

8. And Then There Were None (My choice, I love old mysteries and Agatha Christie, but haven't ever seen this movie. Will be a good time when it gets to the top of the list.)

9. Doubt (Have heard good things about this one, so it moved up the list pretty quick.)

10. Live Feed (Don't remember when or why I added this movie. Doesn't have a good rating. Hmm...)

So, there you go, our top 10 out of the 263 movies in our queue. Yes, 263 movies. Some, way down on the list, just sit there, waiting for some one's fancy (or memory) to strike.

I wish Netflix would add more movies to their Instant queue, so that we could watch them when we want without waiting. My wife and I have done this a few times and found it quite handy.

So, those of you who do have Netflix (or Blockbuster) queues... What's your 10?