New Miss Marple - WTF???

Okay, file this under WTF:

"Agatha Christie's elderly sleuth Miss Marple is moving into the Mouse House
and will go under the knife to hit the bigscreen
as a younger detective in the form of Jennifer Garner.

Thesp, who is currently lensing "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" for Disney, will play Jane Marple in the adaptation that Disney hopes will be a female version of
Warner Bros.' Sherlock Holmes franchise." (via Variety)



Why bother making this Miss Marple, then? Just to cash in on the name recognition??

Gah!!!

Movie Monday - Two Movies and a Quiz

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Okay, haven't had time to see many movies in the last two weeks. Other matters took precedence. To compensate, I will do something different after the two reviews I do have!

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Miss Marple, Series IV: They Do It With Mirrors (2009)

[Julia McKenzie, Emma Griffiths Malin, Penelope Wilton, Sarah Smart, Joan Collins]

Another episode of the BBC Marple series, this time Miss Marple is asked by an old friend to go check in on her sister. A suspicious fire has triggered worry that someone has it in for the woman. Marple finds an eclectic family who soon become suspects in a death.

A good mystery, this version of the Christie character has grown on me over the past couple of weeks. Nice twists and interesting characters help to bring the story to life.

Definitely recommended.

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Monster A-Go-Go (1965)

[Phil Morton, June Travis, George Perry]

Wow. What a mish-mash mess of a movie.

The plot, that there is, involves an astronaut supposedly replaced, I think, by a space monster. But then, maybe not?

Just frustrating to watch, as things don't make sense. Reading up, I see the movie wasn't finished right away, and when it was completed, it was without the previous cast. Scenes were just filmed and added into the flick.

Not good, and not recommended. Wish I had watched the "MST3K" version, instead!

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To make up for the lack of reviews, here is a Halloween movie series quiz from the AMC site:



click the pic to take the quiz!

I got 100% correct!

Love to hear what you score!

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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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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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