Teresa reviews “And Then There Were None” (2017) (a.k.a. Soshite daremo inakunatta), the Japanese TV version, and thought it even Christie would be pleased with the production. (Found in four parts at Dailymotion as of November 2022: Four-Part Playlist) Fidelity to text: 4½ guns, poison, hatchets, etc. A police procedural bookends the film and the […]
Teresa reviews “The Great Actress Murder Case” (2018) and thought it was a faithful rendition of “The Mirror Crack’d” but damn if Marina Gregg didn’t get away with it again! (Daijoyuu Satsujin Jiken; Japanese version of The Mirror Crack’d) Fidelity to text: 3 poisoned cocktails A Miss Marple mystery becomes a Japanese police procedural! Yet […]
Teresa reviews “The Murder of Kuroido” (2018) and found it an excellent adaptation of “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” with one reservation Fidelity to text: 4½ daggers Allowing for necessary setting changes (Japan in the early 1950s), it’s stunningly close. Quality of film on its own: 4½ daggers The one major change softened Dr. Shepherd […]
Teresa reviews “A Promise of Death” (2021) (aka (Shi to no Yakusoku; Appointment with Death) Fidelity to text: 4½ syringes It’s all here, including what other adaptations got wrong. Quality of film on its own: 5 syringes What a gorgeous film, deeply heartfelt, and the Japanese setting enhances the story. Read more of Teresa’s Agatha […]
Teresa reviews “Sleeping Murder” (2005), an episode from the anime “Agatha Christie’s Great Detectives” and found it a thin recreation of the great novel. Fidelity to text: 2½ stranglers The plot’s there, but seriously simplified to be kid-friendly. Maybelle and her pet duck make it friendlier. Quality of movie on its own: 2½ stranglers The […]
Teresa reviews “The Mystery of End House” (2004) and finds the animated version of Poirot to be disappointingly thin. Fidelity to text: 2 1/2 pistols The plot remains, but greatly shrunken, dumbed down, and with a cute, spunky heroine and her duck added. Quality of film on its own: 2 pistols Bottom of the barrel […]
Teresa reviews “Agatha and the Midnight Murders” (2020) and discovers a missed opportunity for a taut, gripping thriller. Fidelity to life: 2 hatchet jobs Agatha was in London during the Blitz, she endured unending problems with Internal Revenue, and she needed money. Quality of film on its own: 2 hatchet jobs This flick needs to […]
Teresa reviews “Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar” (2019) Fidelity to real life: 2 hatchets Max is real, the Woolleys are real, the timeline’s close, and England had compelling reasons to exploit Middle Eastern oil reserves. Quality of movie on its own: 2½ hatchets So many failed opportunities and unanswered questions, yet surprisingly funny. Read […]
Teresa reviews “Death on the Nile” (2022), Kenny Branaugh’s second Agatha Christie adaptation, and was distracted by the unreal all-CGI film. Fidelity to text: 3 handguns Unneeded Poirot backstory, character consolidation, badly run ship, and the cast never went near Egypt. Quality of film on its own: 3 handguns Gorgeous to watch, wonderful to hear, […]
Teresa reviews “Ordeal by Innocence” (2018) and decides that Sarah Phelps’ additions made it a good movie, but not Christie’s movie. Warning: More spoilers here than the nuclear bombs in the 1950s. Fidelity to text: 2 ½ decanters The plot remains but the characters are more complex. The murderer changes but it worked. Quality of […]