Teresa reviews “Sparkling Cyanide” (1983) and finds it barely palatable. Fidelity to text: 2 1/2 poison bottles Colonel Race disappears, the setting changes to contemporary Los Angeles, and events get radically compressed. Quality of movie on its own: 2 1/2 poison bottles It has its moments, but overall, it’s as flat as old champagne. Read […]
Teresa reviews “The Chocolate Box” (1993) and says it’s as good as the finest Belgian chocolates. Fidelity to text: 3 1/2 poison bottles A lot was added, making this confection even sweeter. One possibility was missed, adding an off-taste. Quality of movie on its own: 5 poison bottles I loved it. Frothy, delicious, with undertones […]
Teresa reviews “The Witness for the Prosecution” (1982) and her verdict is “not proven.” Fidelity to text: 4 blunt objects This remake is sometimes closer to the stage play than Billy Wilder’s 1957 opus. Other times, it adds extraneous, unneeded material, while cutting more important stuff. Quality of movie on its own: 3 blunt objects […]
Teresa reviews “The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman” (1993) and found it more fun than an Italian wedding. Fidelity to text: 3 1/2 blunt objects A lot was added, amplifying elements hinted in the story or made from whole cloth and all improved the episode. Quality of movie on its own: 4 1/2 blunt objects […]
Teresa reviews “Murder Is Easy” (1982) and finds it a flat adaptation but a joy to watch great stars at work. Fidelity to text: 4 murder weapons There’s some story compression, including vanishing the entire witchcraft subplot, character rewrites, and modernizing to the present, but otherwise, you’ll recognize the story. Quality of movie on its […]
Teresa Reviews “The Case of the Missing Will” (1993) and discovers adaptation doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder. Fidelity to text: 1 poison bottle The names match, educated women are regarded as unnatural, and there’s a missing will. Everything else disappeared down the river. Quality of movie on its own: 2 poison bottles The […]
Teresa reviews “The Red Signal” (1982) and wonders if the medium could have foretold the disappointing ending. Fidelity to text: 4 guns It’s virtually word for word remake of the short story, other than a few expanded scenes and that “improved” ending, which was terrible. Quality of movie on its own: 2 guns Like the […]
Teresa reviews “Mystery of the Blue Jar” (1982) from “The Agatha Christie Hour” and finds it amusing but forgettable Fidelity to text: 2 1/2 thieves Uncle George became far more prominent, the village suddenly gains residents, but most of all, the ending … shifted. Quality of movie on its own: 3 1/2 thieves Light and […]
Teresa reviews “The Yellow Iris” (1993) and says it’s so good you should watch it twice. Fidelity to text: 2 poison bottles While the core of the story remains, the screenwriter made up the other two-thirds of what you see onscreen. Quality of film on its own: 4 1/2 poison bottles This episode has everything: […]
Teresa reviews “Magnolia Blossom” (1982) from The Agatha Christie Hour and says this early story from Christie’s career too thin to be enjoyed. Fidelity to text: 2 thieves The plot remains. Other than the three leads, everyone else onscreen was added. Quality of film on its own: 1 1/2 thieves When the other characters were […]