Teresa reviews “Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case” (2013) and thought it was a fitting send-off for the little Belgian detective. Fidelity to text: 4½ poison bottles Very close, including dialog. Quality of movie on its own: 4½ poison bottles Outstanding, except for a scene in the book dropped from the movie. Adding that back would have […]
Teresa reviews “The Labours of Hercules” (2013) and thought it an excellent adaptation short of a 12-episode series. Fidelity to text: 2 knives There are plenty of references and chunks of plot but turning 12 stories into an 89-minute movie was not possible. Quality of movie on its own: 4 knives It held together well; […]
Teresa Reviews “The Big Four” (2013) and found that scriptwriter Mark Gatiss cobbled together a crackling winner of an episode. Fidelity to text: 2 bishops Mark Gatiss completely rearranged and recast the novel into something where, at best, names and situations match. Quality of movie on its own: 4 1/2 bishops Mark Gatiss made it […]
Teresa reviews “Elephants Can Remember” (2013) and discovered the screenwriter knew how to salvage a good adaptation from a sad novel. Fidelity to text: 3 revolvers Add a loony headshrinker, his murder, and the daughter of one of his victims but it slotted in nicely. Quality of movie on its own: 4 revolvers The two […]
Teresa reviews “The Clocks” (2011) and finds it ticking along like a fine Swiss watch. Fidelity to text: 3½ knives Plenty of condensing, some added characters to replace removed ones, plus German spies! Quality of movie on its own: 4 knives Much improved motivation and guilt thick enough to spread with a knife. Read more […]
Teresa reviews “The Mirror Crack’d” (1980) and suggests watching it more for the stars than the story. Read more of Teresa’s Agatha Christie movie reviews at Peschel Press. Also, follow Teresa’s discussion of these movies on her podcast. Fidelity to text: 2 & 1/2 poison bottles The producers played fast and loose with Agatha. Quality […]
Teresa reviews “Third Girl” (2008) Fidelity to text: 3 knives Changes galore but the plot remains and, dare I say it? The film’s an improvement over the novel. Quality of film on its own: 3½ knives Gorgeous to watch but the last fifteen minutes drag. Read more of Teresa’s Agatha Christie movie reviews at Peschel […]
Teresa reviews “Halloween Party” (2010) and thought Mark Gatiss did an excellent job backing up the 78-year-old Christie. Read more of Teresa’s Agatha Christie movie reviews at Peschel Press. Also, follow Teresa’s discussion of these movies on her podcast. Fidelity to text: 4 drownings The plot’s simplified, but also improved. No loose ends here! Quality […]
Teresa reviews “Cat Among the Pigeons” (2008) and reflects on how faraway events can touch the most safest and protected spaces. Fidelity to text: 4 javelins Mark Gatiss took a very complex plot and distilled it to its essence. Quality of movie on its own: 4 javelins Interesting film choices, sumptuous score, and a reasonably […]
Teresa reviews “Mrs. McGinty’s Dead” (2006) and thinks it’s a worthwhile look at an isolated Poirot in a sad English village. Fidelity to text: 4 sugar hammers The usual compression to force a novel into a movie. The bigger change was amping up the character’s miserable personal lives. Quality of movie on its own: 4 […]