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 “Agatha and the Truth of Murder” (2018) and enjoyed very much the mix of the real Agatha with a fictional murder case. Fidelity to life: 2½ hatchets A surprising amount of reality mixed into a Christie-esque murder mystery. Quality of movie on its own: 4 hatchets Much better than it had any right […]
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 […]
Teresa reviews “ABC Murders” (2018) and apart from the appearance of “Harry Potter” actors, finds it grim, dreary, and disgusting. Fidelity to text: 2 ½ coshes The murder plot remains. Everyone, including Poirot, desperately needs therapy for depression and assorted personality disorders. Quality of movie on its own: 3 1/2 coshes But only if you’ve […]
Teresa reviews “The Witness for the Prosecution” (2016) and thought it was a good moody and atmospheric remake of the short story. Fidelity to text: 4 candlesticks The plot’s expanded but remains tightly focused on five people (and a cat). Quality of movie on its own: 4 candlesticks Great acting, sets, staging, cinematography, score, but […]
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 […]