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 […]
A new episode dropped in our “Agatha Christie, She Watched” podcast: The ABC Murders! This week, we’re talking about traveling salesmen, boarding houses with benefits, murder parties and dangerous backgammon. Teresa and Bill Peschel from Peschel Press discuss the 2018 movie “The ABC Murders,” starring John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot. This is a Poirot you’ve […]
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 […]
A new episode dropped in our “Agatha Christie, She Watched” podcast: The Witness for the Prosecution! This week, we’re talking about industrial fog, police brutality, old women and young lovers, and a bloodstained pussycat. Teresa and Bill Peschel from Peschel Press discuss the 2016 movie “The Witness for the Prosecution,” starring Toby Jones and Kim […]
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 […]