Teresa reviews “Death on the Nile” (1978) and found it a delightful, if murderous, way to enjoy the ancient monuments of Egypt. Fidelity to text: 4 guns. It’s very close, allowing a complex novel to be simplified into a coherent movie. All the important people remain, plus an added cobra, although how the murderer found […]
Saturday marked the first of what we hope will be many book-related events in Hershey. The Chocolatetown Book Festival took place on the lawn of Hershey Public Library. Thanks to Aly Tran, the library’s book coordinator, authors and book fans got together on a beautiful sunny fall day. We were there, of course, but we […]
Teresa reviews “How Does Your Garden Grow” (1991) and thought it blossomed thanks to the help of Miss Lemon. Fidelity to text: 4 poison bottles. Extras, surprises, and enhancements galore, all in the service of both Miss Lemon and the story. Quality of movie on its own: 5 poison bottles. A flower-laden episode from Miss […]
Fidelity to text: 2 weapons (for the novel); 2 1/2 weapons (for the stage play) Changes galore and all of them either bad, or badly handled. Quality of movie on its own: 2 weapons. This should have been good. Look at that international “A” cast and that gorgeous setting. But it dragged, it was blah, […]
Fidelity to text: 3 jewel thieves The movie star changes nationality and a suspicious diamond buyer shows up, as do Japp and Miss Lemon. There are other changes and enhancements, not all of which work. Quality of movie on its own: 2 1/2 jewel thieves They can’t all be gems. Murky, overly convoluted, and motivations […]
Fidelity to text: 4 1/2 weapons This version is truer to the novel than the stage play. However, our hero and heroine still escape, but with a backstory much closer to the novel. Quality of movie on its own: 4 weapons The quality of the film is terrible. Blurry, out of focus, poor sound so […]
Fidelity to text: 3 ransom notes. Plenty of changes, including updating motivation to match the changed date. All the changes worked, enhancing a slight story. Quality of movie on its own: 4 1/2 ransom notes. I really wanted this to be longer; it needed more detail about motivation. If you’re not up on British history, […]
Fidelity to text: 4 1/2 knives. It’s just about perfect except for Poirot. This version lets him get persuaded a little too easily. He’s normally dedicated to justice, and the film didn’t show his crisis of conscience well. Quality of movie on its own: 4 1/2 knives. So many stars! So much talent! They each […]
Fidelity to text: 4 spies The main addition is Miss Lemon, undercover agent. Every other story element is from the text; rearranged, expanded upon, or a sly reference, but it’s there. Quality of movie on its own: 4 1/2 spies Loved it. Just loved it. My only quibble is that slower, dumber viewers like me […]
Fidelity to text: 4 poison bottles Claudia and her murder disappear, names and occupations shift, annoying relatives show up more often. What was a veiled reference to sex gets fleshed out as does the last murder. Otherwise, it’s spot-on. Quality of movie on its own: 4 poison bottles Haunting, elegiac, wistful, creepy, underrated; watch it […]