- John Hansen
- November 14, 2021
‘Pocket Full of Rye’ (1953) a pocket full of tropes
“A Pocket Full of Rye” (1953) is a novel full of tropes, but I mean that in a good way. If the previous Agatha Christie
‘Pocket Full of Rye’ (1953) a pocket full of tropes
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- John Hansen
- November 12, 2021
Scares diminish, but ‘Grudge 3’ (2009) is rather sweet
“The Grudge” films continue to be oddly conservative in their storytelling with “The Grudge 3” (2009). At a point where the series desperately needs a
- John Hansen
- November 9, 2021
‘Yellowjackets’ soapier than I’d like, but has some sting
“Yellowjackets” (Sundays, Showtime, with the first episode free to everyone) has one of the best trailers of the Fall TV season. The idea of a
- John Hansen
- November 7, 2021
‘Funerals are Fatal’ (1953), especially in this family
Fans who delight in Agatha Christie’s internal tropes will love “Funerals are Fatal” (1953, a.k.a. “After the Funeral”). It’s a page-turner with a family full
- John Hansen
- November 5, 2021
‘Brahms: The Boy II’ (2020) all dolled up for silly scares
I almost laugh every time “Brahms: The Boy II” (2020) focuses in on the facial expression of the titular doll that’s supposedly terrorizing English-American couple
- John Hansen
- November 3, 2021
‘Curse of the Jade Scorpion’ (2001) a mildly jazzy jaunt
Music and visual style are backdrops to the great Woody Allen films, but I notice them more in the weaker ones. “The Curse of the
- John Hansen
- October 31, 2021
‘Last Séance’ (2019) gathers Christie’s spooky stuff
Agatha Christie was fascinated by the supernatural and paranormal – or at least the possibility thereof. But because her genre short stories are peppered across
- John Hansen
- October 27, 2021
Keaton back for cozy ‘Manhattan Murder Mystery’ (1993)
Woody Allen acts across from Diane Keaton and co-writes with Marshall Brickman for the first time since “Manhattan” (1979) in an apt followup: “Manhattan Murder
- John Hansen
- October 24, 2021
‘Hallowe’en Party’ (1969) can’t capture spirit of season
Agatha Christie is capable of writing spooky stuff, but it’s not till Poirot’s third-to-last novel, “Hallowe’en Party” (1969), that we get a Halloween-set yarn. Similar
- John Hansen
- October 17, 2021
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ has bizarre, sharp edge
Lois Duncan (1934-2016) lamented that her 1973 YA suspense novel “I Know What You Did Last Summer” was adapted into a slasher movie in 1997.