Mystery

‘Stendhal Syndrome’ (1996) is stupid but rather engaging

Asia Argento gives Schrodinger’s Performance in “The Stendhal Syndrome” (1996): She’s simultaneously excellent and totally miscast. She plays Anna and carries us through the film

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People aren’t what they seem in ‘The Little Sister’ (1949)

Raymond Chandler returns from a six-year break between Philip Marlowe novels with his best-so-far analysis of how people aren’t always what they seem to be.

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‘House on Sorority Row’ (1982) doesn’t do enough with strong female cast

I don’t quibble with endings as much as some viewers do; if the buildup is excellent, I’m lenient. But wow does “The House on Sorority

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‘Prom Queen’ invites more disposable ‘Fear Street’ fun

The “Fear Street” movies are the height of disposable slashers, but even so, it’s remarkable how disposable the characters are. These are the kind of

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‘Rebecca’ (1997) is more faithful to du Maurier’s gothic tragedy

“Masterpiece Theatre” is a rather presumptuous premise, if you think about it, as the show (1967-2008) presented brand-new adaptations that may or may not be

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‘Lost Stories’ (2005) gathers Hammett’s hidden gems; plus, it’s a biography

Editor Vince Emery provides an archeological service as well as a literary one with “Lost Stories” (2005). He started by tracking down every under-published story

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Argento comes stateside for hidden gem ‘Trauma’ (1993)

Dario Argento’s only full-length American production, “Trauma” (1993), is also his best movie that never gets talked about. It still has the Argento formula of

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‘Woman in the Dark’ (1933) gets murkier in 1934 film adaptation

Watching “Woman in the Dark” (1934), it’s apparent why – other than classics like “The Maltese Falcon” (1941) and the “Thin Man” series – Dashiell

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‘Deathtrap’ (1982) a tangle of not-funny-enough meta gags

The mystery genre so exploded in popularity in the 20th century that the meta-mystery subgenre (movies poking fun at the tropes of mysteries) likewise exploded

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‘Agatha Christie’s Poirot’ bows out with class in Season 13 (2013)

“Agatha Christie’s Poirot” Season 13 (2013) secures the show’s spot as an all-time top-250 entry with two great episodes and three, um … interesting …

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