Tag: Movie

Immortals (2011)

Greek mythology stirs the soul with gods bickering, heroes defeating monstrous beasts, and rich stories explaining the cosmos. Perhaps as much myth has been lost to us as that which has survived to the present day. With advances in CGI and other cinematic effects, more films have explored these fantasical stories. Yet many stray from the… Read More ›

The Women

“Jungle Red!” Who could forget the battle cry of Mary Haines (as played by Norma Shearer)? Or this pivotal plot point? I’d first heard of the film, The Women (1939), in relation to Gone with the Wind. The Women was a sort of consolation prize to those actress who did not win the coveted role… Read More ›

Murder on the Orient Express

Finally, I’ve been able to watch the David Suchet version of Murder on the Orient Express. Many have said Suchet is the perfect Poirot, and I wholeheartedly agree. Though not the first actor to portray the Belgian detective, he has seemingly channeled the character right out of the pages of Agatha Christie’s novels and short… Read More ›

North Avenue Irregulars

Normally I don’t give away the endings of books or movies, but this one’s smash ’em up car derby is just the best one ever! I loved this movie from the first time I saw it in the theaters back in 1979. From the opening cartoon intro to the zany misadventures of the six church… Read More ›

The Company of Wolves

Because I have a love of fairy tales–even if they’re twisted and dark–and as there’s the new Red Riding Hood movie (starring Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman) due out soon, I thought I’d revisit a curious movie that is like a waking dream, The Company of Wolves. In this 1984 version of the Little Red… Read More ›

Now, Voyager

This is the movie that sparked my interest in classic cinema. I’d never much cared for black and white movies as a child. I did watch several of the Abbott and Costello movies, King Kong (1933) and a few others. But the idea of watching black and white in an age of color was not an… Read More ›

Tangled

Not a Grimm fairy tale? Disney’s latest animated tale, Tangled, is the story of Rapunzel. Though it may not be the way you remember it. In the most well known versions of the tale–by the Grimm Brothers, Andrew Lang, et al.–“Once Upon a Time…” begins with a childless couple who live near a witch’s walled… Read More ›

Clue (1985)

One of my favorite movies of all time! The movie was released during the holiday season in 1985. Right at the cusp of my interest in murder mysteries. Though I’d always loved the board game, I never did get to see it at the cinema. By the time I saw it on TV, they… Read More ›

Death on the Nile

Imagine it! You see a gathering of mysterious people in costumed clothes. They are in an exotic looking lounge or study, and a portly, mustached man is talking, recounting a tale of murder. You witness these crimes. A sleeping woman shot at night. Another young woman, a maid, has her throat slit. Then a very… Read More ›

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