James Corbin (Francis Lederer) has a deep, dark secret. Two, actually. The first is that the woman in his paintings is not his model, Helen North (Linda Stirling). The body might be, but the face is the face of a woman from his past. The second is that his name is not really Corbin. It's Corbet. The rather infamous Corbet who was tried for and acquitted of murdering his first model - the woman in his paintings. Then Helen turns up dead on the river and the questions begin again. Determined to discover his secrets, Helen's actress sister named Linda (Ann Rutherford) gets herself hired as Corbin's latest model. As time goes on, she finds herself stepping deeper and deeper into murky waters. What kind of man is this brooding, talented artist? Is he a murderer? Or is some unknown enemy trying to frame him?
This is a fairly impressive movie, considering when it was filmed. The production values are decent. It seems to be an odd sort of cross between the film noir genre and an Agatha Christie story. Definitely dark, dramatic, and a little bit of a psychological thriller in parts, it still manages to hold onto a bit of the good old-fashioned mystery story.
Taken as a forties B movie, the acting and especially the writing are pretty good. Lederer plays a marvelous Corbin (with the exception of a few rather strangely-directed scenes), and Rutherford pulls off sweet and spunky Linda better than a lot of actresses I've seen. The exposition is particularly well done. In general, conversations reveal only as much as the viewer needs to know. On top of that, I never felt like I was listening to a voice-over. (Well, except for the opening line. But that really is a voice-over.) The Madonna's Secret shows the story as it is without taking the time to make sure everybody knows exactly what's going on at all times. That's part of the charm of the film noir genre: One can never be too sure that one didn't miss something important.
The other film noir elements in this movie are pretty obvious. It's dark, with a conflicted main character (who may or may not be bad) and a girl who ultimately finds herself in over her head. There's also a sexy temptress and, of course, crime in the mix. But the crime part is also a bit like an Agatha Christie murder mystery as well. Clues are established as to who might be killing these girls, but these clues are subtle enough that they don't construct neon signs pointing to the murderer. (At least, I hope not. I totally missed them until the last scene of the movie. Of course, that could be because I didn't want to think that that person was the murderer. But I'd better shut up now; that's getting into spoiler territory.)
Judged by the standards of its peers (both in time and in genre), this movie is pretty decent. The production values are impressively high for such an old and evidently cheap movie, and the slight mixing of genres is interesting and well-done enough to earn The Madonna's Secret a spot on the list of old movies that are worth someone's time.
My Rating: T (frightening scenes, thematic elements)
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Except the Dying
(Written by Maureen Jennings. First book in the Murdoch Mysteries series.) Detective William Murdoch of the Toronto Constabulary has quite a case on his hands. A servant girl was found dead in the snow - sans clothing. To make matters more complicated, she was pregnant. Where was she going on such a bitter night without a carriage? Why did she just lie down and die? Doesn't anyone know anything about her last few hours? And, most importantly, did someone help her to her death?
On a "Good Book" scale of one to ten, this ranks at about a two. The only reasons it doesn't reach lower are: Its good Victorian flavor and its lack of sex scenes. Other than that, there is really no reason why someone would want to read this book. The characters are generally either boring or annoying, the story is very much a cliché, and there is enough innuendo to stuff a mattress.
First, the characters. Now, I've seen most of the episodes from the first season of the Canadian television adaptation of this series of books. During that time, I fell in love with every one of the regular characters: Awkward but hard-working Constable Crabtree, gruff and humorous Inspector Brackenreid, professional and ladylike pathologist Doctor Ogden, and especially Murdoch, with his strong Catholic faith, shy nature, and head in the clouds of science. Then I read this book. Murdoch is totally different; none of the words I used to describe him would really apply. He's Catholic, though not particularly faithful, more disapproving than shy, and doesn't seem to be quite as involved in science. Constable Crabtree, instead of an awkward little bachelor, is a youngish married man with three kids. The Inspector, who hates politics in the shows, is fond of kissing up to various people in high places in the book. Doctor Ogden isn't even a character yet, although I am told she comes into the series later. In short, the characters were very much improved upon in the television series.
Next, the very straightforward story. Well, a young servant girl gets pregnant, and, although the culprit is unknown, it's pretty obvious that the man involved is the killer. Might it be the stable boy? Don't be ridiculous. What about the housekeeper's husband? Wrong again. Nope, it has to be someone from one of the city's more affluent families. It's not the son, either; he naturally has to be gay (something I saw from a mile off). In fact, I guessed the culprit almost from the outset, and the red herrings throughout the rest of the story turned out to be only mildly distracting.
Finally, the innuendo got a bit much. Or much too much. The victim was an unmarried mother and two key characters in this murder are prostitutes... and although the innuendo is written in Victorian language, it's still fairly clear. Page after page after page of sexual references gets very tiring, especially when there's really no humor, likeable characters, or interesting story to have as a counter-balance.
Though Jennings did a good job of using language and expressions that fit the Victorian time period of this historical novel, she did a very poor job of constructing a clean book with an interesting story and characters. Murdoch and Co. are fairly cardboard, the story is embarrassingly simple, and the innuendo is just too much. If you ever see this book on the shelf at the library, don't even waste the energy it takes to read the back cover.
My Rating: MT (constant innuendo, veiled homosexual reference, mild sexual content)
On a "Good Book" scale of one to ten, this ranks at about a two. The only reasons it doesn't reach lower are: Its good Victorian flavor and its lack of sex scenes. Other than that, there is really no reason why someone would want to read this book. The characters are generally either boring or annoying, the story is very much a cliché, and there is enough innuendo to stuff a mattress.
First, the characters. Now, I've seen most of the episodes from the first season of the Canadian television adaptation of this series of books. During that time, I fell in love with every one of the regular characters: Awkward but hard-working Constable Crabtree, gruff and humorous Inspector Brackenreid, professional and ladylike pathologist Doctor Ogden, and especially Murdoch, with his strong Catholic faith, shy nature, and head in the clouds of science. Then I read this book. Murdoch is totally different; none of the words I used to describe him would really apply. He's Catholic, though not particularly faithful, more disapproving than shy, and doesn't seem to be quite as involved in science. Constable Crabtree, instead of an awkward little bachelor, is a youngish married man with three kids. The Inspector, who hates politics in the shows, is fond of kissing up to various people in high places in the book. Doctor Ogden isn't even a character yet, although I am told she comes into the series later. In short, the characters were very much improved upon in the television series.
Next, the very straightforward story. Well, a young servant girl gets pregnant, and, although the culprit is unknown, it's pretty obvious that the man involved is the killer. Might it be the stable boy? Don't be ridiculous. What about the housekeeper's husband? Wrong again. Nope, it has to be someone from one of the city's more affluent families. It's not the son, either; he naturally has to be gay (something I saw from a mile off). In fact, I guessed the culprit almost from the outset, and the red herrings throughout the rest of the story turned out to be only mildly distracting.
Finally, the innuendo got a bit much. Or much too much. The victim was an unmarried mother and two key characters in this murder are prostitutes... and although the innuendo is written in Victorian language, it's still fairly clear. Page after page after page of sexual references gets very tiring, especially when there's really no humor, likeable characters, or interesting story to have as a counter-balance.
Though Jennings did a good job of using language and expressions that fit the Victorian time period of this historical novel, she did a very poor job of constructing a clean book with an interesting story and characters. Murdoch and Co. are fairly cardboard, the story is embarrassingly simple, and the innuendo is just too much. If you ever see this book on the shelf at the library, don't even waste the energy it takes to read the back cover.
My Rating: MT (constant innuendo, veiled homosexual reference, mild sexual content)
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Concerning The Ebony Swan
(Written by Phyllis Whitney.) Alex is worried. Her granddaughter Susan is coming for a visit, and she's not entirely sure that's a good thing. After all, the girl's father wasn't exactly fond of his mother-in-law, particularly after Susan's mother died in a terrible accident. Grandmother and granddaughter might not get along. At the same time, Alex can't help but think that Susan might just be able to shed some light on the terrible tragedy of so many years ago. Too young at the time to understand, Susan had nevertheless been a witness to her mother's accident. But Alex isn't at all sure that she wants more light on her daughter's death; light has a tricky way of exposing things that some people prefer to leave in the dark.
It is typically easy to guess the murderers in Whitney's books. Luckily, that isn't the case in The Ebony Swan. I thought I had the murderer picked out just a few pages into the book, but I was wrong. After that, every hypothesis I invented was proved wrong. In fact, the revelation near the end was rather surprising. That's the most important thing in any mystery book, and one of only two things that kept this one afloat.
The other was the likeability of the heroine and hero. Susan is a very nice woman, and Peter seems a good man. I'm not real fond of the idea that he and his wife were separated, but at least she's dead. (Cold-blooded, I know, but there it is...)
Unfortunately, there are bad sides to The Ebony Swan as well. First, the lack of certain details was, frankly, annoying. For example, Alex thinks her husband's last words are puzzling. Whitney won't say what they were until near the end of the book - but the words were not important. If they had contained some revelation that perhaps the reader could have used to find the murderer, I would understand the omission. But they were very obvious. And there are few things more annoying in books than having suspense built up around a certain element only to be disappointed in its capacity to surprise.
Then there was the annoyance of the affair. In a curious sort of way, it's condoned and condemned at the same time. Alex, who was years younger than her husband, had a short affair with another man who tried to convince her to leave her husband. She stayed, and the lover ended up marrying somebody else. Showing that she does have some idea that adultery is wrong, Alex is very relieved that her husband knew nothing of her affair. But she is also only half regretful of what she did. She doesn't acknowledge that it was really wrong, and she even seems to regret not leaving her husband once or twice throughout the book. Most disconcerting.
Ultimately, The Ebony Swan is a fairly decent, fairly clean mystery novel with a likeable heroine. Some pointless sleight of pen and murky morals could have held up to a good scrubbing, but it's still fairly enjoyable.
My Rating: T (thematic elements)
It is typically easy to guess the murderers in Whitney's books. Luckily, that isn't the case in The Ebony Swan. I thought I had the murderer picked out just a few pages into the book, but I was wrong. After that, every hypothesis I invented was proved wrong. In fact, the revelation near the end was rather surprising. That's the most important thing in any mystery book, and one of only two things that kept this one afloat.
The other was the likeability of the heroine and hero. Susan is a very nice woman, and Peter seems a good man. I'm not real fond of the idea that he and his wife were separated, but at least she's dead. (Cold-blooded, I know, but there it is...)
Unfortunately, there are bad sides to The Ebony Swan as well. First, the lack of certain details was, frankly, annoying. For example, Alex thinks her husband's last words are puzzling. Whitney won't say what they were until near the end of the book - but the words were not important. If they had contained some revelation that perhaps the reader could have used to find the murderer, I would understand the omission. But they were very obvious. And there are few things more annoying in books than having suspense built up around a certain element only to be disappointed in its capacity to surprise.
Then there was the annoyance of the affair. In a curious sort of way, it's condoned and condemned at the same time. Alex, who was years younger than her husband, had a short affair with another man who tried to convince her to leave her husband. She stayed, and the lover ended up marrying somebody else. Showing that she does have some idea that adultery is wrong, Alex is very relieved that her husband knew nothing of her affair. But she is also only half regretful of what she did. She doesn't acknowledge that it was really wrong, and she even seems to regret not leaving her husband once or twice throughout the book. Most disconcerting.
Ultimately, The Ebony Swan is a fairly decent, fairly clean mystery novel with a likeable heroine. Some pointless sleight of pen and murky morals could have held up to a good scrubbing, but it's still fairly enjoyable.
My Rating: T (thematic elements)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
On The Homelander Series
(Books: The Last Thing I Remember, The Long Way Home, The Truth of the Matter, and The Final Hour. Written by Andrew Klavan.) Charlie West is an ordinary high school kid. He has an older sister he tolerates, parents he loves but takes a little for granted, and he's in love with a beautiful girl named Beth. Oh, he also has a black belt in karate and a strong desire to enter the Air Force. Yep, Charlie is somewhere between skinny little Steve Rogers and hulking strongman Captain America. A good kid who loves his country and tries to do the right thing. But if all that's true, how did he get strapped to a chair and tortured by terrorists? Why are the police after him? And why can't he remember the last year of his life?
Finally, a series written for young adults that's actually appropriate for young adults! Better yet, it's a modern action/spy thriller. Best of all, the author is a conservative who has his head on straight about the goings-on in the world today. If someone else wrote this series, the terrorists would be funded by some greedy jerk in the CIA, oil industry, or _____ (fill in the blank with some other government organization or large corporation). Klavan takes a different, more realistic approach, and doesn't blame capitalism for all the ills that plague our country.
Is this the most realistic series I've ever read? Aside from the proper portrayal of terrorism, etc., probably not. I'm not sure if all the things in the books are possible, but they require only a slight suspension of belief. Charlie seems to be extraordinarily resiliant, but I've never been on the run before. Maybe some special grace or strength kicks in when one's life is on the line. Or maybe this is just a fictional series that shouldn't be taken too seriously. Either way, the unrealistic elements don't really take away from the series.
Finally, I love Klavan's sense of humor and his writing style. If you want a taste, just watch this video: Barack the Magic Suit, A Political Fairy Tale. No, his books are not quite this blatantly conservative. Although you should pay close attention to the last name of the President of the United States at the end of The Final Hour. It sure made me laugh.
This review is long enough already, so I'll try to keep my other gushing down to a bare minimum. Charlie and all the "good guy" (or girl) characters are all awesome, particularly Mike. And Klavan did a very good job of letting the reader figure out what was going on just before Charlie found out. The line between telling too soon and blatantly misleading readers is a delicate tight rope. Klavan walked it perfectly.
In short, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good, clean, conservative read.
My Rating: OK (violence, mention of torture (none actually in the books), terrorism)
Finally, a series written for young adults that's actually appropriate for young adults! Better yet, it's a modern action/spy thriller. Best of all, the author is a conservative who has his head on straight about the goings-on in the world today. If someone else wrote this series, the terrorists would be funded by some greedy jerk in the CIA, oil industry, or _____ (fill in the blank with some other government organization or large corporation). Klavan takes a different, more realistic approach, and doesn't blame capitalism for all the ills that plague our country.
Is this the most realistic series I've ever read? Aside from the proper portrayal of terrorism, etc., probably not. I'm not sure if all the things in the books are possible, but they require only a slight suspension of belief. Charlie seems to be extraordinarily resiliant, but I've never been on the run before. Maybe some special grace or strength kicks in when one's life is on the line. Or maybe this is just a fictional series that shouldn't be taken too seriously. Either way, the unrealistic elements don't really take away from the series.
Finally, I love Klavan's sense of humor and his writing style. If you want a taste, just watch this video: Barack the Magic Suit, A Political Fairy Tale. No, his books are not quite this blatantly conservative. Although you should pay close attention to the last name of the President of the United States at the end of The Final Hour. It sure made me laugh.
This review is long enough already, so I'll try to keep my other gushing down to a bare minimum. Charlie and all the "good guy" (or girl) characters are all awesome, particularly Mike. And Klavan did a very good job of letting the reader figure out what was going on just before Charlie found out. The line between telling too soon and blatantly misleading readers is a delicate tight rope. Klavan walked it perfectly.
In short, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good, clean, conservative read.
My Rating: OK (violence, mention of torture (none actually in the books), terrorism)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Pertaining To Exam
Eight candidates. Eighty minutes. One question. The person who gives the right answer will receive a highly sought-after job. The others will go home disappointed. Unfortunately, the candidates are faced with a bit of a quandary from the get-go - they don't know what the question is.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie. It's 101 minutes long, and I had heard that very nearly all of it takes place in one room. That didn't sound like a winning formula. But the movie ended up as refreshing just because of its simplicity. Some movies rely on jumping around to different locations in an attempt to create a fast-paced tone. Most movies tend to skip over annoying elements like traveling, time spent eating or sleeping, and other boring, time-consuming things. Exam doesn't skip a minute from the time the candidates enter the room to the time the exam is over.
While going over eighty minutes spent in a single room might seem very boring, suspense and puzzlement grow gradually and then by leaps and bounds as the exam nears its end. Unexpected developments pop up occasionally, and the mystery of where the question is hidden kept me on the edge of my seat.
Another interesting thing is the time and effort the filmmakers obviously put into forming characters. Each of the candidates has his or her own motives and personality, with no real stereotypes. The closest to a stereotypical character is probably the psychologist, who is an exceedingly annoying woman. Surprisingly enough, the devout Christian character nicknamed Black (Chukwudi Iwuji) is pretty realistic. He has flaws, but there are lines that he is simply unwilling to cross. Such a positive portrayal of a Christian in a secular movie is very unusual.
That brings me to the symbolism near the end of the movie. *Spoiler Warning* After Black gets shot, he falls to the floor and remains there. But, contrary to what the final candidate believes, he is not dead. From what I understand, he was shot with a pill that will cure him of the disease that threatens to take his life. Black wakes up and, as he tries to understand what happened, a man speaks very nearly the last line in the movie (if not the last; I don't exactly remember): "He is risen." This is clearly a reference to Christ's resurrection. Interestingly enough, it is the Christian character who, so to speak, rises from the dead. I don't know whether the filmmakers intended viewers to draw the parallel between faithful Christians reaching heaven and Black's healing, but it seems like a logical connection to make.
My Rating: MT (almost constant language, sexual references)
I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie. It's 101 minutes long, and I had heard that very nearly all of it takes place in one room. That didn't sound like a winning formula. But the movie ended up as refreshing just because of its simplicity. Some movies rely on jumping around to different locations in an attempt to create a fast-paced tone. Most movies tend to skip over annoying elements like traveling, time spent eating or sleeping, and other boring, time-consuming things. Exam doesn't skip a minute from the time the candidates enter the room to the time the exam is over.
While going over eighty minutes spent in a single room might seem very boring, suspense and puzzlement grow gradually and then by leaps and bounds as the exam nears its end. Unexpected developments pop up occasionally, and the mystery of where the question is hidden kept me on the edge of my seat.
Another interesting thing is the time and effort the filmmakers obviously put into forming characters. Each of the candidates has his or her own motives and personality, with no real stereotypes. The closest to a stereotypical character is probably the psychologist, who is an exceedingly annoying woman. Surprisingly enough, the devout Christian character nicknamed Black (Chukwudi Iwuji) is pretty realistic. He has flaws, but there are lines that he is simply unwilling to cross. Such a positive portrayal of a Christian in a secular movie is very unusual.
That brings me to the symbolism near the end of the movie. *Spoiler Warning* After Black gets shot, he falls to the floor and remains there. But, contrary to what the final candidate believes, he is not dead. From what I understand, he was shot with a pill that will cure him of the disease that threatens to take his life. Black wakes up and, as he tries to understand what happened, a man speaks very nearly the last line in the movie (if not the last; I don't exactly remember): "He is risen." This is clearly a reference to Christ's resurrection. Interestingly enough, it is the Christian character who, so to speak, rises from the dead. I don't know whether the filmmakers intended viewers to draw the parallel between faithful Christians reaching heaven and Black's healing, but it seems like a logical connection to make.
My Rating: MT (almost constant language, sexual references)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Regarding Rachel's Contrition
(Written by Michelle Buckman.) Rachel is only twenty-five, but her life is a mess. She is separated from her husband. She sees her son just every other weekend. Her beautiful baby girl is dead. Drowning in a mist of prescription pain-killers and anti-depressants, her memory alternately fails her and hits her in the face with scenes from her past that she would rather forget. It seems that nothing will pull her out of her despair. Then she becomes friends with Lilly, a teenager who is struggling through her own problems. Lilly gives her a book about Saint Therese of Lisieux, and Rachel begins to see a tiny crack of light in the darkness.
It seems trite to sum up an entire book with one word, especially a book as complex as this one, but I think an appropriate word to use in describing this book would be Love. On second thought, "Love" is correct, but "word" does not fit - "name" is better. Throughout the whole story, Rachel is searching for love, but not just everyday, happily-ever-after love; she's searching for Love, another name for God.
I didn't know quite what to expect from this book. In my experience, there are very few really Catholic novels out there. I knew authoress Michelle Buckman was Catholic before I started reading, but I thought perhaps she had diluted some of the Catholic elements she might have put in. I was wrong. While I don't think the Catholicism in this book would offend non-Catholics, Catholic teaching on suffering, love, healing, and many other things are woven into the story.
A particularly beautiful part is the St. Therese book that Rachel reads. Little snippets from St. Therese's autobiography are included in the story, and Rachel finds the Little Flower's reflections on Love, love, the dark night of the soul, and suffering to be comforting at the very least. Through St. Therese's gentle words and the kind friendship of a priest, Rachel finds the courage to open herself to Love.
Common misconceptions about Catholicism, specifically about statues and saints, are neatly explained in a few words by Rachel's priest friend. As a cradle Catholic, I found that short exchange to be pretty boring, but I'm glad Michelle Buckman took the time to show that Catholics really don't worship saints or statues in any sense of the word.
Despite and partly because of the rich Catholicism in this book, it is by no means family-friendly. Dark subject material is dealt with, from drugs (both prescription and recreational) and murder to extra-marital affairs and sexual abuse of minors. While everything is handled with delicacy and there isn't any truly explicit material, I would definitely recommend an older person pre-read this for any young teenager.
The dark is illuminated by some bright spots and moments, however. Characters like Ricky and Father Jacobsen show Rachel true compassion and love, helping her through the darkest period in her already dark life. A few beautiful moments like one in the hospital and another in the library are touching, and serve to lighten the book with little glimmers of hope.
Unfortunately, I guessed the murderer. However, since that isn't a huge part of the book, I can overlook that. Ultimately, the book is about Rachel discovering what - and Who - love really is. When she does this, she's able to accept love - and Love - in her life. In the end, that's what everyone needs.
My Rating: MT (sexual content and references, thematic elements, drug abuse, severe family problems)
It seems trite to sum up an entire book with one word, especially a book as complex as this one, but I think an appropriate word to use in describing this book would be Love. On second thought, "Love" is correct, but "word" does not fit - "name" is better. Throughout the whole story, Rachel is searching for love, but not just everyday, happily-ever-after love; she's searching for Love, another name for God.
I didn't know quite what to expect from this book. In my experience, there are very few really Catholic novels out there. I knew authoress Michelle Buckman was Catholic before I started reading, but I thought perhaps she had diluted some of the Catholic elements she might have put in. I was wrong. While I don't think the Catholicism in this book would offend non-Catholics, Catholic teaching on suffering, love, healing, and many other things are woven into the story.
A particularly beautiful part is the St. Therese book that Rachel reads. Little snippets from St. Therese's autobiography are included in the story, and Rachel finds the Little Flower's reflections on Love, love, the dark night of the soul, and suffering to be comforting at the very least. Through St. Therese's gentle words and the kind friendship of a priest, Rachel finds the courage to open herself to Love.
Common misconceptions about Catholicism, specifically about statues and saints, are neatly explained in a few words by Rachel's priest friend. As a cradle Catholic, I found that short exchange to be pretty boring, but I'm glad Michelle Buckman took the time to show that Catholics really don't worship saints or statues in any sense of the word.
Despite and partly because of the rich Catholicism in this book, it is by no means family-friendly. Dark subject material is dealt with, from drugs (both prescription and recreational) and murder to extra-marital affairs and sexual abuse of minors. While everything is handled with delicacy and there isn't any truly explicit material, I would definitely recommend an older person pre-read this for any young teenager.
The dark is illuminated by some bright spots and moments, however. Characters like Ricky and Father Jacobsen show Rachel true compassion and love, helping her through the darkest period in her already dark life. A few beautiful moments like one in the hospital and another in the library are touching, and serve to lighten the book with little glimmers of hope.
Unfortunately, I guessed the murderer. However, since that isn't a huge part of the book, I can overlook that. Ultimately, the book is about Rachel discovering what - and Who - love really is. When she does this, she's able to accept love - and Love - in her life. In the end, that's what everyone needs.
My Rating: MT (sexual content and references, thematic elements, drug abuse, severe family problems)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
In Relation To Pride and Prescience
Written by Carrie Bebris; Book One in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries
Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are now Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. But, to Elizabeth's vexation, their joint wedding reception with the new Mr. and Mrs. Bingley is marred by Caroline Bingley's engagement announcement. Miss Bingley and her fiance, an American named Mr. Parrish, seem determined to steal the attention of society away from the former Miss Bennets and their new husbands, planning an extremely elaborate wedding ceremony in London just one week after their engagement announcement. Elizabeth's vexation at Miss Bingley's pretentiousness is gradually lessened, however, as the vain young woman begins to act increasingly strangely - to the point of trying to kill herself.
I am not a huge fan of fan fiction. In fact, I think authors who write fan fiction are poor writers; a truly great writer would invent his or her own characters, without having to rely on someone else's creations. Stories are important, but it's the characters that really bring a book to life.With such a low opinion of fan fiction books, I went into this one with trepidation. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy may well be my favorite literary couple of all time, and the last thing I wanted was to see their characters ruined. I was pleasantly surprised, at least with regard to Mr. Darcy. His character is portrayed faithfully; firm, honorable, and madly in love with Elizabeth (though perhaps he has a little better sense of humor than Austen gave him). Elizabeth is not as faithfully shown, however. A rather big deal is made of her wonderful perceptiveness at times, which is utterly ridiculous considering how unperceptive she turns out to be in Jane Austen's original story. Jane and Bingley are perfect, though I would have liked them to be in the story a bit more than they were.
While the characters are much like they're supposed to be, I'm afraid the writing style is not quite true. While I don't mind some sentences being modernized (after all, no one reads books filled with double negatives nowadays), I didn't care for the modernized dialogue. At select times it was excruciatingly painful. I highly doubt the expressions "handle it" or "check on" had been invented at the time of Austen's classic. If they were, they were not used among polite society.
The dialogue was a little tiresome; the story was more tiresome still. The resolution was much too obvious for my taste; I had almost all the details worked out little more than halfway through the book. Furthermore, I got the distinct impression that the authoress was intentially trying to imitate the kind of story one might find in a gothic novel. The book revolved around the supernatural, something that evidently showed up often in gothic novels. However, I highly doubt Austen would have approved of her characters being transplanted into these novels. After all, Northanger Abbey is practically a satire of gothic novels' mysterious and mystical elements.
My Rating: T (non-religious supernatural elements, slightly gruesome murder, thematic elements)
Picture from carriebebris.com
Monday, January 31, 2011
On Murder On the Orient Express
Agatha Christie's Murder On the Orient Express is a Hercule Poirot mystery. The little Belgian detective with the egg-shaped head and fearsome moustache boards a train traveling from Stamboul (Istanbul, Turkey, I presume) across Europe. Among the other passengers on the train there is a rich American gentleman by the name of Ratchett. Poirot, as well as nearly everyone else on the train, takes an instant dislike to Ratchett. However, it still comes as a surprise when Ratchett is found murdered one morning... stabbed twelve times with a knife. Poirot must put his "little grey cells" to work to catch the killer - or is it "killers"?
Pros: This story is another example of how one can have no idea of the solution the first time through, but groan at how obvious it is the second time through. I don't know how she did it, but Christie was definitely the queen of crime.
Cons: There's a fuzzy moral ending, though I'm not sure if it actually is moral or not. It's hard not to sympathize in this case.
My Rating: T (a couple sexual references, one mild, one not. Very annoying.)
Friday, December 3, 2010
Regarding Sherlock: The Great Game
(Third movie in the BBC series with the twenty-first century Sherlock Holmes.) Someone is playing a dangerous game with Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch). The police consultant gets a phone call from a woman who's been strapped to a bomb. Someone will kill her unless Sherlock solves a case within a set time limit. His only clue? A pair of old shoes. Who would play such a cruel game? Why? Only Sherlock, with a little help from his associate, Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman), can find out.
Pros: Pretty intense story! And talk about a surprising ending... and about the best cliff-hanger I've ever seen. (Can't wait for them to make more!) Funny, as usual. Oh, and DI Lestrade (Rupert Graves) is back, which is good. For my thoughts on this series in general, read my review of Sherlock: A Study in Pink.
Cons: It was a bit hard to keep up with at times, but I suppose that's because Sherlock speaks so quickly sometimes...
My Rating: T/MT ((depends on the person's exposure to homosexual people) sexual references, mild homosexual references)
Pros: Pretty intense story! And talk about a surprising ending... and about the best cliff-hanger I've ever seen. (Can't wait for them to make more!) Funny, as usual. Oh, and DI Lestrade (Rupert Graves) is back, which is good. For my thoughts on this series in general, read my review of Sherlock: A Study in Pink.
Cons: It was a bit hard to keep up with at times, but I suppose that's because Sherlock speaks so quickly sometimes...
My Rating: T/MT ((depends on the person's exposure to homosexual people) sexual references, mild homosexual references)
Monday, November 15, 2010
On Sherlock: The Blind Banker
(Second movie in the BBC series with the twenty-first century Sherlock Holmes.) Someone broke into a bank and vandalized it. No money was missing; nothing was stolen at all. But two spray-painted Chinese symbols were left on the wall: A message for someone. The owner of the bank calls Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help. Sherlock proceeds to investigate the crime with the help of his flatmate, John Watson (Martin Freeman), and they soon discover the dead body of a man who worked at the bank. What do the symbols mean, and how did the person who painted them get into the bank? Only Sherlock Holmes has the brains to find out.
Pros: Hilarious, just like the first one. The story was sufficiently mysterious. Oh, and Watson has a girlfriend! A very nice one, too. There are very, very few gay references in this one; I believe there was only one. That was a bit of a relief after the first movie. See my review of Sherlock: A Study in Pink for my opinions on the series in general.
Cons: *Spoiler Warning* That nice Chinese girl from the museum ends up dead! That was very disappointing.
My Rating: T/MT ((depends on the person's exposure to homosexual people) sexual references, mild homosexual reference)
Pros: Hilarious, just like the first one. The story was sufficiently mysterious. Oh, and Watson has a girlfriend! A very nice one, too. There are very, very few gay references in this one; I believe there was only one. That was a bit of a relief after the first movie. See my review of Sherlock: A Study in Pink for my opinions on the series in general.
Cons: *Spoiler Warning* That nice Chinese girl from the museum ends up dead! That was very disappointing.
My Rating: T/MT ((depends on the person's exposure to homosexual people) sexual references, mild homosexual reference)
Monday, November 1, 2010
Concerning Slight Mourning
In Catherine Aird's Slight Mourning, Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan is on another case. Although this time, he's not entirely sure it even is a case. A man got killed in a car accident while escorting a dinner guest home. But was he going to die anyway? Amidst a lot of confusing terminology spewed forth by the pathologist, Sloan deciphers a disturbing fact: That the dead man had been poisoned. Did he commit suicide? Or did one of the eleven others at dinner that night - or the farmer who visited him that day, or the cook, for that matter - try to kill him?
Pros: A lot of detectives in old mystery novels get to be the same. Unreadable eyes, handsome face with a chiseled jaw, doesn't say a lot, amazing deductive powers... Blah, blah, blah. But Sloan is pretty much an ordinary guy. Every once in a while he'll get this great insight and solve the case, but it isn't presented in a "this guy is the greatest detective ever" kind of way. He's just an ordinary cop doing his job. I like his wife, who is really sweet. The humor is very dry, which is right up my alley. And his partner, Detective Constable Crosby, is stupid in a funny, not-too-over-the-top way. It's pretty well written, and flows easily.
Cons: A little too much information. Ms. Aird was the daughter and assistant of a doctor for years, and the terminology she uses is, at times, way too technical. But it is explained, which helps. Sometimes I got lost during conversations between Sloan and his supervisor, but their deductions were fairly obvious or were explained in a simpler way later on.
My Rating: T (thematic elements)
Pros: A lot of detectives in old mystery novels get to be the same. Unreadable eyes, handsome face with a chiseled jaw, doesn't say a lot, amazing deductive powers... Blah, blah, blah. But Sloan is pretty much an ordinary guy. Every once in a while he'll get this great insight and solve the case, but it isn't presented in a "this guy is the greatest detective ever" kind of way. He's just an ordinary cop doing his job. I like his wife, who is really sweet. The humor is very dry, which is right up my alley. And his partner, Detective Constable Crosby, is stupid in a funny, not-too-over-the-top way. It's pretty well written, and flows easily.
Cons: A little too much information. Ms. Aird was the daughter and assistant of a doctor for years, and the terminology she uses is, at times, way too technical. But it is explained, which helps. Sometimes I got lost during conversations between Sloan and his supervisor, but their deductions were fairly obvious or were explained in a simpler way later on.
My Rating: T (thematic elements)
Friday, October 29, 2010
Pertaining To Sherlock: A Study in Pink
Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) is an army doctor just home from Afghanistan. Haunted by dreams of the violence he saw, he's having trouble fitting back into London. Then he runs into an old friend, who suggests he get a flatmate and subsequently introduces him to an exceedingly eccentric character: A man named Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch). Soon the pair are up to their necks in a case involved serial suicides - or is it serial murders?
Pros: This was hilarious. Holmes is so eccentric (without being quite over the top), and Watson has a good sense of humor. Speaking of Watson, I loved his character! He's usually such an idiot in movies, but I would say he has an above-average intellect in this series. And the music - which is really odd - is perfect! The case was puzzling, but Sherlock's solving of it wasn't unbelievable. I mean, he noticed tiny things and drew conclusions (normally ones that I never would have drawn), but it didn't take a suspension of logic in order to believe that he could have deduced the things he did from the facts he had. (Although I must say I thought of a couple things before he did.) Detective Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves) was a good, harrassed policeman who's not portrayed as an idiot.
Cons: The filmmakers left it up to the viewers to decide whether Sherlock is gay or not. All we really know is that he doesn't care about relationships in almost any form.
My Rating: T/MT ((depends on the person's exposure to homosexual people) thematic elements, homosexual references (which would barely have merited notice if they were not homosexual), sexual references)
Pros: This was hilarious. Holmes is so eccentric (without being quite over the top), and Watson has a good sense of humor. Speaking of Watson, I loved his character! He's usually such an idiot in movies, but I would say he has an above-average intellect in this series. And the music - which is really odd - is perfect! The case was puzzling, but Sherlock's solving of it wasn't unbelievable. I mean, he noticed tiny things and drew conclusions (normally ones that I never would have drawn), but it didn't take a suspension of logic in order to believe that he could have deduced the things he did from the facts he had. (Although I must say I thought of a couple things before he did.) Detective Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves) was a good, harrassed policeman who's not portrayed as an idiot.
Cons: The filmmakers left it up to the viewers to decide whether Sherlock is gay or not. All we really know is that he doesn't care about relationships in almost any form.
My Rating: T/MT ((depends on the person's exposure to homosexual people) thematic elements, homosexual references (which would barely have merited notice if they were not homosexual), sexual references)
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Pertaining To The Black Dudley Murder
In Margery Allingham's The Black Dudley Murder, George Abbershaw is a stuffy little MD who has been invited to an old country house for the weekend. At the beginning of the party, his mind is almost wholly occupied with Meggie Oliphant, the girl he wants to marry. Then the host tells a thrilling story about a tradition that used to be performed in the house every year. When the party decides to reenact the tradition, complete with doused lights, a murder occurs. But that isn't their biggest problem. Someone has taken over the house and won't let anyone leave...
Pros: This is a 1929 book, but I thought it was very well written. Albert Campion's character was hilarious in a very British sort of way.
Cons: The bad guys were a little over dramatized. Okay, maybe way over dramatized. But they weren't really in it that much, so it wasn't too distracting. Albert Campion is a detective, but I would never have known it if I hadn't Googled him - this book makes him out to be a criminal!
My Rating: T (thematic elements, sexual references)
Pros: This is a 1929 book, but I thought it was very well written. Albert Campion's character was hilarious in a very British sort of way.
Cons: The bad guys were a little over dramatized. Okay, maybe way over dramatized. But they weren't really in it that much, so it wasn't too distracting. Albert Campion is a detective, but I would never have known it if I hadn't Googled him - this book makes him out to be a criminal!
My Rating: T (thematic elements, sexual references)
Monday, October 11, 2010
Concerning Sad Cypress
In Agatha Christie's Sad Cypress, Elinor Carlisle starts out immensely happy. She's engaged to marry her cousin, Roddy Winter, whom she's loved since she was a little girl. Granted, she has a few financial problems, but they're not serious, and she'll inherit her Aunt Laura's estate as soon as the old lady dies. Then Elinor receives an anonymous note warning her that a woman is worming her way into the aunt's affections. Aunt Laura had a stroke a few months ago, and is particularly vulnerable. So Roddy and Elinor decide to go for a visit to find if there's any truth in the note. They soon discover that the truth can be deadly.
Pros: I really like Dr. Peter Lord, Aunt Laura's physician. Although I must say I was surprised about his red hair and freckles - I've seen the movie version and he looks completely different than his description in the book! The story is really very good - quite a head-scratcher!
Cons: I hate the way euthanasia is brought up time and again throughout the book. It's rather necessary to the story (although the movie did just fine without it), but considering my views on the subject, I think its very presence is dreadful. Putting old people out of their misery, indeed! As if their lives were worthless!
My Rating: T (thematic elements including euthanasia)
Pros: I really like Dr. Peter Lord, Aunt Laura's physician. Although I must say I was surprised about his red hair and freckles - I've seen the movie version and he looks completely different than his description in the book! The story is really very good - quite a head-scratcher!
Cons: I hate the way euthanasia is brought up time and again throughout the book. It's rather necessary to the story (although the movie did just fine without it), but considering my views on the subject, I think its very presence is dreadful. Putting old people out of their misery, indeed! As if their lives were worthless!
My Rating: T (thematic elements including euthanasia)
Friday, August 27, 2010
In Relation To Might As Well Be Dead
In Rex Stout's Might As Well Be Dead, detective Nero Wolfe is contacted by a wealthy man from Omaha, Nebraska, who wants to find his missing son. Wolfe (or, rather, his sidekick, Archie Goodwin) finds the son, all right - who has just been convicted of murder! But Wolfe is convinced the man is innocent, and decides to dig deeper into the case before he reports his findings to the man's father.
Pros: I just love Nero Wolfe books. What a character! An immensely fat orchid lover who never leaves the house, but manages to solve murder mysteries time after time - amazing! Plus, I find Archie's commentary very funny, although this book wasn't as humorous as others I've read.
Cons: The story wasn't the greatest, and the most valuable piece of evidence is kept in the dark until Wolfe reveals the killer. Very annoying for Agatha Christie fans who are used to having all the facts ahead of time.
My Rating: T (sexual references, content)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Regarding The Mystery of the Blue Train
In Agatha Christie's The Mystery of the Blue Train, the little Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is hard at work again. The only daughter of an American millionaire has been murdered and robbed of a fabulous ruby necklace on board the Blue Train in France. Her husband, who she was about to divorce, is immediately suspected of the crime. After all, he was on board the train at the time. He has pressing debts, and would have been cut off without a cent if his wife had lived to divorce him. But Poirot is unsatisfied and suspects there's more to this case than meets the eye.
Pros: I like any redemption story, and I believe this is a redemption story.
Cons: The beginning got on my nerves a bit, what with the wife and her boyfriend, the husband and his girlfriend, and the talk about a divorce.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Regarding They Came to Baghdad
In Agatha Christie's They Came to Baghdad, Victoria Jones is an indifferent shorthand typist who has just gotten fired. Then she meets a young man in a park. During the course of their conversation, Victoria discovers his name is Edward and he's about to go to Baghdad to take up a secretarial job. Determined to follow him, she uses her talent for telling lies to finagle her way to the far-off city, blissfully unaware of the trouble that awaits her there.
Pros: There are Christian themes at the end of the book that I liked very much. I love Christie's spy stories! (Although I must admit I didn't like Passenger to Frankfurt at all.)
Cons: I don't really like Victoria; she lies too much. I also don't think that the Cold War happened simply because Americans and Soviets didn't understand each other - Americans knew only too well how evil the Soviet Union really was.
My Rating: T (murder, conspiracy)
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
On Odd Thomas
In Dean Koontz's book Odd Thomas, twenty-year-old Odd has a gift. No, it's not his strange name. Nor is it his beautiful girlfriend, Stormy Llewellyn. He has a sixth sense. He not only senses evil, but also has the ability to see dead people - ghosts that are unwilling to let go - and evil spirits he calls bodachs. These spirits are drawn to evil, even evil that hasn't yet been commited. So when Odd spots a strange-looking man in a restaurant with several bodachs on his tail, he is immediately suspicious. Little does he know how twisted and evil his adversary really is - and what horrors he intends to inflict on Odd's hometown.
Pros: This book is extremely well-written. It's the first one I've ever read (and I've read hundreds) that has made me want to read every word. (Except the first crime - ugh.) I love the supernatural/Divine angle in the book. It shows that God cares for us and looks out for us, even though terrible people do terrible things. It seems pretty deep and asks a lot of questions, though few of them are actually answered. (Of course, that's only my opinion; sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake.) I love Odd!Cons: Ugh. Koontz's books are rightfully labeled "horror" in my local library system.
Picture from deankoontz.com
Thursday, July 15, 2010
In Relation To Murder On the Orient Express
Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) boards the Orient Express, a train bound west from Istanbul, with a little help from the director of the line. There he meets the American businessman named Samuel Ratchett (Toby Jones), who offers him thousands of dollars in exchange for protection. Since he doesn't like Ratchett, Poirot refuses him. That very night Ratchett is murdered in his bed. The murderer couldn't possibly have left the train, which is stuck in a snowdrift. Which of the thirteen people besides Poirot in the Calais coach committed the murder?
My Rating: T (violent murder)
Pros: There are cool Catholic elements. Poirot holds a rosary as he's saying a beautiful night prayer in one scene, and prays the rosary (albeit while smoking a cigarette) when he needs guidance later in the movie. There's also a neat contrast scene where Poirot's night prayer (the hopeful one of a good person) is juxtaposed with the night prayer of Ratchett (the pleading one of a person who needs forgiveness and protection). The final scene is thought-provoking, though I can't explain here because it will give it away! The story has been simplified from the book.
Cons: One or two things were much more obvious than in the book.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Regarding Marple: The Blue Geranium
Can pink geraniums on wallpaper ever turn blue? Are fortune tellers shams or can they predict the future? Was Eddie Seward (Jason Durr) murdered or did he commit suicide? And who killed Mary Pritchard (Sharon Small)? Was it Phillipa (Claudie Blakley), Mary's jealous sister who was once in love with Mary's husband George (Toby Stephens)? Or perhaps George tired of such a nagging, whining wife and decided to be rid of her once and for all. The wrong person is on trial for murder and only Miss Marple can stop an innocent person from being hung.
Pros: Another example of a fine Agatha Christie work, though not as good as many I've read/seen. The acting was very good. I rather liked the inspector. There was a theme of the seven deadly sins woven into the story (though they only dealt with three or so), which I found very refreshing if not quite Catholic.
Cons: Agatha Christie's version was a short story, so the filmmakers naturally had to flesh out the storyline. The things they added were, in my opinion, very obviously not a part of the original story.
My Rating: T (the usual scandalous behavior)
Cons: Agatha Christie's version was a short story, so the filmmakers naturally had to flesh out the storyline. The things they added were, in my opinion, very obviously not a part of the original story.
My Rating: T (the usual scandalous behavior)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)