The concept of “Noirvember” was created fifteen years ago by Marya E. Gates, a film critic, as a jazzy way to celebrate the beloved genre of film noir. Last year, the word was co-opted by Ah Sweet Mystery when Sergio, Nick and I drafted The Best Noirs of 1944. And now, another Noirvember draft is brewing: this year, we examine … Continue reading NOIRVEMBER ’55, PART I
Films
MYSTERY MOVIE TALK: Three Announcements!
I got into this blogging game for the conversations. Ironic, since the vast majority of readers tend to shy away from the comments section. So we scribes do what we can to get the conversation going. Over the past couple of years, my two buddies, Sergio Angelini and Nick Cardillo, and I have set aside … Continue reading MYSTERY MOVIE TALK: Three Announcements!
CRIME WATCH: New Mysteries on TV
A new trailer has dropped for the upcoming third Knives Out movie, Wake Up, Dead Man. The lovely thing about it is that it is heavy on imagery and light on spoilers, and it trumpets to the skies that it concerns what detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) calls “for a man of reason the Holy Grail” – an … Continue reading CRIME WATCH: New Mysteries on TV
CHRISTIE, AVEC SUBTITLES: More Movie Adaptations
To all you true Christie fans, have I got an adaptation for you! As I’ve said repeatedly, I have come around to a much more open-minded attitude when it comes to adapting Christie, which is why I enjoyed the BBC’s recent Towards Zero more than most of my fellow Christie fanatics did. It was far from perfect … Continue reading CHRISTIE, AVEC SUBTITLES: More Movie Adaptations
A PERRY MASON MENAGERIE: Cinematic Addendum
One of the perks of being a fan of Erle Stanley Gardner’s defense attorney-hero Perry Mason is that nearly all of the books have been adapted for television. Among the 271 episodes of Perry Mason that aired between 1957 and 1966, one can find the titles of most of the eighty-two novels and four novellas that featured the world’s … Continue reading A PERRY MASON MENAGERIE: Cinematic Addendum
CHARLIE CHAN AT FOX: The Complete Rankings
While the Fox Charlie Chan films are fresh in everyone’s minds – okay, maybe that’s wishful thinking on my part! – I thought I would take one step beyond the Top Thirteen list that Sergio, Nick, and I drafted over the weekend and share with you my complete ranking of all twenty-three of the Fox … Continue reading CHARLIE CHAN AT FOX: The Complete Rankings
THE FOX CHARLIE CHAN DRAFT
You can’t help but wonder if Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan, created in 1925 by popular author Earl Derr Biggers, would have left as lasting and, well, complicated an impression on our culture had he never made it to film. After all, there were only six novels published in a space of seven years. They were … Continue reading THE FOX CHARLIE CHAN DRAFT
EVE OF POSSIBILITIES: Looking Back on ’24 and Forward to ’25
It’s New Year’s Eve, the final day of a most, er, dramatic year, and this is my 79th and final post of 2024. It's also the time when some of my fellow bloggers review their accomplishments, perhaps name a “Book of the Year,” and make prognostications about what’s coming up in 2025 that are hopefully vague … Continue reading EVE OF POSSIBILITIES: Looking Back on ’24 and Forward to ’25
Ēkaṭi āgāthā krisṭi ḍābala bila mubhi nā’iṭa (Agatha Christie Bengali Double-Bill Movie Night)
My recent viewing of Chorabali, the Indian adaptation of Cards on the Table, had the added bonus of my getting to speak with a number of folks possessed of great knowledge about the sprawling Indian film industry. Turns out that, while we have all heard of “Bollywood,” there are actually over fifteen major film “industries” spread throughout the country, delivering a … Continue reading Ēkaṭi āgāthā krisṭi ḍābala bila mubhi nā’iṭa (Agatha Christie Bengali Double-Bill Movie Night)
CHORABALI: A Bengali Re-deal of Cards on the Table
I hope you had a chance to check out yesterday’s review of Cards on the Table. Since it’s an Hercule Poirot mystery, you would think if you wanted to find a decent film adaptation, you need look no further than the David Suchet series, Agatha Christie’s Poirot. The sad fact is, I would urge you to avoid the travesty … Continue reading CHORABALI: A Bengali Re-deal of Cards on the Table
Ah Sweet Mystery! 