Films

A HUNDRED YEARS OF CHRISTIE – THE FINAL CHAPTER: The Millennium and Beyond

/ Brad / 18 Comments

“In my end is my beginning.” Many books begin with an epigraph; Agatha Christie’s characters speak in them. The occasion, more often than not, is dark. After all, these people are bearing witness to – or maybe committing – murder.  “Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” … Continue reading A HUNDRED YEARS OF CHRISTIE – THE FINAL CHAPTER: The Millennium and Beyond

A HUNDRED YEARS OF CHRISTIE, PART SEVEN: Mistress of Media in the 80’s

/ Brad / 13 Comments

When I was a student, focused on the study of literature and theatre, I learned a hard lesson: there was a schism between those works which are deemed “art” and those classified as “popular culture”. As a child, my love of comic books was derided as . . . well, childish. Studying drama at U.C. … Continue reading A HUNDRED YEARS OF CHRISTIE, PART SEVEN: Mistress of Media in the 80’s

A HUNDRED YEARS OF CHRISTIE, PART SIX: Requiem and Rebirth in the 70’s

/ Brad / 15 Comments

“What can I say at seventy-five? ‘Thank God for my good life, and for all the love that has been given to me.’”                                                                                                 Agatha Christie: An Autobiography “It’s sad really, but nowadays one is only interested in the deaths!”                                                                                                 Nemesis (1971) Six Novels Passenger to Frankfurt (1970) Nemesis (1971) Elephants Can Remember (1972) Postern of Fate (1973) Curtain (1975) * Sleeping … Continue reading A HUNDRED YEARS OF CHRISTIE, PART SIX: Requiem and Rebirth in the 70’s

A CENTURY OF AGATHA CHRISTIE, PART FIVE: The Pendulum Swings in the Swinging 60’s

/ Brad / 13 Comments

“You know . . . I really can’t think how anyone ever gets away with a murder in real life. It seems to me that the moment you’ve done a murder the whole thing is so terribly obvious. . . The murder part is quite easy and simple. It’s the covering up that’s so difficult. … Continue reading A CENTURY OF AGATHA CHRISTIE, PART FIVE: The Pendulum Swings in the Swinging 60’s

FOUR LITTLE WOMEN (AND ONE LITTLE MAN) AGAINST THE WORLD

/ Brad / 10 Comments

Yesterday, the New York Times offered commentary on an article by Vanity Fair about Greta Gerwig’s new adaptation of Little Women. The article, “Little Women Has a Little Man Problem,” by Anthony Breznican, discussed the concerns by producer Amy Pascal that the film was faring poorly in early awards nominations because, in essence, men were … Continue reading FOUR LITTLE WOMEN (AND ONE LITTLE MAN) AGAINST THE WORLD

A HOLIDAY BLESSING, or Why I’m Not Going to See CATS

/ Brad / 19 Comments

The holidays have oddly aligned this year. Today it’s Hanukkah, tomorrow is Christmas Eve/Mom’s Birthday, Wednesday it’s Christmas, and we (pun intended) wrap it all up on Thursday with Boxing Day/Kwanzaa. And let’s not forget that Saturday was the winter solstice, containing the longest night of the year, followed yesterday by a festival marking the … Continue reading A HOLIDAY BLESSING, or Why I’m Not Going to See CATS

THE EYES HAVE IT: Christie and Hitchcock and the Point of View

/ Brad / 13 Comments

So much has been written about my favorite filmmaker, Alfred Hitchcock – more than any other director, living or dead – that I would be hard-pressed to come up with any original thoughts about his life or work. That's because the French, including fellow auteur Francois Truffaut, elevated Hitchcock’s oeuvre from “mere” entertainment to art. … Continue reading THE EYES HAVE IT: Christie and Hitchcock and the Point of View