Deleted
Deleted Member
@Deleted
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2019 20:14:15 GMT
One of my favorite whodunnits...
|
|
|
Post by mecano04 on Jan 3, 2020 2:09:35 GMT
Murder by death (1976) is really fun, with a great cast:
|
|
|
Post by hi224 on Jan 3, 2020 3:17:29 GMT
So, @forceghostackbar , do you mean the Agatha Christie-esque whodunit ones as opposed to the noirs? (Because I know you’ve seen lots of noirs! ) If so, here are a few I’d recommend… Murder on the Orient Express (’74) is OK, but I’ve always found it slow and dull after the opening. I love the scene where the train starts off, and I love the glamour of the sets, costumes, atmosphere, cast, etc. But the main problem with Christie’s book remains: most of the book consists of suspect interviews, and even the best cast (and this is one of the best casts money could buy) can’t keep the story from descending into longueurs. We do get some nice, unexpected directorial niceties at the end, but I’ve never been able to warm up to the film because of the middle section. Many people love this one, so don’t let me put you off it, but just keep in mind that it is a bit slow. Still, it’s the best MotOE adaptation we have, or are likely to get. I prefer the semi-sequel, Death on the Nile (’78), which replaces Albert Finney with Peter Ustinov as Poirot. Ustinov plays Poirot basically as Peter Ustinov with a French Belgian accent, but Peter Ustinov is so much fun that it’s hard to mind. This one is less glamorous, and its atmosphere, direction, and cinematography are all weaker, but the script’s much better; screenwriter Anthony Shaffer, who also wrote Sleuth, knew what he was doing, streamlining Christie’s plot, eliminating subplots, giving every character a lot to do, and livening suspect interviews (fewer than MotOE) with increasingly-hilarious flashbacks. Basically, whereas MotOE wins for direction, DotN wins for pacing. I also think DotN has a better plot, with this jaw-droppingly ingenious alibi. Shaffer also wrote the third one in the series, Evil Under the Sun. Less starry cast than the other two, but better direction than DotN (from James Bond veteran Guy Hamilton) and a fast pace. Good atmosphere, too. For the most part, it’s first-class, but the ending feels rushed, and I have no idea why they chose to make this one right after DotN—it repeats almost exactly the same plot! I love the old Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes series. The ones I’d recommend for first-time viewers are the two that were made for 20th Century Fox, Hound of the Baskervilles and Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and one of the 12 that were made for Universal, The Scarlet Claw. The Fox two are slower-paced than the Universals, but they put Holmes in his proper 1890s time period (the Universals modernize him) and have great acting and lots of atmosphere. The Scarlet Claw has the best of both worlds: atmospheric, mysterious, well-directed, spooky, fast-paced. I’ll probably be back with more , but here are two lesser-known ones you may want to check out. Remember Last Night? (’35) was directed by James Whale, the guy who helmed the first two Frankensteins, and is utterly weird and surreal and delightful. The Phantom of Crestwood (’32) is one of the most fun, twisty movie-mysteries of the ’30s. so have you seen Crooked House at all.
|
|
|
Post by hi224 on Jan 3, 2020 3:17:54 GMT
Murder by death (1976) is really fun, with a great cast: a nice movie.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Jan 3, 2020 13:39:26 GMT
so have you seen Crooked House at all. Never have, actually. Any good? The Christie adaptation I’ve always wanted to see but never gotten around to, by the way, is Sidney Gilliat’s Endless Night—I’m a big fan of both Gilliat and of Christie’s book (probably in my top 5 Christies, as little-known as it is, and I think superior to that other famous one with the same trick).
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Jan 3, 2020 13:55:28 GMT
One of my favorite whodunnits... It really is a small masterpiece, and it goes to show the similarities between good humor and good mystery-plotting: a joke’s set-up has to build to a punchline just as the clues in a mystery have to build up to a solution, and the punchline/solution has to make sense of everything that came before it while simultaneously putting it in a new light. The episode has mountains of clues that I didn’t notice the first time I saw it, most of them (even more ingeniously) hidden in jokes. The skill it takes to do that is remarkable, yet the Simpsons writers pulled it off with flying colors. Oh, and also: Mr. Burns trying to block out the sun is just plain hilarious.
|
|
|
Post by hi224 on Jan 3, 2020 17:30:53 GMT
so have you seen Crooked House at all. Never have, actually. Any good? The Christie adaptation I’ve always wanted to see but never gotten around to, by the way, is Sidney Gilliat’s Endless Night—I’m a big fan of both Gilliat and of Christie’s book (probably in my top 5 Christies, as little-known as it is, and I think superior to that other famous one with the same trick). its a bit tawdry, with the twist and Max Irons isn't much an actor unlike his daddy but perhaps ill say its entertaining.
|
|
|
Post by dirtypillows on Jan 6, 2020 0:18:40 GMT
Despite having briefly co-run an IMDb detective agency with Nalkarj , I have never seen any classic whodunnit films. I was thinking I'd start with the original Murder on the Orient Express. But any other reccomendations will be most welcome. I'm looking for movies that excel beyond the mystery aspect and also have good directing, cinematography ECT, and would qualify as classic movies in their own right. The original, yes. It's not my favorite movie adaptation of a Christie novel, but it's pretty good. Light years ahead of the dreadful remake. Even better, I thought, was the 1978 "Death on the Nile". Peter Ustinov just makes a much better Hercules Poirot than Albert Finney. And only slightly lesser is 1982 "Evil Under the Sun". "The Mirror Crack'd" is one of my favorites as well. And the four Miss Marples from the early 1960s with the inimitable Margaret Rutherford are delightful. But the Grandaddy of the mystery (films) has got to be 1945 adaptation of Agatha Christie's universally beloved "And Then There Were None". It is an absolute charmer, murder mystery element fully intact. The 1965 version is okay and I really do like the 1974 version quite well, but nothing tops the 1945 version and as it is in the public domain, it is very easy to find!
|
|
|
Post by dirtypillows on Jan 6, 2020 0:22:18 GMT
So, @forceghostackbar , do you mean the Agatha Christie-esque whodunit ones as opposed to the noirs? (Because I know you’ve seen lots of noirs! ) If so, here are a few I’d recommend… Murder on the Orient Express (’74) is OK, but I’ve always found it slow and dull after the opening. I love the scene where the train starts off, and I love the glamour of the sets, costumes, atmosphere, cast, etc. But the main problem with Christie’s book remains: most of the book consists of suspect interviews, and even the best cast (and this is one of the best casts money could buy) can’t keep the story from descending into longueurs. We do get some nice, unexpected directorial niceties at the end, but I’ve never been able to warm up to the film because of the middle section. Many people love this one, so don’t let me put you off it, but just keep in mind that it is a bit slow. Still, it’s the best MotOE adaptation we have, or are likely to get. I prefer the semi-sequel, Death on the Nile (’78), which replaces Albert Finney with Peter Ustinov as Poirot. Ustinov plays Poirot basically as Peter Ustinov with a French Belgian accent, but Peter Ustinov is so much fun that it’s hard to mind. This one is less glamorous, and its atmosphere, direction, and cinematography are all weaker, but the script’s much better; screenwriter Anthony Shaffer, who also wrote Sleuth, knew what he was doing, streamlining Christie’s plot, eliminating subplots, giving every character a lot to do, and livening suspect interviews (fewer than MotOE) with increasingly-hilarious flashbacks. Basically, whereas MotOE wins for direction, DotN wins for pacing. I also think DotN has a better plot, with this jaw-droppingly ingenious alibi. Shaffer also wrote the third one in the series, Evil Under the Sun. Less starry cast than the other two, but better direction than DotN (from James Bond veteran Guy Hamilton) and a fast pace. Good atmosphere, too. For the most part, it’s first-class, but the ending feels rushed, and I have no idea why they chose to make this one right after DotN—it repeats almost exactly the same plot! I love the old Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes series. The ones I’d recommend for first-time viewers are the two that were made for 20th Century Fox, Hound of the Baskervilles and Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and one of the 12 that were made for Universal, The Scarlet Claw. The Fox two are slower-paced than the Universals, but they put Holmes in his proper 1890s time period (the Universals modernize him) and have great acting and lots of atmosphere. The Scarlet Claw has the best of both worlds: atmospheric, mysterious, well-directed, spooky, fast-paced. I’ll probably be back with more , but here are two lesser-known ones you may want to check out. Remember Last Night? (’35) was directed by James Whale, the guy who helmed the first two Frankensteins, and is utterly weird and surreal and delightful. The Phantom of Crestwood (’32) is one of the most fun, twisty movie-mysteries of the ’30s. MOTOE is, I have to say, a bit dreary and sluggish. Still, it's more solid entertainment than almost anything getting made today. Christie's solution to the mystery is brilliant (nobody can turn a mystery like she could), but the movie was just heavy going and a good cast somewhat wasted. Finney's overacting is too much. DOTN had a lively cast, to say the least. All actors took advantage of the fun script. Nobody is less than entertaining in the 1978 feature. Simon MacCorkindale (from "Death on the Nile") was a gorgeous specimen of the male species!
|
|
|
Post by dirtypillows on Jan 6, 2020 0:33:10 GMT
so have you seen Crooked House at all. Never have, actually. Any good? The Christie adaptation I’ve always wanted to see but never gotten around to, by the way, is Sidney Gilliat’s Endless Night—I’m a big fan of both Gilliat and of Christie’s book (probably in my top 5 Christies, as little-known as it is, and I think superior to that other famous one with the same trick). I've never seen "Endless Night" and I've never read the book, though I certainly need to as I am quite a fan of Agatha Christie. The book looks like a bit of a departure from the usual Christie offering and I have heard nothing but good things about her book. just found this, AC's own ten favorites. A fun list to read. www.agathachristie.com/about-christie/christies-favourite-christie
|
|
|
Post by dirtypillows on Jan 6, 2020 0:34:42 GMT
Great reccomendations! What about Sleuth? The only thing I know about it is the "Who is the singer from Sleuth" question that gets repeated on here sometimes, so maybe if I watch the movie I'll finally know what you guys are talking about. Is The Thin Man series a mystery franchise? My uncle keeps reccomending it to me. Whenever it airs on TMC or some cable channel he sends me a text. Thanks! Sleuth is fun, though ironically, for all my singer-searching, I think the original play it’s based on is better. But Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier are great in it. A similar movie, also with Caine and also based on a play, that I think is superior is Deathtrap (’82)—but please watch out for spoilers! The Thin Man is indeed a mystery franchise, and one of the all-time great ones. The first one (’34) is a masterpiece, and the first two sequels are great as well (and, even after that, they’re still pretty good). I should note, though, that unlike the Agatha Christie adaptations, or even Sleuth and Deathtrap, here the plots aren’t important: the important thing is the relationship and humor (comity and comedy!) between Nick and Nora, and the mysteries are usually afterthoughts. (In the first one, Nick pretty much pulls the killer’s identity out of a hat!) So trying to keep track of the clues and everything isn’t necessary in most of them, though the third one has a good mystery plot. All in all, they’re hilarious, sweet, and charming. And extremely ’30s, in all the best ways. Oh, by the way: the first one’s set at Christmas, and the second one’s set at New Year’s, so they’re apropos right now. The Last of Sheila (’73) is a longtime favorite of mine, though people tend either to love it or despise it. It’s a super-twisty, clue-packed murder mystery with a great cast, written by the unexpected duo of Broadway lyricist-composer Stephen Sondheim and ex-Norman-Bates Anthony Perkins. The plot is diabolically ingenious, and the humor is caustic and witty—but nearly everyone in the movie is basically an SOB. Still, it’s tons of fun (I think). There have been about a million adaptations of Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians/ And Then There Were None, but most film fans and Christie fans, myself included, agree the best one is René Clair’s 1945 version, which plays the story for black comedy and, like many of these, boasts an all-star cast. It’s a treat. Most of these are thrillers or Christie-esque whodunits… I kinda feel like many of the great hardboiled ones fall into a separate genre category, to be honest. In addition to The Maltese Falcon, you have Howard Hawks’ The Big Sleep, which boasts one of the world’s most confusing and most irrelevant plots and is brilliant for exactly that reason—because you’re really watching it for Bogey and Bacall, and their steamy chemistry, and the ’40s L.A. atmosphere, and all the censor-pushing hardboiled dialogue, and the needless scenes Hawks put in just because he felt like it. I have to admit that I would be in the latter group with this one. It's one of the best casts I've ever seen assembled, but I found the movie confusing and smug. And I wanted to like it so badly, too.
|
|
|
Post by mikef6 on Jan 17, 2020 6:46:05 GMT
Bury Me Dead / Bernard Vorhaus (1947). PRC. Barbara Carlin (June Lockhart) is returning home from a separation from her husband when she reads in a newspaper that she had been killed in a fire and her funeral was that day. She gets back to town in time to attend her own graveside service.
Exposed / George Blair (1947). Republic Pictures. Programmer with a female protagonist P.I. Belinda Prentice (Adele Mara) is hired by rich Col. Bentry (Russell Hicks) to check up on his stepson who has been acting in a furtive manner. Bentry turns up dead which brings in Inspector Prentice (Robert Armstrong, “King Kong”), Belinda’s father, to fuss at her and warn her to stay out of police business.
Crime By Night / William Clemens (1944). Warner Bros-First National. You remember Miles Archer, played by Jerome Cowan? Of course you do. Miles was Sam Spade’s partner in the Spade and Archer Detective Agency in “The Maltese Falcon.” Miles gets bumped off six minutes into the picture. Well, now Cowen gets the chance to play his own private eye lead role, Sam Campbell who, along with his wisecracking assistant Robbie No-Relation-To-Philo Vance (Jane Wyman) gets to solve his own case (and survive the movie).
Philo Vance #4: The Bishop Murder Case (1930). “The finest of all S. S. Van Dine's murder mystery stories...now an all-talking picture!” Philo Vance was a popular movie detective in the early sound era. Basil Rathbone stars in his only appearance as Vance. Good period piece and good for fans of Golden Age Mysteries
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Feb 4, 2020 20:36:20 GMT
I hope my first post in this thread didn’t come off as too critical of the Charlie Chan series, which I actually love. I’m sick at the moment, and they really are the perfect movies to watch when you’re sick.
Some favorites:
Charlie Chan in Paris (1935, not fair-play but great central plot deception. Fast pace, much faster than the glacial Charlie Chan in London. Keep an eye out for the lovely, ephemeral Ruth Peterson!)
Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935, plot’s obvious, but this is one of the best, most fun entries. Filled with Egyptian gods, mummies, pyramids—great stuff. Not as fast-paced as Paris, but the pacing fits this one’s mood.)
Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936, the pacing picks up, good one-liners from Charlie and No. 1 Son, in-depth, scientific clues.)
Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936, Charlie Chan vs. Boris Karloff! Exciting, spooky.)
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939, Sidney Toler has replaced Warner Oland, who died in the interim. Series best: Toler is less avuncular but more acerbic than Oland, so Charlie’s one-liners are wittier. Moves like gangbusters. Hypnotism, ESP, serial killing. Excellent plot, unfortunately given away right before Charlie reveals it, but that’s a minor flaw. Just great.)
Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940, not as good as Treasure Island, but fun. Good atmospherics.)
Dead Men Tell (1941, has pirates, buried gold, treasure map, so should be better. Appropriately foggy without ever being great.)
Castle in the Desert (1942, the series rebounds with the last series entry Fox produced. Wacky elements all add up to a complex but understandable plot.)
Black Magic/Meeting at Midnight (1944, pretty much the only entry Monogram produced that I like. Obviously lower budget, but intriguing plot: how was a psychic shot without a bullet? Ridiculous but apt solution.)
|
|
|
Post by wolf359 on Mar 30, 2020 6:46:23 GMT
The 1945 Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) Movie "THE HOUSE OF FEAR" is 1 of My Many Favorites.
It has quite a Surprise Ending!
|
|
|
Post by Morgana on Mar 30, 2020 12:02:48 GMT
There is a mini-series series of And Then There Were None which came out in 2015. I quite enjoyed it, even though I've read the book and seen a previous film.
Gosford Park is worth seeing, the ensemble cast are wonderful.
For something on a lighter note, Cluedo is a lot of fun.
|
|
Lynx
Sophomore
@lynx0139
Posts: 345
Likes: 195
|
Post by Lynx on Mar 30, 2020 17:49:02 GMT
The "Torchy Blane" series of movies is also excellent....I think they have the whole package at Amazon.....lol....I used a different method.
|
|
|
Post by theravenking on Mar 30, 2020 19:22:05 GMT
so have you seen Crooked House at all. Never have, actually. Any good? The Christie adaptation I’ve always wanted to see but never gotten around to, by the way, is Sidney Gilliat’s Endless Night—I’m a big fan of both Gilliat and of Christie’s book (probably in my top 5 Christies, as little-known as it is, and I think superior to that other famous one with the same trick). I always regarded Endless Night as one of the most underrated Christies. The Gilliat movie is quite faithful to the book. The same cannot be said about the Marple episode of the same name which shoehorns in Miss Marple into the plot, it has nice production values, but is otherwise just a pale shadow of the source material.
I've never seen any of Gilliat's other films. Are there any you would recommend?
|
|
|
Post by theravenking on Mar 30, 2020 19:34:07 GMT
There is a mini-series series of And Then There Were None which came out in 2015. I quite enjoyed it, even though I've read the book and seen a previous film. Gosford Park is worth seeing, the ensemble cast are wonderful. For something on a lighter note, Cluedo is a lot of fun. There is going to be a new French mini-series of And Then There Were None featuring among others Samuel Le Bihan (Brotherhood of the Wolf) and Matilda Lutz (Revenge).
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Mar 30, 2020 21:04:31 GMT
Never have, actually. Any good? The Christie adaptation I’ve always wanted to see but never gotten around to, by the way, is Sidney Gilliat’s Endless Night—I’m a big fan of both Gilliat and of Christie’s book (probably in my top 5 Christies, as little-known as it is, and I think superior to that other famous one with the same trick). I always regarded Endless Night as one of the most underrated Christies. The Gilliat movie is quite faithful to the book. The same cannot be said about the Marple episode of the same name which shoehorns in Miss Marple into the plot, it has nice production values, but is otherwise just a pale shadow of the source material.
I've never seen any of Gilliat's other films. Are there any you would recommend?
Sure! You’ve seen Green for Danger, I think? Gilliat directed and co-wrote that. Excellent film, one of the finest adaptations of a Golden Age mystery story, with that magnificent Alastair Sim performance as Insp. Cockrill. His scripts, mostly with writing partner Frank Launder, are first-class—small masterpieces of plot construction and witty repartee. In particular: The Man who Changed His Mind (fun horror with Karloff, great punny title; Gilliat alone), Seven Sinners (the 1936 British flick, not the 1940 American movie with Marlene Dietrich of the same name; a beautifully-constructed mystery thriller with a John-Dickson-Carr-esque set-up), The Lady Vanishes (the famous, fantastically fun Hitchcock thriller), Night Train to Music ( Lady Vanishes’ spiritual sequel, just as good, most of the cast returns, feels like a Lubitsch, thrilling climax). Gilliat and Launder’s script for Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday is solid, with a good central plot deception, but unfortunately the movie around it isn’t that great. (That deception was used in a different mystery movie around the same time, but I won’t say which one just in case you want to see Holiday.) It’s too bad Gilliat and Launder never worked with Ernst Lubitsch, who prized plot construction and twists more than Hitchcock, but they never ventured out of the British film industry, unfortunately…
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Mar 30, 2020 21:11:05 GMT
The 1945 Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) Movie "THE HOUSE OF FEAR" is 1 of My Many Favorites.
It has quite a Surprise Ending!
It’s one of the best variations on Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians trick I know, and all the more surprising because the series, while delightful, isn’t really a hotbed of surprising plot twists. ( Sherlock Holmes Faces Death, for example, is a great little flick, fast-paced, atmospherically directed, and tons of fun, but a 10-year-old kid could see through the central plot deception.) It also has a solid clue pointing to whodunit and how, and while that’s not the “chain of clues” that mystery writer John Dickson Carr called for in his essay “The Grandest Game in the World,” it’s more than most mystery movies provide. Even better, good old Dr. Watson gets to discover it, after all these years! Goes to show that, for all the complaints about Nigel Bruce’s Watson, it tended to be Dennis Hoey’s Insp. Lestrade who more often came off as a bumbling buffoon.
|
|