As a massive Agatha Christie fan I was always going to watch this acclaimed BBC adaptation of her best and bleakest novel, and now I finally got around to it. I was pleased to see that while it threw in some extra gore, sex, social issues and swearing for the modern audiences, it remained satisfyingly loyal to the spirit of the book.
Miss Marple goes on a holiday in the sunny Caribbean and finds herself mildly discontented that nothing ever happens in the tropical paradise… until she suspects a murder.
After Don’t Look Now, I was clearly in the mood for more 1970s horror movies with twist endings starring Donald Sutherland. Though this one is more of a straightforward sci-fi, with a lot more alien goo and Leonard Nimoy.
A haunting adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novella, Don’t Look Now only turns into true chilling horror during its shocking conclusion, but that’s not to diminish the film’s ability to get under your skin (and make Venice, of all places, feel truly creepy).
This mystery, technically one of Christie’s Miss Marple novels, barely scrapes into the Marple series, since the much-loved elderly sleuth only makes an appearance three-quarters into the book and remains little more than a cameo. I’d go as far as say that the novel didn’t really need her and is strong enough to stand on its own.
Another musical trio of Haim sisters (from Israel rather than Los Angeles); a concept album about the goddess of climate crisis; brilliant electronic re-invention.
“Man buys a sex doll on the internet” is an unlikely premise for a sweet, affecting and life-affirming story, but this quirky movie with early-day Ryan Gosling (before the world decided he was hot) somehow pulls it off.
