It seems that, without really intending to, I’m reviewing Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence series in a reverse chronological order, with our pair of intrepid married sleuths getting younger and younger. This novel, set in the early years of World War II, sees T&T in their late forties. While their grown-up children are actively involved in the war, Tommy and Tuppence feel useless and mighty frustrated about the fact that their government considers them too old and unfit for work. Things change however when Tommy gets a visit from a secret agent, asking him to go down to a sleepy seaside hotel in order to uncover a dangerous network of fifth columnists.
Tag: opinion
Babette’s Feast – Film Review
This Oscar-winning Danish drama starts off slow and restrained, but ends up as a moving celebration of food and art, with possibly the greatest seven-course meal ever put onscreen.
Oblivion – Film Review
Highly derivative but decent sci-fi with the always-watchable Tom Cruise, Oblivion delivers on visuals if not on originality or characters.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – Film Review
Delightful and enchanting French musical with breathtakingly beautiful Catherine Deneuve in her first major film.
Event Horizon – Film Review
This sci-fi horror film is one of those weird movies best described as “fascinating failure”. It undercooks or burns most of its ingredients and overall doesn’t really work, but is somehow worth watching regardless.
By the Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie – Book Review
I vaguely remembered reading this Tommy & Tuppence novel many years ago and not being very impressed with it, but after suffering through Postern of Fate (the undisputed low point of my Christie re-readathon) I was probably inclined to view just about any other book in a favourable light. This is not to say that it lacks real merits; while rather uneven and hardly one of Christie’s most elegantly executed mysteries, there’s a strong sense of cosy-yet-sinister atmosphere about the novel that I failed to appreciate first time around.
Nomadland – Film Review
A gentle, compassionate and intimate portrait of life on the road and the society’s margins, led by another masterful performance from Frances McDormand.
New Music 04/2021 – Lana Del Rey, Dead Can Dance, Triple J’s Hottest 100 Volume 28
Lana Del Rey finally makes a great album; a catch up with the latest from my favourite otherworldly duo; a musical snapshot of the year 2020 according to Triple J.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood – Book Review
Margaret Atwood returns to the dystopian world of Gilead in this addictive sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, which perhaps falls short of greatness but still offers a worthy follow-up.
Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie – Book Review
You know you’re reading the worst Christie novel ever when you start wishing you were reading The Big Four or Passenger to Frankfurt instead, which I previously regarded as her absolute worst mysteries. It was hard to imagine that any other book of hers could usurp the top spot on the rubbish heap, but this messy, confused and terminally dull novel managed it.
