Agatha Christie's Marple "The Body in the Library" #1.1 (2004) (TV)

"Isn't she marvellous?", 25 February 2017

The residents of Gossington Hall wake one morning to find the body of a young woman in their library. Who is she? How'd she get there? Who strangled her? It's a mystery. While the police begin their official investigation, Miss Marple is called in to provide her unique look at things.

For 15+ year, I have avoided these Marple stories because I had read mostly bad things about them. I haven't seen the Joan Hickson version of The Body in the Library in what seems like a hundred years and I haven't read Agatha Christie's book in what seems like a million years. But I remember enough to know that this version of the story strays considerably from both. Does it bother me? Not as much as I thought it would. Even the twist at the end that would have never made it in Christie's work is okay with me. I'm not doing cart wheels of joy over the changes to the story, but they don't bother me that much. Geraldine McEwan's take on Miss Marple is different, but not unenjoyable. The sets, costuming, and locations are as good as you'll find in a television production. It's really quite beautiful to look at. And I can even forgive a few of the gigantic plot holes because I was having such a good time with the rest of the movie. I suppose my biggest complaint is with some of the acting. As much as I enjoy Simon Callow and Joanna Lumley, their constant overacting gets tiresome. Still, it's a decent enough cast with Mary Stockley being the standout.

If you don't go into this with preconceived notions, you might just find The Body in the Library enjoyable. I'll give it a solid 6/10.

6/10

Guns in the Heather (1969)

- The Secret of Boyne Castle

So Much Padding, 24 February 2017

The Secret of Boyne Castle tells the story of Rich (Kurt Russell), a fairly normal American exchange student attending school in Ireland. Everything about his life is fairly routine. Then in one day's time, his life is turned upside down. He's visited by a dying man with a secret, discovers his brother is an American agent, and is taken prisoner by a band of Commie goons. Rich and his buddy have to find a way to escape and make their way to Boyne Castle to uncover the dying man's secret.

The Secret of Boyne Castle isn't horrible, but it's not very good either. I have several problems with the movie, beginning with the horribly misleading title. Being a Disney production with a name like The Secret of Boyne Castle, I was expecting more. The "secret" ends up being a real letdown. It's a scrap of paper with a short message hidden in a fireplace – not at all what I was hoping for. I also have a problem with how simple the plot is. There aren't really any twists or turns. Every time I thought the story was going to take a turn and get interesting, it didn't. Instead, the plot goes from point A to point B on the straightest line possible. Again, disappointing. But the biggest issue I had was with the padding. The version I watched (the three segment Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color presentation) ran 2 hours and 20-something minutes. I'd guess that at least 45 of those minutes were added padding. Most of the movie goes something like this: Rich and his buddy are almost captured – they make a daring escape – they run. Repeat over and over and over. It quickly gets tedious.

On the positive side, the acting is solid. A lot of the performances were very nice. Russell is solid in this early outing. His buddy, played by Patrick Dawson, is a nice complement. But the real star is the Irish countryside. It's stunningly beautiful. I doubt the Irish tourist bureau could put together anything more appealing. I'd love to visit some the locations where The Secret of Boyne Castle was shot. 

Overall, a 4/10 from me.

4/10

Poirot "Death on the Nile" #9.3 (2004) (TV)

"Do not open your heart to evil, mademoiselle. If you do there will be no turning back.", 24 February 2017

Pithy plot summary: It's Agatha Christie, which means that someone is murdered in an elaborate manner and it's up to Poirot to find the killer. Oh, and it takes place on a boat on the Nile.

As hard as I try, every time I watch the 2004 version of Death on the Nile, I can't do it without comparing it to the 1978 version. It's impossible. And the newer film, in my opinion, doesn't measure-up. While there are a number of things I could write about, there are two main areas where the newer Death on the Nile pales in comparison.

Acting – with two exceptions, the actors in this film are not the world-class actors in the 1978 movie. Don't get me wrong, the actors here are fine – there aren't any poor performances. But they're not Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, Maggie Smith, David Niven, or Jane Birkin. The two exceptions I mentioned are David Suchet and David Soul. As much as I like the 1978 movie, Peter Ustinov never really feels like Poirot. And, as much as I love George Kennedy, Soul is a better fit in the role.

Tone – the newer film has a much darker, brooding feel to it that the earlier movie. As a result the newer movie's just not as much fun or enjoyable. This really hurts the 2004 production. The 1978 movie actually has quite a bit of comedy in it, but not enough to take away from the serious nature of the subject matter. Even other episode in the Agatha Christie's Poirot series have a lighter touch to them that would have worked much better here.

That's not to say it's a bad movie, there's really a lot here to like. I've already mentioned the two Davids – Suchet and Soul. There's also some incredibly beautiful cinematography, nice costuming, and interesting locations. It's also as faithful to the significant plot points found in Christie's book as the earlier movie. On the whole, the good and bad just about negate each other and I rate it a 5/10.

5/10