“Crooked House”: The first film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel

“Crooked House” is a British mystery film directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner, based on Agatha Christie‘s novel of the same name.

The film stars Max Irons, Stefanie Martini, Glenn Close, Gillian Anderson and Christina Hendricks.

It’s the first film adaptation of Agatha’s Christie’s novel.

Christie’s novels, especially “And then there were none” and “Murder on the Orient Express”, have had several movie adaptations through the years.

It’s odd that no one thought about making a “Crooked House” inspired movie before.

Indeed Agatha Christie herself stated that “Crooked House” and “Ordeal by Innocence” were her favourites novels, the ones she held closest to her heart.

The film follows the classic murder mystery formula: it starts with a murder, a young struggling detective is called to investigate and everybody is a suspect. No one is safe and the killer might stike again.

The classic “whodunnit” formula. 

Nevertheless the movie manages to keep the audience entertained.

There are twists and turns and Charles Hayward, the detective, keeps second guessing his intuition.

Here’s something more about the plot:

The movie starts with the murder of a wealthy entrepreneur, Aristides Leonides, poisoned by a family member at Crooked House.

Due to the war, the whole family lives at Crooked House, Aristides’ fancy mansion in the english countryside.

Sophia Leonides, Aristide’s oldest and favorite granddaughter, gets in touch with an old flame, detective Charles Hayward, and asks him to help her unravel the mystery.

The whole family accuses Brenda, Aristide’s second wife, of the murder.

Brenda, a beautiful and much younger woman, is the obvious suspect and Hayward decides to dig deeper, uncovering one secret after another, questioning the already weak alibis of each family member.

Everybody could have done it. Every single family member had a valid reason to want him dead, including Sophia.

 

Charles Hayward takes one step forward and two steps back, exonerating some family members only to put them back in the game later.

“Crooked House” is a good movie. Mostly due to its dynamic characters and vibrant ensemble cast.

Each character represents a different microcosm of the same world. 

“Crooked House” is currently out in Italy.

It’s not a masterpiece or the movie of the year but it’s definitely a good movie to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon or a chill night out with friends. 

“The Sinner”: Jessica Biel’s tv show was the revelation of the summer

The Sinner is an American drama television series based on the novel of the same name by Petra Hammesfahr. The eight- episode limited series, that aired on USA Network, premiered on August 2, 2017 and ended on September 20,2017.

Jessica Biel, Bill Pullman, Christopher Abbott, Dohn Norwood and Abby Miller star in “The Sinner”.

It’s a slow paced drama that revolves around Cora Tannetti, played by Jessica Biel, and her many secrets that drew her to killing someone with apparently no reason at all.

The series follows the aftermath of Frankie Belmont’s murder at the hand of Cora Tannetti, a seemingly normal loving wife and mother. Frankie is murdered by Cora in plain sight at the beach. The woman is shaken up and immediately pleads guilty, saying that she doesn’t know why she did it and that she deserves to go to jail. 

It’s clear that Cora is hiding something and that there’s more to her actions than meets the eye. The series sets out to explore what in her psyche made her snap. It’s “why dunnit” instead of a “who dunnit”.

It’s a wonderful arc of redemption, horror and mystery that never fails to amaze its audience. You find yourself captivated by Cora’s story and can’t wait to find more about her upbringing and what led her to the murder.

Cora is taken to prison in the first 10 minutes of the show and you might wonder how they are gonna stretch her story for eight more episodes. We have the crime, we have the perpetrator, what more could they possibly do with her story?

As soon as she talks to Detective Ambrose (Bill Pullman) for the first time it’s clear that there’s a lot more that’s gonna happen in the show.

Cora is damaged, broken and doesn’t even want help. Her memories from the past are too painful and you will find yourself annoyed at her for lying several times and giving up on herself at first.

Thankfully she will find the strength to look for the truth and secrets from her painful past will emerge, leading to the reason why she committed the murder.

Jessica Biel, the star of the show, was surprised by the reception. Cora is unlikeable and unreliable, it’s not your average main character.

Here’s what she said about the show to Variety:

“Generally it never occurred to me that we’d have such great ratings. We definitely wanted you to feel like you have been lied to in the first few episodes because you have been. She does know a little bit more than she’s saying. Even though it may not be real, she believes it’s real, but then there’s a moment where she starts to question what she knows, and that’s the point where the unreliable narrator becomes very unreliable even to herself, and she’s now invested in finding the answer, too, because the story she thought was true is just not.”

The ensemble cast is excellent and the show is written beautifully. It’s a tough show to watch but it’s definitely worth it.

 

“Mother!” isn’t perfect but it’s still worth seeing

Much has been said about Darren Aronofsky‘s new movie, “Mother!”.

Some loved it, some hated it. 

I was on the fence because of all those negative reviews and reactions to the movie.

Those comments were getting to me and I was afraid I wasn’t gonna like it. But I still wanted to see it for myself. I wanted to find out if “Black Swan” truly was Aronofsky’s “Swan song”. (Let’s pretend “Noah” never happened).

I went to the movies, I watched it and I loved it. I seriously don’t get all that criticism. It’s not the best movie ever made but it’s one of those movies that you can’t stop thinking about for a while. “Mother!” stays with you.

In the era of remakes and biopics, “Mother!” is a breath of fresh air. It’s original, bold, daring, allegorical and unapologetic.

It deals with many topics and, even though there’s a “guideline”, you can draw your own conclusions.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!

Aside from the main theme (the planet, mother Earth, Jennifer’s character being the  house), I saw many biblical references and I was pleased to find out later that Aronofsky himself thought about the Old and New testament.

 “Entertainment Weekly” interviewed Aronofsky about the meaning of “Mother!” and here’s what he said:

“Everything is connected. That was the breakthrough for me — I had this idea, this allegory with a return to the horror genre and a take on the home invasion genre because I feel like everyone can relate to that feeling of having guests that won’t get the hell out of your house. And turning that into a nightmare could be interesting. But then I thought to try to talk about the people on this planet by using the great stories of the Bible. So I would say every single beat and character is related to the Bible in order — all the way through the Old Testament and the New Testament. That’s the fun — for people to put that together. Even some of the dialogue — and people haven’t picked up on this yet, is verbatim from the Bible.” 

Don’t be scared by the negativity surrounding this movie, the “F” from CinemaScore and so much more. Go see it and experience it. Movies like this need to be made. They’re weird, uncomfortable and original and deserve a chance. Aronofsky took a risk and we should too.

Also Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer are spectacular in it.

Be prepared ‘cuz it’s one hell of a ride and it will probably linger with you for a while but it’s WORTH IT.

Three movies I can’t wait to see

One of the biggest film festivals ever, if not the biggest, has just ended and another one has just begun. I’m talking about the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival.

The line up for the Venice Film Festival this year was really interesting and for the first time a fantasy movie won the Golden Lion: Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Shape Of Water”.

Del Toro is part of the “Mexican squad”, “los tres amigos”, “los cabrones”: He is joined by Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu and they are among the most influential voices in the film industry today. These three Mexican directors struggled together on the way to success and contributed to the revival of Mexican cinema.

His latest project, “The Shape Of Water” is part of the short list of my most anticipated upcoming movies.

1. “The Shape Of Water”

   The movie’s synopsis reads: “In 1962, a mute janitor and her colleague work in a government laboratory and eventually discover an amphibious creature in a water tank. The janitor, out of loneliness, befriends the creature.” Critics at the Venice Film Festival praised this dark romantic fantasy film, declaring it Del Toro’s best film since Pan’s Labyrinth. The movie is set in the past but has a lot to say about the present. It deals with racism, hatred towards people who are different from us and homophobia but it’s also a tale of hope, friendship and dreams. It’s set during the cold war and it’s a thriller, a monster movie, deals with social issues and at times it can be regarded as some weird kind of musical. It has everything. It stars Michael Shannon, Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer. Critics have been saying that “The Shape Of Water” has the potential to turn into a mainstream success because it appeals not only to cinephiles but also the general public, unlike Venice’s preview Golden Lion winner, “Ang babaeng humayo” (The Woman Who Left) by Lav Diaz.

2. “Mother”

   “Mother” is Darren Aronofsky’s latest project. Aronofsky is an acclaimed director with a very unique an interesting take on his projects. Indeed his movies are often surreal and disturbing. “Requiem for a dream” (that left me thinking about it for at least a week), “The Wrestler” and “Black Swan” are just a few titles under his belt. Aronofsky stated that “Mother!” is not a film for everybody, some will love it and some will hate it. The director said that you should only go see it if you are prepared to go on a roller coaster ride and do the loop-the-loop a few times. As a fan of his work, I believe him. It’s a psychological horror film that’s being compared to “Rosemary’s baby” and “The Shining”. At the Venice Film Festival it got mixed reviews. Some are calling it a masterpiece and some are saying that it’s horrible. I guess the truth is in the middle and I can’t wait to find out if I’ll be on Aronofsky’s side once again. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer and Domhnall Gleeson. PS Mother is premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival soon.

3. “The Killing Of A Sacred Deer”

The movie’s synopsis reads: “Steven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart and the behaviour of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister”. It’s a psychological horror-thriller directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.  It stars Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Alicia Silverstone and Barry Keoghan. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2017 and received mostly positive reviews. Lanthimos and Farrell worked together on the highly praised “The Lobster” (he was nominated at 2017 Oscars for “Best original screenplay”). Now it’s being screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Critics praised the movie and the acting and said that part of the movie’s success is the impeccable casting. As a long time Nicole Kidman fan I was pleased to hear that once again, she steals the show. It’s a story about revenge, retribution, violence, potential fratri/matri/patricide that will leave you with a lot to think about. Indeed at the Toronto Film Festival, many critics have been saying that Lanthimos’latest project is a Rorschach test for its viewers (“a psychological test in which subjects’ perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a person’s personality characteristics and emotional functioning.”- Wikipedia). Can’t wait.

The Mother Movie trailer is out and is everything you wanted it to be

I’ve been waiting for this moment since I first heard that Jennifer Lawrence, one of my longtime faves, was gonna work with Darren Aronofsky and now the “Mother!” trailer is finally here.

We don’t know much about the movie other than it looks quite disturbing, wild and that the actors are gonna kill it in their roles. Aronofsky is the greatest and seems to be back on top.

I’ve been waiting for a movie like this from him since “Black Swan” came out and it looks like we’re all not gonna be disappointed.

Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris, Kristen Wiig, Domhnall Gleeson and Brian Gleeson are in the movie and I’m sure they will all deliver great performances.

“Mother!” will have its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

Then it will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival (and it’s also competing for the Golden Lion).

Reminder: Jennifer Lawrence won her first award ever at the Venice Film Festival nine years ago (Premio Marcello Mastroianni for Best Young Actor or Actress for “The Burning Plain”) and now she’s going back to the Festival with one Oscar on her belt and three nominations. Let alone the many important awards she has won ever since. It must be surreal for her and she deserves it.

The movie’s synopsis reads: “A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.”

From the trailer it looks like Bardem’s character may not be as innocent as he seems and that he may be involved in some kind of weird cult. So that would leave Jennifer’s character all alone against this threat.

Anyway it looks awesome and I can’t wait to see “Mother!” at the movies.

It will be released on September 15 in the States and on September 28 in Italy.

Here’s the trailer:

Is “The Bold Type” the new “Sex & The City?

The Bold Type is an American drama tv show created by Sarah Watson. It stars Katie Stevens (Faking It) , Aisha Dee (Chasing Life) and Meghann Fahy.

The first episode aired on July 11 2017 on Freeform.

The show follows Jane (Katie Stevens), Kat (Aisha Dee) and Sutton (Meghann Fahy), three friends that work for Scarlet Magazine. It was inspired by Joanna Coles’ life, the former Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief. Melora Hardin’s character, Jacqueline Carlyle is loosely based on Coles.

It seems like both the critics and the public are embracing the show. Some call it a “guilty pleasure”, something lively and perfect for the summer. Some compare it to the iconic “Sex & The City”.

I’d say that “The Bold Type” is the perfect mix. 

The show isn’t over dramatic and doesn’t take itself too seriously but also deals with important themes such as feminism, online bullying and uplifting each other instead of tearing each other down. There’s competition but it’s healthy and the girls truly care about each other. Friendship is the core of the show. 

I’m also impressed with the way “The Bold Type” is handling these issues. It’s pretty real, raw, simple and close to the way real millenials behave.

Indeed Jane, Kat and Sutton are incredibly close to real millenials. It’s like watching yourself and your friends.

We have all asked ourselves if we were on the right path (career wise) or questioned our sexuality or tried to impress our new boss after getting our first job or promotion.

Seeing this on tv is refreshing. Everybody deals with the same issues and it’s nice to see three main characters that are not only beautiful but real. It makes you feel less alone when you’re faced with the same questions.

I think that you can find a little bit of yourself in each of the girls. I personally relate more to Sutton but I find a little bit of myself in Jane and Kat too.

The show isn’t afraid to talk about taboo topics such as female orgasm, it’s set in New York (even though most of it was shot in Montreal), Jane wants to be a writer just like Carrie, the girls are friends and hang out most of the time and so fashionable so the comparison with “Sex & The City” was inevitable.

However I think that it has its own take on female relationships and will be able to bring something new to the table. Or maybe yes, be what “Sex & The City” was for the 90s/00s generation.

These three first episodes showed real potential and it could become more than a simple “summer show”.

I hope that “The Bold Type”is here to stay because it’s a show that, if handled right, would make an impact on this generation.