‘Fortune Cookie’ (1966) crumbles under its length, predictability
Wilder Wednesday (Movie review): This supposed satire of dishonest lawyering misfires by running the ball right up the middle.
‘Fortune Cookie’ (1966) crumbles under its length, predictability
‘Oxford Inheritance’ (2016) is cozy but too generic
Book club book report: Ann A. McDonald creates an invitingly mysterious campus, but does nothing remarkable with plot or characters.
‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’ Season 3 (1957-58) goes out like a lion
On a Hitchcock kick (TV review): The director teams with writer Roald Dahl for one of TV’s great instances of macabre humor, “Lamb to the Slaughter.”
‘Nightmare Town’ (1999) an essential cross-section of Hammett’s work
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): This landmark collection gives us more of the Op, all three Spade shorts and fascinating one-offs.
‘Suspiria’ (1977): Style, sounds, Suzy … and a slice of story
Frightening Friday (Movie review): Despite telling a simple tale, Dario Argento presents a whole ’nother – but equally effective – way to craft a horror film.
Disney creates cure for insomnia with ‘Tron: Legacy’ (2010)
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): This shallow legacy sequel makes a compelling case for being the Mouse House’s most cynical product.
‘Double Indemnity’ (1944) a deliberate classic of film noir
Wilder Wednesday (Movie review): Stiffer than Wilder’s later masterpieces, his adaptation of Cain’s novel helps stamp a genre into public consciousness.
‘Spellbound by Beauty’ (2008) goes deeper into Hitchcock’s dark side
On a Hitchcock kick (Book review): If you want to keep your Hitchcock journey fun, avoid this cold (but important) exploration of the director’s troubled nature.
‘Hunter and Other Stories’ (2013) cleans out Hammett’s files
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Unpublished and under-published tales are rounded up from the author’s archives, but this is for serious fans only.
‘Deep Red’ (1975) not deeply profound, but it gets Argento noticed
Frightening Friday (Movie review): One of the most famous “Psycho”-influenced films smooths off the edges of Argento’s earlier work.