Three-pronged plot of ‘The Dain Curse’ (1929) is worth the effort
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): The Continental Op does meat-and-potatoes work to solve Hammett’s most multi-layered mystery.
Three-pronged plot of ‘The Dain Curse’ (1929) is worth the effort
‘Blow Out’ (1981) blows it at the end, but is still great
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): A likeable Travolta and Allen guide this conspiracy noir through its beats, but De Palma doesn’t stick the landing.
Hitchcock makes sound transition to talkies in ‘Blackmail’ (1929)
On a Hitchcock kick (Movie review): The tech transition feels gimmicky, but three compelling characters and a modern theme keep matters suspenseful.
Continental Op makes rip-roaring leap to novels in ‘Red Harvest’ (1929)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): One of the earliest hardboiled detectives is not merely a prototype, but also still among the best.
Ricci tries bizarre British whimsy in ‘Miranda’ (2002)
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): With mild success, a one-and-done screenwriter blends a con drama, an orphan tragedy and romantic flailing.
du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’ (1938) a slower burn than the film
On a Hitchcock kick (Book review): Hitchcock’s faithfulness limits surprises for those tackling the novel afterward, but it has one key difference.
‘Last Bookshop in London’ (2021) blends love of books with WWII
Book club book report: In a young-adult style, Madeline Martin communicates the horrors of the Blitz to folks who’d rather curl up with a good novel.
2024: A horror ‘Oddity’ – Irish film is year’s best so far
Movie review: Writer-director Damian Mc Carthy masterfully crafts a character-driven supernatural whodunit at a refurbished Irish manor.
Horror-thriller ‘Longlegs’ has loads of style, not enough story
Movie review: The latest nutso performance by Nicolas Cage is in service of a moody horror-thriller where the story pieces don’t fit.
Hammett’s ‘The Glass Key’ (1931) digs into city political games
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Though unavoidably a complex subject, Hammett and his most unethical detective make government corruption accessible.