‘Maltese Falcon’ (1930) stands as definitive hardboiled mystery
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Dashiell Hammett only wrote five novels, but the influence outshines the output, especially with this Sam Spade starrer.
Romance
‘Maltese Falcon’ (1930) stands as definitive hardboiled mystery
‘Shaun of the Dead’ (2004) the all-time elite zom-com
Frightening Friday (Movie review): Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg get on the map in a big way with a dry comedy that takes advantage of zombie lore.
‘Finlay Donovan Is Killing It’ (2021) in a fun meta thriller
Book club book report: Elle Cosimano switches from YA to adult novels with a page-turning story of an unlikely sleuth.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ gives Rocket’s tear-jerking backstory
Movie review: James Gunn’s (likely) last Marvel movie is one of the MCU’s best, and ironically it proves that DC is in good hands going forward.
All 6 of Agatha Christie’s Mary Westmacott novels, ranked
Book list: The Queen of Crime wrote six non-mystery novels under the name Mary Westmacott that showcase her versatility … and her life story.
‘The Cartographers’ (2022) could’ve been mapped out better
Book club book report: A delicious idea based on a real-world event keeps Peng Shepherd’s novel compelling, but we’re left with roads to nowhere.
‘Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’ (2022) the ‘Kavalier & Clay’ of video games
Book club book report: Gabrielle Zevin pens an emotional friendship drama while secretly building up the reader’s video-game knowledge.
A neurotic half-century: Every Woody Allen film, ranked
Movie list: I’ve obsessively made my list and checked it twice, and now I need counseling. Here are my rankings of Woody Allen’s films.
‘Sparkling Cyanide’ retains glitz, mystery for 1983 TV movie
Sleuthing Sunday (Movie review): This character-driven Agatha Christie novel smoothly moves four decades forward for a glamorous TV film.
‘Endless Night’ gets made into sneaky great 1972 film
Sleuthing Sunday (Movie review): Christie’s tricky-to-adapt 1967 gem makes an impressive transition to film, with surprises intact.