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Murder on the Orient Express (2017) 4/10 - yet another disappointing film, this is a totally unnecessary remake of a near perfect movie. Kenneth Branagh is a poor substitute for Albert Finney, playing the classic detective for laughs and making him seem almost inept. Most of its all star cast are completely wasted and have little to do apart from act shady and wait for the denouncement.

If you have seen the original don't bother with this, if not then seek it out, a real classic.

Seance On A Wet Afternoon(1964)

A really well made thriller from directior Brian Forbes about a con artist who stages a kidnapping which she then solves by pretending to be a psychic medium.Nanette Newman,Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough all shine in the ensemble.

7/10

(09-11-2017 12:39 )rpj316 Wrote:  Seance On A Wet Afternoon(1964)

A really well made thriller from directior Brian Forbes about a con artist who stages a kidnapping which she then solves by pretending to be a psychic medium.Nanette Newman,Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough all shine in the ensemble.

7/10

Sounds good. I'll have to check that one out.
That's a shame Murder on the Orient Express isn't any good, lancealot. I was hoping that'd be worth a watch.

2 more noir films here, that I've checked out over the last couple of nights on Show Box:

Out of the Past (1947)
Starring Robert Michum, Jane Greer & Kirk Douglas. A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses and duplicitous dames. Great performances all round here, with Michum being as cool as ever. The chemistry/tension between the 3 leads makes this a pleasure to watch.
4/5

Gun Crazy (1950)
Starring John Dall & Peggy Cummins. A well meaning crack shot husband is pressured by his beautiful marksman wife to go on an interstate robbery spree, where he finds out just how depraved and deadly she really is. Again, great stuff here, with Peggy Cummins character being obsessed with killing she's almost psychotic. Great tension in the 2nd half of the film makes this a real treat to watch.
4.5/5

(09-11-2017 00:10 )lancealot790 Wrote:  Murder on the Orient Express (2017) 4/10 - yet another disappointing film, this is a totally unnecessary remake of a near perfect movie. Kenneth Branagh is a poor substitute for Albert Finney, playing the classic detective for laughs and making him seem almost inept. Most of its all star cast are completely wasted and have little to do apart from act shady and wait for the denouncement.

If you have seen the original don't bother with this, if not then seek it out, a real classic.

The problem with this film is that it has been made several times before (with various levels of success) so everyone knows the plot, and everyone knows whodunit.

A couple find a 40-year-old film reel that depicts the gruesome murders of two people by a serial killer who vanished. They quickly set out to solve the mystery and claim a reward but soon find themselves the target of the person they are hunting.

Decent watch

7.5/10

(09-11-2017 16:12 )Tractor boy Wrote:  

(09-11-2017 00:10 )lancealot790 Wrote:  Murder on the Orient Express (2017) 4/10 - yet another disappointing film, this is a totally unnecessary remake of a near perfect movie. Kenneth Branagh is a poor substitute for Albert Finney, playing the classic detective for laughs and making him seem almost inept. Most of its all star cast are completely wasted and have little to do apart from act shady and wait for the denouncement.

If you have seen the original don't bother with this, if not then seek it out, a real classic.

The problem with this film is that it has been made several times before (with various levels of success) so everyone knows the plot, and everyone knows whodunit.

TB's right for those of us who have seen other versions, a whodunnit where the solution is known by most is a redundant exercise.
I can only guess this is aimed at a generation unfamiliar with previous versions and probably even the books, and to the curious who know the plot but are just interested in seeing how it's reinterpreted (probably not a huge audience ?)

But then it seems like there's been a loss of confidence in the basic source material's ability to engage and hold a new audience ? I can just see the studio bods sitting around going "but it's just a bunch of talking heads in a railway carriage - where's the action ?"

Hence, the (for me) slightly uneasy obligatory CGI avalanche sequences, train perched on rickety bridge, chase / fight sequences etc. But it's like they didn't have the confidence to go all out and do a full Guy Ritchie/Robert Downey Jnr number on it - so it seems a bit half hearted. I wonder if the Christie Estate baulked at a more fully "action hero Poirot" ?

I have to say I'm not wild about Albert Finney's performance in the 1970s version, I'm not at all sure that film's aged that well.

I wouldn't say Poirot's played for laughs in this new version - there is humour in other adaptations of him, the character's fussiness lends itself to that, but I didn't think the humour was too overdone in this or makes him look inept, I didn't get that.
He has a tendency to mock people and poke fun a bit, but also has a fair bit of seriousness and weight at other points to counterbalance that. I think the film would have been too po-faced overall without some of the humour.

(By contrast,by the time poor old David Suchet got let loose on this for TV, he'd left the his early cheery interpretation of the character behind and they'd decided to make Poirot all fashionably tortured and "dark" and plagued with Catholic guilt, for some reason - Poirot's never remotely religious in the books as far as I recall. This film doesn't go as far as that , and is the better for it imo.)

So overall flawed yes I'd agree but then I've sat through worse movies.
And it seems to speed by, barely in your seat for 2 hours and that's including all the trailers and adverts.

The Girl On The Train(2015) Emily Blunt in the title role as a struggling alcoholic who gets involved in a disappearance. Must heralded even before its release as it was based on a much publicised best selling novel. Whether its the source material or just the director, it doesn't live up to the hype. The director can't decide on whether its a mystery thriller( they're aren't a lot of thrills), a drama or an arthouse movie, and the constant flashbacks, initially intriguing, become annoying and tricky cinematography both showy and pointless. The script is another problem, its pretty humdrum.The major plus points are the acting, particularly Blunt, with decent support from Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux and Haley Bennett. Also starring Luke Evans,Edgar Ramirez,Laura Prepon,Allison Janney,Darren Goldstein and Lisa Kudrow. 5.5/10

Murder On The Orient Express(2017) Lavishly shot and slickly and imaginatively directed(by Kenneth Branagh). An intelligent script. Branagh as Poirot, pretty good, certainly better than Albert Finney, but Suchet still remains the king. My only quibbles with Branagh's Poirot version is the occasional action scenes, totally out of character and occasionally over extrovert scene. Many of the all star cast grab their chances(Depp,Dench,Pfeiffer,Ridley - not seen her before,she's good,Jacobi,Dafoe). Also liked the lesser known actors, Josh Gad and Tom Bateman. The trouble with an all star cast is some don't get much to do, like Olivia Coleman and Penelope Cruz. Familiarity can breed contempt as many will know the whole story, so in the end, its the presentation and acting that get you watching. 7/10

The Comeback(1978) A singer makes a new album after a long absence and encounters supernatural occurrences in the new house he moves into. A strange leading cast, Jack Jones(MOR singer),Pamela Stephenson(Not The Nine O'Clock News),Bill Owen(Last Of The Summer Wine) and David Doyle(Charlie's Angels) in a merely adequate tale with the odd spooky and gory moment and a thin plot. Adequate would describe Jones' performance, with Doyle and Sheila Keith as Owen's wife stealing the acting honours. Also starring Holly Palance,Peter Turner and Richard Johnson. 5/10