The Thin Man Goes Home

"You're driving me crazy. This case is serious and all you do is fuddle around and guzzle cider."
"I'll switch to prune juice."

Nick (Powell) and Nora (Loy) travel to the town of Sycamore Springs to visit Nick's parents: Dr. (Davenport) and Mrs. (Watson) Charles.  Nick has given up alcohol and is planning to enjoy a relaxing trip, but Nora is not convinced.  Everyone in town thinks Nick is on a case, even though he denies it.  Peter Berton (Brooks) visits the Charles home to speak to Nick, but is shot on the front porch.

Nick says he doesn't want to interfere in the case, led by Police Chief MacGregor (MacBride), but he secretly begins investigating.  Nora thinks he should take the case to impress his father.  As they begin looking into the murder, the number of suspects grows: there is dramatic Laurabelle (DeHaven) who was Peter's only friend, her tycoon father Sam (Minor Watson), Laurabelle's jealous boyfriend Tom (Paul Langton), Helena Draque (Vinson) who collects Peter's paintings, Helena's her anxious husband Edgar (Ames), the town recluse Crazy Mary (Revere), and Peter's boss Willoughby (Morris Ankrum).  Can Nick solve the case and impress his father?


This is the fifth film (of 6) in the Thin Man series (following The Thin Man, After the Thin Man, Another Thin Man, and Shadow of the Thin Man).  This film takes Nick and Nora out of the city and into Nick's childhood home.  Unlike the other films in the series, Nick does not drink any alcohol.  Nick and Nora's son does not appear in this film, but he is mentioned.

William Powell and Myrna Loy still have excellent chemistry (they made 14 films together).  The characters a little older, but still up to their usual actions.  They are joined by a new group of actors / characters.  Edward Brophy appeared in the original Thin Man film, but plays a different character here.  Harry Davenport and Lucile Watson are great as Nick's parents and have a natural relationship with each other and Powell's Nick.

The story is interesting and keeps you guessing.  And like it's predecessors, it ends with Nick calling everyone together to reveal the murderer.  I prefer some of the previous films, but it was an entertaining film.

This was the first entry in the series that was not directed by W.S. Van Dyke (he died in 1943).  Richard Thorpe took over directing duties on this film, but did not return for the 6th film.

The Thin Man Goes Home (1945) 100 minutes
Director: Richard Thorpe
Starring: William Powell as Nick Charles
Myrna Loy as Nora Charles
Lucile Watson as Mrs. Charles
Gloria DeHaven as Laurabelle Ronson
Anne Revere as Crazy Mary
Helen Vinson as Helena Draque
Harry Davenport as Dr. Bertram Charles
Leon Ames as Edgar Draque
Donald Meek as Willie Crump
Edward Brophy as Brogan
Lloyd Corrigan as Dr. Bruce Clayworth
Anita Sharp-Bolster as Hilda
Ralph Brooks as Peter Berton
Donald MacBride as Police Chief MacGregor

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

"I have the advantage. I can only see the world as it should be so the imperfections stand out."

Hercule Poirot (Branagh) is probably the greatest detective in the world.  After solving a case in Israel, he is looking forward to a vacation, but needs to return to London for his next case.  He runs into Bouc (Bateman), an old friend who is the director of the Orient Express.  Bouc makes arrangements for Poirot to travel in the first class car on the Orient Express.

During the trip, American businessman Edward Ratchett (Depp) asks Poirot to be his bodyguard.  The next morning they find Ratchett's body with multiple stab wounds.  No one entered or exited the first class car overnight and the train is stuck in the snow.  Poirot agrees to investigate the murder, with help from Bouc, and focuses his investigation to the first class passengers and staff.  The suspects include Ratchett's assistant Hector MacQueen (Gad), butler Edward Masterman (Jacobi), talkative American divorcee (Hubbard), missionary Pilar Estravados (Cruz), Dr. Arbuthnot (Odom Jr.), teacher Mary Debenham (Ridley), professor Gerhard Hardman (Dafoe), Italian car salesman Biniamino Marquez (Garcia-Rulfo), elderly Princess Dragomiroff (Dench) and her maid Hildegard Schmidt (Colman), violent Count Rudolph Adrenyi (Polunin) and his wife Countess Andrenyi (Boynton), and train conductor Pierre (Kenzari).  Can Poirot find the killer before the train reaches it's destination?


This film is a remake of the 1974 film Murder on the Orient Express, which is based on Agatha Christie's 1934 novel "Murder on the Orient Express."  The story was inspired by the Charles Lindbergh case in 1932.  She chose the location based on the 1929 story of when the Orient Express was stuck in the snow for 5 days near Istanbul.

Christie wrote 45 stories featuring Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, this is the 10th story and 8th novel.  He was one of her most popular characters, along with Miss Marple.  The character has appeared in several films and TV shows.  20th Century Fox announced their plan to adapt the novel in 2013.  They hired Michael Green to write the script and Kenneth Branagh to direct and star as Hercule Poirot.

Branagh called on his friends and frequent costars to fill the main cast.  Branagh is a good Poirot and drives the film and the action.  Each member of the cast delivers a compelling and interesting performance.  The setting is lush and colorful and helps immerse you in the world.

I prefer the 1974 version, but this film is still interesting and worth checking out.

The final scene of the film sets up a potential sequel, based on Christie's 1937 novel "Death on the Nile."  20th Century Fox and Agatha Christie's estate were pleased with the film and are developing a sequel, Death on the Nile, and hope to adapt more Hercule Poirot stories.  Branagh will again direct and star in the film.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017) 114 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for violence and thematic elements
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot
Tom Bateman as Bouc
Penelope Cruz as Pilar Estravados
Willem Dafoe as Gerhard Hardman
Judi Dench as Princess Dragomiroff
Johnny Depp as Edward Ratchett
Josh Gad as Hector MacQueen
Derek Jacobi as Edward Masterman
Leslie Odom Jr. as Dr. Arbuthnot
Michelle Pfeiffer as Caroline Hubbard
Daisy Ridley as Mary Debenham
Olivia Colman as Hildegarde Schmidt
Lucy Boynton as Countess Andrenyi
Marwan Kenzari as Pierre Michel
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Biniamino Marquez
Sergei Polunin as Count Rudolph Andrenyi

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

"The best things in life, the very best things happen unexpectedly."

Five years after her almost-wedding, Sophie Sheridan (Seyfried) is preparing for the grand re-opening of her mother's inn.  Her mother, Donna (Streep), died the year before and Sophie is dedicated to having a successful opening in her mother's honor.

As opening day approaches, Sophie reflects to young Donna's (James) journey to the island.  With help from Donna's best friends Tanya (Baranski) and Rosie (Walters) and her three dads, Sam (Brosnan), Bill (Skarsgaard), and Harry (Firth), can Sophie honor her mother's legacy?

Ten years after the success of 2008's Mamma Mia!, Universal Pictures reunited the cast for a sequel.  The film serves as both a sequel and prequel to the story of Mamma Mia.  The main story continues Sophie's journey, but it also features flashbacks to Donna's youth and how she ended up on the island.

Ol Parker served as the director and screenwriter.  He keeps the basics of Catherine Johnson's story, but makes some changes to the storyline and character backgrounds.  The story alternates between the present day with Sophie's journey, and young Donna's journey to the island.  Once again, all of the songs from the film were written by the band ABBA.  ABBA members Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson cameo in the film.  And some cast members from the original stage production of Mamma Mia appear in the "When I Kissed the Teacher" sequence, as teachers on the stage.

The present scenes focus on Amanda Seyfried's Sophie.  Seyfried has a beautiful voice, and sings most of the songs in the present.  She is joined by Dominic Cooper as her beau Sky.  He isn't in much of the film, but they have great chemistry when they are together.  Christine Baranski and Julie Walters are hilarious as Donna's friends Tanya and Rosie, and they get to sing a few songs with Seyfried.  Pierce Brosnan, Stella Skarsgaard, and Colin Firth return as Sophie's dads Sam, Bill, and Harry.  They don't get to do as much in this film, but they all sing in "Mamma Mia."  And despite the negative comments from the first film, Brosnan sings a couple lines on his own, and it works with the emotion of the scene.

Lily James steals the show as Young Donna.  She lights up the screen and has a beautiful voice.  She sings the majority of songs in the film, and sings with each of her suitors.  Hugh Skinner, who previously appeared in Les Miserables, plays Young Harry.  He gamely dives into the movie and hams it up with James in "Waterloo".  It is a fun song and it looks like they are having a blast.  Josh Dylan is the womanizing Young Bill.  He sings "Why Did It Have to Be Me" with James, which is my favorite duet in the film.  Jeremy Irvine is Young Sam and joins James on "Knowing Me, Knowing You."  Unlike the other duets, he sings with Donna at the end of their relationship, and it is a more serious song than the other suitors.  The suitors are all attraction men and have good chemistry with James, but they do not look much like their older counterparts.  Broadway vet Jessica Keenan Wynn is Young Tanya alongside Alexa Davies as Young Rosie.  They act the most like their older counterparts, and bring some of the humor to the scenes in the past.

Greek actor and singer Panos Mouzourakis plays Lazaros, who owns the bar where Young Donna sings, and sings "Kisses of Fire."  It is a funny scene, and he pops up a few more times in the film.  Comedian Omid Djalili is the Greek custom official and steals every scene he is in.  Stick around after the credits for a scene between him and Young Harry.  Cher and Andy Garcia are good in their roles, and Cher sings "Fernando."

The film ends with the cast, in character, singing "Super Trouper."  It is the only part of the movie where the entire cast appears together, and it looks like they are having a blast.  Cher, Seyfried, James, and Meryl Streep take the lead on the song, backed by the rest of the cast.  Seyfried, James, and Streep also sing the emotional "My Love, My Life" together.

I went to see this film with my mom and we had a good time.  We both preferred the first film, but agreed that it was an enjoyable film.  The film is emotional, especially as the present scenes deal with the groups shared grief over the loss of Donna.  But it still captures the joy from the original film.  We laughed, we cried, and we left with ABBA songs in our heads.

If you didn't like the original, or musicals in general, you probably won't enjoy this film.  If you are looking for a musical that doesn't involve much thought, but will have you dancing in your seat, then check it out!

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) 114 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for some suggestive material
Director: Ol Parker
Starring: Amanda Seyfried as Sophie Sheridan
Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan
Lily James as Young Donna
Dominic Cooper as Sky
Christine Baranski as Tanya Chesham-Leigh
Jessica Keenan Wynn as Young Tanya
Julie Walters as Rosie Mulligan
Alexa Davies as Young Rosie
Pierce Brosnan as Sam Carmichael
Jeremy Irvine as Young Sam
Colin Firth as Harry Bright
Hugh Skinner as Young Harry
Stellan Skarsgard as Bill Anderson
Josh Dylan as Young Bill
Cher as Ruby
Andy Garcia as Fernando Cienfuegos

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Juliet Ashton (James) is on a book tour around England to read exerts from her latest book.  The book is very popular, but Juliet wants to write something else.  She receives a letter from a man named Dawsey Adams (Huisman), who found a book she used to own and is looking for another book by the same author.  She sends him a book, and they begin exchanging letters.  Through the letters, Juliet learns about Dawsey's book club "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" and is intrigued by the members.

She cancels part of the book tour, despite the protestations of her friend and editor Sidney Stark (Goode), and travels to the island of Guernsey.  Her arrival is a surprise, but the book club hold a special meeting so she can meet everyone: Dawsey, Eben Ramsey (Courtenay), Eben's young grandson Eli (Connor), Amelia Maugery (Wilton), and Isola Pribby (Parkinson).  They formed the group when their island was occupied, and it became an escape from the pain in their lives.  As Juliet spends time with the society, she gets swept up in their lives and puts her own life on hold.


The film is based on the 2008 epistolary novel "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society."  I discovered the novel a few years ago and devoured it in a single weekend.  Authors Mary Ann Shaffer (who died before the book was published) and Annie Barrows stumbled onto the idea for the story while reading histories of the German occupation in WWII.  The story is interesting and in 2010 producers were circling the story.

The script sticks close to the novel, only removing a characters / story lines from the novel.  They assembled a great cast of British actors, many of whom appeared on the TV show Downton Abbey.  Lily James is good as Juliet and it is easy to see how she would get swept up in the lives of society.  The cast have excellent chemistry and are believable in their roles.  The film was shot in Guernsey.  The modern scenes are beautiful and colorful, while the past scenes reflect the tragedy around them.  The costumes, by Charlotte Walter, are beautiful.

The film received a theatrical release in the United Kingdom, and was distributed by Netflix around the rest of the world.

It is a well-made, well-acted film with a compelling story.  It has a nice balance between the horrors of the war, and moments of levity.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) 124 minutes
Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Lily James as Juliet Ashton
Michiel Huisman as Dawsey Adams
Glen Powell as Mark Reynolds
Jessica Brown Findlay as Elizabeth McKenna
Katherine Parkinson as Isola Pribby
Matthew Goode as Sidney Stark
Tom Courtenay as Eben Ramsey
Penelope Wilton as Amelia Maugery
Bronagh Gallagher as Charlotte Stimple
Kit Connor as Eli Ramsey
Florence Keen as Kit McKenna

Murder She Said

"I'm quite sure you mean well, Inspector, but if you imagine that I'm going to sit back and let everyone regard me as a dotty old maid, you're very much mistaken."

Miss Marple (Rutherford) is enjoying a murder mystery novel on the train, when she looks up to see a murder happening in another train.  She reports the crime, but Inspector Craddock (Tingwell) is not convinced.  Miss Marple turns to her friend, Jim Stringer (Davis), who shares her love for murder mysteries, and decides to investigate.  Their search leads to Ackenthorpe Hall that borders the train tracks.

She decides to get a job as a maid at Ackenthorpe Hall.  The Ackenthorpe family is run by prickly and ailing patriarch Luther Ackenthorpe (Justice) who barks orders from his bed.  The Hall is also home to Ackenthorpe's long-suffering daughter Emma (Pavlow) and his snarky grandson Alexander Eastley (Raymond), along with shady gardener Hillman (Golden) and miserable housekeeper Mrs. Kidder (Hickson).  And he receives regular at-home treatments from Dr. Paul Quimper (Kennedy).  Ackenthorpe has a challenging relationship with his three sons: Albert (Cross), Harold (Phillips), and Cedric (Walters), and son-in-law Brian Eastley (Howard), who were all at the house for the weekend.  Can Miss Marple find the body and the killer before anyone gets hurt?


This film is based on Agatha Christie's 1957 novel "4:50 from Paddington."  The story was the 7th novel to feature beloved character Miss Jane Marple.  She was one of Christie's most recognizable and popular characters (alongside Belgian detective Hercule Poirot), and starred in 12 novels and several short stories.

When MGM adapted the novel, they made some changes.  The biggest change, was the portrayal of Miss Marple.  Marple, as portrayed by Margaret Rutherford, is more comedic than written.  Christie did not like the film, but did dedicate the 1962 novel "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" to Rutherford.  Rutherford has great reactions.  The film keeps the the seriousness of the story, while also adding a touch of comedy.  They also added the new character of bookstore owner Jim Stringer, played by Rutherford's husband Stringer Davis.

The film was a success and MGM made 3 more Miss Marple films with Rutherford: Murder at the Gallop in 1963, Murder Most Foul in 1964, and Murder Ahoy! in 1964.

Murder She Said (1961) 87 minutes
Director: George Pollock
Starring: Margaret Rutherford as Jane Marple
Arthur Kennedy as Dr. Paul Quimper
Muriel Pavlow as Emma Ackenthorpe
James Robertson Justice as Luther Ackenthorpe
Thorley Walters as Cedric Ackenthorpe
Charles Tingwell as Inspector Craddock
Conrad Phillips as Harold Ackenthorpe
Ronald Howard as Brian Eastley
Joan Hickson as Mrs. Kidder
Stringer Davis as Jim Stringer
Ronnie Raymond as Alexander Eastley
Gerald Cross as Albert Ackenthorpe
Michael Golden as Hillman