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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated See how they run (2022) in Movies
Dec 8, 2022
Despite a miscast Sam Rockwell - it works well...enough
The British Comedy/Murder Mystery SEE HOW THEY RUN came and went in movie theaters (at least in the U.S.) pretty quickly last fall and, consequently, most folks missed that this was even a thing.
The good news is that it is now streaming on multiple streaming services so as people gather for the Holidays there is a fun, family friendly (but good for adults) film that young and old alike could gather around the TV to watch together.
Written by Mark Chappell and Directed by Tom George (both of whom who have quite a few BBC TV Series under their belts, but it looks like this is the Major Motion Picture debut for them both), SEE HOW THEY RUN is a comedic look at the British Murder Mystery with a frumpy detective, a victim who “deserved it” and a plethora of potential suspects who are all brought into a room by the Detective on a “dark and stormy” night to reveal “whodunnit”.
Normally, with these types of films, it comes down to the casting and while there are some very good - and fun - actors in many of the roles, one of the roles is terribly miscast and that brings down the quality of this film quite a bit.
So, let’s start with what works - the central murder mystery is clever…enough…(for this sort of thing) and is wonderfully constructed around the London Stage debut of the long-running Agatha Christie murder mystery play THE MOUSETRAP in the 1950’s and, thus, this film is a period piece and that atmosphere adds - in a positive way - to the look and feel of this movie.
Saoirse Ronan, as always, is very good as the young Policewoman who is brought in to aide the main detective and proves out to be quite the Detective herself. She really holds this film together tightly in the middle. Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson, David Oyelowo and Harris Dickinson all bring something to the film in their characters (and suspects) that add color and life to the central mystery.
Unfortunately, the usually good Sam Rockwell is miscast as the lead sleuth on this case. His frumpy, disheveled Detective was reminiscent of Columbo and just didn’t fit in this British Murder Mystery. While this performance is not a distraction to this film, it doesn’t elevate or lift this movie either, and - in a murder mystery - the detective solving the mystery is a major cog in the movie machine and this cog just isn’t that interesting.
Rockwell is not helped by a green Director and Writer who are looking to make the leap from television to film and this film feels more like a made for TV film, than a major motion picture.
Which is why this film is a good one to catch on one of the streaming services it is currently on. It is a fun enough film that will entertain young and old alike over the Holidays.
Letter Grade: B-
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
The good news is that it is now streaming on multiple streaming services so as people gather for the Holidays there is a fun, family friendly (but good for adults) film that young and old alike could gather around the TV to watch together.
Written by Mark Chappell and Directed by Tom George (both of whom who have quite a few BBC TV Series under their belts, but it looks like this is the Major Motion Picture debut for them both), SEE HOW THEY RUN is a comedic look at the British Murder Mystery with a frumpy detective, a victim who “deserved it” and a plethora of potential suspects who are all brought into a room by the Detective on a “dark and stormy” night to reveal “whodunnit”.
Normally, with these types of films, it comes down to the casting and while there are some very good - and fun - actors in many of the roles, one of the roles is terribly miscast and that brings down the quality of this film quite a bit.
So, let’s start with what works - the central murder mystery is clever…enough…(for this sort of thing) and is wonderfully constructed around the London Stage debut of the long-running Agatha Christie murder mystery play THE MOUSETRAP in the 1950’s and, thus, this film is a period piece and that atmosphere adds - in a positive way - to the look and feel of this movie.
Saoirse Ronan, as always, is very good as the young Policewoman who is brought in to aide the main detective and proves out to be quite the Detective herself. She really holds this film together tightly in the middle. Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson, David Oyelowo and Harris Dickinson all bring something to the film in their characters (and suspects) that add color and life to the central mystery.
Unfortunately, the usually good Sam Rockwell is miscast as the lead sleuth on this case. His frumpy, disheveled Detective was reminiscent of Columbo and just didn’t fit in this British Murder Mystery. While this performance is not a distraction to this film, it doesn’t elevate or lift this movie either, and - in a murder mystery - the detective solving the mystery is a major cog in the movie machine and this cog just isn’t that interesting.
Rockwell is not helped by a green Director and Writer who are looking to make the leap from television to film and this film feels more like a made for TV film, than a major motion picture.
Which is why this film is a good one to catch on one of the streaming services it is currently on. It is a fun enough film that will entertain young and old alike over the Holidays.
Letter Grade: B-
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Fatality by Firelight in Books
Feb 19, 2018
Fatality by Firelight sucked me right in from page one. Cat’s Victorian home is the perfect cozy setting for a writer’s retreat. When one of her guests is suspected of murder, she has to play detective as well as hostess. Fatality by Firelight is full of romance, good food, and plenty of suspects.
Read more on <a href="https://booksthething.com/2017/03/07/fatality-by-firelight-guest-post-by-lynn-cahoon-and-giveaway/">The Book's the Thing</a>
Read more on <a href="https://booksthething.com/2017/03/07/fatality-by-firelight-guest-post-by-lynn-cahoon-and-giveaway/">The Book's the Thing</a>
Katey Bassett (610 KP) rated Daughters of the Lake in Books
Dec 10, 2018
This book was a lot different than I thought it was going to be, there were certain parts that really sucked me in and there were other parts that sort of seemed like they went unfinished. I felt like the romantic aspect was slightly far fetched with the detective and there were a lot of details left out about Celeste. Overall, very quick read and I was glad to have gotten this book from Kindle First.
Sarah Betts (103 KP) rated Miss Minchin Dies (Sukey Reynolds, #11) in Books
Dec 31, 2019
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is the third book I've read in the Sukey Reynolds series and so far it's my favorite.
A woman is dead. Another woman is dead. These don't seem to have anything in common but our girl Sukey has a hunch that they do.
The dialogue in this one crackles and the detective work is exceptionally well written.
This is the third book I've read in the Sukey Reynolds series and so far it's my favorite.
A woman is dead. Another woman is dead. These don't seem to have anything in common but our girl Sukey has a hunch that they do.
The dialogue in this one crackles and the detective work is exceptionally well written.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Big Over Easy (Nursery Crime, #1) in Books
Nov 8, 2019
After the success of his Thursday Next books, in which the heroine can enter works of fiction and interact with the characters, Fforde dusted off a previous idea for a novel: a town where nursery rhyme characters are real. Humpty Dumpty is found in pieces at the bottom of his wall, but did he fall or was he pushed?
Investigated by detective Jack Spratt (usefully the name Jack is quite common in nursery rhymes) and his new partner Mary Mary we meet a number of characters from nursery rhymes, songs and myth and legend. As the body count rises Jack and Mary must do what all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't, and assemble the pieces of Humpty's demise to find the culprit.
The world Fforde creates - a fictional version of the town of Reading (and strongly implied to be the same world that Thursday Next lives in, in the book-within-a-book Caversham Heights) works suprisingly well, perhaps because other than the traits inherited from their nursery rhymes the characters are otherwise conventional. So Jack can't eat any fat and is destined to sell something for beans, but at the core is a straightforward detective.
This contrasts with, say, The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin which again is a detective story populated with nursery rhyme characters (and poor Humpty is again a victim, but in a very different murder) where the setting is in Toyland so doesn't have the grounding of reality that The Big Over Easy does.
The plot itself is very complex - there are red herrings, theories and suspects galore - and Fforde enjoys playing with the reader as much as with Jack. And there is of course humour aplenty, both simple gags from the story and characters and also some good knowing winks to the reader when events mirror the characters' nursery rhymes. Above all Fforde never forgets that this is after all a detective novel.
Probably not quite as good as the Thursday Next books but definitely a good read and will entertain from the first to the last page.
Investigated by detective Jack Spratt (usefully the name Jack is quite common in nursery rhymes) and his new partner Mary Mary we meet a number of characters from nursery rhymes, songs and myth and legend. As the body count rises Jack and Mary must do what all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't, and assemble the pieces of Humpty's demise to find the culprit.
The world Fforde creates - a fictional version of the town of Reading (and strongly implied to be the same world that Thursday Next lives in, in the book-within-a-book Caversham Heights) works suprisingly well, perhaps because other than the traits inherited from their nursery rhymes the characters are otherwise conventional. So Jack can't eat any fat and is destined to sell something for beans, but at the core is a straightforward detective.
This contrasts with, say, The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin which again is a detective story populated with nursery rhyme characters (and poor Humpty is again a victim, but in a very different murder) where the setting is in Toyland so doesn't have the grounding of reality that The Big Over Easy does.
The plot itself is very complex - there are red herrings, theories and suspects galore - and Fforde enjoys playing with the reader as much as with Jack. And there is of course humour aplenty, both simple gags from the story and characters and also some good knowing winks to the reader when events mirror the characters' nursery rhymes. Above all Fforde never forgets that this is after all a detective novel.
Probably not quite as good as the Thursday Next books but definitely a good read and will entertain from the first to the last page.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Precious and Grace in Books
Oct 15, 2017
Don't read this if you haven't read the others
So I probably shouldn't have started reading this series from the 17th instalment, as you have zero grasp of the characters and the context in which these women have set up this agency.
In this latest installment of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi help a young woman on a quest to find someone from her past.
A young Canadian woman who spent her early childhood in Botswana requests the agency's help in recovering important pieces of her life there. With only a faded photograph - and, of course, some good old-fashioned detective skills - to guide them, Precious and Grace set out to locate the house that the woman used to live in and the caretaker who looked after her many years ago.
The problem is that as a stand-alone book it seems rather bland and a bit of an anti-climax. However, I'm sure it's much more interesting having read the rest of the series.
In this latest installment of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi help a young woman on a quest to find someone from her past.
A young Canadian woman who spent her early childhood in Botswana requests the agency's help in recovering important pieces of her life there. With only a faded photograph - and, of course, some good old-fashioned detective skills - to guide them, Precious and Grace set out to locate the house that the woman used to live in and the caretaker who looked after her many years ago.
The problem is that as a stand-alone book it seems rather bland and a bit of an anti-climax. However, I'm sure it's much more interesting having read the rest of the series.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated NYPD Red (NYPD Red, #1) in Books
May 10, 2018
Detective Zach Jordan works for NYPD Red. A distinct branch of the NYPD that is in charge of cases involving the rich and famous He's about to het a new partner and a new case all in the same day. The new partner, Detective Kylie MacDonald is an old lover The new case comes at the start of Hollywood on the Hudson, where the L.A. elite come to examine movie making in New York City. So people in the T.V./movie business will be everywhere.
The Good News: NYPD Red will be busy.
The Bad News: They have a serial killer on their hands.
The first murder is at the Regency Hotel. A movie producer takes a nose dive into his breakfast plate. Not long after arriving on the scene, do they get a call for a murder at Silvercup Studios....and the day begins.
Will they find the killer before half of Hollywood is dead in NYC?
I'm a big James Patterson fan, and this book didn't have as much Umph to it that the Cross or Women's Murder Club books do.
The Good News: NYPD Red will be busy.
The Bad News: They have a serial killer on their hands.
The first murder is at the Regency Hotel. A movie producer takes a nose dive into his breakfast plate. Not long after arriving on the scene, do they get a call for a murder at Silvercup Studios....and the day begins.
Will they find the killer before half of Hollywood is dead in NYC?
I'm a big James Patterson fan, and this book didn't have as much Umph to it that the Cross or Women's Murder Club books do.
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes in Books
Feb 1, 2018
I may be good, but Sherlock Holmes is better. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle weaves unusual and fantastical tales about the globally beloved detective in this collection of stories. Each is short and can be devoured in less than an hour. They are some of his more famous short works and highly enjoyable.
Doyle paints a narrative through the eyes of Holmes' companion, Dr. Watson and makes the tale more accessible to the average reader. Holmes' sharp mannerisms and lofty thoughts would not be as intriguing if Watson's nobler sentiments and smoothing words did not soften him. Each mystery slowly unfolds before the reader's eyes and if their powers of deduction are keen, they may even discover some clues or Holmes' motives before they're expressly detailed.
The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were beloved in their time and are now classics for a reason. This is a wonderful collection of stories and highly recommended to fans of detective stories, classic novels, or have never read a story about Sherlock Holmes before and wish to give them a shot. (You won't be disappointed.)
Doyle paints a narrative through the eyes of Holmes' companion, Dr. Watson and makes the tale more accessible to the average reader. Holmes' sharp mannerisms and lofty thoughts would not be as intriguing if Watson's nobler sentiments and smoothing words did not soften him. Each mystery slowly unfolds before the reader's eyes and if their powers of deduction are keen, they may even discover some clues or Holmes' motives before they're expressly detailed.
The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were beloved in their time and are now classics for a reason. This is a wonderful collection of stories and highly recommended to fans of detective stories, classic novels, or have never read a story about Sherlock Holmes before and wish to give them a shot. (You won't be disappointed.)
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Shunned and Dangerous (An Amish Mystery, #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
While exploring a corn maze, Claire Weatherly stumbles upon the body of Harley Zook. This Amish man was very kind; in fact, he was one of the few who has stood up for detective Jakob Fisher after Jakob left the Amish community to become a detective, which lead to Jakob being shunned. With the evidence pointing to Jakob’s father, Claire will have to once again act as an intermediary to find the killer.
As I’ve come to expect with this series, the characters are strong and so compelling that they really pull you into the story. The plot is good with some nice twists before the end. I am growing a little tired of Claire and how upset she is by how Jakob is treating. While I agree with her that it isn’t right, it is who they are, and getting mad and raising her voice to people isn’t going to change anything. Still, I am enjoying this series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/08/book-review-shunned-and-dangerous-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
As I’ve come to expect with this series, the characters are strong and so compelling that they really pull you into the story. The plot is good with some nice twists before the end. I am growing a little tired of Claire and how upset she is by how Jakob is treating. While I agree with her that it isn’t right, it is who they are, and getting mad and raising her voice to people isn’t going to change anything. Still, I am enjoying this series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/08/book-review-shunned-and-dangerous-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
ClareR (5879 KP) rated Into the Night (Gemma Woodstock, #2) in Books
Jan 16, 2019
An impressive follow-up.
I'm beginning to really like Gemma Woodstock, the main character in this book. She was going through a really hard time in the first book in the series, and she does partake in some pretty risky behaviour here, but by the end she seems to be sorting herself out.
Gemma is put on the case of a murdered celebrity with Fleet, another (male) detective. The only problem is the sheer volume of suspects. He was killed during a shoot of the film he was working on, where a large crowd of zombies are pressing in on him. Every one of those zombies must be identified and questioned. A huge task!
Two other cases are worked on at the same time as this one - there's a lot going on. I don't envy Gemma at all. A really good, satisfying end to the book, and it leaves me wanting to hear and read more about Detective Gemma Woodstock!
Many thanks to ReadersFirst for my copy of this book.
Gemma is put on the case of a murdered celebrity with Fleet, another (male) detective. The only problem is the sheer volume of suspects. He was killed during a shoot of the film he was working on, where a large crowd of zombies are pressing in on him. Every one of those zombies must be identified and questioned. A huge task!
Two other cases are worked on at the same time as this one - there's a lot going on. I don't envy Gemma at all. A really good, satisfying end to the book, and it leaves me wanting to hear and read more about Detective Gemma Woodstock!
Many thanks to ReadersFirst for my copy of this book.