DVD Review: Murdoch Mysteries, Seasons 11 & 12 By Chris Chan (WARNING: Some oblique spoilers here.) Murdoch Mysteries, the long-running Canadian period mystery-comedy series, is still going strong after twelve seasons. The series stars Yannick Bisson as William Murdoch, a police detective and scientist whose inventions are often ahead of their […]
Author Archives: Christopher Chan
DVD Review: Veronica Mars: The Complete Fourth Season (2019) [or, The Complete First Season (Revival), depending on who you ask.]
DVD Review: Veronica Mars: The Complete Fourth Season (2019) [or, The Complete First Season (Revival), depending on who you ask.] Veronica Mars is one of the latest beloved series to be revived, and not for the first time. When the show premiered in 2004, it soon earned critical raves and vociferous fans, but the show never […]
Book Review: And Then They Were Doomed: A Little Library Mystery
Book Review: And Then They Were Doomed: A Little Library Mystery As the title indicates, And Then They Were Doomed is inspired by Agatha Christie. Right of the bat, readers should be warned that the endings to about half a dozen Christie novels are referenced here, including And Then There Were None, Murder on the […]
DVD Review: Manhunt: Series 1, Blood, and London Kills, Series 1
DVD Review: Manhunt: Series 1, Blood, and London Kills, Series 1 This review will cover three newly released Acorn Media UK crime series, two British police procedurals and a Irish family tragedy. Manhunt: Series 1 Based on the memoirs of the police officer at the center of this drama, Manhunt is a three-part […]
DVD Review: The Happytime Murders and Can You Ever Forgive Me?
DVD Review: The Happytime Murders and Can You Ever Forgive Me? Melissa McCarthy had two crime movies released in 2018. They were radically different films with wildly different receptions. One “won” her a Razzie Award; and another earned her Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, as well as a plethora […]
DVD Review: Mr. Mercedes, Seasons 1 & 2
DVD Review: Mr. Mercedes, Seasons 1 & 2 By Chris Chan (WARNING: Some oblique spoilers here.) Mr. Mercedes is based on the Bill Hodges novels of Stephen King. Only the first in the series, Mr. Mercedes, has been read by me. Season one follows the titular book closely, with a handful of […]
Book Review: Agatha Christie’s Golden Age: An Analysis of Poirot’s Golden Age Puzzles
Book Review: Agatha Christie’s Golden Age: An Analysis of Poirot’s Golden Age Puzzles There are many books that summarize the novels of Agatha Christie, but while many companion works address the plots, John Goddard’s book purports to be the first to analyze the placement of clues and how the novels work as fair play […]
DVD Review: Longmire: Season 6
DVD Review: Longmire: Season 6 Some of the best works of crime television of recent decades have attempted to capture the spirit of various regions of the United States, or at least the creative team’s personal interpretations of the heart of the areas. The David Simon series The Wire and Homicide: Life on the Street […]
DVD Review: Killing Eve, Seasons 1 and 2
DVD Review: Killing Eve, Seasons 1 and 2 By Chris Chan The curse of many terrific television shows is poor reviews. By “poor reviews,” I don’t mean reviews that evaluate the show negatively. I mean badly crafted reviews, which praise the show in such a way that the show comes across as […]
Book Review: Paper Son: A Lydia Chin/Bill Smith Novel
Book Review: Paper Son: A Lydia Chin/Bill Smith Novel Paper Son is the latest in S.J. Rozan’s Lydia Chin series, about a Chinese-American private detective based in New York who works with her investigative partner Bill Smith. In this book, Lydia is drawn out of her familiar metropolis when her mother pressures her to […]
DVD Review: Luther: Season 5
DVD Review: Luther: Season 5 By Chris Chan Warning: Some oblique spoilers for this season of Luther and previous seasons follow! Luther, the series that helped make Idris Elba an international star, is back for a fifth but hopefully not final season. This season continues the series’ trademark of having the brilliant […]
DVD Review: Holmes and Watson
DVD Review: Holmes and Watson In these heavily politicized times, when families and friendships are sundered by differing opinions, and there seems to be no widespread agreement anywhere, people from all walks of life and ideologies are concurring on one point: the movie Holmes and Watson is dreadful. But why? What exactly about this […]