The Verdict on American Mystery Classics: A Treat for Mystery fans… W.H. Auden once wrote: “Some books are undeservedly forgotten; none are undeservedly remembered.” Otto Penzler, the prolific editor of crime fiction and the proprietor of New York City’s “The Mysterious Bookshop,” is bringing back classic mystery novels from the past that have been long […]
Author Archives: Christopher Chan
DVD Review– Fargo: Season 3
DVD Review– Fargo: Season 3 The TV series Fargo has always argued that to be a hero, one does not need to be superhuman, just humane. That sentiment is at the heart of the series, which shows that though a significant portion of the evil in the world is caused by deliberate malice, a […]
DVD Review– The Palermo Connection
DVD Review– The Palermo Connection The Italian-language miniseries The Palermo Connection centers around twin themes: first, that it is impossible to escape your past, and second, that it is impossible to escape your conscience. When Angelo Caronia (Riccardo Scamarcio), a talented but arrogant investigator for the Italian police, alienates his superiors and is […]
DVD Review– Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe: The Complete Series and Nero Wolfe (Italian language series)
DVD Review– Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe: The Complete Series and Nero Wolfe (Italian language series) Alongside Perry Mason, Nero Wolfe is the foremost American fictional detective. Created by Rex Stout, the Wolfe mysteries spanned four decades and have been continued by Robert Goldsborough. Wolfe is larger than life due to his eccentricities. Wolfe loves […]
DVD Review: Murder on the Orient Express
DVD Review: Murder on the Orient Express (NOTE: This review will contain major spoilers for the 2017 movie Murder on the Orient Express.) “I have lived long enough to know what I like. What I dislike, I cannot abide.” The above quote is from Michael Green’s screenplay for the 2017 film adaptation of Murder […]
DVD Review: Going in Style and Golden Years
DVD Review: Going in Style and Golden Years The movies Going in Style and Golden Years both center on a nearly identical premise. What happens when a group of cash-strapped senior citizens, reeling from the unexpected and unjust loss of their pension income, decide to rob a bank? Both films appear to have gone into […]
Review of the Week: Fever By Deon Meyer.
Fever By Deon Meyer. Translated by K.L. Seefers Atlantic Monthly Press 2017 $26.00 A Review of Fever by Deon Meyer Fever is a lengthy journey into a post-apocalyptic society, where the goal of building a new utopia is marred by lack of understanding into human nature. In this story, a terrible disease has wiped out […]
DVD Review– The Night Of
DVD Review– The Night Of The Night Of is an HBO miniseries based upon the British series Criminal Justice. While the basic plot and many pertinent storyline details remain the same, the Americanized version comes into its own as a commentary on the U.S. justice system. The Night Of succeeds in Americanizing the source […]
DVD Review– Manhattan Night
DVD Review– Manhattan Night Manhattan Night is based on the novel Manhattan Nocturne by Colin Harrison. I’m not sure why the second word in the title was changed. When the movie was first in development, Nocturne was being used, but shortly before the film was released, it was switched to Night. If the powers […]
DVD Review– Big Little Lies
DVD Review– Big Little Lies Based on the book by Liane Moriarty, Big Little Lies is a mystery with a twist. The viewer is informed that there has been a violent death at a school Trivia Night fundraiser, but the identities of both the killer and the victim are kept hidden until the final […]
Review of the Week: The Ways of Wolfe: A Border Noir By James Carlos Blake
Review of the Week: The Ways of Wolfe: A Border Noir By James Carlos Blake Mysterious Press 2017 $25.00 Fans of Rex Stout should be forewarned: this book is not about the legendary orchid-loving detective who weighed one-seventh of a ton. Instead, this book is part of a family saga (the earlier books are as, […]
DVD Review– Agatha Christie’s The Witness for the Prosecution
DVD Review– Agatha Christie’s The Witness for the Prosecution Most of the previous adaptations of Agatha Christie’s classic courtroom drama, such as Billy Wilder’s classic Oscar-nominated movie, have been based on Christie’s stage play. The recent BBC telemovie, in comparison, is based strictly upon Christie’s original short story. The basic story remains the same: […]
