Ten Thoughts on Marple: A Pocket Full of Rye

A four-part series in which I take a gander at my favorite on-air program, Agatha Christie's Marple, on Masterpiece Mystery!.



1. Julia McKenzie is an OK Miss Marple

She's like a bridge between Geraldine McEwan and Joan Hickson. She's all smiles, like McEwan, but a little more discreet with her manipulations, like Hickson. The tweed suits her, I think. I do miss how McEwan always relished the murders, condemned everyone around her, and laughed when the police had no idea what she was talking about. McKenzie is a little closer to the novels, especially in this adaptation.

2. Poor Wendy Richard
This is the last production Miss Brahms filmed before she died of cancer earlier this year. And it looks like it. It's not just the frumpy makeup, either. I haven't felt this bad for someone since watching the adaptation of Murder with Mirrors with a post-stroke Bette Davis. I did notice, of course, that while everyone else gets invasive close-ups, Richard only briefly approaches the camera before turning away quickly, and all of her scenes are kept in the blurrily-lit kitchen. Truly depressing.

3. When Age Creeps Up on You

Good Lord, is that really Prunella Scales? Again, I can't tell if it's the makeup or nature, but it's jarring to find one's boyhood heroes/heroines at this state. I suppose I wouldn't be so shocked if I actually paid attention to their careers between Britcoms and Marple appearances. Interesting note: her husband, Timothy West, played the victim in the first adaptation of this episode.

4. "Bye-Bye, Blackbird"

Having seen Public Enemies a second time earlier that afternoon, I already had Diana Krall's sexy vocals in my head. To hear the same tune in a Marple film just seven hours later caught me off guard. More so since this was the face singing it. Bleh.

5. No Really: Bye-Bye, Blackbird

Lord, the pie scene was horrifying. It lasts all of two seconds, I've seen a previous version, read the book, heard the radio series--but God! How ghastly! Well-done, production team!

6. Stupid Flashbacks

As happens with whodunnits, we get flashbacks to the true events as Miss Marple gives her denouement. They're blurry. Foggy. Stupid. I can't see a bloody thing, and it looks hokey besides. And every sound gets an echo effect. I much prefer Murder She Wrote's method of a voice-over being the only soundtrack in flashbacks lit like the rest of the film.

7. Brilliant Work, Susie Parriss!

With the exceptions of the dull Lucy Cohu (Pat Fortescue) and the overbearing Ken Campbell (Crump the butler), this was one of the more perfectly cast productions in recent Marple memory. Rupert Graves and Ben Miles were perfect as the ne'erdowell and priggish brothers, respectively. Helen Baxendale's Mary Dove was suitably humorless and humorous at the same time. Liz White and Hattie Morahan turned previously dull characters into neat roles, with Morahan's performance and Elyot's screenplay maturing the young daughter Elaine from a crybaby girl to a strong, politically-active woman. Matthew Macfadyen was incredible as Inspector Neele, one of my favorite characters in all of Christiedom. And Anna Madeley's Adele Fortescue is one for the books.

8. Mm, Cake

It always took me out of the story, but all I could think whenever they showed this bit of prop-ery was, "Lord almighty, I want a piece of that." Same thought also applies to this:


9. No Miss Ramsbottom? No Problem!
How engaging was this production? So much so, in fact, that it took me a full hour into the 90-minute program to realize they had cut out my favorite character from the novel. Previously played by Fabia Drake (and by Maggie Smith in my head), I was shocked when I realized that not only was she absent, but I didn't even miss her! Strong writing indeed, Kevin Elyot! Have a cookie.

10. Alan Cumming Has Bedroom Eyes

He's the new host of Masterpiece Mystery!, inheriting duties previously executed by Diana Rigg and Vincent Price. He is a worthy heir, but he always looks like he's trying to seduce the audience. It's nerve-wracking. I'm not used to feeling indecent while watching PBS. Read more!

Mrs. Slocumbe (1922 - 2009)

StinkyLulu linked to a blog that compared recent celebrity deaths to a scene in Dynasty, and so I went to see what this blog was all about, and lo and behold only THEN do I learn that the IMDb and all other American news sites have YET to actually discuss, the heartless sons of bitches.

So thank you, The Lisp, for informing me.



Mrs. Slocumbe has gone off to that great Department Store in the sky, joining Mr. Humphries, Mr. Grainger, Mr. Beverly, Young Mr. Grace, and most recently, Miss Brahms.

To Mollie Sugden, I need only say: "Dear Sexy Knickers, Thanks for the good times." Read more!

Karl Malden (1912 - 2009)

Karl Malden. When Ben told me at the office, the world froze. I could feel myself welling up. Something Farrah, Michael, and the Orange Glo guy couldn't do was get this reaction out of me. This overwhelming sadness, the knowledge that the world was now a much dimmer place.

And yet I can only think of one film that I've seen him in: his Oscar-nominated role in <span style="font-style:italic;">On the Waterfront</span>. My grandfather made me watch it once, and I am forever in his debt because of it. Malden's performance as Father Barry was incredible, captivating. Edmond O'Brien won for The Barefoot Contessa, but I just...I can't see anything being better than this:



I don't care for a world without Father Barry. Read more!

The Sunshine Land of Rudo Y Pelham 1-2-Up

A few more reviews, five sentences each. GO TIME.


UP
Great opening sequence, if a tad manipulative. That little kid is so fucking annoying. And the characters aren't as well-drawn as in previous Pixar movies (cry me a river, Russell; bitching ain't an arc). Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer (especially) do fantastic voice work, though. Lord, that first moment with the balloons is amazing.


LAND OF THE LOST
Not terrible. Some jokes fall flat, and this is mostly due to the filmmakers' desire to "appeal" to a more "adult" crowd with crass humor. But when it plays it straight, God is it fun. Out of the leads, Danny McBride is the most charismatic (which is whoa). Michael Giacchino's score is tops.


THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123
FREEKING AWESOME! Denzel Washington, James Gandolfini, John Travolta, John Turturro, etc., are all amazing! Edge of your seat excitement 100 percent! I got jumpy and nervous and sweaty, it was so immersive! Def buy it on DVD!


RUDO Y CURDSI
Nice little drama about soccer effecting the lives of the titular brothers. Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna are as engaging as always, but it is Guillermo Francella, as their manager, who really steals the show. Great use of Cheap Trick. Carlos Cuaron proves that talent runs in the family. And those costumes!


SUNSHINE CLEANING
It's interesting when a movie pulls punches and still tries too hard, but that's what this movie does. Alan Arkin is in full Little Miss Sunshine mode, while Emily Blunt tries her darndest with a sketchily-written character. Hollmann Award Winner Amy Adams is totally NOT Amy Adams, and also does her best with a role that doesn't give much. But she rocks it anyhow. Unfortunately, it's not enough to save this ultimately dull attempt at dramedy. Read more!

1983 SMACKDOWN!

I have taken part, for a second time, in StinkyLulu's Supporting Actress Smackdown. The year is 1983, and Heavens to Betsy there's much to love here. The chick from SilverScreener fave Carrie, Cruella De Ville, the woman who made me believe in life after love, a tiny woman, and Alfre Woodard. Kick-ass.

I'll tell you what, I am a big fan of the performances by Cher (Silkwood) and Linda Hunt (The Year of Living Dangerously). I am not a big fan of Amy Irving in Yentl.

Head on over to StinkyLulu and check out what went down.

I have to say, if there's one thing I've learned from this experience, it's this: 1983 kind of blows. True, Linda Hunt got the Oscar she so richly deserved, and Silkwood's cool, but overall? Cross Creek is dull, Yentl is a joke, and though I freeking love The Big Chill, why was Glenn Close that film's sole nominee? Especially when Meg Tilly, Mary Kay Place, Tom Berenger, and (emphasis on him) William Hurt gave such amazing performances? What a bizarre year. Read more!

Casting Coup: Diamonds Are Forever

I have been awful about keeping up with Bond Month. It's been a whole eleven days since my last post. Good Lord, doing this in the middle of a busy thesis cycle was not the best idea I've had. But I guess another part of it was my reluctance to get into Diamonds Are Forever, a novel which I remembered mainly for the boredom I felt while reading it.



But how unfair that is! For during a reread of it, I realized that Diamonds Are Forever has one of the better character arcs for a Bond Girl. Tiffany Case, simplified into a ditzy (borderline retarded) bimbo in the film, is interesting in that she is only one of three Fleming-era Bond Girls to actually matter to Bond. She's a tough gal, the victim of a vicious gang rape when she was sixteen, an event that left her uninterested in men. Until Bond, of course, who actually comes off as a sweetheart in this one. He's naive to the way things work in non-tropical America, underestimates his opponents, and tries to resist falling for Tiffany because he doesn't want to use her feelings as a way to plumb for information.

The main plot is sort of interesting: Bond is assigned to close a pipeline of diamond smuggling from South Africa to the United States. The main villains are forgettable, twin brothers who smuggle diamonds or whatever. The henchman are the more interesting characters this time around, including homosexual hitmen Wint and Kidd and hunchbacked between-man Shady Tree. This is also the first look we get of Felix Leiter after the shark attack in Live and Let Die. Outfitted with a false leg and hook, Leiter is no longer with the CIA, but an employee of Pinkertons Detective Agency. Still kick-ass, though.

Diamonds Are Forever is also one of the few novels that could work just as well in the present as it did back then. No need to change things around to accomodate this Bond, no need to up the stakes to reflect the 21st Century -- just a simple smuggling scheme that Bond must stop. True, there are none of the diamond satellites of the film, nor is there a Blofeld in drag. But I guess those are sacrifices I'll have to make.

Featuring: James Bond, Felix Leiter, M, Miss Moneypenny, Loelia Ponsonby, Ronnie Vallance (for more on these characters, check here and here)


SERGEANT DANKWAERTS
Who is He: One of Vallance's men. He takes Bond to London's House of Diamonds to meet the mysterious Rufus B. Saye. Dankwaerts, an expert on diamonds, soon realizes that Saye, head honcho of the H of D, knows either very little or absolutely nothing at all abotu diamonds -- just whether or not they sell.

My Choice:

Danny Webb (Valkyrie, The Upside of Anger)
Talented, but not well-known, so he's undistracting. He could play up the smug revelation beautifully.


ERNEST CUREO
Who is He: A cab driver working with Leiter. He becomes Bond's ally and personal driver in Las Vegas, though he is hospitalized after a car wreck that leads to Bond's kidnapping.

My Choice:

Erik Estrada (TV's CHiPS, TV's Sealab 2021)
Estrada can sell the charm and regular guy-ness Ernie possesses. He looks like he can be comfortable in any situation, whether it be driving Bond, hoodwinking hoodlums, or...um...getting hospitalized. Ernie gets a lot of quick-witted dialogue, too, and I feel Estrada is a man who can really clip a sentence.


SHADY TREE
Who is He: A high-pitched, hunchbacked go-between for the diamond operation. He gets the goods from Bond before sending him off to receive "payment" via the racetrack. When Leiter exposes the fix, Shady then sends Bond to Las Vegas to gamble the money back. And of course, what better casino to play at than Mr. Spang's?

Originally played by:

Leonard Barr, stand-up comedian and Dean Martin's uncle

My Choice:

Roger Bart (Hercules, The Insider)
Really, it's his confrontation with Russell Crowe in American Gangster that convinced me. It's that nice balance of high-pitched annoyance and Napoleonic bitchery that is so Shady Tree. Bart could get the humor and daft creepiness of a hunchbacked tough guy who drinks milk.


MR. WINT & MR. KIDD
Who Are They: Two of the most vicious hitmen Bond has gone up against. Wint is the large, fat killer who sucks on a wart on his thumb. He relishes the torture aspect of his job. Like, say, pouring 115-degree mud onto the face of a jockey who displeased the Spangs. Or pistol-whipping a locker room attendant. Or getting out steel-toed boots to kick and stomp Bond. Kidd is silent, but just as deadly. His eyes are soulless and merciless. Partners in crime and in the bedroom, Wint and Kidd truly two of the most dangerous men to ever appear in Bond lore.

Originally played by:

Bruce Glover as Mr. Wint, Putter Smith as Mr. Kidd

My Choices: A familiar face for Mr. Wint; for Mr. Kidd, a Golden Globe Nominee for Best Supporting Actor (To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar), SAG Award Nominee for Best Ensemble (Moulin Rouge!)

Chi McBride (Let's Go to Prison, The Frighteners) as Mr. Wint
Tall and imposing, I can see McBride cruelly taking people down a peg or six. He'd provide a great opponent for Bond.

John Leguizamo (Romeo + Juliet, Spawn) as Mr. Kidd
Small and danerous-looking, I could just as easily see Leguizamo watching McBride do his thing with amusement before taking part in the murder. Good Lord, look at him. He's got a killer's smile.


TIFFANY CASE
Who is She: A beautiful blonde who helps smuggle diamonds for Spang. She is thought to be the girlfriend of Seraffimo Spang, the brother who runs things in Vegas. She finds herself reluctantly falling for James Bond. As 007 describes, she is the type of girl who listens to romantic French songs alone in her room while looking at herself in the mirror. One of the sadder, braver, and best Bond Girls in the series.

Originally played by:

Jill St. John, who made redheads boring, and that is truly unforgivable

My Choice: Academy Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Pulp Fiction), BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Actress (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill: Vol.1), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actress in a Drama (Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Kill Bill: Vol. 2) and Best Supporting Actress (Pulp Fiction), SAG Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Pulp Fiction)

Uma Thurman (Batman & Robin, Dangerous Liaisons)
Beautiful. Badass. Bond Girl. These are all words we should use to describe her (certainly Tarantino thought so). We know she can play tough, be damn cool in a crisis (that line courtesy Easy Virtue), fight with the best. We also know that she is stunning and has such sad eyes sometimes. The chemistry her and Chewie would possess together is just too delicious to consider!


JACK SPANG & SERAFFIMO SPANG
Who Are They: Twin brothers who run the Spangled Mob, the gang smuggling diamonds from South Africa to the United States. Jack is the brains of the operation, running the House of Diamonds in London under the name Rufus B. Saye. He also gives Tiffany anonymous instructions over the phone under the name ABC. Seraffimo runs the casino in Vegas. He is abusive and sadistic, but also obsessed with Westerns. So much, in fact, that he actually buys an old ghost town and a locomotive of his own to play cowboy in. He is seriously crazy.The twins are broad but stumpy, speaking with stereotypical Gangster accents while dressing impeccably.

My Choice: Okay, are you ready for this?
This is the face that immediately popped up when the character of Jack Spang was first introduced.
Academy Award Winner for Best Director (The Departed), BAFTA Award Winner for Best Film (Goodfellas), Best Direction (Goodfellas) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Goodfellas), DGA Award Winner for Best Director (The Departed), Golden Globe Winner for Best Director (Gangs of New York, The Departed), WGA Award Nominee for Best Original Screenplay (Mean Streets) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Goodfellas), Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Director (The Departed)

Martin Scorsese (Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, Quiz Show)
Scorsese isn't that bad on-screen. Oozing capitalistic malevolence in Quiz Show, reflecting the artistic temperament in Dreams, scaring the bejeezus out of me in Taxi Driver, Scorsese is underused as an actor, I feel. Him as a Bond villain only makes sense, and that manic way of speaking he has could only add so much to the crazed, Western-obsessed Seraffimo. A heavy worthy of the fight. Read more!

Easy Virtue

Just commented on The Film Experience with the following:

"I am so in love with Easy Virtue that I'm planning on seeing it for a third time this weekend. I don't feel bad about this because Cheri hasn't opened here yet. Colin Firth is absolutely fantastic, Kristin Scott Thomas is her usually stellar self, but the real surprise is the engaging turn by Jessica Biel. God, what a movie."



I could go on and say that the soundtrack is incredible, making the insane but awesome decision to do 1920s riffs on songs like "Car Wash" and "Sex Bomb". That the costumes are absolutely beautiful. That Biel may have found her niche in period comedies. That most of the protagonists are bereft of stereotype or caricature. That it can be just as sad as it is hilarious. I could say all of that and feel a clear conscience.

Stephan Elliot is an odd director, though. So in love with reflections, one could play a drinking game with it. And get trashed within a half-hour. Yet it somehow manages to work.

Go see it. Today, tomorrow, next week. That's not an "or", that's an "and". It's just that good. Read more!