The Woman in Green 1945

      This movie is based on a novel written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Holmes and Watson investigate a series of bizarre and apparently unconnected murders. There is also the death of a possible suspect?  The trail leads to a society of hypnotists and a mysterious and glamorous woman. The fiendish Dr. James Moriarty reported as hanged in Montevideo is suspected of being involved? 

     Although "The Woman in Green" is credited as an original story, the dialogue is lifted from Arthur Conan Doyle’s "The Final Problem.”  The situation involving a sniper firing at a silhouette of Holmes is taken from the story in this series titled "The Empty House.”  When Dr. Watson is walking with the street peddler, you can see a boom reflected in the shop window?  It moves with the characters as they walk along the street?  When Holmes is walking along the terrace wall, his arms are by his sides.  In the next shot, Dr. Watson enters immediately and Holmes is standing still with his hands in his pockets?

68 min, Drama directed by Roy William Neill and written by Bertram Milhauser, Arthur Conan Doyle with Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hiliary Brooke, Henry Daniell, Paul Cavanagh, Mathew Boulton, Eve Amber Frederick Worlock, Coulter Irwin, Sally Shepherd, Mary Gordon.

Note:  Imdb 6.7* out of 10* with 5,608 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 100% with 8 critic reviews 58% with 1,000+ audience scores, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 302 ratings, Letterboxd 3.1* out fo 5*, French films.org 3* Roy William Neill.

Special Note:  Although he is not seen, the only reference to Mycroft Holmes in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series is made in this film.  The Breen Office ordered two cuts from the original script.  First, the victims were supposed to be young girls.  That was ordered to be changed to young women although Dr. Simnell's bizarre doll fetish may be a leftover from the initial concept.  In addition, during the scene in the Mesmer Club, Watson was supposed to take off his pants and not just roll up his pant leg.  This was the first film in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series in which the main credit for Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce did not list the characters they played.  All previous films contained "as Sherlock Holmes" and "as Doctor Watson" with their main credit.  Henry Daniell, who plays Prof. Moriarty in this film had an earlier villainous role as William Easter in the film Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943).  He was also an ally of Holmes and Anthony Lloyd in Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942).

Terror by Night 1946

      This movie is based on a novel written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Sherlock Holmes is hired by Roland Carstairs to prevent the theft of the Star of Rhodesia.  This is a 423 carat diamond owned by Carstairs' mother, Lady Margaret.  Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson suspect that the diamond will be stolen on a train trip from London to Edinburgh Scotland.  Holmes deftly switches diamonds with Lady Margaret while in her compartment admiring the jewel.  Soon after, Roland is murdered and the fake diamond is stolen.  Red herrings abound as Holmes is aided by Dr. Watson and Inspector Lestrade.  They discover the murderer's hiding place. They deduce that long-time nemesis Professor Moriarty's henchman, Colonel Sebastian Moran is somehow involved in the crime.  This is the final Sherlock Holmes film with Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade.

     This film is one of several titles in the Sherlock Holmes series with the original copyrights apparently not renewed.  As a result they have then fallen into public domain.  Seriously inferior copies are presently being offered by a number of DVD dealers who do not have access to the original studio masters.  Early in the movie the original discovery of the Star of Rhodesia is shown.  The diamond picked out of the mud looks perfectly clear with sharp edges.  Raw diamonds have rough round edges and appear quite ordinary with only a hint of the regular crystal form.

     This film has a solid mystery plot and the story was a marked improvement from the last two films in this series.  It’s clear to see that the budget of these films are diminishing but this time it would be for the better.  There’s a more palpable sense of tension as the tight setting lends itself to conspiratorial drama. You’re never too sure of your surroundings and the people that occupy them?  There are many people on the train that could be guilty!!  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

60 min, Crime, directed by Roy William Neill and written by Frank Gruber, Arthur Conan Doyle with Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray, Dennis Hoey, Renee Godfrey, Frederick Worlock, Mary Forbes, Skelton Knaggs, Bill Bevan.  

Note:  Imdb 6.8* out of 10* with 5,571 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 75 out of 100 with 8 critic reviews 63% with 500+ audience scores, Letterboxd 3.1* out of 5*, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 54 ratings, bloodymurder.wordpress.com 3* out of 5*.

Special Note:  The opening sequence showing the Edinburgh Express preparing for departure uses very short clips from Rome Express (1932).  This is the 13th of 14 films based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Mistakes:  Lestrade's passenger list gives the name of Lady Carstairs' son as Roland.  Some time later in the guard's van, Holmes refers to him as Ronald.  In the Conan Doyle story "The Empty House", Col. Sebastian Moran kills a young man named Ronald.  In this film, "Terror by Night", the young man's name has been changed to Roland.  In one scene, Basil Rathbone inadvertently refers to Roland as “Ronald".  At the station where the police get on the train, there is a sign in the background with the German word "Bahnsteig" on it and this is "platform" in English.  There are no German stations on the way from London to Edinburgh?

Without Remorse 2021

      This movie is based on a novel by Tom Clancy.  An elite Navy SEAL uncovers an international conspiracy while seeking justice.  John Clark comes back from a mission and Russian soldiers murder his pregnant wife along with their unborn baby girl.  This is in retaliation for his role in a top secret op and it is an origin story about hero John Clark.  He is one of the most popular characters in author Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan universe.  Sr. Chief John Kelly is ready to pursue the assassins at all costs.  He joins forces with a fellow SEAL and a shadowy CIA agent.  His mission exposes a covert plot that threatens to engulf the U.S. and Russia into war.  He is torn between personal honor and loyalty to his country.  He must fight his enemies if he hopes to avert disaster and also to reveal the powerful figures behind the conspiracy.

     This is a violent action thriller but it is notable because it focuses on a Black military hero.  His commanding officer is a Black woman and her interactions are always professional, platonic and powerful.  John Kelly is vengeful and coolly takes actions that would likely be impossible to survive in real life.  The movie's violence and moments of peril are often intense.  Expect military conflicts that involve lots of artillery including assault rifles and explosives.  Also knife attacks and hand-to-hand physical combat.  Characters are shot in the head at close range and set on fire and there are intense plane crash scenes.  Characters drink, kiss briefly and there's some strong language.  This film feels and looks like Tom Clancy is behind the scenes but this isn’t a Jack Ryan movie!!  3* (This movie is OK)

109 min, Action directed by Steano Sollima and written by Taylor Sheridan, Will Staples with Michael B. Jordan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jamie Bell, Guy Pearce, Lauren London, Jacob Scipio, Todd Lasance, Jack Kesy, Lucy Russell, Cam Gigandet, Luke Mitchell, Artjom Gilz, Brett Gelman, Merab Ninidze, Rae Lim.

Note:  Imdb 5.8* out of 10* with 17,720 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 44% with 149 critic reviews, 45% with 500+ audience scores, Metacritic 42 out of 100 with 37 critic reviews 3.8 out of 10 with 63 user scores, Common Sense Media Tara McNamara, 3* out of 5*, age 15+, 1* positive messages, sex, drinking, drugs & smoking, 3* positive role models, language, Roger Ebert Odie Henderson 1 1/2*.

Special Note:  The second film in which Michael B. Jordan plays a Navy Seal the first being Black Panther (2018).  Jodie Turner-Smith plays Lieutenant Commander Karen Greer, she is a former Navy SEAL and SEAL team commander.  In reality, to date (April 2021) only 1 of 3 women have completed SEAL training.  She did not have SEAL as her top choice so she did not join the Navy SEAL program.  

Mistakes:  Karen Greer's rank is O-4 and it is technically the rank of Lieutenant Commander.  In daily usage a Naval O-4 is addressed as "Commander" just as a Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade (JG) is addressed as "Lieutenant".  Throughout the film Karen Greer is addressed as "Lieutenant Commander” and this would be her very formal title.  

Red Rock Season 1 Episode 4 2015

     The Garda treats an injured man.  Then they  discover the man they treated is dying.  Garda Sharon Cleere and Angela Tyrell must decide whether or not to tell him his daughter has died.  David Hennessy tries to decide whether or not to attend Darren Kiely’s wake/funeral.  He had previously said he would stay away?  He does attend and the family feels hurt plus they are not pleased to see him.

    Maybe the lies that David has told are starting to catch up with him?  Katie’s promise to get along with her estranged mother Bridget starts to fall apart.  It not all her fault because Bridget is a person that is not easy to get along with!!  3 1/2* (I liked this episode)

Note:  Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 300 ratings, Imdb 7.7* out of 10 with 23 reviews, Netflix 3 1/2* out of 5*.

Try to Remember 2004

      A supposedly wrapped up murder case comes back to haunt a small town 15 years later.  All the witnesses who testified in the case have started dying??  After twelve years of being away, Lisa Monroe returns to her usually quiet hometown of Milford to work as a police detective.  She was recruited by her childhood friend, now Lieutenant Joe O'Conner.  The first case that she works as lead investigator is the death of Louise Dexter, her grandmother.  Although the autopsy points to the death being accidental, Lisa finds evidence that implicates Jake Mitchell as the murderer. 

     Jake Mitchell molested and killed Lisa's best friend Jenny Rand fifteen years earlier.  Jake has been paroled and has returned to Milford to live.  At his trial, he vowed revenge on the four people who testified against him, Louise, Sergeant Stuart Kling (Lisa's colleague who does not respect her investigative abilities), a security guard named Vinnie DiCampo and Lisa. 

     To some extent, all four people who testified feel guilty but especially Lisa about not preventing Jenny's death.  Each person had an opportunity that day to intervene in the interaction between Jake and Jenny.  Lisa's current mission is to find and stop Jake before he kills all those that testified.  She tries to be objective in the face of what so far is only circumstantial evidence against Mitchell.  Being objective is something difficult for her to do?  

     The movie is easy to watch and it is also a typical TV movie with various weaknesses from lack of character depth to corny plot twists.  It is a reworking of a familiar murder and mystery storyline with flaws.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

96 min mystery based on a novel by Mary Higgins Clark, directed by Jeff Beesley and written by Jeff Martel and John Benjamin Martin with Gabrielle Anwar, Max Martini, Diego Wallraff, Garry Chalk, David Richmond-Peck, Gerald Lenton-Young, Sheila Paterson, Andrea Runge, Alan Bratt, Rosie Frier-Dryden, Ian Black, Kathryn Bracht.

Note:  Imdb 5.6* out of 10* with 342 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 18% audience scores with 50+ ratings, themoviescene.co.uk 3* out of 5*, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 100 ratings.

Landline 2017

      Two sisters come of age in the '90s in New York when they discover their dad's affair.  Eventually, they learn he's not the only cheater in the family.  Set in Manhattan in 1995 Landline follows three women in one family.  They are having lots of sex, drugs and Japanese food.  They are navigating monogamy, honesty and a long-lost New York.  The Jacobs family lives in the last days when people still didn't have cell phones and still smoked inside.  

     Teenage Ali discovers her dad's affair.  Her older sister Dana uncovers her own wild side.  Their mother Pat grapples with the truth that she can't have it all.  But, her family still has each other.  This is a generation raised on divorce and wall-to-wall carpeting.  Landline is an honest comedy about what happens when sisters become friends and parents become human.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

Special Note:  For the look of the characters' outfits, costume designer Liz Vastola took inspiration from Seinfeld to achieve an accurate depiction of 90's fashion.  Mom Pat is sitting on the bathroom floor with her arms around her daughters.  She tells them “I love you guys so much.  Even when you make me crazy!!  You're the best thing that ever happened to me.  Oh, you know, it doesn't always wind up like this.  I mean it doesn't *have* to end up like this.”  This is after everyone in the family knows dad is cheating!!  

Mistake:  Characters are listening to the song "On Fire" by Sebadoh in one scene set in 1995. The song was released in August 1996.  

93 min, comedy/drama with Jenny Slate, John Turturro, Edie Falco, Abby Quinn, Jay Duplass, Finn Wittrock, Amy Carlson, Ali Ahn, Gillian Robespirre, Elisabeth Holm, Marquis Rodriguez, Jordan Carlos, Bobbie Salvor Menuez. 

Directed by Gillian Robespierre and produced by Russell Levne and Gigi Pritzker, executive producers Christopher Lytton and Natalya Petrosova, Gillian Robespierre, Rachel Shane.

Note:  Imdb 6.4* out of 10* with 4.3K ratings, Rotten Tomatoes 75% with 130 reviews 64% with 2,500+ reviews, Roger Ebert 3* Susan Wloszczyna, Metacritic 66 out of 100 with 33 critic reviews 6.4 out of 10 user scores with 17 ratings, the guardian.com 3* out of 5* Jordan Hoffman.

He Sees You When You’re Sleeping 2002

     Mary Higgins Clark’s Christmas fantasy tells the story of 46 year old Sterling Books.  He is a self-absorbed stockbroker and he is killed in a freak accident.  To be able to secure a future in heaven, he is given the chance to redeem himself by reuniting a family.

     This movie has thought provoking ideas about the afterlife, second chances and values.  It tries overly hard to be crime thriller, melodrama and kids movie all in one.  The plot is a bit too predictable and sweetened.  Without these distractions this film could be a deeply moving and interesting film.  At least the ending is unexpected!!  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

100 min, TV Movie, Drama/Crime directed by David Winning and written by Carl Binder with Cameron Bancroft, Erika Eleniak, Udo Kier, Greg Evigan, Crai March, Roger Haskett, Landy Cannon, David Palffy, Sean Campbell, James Michalopolous, Nickol Tschenscher, Eli Gabay.

Note:  Imdb 5.5* out of 10* with 197 reviews, Goodreads gives the book 3.80* out of 5*, 6,628 ratings, 275 reviews, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 170 ratings, Rotten Tomatoes 27% audience score with 100+ ratings.