Comics Review: JENNIFER BLOOD Volume 2 #8

JENNIFER BLOOD VOLUME 2 #8
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Fred Van Lente
ART: Vincenzo Federici & Alessandro Ranaldi
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Jeff Eckleberry
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Tim Bradstreet
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS:  Lesley “Leirix” Li; Jonathan Lau; Dave Acosta; John Royle; Natalie Sanders; Vincenzo Federici; Tim Bradstreet; Rachel Hollon with David Turner (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2022)

Rated Teen+

Jennifer Blood created by Garth Ennis and Adriano Batista.

“Blood Debt” Chapter Three: “Daddy's Littler Helper”

Jennifer Blood is a a comic book character created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Adriano Batista.  A suburban wife and mother by day, Jennifer Blood is a ruthless vigilante by night.  Born “Jessica Blute,” she took her mother's first name, Jennifer, and created the alter ego, “Jennifer Blood,” and sought revenge against her father's family for the death of her parents.  The first Jennifer Blood comic book series ran for 36 issues from 2011 to 2014.

Jennifer Blood returns from the dead in a new comic book series, Jennifer Blood Volume 2.  It is written by Fred Van Lente; drawn by Vincenzo Federici and Alessandro Ranaldi; colored by Dearbhla Kelly and lettered by Jeff Eckleberry.  In the new series, someone is acting like Jennifer Blood, who is supposedly dead.  And this “copycat” loves to kill criminals just like the original did.  Would you believe that the this copy cat is her daughter once known as “Alice Fellows.”

As Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #8 (“Daddy's Littler Helper”) opens, General Francisco Flores has taken possession of the last remaining supplies of the ED pill, “Seroto.”  Also known as “Daddy's Little Helper,” it has horrible side effects, which caused it to be banned by the federal government.

Now, Flores has a convoy that includes three big rigs hauling the remaining inventory of twenty thousand kilos of pills to Las Vegas.  He hopes to make a tidy profit selling them, but Jennifer Blood and Eagle/Aguilar have other plans for the pills.

THE LOWDOWN:  In July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #8.  This is the eighth Jennifer Blood comic book I have read.

Fred Van Lente makes the eighth issue of this series the action movie issue, although there is some interesting character drama featuring Jennifer and Aguilar.  Artist Vincenzo Federici carries the story with some slick art and fast-paced storytelling.  Colorist Alessandro Ranaldi has fun with the explosions and bullets to the head slash blood-splatter.

Jennifer Blood Volume 2 is good – a sort of down and dirty version of Marvel's The Punisher.  I highly recommend it to comics fans that love girls with big guns.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Jennifer Blood and of gun play comics will want to read Jennifer Blood Volume 2.

[This comic book includes “Dynamite Dispatch” May 2022, which features an interview with writer Jordan Clark.]

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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Review: 2022 Version of "DEATH ON THE NILE" Is Dark and Edgy on the Nile

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 31 of 2022 (No. 1843) by Leroy Douresseaux

Death on the Nile (2022)
Running time:  127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPA – PG-13 for violence, some bloody images, and sexual material
DIRECTOR: Kenneth Branagh
WRITER: Michael Green (based on the novel by Agathie Christie)
PRODUCERS:  Kenneth Branagh, Mark Gordon, Judy Hofflund, Simon Kinberg, Kevin J. Walsh, and Ridley Scott
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Haris Zambarloukos (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Una Ni Dhonghaile
COMPOSER:  Patrick Doyle

MYSTERY

Starring:  Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Letitia Wright, Sophie Okonedo, Emma Mackey, Rose Leslie, Ali Fazal, Rose Leslie, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, and Naveed Kahn

Death on the Nile is a 2022 mystery film directed by Kenneth Branagh.  It is based on the 1937 novel, Death on the Nile, written by Agatha Christie (1890-1976).  In Death on the Nile the movie, Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of a young heiress that occurs on a ship sailing the Nile

Death on the Nile finds famous detective, Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), embarking on a luxurious cruise on the Nile River in Egypt.  Poirot is delighted to discover that his friend, Bouc (Tom Bateman), will also be aboard the ship named the “Karnak.”

Also aboard are the newlyweds:  wealthy heiress, Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot), and her husband, Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer).  While in Egypt on their honeymoon, they are being stalked and hounded by Simon's former fiancé, Jacqueline “Jackie” de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), who was also Linnet's close friend.

When Linnet is found shot to death aboard the Karnak, Jackie is the most obvious culprit, but there are others on board who have reason to want Linnet dead.  There is Linnet's maid, Louise Bourget (Rose Leslie), who was bitter because her mistress sabotaged her engagement.  Linnet's attorney and estate trustee, Andrew Katchadourian (Ali Fazal), was stealing from her, although they were cousins.  Linnet's godmother, Maria van Schuyler (Jennifer Saunders), is a socialist who gave away her wealth, but stands to inherit some of Linnet's estate.  Bowers (Dawn French), van Schuyler's nurse, blamed Linnet's father for financially ruining her family.

Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okonedo), a brassy blues and jazz singer and guitarist, and Rosalie (Letitia Wright), her niece and manager, were once the target of a racist complaint by Linnet.  However, Rosalie became Linnet's friend in boarding school and admits that there are reasons to both hate and love Linnet.  Dr. Windlesham (Russell Brand) was once engaged to Linnet, but she left him for Simon.  Bouc's mother, Euphemia (Annette Bening), resented Linnet for introducing Bouc to Rosalie.

Poirot must uncover the identity of the killer.  He better hurry because the bodies are starting to pile up.

In this new version of Death on the Nile, there is an attention to detail.  The audience can see it in the lighting, the hair and make-up, the costumes, the art direction, the editing, and the score.  This is also to create Hercule Poirot's world of light and much darkness and shadows.  Early in the film, writer Michael Green and director Kenneth Branagh take us to the World War I life of Poirot, tragedy on the battlefield and off sets the stage for what would become the future great detective's world.  Shadowy nightclubs filled with earthy blues and showy jazz music; sumptuous desserts; lavishly appointed night people; sunny paradises; and exotic locales – everything has a dark side.  It does not matter how golden hued anything is; there is darkness.  Even the dark side has a darker side.

All the performances are topnotch; Branagh even gets a showy transformation from comedian Russell Brand, here, being his best PBS Masterpiece self.  Good acting sells Death on the Nile's central theme that envy, greed, lust, and pride will destroy friends and lovers.  They will even lead to murder most foul, of course.

Branagh takes the cynicism of post-war American Film-Noir and pours it all over Dame Agatha Christie's storytelling.  Rarely has such cinematic beauty dressed so much evil and darkness.  The lovely meets the lethal.

Death on the Nile 2022 starts slow and drags for some time.  For a time, it takes Sophie Okonedo lip-syncing Sister Rosetta Tharpe to give the film early heat.  Linnet Ridgeway's murder, however, lights a fire under Death on the Nile as it moves to its ending of triumphant tragedy.  There is no victory in the resolution of this case – only hurt and grief.  Maybe, hurt and grief are the victors.  The viewers are also victors, as Branagh orchestrates another unique and winning take on the cozy, old mysteries of Agatha Christie.

8 out of 10
A
★★★★ out of 4 stars

Saturday, May 14, 2022


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Comics Review: FARMHAND #17

FARMHAND #17
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rob Guillory

ART: Rob Guillory

COLORS: Jean-Francois Beaulieu

LETTERS: Kody Chamberlain

GRAPHIC DESIGN: Burt Durand

COVER: Rob Guillory

28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S.(May 2022)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Farmhand created by Rob Guillory

Chapter 17: “The Bridge”

Farmhand is a dark fantasy comic book series from comic book creator, Rob Guillory.  Guillory is also known for his award-winning tenure on the long-running comic book, Chew (Image Comics), with writer John Layman.  Farmhand is written and illustrated by Guillory; lettered by Kody Chamberlain (who also designed the Farmhand logo); and currently colored by Jean-Francois Beaulieu.

Set in and around Freetown, Louisiana, Farmhand focuses on the Jenkins family: Ezekiel “Zeke” Jenkins; his wife, Mae; their children, Abigail and Riley; Zeke's father, Jedidiah “Jed” Jenkins; and sister, Andrea (“Andy”).  Once upon a time, “Jenkins Family Farmaceutical Institute” used stem cell biotechnology to grow plant-based replacement human organs and tissue.  Once upon a time, transplant recipients saw this as a miracle.  Now, Zeke and the rest of the world see the miracle as a curse.

Farmhand #17 (“The Bridge”) opens with a wish it was once upon a time – a vision of what could have been.  But this is the world of the Jedidiah transgenic seed...  In this real world, Zeke and the family are living the trailer park life, and Zeke is feeling the full 12-year-old rage of his daughter, Abigail.  These are all the complications of a plague begun by his father's “science.”

At the institute, Zeke has to hear crazy theories from Walter Sparrow.  But the crazier words come from old Joe Thibodeaux, a man to whom Zeke gives a ride home.  By the end of the ride, Zeke will know some crazy shit – all of it about himself.

THE LOWDOWN:  In the two years since the publication of Farmhand #15, Rob Guillory may have used that time to really think about Farmhand.  Already a tight concept, it has returned, crazier and more inventive than ever.  Farmhand #16 revealed just how far off the moss-ridden rails this series had gone.  Readers were introduced to a world not ready for the post-apocalypse – not when the apocalypse, so green and pretty, was still happening.

Farmhand #17 reveals that even Guillory's collaborators are on that wacky weed.  Colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu turns the colors of Farmhand nightmarish for Zeke's mind-numbing dreams and visions.  Then, he flushes the daytime world or “reality” in neon and dayglo-inspired inebriation.  With his lettering, Kody Chamberlain impossibly creates a volume for Farmhand – a mixture of fonts both ordinary and demonic.  In a way, Chamberlain is pumping up the volume to cacophony – all the better to “hear” the lunacy of this series.

With Farmhand, there is practically a surprise on every page.  Rob Guillory is pruning our expectations because it is actually a good thing not to know what to expect from your favorite comic books.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of dark fantasy fiction and of great comic books will want to be a Farmhand.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 8th to 14th, 2022 - Update #18

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  "The Sugar Shack," the painting by artist Ernie Barnes that was displayed in the end credits of the late CBS sitcom, "Good Times," has sold at auction for $15.3 million.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director Rob Reiner and stars: Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest are reuniting for "Spinal Tap II," a sequel to the cult classic "mockumentary" (mock documentary film), "This is Spinal Tap."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Actor Dan Stevens is set to be the lead in the sequel to "Godzilla vs. Kong," which will reunite Stevens with the film's director, Adam Wingard.

MOVIES - From THR:   Oscar-winner Christopher Walken has joined the cast of "Dune: Part Two."

MOVIES - From THR:   Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, and Laurence Fishburne are among the cast of director Francis Ford Coppola's self-financed film, "Megalopolis."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Hayden Panettiere will return as "Kirby Reed" in "Scream 6."  Kirby was the lone survivor of "Scream 4."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  NBC has put in a series order for the comedy, "Lopez Vs. Lopez," starring George Lopez and Maya Lopez.

DISNEY - From THR:  Rick Riordan, author of the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" books series, and his wife, Rebecca, condemn racists attacks against actress Leah Sava Jeffries.  Jeffries will star in the Disney+ series version of "Percy Jackson," which the Riordans are executive producers on the upcoming series.

POLITICS/DISNEY - From THR:  U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo) has proposed a federal legislation that would limit copyright protection to 56 years.  The law would apply retroactively to existing copyrights.  Hawley's legislation is apparently aimed at the Walt Disney Company, which would lose its copyright to certain iterations of Mickey Mouse, for instance.  The legislation is unlikely to pass.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 5/6 to 5/8/2022 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel Studios' "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" with an estimated gross of 185 million dollars.

From Deadline:  "Doctor Strange 2's" $450 million global debut is the second largest for a Hollywood film during the pandemic era.

From Here:  My review of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."

AWARDS - From Variety:  The nominations for the 2022 / 75th Tony Awards were announced Mon., May 9th. The winners will be announced June 12th.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Amazon's "Jack Ryan" series (with John Krasinski in the lead) will end with Season 4.  Amazon Studios is considering a spinoff with actor Michael Pena.

TELEVISION - From BBC:  The 29-year-old Rwandan-born, Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa will take over the role of "The Doctor" on the BBC's "Doctor Who."  Gatwa replaces Jodie Whittaker and is the 14th Doctor.

MOVIES - From LATimes:  The paper takes a look at the French abortion drama, "Happening."

OBITS:

From Variety:  Actor Fred Ward has died at the age of 79, Sunday, May 8, 2022.  Ward was best known for numerous films, including "The Right Stuff," "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins," "Henry & June," "Tremors," "The Player," and "Short Cuts," to name a few.

From THR:  Country singer and songwriter and businessman, Mickey Gilley, has died at the age of 86, Saturday, May 7, 2022.  Gilley may be best remembered as the owner of "Gilley's Club," what would later become known as "the world's largest honky tonk."  The club inspired the nightclub, "Gilley's," that appeared in the 1980 John Travolta film, "Urban Cowboy," in which Mickey himself also appeared.  Gilley received six Academy of County Music Awards.  His "Gilley's Urban Cowboy Band" won a Grammy for "Best Country Instrumental Perfomance in 1981.  He also had 17 No. 1 songs.

From Deadline:  The film, television, and stage actor, James Olson, died at the age of 91, April 17, 2022.  He was best known for his performances in such films as "Rachel, Rachel" (1968) and "The Andromeda Strain (1971).  He appeared in numerous TV series, including "Bonanza," "Maude," "Wonder Woman," and "Murder, She Wrote," to name a few.

Review: "FRIDAY THE 13TH Part III" Has Flat Plot, But Lively Characters

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 30 of 2022 (No. 1842) by Leroy Douresseaux

Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
Running time:  95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  Steve Miner
WRITERS:  Martin Kitrosser and Carol Watson (based on characters created by Victor Miller and Ron Kurz)
PRODUCER: Frank Mancuso, Jr.
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Gerald Feil (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  George Hively
COMPOSER:  Harry Manfredini

HORROR

Starring:  Dana Kimmell, Tracie Savage, Richard Brooker, Gloria Charles, Rachel Howard, David Katims, Paul Kratka, Cheri Maugans, Steve Susskind, Kevin O'Brien, Catherine Parks, Jeffrey Rogers, Nick Savage, and Larry Zerner

Friday the 13th Part III is a 1982 slasher horror film directed by Steve Miner.  It is a direct sequel to the 1981 film, Friday the 13th Part 2, and is the third movie in the Friday the 13th movie franchise.  This film also marked the first time Jason Voorhees put on a hockey mask, which became both the character and the franchise's trademark.

Friday the 13th Part III is set immediately after the events of Part 2.  A young woman, Chris Higgins (Dana Kimmell), and her friends travel to Higgins Haven, her old family home on Crystal Lake, to spend the weekend.  The group includes pregnant Debbie (Tracie Savage); her boyfriend, Andy (Jeffrey Rogers), Shelly (Larry Zerner), a young man who is an incessant prankster; Vera (Catherine Parks), who is supposed to be Shelly's blind date; and finally, stoner couple, Chuck (David Katims) and Chili (Rachel Howard).  Rick (Paul Kratka), Chris' boyfriend, is waiting for them at Higgins Haven.  The group has also attracted the attention of a trio of reprobate punk bikers:  Ali (Nick Savage), Fox (Gloria Charles), and Loco (Kevin O'Brien).

Meanwhile, Jason Voorhees (Richard Brooker) was left injured after his recent murder spree at a nearby counselor training camp.  He has arrived at Higgins Haven, after killing local store owner, Harold (Steve Susskind), and his wife, Edna (Cheri Maugans).  And he is ready to begin a new killing spree.

Between 1981 and 1983, some segments of the American film industry embraced 3D films again.  One of the resulting films was Friday the 13th Part III, which was originally released to theaters as a 3D film ("Friday the 13th Part 3: 3D") almost forty years ago (August 1982).  I doubt anyone younger than 50-years-old ever saw it as a 3D film inside a movie theater.  I didn't, so there is no point in me trying to talk about that aspect of the film.  I can't remember when I first saw Part III, but I think I was well into middle age by the time I did.

Contemporary reviews of Friday the 13th Part III were savage, and in a way, those critics were right.  Part III isn't imaginative in terms of plot.  The film exists to make money because movie audiences enjoyed seeing 20-somethings get killed in the two earlier installments, especially seeing Jason kill in Part 2.  So Part III was inevitable, although at the time, it was apparently meant to be the series finale.

Part III does have one thing going for it.  Most of the characters are interesting.  No two characters are alike, even when they look alike.  In fact, whenever I watch this movie, I find myself sometimes confused by Chris, Debbie, and Vera – especially Chris and Debbie who look, at least, like fraternal twins.  The characters are unique and even quirky, but the narrative really and obviously does not dwell on personality, not when there is killing to be depicted.  Besides, maybe there is no point to really getting to know characters that are going to be dead soon, although Jason does not start killing Chris' friends until after the fifty-minute mark of the film.

Because I like these characters:  Chris and her friends, especially her hunky boyfriend, Rick, I like Friday the 13th Part III … a lot.  I watch it anytime it is shown on some cable network, so I probably see it at least two or three times a year.  Still, I have to admit that there is a dry formality to the killings, and the filmmakers act as if they are making nothing more than the cinematic equivalent of one more fast food toad burger.  And that's a shame, because, in some areas, Friday the 13th Part III had the potential to be better – much better.  My grade and ratings for this film reflect my good feelings towards this classic 1980s slasher film.

5 of 10
B-
★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, May 11, 2022


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Comics Review: NIGHT OF THE GHOUL #6

NIGHT OF THE GHOUL #6 (OF 6)
comiXology/Best Jacket Press

STORY: Scott Snyder
ART: Francesco Francavilla
COLORS: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Andworld Design
EDITOR: Will Dennis
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
24pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (April 2022)

Age Rating: 15+

Night of the Ghoul co-created by Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla

Episode 06

Night of the Ghoul is a six-issue, digital comic book miniseries created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Francesco Francavilla.  It is published by comiXology as part of its “comiXology Originals” line of digital comics.  This six-issue series will later be collected in trade paperback form by Dark Horse Comics.  Night of the Ghoul focuses on the dark conspiracy behind a lost horror film from 1936.

Night of the Ghoul starts at an old folks home deep in the desert.  Accompanied by his son, Orson, film fanatic, Forest Innman, is there to meet one of the residents, Charles Patrick, who is really T.F. Merritt, a screenwriter and film director from the Golden Age of Hollywood.  In 1936, Merritt shot a a cursed horror film, “Night of the Ghoul,” that never made it to the silver screen.  A mysterious studio fire destroyed the footage and killed the cast and crew at the wrap-party.  The film became a legend, but no footage was ever recovered … until Forest finds some.  And the trouble begins.

Night of the Ghoul #6 opens as Forest and Merritt arrive at Panama Studios.  Almost nine decades ago, it was the sight of an infamous fire.  Now, Merritt is determined for Forest to see the end of “Night of the Ghoul.”  Meanwhile, Forest's son, Orson, has uncovered some shocking information, but can he get it to his father on time?

Forest is seeing the film as he never knew it was, and Merritt wants him to see it all.  Plus, the Ghoul is ready to make his long-awaited appearance.

THE LOWDOWN:  In Night of the Ghoul, Francavilla and Snyder have created a masterpiece of atmospheric horror.  Every chapter is great, but the fifth chapter felt like writer Scott Snyder was padding the series so that the series would reach its required six chapter/issues.

Now, comes Chapter Six, and though it is welcomed, it is predictable or meta – depending on your point of view.  I think it is a little of both.  It is predictable in its outcome and meta in that Forest shares the fate of fictional (maybe) character from earlier in the narrative.  Still, there is all that lovely Francavilla art.  The ending sets up a sequel, and if you have been reading the series, why not finish it?  As much as I like Night of the Ghoul, I feel it started better than it ended.  Perhaps, the joy in this series is in the journey not in the destination...

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Scott Snyder and of Francesco Francavilla will want to try Night of the Ghoul.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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Review: 1978 Version of "DEATH ON THE NILE" Still Has Some Charms

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 of 2022 (No. 1841) by Leroy Douresseaux

Death on the Nile (1978)
Running time:  140 minutes (2 hours, 20 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: John Guillermin
WRITER: Anthony Shaffer
PRODUCERS:  John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jack Cardiff (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Malcolm Cooke
COMPOSER:  Nino Rota
Academy Award winner

MYSTERY

Starring:  Peter Ustinov, Mia Farrow, Simon MacCorkindale, Jane Birkin, Lois Chiles, Bette Davis, Jon Finch, Olivia Hussey, I.S. Johar, George Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Jack Warden, Harry Andrews, and Sam Wanamaker

Death on the Nile is a 1978 British mystery film directed by John Guillermin.  It is based on the 1937 novel, Death on the Nile, written by Agatha Christie (1890-1976).  Death on the Nile the movie finds Hercule Poirot investigating the murder of a newlywed heiress, committed during a luxurious cruise.

Death on the Nile finds famous detective Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) embarking on a luxurious cruise on the Nile River in Egypt.  Poirot is delighted to discover that his friend, Colonel Race (David Niven), will also be aboard the Nile paddle steamer, the “S.S. Karnak.”

Also aboard are the newlyweds:  wealthy heiress, Linnet Ridgeway (Lois Chiles), and her husband, Simon Doyle (Simon MacCorkindale).  While in Egypt on their honeymoon, they are being stalked and hounded by Simon's former fiancé, Jacqueline “Jackie” de Bellefort (Mia Farrow), who was also Linnet's close friend.

When Linnet is found shot to death aboard the Karnak, Jackie is the most obvious culprit, but there are others on board who have reason to want Linnet dead.  There is Linnet's maid, Louise Bourget (Jane Birkin), who was bitter due to her mistress' refusal to grant her a promised dowry.  Linnet's shady American attorney and estate trustee, Andrew Pennington (George Kennedy), whom she called “Uncle Andrew,” was stealing from her.  Elderly American socialite, Mrs. van Schuyler (Bette Davis), is a kleptomaniac who wanted to steal Linnet's pearl necklace.  Miss Bowers (Maggie Smith), van Schuyler's nurse, blamed Linnet's father for financially ruining her own father.

Linnet was suing Salome Otterbourne (Angela Lansbury), a brassy romance novelist, for libel regarding a similarity between Linnet and one of the characters in Otterbourne's novel, “Passion Under the Persimmon Tree.”  Meanwhile, Mrs. Otterbourne's daughter, Rosalie (Olivia Hussey), was anxious to protect her mother from financial ruin.  Linnet was also threatening to expose Dr. Ludwig Bessner (Jack Warden), a Swiss psychiatrist faced with exposure because his unorthodox treatments affected one of Linnet's friends.  Finally, Jim Ferguson (Jon Finch) is an outspoken Communist, and he resented Linnet's wealth.

Can Poirot uncover the identity of the killer before the Karnak reaches the end of its journey?  He better hurry because the bodies are starting to pile up.

If I had heard of this 1978 take on Death on the Nile, I did not remember it.  I decided to watch it when I learned that director Kenneth Branagh was directing a new film version of Agatha Christie's novel, which was released to theaters earlier this year (2022).  Branagh also directed a 2017 film version of Christie's world famous novel, Murder on the Orient Express.

I enjoyed the 1978 Death on the Nile, but not as much as I enjoyed the 1974 Murder on the Orient Express, which starred Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot.  When Finney decided not to return for Death on the Nile, actor Peter Ustinov was cast to play Poirot.  Finney's Poirot had a humorous side, but he was deadly serious about his profession and did not suffer fools.  Ustinov's Poirot is playful, but conceited, and even a bit randy.

Death on the Nile is a sedate film, its narrative lazily moving through this plot to match the languid pace with which the S.S. Karnak sails the Nile.  The performances are nice, but a number of luminaries who appear in this film, including Bette Davis, Angela Lansbury, and Maggie Smith, are merely passing through this film and resting on their laurels..  However, Mia Farrow proves just how good and perfect she is at playing crazy, unbalanced, and unstable characters.

Death on the Nile 1978 is a nice whodunit film and cozy mystery movie, and I would probably watch it again.  At times, it seems to be a surprisingly average and somewhat uninspired film, but, on the other hand, it has its charms.

5 out of 10
B-
★★½ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, May 10, 2022


NOTES:
1979 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win: “Best Costume Design” (Anthony Powell)

1979 BAFTA Awards:  1 win: “Best Costume Design” (Anthony Powell); 3 nominations: “Best Actor” (Peter Ustinov), “Best Supporting Actress” (Angela Lansbury), and “Best Supporting Actress” (Maggie Smith)

1979 Golden Globes, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Foreign Film” (England)


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