A Triumph, My Dear!: Crooked House | 2017

(image from here)

The Sum of It:
Thank goodness for our #bookstagram community because they did us a SOLID by letting us know that Crooked House was available on iTunes and Amazon in the US ahead of the theatrical release later this year! Since Crooked House was a favorite read for both of us during our #yearofagatha, we both bought the film right away. We've organized our thoughts and feelings below:

*BE ADVISED: many spoilers to follow! You are legit not allowed to read this post unless you've read the book or seen the film!*

THINGS WE LIKED:
Audrey: Guys. This movie. Was. So. GOOD.

Emily: GUYS IT WAS SO GOOD. So good that we and many of our fellow fanatics have tentatively evaluated it as possibly the best Agatha film adaptation...ever. With ZERO offence meant to the iconic David Suchet. From the minute the movie started, I was basically cackling into my magic mirror about how much perfection it was, from the absolutely perfect house (how did they find that place??) for the crooked house, the ideal level of creepiness from Josephine, the costumes, the perfectness of Max Irons as Charles, and the completely pitch perfect level of noir-ish tension throughout. Christina Hendrix's Marilyn Monroe impression as Brenda was legit, and Gillian Anderson totally nailed the drama queen that is Magda. Likely the best of all, though, was Glenn Close being an absolute total smokeshow and completely killing it (pun intended?) as Aunt Edith, the English country lady with an edge. The costuming and sets were all gorgeous, and I really liked the way the adaptation blended the noir-ish detective storyline in with the classic mystery. The family dinner scene was so on point in conveying how toxic this group is together I basically had my hands in the air. Honestly the FEEL of it was just so right, to me, this is up there with Endless Night in terms of the darker plotlines and adaptations, but this one is even more perfect (I KNOW - Audrey is shocked to hear it too).

Audrey: One of the things I loved the most about this movie was the attention to making the family dysfunction seem so real. Throughout the Crooked House book, Sofia is trying to describe to Charles how her family is just not normal. The performances from the actors (along with a truly stellar screenplay #thankyouJulianFellowes) captured this sentiment COMPLETELY and truly made me believe that a twelve-year-old killer could be among this group of people. And don't even get me started about the production design in this film - I was literally gasping with delight as Charles entered each new room in the mansion. I die for that beautiful conservatory space where Roger and Clemency lived (#HEARTEYES).

THINGS WE DID NOT LIKE:
Emily: Damn, Audrey, can you think of anything? I guess one thing that I felt could have been handled a bit better was the very abrupt ending to the film. In the book, there's a bit more of a sum-up, where people are like "yeah...Josephine was sort of terrifying in retrospect..." It was genuinely stunning to see the demise of Edith and Josephine on the screen (perhaps one reason this adaptation is only just now happening), and I guess they wanted to leave you with that impact, but it might have been nice to wrap it up a little more.

Audrey: I was also not really fond of the abrupt ending. Like Emily said, the book ties everything up quite nicely as Sofia and Charles's father (VERY MUCH ALIVE) both admit they had wondered if Josephine could be the killer. Another point I was just a bit confused about was leaving Charles's father out of the film, when he is kind of a central character in the book. I will say they handled the change fairly well in that it didn't seem jarring, however, I did miss the rapport between those two as they attempted to solve the case together in the book.

Overall, we give this film all the stars out of stars and hope that each of you have the chance to see it ASAP! Please comment below and let us know what you thought!

-A. & E.

Murder on the Orient Express | 2017 | Review & Discussion Extravaganza!

(image from here)

The Sum of It:
So after months of waiting, we finally went to see Gilderoy Lockhart (aka Kenneth Branagh #harrypotter #always)'s Murder on the Orient Express this past weekend!

We have so many thoughts and feelings, so we'll try to organize them as best we can:

*ALERT: LOTS AND LOTS OF SPOILERS AHEAD!*

THINGS WE LIKED:
Audrey: I know this film will get a mix of reactions, however, on the whole, I really enjoyed this adaptation. I can't decide if being an Agatha Superfan enhanced my experience or not, but I couldn't stop smiling seeing my favorite author getting some more big-screen time.

*I thought the casting was ON. POINT. Judi Dench? TOTAL PERFECTION per usual (although obvi not hideous like the book describes). Johnny Depp? Simply OOZING evil and luxury in that coat and pomade! Daisy Ridley and her adorable bob? YAS, YAS, YAS!

*Poirot: Though I took some issue with the added history to our favorite Belgian sleuth's background (see below), I was shocked at how much I enjoyed Branagh's interpretation of Poirot. While at times the highlighted eccentricities were inconsistent (I can't believe Poirot would eat cake off of another person's plate...nor appear in public in a suit jacket with a visible bullet hole), they were also very on-brand for Poirot. I enjoyed the bit about his eggs being the same size (one of my favorite book Poirot features), the tie straightening, YES, even the moustaches (upon a re-read, the book does describe them as "enormous"). Branagh also gave off the aura of the endearing Papa Poirot that I enjoy so much from many of his books, especially in his interactions with Mary Debenham.

Emily: Like many of you, we were prepared to hate Branagh's Poirot, but honestly, I thought he did really well with it! His accent was on point and I was less distracted by the moustaches than I expected to be. I agree with Audrey that much of the casting was really compelling, particularly Johnny Depp, who gave Ratchett a nice evil depth that other Ratchetts have lacked. Daisy Ridley was also charming and gave a very Agatha-esque portrayal of the clever young lady that held echoes of Tuppence and Emily Trefusis and other favorite plucky young woman characters from Agatha's tales. I also enjoy seeing Willem Defoe in any movie playing any part at any point in time, same with the #blessed Olivia Coleman, so their brief times on screen warmed my heart. I also super enjoyed the portrayal of Monsieur Bouc as a charming cad.

*Setting: I also thought the set and cinematography were straight up gorgeous. The sumptuous glamour and warmth of the train were just as I have always imagined, the austere cold of the mountains and snow surrounding it, the beauty of the opening scenes in Istanbul, all of it was a full realization of the world Agatha created with words. Aside from murder, I wanted to be in all those places.

THINGS WE DIDN'T LOVE:
Audrey: My main frustration with this adaptation was the muddying of the post-murder/stuck-in-the-snow actions of Ratchett's killers. The group's original plan was, of course, to exact their revenge on Cassetti/justice for the Armstrongs and then to cast blame for the crime on a mystery man (or maybe even a woman) who had been on the train, dressed as a conductor, stabbed Ratchett, and then exited the train. In the book, when the train becomes stuck in the snow, the group still rallies around the same idea of presenting evidence, albeit confusing evidence, to support this explanation of the crime. However, the film's characters didn't appear to stick with this solution. There is some of the book's mystery man "clues" (the button from the uniform and, eventually, the uniform itself, the kimono, etc.), but there is also a great deal of casting blame on other passengers, and additional fabrications to imply the killer is still on board (e.g., the addition of the Mrs. Hubbard backstab #eyeroll). This seems to be completely contrary to the motives behind the killers both in the book AND at the end of this film. As Poirot repeats over and over at the denouement of the film, this group is not a pack of killers, but people seeking the justice they never received through the normal legal channels. They are in this endeavor together, and it seems out of character for any of them to wish to see another be convicted alone of the crime.

Emily: There were a few things that just annoyed me and a couple things that I really didn't like. Poirot as action hero leaping around on a train trestle on the side of a mountain was just absurd, and not even close to something the character ever would have done, early or late in his career. The physicality of Branagh's Poirot, while dashing, was generally a bit incongruous with the character. I was also truly irritated by the bizarre and needless insertion of Poirot's long lost love Katherine, and his constant murmuring at her photograph. It was so unnecessary and again out of character. There are very few times when Poirot's love life plays a role in any stories, and it certainly doesn't play a role in Murder on the Orient Express. I am also annoyed that Olivia Coleman wasn't given more lines because she is a kween (and THE QUEEN #YasNetflix).

I also felt that the reveal of the connections to the Armstrong family and the true identity of Ratchett was handled extremely clumsily, and took away much of the mystery and suspense of the story. I also totally agree with Audrey that the final scenes, and the dialogue in the final scenes, were very much out of line with the crux of the story and Poirot's actions and decisions in it, as well as the group's motivations. The symbolism of the number of people participating matching that of a jury, and their actions as such, are a key point of the tale and of the actions Poirot takes at the end of the story, and that was all exchanged for some uncharacteristically dramatic and emotional speechifying and I-am-Spartacus-ing that was far less impactful and needlessly silly. Also, Michelle Pfieffer's performance, which I otherwise enjoyed, was marred by the overwrought monologue in the final scenes (and the random additional stabbing of her character in the back for basically no reason).

We will say, though, that after spending so much time in Agatha's world ourselves (with all of you!) it has been really fun to see the excitement and attention about her work that has come along with the new film and television adaptations. We can't WAIT to see the new Ordeal by Innocence and Crooked House adaptations!

There are obviously many other details regarding Orient Express that I'm sure we'll have opinions on upon rewatching, HOWEVER, at the moment we want to hear from all of you! What did YOU think? We're looking forward to a hearty discussion in the comments below!

-A. & E.