Movie Review - Enola Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a great character, but filmmakers seem to have a lot of trouble bringing him to screen. There have been a few great versions of him in the past, but even some of those floundered after only a short while (yes, Benedict Cumberbatch, I'm talking about you).

Enola Holmes is a 2020 live-action film based on the novel The Case of the Missing Marquess. It is rated PG-13 (although everything in it is PG) and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Casting. The actors in this film were great choice: Henry Cavill, Helena Bomham Carter, Millie Bobby Brown, and Louis Partridge all do an excellent job, are likable, and have great chemistry together.

Pacing. The story was so well paced I was at the edge of my seat the whole time even though this was not a suspense thriller. I never got bored nor felt it moved too quickly.

Fun Adventures Along The Way. This film reminded me a lot of Pipi Longstalking with a main story that detours every so often with interesting adventures and interesting characters. It was really fun.

Tone. The movie had the perfect tone. It never felt too dark nor too silly. It was serious but fun.

The Bad

Lestrade. The actor they cast as Lestrade was terrible. He was unlikable, bumbling, and nothing like the version in the books. I'm not sure what they were thinking.

Convenient Ending. The very ending happens rather quickly, ties everything up, answers all the questions, and is a little untrue to Sherlock's character that it had developed. It was just too neat and convenient.

What I Would Like To Have Seen

I would love to have seen more Sherlock Holmes. Henry Cavill plays him better than I've ever seen him played before.

Overall

Enola Holmes is a 2020 live-action film based on the novel The Case of the Missing Marquess. Otherwise this is a great film. The story is so fun and so well paced I was at the edge of my seat the whole time even though this was not a suspense thriller. The cast for the most part were amazing: Henry Cavill, Helena Bomham Carter, Millie Bobby Brown, and Louis Partridge, and all have great chemistry together. This film reminded me a lot of Pipi Longstalking with a main story that detours every so often with interesting adventures and interesting characters. It was really fun. The movie had the perfect tone. It never felt too dark nor too silly. The very ending happened rather quickly, tied everything up, answered all the questions, and was a little untrue to Sherlock's character that it had developed. It was just too neat and convenient. It was serious but fun. I highly recommend this film give it 4.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

    

 

Magazine Review - Mystery Weekly Magazine (December 2019)

I love short stories and short story anthologies. When I bought my first Kindle, I purchased a ton of short stories and read them each night with such a thrill. But it's hard to find good short stories even though there are so many out there.

Mystery Weekly Magazine (December 2020) is a monthly mystery anthology of excellent crime and mystery stories that delve into the normal, the supernatural, and the science fiction realms. It is available as an eBook and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

The West Texas Rookie. This story involves a rookie reporter investigating four murders and finding out details the local authorities didn't bother to ask about which leads to her solving the crimes. 3.5 out of 5 eReaders.

Exposure. This is a story of murder and revenge with a slight hint of horror. The title refers to the cold weather that serves as the setting. This one was the best of the bunch. 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

The Job Interview. This story is about a bank robbery gone awry and a young man looking for a job at a hardware store. It's a little cookie but entertaining. 4 out of 5 eReaders.

Rachel's Place. This is another bank robbery story, but takes place after the fact and mostly involves two people talking about it and the solution to the mystery unfolding. 3.5 out of 5 eReaders.

A Really Great Team. This story involves two married couples and an extramarital affair that has a couple of twists. 4 out of 5 eReaders.

Taking Debbie Rabbit. This story is about a hitman and a job he has moral qualms about. The story is entertaining, but the ending a is a little disappointing. 4 out of 5 eReaders.

A Minute to Murder. Each issue has a "you solve it" mystery where a situation is set up and you have to figure out who the guilty party is. They're usually pretty short and not all that interesting. The solution is in the next issue. This one is closed room murder mystery. 4 out of 5 eReaders.

The Bad

Peat. This is murder mystery with an odd twist. The twist was unique and the story was fairly entertaining. 3 out of 5 eReaders.

   

 

Movie Review - Knives Out

I love classic murder mysteries and whodunnits, but it's hard to find something fresh and new to add to the mix without drastically altering the formula.

Knives Out is a 2019 murder mystery film. It is rated PG-13 for language and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Daniel Craig. This is probably Daniel Craig's best role, and this coming from someone who though Casino Royale was a near perfect Bond film. He totally sells it as a southern gentleman. I hope they make another film in which he can reprise this role.

Characters. This film features an all-star cast, and they all play their parts well. Each of the main characters is interesting (except the nurse).

Story/Mystery. The story was interesting and had enough going on to keep it interesting. The mystery was good with a satisfying resolution.

Pacing. This film moves at a good pace. It's quick enough you don't get bored, but slow enough you don't get lost.

Comedy. This film is not a comedy, but there are some really well placed jokes that are pretty funny.

The Bad

Art Direction. A lot of times mystery films are visually rich, but this one was a little strange, and not in a good way.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

This film was about what I expected.

Overall

Knives Out is an entertaining murder mystery that keeps enough of the classic whodunnit mix to be recognizable but adds a few fresh elements to keep it interesting and not stale. This is probably Daniel Craig's best role, and this coming from someone who though Casino Royale was a near perfect Bond film. He totally sells it as a southern gentleman. The rest of the main characters (except for the nurse from South America) are all well cast and well played. This film is not a comedy, but there are some really well placed jokes that are pretty funny. The story was interesting and had enough content to keep it interesting. The mystery was good with a satisfying resolution. This film moves at a good pace. It's quick enough you don't get bored, but slow enough you don't get lost. I give this film 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.