I’ve always enjoyed Anthony Horowitz’s writing. I dug his young spy novels, the Alex Rider series, and his foray into James Bond territory. But he is not a writer to be confined by genre, and when I came across Magpie Murders in one of the little libraries in a neighbor’s yard, I had to at…
Tag: suicide
Northern Exposure (1994) – Northern Hospitality, and Una Volta in L’Inverno
Following a remark by Adam (Adam Arkin) Joel (Rob Morrow) decides he needs to host a dinner party, but it’s more work than he’s used to. Northern Hospitality was written by Barbara Hall and first debuted on 28 February, 1994. While Joel tries to tackle all aspects of a dinner party, something that is truly…
Northern Exposure (1993) – Learning Curve, and Ill Wind
Marilyn (Elaine Miles) prepares for a vacation to Seattle, though Joel (Rob Morrow) isn’t sure she should travel on her own. But that’s just the beginning of things for this episode. Joel is mothering her from the get-go, trying to make sure she has everything she needs for a safe trip, but Marilyn insists she…
Northern Exposure (1992) – The Three Amigos, and Lost and Found
As Chris (John Corbett) reads Call of the Wild by Jack London to Cicely over the air, Holling (John Cullum) and Maurice (Barry Corbin) head deep into the woods to lay a dead friend to rest. They have a coffin ready to go, they saddle up the horses and head out into the snow, bonding…
The Night House (2020) – David Bruckner
Rebecca Hall turns a fantastic performance as Beth, a recently widow who is being haunted figuratively and literally as she learns dark secrets about her late husband, Owen (Evan Jonigkeit). Living in the house that Owen built, she begins to feel a presence in the house with her, and the way corners and arches come…
The Long Goodbye (1973) – Robert Altman
I’m probably stepping into a minefield here, but I’m not the biggest Robert Altman fan. Who doesn’t love The Player? And as great as M*A*S*H is, I came to it by way of the television series, so it never resonated with me as much as I would have liked. That being said, I really liked…
A Haunting in Venice (2023) – Kenneth Branagh
Branagh delivers a third Agatha Christie adaption, and like the previous films, Branagh brings in a great cast and delivers a lush-looking production with some gorgeous production design and location work. Branagh directs and stars, again, as Hercule Poirot the great detective who has now retired to Venice. He is approached by an old friend,…
Hill Street Blues (1986) – Fathers and Guns, and More Skinned Against Than Skinning
There are lots of emotional troubles to be had in Fathers and Guns. Written by Jeffrey Lewis from a story by Lewis and Jerry Patrick Brown. It first aired on 9 December, 1986. Belker (Bruce Weitz) is still learning to be a new father, and the stress of the job, and the world have infiltrated…
The Boogeyman (2023) – Rob Savage
Sometimes Stephen King adaptations work, sometimes they take the core of the idea and do something completely different with it, and sometimes it comes off better than the original story. Not this time. But sometimes. This time around they took Stephen King’s short story, The Boogeyman as featured in the Night Shift collection and used…
Family Ties (1984) – Keaton and Son, Fabric Smarts, and Hotline Fever
Alex (Michael J. Fox) is looking for a job, hopefully at a bank to be close to the money, but he may have to take whatever comes along, which may mean working with his dad, Steven (Michael Gross) down at the station. Keaton and Son was written by Lissa Levin and was first broadcast on…
The Mind Reels 