Movie Reviews

Several years ago, I saw a Hercule Poirot mystery on PBS television. Poirot was played by the excellent David Suchet who has portrayed Poirot the longest. He has the acting down pat and the moustache, also. This production was entitled “Halloween” and about a young woman, in England, who said she had witnessed a murder years before as a child. The scene was an apple-bobbing party and the next day, the young woman was found dead. Fast Forward and today we have “A Haunting in Venice” with the same theme, except the location. Kenneth Branagh, who directed the last two “Hercule Poirot” films (“Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death On The Nile”) also directs “A Haunting in Venice,” plus playing Hercule Poirot, Unfortunately, Branagh’s moustache in this movie takes over every scene and sometimes enters the room before he does. As with Agatha Christie mysteries, there is evil afoot and Hercule Poirot, master detective, is on the prowl. Christie also wrote about an inquisitive elderly lady, Miss Marple, who managed to solve crimes literally from her back yard. Margaret Rutherford played Miss Marple then.

The Expendables are mercenaries who have their own plane and go to far off places helping those in need. Each member has a specialty from technical to fire arms to body defense to explosives to whatever is needed at the time. There is a leader and here it is Sylvester Stallone (“Tulsa King”) who plays Barney Ross. If this group of films will continue, this is Stallone’s last film as “Barney,”

Director Ridley Scott has quite a background in films with battle scenes and heroes who dominate the screen. Favorites of mine are “Gladiator,” “Blackhawk Down,” “Blade Runner,” “Alien,” “Black Rain” and” Someone To Watch Over Me.” The list goes back quite a way. This year. Scott shows the audience a view of the French past with “Napoleon” and Joaquin Phoenix as the Emperor. Phoenix was also one of the stars of “Gladiator.” The script by David Scarpa focuses on Napoleon going up the French military ladder to become Emperor, with his marriage to Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) included, plus the exiles.

Actor Jason Statham (“Meg 2: The Trench”) is an action hero in the group such as Liam Neeson and Bruce Willis. Though, unfortunately, because of health reason, Willis is no longer acting. These men took on the bad guys and disposed of them in various ways, to the delight of audiences who, sometimes, would want to do the same thing. Their action films come out at a regular basis and so we have “The Beekeeper,” that centers on revenge. This time is it something that happens to a friend of Statham’s, whose name in the film is Clay. Director David Ayer (The Tax Collector”) knows how to stage a good fight and away we go. “The Beekeeper” debuted in Europe first and was a hit at the box-office there. Now, it is in the U.S.