“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” is a film adapted from a novel written by David Lagercrantz who has continued the series first created by the late Stieg Larsson.

Claire Foy takes on the role of genius computer hacker and vigilante, Lisbeth Salander. It was a decent enough casting choice.  I was not so impressed with this version of Salander’s  friend and former lover, Mikael Blomkvist, played by Sverrir Gudnason.

Fede Alvarez is the director who delivers an unfortunately average cinematic experience. It could have been worse.  The criticism from professional film reviewers is well-deserved, however I was relieved that I didn’t end up hating it. I wish I could have enjoyed it more

There seems to be some problems with the editing of the film. Also, the relationship between Salander and Mikael was not explained all that well.  In the initial trilogy, Lisbeth was on trial for murder. She also endured some very significant abuse in her childhood and has a very complicated background.

The film was not a complete disaster, but it was a long way from a triumph.

 

“Overlord” mixes the war film with horror…of the supernatural kind. The screenplay is presented by Billy Ray and Mark L. Smith that is brought to the screen under the direction of Julius Avery.

A group of WWW II paratroopers survive an air attack and are out to destroy a radio tower in the heart of Germany, an act which will aid the Allies in their struggle against the Nazis.

Jivan Adepo plays a young private who infiltrates the compound but finds that the denizens of a nearby village are subjects of some ghastly experiments.  By that, I mean experiments more terrible and implausible than those recorded by history.

Let’s face it…the story is rather ridiculous, but I ended up enjoying it more than I expected when I just started to roll with it.  The visual effects were impressive. The mutated results of the experiments were quite formidable and appropriately disgusting.

Those that made up the surviving squad members were a little cliché but likeable. There were even some quite heroic moments from the American soldiers in the face of even more horrors of war.

Pilou Asbaek plays the repulsive lead villain and does well enough even when it seems to have gone over the top.

The performances were pretty solid.  There are some glaring historical inaccuracies, but I found myself being more tolerant of them as the film progressed.

As with any film of this sort, it’s not a masterpiece, but it serves its purpose as being a macabre yet reasonably entertaining distraction from the pressures of real life.

 

“The Dalek Occupation of Winter” is a Doctor Who audio play from Big Finish Productions.  Peter Purves and Maureen O’Brien share narration duties as well as reprising their roles of Steven and Vicki, respectively. Purves also delivers a very solid impression of the First Doctor, as played by the long departed William Hartnell.  David K Barnes writes this latest release from the Early Adventures range of the vast catalog of audio dramas produced by Big Finish.  Although I can weary pretty quickly of the Daleks, this is one of the stronger efforts in the series.

O’Brien seems to have done well with finding her younger voice since she first Vicki in the mid-1960’s. Purves also does well to distinguish his various roles in this release from each other.

All of the guest cast did well, but I thought Robert Daws was quite effective as the sycophantic Ganus Majorian , the leader of this isolated colony who seem to have entered a peculiar cooperative relationship with the dreaded Daleks.

The Doctor and his companions arrive in a city called Winter which is located on some unnamed distant planet somewhere in the universe with another group of citizens who sound remarkably British.  Actually, the story is good enough for me to forgive these implausible circumstances quite readily, but it amuses me to point them out anyway.  The lack of background on the locale isn’t all that troublesome either, or all that unusual in Doctor Who.  Anyway, the Doctor and company are further perplexed and then suspicious when they find the Daleks there as well apparently being in service to this colony. Also, the planet is perpetually frigid with 500 year long winters.  Only one city seems to have been established on this world. I love these sorts of settings in spite of the unlikelihood. Besides it gives the Daleks a great locale to cause some trouble.

Anyway, the Daleks haven’t really changed as much as things appear in this story, but I thought there was real effort to have a little originality to their appearance in this story. If it’s one thing the Daleks need these days, it’s a bit more originality.

The performances were just solid and engaging all around. There were some very creepy and appropriately horrific moments that unfolded that were realized well by the writing and sound production.  I thought there were some moments that sort of went a little beyond what audiences would have seen on television during that era, but don’t take that as criticism. I liked the effort to really stoke my imagination beyond what I would have expected to have seen if this episode actually aired during the appropriate era of the television series.

I really enjoyed this release and would encourage any other fan to not give this one a pass.

“The Sniper” is a 1952 thriller released by Stanley Kramer Productions and was directed by Edward Dmytryk.  Harry Brown wrote the screenplay from a story conceived by Edna and Edward Anhalt.  Arthur Franz plays the psychotic sharpshooter, Eddie Miller, who stirs up panic in San Francisco by shooting women from afar.

The film also stars Adolphe Menjou, Richard Kiley, and Marie Windsor. Menjou plays the lead detective, Frank Kafka. I am not sure that anything really stands out in the character, but I somehow liked him regardless

The film has plenty of interesting ideas, particularly for the time it was released.  It seems to have one of the first to really explore the psychology of a serial killer. It tackled the issue of those who kill for sexual pleasure, although that motive for Eddie Miller is not entirely prevalent.  Kiley plays a psychologist who is consulting with the police and can get a little off-putting with the delivery of his insights at times. I am not sure if that was the intent of the character, but he evoked a bit of an eyeroll from me sometimes.

Franz’s performance was pretty compelling for the most part.  He was quite convincing portraying Eddie Miller’s downtrodden demeanor.  Miller’s disdain for women was quite evident and but also managed to come across as over the top.  It was a pretty solid portrayal for the most part.

The movie does have some problems through. Some of the investigative practices employed by the police seems to be lacking in research from the producers.  There seemed to be contrived scenes providing the opportunity for the writers to share their views on how to treat suspected sex offenders in the criminal justice system. I was impressed that such ideas were conveyed in a film that was made in 1950’s.  I did get distracted by the implausibility of moments such as having various known sex offenders in a line-up and some guy basically heckling them, discussing their cases in front of the other suspects as well as the large group of police officers in the room.  It was an odd moment which I was not sure was all that realistic even for that time.

The film has its share of shortcomings, but it takes some chances that were interesting.  The performances overall weren’t bad in spite of the problems I had in suspending my disbelief.

There was also a bit of silliness such as the killer reaching out to the police warning them that he needed to be stopped.  Miller was written as someone in the grip of mental illness, yet knowing that he was wrong to be executing these women.

The ending is rather strangely abrupt as well, however I think it was just unique enough for me to appreciate it.

I would say that this film should not be overlooked because there was some effort to make it unique for its time.  Not all of it was executed well, but not all of it failed either.

“Three Doors To Death” is a trio of novellas by Rex Stout which feature the deductive talents of oversized private investigator Nero Wolfe. It was first collected and published in one volume in 1950.  Archie Goodwin is the assistant and narrator of stories who often has to goad his employer into working.  They reside in a brownstone on W 35th Street in New York City.  Wolfe is as curmudgeonly and eccentric as they come.  He rarely leaves the comforts of his home.  Business is not to be discussed at mealtime, and nothing is to get in the way of his care for the orchids planted on the roof.

This is not a series where the main characters are subject to change or grow, but it’s a fun series to read in spite of the implausibility of it all.

“Man Alive” is the first story in this little volume where Wolfe and Archie find that a faked death is the prelude to a real murder in the world of fashion.  A young heiress is under scrutiny for the death of her uncle who was thought to have killed himself earlier. I found this to be the strongest story in this set.

“Omit Flowers” has Wolfe doing a favor for a friend to solve the murder of a public relations supervisor for a restaurant chain known as Ambrosia. The police have a suspect, but Wolfe is convinced that he should make sure that the right man is on the hook.  It’s not a bad story but nothing too outstanding. That’s rather par for the course for this story.

“Door to Death” concludes this collection and has Wolfe getting more exercise than usual. He and Archie need to find a substitute for the man who cares for Wolfe’s precious orchids.  They have to leave the city to interview a potential replacement when a dead woman is discovered in the greenhouse. This story is fairly unique in that Wolfe himself makes a rare excursion outside of his brownstone.

One of the more amusing features is a foreword where Archie reminds the reader that his formidable employer does not solve murders for the thrill of it.  In two of the stories, Wolfe doesn’t receive any monetary award for his efforts, however he doesn’t habitually exercise his superior brainpower unless his accounts are going to see some replenishment.

It’s a good enough addition to the series with some amusing quips and banter. Even if the plots are by the numbers, the interactions between the main protagonists and others who encounter them whether they need help or questioning are enjoyable enough for me to recommend this or any other opportunity to meet Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.

I will be next be trying out the debut novel of an Amarillo author by the name of R. Rachel Guana entitled “The Thinking Log”.  I hope it’s good because I have met this lady, and she seems nice.

“The Dispossessed” is a Doctor Who audio play released by Big Finish Productions and is written by Mark Morris.  Sylvester McCoy returns alongside Sophie Aldred and Bonnie Langford.

The Doctor, Ace, and Melanie Bush find a portal to a world that has no daylight where an alien feeds on others’ life energy leaving them as walking husks.  The Doctor gets separated from his companions, as usual.  Mel and Ace do get to stick together throughout most of the story, which I thought worked pretty well.  Langford and Aldred make a pretty engaging team.

There is not much particularly remarkable about the story, but it still manages to be reasonably enjoyable.  The sound effects are well realized.  Nick Ellsworth seems to have a good deal fun as the stranded and powerful being known as Arkallax. I rather liked that the Doctor had a temporary companion in form of a character known as Ruck, played by Morgan Watkins. I usually find it interesting when the Doctor has to work with someone new to fill the companion role when he is either separated from his usual buddies or traveling alone.

It’s a fine story, but it doesn’t particularly stand out other for the most part.

“The Tsuranga Conundrum” is the fifth episode of the eleventh series of the revived Doctor Who in which Jodie Whittaker stars as the Doctor.  Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Bill play the new companions in the TARDIS.

The Doctor and her friends are injured by a sonic mine on some kind of junk planet in the 67th century and wake up on board a hospital ship taking them away from the TARDIS.  They encounter the two crewmembers on board a mostly automated vessel and the various patients including a man about to give birth and a well-known general of that time keeping secrets as to her health.

Things take a much more problematic turn when some kind of weird space gremlin shows up and starts eating its way through the ship.

Head writer Chris Chibnall turns in another pretty average installment, although there are some minor improvements.  The Doctor gets to show off her vast experience and knowledge when discussing the workings of the ship.  The only threat to the crew is from a new alien called the Pting. I do appreciate the effort to create new aliens for the Doctor to face, although this one wasn’t really intelligent, and couldn’t communicate on a level for the audience to witness some type of verbal sparring between it and the Doctor.

This was what was once dubbed a “base under siege” story with a small group of people trapped in a tight setting with a threat of destruction looming over them.

The appearance of the Pting is a little hard to take as a serious threat.  The guest cast was pretty good.  I rather liked Suzanne Packer’s role of General Eve Cicero.  The general is accompanied by an android consort and her younger brother.  The strained relationship between the siblings was well played.  I could have done without the pregnant man who is from an alien race, but that turned out to not be entirely intolerable.

Bradley Walsh continues to be a favorite casting choice so far.  The two younger main cast members are fine.  I am still hoping to see some moments where Whittaker’s version of the Doctor really makes a unique impression.  So far, she hasn’t made me want to smash my television in frustration but I have yet to be convinced that it was entirely necessary to cast a woman in the role after 55 years of the series’ existence.  I guess I will never think it necessary, but I have yet to feel pleasantly surprised at the effectiveness of such a decision.

There are some engaging moments in this episode, but overall it continues Chibnall’s string of mediocre contributions.

“The Terror” is a film directed by Roger Corman and released in 1963.  It stars Boris Karloff, Sandra Knight, and Jack Nicholson.

Nicholson plays a French soldier who ends up separated from his squadron and encounters a mysterious woman who leads him to a castle where a Baron is seemingly haunted by a ghost attempting to convince him to take his own life.  The soldier learns of a twenty year-old murder and a pact with the Devil.

There is some beautiful scenery throughout the film and decent set design. Overall, this film is a bit of a mess as far as the story goes.  The performances weren’t good enough to keep my interest very consistently.

Although it’s amusing to see Karloff in one of his later performances and a much younger Jack Nicholson, this is a pretty forgettable film for the most part.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is a film with some contention behind the scenes when original director, Bryan Singer, was fired and then replaced by Dexter Fletcher.  In seems fitting that a film about the rock band Queen has its own baggage that could be a reflection that the original band members had to endure with each other.

It is very easy to see how much work Rami Malek put into his interpretation of iconic lead singer, Freddie Mercury.  Although Mercury is at the center, the actors portraying the other band members held their own as well.  I am not familiar with much of the details concerning the personalities of each of the four members of Queen, but I imagine the performances I saw did them justice.  The surviving members had some input in aspects of the production.

The film has a good balance of humor and heartache throughout.  It was fascinating to see the origin of some of the more iconic hits.  It does a good job of highlighting the talent of Mercury and other band members.  Although the focus was mainly on Freddie Mercury, it did also emphasize that the band had a more collaborative approach when it came to the actual creation of their music.

Mercury was a complicated guy with some complicated relationships. His relationship with Mary Austin, played by Lucy Boynton, was quite compelling, especially when his bisexual tendencies come into play.

Although there were was a lot about Mercury’s decisions that didn’t sit well with me, I found some sympathy for many of the struggles he seemed to have with identifying those people in his life that truly cared for him.

The film is leading up to the Live Aid performance in July, 1985 I which the reenactment was quite stunning.

Although it is an overall amazing film, I would have liked to see a little more time placed into the development of the relationship between the bandmates in the beginning.  There are times that I thought some important moments were glossed over, however I also understand the danger of the film getting too long and cumbersome as well.

In spite of the friction and drama that went on behind the cameras, the film came out surprisingly well.  I am not a diehard Queen fan, but I found much to appreciate in this film and discovered a profound respect for the talent of the band members themselves.

“The Last Detective” by Peter Lovesey  in the first in a series to feature Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond and was first published in 1991.  Diamond is described the old-fashioned sort of gumshoe who still relies on “question and answer, doorstopping and deduction”.  Diamond still prefers to trust his instincts about people over science and lab results.  He basically has trouble changing with the times.  I think this sort of depiction of detective work is a bit of a misnomer.  Detectives of today still do a lot of door knocking and interviewing.  I think depicting Diamond as come kind of a dinosaur is just a bit overblown.

In spite of some mild exasperation at a somewhat questionable impression Lovesey conveys about the progress in police investigations, I did still enjoy this novel.  Diamond was a little gruff at times, which is fine, because I like a good curmudgeon in my protagonists. He also is a dogged and noble pursuer of the truth in spite of what it may cost him.  This case costs him quite a bit.  It will be interesting to see what personal and career choices come about in future installments.

A dead woman is found in a lake near Bath, somewhere in England.  Forgive my lapse in geographical insight.  Diamond learns the victim was an actress recently forced out of  the soap opera in which she starred.  Her husband is an English professor who may or may not be having  an affair.  At the center of this debacle are a couple missing letters purported to be written by one Jane Austen.

This is not exactly a new technique,  but Lovesey will change into first person perspectives through quite a bit of the story here.  I am not always a big fan of that sort of shift,  but I didn’t mind it so much this time. Lovesey handles it pretty well.

Much of the elements seem rather standard for a British murder mystery, however there are some startling and compelling twists and turns.  Superintendent Diamond is in for quite the ride, and this is only the first book in a rather lengthy series.

This is a series and character that should be looked up by fellow mystery readers.  I certainly intend to try out a few more Lovesey works.

I will stay with the detective genre in my next little selection.  In fact, this next one is quite a staple of mystery series. Nero Wolfe takes on three puzzlers with Rex Stout’s “Three Doors To Death”