Tag: reviews

Classic Film Review: Showgirls In Peril

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Trap is not one of the better films to feature Charlie Chan, as played by the late Sidney Toler. Howard Bretherton directed this film which was written by Miriam Kissinger. The character was first created by the late Earl Derr Biggers, who was also given some writing credit. Biggers died in 1933, so he probably didn’t have much to do with this bit of tragic cinema.

Victor Sen Yung, Barbara Jean Wong, Mantan Moreland, and Tanis Chandler are also included in the cast.

It’s kind of a classic murder mystery set-up where a where a theatrical ensemble is staying at a beach house where scandal and blackmail are ruining the camaraderie among the showgirls. When one of the showgirls is murdered, a pair of them fall under suspicion. San Toy happens to know the son of the great detective, Charlie Chan, and reaches out for some help. Jimmy Chan starts his own investigation; however, the big man turns up when he receives some information that Jimmy himself had been murdered. Charlie devises a trap to ensnare a murderer who has claimed a second victim as he discovers the secrets held by the performers.

There isn’t much about this particular film that works. Charlie Chan isn’t all that involved in the story as expected. I did a little research here and learned that Toler had been coping with a severe cancer diagnosis at the time of production. In fact, he died the following year. The story was not that interesting. Well, it did follow the basic tropes of the genre and the other films in the series, but it was not executed all that well. It felt rushed and a bit incoherent. Now that I am aware of Toler’s condition during filming, it does seem the studio was rather ruthlessly trying to make as much money as possible from a star who was terribly sick.

I do think the Charlie Chan movies themselves are worth some viewing time due to the cultural impact at the time of release, but I also believe this particular film deserves a pass. The actors did their best, but the script did little to help.

Film Review: Bart Sees It All

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Night Clerk is an almost painfully mediocre suspense film written and directed by Micchael Cristofer about a motel clerk with Asperger’s Syndrome who sets up cameras in rooms to spy on guests so he can learn how to imitate their mannerisms. He apparently believes this will help him be less socially awkward.

Tye Sheridan is in the lead as Bart Bromley with Ana de Armas, John Leguizamo, Helen Hunt, and Johnathan Schaech included in the pretty small cast.

Bart finds that he is the lead suspect when a pretty lady is found dead in the motel room with him in the vicinity. He is assigned by a sympathetic boss to another location where he meets another pretty lady who flirts with him and reveals that she is in an affair with a married man. The detective, played by Leguizamo, continues to hound the hapless Bart while the real killer is desperate to cover his tracks.

This is a bit of a knock-off of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, which isn’t a bad source for inspiration even if it has been overcooked over the years. The cast is solid enough with convincing performances; however, it just feels so slow. There are no real surprises. Bart does come off as a bit creepy at times, so I found it hard to maintain any real sympathy for him. An actress of Helen Hunt’s caliber feels wasted in the role as Bart’s protective mother. There are also times where it feels that the killer takes a somewhat more convoluted approach than necessary to keep his secret. I can go on and on, but I have a full plate today.

The bright spots in this film were there but seemed a little muted at times. Overall, I think audiences have seen this kind of setup too many times, and Cristofer really doesn’t offer up much in the way of an interesting or unique twist. I didn’t really care much about the protagonist in spite of him being inflicted with a very challenging condition. Sheridan does do a solid job in his portrayal, but that wasn’t enough for me to muster up any real appreciation for the film as a whole.

Doctor Who Audio Review: A Time War Would Indeed Be Hard To Chart

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Doctor Who: Pursuit is a reasonably entertaining audio boxset which is the second volume in the series known as Time War Uncharted. Paul McGann is back before the microphone in the Big Finish studio. The set was directed by Ken Bentley and is comprised of four episodes. The Eighth Doctor has had his TARDIS stolen by his great-grandson, Alex Campbell, played by Sunny McGann. Emma Campbell-Jones returns as Cass, who is accompanying Alex on his escapade separated from the Doctor.

The mysterious Hieronyma Friend, whose face is often changing, is played by Lizzie Hopley and then Niky Wardley. Friend seems to be in the employ of someone or something else and seems to shift from being an ally to an adversary. Either way, the Doctor needs to remain wary.

Dan Starkey returns as various Sontarans encountered throughout the set. Sontarans are apparently now Time Lords as a consequence of the Doctor’s meanderings through different realities. A Time War does strange things to the universe, and even the Doctor will have a challenging time keeping up with the sudden shifts in reality.

As mentioned before, there are four episodes that should be given some brief impressions.

Spoil of War is written by Mark Wright and brings Alex and Cass to an estate where an unusual auction is about to take place. The Doctor and Friend are on their trail but have problems of their own. The Time Lords are now Sontarans. The Doctor is about to discover bow navigating the consequences of the Time War is going to throw many obstacles in his pursuit of his stolen TARDIS and his renegade great-grandson.

Once again, the performances make an otherwise average story a little more enjoyable. The strange relationship between Friend and the Doctor provides enough intrigue to keep one engaged, but I find the plot somewhat unmemorable.

The Tale of Alex by Katherine Armitage sort of sets up Alex as taking up the legendary mantle of the Doctor. Sam Stafford is on hand as a kind of bard and narrator and does a good job with it.

It’s kind of an obligatory offbeat sort of story but has the sense of being done before. Armitage still manages to have a story that feels overdone because we have heard this type of poetic narrations before. She does a good job with it, but it does not come off as original as intended.

James Moran dips a bit more into the spookier aspects of the series with See-Saw with another sometimes-overdone trope with creepy children reciting whispering nursery rhymes. Alex and Cass sole the mystery alongside the Doctor and Friend without being able to see of communicate with each other, which is actually quite intriguing. I sort of like creepy tropes in Doctor Who, and this episode is probably the one that gripped me the most. It’s actually a pretty clever idea in spite of some of the story elements having a history of being overused.

Finally, Tim Foley brings this collection home with The First Forest. John Ramm plays a strange hermit type character who finds an injured Alex, who is separated from Cass. The Doctor and Friend finally find Alex and are close to the purloined TARDIS. Of course, more mysteries are revealed even when the Doctor accomplishes an important goal.

This was a little mid of a muddled episode, but the performances and the climactic encounters make the time well spent.

On the whole, it was an enjoyable but unremarkable set. This series in which we get to experience the Eighth Doctor’s somewhat limited participation in the Time War is a fascinating venture. Of course, he will become more active when he regenerates into the shunned incarnation known to us fans as the War Doctor. Paul McGann is a still a joy to hear in these episodes.

I don’t know how one can chart a course through a Time War, but I am still enjoying the ride.

Film Review: Dancing With The Devil

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Apartment 7A is a mildly interesting horror film which I just read was supposed to be some prequel to the classic film, Rosemary’s Baby. The film is directed by Natalie Erika James, who co-wrote the film alongside Christian White and Skylar James. Julia Garner is in the lead as aspiring stage dancer, Terry Gionoffrio. Other cast members include Dianne Weist, Jim Sturgess, Kevin McNally, and Marli Siu.

Terry Gionoffrio is a dancer who was seriously injured in a fall onstage and is having some difficulty getting booked for other Broadway gigs. She meets an elderly couple who befriend her and offer a rent-free apartment in a lavish old complex. Of course, Terry starts having strange dreams and hallucinations. She does have a seemingly convenient fling with a Broadway producer which could lead to her desired fame on the stage. In the midst of these strange circumstances, Terry learns that she is pregnant, but there is something odd about the developing child. It turns out that Terry has been ensnared by some dedicated Satanists eager to bring forth a manifestation of the one they worship.

The film hits some of the right notes that engage my interest. It takes place in the 1960’s in New York. There is a rather spooky apartment, although we’re not really confined there with Terry. Terry does get to leave and figure out what kind of situation keeps her on the edge of hysteria. I have no real complaint about the cast. Garner is a pretty good actress. Wiest is kind of a legend and is easily able to pull off the part of a strange old woman who can be deadlier than she first appears.

The script is okay. There is nothing really that unique about setup or plot. Geriatric Satanists seems like an interesting idea, but I just ultimately found it to be kind of hammy. Some of the imagery of the devil was kind of clever, but nothing too jarring or unique.

I don’t think I have gotten around to seeing Rosemary’s Baby. Even though I may eventually be curious enough to see it, this film didn’t really kickstart my interest that much.

Apartment 7A is not a bad film on the whole and does have some merit in the horror genre, but there isn’t much that’s unique and will likely be considered another unnecessary prequel that has a tenuous connection to the film that inspired it.

Film Review: Blood In The Snow

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Dead of Winter is a surprisingly decent action film released in 2025, starring Emma Thompson as a recently widowed who is distracted from her efforts to scatter her husband’s ashes on a remote lake by an apparent kidnapping. The film is directed by Brian Kirk. The script was written by Nicholas Jacobson-Larsenand Dalton Leeb.

Other cast members include Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca, and Laurel Marsden.

As mentioned before, Barb is a woman who recently lost her husband. She decides to set out to a favorite fishing spot of theirs where she intends to scatter his ashes. On the way, she gets detoured by a blizzard where she happens upon an isolated cabin. She finds a peculiar man who does give her some helpful directions. She notices some blood on the snow and is told it was from a recently slain deer. Sometime later, Barb witnesses a young woman whose hands are bound attempting to escape the previously helpful man. Barb figures out that the woman is held captive for some unknown reason by a couple. Her efforts to free the woman goes awry and a cat and mouse situation starts to ensue across the frozen landscape which could lead to Barb making a heart-wrenching sacrifice for a woman she does not know.

Emma Thompson is one of the most respected actresses out there, and this role is a nice addition to the resume. The usual elegance she exudes is submerged by the weary, saddened persona of Barb.

Judy Greer plays the desperate, frenzied woman known as Purple Lady, who is the actual mastermind of the abduction.

The performances were quite good, and the reason behind the abduction is rather chilling, if a little implausible.

I thought it was interesting that many of the characters were not given actual names. There are billed as either Purple Lady or Camo Jacket.

There are moments where Barb is remembering how she and her husband got together, and a heartbreak that kept them bound together.

Not everything in the plot hangs together all that neatly, but Thompson still carries the lead role well enough to make some oversights forgivable.

Judy Greer is also quite compelling as the lead villain. She can pull off psychotic mania quite convincingly without getting too outlandish.

Anyway, this film was not something that seems well-known. I found it quite by accident, but it’s worth a look. Dead of Winter is one of the few films in recent years that was effectively and darkly diverting.

Film Review: Vengeance In Five Points

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Gangs of New York is a very long film directed by Martin Scorsese that does take some patience to get through in spite of some captivating performances, especially with a certain Daniel Day-Lewis in the cast.

The screenplay is written by Jay Cocks, Steve Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan and was adapted from a book published in 1928, what was Herbert Asbury’s The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld.

Leonardo Dicaprio, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, and John C. Reilly are included in this obviously talented cast. Cameron Diaz does seem a little miscast here, but she is not too distracting.

The film starts off in 1846, taking place in a New York slum known as Five Points where a gang fight is about to erupt between Irish immigrants and American natives. The leader of the Irish gang is cur down by the leader known as the Butcher, played by Day-Lewis. Sixteen years later, the son of the slain man has returned to Five Points for vengeance. DiCaprio’s character goes by the moniker “Amsterdam”. In order to get closer to his target, Amsterdam positions himself as the Butcher’s protégé. A brash pickpocket played by Diaz comes to Amsterdam’s attention and complicates his plans to avenge his father. Another war is brewing between the New York gangs, and a major city could be caught in the crossfire.

The set designs are stunning. Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a powerful performance as the brutal gang leader known as Bill “the Butcher” Cutting. DeCaprio also leaves an impression with his talent, but Day-Lewis stands over everyone in the arena of acting.

The film is just too long. It does seem that Amsterdam could have pulled off his objective too many times before the climactic battle sequence taking place. Bill the Butcher is an intimidating fellow, so I am glad that he was not taken out sooner.

It’s still a visually appealing film even though it feels that further editing could have occurred. It’s an exhausting film to watch at times. The fight scenes are gruesome but well-executed.

I had been thinking of finally watching this film for some time, and although I would not label it as a disappointment, it didn’t pack quite the punch I was hoping for.

My complaints about this film may have more to do with my choice of genre and certain expectations than Scorsese’s editing choices. It’s still a decent film and should be watched. Just make sure the day is slow and one has the attention span to stay focused.

Doctor Who Audio Review: A Mad Scientist, Autons, And The Doctor

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Doctor Who: The Ministry of Death is another reasonably enjoyable audio boxset from Big Finish Productions and features Tom Baker returning to the microphone as the Fourth Doctor. He is joined by Sadie Miller, Christopher Naylor, and Jon Culshaw reprising their roles of Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan, and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in two new adventures.

The Ministry of Death, the first story, was written by Robert Valentine and directed by Jamie Anderson. The guest cast includes Carolyn Seymour and Richard James.

The Brigadier has asked the Doctor and Sarah Jane for assistance when a strange murder has occurred. When other murders occur, the Doctor learns of a tragic lab experiment gone wrong, and a hideous revenge is in the works. Human beings are being experimented on and mutated as well with the assistance of alien technology.

The main cast being together is always a treat, but the story was pretty average on the whole. The cast was fine, and the sound engineering was quite good. Tom Baker retains his usual enthusiasm as the Doctor. All of the other main cast members have been playing roles originated by deceased actors, and they do sound pretty convincing. Sadie Miller is actually the daughter of Elisabeth Sladen, who initially played Sarah Jane and can sound remarkably like her mother. Ian Marter was the original actor who played Harry Sullivan. Jon Culshaw, who is actually a brilliant impressionist, makes a convincing Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier.

This audio play is a decent addition to the catalogue, but it isn’t going to be all that memorable for me.

Phil Mulryne closes out the set with The Inhuman Empire. Jayne Ashbourne plays Alison Carmichael, an old friend of Sarah Jane Smith’s, who requested her help to look into some mysterious activities at the National Museum. When the Doctor, who is pressganged by the Brigadier to help with the aftermath of their previous escapade, tags along, they discover an old adversary of UNIT’s has returned to cause mayhem. The Autons are back threatening total destruction of all who stand in their way in their service to the malevolent Nestene Consciousness.

This story is the better one of the two. I usually prefer the Doctor to face new enemies, but the Autons being featured here works pretty well. It was also pretty intriguing to have Sarah Jane’s other friendships outside of the TARDIS.

Overall, the set was above average but not really any sort of unique masterpiece. Tom Baker is delightful as usual. His advanced age is only somewhat detectable. The main cast do play well off each other, so there are plenty of elements that make this a worthy purchase. There are still just better selections out there.

Film Review: An Android Named Alice

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Subservience is a very mediocre science fiction film directed by S.K. Dale and written by Will Honley and April Maguire. This is another film which delves into the potential troubles of having a synthetic caretaker in the household. Megan Fox is in the lead role as the android who is given the name Alice.

Other cast members include Michele Marrone, Madeline Zima, and Matilda Firth. The actors were reasonably well cast. I never considered Fox to be a uniquely memorable actress, but she does well enough in this role.

A husband and father is needing a little extra help caring for his daughter when his wife is in need of a heart transplant. He goes to the local android dealership and finds a hot-looking brunette model that should stir up no temptations. Anyway, the young daughter likes her immediately and names the artificial aide Alice. Alice starts to develop something resembling an obsession for the husband. She offers to help the hapless guy named Nick with stress relief of the most carnal kind which leads to more confusion. Then, the wife finally undergoes the heart surgery which actually turns out to be successful. She makes it home which really makes matters more awkward, bringing out Alice’s more homicidal urges.

The film is nicely shot, and the performances were not noticeably lacking. The plot is just too familiar and tediously predictable. Megan Fox wasn’t given much material to have her seductive android character stand out.

I did find that having the wife go through a heart transplant was something resembling originality. Really, Megan Fox was the only actor I actually recognized. I was pleasantly surprised that the other cast members weren’t really bad.

The problem, as usual, lies in the writing and tapping too much into a very familiar trope of science fiction.

Yet again, I have to conclude that this film manages to avoid being utterly terrible without much else to give it merit. Nothing extraordinary to see here, even with a steamy Megan Fox sex scene.

Book Review: Bolitar In The Rough With The Wrong Club

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Back Spin by Harlan Coben is another satisfying thriller featuring that sleuthing sports agent Myron Bolitar, and sees him unearthing secrets and scandal in the supposedly civilized world of professional golf.

The teen-aged son of a pair of prominent golfers is apparently abducted. The husband was on the verge of a comeback after losing the US Open several years ago under some questionable circumstances. Myron’s peculiar and dangerous best friend, known as Win, is strangely reluctant to lend. Not only Myron is finding out long buried secrets of the family, but he learns something of Win’s troubled past that could explain his unique emotional detachment from most people and strange, strict code of ethics. A kidnapping is always terrible and traumatic, but Myron is finding this situation more complicated than most.

This novel was first published in 1997.

Coben delivers a pretty solid suspense story with a healthy collection of red herrings. He does a pretty good job ratcheting up the tension with the questions concerning whether this kidnapping is some kind of hoax or something even darker than it seems.

Myron is a pretty interesting protagonist on the whole. He seems to be on a roller coaster relationship with a woman he cannot quite shake in spite of her history of flightiness. He is a sharp investigator even though that isn’t his profession. His ethics as a sports agent seem a little too perfect to be believable, but that’s kind of understandable. Myron is a flawed but reliable character. His friendship with Win is the winning ticket as far as holding a reader’s interest. Windsor Horne Lockwood III is one of those sidekick characters that could seem to overshadow the main hero at times since he is so complex and fun to follow.

There is a lot to like about Back Spin. It’s not exactly going to be the brightest star of the mystery genre, but it will be a solid, reliable distraction from the pressures of everyday life, which is something Coben is trusted to deliver consistently.

Next up on the eternal literary journey is an anthology that is published annually. I am going to see what works were selected by John Grisham for The Mysterious Bookshop’s The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2025. This is one of the many publications presented by series editor Otto Penzler.

Book Review: Nothing Like An Icepick Through The Eye

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

A Stab in the Dark is a pretty engaging mystery from one of the considered masters of the genre, Lawrence Block. It features the unofficial private eye, Matthew Scudder and was first published in 1981.

Nine years previously, a serial killer with an icepick terrorized New York City and then disappeared. The police have made an arrest, but the father of one of the victims believes that he did not commit the brutal murder of his daughter. Charles London comes to Matthew Scudder to take another look into his daughter’s death to see if the truth is something more her falling victim to a maniac. Scudder is an ex-cop who sometimes works for a fee or a favor. He dusts off his investigative skills and starts examining facts that are almost a decade old. Of course, Scudder unearths some uncomfortable secrets from the neighborhood where Barbara Ettinger met her tragic end. One killer is in custody, however someone even more cunning may be waiting in the shadows to savagely protect their secrets from Scudder’s prying eyes.

It’s a pretty straight-forward, tightly written novel that is not very long. Scudder is a bit of a train wreck with his alcoholism and cynicism, but he is still a capable and interesting investigator. He does have scruples and is a little more civilized at times then Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, but he can handle himself in a fight if needed.

Block also creates a dubious set of suspects who are pretty compelling. The red herrings and clues are pretty well planned out as well.

I haven’t read a whole lot of Block’s works, so I am not sure where I would place this one in the rankings, but I did find that I enjoyed this one well enough to keep returning to the world of Matthew Scudder.

Block is a talented writer who keeps the story moving pretty well. Scudder gets a lot done between working his case along with some personal encounters in something that comes in under two hundred pages.

For those who like the old-fashioned, hard-boiled private eye novel where the protagonist is about as messy as those he meets, this one is a pretty good addition to the bookshelves.

I think more poor decisions and ultimately murder is called for when I return to the works of John Sandford. Deadline is the lucky winner for my next literary diversion.