Movie Review - Death Goes To School

Death Goes To School

1953

The Cast

Apart from the '50's sexism, which for the most part is now comical, this isn't too bad a murder mystery.

When the body of one of the teachers is discovered dead on the Girlschool's grounds the police are called in.  Enter DI Campbell (Jackson) and Sergeant Harvey (Kydd) to solve the crime.  However, they are initially worried about solving the case as, "who can figure out the reasons in a woman's mind?"... problems we still suffer from today.  They needn't have worried though as Miss Shepherd (Murray) is on the case too.  Being a teacher at the school and a lover of mystery novels she takes it upon herself to investigate.

One of the good things about this story is that unlike many sleuths, Miss Marple and Father Brown as examples, the police actually utilise Miss Shepherd.  It's nice that the "outside" investigator isn't a thorn in the polices side but a help.

Gordon Jackson is in his element as a hard-nosed don't hold back copper.  You can see elements of his character in The Professionals, George Cowley, coming through in his portrayal of DI Campbell.  So this remembrance, for me, helped to submerge me into the film, right from his appearance.

This is a well scripted and written story.  There are plenty of suspects to be the murderer... in fact, most of the staff at the school could be guilty of the crime.  The way the story unfolds is nicely done, though the narration from Miss Shepherd is a little irksome.  However, I've never been a fan of the narration - unless it's "The Twilight Zone" style.  I think narration should be shown by the camera and not heard.  If somebody says, "They were shocked to..." then show them shocked.  They're actors, the director should use their skills.

That said though, I would recommend this to all whodunnit buffs and murder mystery lovers.  It's a short film, at just over an hour in runtime, so would be good for a quick fix.  A good afternoon flick for the armchair detectives out there.

I give a '50's sexist 5.75 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Carolina Moon

Carolina Moon

2007

Production Companies:  Mandalay Television, Stephanie Germain Productions, ARD Degeto Film, Tandem Communications, & Alberta Film Entertainment.

This film is based on the Nora Roberts novel of the same name.  I have to confess that I do have a soft spot for her TV movie adaptations, I particularly liked Midnight Bayou, Tribute, and Northern Lights.  If you've seen any of these then you roughly know what to expect.

In Carolina Moon Stephen Tolkin tells the story of Victoria Bodeen and her psychic ability of second sight.  When Victoria "Tory" Bodeen was young her life was a mixture of good and bad.  The good was her best friend Hope and the adventures they had in the local woods.  The bad was her religious zealot of a father, who saw Tory's psychic gift as a curse.  One that needed beating out of her.  One nighttime, Tory was meant to meet Hope in the woods, hough her father had whipped her so bad that she failed to make their rendezvous.  Suddenly her gift kicks in and she has to watch helplessly as her best friend is killed.  Worse yet, it's through the eyes of the killer.  Her father moves the family away a few weeks later and Tory leaves them as soon as she can.  Eighteen years later and she's returned to her hometown to try and find peace from the ghosts and memories that have plagued her.  It's not long before Tory is having visions of other murdered girls... do these have something to do with Hope's murder?  Is her killer still out there?  Are they still active?

Tolkin does a splendid job of casting suspicion onto just about everybody in this film and that is where its strength lies.  I had a good idea of who did it, and I was correct, though I was thrown off the trail more than once by other possibilities.  As for the direction, Tolin doesn't do pretty or interesting, though there were plenty of opportunities to enthral us.  However, he stays to the standard point-and-shoot style of most TV movies.  Sometimes it's nice to have a sweeping shot or an interesting angle.  The pace of the film is in keeping with the style; generally, the film has a steady and even pace.  Tolkin does speed it up a little to create a little tension near the climax of the film when the killer is revealed.  More suspension and tension wouldn't have gone amiss with the psychic visions and the daughter and father scenes - this would have shown her distrust and terror of the man.

For the most part, the acting is above average and though I do like Claire Forlani her fake southern accent does start to irritate, though her acting is on par.  It's Oliver Hudson who could win the Redwood prize in this film as there are more than a few scenes where his acting is wooden.  It's Jacqueline Bisset, Shaun Johnston, and Josie Davis who are the strongest and most believable in their characters which make this movie stronger.  In fact, Johnston as the Bible Bashing and Daughter whipping father is so realistic and believable I wanted to hit him myself.

I would recommend this to everyone as it's a good film about youth, friendship, overcoming loss, and rebuilding relationships.  All of that tied up in a whodunnit murder mystery with a paranormal twist.  I did enjoy the film though I'm not sure I would purposefully watch it again... but who can say, it does have Claire Forlani in it...

Free Kindle Murder Mystery Whodunit

A Shot In The Bark

A Lia Anderson Dog Park Mystery - Book 1

By C A Newsome.

The friendly neighborhood killer just did Lia a very special favor…

Would you recognize a serial killer if you talked to one every day? Artist Lia Anderson doesn't. Neither do her friends at the Mount Airy Dog Park. The apparent suicide of Lia’s deadbeat boyfriend brings Detective Peter Dourson into the tight-knit group and he's convinced someone is not who they seem. As his investigation uncovers secrets, a grieving Lia fights her growing attraction to the laid-back detective. Meanwhile, a killer lurks, desperate to stay ahead of the investigation—no matter who has to die…

If you like believable characters, a multi-layered plot, and a compelling sense of humor with your intrigue, download this can't-put-down whodunit for a romp through the dog park with Lia and the gang.

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Read My Review Here.

Book Review - A Shot In The Bark

A Shot In The Bark

By C A Newsome

2013

9.5 / 10

Don't be fooled that this is a story about canines solving murders.  No; this is a well crafted and structured mystery whodunnit novel, which I wasn't expecting after I read the blurb on Amazon.  Boy, was I happy to be surprised(?)

I usually don't choose a book if I don't like the opening sentence, then the opening paragraph, as I believe this should give the reader an insight into the story they are holding.  To be honest, I did pick the book for the silly cover and the possibility that the story might raise a smile or two... and hopefully a laugh.  Just recently I've been in serious need of both, so I clicked on the novel's cover on my Kindle...

It was the prologue that gave me the insight the novel may be just a little bit darker than I was expecting as it's the psychopath's viewpoint and the reason behind a previous killing.  This was a wise and daring move by C A Newsome as it adds a deeper element to the story.  In fact, without this reoccurring ingredient, the story would have been a lot weaker.

However, Carol Ann Newsome's lighthearted style of writing helps to keep the reader interested and reading at a steady pace.  As the story progresses she grows and enriches the characters making them more realistic and believable.  To this outcome, I really liked how she gives the reader expanded details of the work which her main character, Lia Anderson, undertakes.  As a son of an artist, this brought me into the story a little more and I could relate a bit more to Lia... as well as giving me a sense of warmth and happiness at remembering my father - Thank you.

Even though this is categorised as a Lia Anderson Dog Park Mystery I loved how Newsome left the detective work to the detectives.  Lia doesn't become an amateur sleuth being helped by her wonder dogs.  The dogs are only secondary to the story, they add a realistic and relatable element... and yes at times you may find yourself "Ahhh"ing.  As for the Dog Park itself, this is where the murder is committed and therefore all of its patrons are potential suspects and witnesses.

I must admit I didn't like the opening paragraphs of the story as they felt a little trite and the flow was slow and awkward, as she introduced Lia to her readers.  This, however, is short lived as by the time you reach the next part of the chapter Newsome has found her footing.  The climax of the story feels rushed, though this could be because of the previous space which encompasses the rest of the novel and I'd grown used to.  Plus in real life, things have a way of creeping up on you and then exploding so fast they appear to have happened in mere seconds.  However, it would have been nice had Newsome slowed down the pace to build tension and suspense which I think the scene needed, instead of speeding it up to build excitement.

Then there's the conclusion which quite a few people didn't like...  Once again, for me, it added another sense of reality and I wasn't disappointed by it at all.  To the contrary, I applaud Newsome for making the decision to go this route.

I would gladly recommend this book to everybody who likes murder mystery whodunits.  Though be forewarned you may not agree with or like the conclusion of this story.

Free Kindle Book - A Shot In The Bark by C A Newsome

Movie Review - Second Chances

Second Chances

2010

The Cast

I'm not too sure what the writers, Angelique Palozzi & Francesca Palozzi, or the director, Jean-Claude Lord, were aiming for when they created this movie.  It's listed as a Crime, Mystery, Thriller but for the first half of the film, it fails on all three genre's and, at times, seems nothing more than a pompous and over-acted Soap Opera.  Even Melissa George's acting couldn't lift it out of the sickly sweet.  It's not until the second half of the movie that the story starts to get interesting - though I had been close to turning it off by then.

It really is a strange thing because EVERYTHING changes in the latter half; not only does the story pique your interest a little more, but the direction becomes tighter and more focused, giving you a better atmosphere and, very nearly, creating tension, and the acting becomes stronger and the character portrayals are more believable and not so "throw-away" as they previously were.

However, this doesn't stop the film from being poor.  There are sections in the story that could have been utilised better.  For example, when the detective tracks down the shop where a suspect hired a costume he is informed that the person hired two costumes, a police uniform and a clown outfit.  Later in the film, Melissa George, is at a party with her son and there are clowns.  Neither the director or the writers used this to create tension or build suspense.

Another big failure of the film was the over-used cliches.  The main one being the relationship between Melissa George's character, Kate Fischer, and Detective Lucas Kelly, played by Ryan Scott Greene.  They used to date each other in high-school (don't they always(?)) and after a heated "What went wrong?" argument, they end up in a passionate kiss, then on the stairs fighting to open the buttons on blouse and shirt, then in the bedroom...  Don't get me wrong, if I had the slightest chance to bed Melissa George I'd take it, but come on people let's get original, please!

So for the first half of the movie, I was bored, though not enough to turn it off; however, the Chromebook did come out.  Even though the second half improved considerably, the Chromebook stayed out, though I did look up a few more times.  So I'd only recommend this to Melissa George fans, of which I became one after I saw her in Triangle, and only if you can multitask, like surf the web, iron, etc...

I give this a "one chance" only 3.75 out of 10.

The Trailer