Rian Johnson wrote and directed this classic whodunit mystery movie. Johnson admits he’s a huge fan of Agatha Christie so Knives Out can be considered a homage to Hercule Poirot–with a Southern twist. Daniel Craig plays Benoit Blanc, a quirky master detective with a Southern accent. Blanc is hired by an anonymous client to investigate the death of Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), a wildly rich and successful mystery writer. Thrombey’s greedy family all show up for the reading of his will. That scene sets off the action for the rest of the movie. Thrombey’s real-estate daughter, Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), and her straying husband Richard (Don Johnson) have plenty of motive. Thrombey’s son, Walt (Michael Shannon), faces losing his publishing income from his father’s books. Thrombey’s younger daughter, Joni (Toni Collette), and Thrombey’s wayward grandson, Ransom (Chris Evans) must deal with the prospect that the monthly checks will disappear.

I particularly liked the performance of Ana de Armas who plays Marta, Harlan Thrombey’s good-hearted nurse. Marta almost always tells the truth, but when she tells a lie…she pukes! Very funny and cunning. If you’re looking for a movie in the tradition of Murder On the Orient Express and Death On the Nile, you’ll find delight with Knives Out. GRADE: A-

Recently, I saw a dinner theater performance of Prescription for Murder: Columbo (you can read my review here). After enjoying the play, I remembered I had a copy of the Crippen & Landru’s The Columbo Collection by William Link. A quick search of my shelves produced the volume and I immediately read it. If you’re a fan of Columbo, you’ll enjoy these stories that provide plenty of puzzles for Columbo to solve in his unique style. William Link’s “Foreword” provides plenty of detail on how Link and Richard Levinson conjured up Columbo. Link’s relationship with Peter Falk adds more insight into the series and its sustained popularity with viewers. All in all, The Columbo Collection delivers entertainment and humor. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Foreword 9
The criminal criminal attorney — 23
Grief — 64
A dish best served cold — 93
Ricochet — 122
Scout’s honor — 160
Sucker punch — 200
The blackest mail — 231
The gun that wasn’t — 278
Requiem for a hitman — 307
Trance — 349
Murder allegro — 389
Photo finish — 427

I’m not a big Country music fan, but I listen to the music from time to time. Miranda Lambert attracted my attention because her parents were private investigators who sometimes used young Miranda in their work. Miranda’s new CD, Wildcard, garnered some mixed reviews because of the “pop” elements that Country purists found objectionable. For example, “Mess With My Head” is more Rock & Roll than country (take a listen below). But, by and large, Lambert delivers enough Country songs on this CD to satisfy most of the genre’s listeners. I enjoyed the variety of songs on Wildcard. Are you a Miranda Lambert fan? GRADE: B
TRACK LIST:
White Trash
Mess with My Head
It All Comes Out in the Wash
Settling Down
Holy Water
Way Too Pretty for Prison
Locomotive
Bluebird
How Dare You Love
Fire Escape
Pretty Bitchin’
Tequila Does
Track Record
Dark Bars

Hanna Holborn Gray was the first female President of the University of Chicago. But, the journey to that esteemed position passes through plenty of trouble. In 1934, Hanna and her family flee Germany as Hitler comes to power. Hanna lands in Britain where she learns English and adapts to life in the UK. Hanna’s father manages to get a teaching job at Yale University and the family moves again. Life in New Haven manages to be both exciting and dull at the same time. Hanna wants to live in New York City. Despite her initial resistance, Hanna decides she’ll pursue an academic life like her father did. She departs from her father’s career path when she becomes the first female Provost at Yale.

An Academic Life shows the resistance universities had to women teachers and administrators. Hanna Holborn Gray struggles to change the “Old Boys” club and be recognized for her accomplishments. I found her story compelling and inspiring. You would, too. GRADE: A-

Richard Levinson and William Link wrote a short story in the 1950s, “May I Come In?” (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine under the title, “Dear Corpus Delecti”). That short story was adapted by The Chevy Mystery Show in 1960 under the title “Enough Rope.” Two years later, Levinson and Link’s play, Prescription For Murder, opened at the Curran Theater in San Francisco. The play was not successful, but when it went on tour, Link says, “It made a fortune.”

Columbo became part of the NBC Mystery Movie series from 1971 to 1978. Bing Crosby was the first choice for the role. When Bing turned it down, Lee J. Cobb was approached. He had no interest. Peter Falk was hired and told Link, “I would kill to play that cop.” Falk went on to win four Emmys for his portrayal of Lieutenant Frank Columbo.

Diane and I saw Prescription for Murder: Columbo at Desiderio’s Dinner Theatre in Cheektowaga, a Buffalo suburb. The local actors who put on the play were competent and occasionally clever. The play presents the murder of a wife by her psychiatrist husband. It looks like a perfect crime, but Columbo slowly unravels the scheme. We enjoy the production and would come back in the future. Do you have a favorite episode of Columbo? GRADE: B+

The Wall Street Journal critic who reviewed Frozen 2 said it best: “Frozen 2 left me cold.” Same here. Yes, the production is fun and aimed at a younger audience. The music is okay, but there’s no “Let It Go” hit to excite the audience. There really isn’t any villain in the thin plot so most of this movie is reduced to series of funny and not so funny scenes. Sometimes, you can’t go home again. Are you a Frozen fan? GRADE: C+
TRACK LIST:
1. “All Is Found” Evan Rachel Wood 2:05
2. “Some Things Never Change” Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff and cast of Frozen 2 3:29
3. “Into the Unknown” Menzel featuring Aurora 3:14
4. “When I Am Older” Gad 1:51
5. “Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People” (cont.) Groff 0:26
6. “Lost in the Woods” Groff 3:00
7. “Show Yourself” Menzel and Wood 4:20
8. “The Next Right Thing” Bell 3:36
9. “Into the Unknown” (end credits) Panic! at the Disco 3:09
10. “All Is Found” (end credits) Kacey Musgraves 3:03
11. “Lost in the Woods” (end credits)

The Buffalo Bills have the day off after playing the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. How will your favorite team play today?

Tom Hanks channels Mister Rogers in this story of forgiveness and honesty. Fred Rogers applies kindness and empathy on a cynical magazine writer. The young writer, who has come to profile Fred Rogers, finds a man who can help him heal his angry heart. The world of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, where Fred Rogers crafts meaningful life lessons for kids, also have impacts on troubled adults, too.

The director of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me?), captures the essence of Fred Rogers while keeping the story from tumbling into mawkishness. The screenplay by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster is based on an article by Tom Junod. Junod’s 1998 profile of Fred Rogers ran in Esquire magazine. In A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the writer–who’s renamed Lloyd Vogel (played by Matthew Rhys)–not only becomes Fred’s friend, but finds himself confronted by the problem at the core of his life. Bring some Kleenex. GRADE: A

John W. Campbell, Jr. wrote one of the classic Science Fiction horror stories, “Who Goes There?”, and it was first published in the August 1938 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. Later, Campbell’s story was adapted three times as a film: the first in 1951 as The Thing from Another World; the second in 1982 as The Thing, directed by John Carpenter; and most recently as a prequel to the Carpenter version, also titled The Thing, released in 2011.

Alec Nevala-Lee, while researching Campbell and Astounding Science Fiction for his best-selling Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction, Nevalo-Lee found an early draft of “Who Goes There?” at the Houghton Library at Harvard University where John W. Campbell, Jr.’s papers are kept. Nevalo-Lee discovers that the first 20 pages of what would be published as “Who Goes There?” were cut along with additional material. Now, the fully restored story with 45 addition pages has been released by Wideside Press with an INTRODUCTION by Robert Silverberg and a dandy wrap-around cover by Bob Eggleton. If you enjoyed the original story, you’l enjoy this restored edition even more! GRADE: A

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families! We’ll be enjoying the traditional turkey, stuffing, gravy, massed potatoes, green beans, cranberry jello salad, and green salad (but no romaine!). Desserts: apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and lemon cake. What’s on your Thanksgiving table today?