Posts tonen met het label Gosford Park. Alle posts tonen
Posts tonen met het label Gosford Park. Alle posts tonen

maandag 9 december 2019

Five to Watch - Murder Mystery Movies

With “Knives Out” in theaters now, it’s time to look at the good old murder mysteries. The whodunits, the quests for the truth. But I picked the ones that flew under the radar, so films like “Se7en”, “Chinatown” and “Zodiac” won’t be on this list, because the majority has seen them. Here are five films I think are not as well-known or deserve more attention. And I think you should definitely give them a shot.

A Shot in the Dark
Inspector Jacques Clouseau investigates the murder of Mr. Benjamin Ballon’s driver at a country estate. The world’s clumsiest detective is without a doubt Clouseau. So let’s talk about this comedic whodunit from 1964. Even though Jacques Clouseau is comically inept, he was the focus of one of the all-time great whodunits.

Identity
Stranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rain-storm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they’re being killed off one by one. I find this movie highly underrated and better then most people say. This whodunit is more about different shocking deaths instead of the standard investigation. The chaotic, rain-soaked events lead to a twist that no one will see coming. And I think it’s satisfying.

Clue
This comedy, based on the classic board game, follows a group of guests at a dinner party who all suspect each other when their host is murdered. By directly taking after the game that inspired it, “Clue” distills the whodunit down to its most gratuitous thrills: the who, the where and the weapon of a murder. Adding motive to these characters doesn’t slow the movie down either thanks to the collective charisma od a cast, including Christopher Lloyd, Tim Curry and Lesly Ann Warren. Like the game itself, “Clue” as endless replay value.

Death on the Nile
As Hercule Poirot enjoys a luxurious cruise down the nile, a newlywed heiress is found murdered on board. People might think of “Murder on the Orient Express” first, but “Death on the Nile” is just as fascinating. The pacing is more laid-back and a perfect whodunit. And with a cast that has Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, Maggie Smith and David Niven in it, this just couldn’t go wrong.

Gosford Park
The lives of upstairs guests and downstairs servants at a party in 1932 in a country house in England as they investigate a murder involving one of them. Leave it to Robert Altman to assemble possibly the largest size cast for a whodunit movie. In this period piece, personal dramas and class issues slowly rise to the surface when Michael Gambon’s cranky industrialist is stabbed in the back during a weekend gathering. The cast includes too many names, like Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Richard E. Grant, Kristen Scott Thomas, Emily Watson, Ryan Philippe, Clive Owen and Stephen Fry.

donderdag 3 september 2015

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (August 2015)

It was a great month for my movie challenge. Saw some awesome films this month, so here we go with the monthly top 5.

5. Eyes Wide Shut
I never watched this movie completely, I knew about that orgy scene and I kind of refused to watch it. But I’m glad I did now, because it’s an amazing film. The suspense and mystery is its strong point.
 
 
4. Still Alice
Wonderful performance by Julianne Moore in this touching story about a woman with Alzheimer’s disease. It really grabbed me.
 
 
3. Gosford Park
I reminded me of “Downton Abbey”, but then as a movie. I loved all the intrigue and secrets between the different characters.
 
 
2. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
A movie that has been on my watch list for quite some time, and I finally got to see it. It was fun, mostly because of Peter Sellers. Man, that guy is funny!
 
 
1. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
I was so looking forward to seeing this movie and it met every expectation I had. It was freaking awesome. I just love Tom Cruise….
 
 
They Almost Made the Top 5: Shaun the Sheep, Trainwreck, Far From the Madding Crowd

zondag 16 augustus 2015

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 98: Gosford Park

Director: Robert Altman
Genre: Drama/ Romance/ Crime
Runtime: 137 minutes
Year: 2001
Starring: Kelly MacDonald, Clive Owen, Michael Gambon, Alan Bates, Ryan Phillippe, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Kristen Scott Thomas, Jeremy Northam, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Fry, Bob Balaban, Eileen Atkins, Charles Dance, Emily Watson, Camilla Rutherford

Description: The lives of upstairs guest and downstairs servants at a party in 1932 in a country house in England as they investigate a murder involving one of them.

Review: The start of the film sets the tone. This is not an ordinary detective, but an analysis of the English society of the 1930s.
On a rainy day, made Mary and her lady Constance Trentham leave for a hunting weekend. The head of housekeeping, at the mansion they are visiting, is Mrs. Wilson. It’s soon clear that nobody is called by their name, but by the name of the people they are serving. The tone is set.
Meanwhile many different characters are introduced. Upstairs we meet actor and singer Ivor Novello and his movie producing American friend Morris Weissman; the casual Isobel and her sister Sylvia; crafty Freddie Nesbit and his plain wife Mabel. We see lots of married couples, bt everything is a lot more complicated. Downstairs we have servant Henry, an arrogant young man; Butlers George, Arthur and Probert; alcoholic head butler Jennings; Head of the kitchen Mrs. Croft. Upstairs people don’t talk that much about each other, but downstairs is where the gossip starts.
It’s a pretty complicated setting, lots of characters you meet and have to get to know. You have to pay attention to keep up and to discover all the intrigue. But during all this puzzling, you enjoy all the humor that is in this film. Good dialogues, great acting and fantastic actors.
Halfway through the film, someone is murdered, which also gives this movie a detective story touch. You could criticize this, but the context is much more important than the story. Because the context is brought to the surface, the characters come to life. And also the acting makes this happen, actually by all the actors. Both the bigger and the smaller roles are performed very well. It shows that “Gosford Park” has been made with a lot of love and enthusiasm.
“Gosford Park” is a classy, yet funny and surprising costume drama. I highly enjoyed it.

Rating: 4,5/ 5