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Reviews
Doctor Who: Rosa (2018)
I liked it.
It seems, in my humble opinion, to be going back to its roots. I've watched Doctor Who since "An Unearthly Child" and back then it was partly intended to be educational and so was a mix of drama, science and history. This blended actual events with the storyline and reminded me of those early episodes with William Hartnell's Doctor explaining things to Ian & Barbara. As this was set in the time I was born, it's an era I have a bit of an interest in and as I'm also a bus driver those parts of the story were naturally of interest. I thought they blended the history and the fictional components quite well. There were, for me, a few loose ends but this early in the series I'd expect that.
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
My favourite version.
After my disappointment with David Suchet's version, I went to see this with a little trepidation. However, I was bowled away with this. The cinematography is breathtaking, Johnny Depp's excellently portrayed Ratchett is truly a horrible man, and the rest of the cast are just as superb. I particularly liked Judi Dench and Olivia Coleman as Princess Dragomiroff and her maid Hildegard Schmidt. For me, the key elements of the plot were all true to the novel and while a lot of changes had been made I felt they'd enhanced the film. I actually got quite emotional at the point where the full story is revealed and we discover what really happened. And while David Suchet's 'tache might be closer to Ms Christie's description, anyone who's ever seen Belgian entrants to moustache competitions will realise Kenneth Branagh's 'tache is very Belgian. This is now my favourite version of the story.
The Iron Lady (2011)
Historically Inaccurate.
Although Meryl Streep's performance was truly brilliant, the film was not.
The switch from now to past events and back again didn't seem to follow any logic and everything seemed to be treated in an over superficial manner. There are a few substantial historical inaccuracies with regard to the Labour Party.
*Spoilers*
Far too many newsreel clips are used from the actual time, superimposed by Mrs Thatcher's car being mobbed by angry protesters. At no point were protesters ever able to get that close to the PM's car and such incidents showing people actually pressing up against the car are entirely fictitious.
The leader of the opposition is incorrectly shown as Michael Foot during the Heath government, when he didn't become leader of the party until after Labour's defeat in 1979. The actual leader was Harold Wilson who isn't even portrayed in the film.
During Margaret Thatcher's time as the Leader of the Opposition, Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, resigning in favour of James Callaghan who actually lost the election to Mrs Thatcher in 1979. Again omitted by the film.
Poirot: Murder on the Orient Express (2010)
A Massive Disappointment
I was so looking forward to this. The 1974 film annoyed me with it.s changes to characters, but it was true to the story where this was not. I have all of David Suchet's Poirots on DVD (this included) and most of them are true to the book, whereas this is not. I know sometimes some characters need to be left out of film/TV versions, but that cannot be done with this story as every character is crucial to the plot.
**** Warning, the following are plot spoilers ****
M. Bouc and Poirot are supposed to be very old and very good friends and not as portrayed here having only met once before.
Cyrus Hardman is missing from the story altogether, which means that when you add up the compartments, there would be one free after all as all the other characters have the same berths as in the novel leaving No 16 empty. So Dr Constantine, who in the book is in the Athens coach appears to be in the Calais coach instead despite saying he's travelling from Athens.
Because of this we don't get to hear about his being hired to look out for "The small man with a womanish voice", so when Hildegard Schmidt finally mentions him, the reference is meaningless.
Dr Constantine replaces Cyrus Hardman as a conspirator as there are now only 11 from the book.
Having totally missed out the series of clues, the original ending where Poirot presents two solutions for Mr Bouc and Dr Constantine to choose from is ditched and we have the passengers trying to persuade Poirot to accept an alternative solution.
Whole bits of the story just vanish, the conductor only seen by Hildegard Schmidt, the second interviews where one by one the characters reveal their place in the Armstrong household, the discovery of the Wagon Lit jacket and the kimono.
No, this was truly a dreadful version and such a sad way to end a series that until the last 12 months had been the definitive Poirot.