Movie Reviews
Film and television reviewed the way I’d want to read them — with a rating that means something, an honest accounting of what works and what doesn’t, and craft notes for writers who want to understand how the machinery operates.
Each review includes a craft notes section for writers — specific observations about structure, character, world-building, and what the film does that you can actually use. Not theory. Technique you can steal.
Mystery (13)
May 19, 2026And Then There Were None (1945)
Rene Clair's 1945 Agatha Christie adaptation. Ten strangers on an island. The template for every isolation murder mystery since.
May 19, 2026Brick (2005)
Rian Johnson's 2005 high school neo-noir debut. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Dashiell Hammett character among teenagers. Singular voice.
May 19, 2026Don’t Look Now (1973)
Nicolas Roeg's 1973 Venice grief drama. Donald Sutherland, Julie Christie. Red coat, drowned daughter. The famous sex-scene editing.
May 19, 2026Gosford Park (2001)
Robert Altman's 2001 English country house mystery with substantial class commentary. Julian Fellowes screenplay foreshadows Downton.
May 19, 2026Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
A small-time thief stumbles into an LA acting career and a noir investigation, with Robert Downey Jr. as narrator across the Christmas season.
May 19, 2026Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Robert Aldrich's 1955 apocalyptic noir. Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. The great whatsit. Foundation for Pulp Fiction's briefcase.
May 19, 2026Knives Out (2019)
Rian Johnson's 2019 Agatha Christie homage with contemporary wit. Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc. Launched continuing franchise.
May 19, 2026Rebecca (1940)
Hitchcock's 1940 Daphne du Maurier adaptation. Manderley as character. Joan Fontaine. Won Best Picture, Hitchcock's only one.
May 19, 2026The Big Sleep (1946)
Howard Hawks' 1946 Chandler adaptation. Bogart and Bacall. Plot incomprehensible even to the screenwriters. Doesn't matter.
May 19, 2026The Long Goodbye (1973)
Robert Altman's 1973 Chandler revisionism. Elliott Gould as Marlowe out of place in 1970s LA. Cat opening. Hooray for Hollywood.
May 19, 2026The Name of the Rose (1986)
Jean-Jacques Annaud's 1986 Eco adaptation. Sean Connery as Franciscan monk investigating monastery murders. Christian Slater debut.
May 19, 2026The Third Man (1949)
Carol Reed's 1949 post-war Vienna thriller. Joseph Cotten investigates Orson Welles. Zither score. The sewer chase is canonical.
May 18, 2026Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
1957 Billy Wilder courtroom drama from Agatha Christie. Charles Laughton as defense barrister, Marlene Dietrich as the wife.