Movie Review: The Jade Mask (1945) directed by Phil Rosen Inspector Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is flying back to Washington, D.C. soon, and has already checked out of his hotel. So when he’s called away to investigate a possible murder, his psuedo-intellectual Number Four Son Edward “Eddie” Chan (Edwin Luke) and highly nervous chauffeur Birmingham Brown… Continue reading Movie Review: The Jade Mask
Tag: mystery
Magazine Review: Hooded Detective January 1942
Magazine Review: Hooded Detective January 1942 The Black Hood was one of the superheroes created for the MLJ (later Archie) Comics line, first appearing in Top-Notch Comics #9 in 1940. Matthew Kipling “Kip” Burland was originally a rookie cop who was framed for grand larceny and injured to near death by a criminal known as… Continue reading Magazine Review: Hooded Detective January 1942
Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries
Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler While stories that could be considered “mysteries” in some sense have existed as long as writing, and perhaps a bit before, the short story mystery came into its own during the lifetime of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). This volume collects forty-nine notable stories from… Continue reading Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries
Book Review: Give Unto Others
Book Review: Give Unto Others by Donna Leon Disclaimer: I received an uncorrected proof of this book for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was offered or received. As an uncorrected proof, some details may be different in the final edition, such as removal of typos. Thanks to the folks at Once… Continue reading Book Review: Give Unto Others
Movie Review: Oldboy (2003)
Movie Review: Oldboy (2003) directed by Park Chan-wook On his daughter’s birthday, Dae-su Oh (Choi Min-sik) got stinking drunk and taken to the police station. He was still pretty drunk when he was picked up by his friend No Joo-hwan (Dae-han Ji). So when Dae-su vanished while No’s back was turned in a phone booth, at… Continue reading Movie Review: Oldboy (2003)
Open Thread: Top Ten Lists for 2022!
Open Thread: Top Ten Lists for 2022! Yes, it’s that time again, winding up a year of blog posts by listing the ones you, the audience, felt worthy of attention. Top 10 Posts of 2022 Book Review: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round TableAnime Review: Baki (2018)Manga Review: Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Volume 1Movie Review:… Continue reading Open Thread: Top Ten Lists for 2022!
Book Review: The Crystal Stopper
Book Review: The Crystal Stopper by Maurice Leblanc Arsène Lupin should probably have been more cautious when two members of his gang, Vaucheray and Gilbert, asked him to assist with the burglary of the Enghien country home of government deputy Daubrecq. But Vaucheray is experienced, and Lupin is impressed with Gilbert’s good character (for a… Continue reading Book Review: The Crystal Stopper
Anime Review: The Human Crazy University
Anime Review: The Human Crazy University Hirofumi Satake is an ordinary, run-of-the-mill death row inmate, convicted of the murder and cremating of his fiancée Chie Negishi and the man she was supposedly cheating with. Before he became a criminal, Hirofumi worked for a trading company, traveling all over the world, and fluent in several languages.… Continue reading Anime Review: The Human Crazy University
Book Review: Deck the Pulps
Book Review: Deck the Pulps published by Brick Pickle Media Pulp magazines, like most forms of media, liked to celebrate holidays. Such as, you know, Christmas. But being the pulps, they leavened the usual sentimentality of the season with more of their usual action and excitement. This set of nine tales covers a variety of… Continue reading Book Review: Deck the Pulps
Book Review: Dick Tracy: The Secret Files
Book Review: Dick Tracy: The Secret Files edited by Max Allan Collins and Martin H. Greenberg In 1990, the venerable Dick Tracy comic strip got a movie adaptation, Dick Tracy, starring Warren Beatty and Madonna. To cash in on the publicity, the then-writer of the strip, Max Allan Collins, was asked to do both a… Continue reading Book Review: Dick Tracy: The Secret Files