Stanislaus

After Triangle at Rhodes, the plot of Problem at Sea remains in exotic locales, and at times it evoked the atmosphere of Death on the Nile. This time Poirot is investigating the murder of a supremely nasty woman who could have been killed by anyone. I must commend the well-chosen setting, the building of atmosphere and the tension that was sustained from the crime to the final denouement, which took the form of a public presentation of Poirot's methods to the passengers.

For once, the mustachioed Belgian sets off for the remote island of Rhodes to the sounds of an oriental-tinged theme tune, with a love triangle playing the biggest role. I enjoyed the change of locations, the unconventional serving of action and the not-so-obvious identity and motive of the perpetrator, even if it was slightly pulled out of thin air.

The biggest problem with The Third Floor Flat is that the viewer has almost no chance to participate in the search for the perpetrator, as Poirot manages to uncover him within a few minutes and almost half of the running time consists of a chase between the police and the criminal on the run, which is unusual in this series, but I prefer cases that keep me in suspense until the final minutes.

Like The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly, Four and Twenty Blackbirds is a rather mediocre whodunit in which the obvious identity of the perpetrator and, to some extent, the predictability of the plot is a stumbling block, especially due to the smaller cast of characters and the (possible SPOILER!) "badly done make-up" (end of possible SPOILER!).

In terms of plot and perpetrator, it is a rather poorer and considerably more predictable Poirot case, who aptly described it as a farce that he was getting tired of. As a result, this is a mediocre whodunit that doesn't have a chance to build enough suspense when it is clear from about halfway through who is behind the "crime".

A truly convoluted case tailor-made for the grey brain cells, where we practically don’t know what we are up to until the end. I must commend the non-violently built tension, which during the mutual "flirtation" between suicide and murder managed to be maintained until the final minutes.

The first case of the grey brain cells starring David Suchet offers a somewhat more sober performance with the main character, a Belgian with a characteristic moustache, whom many people take for a Frenchman and who can playfully crack even the most difficult case, but has a real problem with hammering an ordinary nail. Even though the crime in this story takes place almost out of sight, it still doesn't lack a certain amount of suspense and a good plot. In short, the beginning of a modern-day Poirot, which is followed by better pieces, but still a delight.

As far as the animation is concerned, it is a beautiful Christmas special to the amazing feature film How to Train Your Dragon, with a nice story and a nice twist at the end. Plus, who could resist those Toothless peepers, they can easily beat even the cat from Shrek.

An incredibly wacky short film that is (more than) slightly bonkers, but entertaining as well. Like the fact that it went on air the same year the Mayan(!) prophecy said the world would end.

The Birdcage offers nearly two-hours of refreshing entertainment, standing especially on the amazing performances of the actors, of which I must highlight Nathan Lane and Hank Azaria, who entertained me royally. Filled with humorous situations, disguises, mistakes, pratfalls and raised little fingers, the film wipes away sexual and religious prejudices as well as weighs in on the political scene, all in a very intelligent manner. In short, a well and honestly made comedy that definitely deserves the audience's attention.