Category Archives: Uncategorized

Mon Mat

 

I do have this of course … hope it suffices:

“I  feel I’ve seen several adaptations of “Dead Man’s Folly,” but in reality, the only other one that exists, I think, is the 1986 film starring Peter Ustinov.

This happens to be one of Christie’s strongest and cleverest stories and lends itself well to the screen.

A wealthy man, George Stubbs, has purchased the beautiful Nasse House and is having something akin to a carnival. He has asked the noted mystery novelist Ariadne Oliver to design a murder hunt. Uncomfortable, Mrs. Oliver persuades Poirot to come to Nasse House, as she’s convinced there are problems afoot.

One problem is Stubbs’ temperamental wife, Hattie, who seems immature. The guests include politicians, a secretary, an architect, and the house’s former owner, who lives in a guest cottage. And there are students who traipse through the grounds as a shortcut to their transportation.

A sullen youngster, Marlene Tucker, has been chosen as the murder victim. She then becomes the murder victim for real, the reason unknown. Then Hattie Stubbs disappears, and the ferryman is found dead.

Questions arise: Did Marlene see something that made her a murder victim? Was Hattie kidnapped? And then there’s the “folly,” a misplaced building of no use.

This is a complicated case for Poirot, but he’s up to the task.

Excellent story with high production values and some good acting, most notably from Suchet. Zoe Wanamaker kind of misses it as Ariadne Oliver, going for a low, gravelly voice that doesn’t quite make it. Sinead Cusack does a grand job as Mrs. Folliat, and Sean Pertwee is excellent as George Stubbs.”

……

Hmmmmm. Apart from my innate dislike of any Poirot post Hastings/Miss Lemon and any Miss Marple post Joan Hickson, there’s this Zoe person, as mentioned above, all crotchety … plus the overall level of acting … just did not seem natural to me, as if they were playacting for all they were worth … Suchet was still good.

(1635) Backtracking here for the third time today … a review I read in Wiki, on the book, not the film, said:

“The anonymous review in The Times of 15 November 1956, was also somewhat damning; “Dead Man’s Folly is not Miss Agatha Christie at her best. The murder and the solution of it are ingenious, but then, with Miss Christie, they always are, and it is pleasant to watch M. Hercule Poirot at work again. The character drawing is flat and facile, however, and the dialogue, always Miss Christie’s weak point, disastrous.”[5]“

Which diminish my comments just before that … apart from the DEI sailboat skipper, plus Stephanie Leonidas, plus Rebecca Front, others weren’t overly bad, given the available material.

Monday [11 to 15]

(1248) Short on films, have some short feature YTs, let’s see how it goes. (1310)

 

15. The OBR


14. Were not dealing with the sane with these people


13. Corruption plus


12. This was from Lord Toby’s site, TDS


11. Hearts of Oak

Monday [7 to 10]

(1201) Afternoon all. We have a war between neighbours here and not my immediate neighbour but the two firms. It might have ended with me taking on the builder’s assistant next door but that raises the question facing all of us … I’ll cover it in n7. (1234)

 

10. The Palace in ruins


9. Another shot across the bow


8. More on tactics

… one really does wonder what’s going on over there.


7. We’re obviously being manoeuvred into all out conflict across Britain

… also in Germany, I see. From what I saw, one guy and his gf v a thousand thugs out for violence is simply not going to cut it. And again … guess who gets arrested? Not good tactics. This appeasing thugs, appealing to decency and the Marquis of Queensberry is really lunacy … how many times do we have to say it? And two against a thousand?

Anyway, this morning’s fun is over (oops, sorry, Dearieme), nice cup of coffee here, hope your Monday is as “bouncy” as mine.

Monday [6]

(0920)(0940)

 

The algorithm does for us

We’ve known it for some time, those of us on X and it helps that one alt-pundit is able to lay it out … saves us the trouble:


Yes, we knew Elon was not in control … it was Yaccarino and a plethora of leftist techies … whatever he was promising, it was not happening. In a similar way, people the Donald is ignoring could have helped, those he brought in are stymying his programme. Whether he is well aware or naive is a question for another time.

My “follower” count, not the best indicator, has been static for well over a year … every so often, it goes up, goes down, stays around that mark. However my “impressions” vary wildly … they can be 4k in a week or 30k (rarely). Every long, constructed post in sections never sees the light of day.

This is why I stopped, some years back, going for “reach” and instead went for a group of non organised, interested people who keep up with the blog. In other words, the data is there, should anyone wish. Anything else just attracts the bad players.

Monday and Advent Day Two [1 to 5]

(0554) Still dark. Advent has started, the Christmas season is upon us. Think I’ll start the carols on the 12th.

 

5. Had planned to run a post on dogs and cats yesterday

… methought over at OoL … but as I tried to write it, I realised there was some sort of psychological barrier in there, preventing it. Puzzled as to why. Perhaps it was past experiences with pets.

What triggered this train of thought was footage on X of some cad having left a dog leashed to a middle barrier on a motorway. In these matters, I’m like the weepiest of females … it’s almost as bad as hurting kids and the elderly.

The expression “a dog is not just for Christmas” kept running through the mind, plus no animal can do forlorn and pathos quite like a dog. The whole notion of neglecting, not looking after etc. is just too much for me … it would be cruelty for me to take on that responsibility. Taking on a woman is different … I can and have done what it took but even then, I realised that that was my limit. Class of children? Easy … each one is your own son or daughter … that goes without saying. One’s own? Ditto. Also anyone vulnerable under attack out there … most people would do similar I’d hope. I detest neglect and cruelty … unless we’re taking out an enemy of course … not the slightest compunction there.

What about cats? Different beast, they still need attention and their scratching is a pain, the damage around the abode. Best I don’t have cats. Nor too many artifacts, as the ladies love to collect. Other species? Best not. That’s just me.

Do they like me, dogs and cats? I think so, the dogs tend to sidle over for a pat, cats take their time but usually end up on the lap, upside down. So yes, I like em a lot … I just can’t look after one. Is that callous?

4. Cash is king


3. Steve at 1219

  • 25,000 Violent Antifa Attack AfD Youth Group Convention in Giessen, Germany – Punching Journalists, Smashing Car Windows and Injuring a Horse!
  • Sweden: $375 Million in Fraudulent State Welfare Funds Siphoned Off by Foreign Criminal Gangs Ravaging the Nation
  • Canadian Muslims Take to Streets in Anger After Quebec Pushes Forward With Ban on Public Prayer
  • DHS Sec Kristi Noem Stuns Leftist NBC Host Kristen Welker – Says Biden Allowed 100,000 Afghans to Infiltrate Our Country and Confirms the US will Deport Aliens with Pending Asylum Claims
  • Liberals are Raging After Idaho Bar Offers Free Beer for a Month to Anyone Who Helps ICE Identify and Deport Illegal Aliens
  • Moscow Demands Trials Kiev Leaders; Kiev Envoys Meet US Officials Russia Storms Grishino
  • UK Police were ordered not to act on evidence of COVID-19 crimes
  • Chemical pollution linked to plummeting male fertility and rising cancers
  • Fort Bragg Psychological Warfare Group Posts Chilling Video. ‘We Are Everywhere’
  • Washington secures strategic Caribbean foothold as Dominican Republic allows U.S. forces limited access
  • Much more.

2. Energy


1. DAD at 1219

a) The Left are evil….The retired man who attacked Jordan Bardella during a book signing in Moissac (82) is not unknown…..

b) Twenty or thirty years ago Nantes airport was deemed too small and expansion was not possible. It was decided to build a new airfield to the north of Nantes at Notre Dame Des Landes. A rag-bag of environmental groups….

c) The priest of Avrechy (Oise, population 1,150) has decided to cancel the nativity scene and Christmas Mass to avoid any controversy during the municipal elections [2026]…..

d) Meanwhile, back in the UK…..The Labour government’s Home Secretary has now ordered a probe into use of ‘false evidence’ to exclude Israeli football supporters from a West Midlands cup tie.

Sunday [11 till close of play]

(1639) Evening all … lovely 5/8 moon in the sky outside of my kitchen window, hope y’all had a good weekend.

 

22. Germany at Christmastide


21. Er … um … still working this one out


20. Crypto crime


19. Moosh corner


18. In the Liverpool Echo


Interesting how different towns and cities have different bad delivery firms. I’ve heard DPD are bad in some places … around this area, Evri’s probably the worst, so much so that the lady from head office was making the deliveries. Their recruiting policy is obviously the pits.

17. This was our sky earlier

… rare not to have the Gates horizon to horizon poison.


16. How about that, eh?


15. Senate crims


14. Club of Rome


13. Message from Tina Peters


12. DAD with Eyes Wide Open


11. Steve corner

  • Human Events Daily with Jack Posobiec: The Twisted World of Tyler Robinson and Lance Twiggs
  • Human Events with Jack Posobiec: The toxic psychology of Tyler Robinson

Hearts of Oak: The Week According To . . . Lewis Brackpool – the beginning of the conversation aligns with Eva’s X post over at HQ yesterday, to wit 22. Despicable Morgan and his curry.

Sun Mat

 

“Slick little programmer:

Master forger of rare books (Sanders) gets mixed up with Nazis (Blackmer), a detective (Denning) and a double-crossing dame (Patrick).

The convoluted script may take a Rosetta Stone to solve, still it’s a slickly done TCF programmer. Those two smoothies Sanders and Patrick are well cast as a couple of A-team masochists, engaged in a game of one-upmanship and about as trustworthy as rattlesnakes. In fact, Patrick’s character qualifies for the Devious Dame Hall of Fame, with her warm personality and stone cold heart. Still, I’m a bit surprised that some of that pain-loving dialog Sanders relishes made it past the censors. Usually old Hollywood just hinted at such things instead of belaboring them.

Denning and Roberts are clearly America’s team, though Denning may wobble at times. One thing for sure—set design and art direction come cheap since most of the action takes place in a single setting, a library. Still, director Larkin keeps things moving. And get a load of baldy Kurt Katch’s mute Nazi. He’s about as inviting as the polar ice cap and just as chilling. But, I’m still wondering which thug belongs to which gang, which does get confusing.

Oh well, things do sort out, I think. Then too, it’s 1942 and the war is still in doubt. Byron Foulger’s officious little air warden may be on the silly side, but the blackouts weren’t. These old movies do show us things the history books can’t. Anyhow, the movie may be nothing to write home about. But it’s still impressive how Hollywood could turn out such slick little programmers in the middle of a big war.”

St Andrews Day [6 to 10]

(1154) Almost afternoon all. (1222)

 

10. Moosh corner


9. Second nasty thing out of Canada today


She’s looking very much like the Canadian version of a RINO more and more.

8. There’s a subset I’m increasingly not into

… for example, Benny Johnson.


You can always spot them, as they run a “show”, usually in their name, they’re obsessed by stats and SEO, lists … and especially for bunnies among us to pay them … as if they have anything more rivetting to say than that which we do as a whole. Give me a more modest blogger or vlogger any time. Extract ego from the mix.

7. On THAT topic



6. St Andrews Day today


Start of Advent as well.