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Reviews
Columbo: No Time to Die (1992)
a master problem solver
Okay, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this Columbo episode. It was a break from the Columbo formula, and that's not saying I don't love the Columbo formula, but hey, a fresh approach can be fun. There are many things in particular I like about this movie.
First, like in "Troubled Waters", Columbo is off-duty and with family. For a moment my heart almost stopped, thinking that he was sitting next to Mrs. Columbo there at the banquet table, though it was merely the bride's mother. No, Mrs. Columbo is away, having gone off to take care of her elderly mother, who broke her hip falling off a skateboard. On hearing this gem I felt disappointment at not seeing Mrs. Columbo palliated by amusement, hearing these tantalizing tidbits about the Columbos. Having wondered about his character I welcome any chance to get up close and personal with the lieutenant.
Second, I've always loved Columbo's attention to details and his thoroughness. Yep, it is those little things that matter. Like in "Sex and the Married Detective", Columbo obtains a list of people who were at a key event and he worked through each person one by one until he found what he is looking for.
Third, while his characteristic humorous harassment of the murderer and "just one more thing" are classic Columbo that we don't see here, we still see in him an incredible ability to talk to people and get them to open up to him in a way that real-life law enforcers don't have. Notice how he initially talks to the hotel cook Bill Bailey late at night, then several hours later rousts Bailey out of bed to look at brochures of vans, of all things. Similarly with the photographer, Columbo rousted him out of bed at an ungodly hour, obtained his cooperation, and got a copy of the wedding photos. That morning he barged in on a meeting of that photographer with a magazine editor and managed to get more photos. Columbo was convinced that people typically don't realize how much they see, and he had a way of magically pulling the necessary information out of them.
Fourth, notice how the police department came running at Columbo's summons. Even the captain was involved in the final confrontation. The department had a great deal of affection and respect for Columbo. All those years driving a beat-up old car, harassing murderers, worrying about all the little details, wearing an embarrassingly wrinkled raincoat - but Columbo was adored by his department.
The circumstances of the kidnapping and the kidnapper himself were bizarre. And we don't get the humor typical of a Columbo episode. But we do get a glimpse of a master problem solver racing against time to prevent a murder. Oh, if only we all had the same kind of steel trap mind and learned to think like Columbo!
Nine Months (1995)
funny movie, extremely well cast !
I just saw this movie again after not seeing it in 14 years. It is still funny!
The entire cast is great. Julianne Moore as Rebecca is sweet; Hugh Grant as Samuel is outwardly suave and together and then completely falls apart when he learns Rebecca is pregnant; Tom Arnold as their friend Marty practically steals the show and provides a load of additional laughs, particularly the toy store fight scene with "Arnie"; he and Joan Cusack as his wife Gail make a great pair, complete with bratty daughters that only make Samuel feel even more apprehensive about parenthood. Jeff Goldblum as Samuel's swinging artist friend Sean (and Marty's brother-in-law) is superb - I like the scene in which a panicked Samuel loses his temper on the tennis court and Sean says the John McEnroe imitations are alarming. Then there is Robin Williams as Dr. Kosevich the obstetrician, whose English is a bit shaky, as evidenced in the delivery room when he announces that he wants to give Rebecca an enema, then a pedicure, and then finally hits on the right word - epidural. Also unforgettable is the drive to the hospital when Rebecca goes into labor.
All in all, a cute, mindless movie (as others have commented), but the laughs are great. I am surprised at how well this movie has held up!
Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife (2003)
Columbo stays contemporary with a clever story, tight script
I watched this with some trepidation after seeing a negative review of the movie, but was pleasantly surprised!
Lieutenant Columbo is back, his powers of observation as sharp as ever. The setting is the Los Angeles rave scene, which should be no surprise as Columbo frequently stumbles into situations where he looks like he doesn't belong.
A person disappears, blackmail is attempted, and a death occurs as a result of the blackmail. Columbo starts with the death and unweaves the whole web of complicated events. Investigating police watching Columbo look perplexed as Columbo sniffs the breath of the corpse, takes off the dead man's shoe, peels off his sock, examines his toenails, etc. But they are watching the work of a master.
Some comic relief appears as Columbo approaches a new rave club; one dancing girl gives him a glow stick, and at the club opening somebody has draped a pink boa around his neck while he stumbles about.
More comic relief appears in the form of a large-bodied Mafioso anxious to hear if Columbo is making any progress in the investigation of the missing person; the mafioso gives Columbo a business card that says "capo". And in the climax, where the LAPD "reveals" the body of the missing person, the mafioso's large body fills the club entrance as he beams at the Lieutenant.
Some Columbo scripts and plot twists (such as the Andrew Stevens - Brenda Vaccaro relationship in Murder in Malibu) have struck me as weak or plain silly, but this movie was right on, with no words wasted and no silly annoying plot twists, although it's true that Columbo does get a few lucky breaks that lead him to the solution.
Every Woman's Dream (1996)
Starts off as amusing, ends up tragic
OK, so a guy ends up married to two women. The women, who are both smart, attractive, and successful, are utterly clueless about his double life. He practically does handstands and jumps through hoops to keep up the deception. A potentially amusing situation in other stories. But in this case, the rapid turn of events crescendoes to such a tragic outcome that the viewer feels slammed by a jolting deceleration, from any humor, to horror.
The Bad Seed (1985)
Somewhat disappointing
Keith Carradine as the gardener was superb. Lynn Redgrave as meddlesome Monica Breedlove and Richard Kiley as Richard Bravo were good. So was Eve Smith as Mrs. Post, the head of Rachel's school.
Unfortunately the performances of Blair Brown as Christine Penmark and Carol Lacatell as Rita Daigler seemed lacking in dimension when compared to the dynamic performances of Nancy Kelly and Eileen Heckart in the original.
Even worse, Carrie Well's delivery struck me as very flat when compared to Patty McCormack's in the original.
Columbo: Columbo Cries Wolf (1990)
Unusual plot-flip
We know that Columbo always gets the murderer, but this episode has an unusual twist. Columbo looks like a complete fool digging around for a body in a murder that was NEVER committed. The "body" shows up perfectly alive and well. What happens after that and how Columbo gets the murderer is pretty slick. It's always the little details!