CanadianWunderkind Reviews

Marple: Miss Marple: Nemesis (2007) Season 3, Episode 4

A solid, engaging entry in the series.

[9/10 · 23 July 2007]

Having read the message board posts for this program, a lot of people seem to dislike both the new "Marple" adaptations in general, and this episode in particular. However, I am not one of theme. I have never been one to hold up live-action adaptations to their source novels (I haven't even read this Agatha Christie book), and I think thought this episode was very good when viewed independently of the book! Although not the best-ever episode of "Marple" (that honor falls to "A Murder Is Announced", from the first season), "Nemesis" is a very solid, engaging entry in the series.

The basic premise is that a friend of Miss Marple's, Jason Rafiel, dies and leaves her a letter asking her to solve an unspecified crime that has happened, or will happen soon. To this end, he has also left her 2 tickets for a bus tour of the English countryside. So, Miss Marple sets off with her nephew Raymond, but it seems as if all the other bus passengers are connected to one another through a mysterious girl named Verity. It falls to Miss Marple to honor Jason Rafiel's last request, and untangle the secrets that bind everyone together.

Like all other "Marple" episodes, one of the highlights was the performances - "Marple" episodes always feature great British character actors, and this one was no exception. Geraldine McEwan is always excellent; she is by far my favorite Miss Marple (I know many will disagree, but I always found Joan Hickson to be far too cold and unfriendly in the role). Other standouts in this episode were Ruth Wilson, fresh from the recent "Jane Eyre" TV adaptation, as the tour group leader, and Ronni Ancona as the glamorous socialite Amanda Dalrymple. The settings and costumes were also impeccable.

The story itself was also very intriguing, with many secrets from the past being brought to the surface (a very common theme in Agatha Christie's novels). The story did move quite briskly, though, and it was occasionally difficult to keep up with the plot developments. I was watching the episode on tape, though, so it wasn't a big issue for me. I also found the solution to the mystery to be very gratifying, and it completely surprised me! Although I have not read the book, I have heard that this adaptation has taken significant liberties with the plot, so you may wish to 'prepare yourself' if the book is one of your favorites. However, I enjoyed this adaptation a great deal, and I definitely recommend it.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

A great adaptation of an alright book.

[9/10 · 1 July 2006]

For the past month or so, I have been eagerly awaiting this movie. I love Meryl Streep, I like Anne Hathaway, I though the world of magazine publishing could make a great setting for a movie, and I thought the premise of the book 'The Devil Wears Prada' had a lot of movie potential. So, now that I've seen it, I have to say it is one of the funniest movies I've seen this year. The screenwriter has maintained everything that was funny about the book, as well as chucked a lot of the duller subplots, and has formulated a movie that is a great deal more enjoyable than the book.

I'm sure you're all familiar with the basic premise - naive small-town girl comes to the big city hoping to be a journalist, and gets a job as assistant to Miranda Priestly, the much-feared editor of 'Runway' magazine (a thinly veiled take on 'Vogue' magazine, and its editor). Thankfully, the cast was almost perfect (though I did think Simon Baker was somewhat miscast at the rakish writer who takes a liking to the protagonist, Andrea), and elevated the movie to a level it would not have otherwise reached.

Meryl Streep is absolutely amazing as Miranda Priestly, and I especially liked the way that, as Miranda, she never raised her voice above normal speaking level. Streep has said she based this mannerism on Clint Eastwood, who as Dirty Harry talks very quietly but still intimidates. This made Miranda much more interesting than the stereotypical, screaming gorgon she could have become. She is certainly the best thing about this movie, and I think the odds are good that she'll score a best-actress nod at the next Oscars. Miranda is also made more complex (and slightly more sympathetic) than in the book, which I thought was very good. In the book, which I recently read, the author (who actually worked as an assistant to 'Vogue' editor Anna Wintour) was very bitter and whiny about the difficulties of her former job, and she made Miranda out to be a totally two-dimensional villain with absolutely no redeeming qualities. However, the movie shows us (briefly) a different side of Miranda - we see the compromises she has had to make to get to the top, and we see the toll this has taken on her personal life. We aren't made to agree with her diva-like behaviour, but we can understand how hard her life must be.

I also thought that Anne Hathaway was very appealing in her role - she made Andrea more likable and less snobbish than she was in the book (although the screenwriter deserves credit for that, as well), and she looked great in the couture she wore through most of the movie.

The supporting players were also very good, especially Emily Blunt (as Andrea's caustic fellow assistant, Emily) and Stanley Tucci (as Miranda's loyal but beleaguered right-hand man, Nigel). On many occasions, they stole scenes from the ostensibly 'central' character of Andrea.

The movie, while maintaining the book's premise, does not follow the book too closely, which I liked. The entire 'Lily' subplot from the book is eliminated (readers of the book will know what I mean), and Andrea's parents and boyfriend are less significant in the movie than in the book. I agreed with these changes, though - I found those aspects of the book to be quite boring, and their omission made for a more streamlined movie.

I strongly recommend this movie to virtually anyone, and I just hope "The Nanny Diaries" (another somewhat-similar 'chick lit' movie adaptation, coming out soon with Scarlett Johannson, that I am eagerly awaiting) lives up to the shining example of this excellent movie.