#(think death on the nile)

[thegirlsread]

do people enjoy kenneth branagh’s poirot movies? do they make money? genuinely asking because i’ve watched all three and i’m embarrassed on his behalf. at least the last one is shot on location and it’s really hard to fuck up the look of your movie when you shoot in venice. but aside from thinking he’s not a good director, i really believe that the issue with his films is that he doesn’t lean on camp as much as he should. the films look artificial (death on the nile atrociously so) but not enough for it to elevate the work, just enough for them to look like every other franchise except for the slightly more saturated colors

[9leaguesofmirrors]

My Favourite Steve Characters

It's September 1st, also known as Steve Pemberton's birthday! I did one of these lists for Reece's birthday, and I wanted to do one for Steve too because I feel like not enough people talk about his amazing acting

These are in no particular order

Tony Martin - The Interrogation Of Tony Martin

This film was originally on Channel 4 and can now be found on Netflix. It's a verbatim piece about the true story of Tony Martin and why he killed two young boys that intruded on his home. Steve manages to be both cold and unsettling and surprisingly sympathetic in the role, everything he does is subtle and refined to produce an incredibly realistic performance

Trevor - Love's Great Adventure

I don't think I'll ever stop singing the praise of Love's Great Adventure, people overlook it because it doesn't have a dark twist but it's honestly one of the best episodes of the entire series! Steve Pemberton delivers such a raw performance that it left me wishing there was a spin-off series! The entire episode is beautiful, and Trevor is a huge part of the reason; I could praise Steve's ability to dig up such pure, unbridled feeling in every character he plays for ages!

Dr Bessner - Death On The Nile (2004)

I'm a sucker for a good Agatha Christie, especially Poirot, so finding out that Steve Pemberton was in one of the remakes made me very excited - and, as always, he delivers. Dr Bessner is a character which may end up fading into the back of people's memories, but Steve Pemberton managed to make every scene he was in very entertaining. It goes to show that he knows how to pull focus without taking away from other cast members, a credit to both his dedication and kindness

Len - Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room

I mean, he won a BAFTA for this one, that says it all! When we first meet Len, he's portrayed as a sweet, funny man with plenty of charisma. However, as the episode continues, Steve manages to show this façade break more and more until we see to the core of a man that's ruined his life and lost his way. Steve managed to perfectly portray Len as a flawed character while simultaneously making the audience sympathise with him and want him to get the help he needs

Galen - Thinking Out Loud

NOBODY can deny Steve Pemberton's range, not after watching Thinking Out Loud. He's positively frightening as Galen, using stillness and a measured delivery to create an unnerving character - at one point, he leaned forward and I actually jumped backwards!

Pauline Campbell-Jones - The League of Gentlemen

This list wouldn't be complete with the iconic Pauline Campbell-Jones! Steve's comedic timing and delivery skills makes her one to watch, but there are also moments where we see another side to her that's unexpected yet surprisingly heartwarming. Yet another example of Steve's fantastic range giving even the most comedic characters depth

Joe - The Last Weekend SPOILERS BELOW

Like Thinking Out Loud, this episode has a very controversial ending. But I want to step away from that for a moment (might make a post about it at some point, I'm not sure) to appreciate how incredible Steve was in it

At first, you sympathise with Joe; he has to deal with having a terrible illness and, on top of that, his partner doesn't exactly treat him that kindly. Steve's ability to pull at the audience's heartstrings really comes into play here... but, even before the big reveal, there are subtle moments where you get the sense that something isn't quite right

And that ending! Steve completely transforms and we're left with a Joe Madison that we've never seen before - and hope we never see in real life! It's perfectly sinister and 100% one of his best acting moments in the series

Of course, these are just a few of his roles and, like Reece, he's a real chameleon that can truly play any part (even if, sometimes, it's just Pauline). Benidorm is on my watch list so I'll be getting to that as soon as possible! I hope Steve's career continues to be full of opportunities!

[mmmthornton]

She was so real for this

[nilesmoon]

I think the thing that makes masatos death more infuriating than nishiki-ryuji-mines deaths is that those three at least got to choose their final moments. masato didn't get that privilege instead he was stabbed by the past he wanted to leave behind

[penny-nichols]

Brannaughverse: Poirot was a soldier who saved his squad but then his captain died in an explosion and then his face got real scarred so his heterosexual love interest said that he should grow a mustache (this is the first few minutes of Death on the Nile. War is presumably WW1 due to trenches) The ABC Murders: Poirot was a pastor and his entire congregation except for him got killed in a raid on his church during the war (presumably WW1 again but I have no clue actually)

[jellicle-chants]

Gently nudging anyone who likes the Kenneth Branagh Poirot movies in the direction of the old 70s adaptations

[sungbeam]

omg but FRIENDS !! just finished a haunting in venice, and KWBDKSNDJ ITS GOOD, HIGHLY RECOMMEND 🤧 my mom, brother, and i spent the whole car ride home telling each other abt our observations and theories throughout the film and WHEW so much fun

[charhounds]

mystery novels and movies are enrichment for me. theyre my meat pumpkin. sit me in front of a tv with a detective on it and i will be entertained for hours without fail

[reallivewire]

"Do not open your heart to evil, because if you do, evil will come" do you promise

[marleysrambles]

you LIE to poirot?? you lie in his face?? oh! oh! jail for Bouc! jail for Bouc for one thousand years!!!

[mzannthropy]

Love triangles are annoying, but one author who knew how to work them was Agatha Christie.

[mpregdextermorgan]

in the vast vast majority of war movies women are positioned as like. both a trophy and a promise, and to fulfill their narrative role they must remain unavailable, because their "womanly perfection" cannot remain if the soldier can see/treat them like real persons. on the other hand, the relationship between men (since they're the ones at war) is underlined, and for the movie to carry emotional weight, they must feel profound and intense. and since the in films i've seen recently, it's lead to some funny romantic undertones between the soldiers?

in death on the nile 2022, a big deal is made of poirot's doomed romance with a woman, but the person we see him make a big deal of remembering in his daily life is his superior in WWI, the inspiration for his mustache, who died right in front of him.

this one is way funnier. one of the soldier friends from all quiet on the western front gets a girlfriend midway through the movie, and she gives him a handkerchief as a gift for him to remember her by. as the soldiers die one after the other, the living ones keep the handkerchief, and it becomes more a memento of their fallen comrades and friends than a representation of any living woman.

and like because women in war films can't be real people. the relationships between the men will always feel more true (and romantic) than what we're told they feel about the women.

[jagzii]

Death On The Nile (2022)

I have to say that when I first watched the trailer for the recently released 2022 adaption of the Death On The Nile, my impression was lukewarm. While the design and costumes looking slinky and chic I couldn’t quite conjure up the excitement I had hoped for, and after watching the film I know why. The Death On The Nile is one of the most iconic Poirot mysteries ( as proven by its multiple independent adaptions), but the titular main character doesn’t quite feel like himself in this 2022 iteration. 

Now I will be the first to point out that I have a bit of a bias when it comes to David Suchet’s version of the little Belgian detective, but I like to think I’ve matured enough as a viewer to set this aside and judge a new actor’s take on  the character objectively (as objective as a human can get anyway). That being the case, I was more than willing to see what Kenneth Branagh’s take on the character would bring, and I have to say I was not impressed. 

While Branagh’s performance might have worked for any stereotypical detective character, the fact remained that this was Hercule Poirot ( please read that with the requisite Belgian accent), and he didn’t feel like him at all. What has always set Agatha Christie’s Poirot apart, from the other famous detectives being brought to the page during that time, were his mannerisms and approach. He was a genteel man, who loved his comforts, was very particular about his appearance and most importantly remained calm and collected at all times. His idiosyncrasies made him fun to read about or watch (depending on your preference) and never failed to make one smile. This new take on the character strips him of his charm by making him more aggressive and cold. 

The need for change in stories over time is totally understandable, and I didn’t particularly have a problem with the screenplay’s continuous call backs to love and the crazy things people do for it. Every story has a  moral truth and ‘love’ is what they chose to centre Death On The Nile around. However, turning this iconic character into any washed out detective was not acceptable, at least to me. 

While the rest of the film is okay, nothing spectacular, my feelings on Poirot himself are… unimpressed to say the least. 

[wordshakerofgallifrey]

not me in DEEP denial abt Kanan rn

[sp00ky-scary]

sure kenneth branagh's poirot movies aren't like the best however i think his facial hair is silly enough to make up for it