[Editor’s note: this list was originally published September 2023, and has since been updated.]
There was a time not too long ago when whodunnits seemed to be a dusty relic of cinema’s past. Mysteries about a cast of colorful characters at the center of a murder case, and the intrepid detective investigating them, were far and few between in movie theaters for what felt like decades, and the rare films to feature those plots seldom attracted much attention. But nowadays, the genre is back, baby.
In 2017, Kenneth Branagh directed and starred as the iconic detective Hercule Poirot in “Murder on the Orient Express,” based on one of mystery writer Agatha Christie’s most famous novels. It was the first high-profile Christie adaptation to hit theaters in ages, after 1988’s “Appointment with Death.” The movie was highly successful, and Branagh has returned to that Poirot mustache with “Death on the Nile” and “A Haunting in Venice,” the latter of which opened in theaters this month.
There was a time not too long ago when whodunnits seemed to be a dusty relic of cinema’s past. Mysteries about a cast of colorful characters at the center of a murder case, and the intrepid detective investigating them, were far and few between in movie theaters for what felt like decades, and the rare films to feature those plots seldom attracted much attention. But nowadays, the genre is back, baby.
In 2017, Kenneth Branagh directed and starred as the iconic detective Hercule Poirot in “Murder on the Orient Express,” based on one of mystery writer Agatha Christie’s most famous novels. It was the first high-profile Christie adaptation to hit theaters in ages, after 1988’s “Appointment with Death.” The movie was highly successful, and Branagh has returned to that Poirot mustache with “Death on the Nile” and “A Haunting in Venice,” the latter of which opened in theaters this month.
- 11/15/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
When I heard Rob Reiner was planning to direct a documentary on a true comic icon and genius named Albert Brooks, I thought “Now this will be good!” Reiner is not only a smart and talented filmmaker in his own right, but also a longtime friend of Brooks, with whom he went to high school and even co-starred with him in drama department productions. I am happy to report this HBO Original documentary, Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, premiering Saturday night and then streaming on Max, not only more than met my high expectations but exceeded them.
Set in a plush dark red restaurant booth, the film is anchored simply by a conversation between Reiner and Brooks. The visual is almost identical to the opening scene of Brooks’ 1981 Modern Romance, where he and his girlfriend are breaking up,...
Set in a plush dark red restaurant booth, the film is anchored simply by a conversation between Reiner and Brooks. The visual is almost identical to the opening scene of Brooks’ 1981 Modern Romance, where he and his girlfriend are breaking up,...
- 11/10/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
"To me, genius is – you have the idea, and then the courage to execute it." The funniest man in the world? HBO has revealed the official trailer for the biopic documentary called Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, directed by filmmaker Rob Reiner. This is premiering at AFI Fest in Los Angeles this week, hence the trailer arriving for its unveiling. A documentary about the comedian, actor, and filmmaker Albert Brooks including interviews from Sharon Stone, Larry David, James L. Brooks, Conan O'Brien, Sarah Silverman and Jonah Hill. Reiner combines expertly curated archival footage of Brooks' amazing early TV appearances and film roles alongside interviews with an impressive roster of collaborators & fellow comedians testifying to Brooks' greatness. It's amusing to see his Finding Nemo character Marlin on the poster, along with most of his other iconic big screen roles. After showing at AFI Fest first, it'll be streaming on Max starting this November.
- 10/26/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
FX has released the official trailer for A Murder At The End Of The World, its upcoming mystery limited series starring Emma Corrin, Clive Owen, Harris Dickinson and Brit Marling.
“I sometimes wonder, would it have been better not to go?” Corrin says in the opening moments of the trailer set to a haunting cover of Depeche Mode’s “Strangelove”. “I think about it like a coin toss, when your life can go one way, or another. When you’re trapped at the end of the world, there’s no going back.”
Created by Marlin and Zal Batmanglij, the seven-episode limited series stars Corrin as Darby Hart, a Gen Z amateur sleuth and tech-savvy hacker, who, along with eight other guests are invited by a reclusive billionaire (Owen) to participate in a retreat at a remote and dazzling location. When one of the other guests is found dead, Darby must...
“I sometimes wonder, would it have been better not to go?” Corrin says in the opening moments of the trailer set to a haunting cover of Depeche Mode’s “Strangelove”. “I think about it like a coin toss, when your life can go one way, or another. When you’re trapped at the end of the world, there’s no going back.”
Created by Marlin and Zal Batmanglij, the seven-episode limited series stars Corrin as Darby Hart, a Gen Z amateur sleuth and tech-savvy hacker, who, along with eight other guests are invited by a reclusive billionaire (Owen) to participate in a retreat at a remote and dazzling location. When one of the other guests is found dead, Darby must...
- 9/7/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Just two years ago, it seemed like the summer blockbuster might be a thing of the past. After Covid kept cinemas closed across the United States for the majority of 2020, the box office reopened in 2021 on uncertain footing, with many high profile flops and a soft performance for the movies overall. That summer seemed like the harbinger of the end for the seasonal release strategy that “Jaws” perfected all the way back in 1975, wherein the hottest months hosts the biggest titles — marketed aggressively to theatergoers. It seemed like those days were behind us, and the streaming age had finally overtaken the days when movies could be events. So thank goodness for “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.”
Things aren’t entirely rosy at cinemas again (and Hollywood writ large is a mess), but things are improving at the box office with those July 21 releases helping to massively goose theatrical business, picking up where...
Things aren’t entirely rosy at cinemas again (and Hollywood writ large is a mess), but things are improving at the box office with those July 21 releases helping to massively goose theatrical business, picking up where...
- 8/11/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Some people just need grace. Before arriving in a courtroom for a hearing, all defendants have been through stuff most people can never imagine. The purpose of a hearing is to determine whether a person is guilty of the crime they've been accused of by all fair means.
As Danny's trial ended on The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 10, his defense team pulled something short of a miracle.
Stan and Rya had avoided putting Danny on the stand because it is usually the smart thing to do.
When a counselor puts their client on the stand, they expose them to the other side, and there are very many ways that it can go wrong. If the client is truly guilty, they can expose themselves, and if the prosecution is really crafty, they might trip the client into incriminating themselves.
There was an extra layer to the Danny Sullivan case because they...
As Danny's trial ended on The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 10, his defense team pulled something short of a miracle.
Stan and Rya had avoided putting Danny on the stand because it is usually the smart thing to do.
When a counselor puts their client on the stand, they expose them to the other side, and there are very many ways that it can go wrong. If the client is truly guilty, they can expose themselves, and if the prosecution is really crafty, they might trip the client into incriminating themselves.
There was an extra layer to the Danny Sullivan case because they...
- 7/28/2023
- by Denis Kimathi
- TVfanatic
Danny Sullivan has two mother figures in his life in Apple TV’s The Crowded Room, his own mother, Candy, and his counselor, Rya Goodwin, who’s brought in after Danny is arrested for shooting up the Rockefeller Center. However, the two women differ starkly in their attitudes, beliefs, and the way they treated Danny. That forms the central idea of this article, where we look at how Candy failed in the worst possible way as a mother. Meanwhile, a woman Danny didn’t know until he was arrested ended up being his guardian angel. Read on to explore the two contrasting female characters that Danny encountered in his troubled life.
A child’s mother is the closest person they’ve had for the earliest and most vulnerable years of their lives. A mother protects, cares for, and nourishes her child, at times going beyond her capacities to ensure that...
A child’s mother is the closest person they’ve had for the earliest and most vulnerable years of their lives. A mother protects, cares for, and nourishes her child, at times going beyond her capacities to ensure that...
- 7/28/2023
- by Indrayudh Talukdar
- Film Fugitives
The final episode of Apple TV’s The Crowded Room shows a major tussle between Danny Sullivan (Tom Holland) and Jack (the immaculate Jason Isaacs), an entity that never existed beyond Danny’s mind. From the very start of the episode, Jack seizes power over Danny’s body after he slits his wrists in the previous episode, and now it’s up to Danny himself to escape from his own mind. But who was Jack, and why had he been created? Read on as we explore the existence of Jack, one of the most complicated and morally gray characters in the thriller miniseries The Crowded Room.
Danny Sullivan had been lost in a sea of strangeness and cruelty, mistreated, rejected, and pushed around because he came off as ‘weird and ‘a freak.’ The first protector in every child’s life is their father, who shields them from oncoming troubles and...
Danny Sullivan had been lost in a sea of strangeness and cruelty, mistreated, rejected, and pushed around because he came off as ‘weird and ‘a freak.’ The first protector in every child’s life is their father, who shields them from oncoming troubles and...
- 7/28/2023
- by Indrayudh Talukdar
- Film Fugitives
The Apple TV Miniseries, The Crowded Room released its final episode today, and these past couple of months have been an emotional ride, to say the least. We witnessed how a young man named Danny Sullivan explored so many unknown things about himself and then was made a spectacle before a court because of a crime he committed without his own knowledge. The miniseries throws light on the importance of looking after mental health, putting an end to child abuse, and healing from sexual trauma. Danny suffered from differential identity disorder, a concept virtually unknown before it was diagnosed, thanks to his illness in the series, and he used to survive with several personas in his mind. Thus, the name of the show comes from the crowd that inhabited the room, which was Danny’s mind. Today, we take a look at the personas that Danny’s mind created and...
- 7/28/2023
- by Indrayudh Talukdar
- Film Fugitives
The thrilling and heart-wrenching show on Apple TV, The Crowded Room, released its final episode today, and it was the climax of this 10-part series. Starring Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried in the leading roles, the show talks about a young man who’s a victim of dissociative identity disorder and how his illness is brought out during a daunting court trial. In the previous episode, after Danny’s mother, Candy, denied her son ever being sexually assaulted, Danny slit his wrists to end his life. The final episode brings us the aftermath of this suicide attempt, as well as the verdict of the trial.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Is Jack In Possession of Danny’s Body?
When Rya and Stan rush into the jail’s infirmary, they find Danny lying there with an impassive face, and he doesn’t make much of an effort to recognize the new guests. Instead,...
Spoilers Ahead
Why Is Jack In Possession of Danny’s Body?
When Rya and Stan rush into the jail’s infirmary, they find Danny lying there with an impassive face, and he doesn’t make much of an effort to recognize the new guests. Instead,...
- 7/27/2023
- by Indrayudh Talukdar
- Film Fugitives
[This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike authorization.] [Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for The Crowded Room Season 1, Episode 9, “Family.”] The Crowded Room is nearing the end of its run at Apple TV+, and as fans await to see the fate of Danny Sullivan (Tom Holland), star Emmy Rossum is addressing his mom Candy’s decisions in the penultimate episode, “Family.” While Danny’s trial continued, Candy finally showed her face in court after being asked by his lawyer Stan (Christopher Abbott) and psychologist Rya (Amanda Seyfried). At first, she’s apprehensive about participating, afraid of the backlash she’ll face from her abusive husband Marlin (Will Chase) and the judgment she’d experience from onlookers, but little by little, she was seemingly swayed to take a definitive stand in support of her son. (Credit: Apple TV+) Sadly, it all fell apart when Marlin found her out and showed up at court the same day she intended ...
- 7/26/2023
- TV Insider
Chris Marlin, EVP of strategy and business operations at CNN, will exit the network at the end of the month, in the aftermath of the firing of CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht in June.
The network issued a memo Friday that included the announcement of Marlin’s departure. The memo noted that Marlin’s opening will be filled partly by Cynthia Hudson. She will be reporting to Sam Feist, CNN’s Washington bureau chief and senior vice president.
A spokesperson for the network confirmed Marlin’s departure to TheWrap
Marlin was brought in by Licht to oversee business operations. Prior to his role at CNN, Marlin was the president of Lennar International, a property developer in Florida.
Just last month, Licht was shown the door by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO after a rocky tenure at the network which included a failed morning programming move, a controversial town hall with Donald Trump,...
The network issued a memo Friday that included the announcement of Marlin’s departure. The memo noted that Marlin’s opening will be filled partly by Cynthia Hudson. She will be reporting to Sam Feist, CNN’s Washington bureau chief and senior vice president.
A spokesperson for the network confirmed Marlin’s departure to TheWrap
Marlin was brought in by Licht to oversee business operations. Prior to his role at CNN, Marlin was the president of Lennar International, a property developer in Florida.
Just last month, Licht was shown the door by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO after a rocky tenure at the network which included a failed morning programming move, a controversial town hall with Donald Trump,...
- 7/21/2023
- by Natalie Korach
- The Wrap
Courtroom drama is always an uneasy subject when it deals with sensitive topics like sexual abuse and uncomfortable testimonies. Apple TV’s The Crowded Room portrays this with such mastery that you can’t help feeling empathy for the characters present, especially Danny Sullivan and Rya Goodwin. The ninth episode of the psychological thriller drama presents the trial of Danny Sullivan after he opened fire in the Rockefeller Center and the defense’s attempts to protect Danny from being sent to prison. Here’s what happens in the ninth episode of The Crowded Room.
Spoilers Ahead
Does Candy Not Care About Her Son?
The ninth episode of The Crowded Room opens in a state of complete helplessness, which is the everyday life of Candy Sullivan, the mother of Danny Sullivan, the young man who’s currently facing trial for a shooting incident at Rockefeller Center. Every trace of happiness, joy,...
Spoilers Ahead
Does Candy Not Care About Her Son?
The ninth episode of The Crowded Room opens in a state of complete helplessness, which is the everyday life of Candy Sullivan, the mother of Danny Sullivan, the young man who’s currently facing trial for a shooting incident at Rockefeller Center. Every trace of happiness, joy,...
- 7/21/2023
- by Indrayudh Talukdar
- Film Fugitives
The eighth episode of Apple TV’s The Crowded Room was released today, and it shows just how lost and alone Danny Sullivan has been his entire life. In the previous episode, the personalities inside Danny’s mind sat in a round-table discussion to decide whether they should vacate Danny’s mind, and then Jack ultimately decided that it was best if they stayed. But Danny finally came to terms with the chaos inside his mind and begged Rya to help him, so this episode deals mostly with Rya helping Danny as he struggles to piece his shattered psyche together. It also shows how low creatures like Marlin can sink when it comes to saving themselves.
Spoilers Ahead
What Does Matty Confirm To Stan Camisa?
The episode opens with Det. Matty dropping by a cafe, and that’s where Marlin has been drinking. The two get to talking, and Matty...
Spoilers Ahead
What Does Matty Confirm To Stan Camisa?
The episode opens with Det. Matty dropping by a cafe, and that’s where Marlin has been drinking. The two get to talking, and Matty...
- 7/14/2023
- by Indrayudh Talukdar
- Film Fugitives
Akiva Goldsmith’s brilliant creation, The Crowded Room, released its sixth episode today, and honestly, it takes a turn that none of us could see coming by a long shot, especially because of the way the episodes have been presented so far. In the previous episode, Danny Sullivan admitted to his counselor, Rya Goodwin that his stepfather Marlin had sexually abused Danny’s twin brother Adam when the kids were nine years old. However, this episode takes a completely different turn, turning the story on its head from this point forward. Brace yourselves as we go on a recap of everything that happened in the sixth episode of The Crowded Room.
Spoilers Ahead
How Was Rya Goodwin Brought Into Danny’s Case?
The sixth episode in this psychological drama sees the events from the perspective of the counselor Danny Sullivan had appointed; Rya Goodwin. A professor of psychology at a university,...
Spoilers Ahead
How Was Rya Goodwin Brought Into Danny’s Case?
The sixth episode in this psychological drama sees the events from the perspective of the counselor Danny Sullivan had appointed; Rya Goodwin. A professor of psychology at a university,...
- 6/30/2023
- by Indrayudh Talukdar
- Film Fugitives
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