Category Archives: Mystery

Chandler’s Trailers: “The Hound of the Baskervilles” (1978)

“Hound of the Baskervilles, The” (1978) Anyone who has seen any film directed by Paul Morrissey under the weighty umbrella of Warhol should not be surprised that the director’s initial foray into studio comedy would be inhibited by a similar … Continue reading

Posted in books, British films, comedy, Movies, Mystery, Spike Milligan, Terry-Thomas, writing | 1 Comment

Haven’t We Killed Here Before?: “The Formula” (1980)

    “THE FORMULA”  (1980)    Perhaps the most interesting point of discussion regarding John G. Avildsen’s film “The Formula” is the irony of its presumably unintentionally honest title. If there has been in recent memory a big studio release thriller … Continue reading

Posted in books, George C. Scott, Marlon Brando, Marthe Keller, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, World War II, writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Bats: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2022 Edition, Vol. 9

Bats: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2022 Edition, Vol. 9      Surrounded by an unceasing parade of bloodsuckers in human form (y’know, politicians. media -ahem- journalists, phony social activists and lawyers… a veritable Hellzapoppin’ of deceit, deception and … Continue reading

Posted in animation, books, Boston, crime, Drive-In Movies, horror, Movies, Mystery, photography, silent movies, vampires, women, writing | 2 Comments

Entropy Is What It Used To Be: “Tenet” (2020)

       “TENET”   (2020)     Christopher Nolan’s time circuitous action drama “Tenet” has been elevated in critical evaluation due in no small part to a reliance on the assertion that the film’s labyrinthine plotting is frustrating to any comprehensive … Continue reading

Posted in espionage, Eurospy movies, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine, Movies, Mystery, science fiction | Tagged , | 2 Comments

When Your Fingers Did the Walking: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, March 2022 Edition, Vol. 411

When Your Fingers Did the Walking: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, March 2022 Edition, Vol. 411      In a world in desperate need of all of the humor one can muster, it never fails to entertain to seek out a … Continue reading

Posted in Cold War, comedy, crime, Drive-In Movies, History, Movies, Musicals, Mystery, photography, Romance, women, writing | 3 Comments

Have I Got A Girl For You: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2021 Edition, Vol. 35mm

Have I  Got A Girl For You: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2021 Edition, Vol. 35mm    ‘Tis the season for gift giving and avaricious wishful thinking and while the members of the militant pseudo-feminist movement (“Declare your independence, then … Continue reading

Posted in art house cinema, black cinema, books, History, horror, Movies, Mystery, Romance, women | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: Classic Film Image Photo Quiz, Nov. 2021 Edition, Vol. 3000

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Nov. 2021 Edition, Vol. 3000 At a time when it seems that every authoritarian agency, whether governmental or private (with the line between the two often obscure or nonexistent), of … Continue reading

Posted in animation, art house cinema, biography, books, Boston, crime, Drive-In Movies, Movies, Mystery, women, writing | 4 Comments

Memorium: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2021 Edition, Vol. 6

Memorium: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, June 2021 Edition, Vol. 6      In the aftermath of America’s annual amnesia as to the true meaning of Memorial Day aside from the now-popular three day bacchanal celebrated by those nursing that … Continue reading

Posted in Blaxploitation, books, Boston, horror, Movies, Mystery, photography, westerns, writing | 2 Comments

Without a Clue: “The Stone Killer” (1973)

          “The Stone Killer”  (1973)      Discontent to assure audiences of a visceral thrill ride by the mere mention in the opening credits of Michael Winner assuming the directorial antics, “The Stone Killer” begins with … Continue reading

Posted in books, Charles Bronson, crime, Drive-In Movies, Movies, Mystery, writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Isn’t Running a Sign You’re Up to No-Good?: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Apr. 2021 Edition, Vol. 26.2

Isn’t Running a Sign You’re Up to No-Good?: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Apr. 2021 Edition, Vol. 26.2      With this year’s upcoming cancelled running of the Boston Marathon, there is little reason for the annual Patriot’s Day holiday … Continue reading

Posted in art house cinema, biography, books, Boston, British films, crime, Drive-In Movies, grindhouse, Movies, Mystery, politics, women, writing | 5 Comments

In the Realm of the Insensible: “Jade” (1995)

            “Jade”  (1995)    While convolution in a murder mystery is nothing new, a film usually pays dividends if, in the end, a semblance of coherence can be deciphered from even the most labyrinthine of … Continue reading

Posted in crime, erotica, Movies, Mystery, sex, William Friedkin, writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Noir!: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Feb. 2021 Edition, Vol. .38

Noir!: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Feb. 2021 Edition, Vol. .38      Being that February is Black History Month and the crew at CSR are noted for their sensitivity to the burning issues of the day, it was decided … Continue reading

Posted in blogs, books, crime, Drive-In Movies, film noir, Movies, Mystery, women, writing | Tagged | 2 Comments

Black and White in Color: “In the Heat of the Night” (1967)

     “In the Heat of the Night”  (1967)     With “In the Heat of the Night” director Norman Jewison breaches the unconscionable commercial wall of denial concerning racial injustice by way of silence (born entirely of an industry … Continue reading

Posted in black cinema, book reviews, books, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, racism, Reviews, Rod Steiger, Sidney Poitier, writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Castle Redux: “Two on a Guillotine” (1965)

        “Two on a Guillotine” (1965)           Clearly taking direction from the horror films of William Castle and employing vividly evident inspiration from his 1959 “House on Haunted Hill”, William Conrad’s “Two on a … Continue reading

Posted in Drive-In Movies, Movies, Mystery, Romance, writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

In Black and White: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, June 2020 Edition, Vol. -30-

In Black and White: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, June 2020 Edition, Vol. -30-    What’s black and white and red all over? Pravda naturally. However, when it comes to Hollywood, the answer would more likely be Panda Tartare (being … Continue reading

Posted in books, Boston, espionage, Movies, Mystery, photography, women, writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Java Buzz: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Special Caffeine-Fueled B. Sisters Café Mid-May 2020 Edition, Vol. 1/2 & 1/2

This gallery contains 27 photos.

Java Buzz: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Special Caffeine-Fueled B. Sisters Café Mid-May 2020 Edition, Vol. 1/2 & 1/2  é     Live and more alert than is (in theory) humanly safe after nine straight large cups of Cold Brew … Continue reading

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Attention Puny Earthlings! A Special Announcement Follows…

A BRAINTEASER TO SEE WHO’S STILL WITH US…     …cognitively speaking of course. (Unfortunately this omits a particularly sad individual who is currently running/sitting/hibernating/drooling for office for the DMC, but seems quite content to spend his autumn hours neatly snuggled … Continue reading

Posted in blogs, Boston, History, humor, Movies, Mystery, Puzzles, trivia | 2 Comments

Alone Again, Unnaturally: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Apr. 2020 Edition, Vol. 4077

Alone Again, Unnaturally:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Apr. 2020 Edition, Vol. 4077 Emerging from a self-imposed exile just in time to notice that the rest of the world seems to have cribbed our idea for a temporary avoidance of … Continue reading

Posted in books, Boston, British films, China, Cold War, crime, Drive-In Movies, horror, Movies, Mystery, war movies, women, writing | 6 Comments

Is That Snow Falling From The Sky Or Are You Just Glad to See Me?: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2019 Edition,Vol. 6 – 12″

Is That Show Falling From The Sky Or Are You Just Glad To See Me?: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2019 Edition, Vol. 6 – 12″ Not a subscriber to climate change (we here at CSR much prefer the … Continue reading

Posted in black cinema, books, British films, Cold War, crime, Drive-In Movies, History, humor, Movies, Mystery, photography, politics, Romance | 2 Comments

“That’s Where the Money Is”: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Oct. 2019 Edition, Vol. 2%

“That’s Where the Money Is”:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Oct. 2019 Edition, Vol. 2% Consistent with our desire to occasionally present what might be leniently considered a public service in order to maintain a favorable tax status and to … Continue reading

Posted in art house cinema, books, Boston, British films, Canada, crime, film noir, Movies, Mystery, photography, westerns, writing | Tagged | 5 Comments

The Spy Who Confused Me: “Superseven chiama Cairo” (1965)

      “Superseven chiama Cairo”  (1965)     If imitation were genuinely the sincerest form of flattery, then Ian Fleming’s most popular creation would have merited the author the Nobel Prize for Literature. As it stands, what is entertaining … Continue reading

Posted in books, crime, espionage, Eurospy movies, Italian cinema, Movies, Mystery, Romance, Rosalba Neri, writing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Sometimes a Hero is Just a Sandwich: “Dick Barton, Special Agent” (1948)

“Dick Barton, Special Agent”  (1948)     This first of three film productions attempting to replicate the zing of the popular Light BBC radio serial is more a product of creative corporate accounting than a legitimate attempt at producing a … Continue reading

Posted in British films, comedy, crime, espionage, germ warfare, Hammer films, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery | Tagged , | 2 Comments

25 Pictures in Search of a Theme: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Sept. 2019 Edition, Vol. 133524.48

25 Pictures in Search of a  Theme: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Sept. 2019 Edition, Vol. 133524.48s     Since the inception of Chandler Swain Reviews, we have engaged in the constant struggle between the search for Art and depth … Continue reading

Posted in biography, books, Boston, Cecil B. DeMille, comedy, History, horror, Movies, Mystery, photography, Romance, women, writing | 1 Comment

Death by Indifference: “Mr. Wong, Detective” (1938)

    “Mr. Wong, Detective”  (1938)      The initial film incarnation of Hugh Wiley’s detective creation, first popularized in 1934 in Collier’s, “Mr. Wong Detective”, presents the stylish and erudite investigator in a mystery that is fairly unworthy of a … Continue reading

Posted in books, Boris Karloff, crime, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, short stories, writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Conduct Unbecoming: “The Night of the Generals” (1967)

       “The Night of the Generals”   (1967)     The makers of any film based on Hans Hellmut Kirst’s 1962 novel The Night of the Generals face a formidable task in that the author indulges in an sizeable amount of strategically inserted … Continue reading

Posted in books, crime, History, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Peter O'Toole, World War II, writing | Tagged | 1 Comment

Firearms For Fun and Profit: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Aug. 2019 Edition, Vol. .38 Caliber

Firearms for Fun and Profit:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Aug. 2019 Edition, Vol. .38 Caliber     Let us consider, for a moment,  the strained logic inherent in the Constitutional inalienable right to be contrary, hypocritical and downright stupid … Continue reading

Posted in biography, books, Drive-In Movies, film noir, grindhouse, History, Movies, Musicals, Mystery, photography, westerns, women | 1 Comment

Reserved Seating: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2019 Edition, Vol. A7

Reserved Seating:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2019 Edition, Vol. A7     Movies are a funny business (Unless the studios are attempting a comedy, in which case Hollywood can be the most depressing place on Earth.) and the … Continue reading

Posted in books, Boston, comedy, Drive-In Movies, History, Movies, Mystery, photography, politics, silent movies, Television, theater, women, writing | 3 Comments

Stars Behind Bars: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, May 2019 Edition, Vol. 10 – 20

Stars Behind Bars: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, May 2019 Edition, Vol. 10 – 20 With the recent collegiate scandal involving several prominent Hollywood actresses doing their thespian best to convince a disgusted populace that their attempts to inflict their … Continue reading

Posted in biography, books, British films, comedy, crime, Drive-In Movies, education, History, Movies, Mystery, westerns, women, writing | 4 Comments

Busted: “The Organization” (1971)

“The Organization” (1971)     In “The Organization”, the final film in the Virgil Tibbs  trilogy, there is a vivid demonstration of the law of diminishing returns. The film features a plot that is not only needlessly illogical, but commits … Continue reading

Posted in black cinema, crime, movie reviews, movie sequels, Movies, Mystery, Sidney Poitier, writing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Chandler’s Trailers: “The Holcroft Covenant” (1985)

The resurgence of the Third Reich seems to be popular sport for thriller novelists seeking an easily identifiable scapegoat for global chicanery, and nowhere has this premise been given a more haphazard treatment than in John Frankenheimer’s film of the … Continue reading

Posted in books, espionage, History, John Frankenheimer, Michael Caine, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, World War II, writing | 2 Comments

67 Years and No Relief in Sight: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, March 2019 Edition, Vol. 1952

  67 Years and No Relief in Sight: Classic Film Photo Quiz, Mar. 2019 Edition, Vol. 1952     Some men are born to greatness. Some have greatness thrust upon them, And some just won’t go away. Which brings us … Continue reading

Posted in biography, black cinema, books, British films, comedy, crime, History, Movies, Musicals, Mystery, Romance, women, writing | 7 Comments

Chandler’s Trailers: “Four Dimensions of Greta” (1972)

“Four Dimensions of Greta” (1972) Never at a loss for a gimmick to lure unsuspecting patrons to  fill seats, the 3-D craze arrived on the shores of England about two decades late with “Four Dimensions of Greta”, a film that … Continue reading

Posted in British films, crime, erotica, London, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Romance, sex, women | 3 Comments

A Not So Fine Madness: “A Reflection of Fear” (1972)

       “A Reflection of Fear”  (1972)   Cinematographers who assume the director’s mantle often produce movies which heavily favor the visual rather than the contextually comprehensible, with the fledgling filmmaker often failing to make allowances for the fact … Continue reading

Posted in books, Canada, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, women, writing | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Overcooked: “Coma” (1978)

                     “Coma”  (1978)      In his debut novel ‘Coma’, Robin Cook presented an unlikely set of circumstances concerning a vast criminal conspiracy within a fictitious Boston hospital, that stretched the very … Continue reading

Posted in books, Boston, medicine, Michael Crichton, Movies, Mystery, Richard Widmark, Romance, women, writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Vacancy: “Cancel My Reservation” (1972)

           “Cancel My Reservation”  (1972)     Bob Hope’s last starring film role is so wince inducing, audience members may be in danger of developing permanent facial tics. This would-be murder mystery, based on a novel … Continue reading

Posted in Bob Hope, comedy, crime, Culture, Drive-In Movies, Movies, Mystery, Romance, women, writing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Who’s That Sleeping in My Head?: “The Reincarnation of Peter Proud” (1975)

       “The Reincarnation of Peter Proud”  (1975)     What is it about extrasensory activity in movies that makes you want to run the other way? If a character is blessed with precognitive visions, it is an inevitable curse leading to … Continue reading

Posted in books, movie reviews, Movies, music, Mystery, new england, psychiatry, Romance, women, writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Party Crashers: “The Penthouse” (1967)

           “The Penthouse”  (1967)     Two strangely loquacious thugs named Tom (Tony Beckley) and Dick (Norman Rodway) stage an early morning invasion of a penthouse apartment, occupied by Bruce (Terence Morgan), a real estate broker … Continue reading

Posted in British films, crime, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, theater, women, writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Chandler’s Trailers: “Terror in the Wax Museum” (1973)

“Terror in the Wax Museum”  (1973) When the body of Chamber of Horrors wax museum proprietor Claude Dupree (John Carradine) is discovered stabbed with the scalpel of his waxworks Jack the Ripper, can an obligatory stacking of bodies be far … Continue reading

Posted in crime, horror, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, Romance, women, writing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Rainy Day Monday: Classic Film Photo Images Quiz, Oct. 2018 Edition, Vol. 23

Rainy Day Monday: Classic Film Photo Images Quiz, Oct. 2018 Edition, Vol. 23     Welcome again guys and chicklets to yet another in the long suffering series known as The Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, brought to you, as … Continue reading

Posted in books, comedy, erotica, History, horror, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, photography, Romance, women, writing | 8 Comments

The Return of the Classic Film Clip Quiz

  The Return of the Classic Film Clip Quiz     Let us reintroduce this minor little visual quiz where we ask the musical question: Name the film clips shown. (Well, it’s not really a question, but it’s our discretion … Continue reading

Posted in biography, books, comedy, dance, erotica, History, horror, Movies, Musicals, Mystery, Romance, silent films, westerns | 8 Comments

Who Needs That Ther’ Book Lernin’?: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2018 Edition, Vol. 451

  Who Needs That Ther’ Book Lernin’?:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2018 Edition, Vol. 451     Despite such contemporary wizards as Mark Zuckerberg asserting the notion that modern life requires little more wisdom than can be drawn … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews, books, Boston, children's books, History, Movies, Musicals, Mystery, short stories, women, writing | Tagged , | 3 Comments

When the Chase Is All There Is: “Ronin” (1998)

            “RONIN”  (1998)   Why is it that movies featuring people involved in Intelligence always seem in short supply of that very ingredient? If one were to admire a movie simply for its technical polish, … Continue reading

Posted in Cold War, espionage, Ireland, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Paris, writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Revisit: ORWELL LITE: “ALPHAVILLE, UNE ETRANGE AVENTURE DE LEMMY CAUTION” (1965)

ALPHAVILLE, UNE ÉTRANGE AVENTURE DE LEMMY CAUTION                                   (1965) (Originally posted on May 21, 2013)      One of the interesting characteristics of many of the young men associated with La Nouvelle Vague was their affinity toward what in higher literary … Continue reading

Posted in books, film noir, French cinema, Movies, Mystery, Paris, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Out of Touch: “Orlacs Hände” / “The Hands of Orlac” (1924)

   “Orlacs Hände” / “The Hands of Orlac”   (1924)  A Necessary Caveat: The following article contains analysis which reveals details of the subject film’s climactic events. Such details, if one wishes to approach the film with virgin eyes, should be approached with … Continue reading

Posted in books, horror, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, Romance, silent movies, writing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Panic Rooms: “Tread Softly Stranger” (1958)

          “Tread Softly Stranger”  (1958)     When gambler Johnny  Mansell (George Baker) overextends his bookie debts, he flees London, returning to his working class hometown of  Rawborough to visit with his steel mill accountant brother … Continue reading

Posted in British films, crime, film noir, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, Romance, theater, women, writing | Tagged | 2 Comments

Shades of Gray: “Juste avant la nuit” (1971)

        “Juste avant la nuit”   (1971)      If Claude Chabrol is casually regarded as the Gallic Hitchcock, the too easily accepted comparison betrays a basic misunderstanding of not only the French filmmaker but of the … Continue reading

Posted in Alfred Hitchcock, art house cinema, Claude Chabrol, crime, erotica, Film, Film Reviews, French movies, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, writing | 4 Comments

Unbalanced: “La bestia uccide a sangue freddo” (1971)

            “La bestia uccide a sangue freddo”   (1971)     “What else have you done? You moved the body and took away the weapon. Then you called the police, asking me to come immediately … Continue reading

Posted in Film, giallo, Italian cinema, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, sex, women, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Over Troubled Waters: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Nov. 2017 Edition, Vol. 7384750069858

Over Troubled Waters: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Nov. 2017 Edition, Vol. 7384750069858      As the song goes, “what goes up, must come down”. That’s right, you may have been expecting a little slice of Paul Simon, but it … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews, books, History, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, Romance, silent movies, women, World War II, writing | 3 Comments

Damsels in Distress: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Oct. 2017 Edition, Vol. o – o

Damsels in Distress: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Oct, 2017 Edition, Vol. o – o      It may be politically incorrect to point out the obvious fact that holding a door open for a lady might well bring widespread … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews, books, horror, humor, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, politics, Reviews, silent movies, women, writing | Leave a comment

Ghost of a Stance: “Sleuth” (2007)

      “Sleuth”   (2007)     In their peculiar and particularly unsatisfying production of  Anthony Shaffer’s play “Sleuth”, scenarist Harold Pinter and director Kenneth Branagh have fashioned not so much a reworking of the popular thriller, nor even merely a … Continue reading

Posted in British films, Film, Film Reviews, Kenneth Branagh, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, theater, writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment