intriguement

I love Agatha Christie. I've read most of her books several times, and "The Moving Finger" is one of my favorites. Each time I open it, I am captivated anew by the adorable English-village setting and the delightful relationship between witty Jerry and his spunky sister Joanna. As I continue reading, I am drawn in further by the rich cast of unique characters and a host of clues. Even though I know who committed the murder -- and it IS a bit obvious in retrospect -- I always enjoy trying to spot all the clues and remember how they fit together.

Unfortunately, this adaptation really doesn't live up to the book. To be blunt, it's boring.

First, I found the acting wooden. None of the characters seem to believe that they live in a village terrorized by anonymous letters and brutal murders. For example, at the end, the murderer's former employee/confidante explains that she needs to leave the village. Instead of seeming shocked and saddened, she positively beams! The placid music and bland lighting add to the absurdly calm atmosphere.

The book features two romances. In both cases, the man and woman start off friends, then have some misunderstandings. All four people experience painful self-discovery: For example, pampered city girl Joanna must decide if she has what it takes to be a rural doctor's assistant. Christie understands how to craft a believable (and interesting!) courtship story. In contrast, in the movie, both couples fall in love almost at first sight (although the understated acting does not convey a lot of passion), and both romances run a smooth, uneventful course.

Miss Marple actually plays a minor role in the book. However, the whole point of film adaptations is to bring beloved characters to life! Viewers want and expect to see Miss Marple blinking her china-blue eyes, fussing with her fluffy white knitting, and reminiscing about trivial events in her village 50 years ago. Sadly, in this adaptation, Miss Marple gets very little screen time, and her character is not developed beyond "old woman." I don't think this adaptation would inspire a new viewer to love Miss Marple and read more about her.

Finally, and most importantly, this adaptation eliminates most of the MYSTERY. Miss Marple's limited screen time allows her to mention the key points of the case, but not to display her deduction process. The script leaves out most of the clues from the book, so the viewer has no real chance to solve the puzzle. (And isn't that the fun of it?) When the solution is presented, there's no thrill of discovery. Miss Marple explains in about two lines because she has so few clues to fit together.

All in all, watching this adaptation felt like reading Cliffs Notes. I got the basic gist of the plot, but I missed out on the pleasure of the setting, characters, and mystery.

I decided to watch "Quick Draw" after seeing the trailer on Hulu. The concept is hilarious: a frontier town has a new sheriff, but his only law-enforcement experience comes from his Harvard criminology degree. The show name-drops some well-known Wild West legends, and all the typical Western tropes reappear in a new, quirky guise.

Unfortunately, the show fails to live up to its potential. First, while the trailer focuses on smart, "Office"-esque lines, the actual show relies more on goofiness and innuendo. Still funny, but not quite what I was expecting.

Second, in a tightly-scripted comedy, every line has a job. Some lines provide big laughs while others are only mildly amusing, but EVERY line plays a role in advancing the plot and making people laugh. The same goes for well-done improvisation like "This is Spinal Tap." In contrast, "Quick Draw" has a lot of throwaway time when characters either pause or repeat the same joke while thinking of what to say next. The laughs are widely spaced. And, because the dialogue advances the plot so slowly, not all that much happens.

Finally, a lot of the action takes place at a bordello. It was funny in the first episode or two. After that, I realized that the show has NO female characters who aren't whores. It has no male characters who aren't johns. I know the whole bordello thing is done for laughs, but eight episodes' worth of sexist laughs is too much. Similarly, in S1E6,"Nicodemus," the show's only black female characters, in their only scenes, talk about nothing but sex. These women talk much more coarsely and explicitly than the (white) whores ever do. Sexist AND racist: Check.

To sum up, "Quick Draw" isn't a bad way to kill some time on slow afternoons. But I doubt I would watch these episodes a second time.