Movies
“A Haunting In Venice” Trailer Reaction
“In post-World War II Venice, Poirot, now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a seance. But when one of the guests is murdered, it is up to […]
“In post-World War II Venice, Poirot, now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a seance. But when one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to once again uncover the killer.”
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writers: Michael Green, Agatha Christie
Staring: Kelly Reilly, Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey
Release Date: September 15, 2023
IMDB
Call me a sucker, but I will watch a who-dun-it whenever one pops up. The genre has been around for a long time, but this recent resurgence has to be traced back to Netflix’s Knives Out (2019). But did you know that a one-time Oscar nominee for Best Director tried to reintroduce society to a big cast murder mystery before Rian Johnson?
Kenneth Branagh directed Murder On The Orient Express in 2017, and then Death On The Nile (2022) emerged from the COVID hibernation in 2022. Those who have seen both Agatha Christie adoptions know that the inclusion of Armie Hammer in Death On The Nile altered one’s view of it, and we can all nod in agreement that Gal Gadot did not fit in. But even with those two leaking wounds, Death On The Nile manages to be watchable. That is a credit to Branagh’s love for the genre and his portrayal of the titular character Hercule Poirot.
Now we have a third film to add to rotation for Branagh and Poirot. Let’s take a trip to Venice!
A Haunting In Venice (2023) is based on one of Agatha Christie’s last Poirot stories, Hallowe’en Party. It is the first time the 1969 novel is being adapted into a feature film but Branagh has put together a rather unique cast to bring mystery together. Recent Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh stars alongside the likes of Kelly Reilly, Tina Fey and Jamie Dornan.
Dornan and child actor Jude Hill are teaming up with Branagh for a second straight project. They must have enjoyed their time on Belfast (2021).
The cast list on IMDB has empty character names for many of the actors, but a name is nothing in a who-dun-it. It’s the role the character plays. Who is going to play the skeptic? Who is going to play the aristocrat? Who is going to play the mysteriously silent one? Who will have a secret that will change everything?
What we do know is that Branagh plays Poirot and his eyes are set on Mrs. Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh), a psychic who has the ability to talk to the dead. Tina Fey is playing Ariadne Oliver, an old friend of Poirot who brings Reynolds to his attention. Our hero attends a psychic session orbiting around Kelly Reilly’s character’s Rowena Drake. The wealthy woman is looking to speak with her dead daughter Alicia, but things go array when a MURDER (insert absurd accent) takes place.
A Haunting In Venice (which actually takes place in London in the book) adds a supernatural aesthetic to the who-dun-it. Do you believe in ghosts? Poirot does not, but how will he react when all the evidence is pointing toward different spector-esq activities?
The vibes and color palette of A Haunting In Venice is the polar opposite of A Death On The Nile. There are zero bright colors in this suspenseful trailer, and seeing how the entire mystery takes place with a giant storm outside, I don’t think we are going to be seeing much sunshine. The trailer is edited together like a horror mystery, but how scary can the movie be if it is meant to be an appeasing mystery to an aging demographic? There is very little comedy mixed in with the flickering lights of this 2:30 minute tease. Again, a little odd when Poirot’s eccentric personality is more iconic than any one mystery.
I am willing to go all-in in saying that A Haunting In Venice will not be nearly as eerie as this trailer is making it out to be. A way to get audiences into theaters is to make a movie genre-specific; tell the viewer what they are going to feel. This official trailer of A Haunting in Venice is going for the classic BOGO; come in for a who-dun-it and get a horror/thriller ghost story as well.
Whatever A Haunting In Venice, it is a safe bet that the movie will be a success fiscally. Death On The Nile made 130 million dollars on a 90 million dollars budget. Not a huge margin, but still in the black. A Haunting In Venice has a 70 million dollars budget, yet odds for its success are higher. Money put in does not mean money earned. Brannagh’s Murder On The Orient Express made over 300 million on just a 55 million dollar budget. If one were a betting man, take A Haunting In Venice to get over 150 million at the box office, and then expect it to be a top-watched option on whatever streaming service it will quickly end up on.
A Haunting In Venice sails into theaters on September 15, 2023.
Stanko Excel Lists | Movies, Books, Podcasts. TV Shows
Stanko Letterdbox Account
Ranking The Mission: Impossible Films: #7 – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023)
There is a lot happening in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. One could argue that there is too much going on.
Ranking The Mission: Impossible Films: #8 – Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Much maligned as the worst of the Mission: Impossible franchise, Mission: Impossible II doesn’t do itself any favors upon rewatch.
Four Shorty Reactions: “MaXXXine” (2024), “Monkey Man” (2024), “Raising Arizona” (1987), “Scoop” (2024)
MaXXXine (2024) “In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.” Director: Ti WestWriter: Ti WestCast: Mia Goth, Elizabeth Debicki, Halsey, Lily Collins, Kevin Bacon, Bob Cannavale, Michelle…
Stanko's Stance 