Movies & Musings:A Haunting in Venice

By Charles Chandler

Publisher’s Note: Mr. Chandler has been contributing to the pages of NNN since its humble beginnings 7+ years ago. Possessing a keen eye for film as well as a discerning outlook toward life in out bipeninsular paradise, Mr. Chandler’s writings are always well received by his substantial readership as well as by the staff of N3World Headquarters.
Enjoy, as we have.

Let the poets and tourist bureaus try as they may to describe autumn in Michigan. I think not. Everyone around here has their own special loves and likes for this season.  For me it is the Michigan blue sky and the cool breezes that hurry those big fat rain clouds along. Lately they have moved on before their meager contribution could freshen our rivers and lakes.  

In the fall we have a few little harvesting routines. It is buying apples for applesauce from Nelsons, mums and pumpkins from Midway Johns, and peppers, squash and green tomatoes from Magic Land. I don’t know where all the caramel apples were sourced. We have a couple of other fall routines that we also enjoy, one is decorating for Halloween and seeing a scary movie.  

When I say, see a scary movie I don’t mean, one of those screaming, slasher, talking murder dolls or clown things. This year it was A Haunting in Venice. This is a must-see movie if you are a true fan of Agatha Christie mysteries or the great detective Hercule Poirot. Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh  British actor and filmmaker adaptations of  Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile were excellent. Now in a very short time he has launched Haunting in Venice. A smallish work by AG but fun nevertheless. It is a mishmash of haunted house and murder mystery. A bit dark, but not jump out of your theater seat, can’t sleep without the light on, scary Halloween movie.

 This entertaining movie begins with the breathtaking vistas and vignette of incomparable Venice. Here we find the great detective Hercule Poirot (Charles Branagh) apparently retired after his last complicated case Death on the Nile. We are to believe that for the last 10 years he has been languishing in Venice with nothing more to do than wax his mustache, measure his breakfast soft boiled eggs and turn down uninteresting cases.  The first thing we have to do is get the inscrutable Poirot interested in life again.  Enter Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), a mystery novelist from America and acquaintance of Poirot. She’s about to do a book on psychic Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh), who has thus far evaded exposure as a fraud. Hint, the devious, double dipper Oliver asks Poirot to determine if Reynolds is the real deal before she begins her book. Poirot, ever the skeptic, accepts the challenge. Without an ounce of humility sets about to debunk the famous psychic Reynolds. 

The reason for the enigmatic psychic Joyce Reynolds being in Venice is to help the beautiful retired opera singer Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly) find closure after her daughter Alicia was found drowned in a canal. Reynolds holds the séance on All Hallows' Eve in Rowena Drake palazzo.  This decaying gothic palazzo has a history of foul deeds too and is the perfect place for a Halloween themed "Whodunit". 
 
In true Agatha Christie fashion, soon all the cast of characters are in place, the candles are lit and the séance begins. A storm begins to build outside, lightning flashes, waves crash and the skullduggery is afoot. 

The séance is disrupted by Poirot. The frightened participants find they cannot leave the palazzo. A great chandelier falls and the body of Reynolds topples from an upstairs balcony. We are in the scary parts now, more bodies, spooky ghosts of children appear to Poirot. Everyone becomes a suspect, a new character appears, more mysteries within mysteries unfold. We chase red herrings and fake news down creepy hallways until we are totally confused. 

When we are afraid of every bump, and bang and completely exhausted Poirot the master himself assembles the survivors. With his flair for drama and brilliant logic he unravels the mysteries and identifies the killer for us.  Of course, I had it all wrong.  The bizarre twist and strange motives for the evil doers will leave you talking to yourself.  This is a perfect movie for this wonderful Michigan season. Take the brood and go enjoy this excellent PG 13 Halloween movie.  See how you think Tina Fey did in this period piece.

As I said I love autumn in Michigan so much, however for me, it also comes with regrets because it is so ephemeral. I know that soon that ole north breeze will bring that first hint of wood smoke from my neighbor’s hearth.  Autumn wood smoke always makes me wistful then followed by a heartfelt but undefined longing for something I can never describe. Maybe I want to migrate with those Canada Geese that live across the street in the mill pond. Could be to hitch a ride with one of the many seasonal campers that are draining south on M 37. Maybe I just need to go into the kitchen and make a pot of spicy Chili.
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For what it’s worth, from my kitchen table I can watch this Red Squirrel collecting every black walnut in my neighborhood.  I know this because he is stashing them in my garden shed.  Amazing to watch him, he can’t stop, won’t stop, such a mystery. What does he know that we don't?   This grasshopper probably should take his frenetic efforts and the early Dark Eyed Juncos I saw this morning more seriously. Maybe a portend of things to come?