Review of "Babysitters," DVD

 Review of

Babysitters, DVD

1 out of five stars

Ridiculous premise poorly executed

 The premise of this movie is a simple one, high school age babysitters that become sexually involved with the fathers of their charges. It begins with a new hire that turns out to be an excellent sitter with many features of a maid, even to the point of scrubbing the kitchen floor. After a few virtual dance moves and some innuendo, the father and the sitter become sexually involved. 

 This quickly expands out into what is in essence a call girl ring where several girls at the high school are recruited to become sitters with benefits. It goes on for some time until there are just too many people involved, and the secrets cannot be kept, even from these incredibly ignorant mothers. There is even an extended scene where one of the fathers joins in a major vandalism of the high school. 

 The premises are so absurd that the movie is quite boring. There are a few scenes where the sitter and the father engages in some genuine interpersonal dialog, but not enough to make it interesting. About one-third through the movie I was convinced that there would be a rash of scenes of bare chested girls in an attempt to save the movie from terminal idiocy. To the credit of the producers, they did not do that. 

 With simple interactions and an extremely unworkable plot, this movie fails to generate even the slightest interest. I had to watch it in 15 minute segments in order to male it to the end. 

Review of "On Conan Doyle," by Michael Dirda

 Review of

On Conan Doyle, by Michael Dirda, ISBN 9780691151359

Five out of five stars

A deep look into the works of Doyle

 Arthur Conan Doyle is most known for being the creator of the superlative detective Sherlock Holmes. Yet, Doyle wrote much more than that. To the extent that his other writings are mentioned, they are often restricted to Doyle’s writings on spiritualism. His other writings, some of which Doyle considered to be his best work, are rarely mentioned. 

 The strongest feature of this recapitulation of Doyle’s life is the mention of his other writings. Some of those writings are examined in significant detail, a valuable feature for readers that want to expand beyond the Holmes tales. 

 Dirda is a member of the group “Baker Street Irregulars,” a club of people dedicated to delving deep into the meanings and unusual extensions of the characters beyond what Doyle actually wrote. There is extensive mention of these musings, no place more than on page 146. “Jason Rouby conjectured that Holmes let Moriarty go at the Reichenbach and that the reformed master criminal went on to pursue a career in law enforcement the United States, taking the name J. Edgar Hoover. C. Arnold Johnson, by contrast, hypothesized that Moriarty returned to London as Fu Manchu, while William Leonard determined that Moriarty survived because he was actually the undead Count Dracula.” 

 Delving into the total work and mind of Conan Doyle is some of the most interesting literary exploration that you can embark on. This book is a must read for deep fans of Conan Doyle. 

Review of "Trent’s Last Case," by E. C. Bentley

 Review of

Trent’s Last Case, by E. C. Bentley

Five out of five stars

Truly a landmark in the murder mystery genre

 Originally published in 1913, this story is a bridge between the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and the full development of the murder mystery by the writers of the middle of the twentieth century. No less a luminary as Agatha Christie considered it one of her favorite stories.

 The main character and detective is Phii[ Trent and he is brought in to investigate the murder by shooting of businessman Sigsbee Manderson. No one was saddened by his death, Manderson was a ruthless businessman and the list of enemies that he made is extensive. It was argued that the world was a better place when he was not in it, but it was the position of the legal profession that no murder should be ignored. 

 There is little action in the modern sense of the murder mystery, everything is based on extensive dialogue between Trent and the other characters. Manderson has a wife that lived in the same dwelling, yet there seemed to be no real affection between them. Given no hard evidence pointing to a specific perpetrator, all are suspects, yet the facts give all reasonable alibis.  The solution is a complex one, so convoluted that while the case is solved, no one is to be charged with the crime of murder. 

 Given the complexity of the case, the reader familiar with the works of Agatha Christie will recognize the influence of this story on many that Christie wrote. The case is solved by interactions of Trent with other people, using what the Christie character of Hercule Poirot would call, “Order and method.” 

 The events proceed slowly, yet to a satisfactory solution. If you desire action in your detective stories, then you will likely find this one dull. However, if you are interested in the development of the murder mystery genre, then this book will serve as a valuable lesson.