Enter to Win the The Queen of Crime Sweepstakes, Courtesy of Acorn Media

Acorn Media is holding what may be one of the best sweepstakes for fans of mystery television: The Queen of Crime Sweepstakes, a celebration of all things Agatha Christie.

The Grand Prize includes a trip to London; a visit to a television production of either Marple or Poirot; a tour of Greenway, Agatha Christie’s holiday home; a trip to Paris on the Orient Express; tickets to Mousetrap; and a DVD library of Agatha Christie mysteries.

Visit the Acorn Online website to enter through April 30th, 2012.

Telemystery: CBS Orders Pilot for Elementary, Sherlock Holmes in Manhattan

It was probably inevitable but still …

What with the success of BBC's contemporary remake of the Sherlock Holmes' stories in London — and no doubt in part also to the popularity of the two recent "Sherlock Holmes" films starring Robert Downey Jr. — CBS has just ordered a pilot for … we probably don't even need to finish that statement; you already know what's coming.

Yes, CBS has ordered a pilot for Elementary, a "modern take on the cases of Sherlock Holmes, with Sherlock now living in New York City."

Ugh.

If they're going to do this, at least do it differently. Give us a twist. But this sounds exactly like the superb BBC series Sherlock, simply substituting Manhattan for London.

Here's a thought: Rather than spend the money on a pilot, offer to produce more episodes of Sherlock and then license them to air in the US. No … that would be too — wait for it — elementary.

Let's hope that if the Elementary pilot is picked up to series at least someone has the sense to change the name.

(Related article: The Hollywood Reporter.)

Review: Cold Comfort by Quentin Bates

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Cold Comfort by Quentin Bates.

New Trailer for The Woman in the Fifth, Adapted from the Novel by Douglas Kennedy

A new UK trailer for the French film adaptation of The Woman in the Fifth, the 2007 novel of suspense by Douglas Kennedy, has been released; we've embedded it below.

Released late last year as La femme du Vème, the film stars Ethan Hawke, who flees to Paris after a scandal costs him his job, only to meet a woman, who may be involved in a series of murders.

Here's the synopsis from the book, which was published in the US last summer by Atria: Harry Ricks (Ethan Hawke in the film) is a man who has lost everything. A romantic mistake at the small American college where he used to teach has cost him his job, his marriage, and the love of his only child. Hounded by scandal, he flees to Paris, where a series of accidental encounters lands him in a grubby room with a job as night watchman for a sinister operation. Just when he begins to think he has hit rock bottom, romance enters his life in the form of Margit — a cultivated, widowed Hungarian émigré who shares Harry’s profound loneliness but who keeps her distance, remaining guarded about her past. As Harry wrestles with Margit’s reticence, he begins to notice that all those who have recently done him wrong are meeting unfortunate ends — and it soon becomes apparent that he has stumbled into a nightmare from which there is no escape.

ATO Pictures has acquired the rights to the film, but no release date has been scheduled for the US. It opens in UK theaters February 17th, 2012.

Lionsgate Moves Forward with Film Adaptation of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games — the film adaptation of the first novel in the young adult trilogy by Suzanne Collins — is still a couple of months away from being in theaters, but Lionsgate is moving forward with plans to film the second book, Catching Fire. (Lionsgate acquired Summit Entertainment this past week, which produced The Hunger Games.)

Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) is writing the script, which is expected to be directed by Gary Ross, who also directed The Hunger Games and co-wrote its screenplay with Collins.

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

If you haven't read the books in the series and don't want to know anything about how The Hunger Games ends, stop reading here!

The principals in the cast — notably Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth — are also expected to reprise their roles.

In the book, against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Catching Fire already has a release date: November 22nd, 2013.The Hunger Games opens March 23rd, 2012.

(Related article: The Wrap.)

Telemystery: White Collar, Justified, and Southland Return with New Episodes Tuesday, January 17th

Three cable network prime time crime series return with new episodes tomorrow, Tuesday January 17th. Better get your DVRs ready …

First up is one of our favorite shows, White Collar, on USA Network at 10 PM (ET/PT). When the series took its mid-season break, Mrs. Suit — as Mozzie calls her — had been kidnapped. In an episode titled "Checkmate", Neal is forced to come clean with Peter about the hidden cache of stolen art treasures in order to save Elizabeth. Or does Neal have another plan in mind?

Over on FX Networks, also at 10 PM (ET/PT) is the third season premiere of Justified. The arrival of a dangerous new player in Lexington puts Raylan on a collision course with a sadistic Dixie Mafia hitman in an episode titled "The Gunfighter".

Finally, on TNT — you guessed it, at 10 PM (ET/PT) — is the fourth season premiere of Southland with an episode titled "Wednesday". Officer John Cooper returns to duty after recovering from back surgery and meets his new partner, Officer Jessica Tang (special guest star Lucy Liu), a tough and disciplined cop with her own set of baggage from working the streets.

Sony Releases Synopsis for Remake of Total Recall

Sony Pictures has released a synopsis for its remake of the 1990 sci-fi action thriller Total Recall … and it sounds identical to the original (the absense of the planet Mars, notwithstanding):

— ◊ —

Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories.

For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (played by Colin Farrell), even though he’s got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life — real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police — controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world — Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.

— ◊ —

This seems to us one of those films that doesn't need to be remade unless it is reimagined in some way … and other than changing the (unspecified) location, it's hard to say from the synopsis provided by the studio what's new or different about it.

Total Recall — both the original and this new version — is inspired by the 1966 short story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick. It opens in US theaters August 3rd, 2012.

BBC Commissions Third Season of Sherlock

We are hearing that, following the conclusion of airing the second season of Sherlock in the UK, a third season has been commissioned by BBC.

"Yes of course there's going to be a third series - it was commissioned at the same time as the second. Gotcha!" tweeted Steven Moffat, the co-creator of the series.

The third (and final) episode of the season was adapted from "The Final Problem", the story in which Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty stumble over the Reichenbach Falls to their (apparent) deaths. So there was no guarantee that the series would continue.

We're thrilled it will.

We still have many months to go before the second season hits our shores. PBS's Masterpiece Mystery has scheduled the season premiere for May 6th.

Mystery and Suspense Films, New This Week on DVD (120117)

Checking through our list of films currently scheduled for release this week on DVD and/or Blu-ray disc, shown below are those that fall into the mystery, suspense, thriller and adventure categories.

See also a list of current mystery and suspense DVD, Blu-ray, or VOD deals on Amazon.com.

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Purchase/Rental Options

Abduction (2011)

Film Synopsis (from the studio): Taylor Lautner stars as a young man unwittingly thrust into a deadly world of covert espionage in this action thriller directed by John Singleton.

For as long as he can remember, Nathan Harper (Taylor Lautner) has had the uneasy feeling that he's living someone else's life. When he stumbles upon an image of himself as a little boy on a missing persons website, all of Nathan's darkest fears come true: he realizes his parents are not his own and his life is a lie, carefully fabricated to hide something more mysterious and dangerous than he could have ever imagined.

Just as he begins to piece together his true identity, Nathan is targeted by a team of trained killers, forcing him on the run with the only person he can trust, his neighbor, Karen (Lily Collins). Every second counts as Nathan and Karen race to evade an army of assassins and federal operatives. But as his opponents close in, Nathan realizes that the only way he'll survive — and solve the mystery of his elusive biological father — is to stop running and take matters into his own hands.

Rated PG-13. 106 minutes.

Watch a trailer for the film below:

New Poster for Film Adaptation of Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

A new poster for the film adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's 2009 alternate history thriller Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has been released. It is shown below (right, click for larger version) together with an earlier poster (left, click for larger version), which we realized we hadn't yet posted. (We think the first one is quite dramatic; less sure about the most recent one.)

The author uses a recently discovered document titled The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, given to him by a vampire named Henry Sturges, to write this updated biography of our 16th President. "[H]enceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion," Lincoln writes. "I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose …"

Grahame-Smith adapted his book for the film, which is directed by Timur Bekmambetov. Benjamin Walker stars as Lincoln with Mary Elizabeth Winstead as his wife Mary. The film also features Dominic Cooper as Henry Sturges and Rufus Sewell as Adam, Lincoln's vampire nemesis. It opens in theaters June 22nd, 2012.