I Saw A Film Today… Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

My favorite literary figure of all time is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s unorthodox detective Sherlock Holmes. It is with some great pride that I have read all 56 short stories and the 4 novels. Plus a few of Doyle’s essays and parodies on the great detective. And although the Guy Ritchie films have not particularly followed any of the stories mentioned above, they don’t seem outside the realm of Holmes’ universe. And that’s why I enjoyed the first one so much- Ritchie gives the illusion of unearthing some long-lost Holmes stories.

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While Doctor John Watson (Jude Law) is only days away from being engaged to Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly), his friends Sherlock (Robert Downey Jr.) is in entirely different engagement. His is a dangerous one with his opponent being the devious Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris). Moriarty want to begin war in Europe while a manic Holmes is prepared to stop him, with the help of Watson of course.

But before doing so Holmes and his brother Mycroft (Stephen Fry) must throw the good doctor a stag party. Secretly though Holmes is recruiting the help of a French gypsy named Simza (Noomi Rapace), who may hold the key to Moriarty’s plans. From here the trio makes their way through France, Germany, and eventually Switzerland. But how far is Holmes willing to go before someone close is hurt?

A Game of Shadows is much more subdued than its predecessor. Don’t get me wrong, it is coke-fueled adrenaline ride the entire film. I mean, it is a Guy Ritchie film after all. But it is more refined and better laid out. And this is what makes the film better than the first.

This film also has a connection to one of Sir Conan Doyle’s short stories (“The Final Problem”, which may be one of his most famous writing outside of The Hound of the Baskervilles). But here again, Ritchie does take certain artistic liberties. Ritchie also hasn’t quite fixed some of the previous issues of his first film. At the end of the movie there is still a big “hizzah” reveal on how Holmes solved the case. Although to his credit it is more believable and smoother than the previous film.

Robert Downey Jr. has become really comfortable in this role, not to say he wasn’t to begin with. In a long line of men who have portrayed the detective, I can say my favorites Holmes’ have been Downey Jr. and Peter Cushing. But Downey would not nearly be as effective without Jude Law as Doctor Watson. The two compliment each other so well.

Jared Hess is a perfect cast as Professor Moriarty. The scenes between Downey and him are tense and well-scripted. He’s menacing and subtle. Who isn’t is the genius of Stephen Fry. I just wish he had received more screen time than he did. And as much as I love Noomi Rapace, she just seemed uncomfortable in her role, even if she does do a good job.

A Game of Shadows is a fun romp through late 1800’s Europe. And a successful sequel to boot.

Verdict: SEE IT!

* Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some drug material.

Comments? Opinions? Leave them below.

I Saw A Film Today… Hugo

Sir Martin Scorsese has always been very up and down for me. I’m not arguing that he’s not a master behind the camera because he clearly is. But even masters can have missteps. Although many people liked it, I thought that Shutter Island was a really disappointing film. There is another film he has done that I don’t particularly care for but to avoid the possibility of a heated debate I will keep the name of that film to myself. And I honestly wasn’t too keen on Hugo. For Scorsese to make a stereoscopic film (3-D) and to talk about how much he loves it, well it almost feels like sacrilege. But Scorsese has a tendency to surprise me and this film did in a big way.

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Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) s a young boy who lives in a Parisian train station in 1931. After the death of his father (Jude Law) and his drunkard uncle (Ray Winstone) leaves him, Hugo spends his days making sure the stations clocks continue turning and avoiding the train inspector named Gustav (Sasha Baron Cohen) who will send Hugo away if he finds out that he is now an orphan.

Hugo also spends his time searching for parts for a broken automaton that his father found at the museum he worked at. This means stealing parts from a toy shop in the station run by a older man named Papa Georges (Sir Ben Kingsley) who eventually catches Hugo in the act. He makes Hugo do work in the shop to pay off the pieces he stole. But the more Hugo gets to know Papa Georges and his goddaughter (Chloe Grace Moretz), the more Hugo begins to realize that Georges is more connected to the automaton than he could of possibly known.

Movies are, for the most part, a way to escape the dark realities of this world by emerging ourselves into a dream world (with the exception of those films whose subject matter is to take us deeper into those dark realities). No one seems to understand this more than Mr. Scorsese. Otherwise he would not of been able to so masterfully create this interesting and odd world primarily in an Parisian train station. Indeed, my initial perception of this film was far off the actual mark. And I have no shame in saying that more than once a tear was brought to my eye.

Although you can categorize this film as a children’s film, it is more appropriately a film for film lovers. Hugo is an exploration of the art form in its early beginnings, even serving as a history lesson at some points. The only thing I wish was different about this film was the 3-D. While this may be one of the better examples of stereoscopic photography, it is still useless and gimmicky. It just seems odd to me that Scorsese would use this “technology” in a film exploring its own roots.

Performances are great as well. The two young actors, Asa Butterfield and Chloe Grace Moretz, are so filled with wonder and discovery that they are a joy to watch. Sir Ben Kingsley is simply wonderful and deserves a supporting Oscar nomination. And Sasha Baron Cohen is great as well, proving that when he is not being a complete moron he can be a successful actor. Jude Law and Christopher Lee are good as well, as brief as their performances were.

Hugo is a magical movie about the magic of movies. Easily one of the best of the year.

Verdict: SEE IT!

* Rated PG for mild thematic material, some action peril and smoking

** When did smoking become a part of the MPAA ratings? And don’t get me started on “mild thematic material”…

*** Poster by Hunter Langston

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I Saw A Film Today… Contagion

I have never been a germaphobic kind of person. Sure, I wash my hands as much as the next guy and practice good hygiene. But I don’t carry a bottle of hand sanitizer around and use it every time I shake someone’s hand. Well, some people I would. But I know people who do. To have a fear of something so abundant and unescapable as germs confuses me a bit. Why not have a fear of something more credible, like spiders (don’t judge)? Now director Steven Soderbergh has made a film for those who shower after someone sneezes in a room. And right before Flu season? How sadistic.

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Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) is a Minneapolis woman returning from a trip from Hong Kong after stopping off in Chicago. When she finally returns home to her husband Mitch (Matt Damon) and son, she collapses in the kitchen and dies. Soon after her son also passes.

And they are not the only ones. People from Tokyo to London are suffering from the same symptoms. It has come to the attention of officials that the cause for this is a new virus that is transmitted via fomites. This basically means if someone who has the virus touches a door knob that you later touch, guess who now has the virus?

The rest of the film deals with how humanity deals with this epidemic from inception to cure. It is told from the perspective of many different people. One from the view of Dr. Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) and Dr. Mears (Kate Winslet), two EIS agents who are racing to contain the virus and find a cure. Another is from Mitch, who is trying to survive the riots and mayhem with his daughter. The viewpoint from a conspiracy theorist blogger (Jude Law) who believes that a drug already available holds the key to the cure.

From the start, Contagion is a tightly made film that keeps you engaged from the beginning. Soderbergh takes events that we have seen before (such as the recent outbreak of Tuberculosis in Europe) and takes it to the extreme, all while reminding us constantly what we touch each and every day. It also shows what happens when humans are pushed to their limit. And the last half of the film has a feel of an apocalypse film, but a more realistic feeling than most films in this genre.

The imagery that Soderbergh uses is terrifying and haunting at times. At points he evokes things that remind of images taken during the second World War and more specifically the Holocaust. He also instead of simple showing you the state of the world, he subtly suggest it. Although some of the story lines do seem to get lost in the mix. The Marion Cotillard story is introduced early in the film yet is forgotten for most of it until near the ending.

In my opinion, most ensemble cast just don’t seem to work out all that well. But this cast works together fantastically. Just look at the names on the poster. You expect great things from Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, and Jude Law’s fang tooth (which was quite distracting at times). But it was the lesser utilized cast that impressed me. People like Chin Han, John Hawkes, and the above mentioned Marion Cotillard really bring their best for this film. The only person who was just a little out of here comfort zone was Gwyneth Paltrow, who just seemed confused.

An earmark of most good films is getting a reaction from people, which Contagion does. Over the weekend I saw many people coming out of the theater reacting to it. The best example was a lady who shrugged her husband’s arm off of her when he placed it on her shoulder and then told him “we are going to the store and buying all their Purell”.

Verdict: SEE IT!

Thoughts? Opinions? Leave them below.

MOVIE REVIEW: Sherlock Holmes

Robert Downey Jr. really is one rare gem of an actor. He has demonstrated that he can be down for the count  and then come back stronger than a powered up Pac-Man. He is the real life Randy “The Ram” Robinson. He is the real life Bad Blake. He is the real life Andy “Champ” Purcell.  He has shown that he can almost be anyone, from a famous silent film star to an African-American Vietnam soldier.  So when I heard that he was going to play Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie’s adaptation of the brilliant and witty detective, I was a little more than excited.

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Sherlock Holmes takes place in none other than 1890’s London.  Holmes and his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson (Jude Law) have just stopped Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) from performing a human sacrifice. He’s arrested and three months go by.  Holmes has been tinkering away in his study at 221B Baker Street and Watson is moving out because he is about to get married to Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly). Lord Blackwood is hanged and declared dead by Watson. Three days later Lord Blackwood’s tomb is mysterious open from the inside and Lord Blackwood has apparently rose from the grave. Holmes, Watson, and Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) are on the case and take us on a journey through London.

While I was very excited about seeing this film, I was also very nervous about it too.  While Guy Ritchie is brilliant at showing modern-day London, I was concerned that he wouldn’t be able to deliver the same punch in 1890’s London.  Thankfully, my fears were put to rest and I was able to engulf myself in this thrill ride through the streets of London.  Ritchie delivers and delivers in a big way considering this is his first true big budget film.  He never compromises his style and story telling that has made him famous.  Even though this film is set more than a hundred years ago, I still feel like I’m in the gritty and interesting worlds of Ritchie’s other works, such as Snatch and Rock N’ Rolla. 

As I stated before, Robert Downey Jr. is simply an amazing actor and this is no exception here.  His performance was even recognized at this years Golden Globes awards where he won Best Actor-Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.  But Downey’s performance wouldn’t have been as good if it was not for Jude Law as Dr. Watson.  The chemistry between the two actors is great and comes away genuine.  Mark Strong (better known as Archie in Rock N’ Rolla) is also simply amazing as the sinister Lord Blackwood.  Unfortunately the two female leads played by Kelly Reilly and Rachel McAdams are mediocre at best.

I do want to apologize for taking so long to write this review.  I saw Holmes more than a month ago and just never got around to writing a review until now.  I will try in the future not to let this happen.  So if you haven’t seen this film yet I highly recommend that you do.

VERDICT:  SEE IT!

What did you think of Ritchie’s adaption of Holmes? Was he faithful to Doyle’s detective? Leave your comments below.