From the category archives:

Film

Sherlock Holmes

February 15, 2010 · 0 comments

in Film

When choosing a film to watch at the local cinema yesterday, there was no way I was going to go and see Valentine’s Day on my own (maybe later, but not on the inappropriately-abbreviated V.D. itself). I’d heard so many dire things about The Wolfman that I’m in no great hurry to put myself through it, and I have no desire to sit through Avatar again. So I ended up finally seeing Sherlock Holmes, Guy Ritchie’s take on Conan Doyle’s private detective.

That the film itself is still showing, having been released on Boxing Day 2009, seemed just as surprising as the fact it’s taken me this long to see it. But now, after having watched it, I can see why — it’s an enjoyably entertaining romp. Robert Downey Jr. clearly revels in the absurdity of the character’s near super-human skills of observation, allowing him to play the role with the sort of deadpan humour he also brings to Iron Man’s Tony Stark.

Jude Law’s Watson is a younger incarnation of the character than we’re used to seeing, but it’s satisfying to see him written and played as an intelligent man, with the sort of fighting skills that a veteran of war would have and with an intelllect befitting the one person Holmes would be able to bear as a friend.

The main plot revolves around a quasi-Masonic cult obsessed with black magic rituals, with Mark Strong suitably chilling as an adversary for the cunning Holmes. Of course, this being a 21st century interpretation of the Sherlock Holmes canon, Professor Moriarty has a pervading presence, despite his being a much smaller part of Conan Doyle’s fictional world than common folklore suggests. Inspector Lestrade has a substantial role, too, of course, here being played by the wonderful Eddie Marsan — and the typical depiction of him as a bumbling policeman, while intact, has been given a couple of nice spins that play out well.

This being a Guy Ritchie film, women know their place, with just three characters to speak of. Blink and you’ll miss Geraldine James as Mrs Hudson. Kelly Reilly is a little too two-dimensional as Watson’s fiancée, leaving the lion’s share of female screen time to Rachel McAdams as the smart-witted thief to whom Sherlock is attracted, but who is working for someone else. It’s a character that doesn’t quite work, but one has to admire her ability to find the one exit from the sewers underneath the Houses of Parliament that emerges at Tower Bridge a couple of miles down river. And not only that, but which emerges at the top of the bridge. Still haven’t quite worked out how that one works, save to set up a dangerous location for the film’s denouement.

The film contains several of my gripes about the depiction of Victorian London, including the depiction of buildings which would have been new at the time as if they were in the same half-decrepit state they are over a hundred years later. For more noticably, all the printed materials, including several newspapers and flyposters, all use typography that is far too regular and cleanly printed. Hours of perusing The Stage archives from the period has convinced me that any depiction of headlines that fill the front page in perfectly rendered block capitals are as accurate as depicting the front page of the Daily Express with actual news on it.

Small points, I know, but in a film that does attempt to capture the spirit of the age, anything which jumps out like that detract from what is otherwise a fun period thriller.

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Did You Hear About the Morgans?

January 3, 2010

I wasn’t sure whether I would like Did You Hear About the Morgans?, the latest romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant opposite the American actress du jour (in this case, Sarah Jessica Parker). Ultimately, though, it won me over with some winning performances and a script that, for the most part, avoids the syrup that weighs […]

Paranormal Activity? Pah. Sarah Greene is scarier

December 1, 2009

Cross-posted to TV Today

I saw Paranormal Activity at the cinema this weekend. For those who haven’t yet seen it, or heard about it from the large amounts of online buzz around it, it’s a supernatural film shot on a single video camera (a la The Blair Witch Project).

With all the best horror films, it’s the […]

Style guide wars: actress vs female actor

August 24, 2009

It’s such a shame when an injudicious choice of words overshadows the points that someone seeks to make. That’s what happened when, last week, The Guardian’s Hadley Freeman wrote an article for the paper’s G2 section about why Katherine Heigl would executive produce a film like The Ugly Truth after trashing Knocked Up, in which […]

Sunshine and Moon

August 10, 2009

Over the weekend, I saw two British science fiction films for the first time: Sunshine, directed by (the now Oscar-winning) Danny Boyle and Moon, directed by Duncan Jones.

I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to see Sunshine. It’s been out on DVD for ever: my copy was bought a while ago on […]

Tron 2.0, aka Tr2n, is now Tron Legacy

July 28, 2009

If I was the sort of person who went to conventions, I think Comic-Con San Diego would be the one I would most like to go to. Somehow, over the last few years, it has become a major means of marketing all sorts of genre productions in TV and film to the fans.

Anyway, while I’ve […]

Dorian Gray – the teaser trailer

July 27, 2009

Not the Matthew Bourne version, nor indeed the play which continues at Leicester Square Theatre until August 2. No, this is the movie version, with Oscar Wilde’s novel being given the full Hollywood costume drama treatment, starring Ben Barnes, Colin Firth and some truly terrifying hairstyles:

The Young Victoria

July 18, 2009

I must admit, I haven’t seen The Young Victoria on DVD yet, but I did see it at a press screening prior to its cinematic launch, as preparation for interviewing Jack Murphy, the movement director who choreographed the pivotal waltz scene in the film.

It’s a really good period drama, with a script by Julian Fellowes […]

Vlog #1: On Twilight and mortality angst

January 4, 2009

Five depressing words

May 12, 2008

Golly, is it that long since I last posted? Whoops. I’ve been quite busy over at TV Today, as well as implementing quite a few technology infrastructure changes at The Stage which nobody else will notice (other than a substantially faster web server with — touch wood — no regular outages). And lots of other […]

The Golden Compass: my daemon

August 24, 2007

As the marketing machine for Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials films cranks up, the website gives you the chance to discover what your daemon would look like. You start off by answering 20 questions about your own personality, after which your daemon is revealed. Rather cleverly, the type of daemon isn’t set in stone: for […]

The Tonight with Trevor McDonald Film Festival

November 10, 2004

Last night, Jason and I (plus Jason’s friend Helen) went to an invitation screening of extracts from four films funded in part or in total by money from the National Lottery (either via the Film Council or the Arts Council for England). The screening is to become part of a future edition of ITV1’s current […]

The Laramie Project (DVD)

June 3, 2003

A review of the film adaptation of the stage play The Laramie Project. Originally written for Gay.com UK.

X2: X-Men United

May 7, 2003

A review of Bryan Singer’s superhero sequel, written for Gay.com UK.

Le Fate Ignoranti

April 17, 2003
  • Originally published on Gay.com UK

Antonia and Massimo have been married for fifteen years, but are still very much in love. With no children and only a small circle of friends, their relationship is so intense that, when Massimo gets knocked down in a car accident, Antonia’s life falls completely to pieces. Neglecting her family […]