Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Back in the day, I was a big Guy Ritchie fan. I loved “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and have felt that every G. Ritchie film since then has been a pale comparison to his directorial debut.

However, that reign has ended with “Sherlock Holmes”. While critics and fans are giving the flick mixed reviews, I’m going to throw my hat into the ring and say I loved it.

I’m a fan of Sherlock Holmes and own all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes’ works in one huge volume, so I can’t be accused of loving an updated version without some knowledge of the original.

And that is what I loved about Guy Ritchie’s interpretation – that Holmes wasn’t just some sissy thinker – but he was a lover and a fighter. And maybe Robert Downey Jr. isn’t everyone’s ideal of what Holmes should look like, but he looked fine to me.

The story unfolds and makes good use of characters from the original works, even if some of the characters were barely in the original novels (Rachel McAdams’ Irene Adler) and also set us up for a sweet sequel that will (hopefully) unveil Moriarty.

As for the cinematography itself, the style is all Guy Ritchie (especially the fight scenes – which I loved) and the script has some brilliant witty repartee between Holmes and Dr. Watson. I also loved Holmes narrative and how this narrative unfolded on the screen.

Speaking of Dr. Watson – the only thing I did not enjoy about this film is Jude Law. He made a fine Dr. Watson and it won’t stop me from viewing a sequel, but I just can’t stand the guy – not even a little.

Even though the Academy won’t give it any awards, “Sherlock Holmes” is definitely worth viewing. It is a thoroughly enjoyable flick with action, adventure, romance and laughter.

Trailers can be viewed by scrolling down to the end of this page. Stay tuned – I’ve got some more holiday flick viewing to do before the end of the week.

End.

Avatar (2009)

When you state that you are the “King of the World” you aren’t leaving yourself much wiggle room for success with your next project. But it does leave the door wide open to your critics. With Avatar, James Cameron has given the critics (and fans) an opportunity to criticize (or praise) everything about this movie for what seems like years while it was in production. Writing a review seems almost passé now (even though the film has only been out for a week), but I’m going to throw my two cents in anyway.

For those critics that state that there is no storyline in this movie and/or that it is weak, should rethink that point. There is a story and it isn’t weak. The problem with the story is that it has been done a hundred times in movies – it isn’t original. It is the same story that was told in Dances with Wolves and The Last Samurai (to name two examples). Indigenous people are run off of their land by another group of people that are less than ethical about their reasons for wanting the land – oh, and there is a love story.

Putting aside the storyline, the real triumph of this film is the creation of new technology (the Pace/Cameron camera system). This technology will change the way 3D films can be made forever. James Cameron and Vincent Pace should be given props for that alone – regardless of whether Avatar is a good film or not. How many people (critics?) are visionaries in their fields of expertise that could create a new way to make movies after all these years? To come up with an original idea in an industry that occasionally seems all played out? That is the triumph of Avatar.

End.

[REC] (2007)

In keeping with my current zombie theme, I thought I’d also review a 2007 Spanish film titled [REC].

The film follows a young reporter who hosts a show called “While You Sleep” and on this particular night, she is filming what occurs in a fire station after the residents of Barcelona are all comfortably tucked away in their beds.

While the city of Barcelona is sleeping soundly, all hell breaks loose at an apartment building where a woman has apparently gone crazy. And it pretty much all goes downhill from there. The residents of the apartment building along with the crew from the fire station, the report and her cameraman are all trapped in the building, which is locked-down and placed under quarantine.

What begins as a harmless conversation between the reporter and a sick, little girl that resides in the building about her dog (which is at the vet) leads to a much deeper story (with a bit more consequence to the rest of the quarantined residents).

This movie kept me jumping – particularly after the electricity to the building was shut off and the latter part of the film was shot in the dark, thus allowing us to view the film through the eyes of the reporter and her cameraman with night-vision goggles.

I won’t give away the ending, but – a great, fast-paced zombie scare.

End.

PS: The film had a US makeover last year titled Quarantine (which I did not see) in case subtitles are not your thing.

Zombieland (2009)

A great companion movie to the classic Shaun of the Dead (click here to see my review), Zombieland just rocks! I most definitely will be purchasing this movie when it comes out on DVD and plan to watch it every October (if not multiple times before each Halloween). It made me jump out of my skin as well as laugh out loud. What a great combination.

The movie stars Woody Harrelson, who over the years I have grown quite fond of as he has matured into an interesting actor to watch – even if briefly – in such high quality flicks as No Country For Old Men. And Mr. Harrelson does not disappoint here. While this film is definitely a comedy – Woody brings a certain nuanced charm to his role that makes you see where he is coming from and forget that he was ever in Cheers.

The film also stars relative newcomer Jesse Eisenberg who starred in Adventureland earlier this year (notice the reoccurring theme in the title that pans out in more ways than one if you’ve seen both pics). And while I enjoyed Mr. Eisenberg in Adventureland, he was over the top in Zombieland with his dedication to his list of “rules” that must be followed if one is ever caught in a zombie apocalypse. As the narrator of the film, he set the entire tone.

Along with the zombies (and one great cameo which I won’t let out of the bag), Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin round out the cast. I saw Emma Stone in Paper Man earlier this year, and the girl definitely has range. I also love seeing Abigail Breslin continue to grow. She needs to keep finding roles that show her ability to move forward as an actress along the lines of Jodie Foster and not Lindsay Lohan.

In addition to great laughs and scares, the movie had an awesome soundtrack that fit with knocking off zombies to a T. Check it out in theatres now (see trailers below).

And take a look at this sweet picture of me as a zombie. You can zombify yourself at the Zombieland website.

End.