Sherlock Holmes rekalled...

SHERLOCK HOLMES is the new Guy Ritchie film staring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. This much needed updated retelling of the Sherlock Holmes seems to be quite fresh and new even with a character as old as Mr. Holmes is. The art direction of the film is great with it's used universe of the 1800's London with a slight steam punk feel with out being gimmicky, everything seemed to have texture and a grittiness to it that made it a feast for the eyes. The wardrobe was rather interesting too, staring the hobo-sheakness of Holmes' outfits. The chemistry between the Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. was great and I want to see more of their interactions and adventures. Overall an interesting story some fine character work in a beautiful world fulfilled my expectations. There was one moment that was inexcusable, a romantic conversation broken up by a dog fart, that is a Robin Williams moment if I have ever seen one.

While I enjoyed the film, I did have trouble understanding the dialog at points with the accents and some mumbling. Also, this film is not for everyone, my friend who went gave a very brief review: that was effing terrible.

Up in the Air rekalled...

Up in the Air is the newest film from Juno and Thank You for Smoking director Jason Reitman who has a unique ability to give a glimpse into a section of life in an entertaining and insightful way. Up in the Air stars the ever popular George Clooney and his charm is perfect for the role of a traveling mercenary of the corporate world of downsizing. A great telling of the classic coming to grips with age and mortality story in a new to me setting. The pairing of Clooney with Vera Farmiga worked perfectly, they seemed to be on equal footing of charm and sex appeal. It is hard to catagerize this film; not a laugh out loud comedy nor a rom-com or straight up comedy, it seemed to be more of a slice of life. Well done and a real pleaser. I will look forward to more of Jason Reitman's work, he seems to understand how to make an entertaining film.

Avatar rekalled...

James Cameron's AVATAR, his sci-fi adventure many years is the making, is finally upon us. Dubbed the "game changer" by those involved and some of the early reviews by those in the industry this film had much to live up to and early an early negative backlash to the early shots and marketing. This film was pretty much exactly what I expected, a good action film with nice special effects but laughable at moments. Avatar is not a subtle film or original in story structure, I was not blown away or surprised at any moment like some wanted me to believe. I enjoyed the performances of most of the actors; Sam Worthington does an adequate job handling the action lead, Sigoureny Weaver adds a hard nosed humor and is probably the most believable character in the film and Zoe Saldana is the best of the motion captured characters. Stephan Lang was the most wooden and one-dimensional characters in the film and unintentionally funny with some of his dialog, not a strong or compelling villain. While the special effects, action and actors are strong points of the film the story is just weak which for a film with so much riding on it inexcusable. The points James Cameron tries to hammer home aren't subtle and while I agree with what he is saying it felt so spoon fed and trite that it comes off as corny and preachy. As for the 3-D, another gimmick I don't need, it just doesn't WOW me. I can't say I was let down by this film since my expectations were low but I won't say I was impressed. Just another film that should have been more.

The Road rekalled....

The Road is the film adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name. Since I have not read the novel I can not delve into the accuracies of the translation but the film was a bleak one indeed. I had heard much before seeing the film about how bleak it was but I was prepared for worse I guess since I thought it ended on a happy tone, relatively. I enjoyed the film for as much as one can enjoy a film about human misery and man trying to remain human. A grey color pallet and dreary settings worked really well in setting the mood and reality of this film. It is a film that I keep thinking about and makes me wonders which is a great sign of a good film, entertaining and challenging. Just be prepared for the atypical hollywood film.

Bad Lieutenant rekalled...

Bad Lieutenant, the new Nicolas Cage staring vehicle directed by Werner Herzog, is not a remake or sequel to the Harvey Keitel in story or soul as it seems. Having not seen the original can't vouch for how closely they are but I have heard from others that the original is reprehensible. After seeing the red band trailer for this film I was hoping for a crazy acting Nicolas Cage film from start to beginning, I was let down. There are a few crazy/odd moments, such as the "soul dancing" segment but on large it seemed to follow the standard hollywood formula with a happy ending. Not a terrible film, just a big letdown. I expect more from Werner Herzog. The picture above seems like it is from a totally different film.