Sherlock vs Holmes

It's a war between Hollywood and British filmmaking, both of them rebooting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes around the same time. Hollywood's got Guy Ritchie, BBC's got Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss. Sherlock has its characters call each other on first name basis while Sherlock Holmes films has its main characters call each other Holmes and Watson. It's time for a face off between them!

1. SHERLOCK HOLMES

British Benedict Cumberbatch was only a supporting actor before he landed the role as Sherlock. He has proven that his version of Sherlock Holmes is modern and is a high functioning sociopath (I did my research). See Series 2 to see his great acting as the super-sleuth yet vulnerable modern day Sherlock. In the Hollywood version, American Robert Downey Jr. aka the Iron Man played the detective in a different interpretation from the novels. Here, Sherlock is like Captain Jack Sparrow of the Victorian London. But still both Cumberbatch and Downey Jr. possess Sherlock's ability of masterful  deduction. And of course, both of them have their own charms. Robert Downey Jr. wins by a really really really small margin. Let's wait for Series 3 and the third film to further judge this matter. 1-0 for the films.

2. DR. JOHN WATSON

Jude Law's Watson may be the best Watson in the cinema. But Martin Freeman's Watson is also the best portrayal of Watson who had doubts and admiration towards Sherlock Holmes. Freeman's Watson is funnier and more mysterious than Jude Law's making Freeman's Watson is more interesting to follow and to gaze upon. Martin Freeman wins over Jude Law. One all.

3. IRENE ADLER

Now this is where it gets tricky. Irene Adler in the films and in the series are very different, it's like north pole and the Sahara. Rachel McAdams' Adler is slimy, lovely and also mysterious. But all in all, she's a total heroine. And boy I love McAdams as Adler. But TV's Irene Adler played by Lara Pulver is incredibly different. Here, Irene Adler is a dominatrix. While both of them are portrayed to have outsmarted Sherlock Holmes, Lara Pulver's Irene Adler did it in a more memorable and sexier fashion (See A Scandal in Belgravia). It's definitely the new sexy. Lara Pulver wins. 2-1 for BBC. 

4. JAMES MORIARTY

Moriarty is, as we all know about it, Sherlock Holmes' arch-nemesis. Jared Harris' Moriarty is menacing yet smart and a total schemer. While Andrew Scott from the TV series is an absolute lunatic. Although film version Moriarty is a great villain, he lacks screen time. He's a big picture criminal so we don't get the best scene out of him and Sherlock until the very end of the film. However, Andrew Scott's Moriarty is incredible. He outsmarted Sherlock and broke Sherlock. 3-1 for BBC

5. SUPPORTING ACTORS

Lestrade in the series is more powerful and useful rather than useless and dumb-looking in the films.

Mrs. Hudson is more lovely in the series than the stern portrayal in the films.

Mycroft Holmes played by Stephen Fry in the second film was hilarious but an enigmatic brother to equalize Sherlock is much more needed than a funny one.

4-1 for BBC.

P.S.

Hollywood's version must've bigger budgets and crew. Guy Ritchie put on some fancy camerawork, which is a plus point and a killer soundtrack theme by Hans Zimmer. But in terms of music, David Arnold has proven that he's still worthwhile although not scoring the current James Bond film. 

It is the safest to say that both version has its golds and ashes. But it's hard not to compare both of them.

Elementary, Watson. Elementary.

See Sherlock Series 2 for the best TV episodes ever (especially The Reichenbach Fall).

See Sherlock Holmes (2009) for currently the best big-screen adaptation of the detective.

my darkest hours

No, this is not a survival guide. I'm going to do something new here. I'm going to point out some crap points of the incredibly crappy film The Darkest Hour. Let's kick off with the good parts, shall we?

THE GOOD PARTS
1. The cast
I cannot miss this dreamy cast. Juno's friend is here. One of the two kick-ass girls from the original Transformers is also here. Winkelvosses' friend is also here. And also Christopher McCandless returns.
Okay let's hear the names: Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor, Max Minghella and Emile Hirsch.

2. The premise
Invisible aliens invades our world for energy? Sounds poetic and promising. Plus it is produced by Timur Bekmambetov while shot in actual location in Moscow.

3. Watching it with your girlfriend
Need to say more?


THE SHIT PARTS
1. Max Minghella got cheated. Again.
I know his next film's gonna be: I Invented MySpace and Someone Stole it From Me or perhaps I Make Apple, Not Steve. Because here in the film, he and Hirsch's character invented a social network website for travelers named globe-trot.com and is apparently stolen by some Swedish prick with a non-Swedish name.

2. Skyler?
Yes that is the name of the Swedish prick with a non-Swedish name. While the name's origin is Danish and means 'shelter'. It is widely used in USA, not Sweden. And what is a Swedish doing business all the way in Russia? Like your name, maybe you don't belong in your country.

3. Characters
I usually don't complain about characters. But this is way too much. For instance, Rachael Taylor's character is, i don't know, afraid of running or afraid of strangers? You will never know, because {spoiler!} she's dead before she could tell. How about Emile Hirsch's character, who just made an inspiring speech about fighting back but instead he just saw in awe when his longtime friend {spoilers!} got sucked by the alien, while he could actually grab a gun and shoot at the bloody thing. Talk about character degradation.

4. Logic
a) In Russia where all people are dead, one cannot hear the other's screaming voice within the distance of 5 meters. b) When you just fell from a boat, you suddenly arrived at a place kilometers away from your initial place. c) Out of so many buses, one picks the bus with the broken brakes, which miraculously slowed down before it hit something. d) so many more

5. VFX
okay the disappearing people bits were quite okay. But I cannot tolerate that un-rendered black alien sighting which is actually a black skull with black scorpion legs. So baddddddd. A Hindi rip-off of E.T. has better aliens for god's sake.

6. Stupid people
A supposedly rescue submarine was about to depart without any survivor except for themselves. And they are still taking orders from a dead captain. And there's a Russian girl, who can't act. Oh save me from this agony.

7. Crap end-credits song
So bad, I feel so bad hearing it. I cannot actually remember the lyrics but it says (roughly): we're going to rise but we don't know when.

8. Resistance? More like running away!
In the end, Emile Hirsch character says that this is the beginning of the humans to fight back. Suck that, he didn't do anything. He flees from a whole army of aliens after he killed only 5 of them when he rescues Olivia Thirlby. This reminds me of Terminator Salvation, where John Connor destroys one factory and is going to destroy more. John Connor DESTROYS one big factory along with a CG Schwarzenegger. The Darkest Hour characters RUNS AWAY from the scene of the crime. That's a big difference both in meaning and spelling you know.


And that is why those one and half hour was the darkest hours of my life in 2012.
However, I'd pick this movie over Abduction. At least The Darkest Hour has likable cast.
The Darkest Hour. rated D-

You Missed Me

Hey it's my first post of 2012! (So whattttt). So for this first post of 2012 I'm gonna review the sequel to Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes film in 2009. The famous detective is played by Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr. and his sidekick Dr. John Watson is played by Jude Law. This second film promises to be bigger because it features Holmes arch-nemesis, his equal in every way: Professor Moriarty. However, if you judge from the trailers, you can learn that this sequel will not surpass the original. But I was hoping for any kind of surprise.

The story is a bit complicated and I'm worried if I tell too much it would spoil the film but I'll give it a shot! Sherlock Holmes finally meets his true enemy (objection! Lord Blackwood is almost his equal as well), a professor named James Moriarty (Jared Harris-familiar face, no memorable roles. except this). Moriarty is up to something big that even Holmes and Watson can't even figure out. Holmes gets even more determined to take down Moriarty after Irene Adler (McAdams) was killed [now that's a spoiler!]. This case takes Holmes and Watson to Paris, and meeting a gypsy Simza (the original Lisbeth, Noomi Rapace) and also taking a help from Holmes' brother, Mycroft (Stephen Fry).

This is absolutely a cool film, however the story is so complicated that sometimes it seems disconnected. Maybe it demands a second viewing. The action scenes is, like the first film, amazing. All the slow-mos, and choreography are nice. Filmmaking technique conveyed by Guy Ritchie proves that he's the right guy (Guy proves he's the guy, kinda funny. Not funny sorry) to helm this film. Comparing this to another December blockbuster, Mission: Impossible 4, I'd pick Holmes rather than Ethan Hunt. Sherlock is more involving and smarter. In fact this is one of the smartest film of the year. I remember after watching the first one, I felt smarter when I exited the cinema. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are amazing together and even if the story is terrible, both of them can save the movie. I'm disappointed with the death of Irene Adler because I personally think that Adler is the perfect heroine and is a bit like the female version of Holmes. The addition of Mycroft is somehow not important, we can give his responsibilities to Eddie Marsan's Inspector Lestrade. But who am I? I'm not the scriptwriter. Lastly, let's give a cheer to Noomi Rapace who managed to make a good debut in Hollywood, unlike her Dragon Tattoo co-star Michael Nyqvist. Refreshing your memory, this year Nyqvist starred in one of the worst ever film Abduction and is the worst Ethan Hunt villain in history. So who's up for Prometheus this year? Now it's really the last thing, I want to say my favorite scene of the Holmes film which is the mind battle between Holmes and Moriarty. Now that, people, should win the MTV Movie Awards for Best Fight. I've never seen a fight both mentally and physically like that, and it's freakin genius! However I think the villain-o-meter of Moriarty in this film is really low. I'm more scared and threatened by the presence of Mark Strong's Lord Blackwood from the first film. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. rated B.