I’ll be honest. The news about Whedon possibly directing the Avengers movie makes me nervous. Joss Whedon is one of the best creative minds in the genre. He’s an acquired taste that I didn’t quite understand at first. But after some more exposure to him I was a converted to the church of Whedon.
Despite his enormous success among the geek community, he hasn’t really been a commercially viable director. His only experience as a movie director is Serenity, the big screen wrap up of the failed television series Firefly. The film was received well by fans as was the show, but the rest of the world didn’t really give a shit. Enjoyment from the fans is all we really care about right? Yes and no. Not to mention that the Avengers is a clearly different beast.
Joss Whedon does great with creating characters and breathing life into them. However, his writing and direction style is very distinct. Everything feels very Whedonesque. It’s entertaining and warm in its familiarity, but this is when you’re entering a world where you have no expectations of the characters.
Not only are the Avengers firmly in our mind from years of comics, but they’re also being re-enforced by films released in the last few years. Fan boys (like me) may not be interested in Whedon’s take on the characters, but more continuing the character’s persona from their previous origin films. I’m not sure if Whedon knows how to do this or not. The only chance he’s ever had was Alien: Resurrection, and we all remember how that turned out don’t we?
If anyone has the chops to surprise me, it’s Joss Whedon. I wait for the official word on his signing with trepidation. I’m not sure if it’s a win or a loss. I thought the same thing about Jon Favreau when he was selected to direct the Iron Man movies. And we all remember how that turned out don’t we?
As I get older each year, I tend to think about my life more in milestones and just how long ago they occurred. I’m not talking about the kind of milestones that go on the end of a resume, but the kind that nerds get together and reminisce about. Examples are:
My first comic book
The launch of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Old video game systems, like the Atari 2600
and the list could go on and on. The years stack up, but you don’t realize just how long it’s been. For example, do you realize that The Next Generation launched 23 years ago? A show that I still watch this very day is almost a quarter of a century old! I know people younger than that. The only thing that makes you feel older is when your own personal favorite movies start getting remade. It wasn’t until the Overboardremake was announced that I started seriously panicking about the sanctity of my personal classics.
As a response, I’ve compiled a list of films I never want to see remade. My reasons vary, but none of them provide any type of revenue, which means they’ll be nothing more than another blogger with a irrational wish list. But a boy can dream.
The Star Wars films
These films are classics. Part of their magic was the boldness of their creator in his attempt to create a type of movie that hadn’t quite been pulled off. The effects amazed us and as children all of the ideas seemed so incredibly fresh and original. The character Yoda held a special place in our hearts. But as Lucas has shown us with the prequels, today’s type of story telling will not be able to recreate the magic and keep hollywood executive types happy.
The Goonies
What can you say about this one? The allure of children adventure films seems to be fading away behind a wall of green screens and 3-D animation. In today’s world, the only way a Goonies movie could be successful is if the kids went looking for One Eyed Willies Treasure online in some MMORPG.
The 80′s are over. These movies aren’t the same without the feel of the 80′s and no era in the future will be able to produce the level of greed, wealth and bad haircuts like the 80′s did
The Usual Suspects
This is an irrational choice, but it’s one of my favorite films. To me it was executed beautifully and I don’t see what a remake could possibly add to the story. It’s also timeless in a way, which helps it age gracefully. Kind of like Polanski’s Chinatown.
A Christmas Story
I had not seen this film until about 5 months ago and it still holds all of the charm and glow that it has been praised with for as long as I can remember. Again, there’s something about that time period that gives a sense of innocence to the characters and the film. If a child in today’s world wanted a bb gun for Christmas, we’d probably put him on a watch list.
While these are my top 5, my friend Nic had a few additions.
Nic’s Picks
Ferris Buellers Day Off
It was an innocent tale from an innocent time. Who didn’t want to be Ferris when they got to high school? Who didn’t dream of taking their girlfriend and their best friend on a crazy adventure through downtown Chicago some fine spring day and know that everything would work out just peachy? Who thinks kids these days still think like that?
RoadHouse
Patrick Swayze was made for this role. “You don’t look like much” is the over arching theme, but nowadays, it’s been played out. Zen masters with shaggy hair are a dime a dozen.
Top Gun
Top Gun worked because we weren’t fighting a war and because it didn’t talk about war. The country is too weary from war right now to enjoy it as the airborne dick measuring contest it was meant to be
Young Guns
First, there’s nothing to be gained. There’s no better way to retell the story, and there are no special effects to improve on. Secondly, I think it had the greatest ensemble cast since St. Elmo’s Fire, and I don’t think the Hollywood of today could replace that. I’m almost afraid of what they would come up with to try it.
Now we don’t want to deprive Hollywood of all their fun, so we also came up with a list of films that could benefit from a Hollywood re-treatment.
Mannequin
Not sure who the female lead could be, but this was a role made for Michael Cera.
Short Circuit
Because who doesn’t love robots? If we can get Kal Penn out of retirement we’re straight.
The Last Starfighter
The advances in computer graphics would help this film out big time. Plus it’s been awhile since we’ve had a Top Gun in space
Cobra
The return of the badass action hero is badly needed.
Mad Max
Another piece of work that could benefit from technology.
Lethal Weapon
We need the return of the buddy cop film too. Where’d they all go?
Big Trouble in Little China
Another genre that disappear, good ole action adventure. Not a lot of fantastical stories these days. Or there wrapped up in so much wire kung-fu they’re hard to recognize.
Running Man
Not only will this version have a better budget, but it could also usher in the return of the super jacked action star. The Rock anyone? He needs to go back to the gym though.
War Games
The premise of this film is becoming increasingly relevant. If you throw in some overtures on the implications and future of privacy, you’ve got what could almost be considered a docudrama.
The Gate
Obscure enough where most people won’t even realize it’s a remake. Good premise, just could benefit from better execution this time around
This is the Internet, so chances are something on this list (or not on the list) has pissed you off. Sound off on me. I’m curious to hear what gems we missed.
I’ve been a bit dormant as of late thanks to my recent nuptials. After our wedding ceremony and our great honeymoon I was pleased to come home and learn that our beloved Marvel superhero Captain America had been cast. Of course I was expecting the casting to be something sensible, but I guess I was asking too much from the boys and girls at Marvel Studios.
Before I get started, I want to point a few things out. Chris Evans is not a bad actor by any means. In fact I think this kid has a bit of depth and range that has yet to be explored. Some of this talent became evident to me when I watched Sunshine. (Arguably one of my favorite films) It showed me that the guy can adapt to the role and doesn’t always have to play the comedic, snarky roles that he’s typically been cast in. Chris, my issue is not with you.
Originally, Marvel Studios stated that they wanted an unknown to play Captain America, which I can understand and respect. Unless you have the perfect casting, it’s sometimes difficult for people to get their mind wrapped around a big name star donning the mantle of one of their beloved heroes.
But somewhere down the line Marvel reversed this position and not only started considering name actors like Channing Tatum and John Krasinski, but wound up casting someone who had already starred in a Marvel movie!
How did we get here? Even though the Fantastic Four films were not received well by a large portion of the viewing audience, it wasn’t that long ago that Chris Evans was on fire, saving NYC from the nefarious schemes of Doctor Doom. I actually enjoyed the films for their tongue and cheek humor, but regardless of your opinion I think we can agree that Chris Evans played a pretty damn good Human Torch. But that doesn’t guarantee him success with Captain America. My top 3 reasons are:
He’s Young
That may sound silly, but think about it. Captain America is a leader of men. Not just men, but super powered men. He’s the KING alpha dog. It will take an incredible amount of script writing for me to believe that this young lad can earn the respect of the folks around him. That’s more a task for the writers than for Evans. If the script is there, he’ll deliver the goods.
The Avengers Movie
We’re not just signing on for the Captain America movies. We’re also signing on for an Avengers film. This kind of ties into my first point. The Avengers will be composed of Robert Downey Jr, Edward Norton, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and a few yet to be cast folks. Aside from Hemsworth, all of these actors are considerably older than Evans. Will we be able to buy that this guy is leading such a remarkable band of individuals?
Captain America is Blond
It sounds nit-picky and stupid but here me out. In my mind, Captain America being blond haired and blue eyed is a major piece of the character. Think about the time frame when Captain America was active. It was during World War II and Captain America was a spitting image of what Hitler was trying to achieve, the perfect Aryan. This isn’t mere window dressing for the character, but is really a piece of the characters history. If rumors are true and the Cap film will be done as a period piece, his heritage has even more weight to it. Let’s hope a little hair dye will keep Chris’s charm intact.
No amount of complaining will change the decisions made. It also won’t alter the fact that I’m going to see this movie the day it’s released. I just hope that the script is given a top notch treatment, which will allow Evans to really shine. I’d hate to see another super hero franchise go down in flames (bad pun) with Evans at the helm. If it does tank, I’d be very surprised if Evans is at fault.
If they had gotten the ball rolling a little bit earlier, you’ll see my picks for Captain America below. If Bruce Willis can still do Die Hard films, these guys should have been given a call.
As I was watching yet another uninformative episode of LOST, I began to think how much this show mirrored real life. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that LOST was really just a metaphor for office life. Take the LOST story and put it in an office setting and see what you get.
A young man loses his job for some reason. At this point it’s not really important, but past is prologue and it will eventually be woven into our story. He leaves his job (Australia) in search for a new job that will offer him a new beginning. (LAX) Along the way however, the economy crashes into the shitter (Oceanic Flight 815) and he ends up at a company that was never on his career road map. (The Island)
This company has some seriously odd shit going on. There are other business unit managers there (survivors of Oceanic 815) who seem to have a mix-bag of history and personal problems. Ultimately most of the management team is trying to get out of the company, but some have reasons for wanting to stay.
There’s the slightly retarded manager of PR, who in any other company would be considered incapable of performing most of the tasks required of him. But because of the “uniqueness” of this company he manages to look like a super star. He knows there’s something about the company that gives him a stronger sense of purpose that he wouldn’t have in the real world. He tries his best to show everyone the light. (Locke)
Then there’s the manager of sales. He’s a mysterious fellow that tries to keep to himself. He’s sort of a lone wolf and looks at the rest of the management team simply as tools to get what he needs done. What the rest of the management team doesn’t know, is that half of his resume is bullshit. Not only is his MBA from a mail order facility in Tuskegee Ohio, but most of his work history references were calls to his high school football teammates. This guy is a bucket of lies and daddy issues. (Sawyer)
The cute little number who manages the call center is another shifty one you have to keep your eyes out for. She bats her eyelashes and makes you think that you can save her from herself. Underneath her cute exterior and her bright smile is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. She’s constantly on edge and sometimes her behavior seems completely erratic. She’s stuck at the company because she’s got 2 felonies that she didn’t disclose on her application. Thankfully the company doesn’t do background checks. Her next company might not be so accommodating. She’s better off here. (Kate)
No team is successful without a leader. As the group begins to gel a leader is selected. The Operations Manager (Jack) assumes the unwanted role. Despite his own ambitions, he knows that the team working together is far better than if the team works alone. As our new hire learns about the dynamics of his teammates he quickly realizes that getting out of the company is a long term goal. The short term goal is generating revenue to keep the company functioning long enough to make the great escape. (a.k.a Surviving on the island) The management team and their subordinates (those other 32 people on the island that tend to change season to season) begin to work together to keep the company solvent. But as they begin to explore their options on what the company has to offer, they run into one of the most dreaded and feared things anyone has ever seen. Office politics. (The smoke monster)
Nobody knows the source of office politics or who controls it. It comes and goes at will, sometimes laying waste to projects or even careers. Whenever the management team sees it showing its ugly head, panic ensues. Everyone runs for cover and if someone falls and is claimed by office politics, it’s generally accepted that there was nothing you could do to save them without throwing away your own career.
As the team tries to find a source for the politics, they stumble upon an unusual group. A group of men and women who seem to have been at the company long before they arrived and knows quite a bit about its inner workings. They’re even aware of the “Office Politics”. This group is referred to as “Information Technology” or “IT”. (The Others)
IT is a strange group. They have a single leader that interacts with the management team. He refers to himself as the “Business Liaison”. (Benjamin Linus) The business liaison treats the management team as if they’re children, fearing that too much information might make their heads explode. Instead he talks to them in cryptic phrases and sentences, giving them just enough information to trust him, but not enough to truly make any type of informed decision. He thrives on having more information than the people he interacts with, pushing them to an end goal that only he can see. While IT says it’s on the side of the business (the survivors), often times their actions seem self-serving and not in the best interest of the management team.
The arrival of the business liaison complicates things for the management team. Now someone else is stepping up to lead them. While some are happy to let the Operations Manager continue to lead, others are pissed off because he fucked up that TPS Report project and Bill from accounting ended up getting fired because of it. (See Jack’s long list of leadership failures) Internal bickering ensues amongst the management team. Some managers decide to rely heavily on the business liaison for guidance, while others continue to follow the Operations Manager. The split causes conflict amongst people who were friends, but have now been driven apart by their decisions. While they’re friendly when they run into each other in the cafeteria (the Jungle), they still return to their respective camps.
The internal structure of IT is complex.There are many parts to the organization that the management team has seen passing references to. Database support (The Swan), Web Support (The Looking Glass) and Change Management (The Hydra) just to name a few. The business liaison knows a lot about the groups, but will only answer your specific questions about them in vague, ass-hat type responses. Obviously your look of confusion is the only way this guy can sustain an erection. Instead of pressing on and grossing yourself out, you let it slide.
In Part 2 we’ll discuss how people manage to leave the company but then feel compelled to return. We’ll also dive into how the Business Liaison is really just a puppet for the CIO. (Jacob)
The Internet is always finding a cause to latch on to. A wrong to right and that justice be served. But sometimes the Internet gets behind a cause that makes it sound like an echo chamber of collective cry babies. I’ve watched as the masses have flocked to the defense of Conan O’Brien. They’ve fought with their tweets and Facebook groups to show the big bad NBC just how they felt about it. But if we’re so supportive of Conan, why aren’t we watching his show?
NBC is a business. It’s not about tryouts and it’s not about “a fair shake” as shitty as that sounds. It’s about the bottom line, the almighty dollar. So why are we surprised by this? Any Joss Whedon fan knows that the vocal minority aren’t enough to make up for the fact that America isn’t watching. This same vocal minority is typically adverse to advertising too, so keeping the status quo is even less palpable to TV stations.
The common argument is that the outcries are coming from people who don’t watch Late Night in general, not specifically because of Conan. That’s a great point, in fact I’m in that same camp. (Which is why the decision won’t effect me) But there are plenty of people who do watch late night and according to the ratings, those people have stopped watching since Conan has taken over. I’m not a causation expert by any means, but I know that studio executives are looking at this as a cause/effect scenario. Their thinking is to put things back the way they were and see if they can at least reclaim their lost viewers. Isn’t this the basis of a free market? The market will react based on the interests of the individual?
If all the people that are up in arms about the cancellation are upset, they should watch Conan’s show. I’m not condoning what NBC has done. It’s the sign of a level of unprofessionalism that has probably existed long before the Internet was capable of dissemnating information in the blink of an eye. Conan has handled the situation admirably in But it’s part of the business and has been for awhile. I love that we have this medium to discuss our concern or our objections about things, but the real motivator is action that results in money. For consumer products, we vote with our dollar. For television we vote with our remotes.
If Twitter were around in 1994, I wonder if the Internet would have came to the aid of Toni Kukoc or Pete Meyers. After only 1 year of action they were benched because a guy named Michael Jordan decided to come out of retirement.
P.S. I understand that our rating system is flawed and not everyone who watches will have a Nielson Ratings box. We do need to improve our system for what it’s worth. The biggest thing is to make sure you accept a box when asked if you care what’s on TV. I know a few people who have refused them due to privacy or other concerns. It’s basically giving you the right to vote on what sucks on TV.
I finally got the opportunity to see Avatar, the James Cameron film that is capable of curing cancer and reshaping the way we look at race relations in America. Based on previous recommendations and reviews of this film, I half expected that the War on Terror would instantly end after I left the theater. While it was a good movie and will ultimately be a great use case for original concept science fiction films, I didn’t feel it deserved all the hype it received.
I had two real concerns with the film, one being the villains overly simplified motivations and the second being the computer generated creatures, including but not limited to the Na’vi. It’s not the quality of the CGI as it was some of the best computer generated imagery I’ve seen yet. It’s more my preference in the style of imagery that’s generated. As I’m watching the film, I’m consistently jarred from my suspension of disbelief when I see the real world mixed with the artificial. It reminds me of drinking a diet coke unsuspectingly. The familiar characteristics of your favorite soft drink are sullied by the taste of aspartame.
This isn’t an issue specific to Avatar. I think the problem first came to light for me when the Star Wars Prequels were released. Lucas went a tad crazy on his use of computer generated imagery and it made the film seem strikingly different. The aliens in the film while more robust, alive and animated (bad pun) they are immediately recognized in my mind as not truly being part of the world. Instead of being immersed in the dialogue between Jar Jar and Obi Wan (ha..immersed with Jar Jar dialogue!) I can’t stop thinking about how far off Ewan McGreggor’s eye line is to the character he’s supposedly interacting with. Strange, I don’t remember feeling that way when Luke talked to Jabba the Hut. Because Jabba the Hut was there, albeit in the form of a puppet.
Yes I know, puppets are old school, puppets can’t swing through trees and puppets can’t have intimate sex scenes. So what? There was a time when we didn’t need our puppets to replace Jean Claude Van Damme. We were perfectly happy with our puppets having 2 men stuffed in the top end of a suit, not moving any further than the bar their stuck behind. But those characters looked real. They looked authentic. And they didn’t jar you out of your suspended reality. They blended so well with the rest of the world.
I know puppets have their limitations, but what they lend to the end product far outweighs anything computer generated parkour could bring. More should follow in the footsteps of Guillermo del Torro. More directors should use puppets.
I know someone out there just had an aneurysm over the title and I apologize for that. But certain thoughts just can’t be helped. While watching the 2nd highest grossing film in the world, I thought back to an article I read about Avatar which asked if this was the new Star Wars. In one word: Maybe.
I can see why this correlation would be made; Lucas was a visual effects pioneer and so is Cameron. The latter waited almost twelve years before the technology was in place for him to make his visual masterpiece. Lucas took an ages-old formula (the Hero’s Journey) and turned it into six box office busters while Cameron took that formula and made it look really, really nice. But what they have in visual aptitude they lack in dialogue, plot, and characterization.
Yes, anyone can say, “Oh I would have done this or that” or “I saw that coming a mile away” but does it hurt to be a little original along the way? If I were to come up with a synopsis in one sentence, it would be, “Dances with Wolves in the far off future in space.” Done. Doing so would be an injustice to Cameron and his team but alas, it is what it is; a grand visual epic that is truly the best-looking movie that has ever existed. CGI or not, this is how sci-fi should be; so damn beautiful that you can’t even tell what is CGI or what isn’t. During one scene when a helicraft is landing, I questioned whether the blades of moving grass were even real. And the facial expressions that were captured exceeded my jaded expectations.
But like Lucas, he is reaching into his past bag of tricks and amending them to be part of his universe. Yes, everyone likes a solid formula (guy gets girl, loses girl, fights heaven and earth to get her and they live happily ever after) but that formula needs to be tweaked so that it resembles nothing like it’s former self. For example, The Abyss; man and woman in midst of divorce are commissioned by the military to help Marines retrieve a nuclear device. There are some drill grunts, the engineers, and the grunts. The drill grunts are weary of the Marines and the husband and wife work together albeit hesitantly. The aliens below want to prevent war from occurring and interact to save us all. Bad Marine dies, the rest atone, happy ending. Aliens; Ripley is woken up over seven decades later by a corporation who needs her assistance with the Aliens. She becomes an adoptive mother of the sole survivor of a colony ravaged by aliens. The greedy corporate hedgehog gets his just desserts, all of the Marines except one good guy and one robot die, and the last Marines to die do so honorably via sacrifice. Ripley beats up momma alien. Everyone is happy. Until Fincher’s debut causes Scanners-like head explosions around the world due to its pure IDGAF (I Don’t Give A Fuck) attitude concerning the surviving characters, except Ripley of course. T2; authority issues, scientist sacrifices self, mother sacrifices life for child and future. Avatar; Dances with Wolves in space. A VERY sexy looking Dances with Wolves in space.
Don’t get me wrong, technically, Cameron can’t be touched. He’s taken what Peter Jackson and George Lucas have accomplished and turned it up a trillion volts. He is the King of Pop Cinema and it would take another technical visionary to come close to what he has accomplished (Neil Blomkampf may be that man) but please Jim, let someone work with you to tighten up those plots and characters. Maybe he should use a recycle system like the plastic bottles with the numbers. You can only recycle them but so many times.
As a dork/nerd/geek you find that the people you meet tend to have a lot in common with one another. It’s probably one of the few subcultures where so many of your interests line up with others. Geek culture tends to be a self-feeding cycle where the more nerds you meet, the nerdier activities you’re introduced to and the more you tend to love it. I have found that to be true in just about every area of nerdom, except one. Anime.
I can sit back and watch the beautiful artwork of an anime any day. The genre has a distinctive style that is recognizable instantly, even by the layman. The content carries adult themes, but not always adult execution and I think this is where it falters for me. Not being an anime guru, maybe it’s just what I’m watching, but it’s difficult for me to get past the cheesiness of it. The bug-eyed moments of frustration, the bad voice acting, the strange whimpering noises and lastly, the fascination with school girl heroines. When it all comes together the final package leaves a sulfuric taste in my mouth.
Part of the problem is my highly Americanized sense of theater or pacing. Anime seems to bounce all over the map sometimes in the direction that a story may go in. The pacing is….different, for lack of a better word. I can’t quite get my arms around it.
The female heroines often become uncomfortable for me because their typically boobalicious and bouncy. All those years spent denying I had a crush on Smurfette makes the sexualization of an animated character off-putting. I feel awkward watching an animated love scene, but most of that awkwardness is due to outside forces, not internal forces. I worry about how I might be perceived if someone sees me watching this clip with no context. I remember watching Kitty Grade on the train during a commute to work. I was so incredibly embarrassed that I had to turn the episode off until I got home. It seems silly that at 31 years young I’m still concerned with how strangers perceive me, but you have to admit that this can be taken out of context. If someone was watching two animated characters make out on the bus, what type of frame would it give that person if you met them through a mutual acquaintance later? I’m sure you’d be able to say “That’s the dude!” and everyone would know what you were talking about.
Because I’ve always been so in-step with geek culture, it pains me to have to write-off anime as a loss. I feel like I could be missing out on something spectacular. I’ve tried a few animes in the past and with Hulu offering a decent set of them I’m currently giving them another shot. (Virus is my current viewing attempt) Here’s what I’ve watched so far, along with if I enjoyed it or not.
Apple Seed – 4/5
Akira – 3/5 (the first 60 minutes gets 5/5)
Kitty Grade – 2/5
Blue Submarine No. 6 – 2.5/5
Bleach – 2/5
Ninja Scroll 3/5
Afro Samurai 4/5
Sword of the Stranger 3/5
Ghost in the Shell 2/5 (This movie bores me to sleep every time)
There are plenty of others, but these are the ones that come to mind and these are supposed to be some of the best works out there. My geek-dom doesn’t want to give up, but I’m getting close to waving the white flag.
This orchestral piece will immediately sound familiar to any science fiction fan that listens to it. Chances are though you might not have heard it verbatim. The piece was originally composed in 1914 by Gustav Holst and was the source of “inspiration” for John Williams’ score for the Star Wars film.
It’s nice to know that even the great John Williams borrows from time to time. It still doesn’t diminish the awesomeness that is the Star Wars score. Below is a YouTube video of the original piece performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. It is one of 7 movements for his suite known as “The Planets”, with each movement representing a different planet. Enjoy.
p.s. If you’re reading this on Facebook, go to the actual blog if the YouTube link isn’t working.
A quick mini-review is in order for Robert Downey Jr’s latest role as the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes. The movie is pretty much what I expected based on the previews, highlighting some of Holmes’ physical attributes more than previous renditions of the character. The film is a successful adaptation for today’s more fast paced audience.
That being said, I have to say the movie started a bit slower than expected. The film’s opening 20 minutes seemed to rely a heavily on Robert Downey’s natural charisma to entertain the viewer as opposed to moving the story along. Downey has a knack for giving roles a charm-fully annoying presence. The large ego of Holmes puts him right at home. But charm only goes so far and I found myself wanting the story to move forward sooner than it actually had. This is by no means a dig on Robert Downey Jr, but in the film’s opening they might have called the same pitch too many times.
Once the film gets going though it’s an enjoyable ride through a mystery surrounded by the occult while weaving in narrative about the self-destructive nature of our beloved protagonist. Jude Law gives Watson a bit more kick-assery than has historically been the case, but all-in-all the role itself seemed bland, especially for someone as good as Law.
Despite it being a detective piece at heart, the action sequences makes the film worth seeing in the theater. The director, Guy Ritchie, gives more “explosiveness” than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle may have, but he still tries to tie the action back to the roots of the character. (Holmes was an avid boxer in his novels) You don’t have to rush out to see it tomorrow, but perhaps catch it once it hits the $5 buck club, or you can use those free movie passes on it.
On another note, many don’t realize that we’ve been sort of watching Holmes and Watson for the past few years. Our favorite drug-addicted MD Gregory House is heavily inspired by the Sherlock Holmes character, from the ego all the way down to the addiction. The interaction between Holmes and Watson will in some scenes almost mirror the conversations between House and Wilson. (I even forgot that Watson has a limp from his time in Afghanistan, as does House. Also Holmes/Watson? House/Wilson?) So if you like that dynamic in HOUSE, then you’ll love the interaction with Downey and Law.
Before I get started, I want to point a few things out. 
The Internet is always finding a cause to latch on to. A wrong to right and that justice be served. But sometimes the Internet gets behind a cause that makes it sound like an echo chamber of collective cry babies. I’ve watched as the masses have flocked to the defense of Conan O’Brien. They’ve fought with their tweets and Facebook groups to show the big bad NBC just how they felt about it. But if we’re so supportive of Conan, why aren’t we watching his show?
A quick mini-review is in order for Robert Downey Jr’s latest role as the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes. The movie is pretty much what I expected based on the previews, highlighting some of Holmes’ physical attributes more than previous renditions of the character. The film is a successful adaptation for today’s more fast paced audience.
