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thedoge
Reviews
Zero Effect (1998)
A nice Sherlockian pastiche
Anyone familiar with the Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia" will recognize both the story and the Holmesian elements of Daryl Zero, which is what makes this film really work for me. It's a solid mystery with comic overtones and fine performances all the way around, but spotting the obvious references to the original add an extra layer of fun. That said, it would have been nice if Kasdan had acknowledged the film's inspiration.
Black and Tan (1929)
Of historical interest only
Simuland has pretty much said it all concerning this short. It's of no great value beyond the historical interest of seeing a very young Ellington and some members of his band. It's also interesting to note how "modern" some aspects of this are, despite the painfully dated racial stereotyping. Ellington's girl friend, for example, is obviously of the "live in" variety and the dancing costumes are fairly brief - two good indications that this is a "pre-code" film. Had this been filmed after the infamous Production Code went into effect, it would have been much more sanitized.
Anyone interested in actually seeing this will find it on (of all things) a recently issued DVD of the second-string musicals "Second Chorus" and "Mr. Impreium", tucked away behind the Special Features menu, along with another oddball short, "Boogie Woogie Dream" (1944) with a 27-year-old Lena Horne along with boogie-woogie pianists Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson and bandleader Teddy Wilson.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Solid, faithful adaptation
I should point out that I had only read about 2/3 of the book when I
saw the film, if that matters. On the whole I found this a faithful
adaptation of the original, despite the necessary conflation and
condensation that inevitably occurs when transferring a novel to a
film. The characters are true to their literary originals and visually
the film is a real treat. Hogwarts is very much as I pictured it while
reading the book and the major roles all seem quite well cast. I
think fans of the novels will not be disappointed.
Yes, some of Rowling's more adult humor doesn't make it to the
screen, but since that humor derives primarily from her style of
writing it would be difficult to find a cinematic equivalent. This is a
fine effort and a highly entertaining film.
Sherlock Holmes Returns (1993)
Was Moriarity behind this one?
This one's near the bottom of the barrel of Holmes pastiches, with Anthony Higgins wildly miscast as Holmes and a routine TV movie plot. Not worth the time it takes to watch it and lacking the comic awfulness of (say) the infamous Stewart Granger "Hound of the Baskervilles" with it's cardboard sets and William Shatner's over-acting as the villain.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1987)
Snappy Sherlockian Pastiche
Revived from self-induced cryogenic sleep by Dr. Watson's great grand-daughter (the fetching Margaret Colin), herself a PI in Boston, Holmes (Michael Pennington, very well cast) joins her to solve a mystery in typically Sherlockian fashion. The mystery plot is a good one and the script is littered with Sherlockian in-jokes and references. Highly recommended for Holmes fans.
Any Given Sunday (1999)
An intelligent film about football? Dang!
My wife and I both loved this film and neither of us is a football fan. Why? Because the characters are complex and believable, the direction is tight and not excessively loaded with gimmicks, and the football scenes are exciting even for non-fans. Great writing, solid direction; probably one of Stone's best films and generally free of heavy-handedness.