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Reviews
Elementary (2012)
First time ever I've hated a Holmesian Story
I have seen nearly every iteration of Arthur Conan Doyle's characters, ranging from the bizarre to the humorous, from the fantastical all the way to very honest renditions--and literally everything in between.
And always I've found something redeemable about the storyline or the acting or something.
This show broke that trend.
The writing is terrible. Really just pitiful, and so full of plot holes I could drive semi-trucks through them.
Lucy Liu, while usually an adequate actress (if not a particularly moving one) was absolutely wooden and ridiculous in this.
And the creator's obviously wanted to make a correlation between this show and "House" as Miller is a cheep stab at Hugh Laurie, only without the pathos, charisma or intelligence Laurie brings to the screen.
They ruined the Hallmark of friendship and brotherhood that existed in Sherlock stories between Holmes and Watson and replaced it with awkward tension, sexual sub-context that was completely unbelievable given the poor acting (And completely unwarranted, considering we CAN have a TV show in the US without throwing sex in it.) and they spun an absurd tale of babysitting and random (failed) attempts at witticism and plot.
This show is Awful! Do not waste your time.
Sherlock Holmes (2010)
Sherlock and Watson tackle an evil plot that strikes very close to home.
This movie is ripe for a complete giggle, (cause who doesn't love giant mechanical Velociraptors running murderously amok in Victorian England) I HIGHLY suggest this very camp movie. It features Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto on Torchwood) playing a very long-suffering Watson. The actor playing Holmes (Ben Syder), couldn't act his way out of a wet paper sack in the beginning. But that awkwardness actually worked for this production. Ben had all the introductory charm and skill of Zooey Deschanel in part 1 of "Tin Man" (WHich is to say he had none at all) But he eventually warmed into the silliest, most foible ridden and yet valiant version of Holmes. And I came to really like him in the role--delicate, skinny thing that he is. (Really, do men actually have bones that tiny!!!!) It was a shocker at first. Ben Syder walks in as Holmes, and you think "He's got the nose, he's got the thin build." But then Ben opens his mouth on screen for the first time and I was like "Oh Noes! Holmes must have lost his testicles in a freak lab accident!"
All the same, there's many reasons to love this movie--not the least of which is that one just can't seem to not laugh... HARD! In the end, it was truly Wonderful stuff! The plot(lessness) was such steampunk hilarity that it is truly a 'must see' for a lighthearted Holmesian experience. (A creepy mechanical nurse, an evil Thorpe Holmes(read Mycroft)--that is worse than Moriarty could ever be, and a poor, unfortunate LeStrade bound intractably to Thorpe!Mycroft's terrible past finish out this amazingly weird, quirky jaunt into utter spoofery.)
Did I mention the "sort of" durigible, the steam-driven dragon, the "maybe" Kraken, the convenient castle with the laboratory, the mechanical suit of armor, the highly improbable (yet perfectly delicious)science, the six pence whore, and lots of explosions? This movie was obviously made by dedicated fans of Sherlock Holmes who were also on the shallow end of the Steampunk pool. They had more budget than they deserved and less than they needed and I hug my copy of this riotous mess of a movie every week. I love it!
The horrid effects aren't that horrid when you look back at movies of the past. We're just a bit spoiled on big budget CGI these days.
Just be prepared to hand over your willing suspension of disbelief to one of Scotland Yard's finest to stuff in a bag and beat to death with a stick. You'll be fine.