"SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS" - MOVIE REVIEW

Still from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Sherlock Holmes is back and there's never a dull moment with one of the World's smartest and crafty Men. In Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, our beloved Hero - reprised by Robert Downey Jr. - is up against his most ruthless opponent ever in Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), who is out to change the course of the World and profit greatly from it all. Despite just getting married, Sherlock's trusty Sidekick Dr. Watson (Jude Law) hardly gets a moment to breathe before being dragged back into yet another taxing investigation.  Along the way, we meet a Gypsy named Sim (Noomi Rapace) who is a Wanted Woman, joining forces with Sherlock and Dr. Watson in a deadly fight for survival and a fight for what is right with Professor Moriarty always at close range.

Where Director Guy Ritchie's Sequel falls short of its 2009 Predecessor is the lack of a clear Story Line, which in all honesty is a bit challenging to follow amidst all the History.  Lags in pacing also could have been reduced as we are given extraneous detail on the time Sherlock and Dr. Watson spend apart, when really what matters is the Duo in-action together.  Overall, Downey and Law lack that spark they had the first time around here, but Harris' horrific Villain is sinfully good.

Nonetheless, those expecting to be entertained will get exactly what they bargained for.  Stop-motion action sequences are rather brilliant, gutt-wrenching and suspenseful.  Also, just the right amount of laughs are delivered to keep our attentions focused.  Warner Bros. releases Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opens in theatres December 16, 2011.

CONTAGION - MOVIE REVIEW

Still from Contagion

As always, Steven Soderbergh aims high and his latest $60 million Sci-Fi/Thriller imagines a World at the mercy of a mysterious Airborne Killer Disease. It is portrait of what life would be like for us if we were reduced to our most primal need to fight for survival. The Story centers around an international team of Doctors who are called upon with a daunting assignment from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, while the number of victims impacted quickly multiplies into the millions.

Contagion follows the interweaving stories of people around the World impacted by the Disease. Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to the U.S. after a visit to Macau, falling gravely ill within days. Her death then is linked to a number of other mysterious deaths around the World and soon we see the implications of this Disease as it spreads, whether it be her Husband Thomas (Matt Damon) who  never gets an opportunity to grieve her passing as he too is forced to worry about his own health. We also see Erin (Kate Winslet) step-up as a Doctor to face the challenge of dealing with the Outbreak, risking her own life to save others.   

Meanwhile, Ellis (Laurence Fishburne), struggles to suppress his own fears on a personal level to ensure both he and his Wife (Sanaa Lathan) survive, while at once having to maintain order on a public surface as access to an effective Vaccine is extremely limited. We also see Alan (Jude Law), a Medical Blogger out to expose corruption in the treatment of the Disease. Leonora (Marion Cotillard) is sent to China to study the Disease, but soon finds herself also caught amidst the corruption.

MARTIN SCORCESE'S "HUGO" TRAILER RELEASED

Still from Hugo

"Where are your parents, little man?" - Station Inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen)

Not quite what I was expecting, this new Trailer for Martin Scorcese's latest work Hugo has just surfaced. Adapted from the story The Invention of Hugo Cabret, its Hero is an orphaned Boy who finds himself in a journey to unlock the mystery surrounding his late Father. Starring young breakout star Asa Butterfield and Chloë Grace Moretz, this 3-D uplifting Action/Fantasy adventure will hit theatres on U.S. Thanksgiving (November 23, 2011).  Paramount Pictures will be distributing in North America, with Sacha Baron Cohen, Jude Law, Ben Kingsley and Emily Mortimer also starring.

Watch the Trailer in full below:

TIFF CANDIDATE - "CONTAGION" TRAILER

Still from Contagion

"On day one there were two people.  And then four.  And then 16.  In three months there'll be a billion - that's where we're heading." - Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law)

An international team of Doctors are sent out to deal with the outbreak of a deadly disease.  Contagion opens in theatres via Warner Bros. on September 9, 2011.  Damon, Law, Paltrow, Cotillard, Cranston, Fishburne, Winslet.  Soderbergh.  Bring it!

 

Watch the terrifying Trailer below:

MORE NAMES ADDED TO CAST OF SCORCESE'S HUGO CABRET

More names have been added to Martin Scorcese's 3-D film, Hugo Cabret (formerly The Invention of Hugo Cabret). According to Collider, the film began production in London yesterday and so far, confirmed cast members include: Sir Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chloë Moretz and Asa Butterfield. Expect big things. Click here to read the official press release. (Thanks Awards Daily!).

REVIEW: SHERLOCK HOLMES

Director Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes is tons of fun.  And that  means a lot considering I'm not big on action-type films.  The Sir Arthur Conan Doyle adaptation centers around fast-acting, quick-thinking Detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) in pursuit of Black Magic-practicing serial killer Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong).  Holmes is aided by sidekick Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) and love interest Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) who is caught between her personal and professional interests as she is hired to destroy Holmes.  After thinking that he has aided in Blackwood's capture and subsequent punishment by execution, we learn that he isn't dead really.  The second time around isn't nearly as easy for Holmes as Blackwood pulls out all the stops in his conquest to create a new world order.

Ritchie, together with screenwriters Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg effectively take a classic and transform it into a big-budget contemporary context.  Downey Jr.'s Holmes is not the same Sherlock Holmes I would have envisioned based on what I've read.  In this film, he is a sexy superhero who is all-knowing, but faltering into a bumbling fool when it comes to love and Downey Jr. plays this to perfection.  He can fight as well physically as he can with reason and logic.

The playful brotherly chemistry between him and Law is electric, making what should otherwise be a dark story, comical in all the right spots.  McAdams unfortunately is miscast as the American temptress and never really quite hits her best stride. And I appreciate the closed loops in storytelling as subplots like Watson's romance with governess Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly) are given just the right amount of detail.  And let's not forget Philippe Rousselot's breathtaking cinematography, especially in the film's final action scene between Holmes and Blackwood over the Thames River.