Pertaining To Sherlock: A Study in Pink

Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) is an army doctor just home from Afghanistan. Haunted by dreams of the violence he saw, he's having trouble fitting back into London. Then he runs into an old friend, who suggests he get a flatmate and subsequently introduces him to an exceedingly eccentric character: A man named Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch). Soon the pair are up to their necks in a case involved serial suicides - or is it serial murders?

Pros: This was hilarious. Holmes is so eccentric (without being quite over the top), and Watson has a good sense of humor. Speaking of Watson, I loved his character! He's usually such an idiot in movies, but I would say he has an above-average intellect in this series. And the music - which is really odd - is perfect! The case was puzzling, but Sherlock's solving of it wasn't unbelievable. I mean, he noticed tiny things and drew conclusions (normally ones that I never would have drawn), but it didn't take a suspension of logic in order to believe that he could have deduced the things he did from the facts he had. (Although I must say I thought of a couple things before he did.) Detective Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves) was a good, harrassed policeman who's not portrayed as an idiot.

Cons: The filmmakers left it up to the viewers to decide whether Sherlock is gay or not. All we really know is that he doesn't care about relationships in almost any form.

My Rating: T/MT ((depends on the person's exposure to homosexual people) thematic elements, homosexual references (which would barely have merited notice if they were not homosexual), sexual references)

On His Girl Friday

Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) used to be married to Walter Burns (Cary Grant), the editor of a newspaper. But then she got fed up with his selfish ways - and his habit of treating her more like a colleague than a woman. So she divorced him. But when she shows up at his office a few months later to tell him she's getting remarried, Burns devises a series of tricks to get her back into the newspaper business - and his life.

Pros: The snappy dialogue is kind of cool. People talk really quickly, and the action hardly ever stops. There are a few funny scenes (after all, it is a Cary Grant movie). There's a surprising plot twist or two.

Cons: It wasn't all that funny. *Spoiler Warning* Throughout the movie, Hildy insists that she wants to be a stay-at-home mom. But in the end, she seems to put those aspirations in the back seat. While there's nothing wrong with a working mom per se, I don't like the inference that working is better than staying at home to raise a family. Also, the movie ends with a hint that Hildy and Walter's life together will be much like it was before - with Walter treating Hildy like a colleague instead of a wife.

My Rating: OK (thematic elements including a murder)

Picture from movieberry.com

In Relation To The Lion King

Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas/Matthew Broderick) is a spoilt little lion cub whose daddy happens to be king of the African plain. When Simba's uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons) tries to kill Simba so he can be next in line to the throne, his plans go awry. He decides to go a step further and kill both Simba and his father. Simba escapes, but, unable to face his mother, he runs away. It will be years before he finds the strength to return and free his kingdom from Scar's tyranny.

Pros: I absolutely love the music in this movie! The singing songs are good (written by Elton John), but the score is incredible. I'm not a big fan of Hans Zimmer, the composer, in general, because I think his music pretty much all sounds the same (John Williams's music is the same way), but I believe this might be his best work. The animation is pretty good, too. The faces were surprisingly expressive. And there's something about the king's death and the next-to-last scene that is so powerful. Don't ask me why; I don't know! Rafiki the baboon (Robert Guillaume) is awesome!

Cons: There's more "guy humor" than I like in this movie, but then, I'm not a guy.

Note: For those of you who haven't seen the trailer for the Broadway play, here it is, courtesy of a blog called A Rose in Bloom.

My Rating: AGC (but I know kids who are terrified by the hyenas)

Regarding The Lake House

Dr. Kate Forster (Sandra Bullock) is a lonely youngish woman who has just moved out of a lake house. That is, a house built on a lake - with stilts that hold it above the water. Dr. Forster leaves a note in the mailbox, asking the next occupant of the house to forward any letters that may slip through the post office. Meanwhile, Alex Wyler (Keanu Reeves) is an architect. He moves into the lake house and finds Kate's letter. Only problem is, he moved in two years before Kate did. Which means any relationship they build will be extremely long-distance.

Pros: Alex is such a gentleman! I typically like Sandra Bullock's characters, and Kate was no different (she was an idiot in some ways, but very sweet). The side characters were good. Christopher Plummer is great as Alex's dad.

Cons: Admittedly, Keanu Reeves is not a very good actor. But he's cute and Alex is sweet, so that makes up for it! The time-travel thing is cool, but very shallow.

My Rating: T (language, thematic elements)

Pertaining To The Black Dudley Murder

In Margery Allingham's The Black Dudley Murder, George Abbershaw is a stuffy little MD who has been invited to an old country house for the weekend. At the beginning of the party, his mind is almost wholly occupied with Meggie Oliphant, the girl he wants to marry. Then the host tells a thrilling story about a tradition that used to be performed in the house every year. When the party decides to reenact the tradition, complete with doused lights, a murder occurs. But that isn't their biggest problem. Someone has taken over the house and won't let anyone leave...

Pros: This is a 1929 book, but I thought it was very well written. Albert Campion's character was hilarious in a very British sort of way.

Cons: The bad guys were a little over dramatized. Okay, maybe way over dramatized. But they weren't really in it that much, so it wasn't too distracting. Albert Campion is a detective, but I would never have known it if I hadn't Googled him - this book makes him out to be a criminal!

My Rating: T (thematic elements, sexual references)

On The Magic of Ordinary Days

It's World War II, but Livy Dunne (Keri Russell) is a young lady with her own problems. She's not married, and she's pregnant. Her father arranges for her to marry Ray Singleton (Skeet Ulrich), a farmer from a backwoods part of Colorado. Though she's never met the man, Livy reluctantly agrees. While Ray soon falls in love with her, Livy's heart still belongs to the father of her child.

Pros: This is really a beautifully pro-life story. In one scene, Livy tells a doctor that she made a "mistake" that resulted in her baby's conception. The doctor replies that she won't think of it as a mistake when she sees her baby. Plus, Ray doesn't care that the baby isn't his - he's going to love him or her like a real daddy. Which brings me to another subject - Ray! He is so sweet to Livy, he would melt any woman's heart. There are also no flashbacks, which, in movies with storylines like this one, can often be crude. The acting is surprisingly good for a Hallmark movie.

Cons: Um, the "Japanese-American" women that Livy befriends are Asian, but they don't really look Japanese. The actresses are from Singapore and Indonesia. I have no idea whether that part of the story is at all accurate, either. Also, the clothing is really laughable. Like any woman would sleep in a no-sleeved nightgown in an old farmhouse in Colorado in the winter!

My Rating: T (thematic elements)

Picture from movieberry.com

Update On Voyage of the Dawn Treader

New trailer for VODT! (Link goes to Ribbons of Light, a blog I follow.) Actually, it's an international trailer with subtitles in a foreign language (Polish, I think, but I'm not sure...). Anyway, this trailer scares me a bit. I had read that VODT was going to be closer to the book than PC was - and that bringing the White Witch back was going to be the only liberty the filmmakers would take. But this... this...! Aaaaah!

On the other hand, one of the problems I have with the book is that the story rambles all over the place without a set story arc. Instead of having a beginning, a few escalating problems that culminate in a big climax scene, and an ending, the book pretty much follows a nice gentle upslope of events that ends in a nice ending. There is no ultimate problem that has to be conquered or vanquished; just a goal that must be reached. The goal is reaching Aslan's Country, by which act the last lords (forgive me; I can't remember how many are asleep) will be woken up (another crucifixion analogy, maybe?). But no one tries to stop them from reaching that goal. And therein lies the problem.

So I can see why the filmmakers would want to change the story. (But they had better not have a rivalry over Ramandu's daughter between Edmund and Caspian!) Luckily, Eustace seems more or less correct, and Lucy is as Lucy should be. It should be very interesting to watch.

In Relation To The Winslow Boy

Young Ronnie Winslow (Guy Edwards) has been accused of stealing and, in consequence, thrown out of the royal naval academy. Convinced of his young son's innocence, Arthur Winslow (Nigel Hawthorne) enlists the help of Sir Robert Morton (Jeremy Northam), a famed attorney. As Sir Robert does everything in his power to win the Winslow Boy case, the Winslow family begins to realize it will take many sacrifices to clear Ronnie's name.

Pros: I love Sir Robert Morton! He's a really cool guy who cares more about the Winslows (and one particularly attractive one, I might add. Don't look at her in the picture; she's really a lot prettier than that) than about his career or reputation. The ending rather surprised me.

Cons: This movie was based on a play, which is quite obvious. Too many of the lines are repeated (how many times do they have to say everything?!).

My Rating: OK (Ronnie's older brother Dickie is rather a dissolute character)

Picture from impawards.com

Concerning Sad Cypress

In Agatha Christie's Sad Cypress, Elinor Carlisle starts out immensely happy. She's engaged to marry her cousin, Roddy Winter, whom she's loved since she was a little girl. Granted, she has a few financial problems, but they're not serious, and she'll inherit her Aunt Laura's estate as soon as the old lady dies. Then Elinor receives an anonymous note warning her that a woman is worming her way into the aunt's affections. Aunt Laura had a stroke a few months ago, and is particularly vulnerable. So Roddy and Elinor decide to go for a visit to find if there's any truth in the note. They soon discover that the truth can be deadly.

Pros: I really like Dr. Peter Lord, Aunt Laura's physician. Although I must say I was surprised about his red hair and freckles - I've seen the movie version and he looks completely different than his description in the book! The story is really very good - quite a head-scratcher!

Cons: I hate the way euthanasia is brought up time and again throughout the book. It's rather necessary to the story (although the movie did just fine without it), but considering my views on the subject, I think its very presence is dreadful. Putting old people out of their misery, indeed! As if their lives were worthless!

My Rating: T (thematic elements including euthanasia)

Regarding The Inheritance

Edith Adelon (Cari Shayne) has lived with the Hamiltons since she was a tiny baby. But now things are changing. A cousin of the Hamiltons, one miss Ida Glenshaw (Brigid Brannagh), is coming for a visit. Ida is on a husband-hunt, and her prey is James Percy (Thomas Gibson), a very rich man who is also coming to visit the Hamiltons. But James falls for Edith. Then Ida turns her eye to Frederick Arlington (Paul Anthony Stewart), someone who lives near the Hamiltons. When he, too, is attracted by Edith, Ida becomes wildly jealous.

Pros: There are two great things about this movie. The first is Mr. Hamilton (Tom Conti). He is absolutely hilarious if you like sarcastic humor. The second one is James. He's not that great of an actor, but he's so darn handsome. Normally the hero's looks don't play into my liking or disliking of a movie that much (like in Bleak House or Little Dorrit or Wives and Daughters). Good looks are just a bonus if the hero is likeable. But the guy in this movie is really, really handsome.

Cons: I should have seen the ending coming. Plus, the stupid horse riding by Edith is such a cliche and totally unrealistic! A friend told me that part of the story isn't even in the book, which only makes the movie that much worse!

Note: Based on the book by Louisa May Alcott. Oh, and the little stone house in this movie is the same one Missie lives in during the later Love Comes Softly movies.

My Rating: OK (mild language, very mild sexual content)

Picture from dvdnear.com

*Spoiler Reflections* On Star-Crossed

This post contains spoilers for an awful book called Star-Crossed by Linda Collison.

Have you ever read a book that was well-written enough to keep you reading, but such an awful book that you wonder at the end why you wasted so much time reading it? I had that experience recently when I read Star-Crossed by Linda Collison.

First off, I do not recommend anyone read Star-Crossed. And that isn't just an "oh, this book is laughably awful; don't read it." It's an "oh, this book is bad don't read it." Not only was it annoying, there were a couple of scenes that I skimmed because they made me more than a little uncomfortable.

Now I can get down to the book. The story was dreadful. Yet another example of an authoress who transposes modern ideas about women into previous centuries. A young woman passes herself off as a male ship surgeon's assistant - for months? Yeah, right. I realize that some women managed to pass themselves off as men on ships for at least a time. However, I find it hard to believe that a woman could do it without discovery by anybody. Except, of course, her former boyfriend, who just happens to be on the same ship... Anyway, surely those women who were able to pass themselves off as men were found out by some of their shipmates; the word just didn't got around to the officers for a while.

Not only was the story unoriginal and uninteresting, the men were all wrong. First the "heroine," Patricia Kelley, married an older, not-particularly-handsome doctor (a sort of marriage of convenience, although he was in love with her from the start). I preferred him immensely to the man Patricia was really in love with. Excuse me, she was actually in love with both of them... that is to say, she was in love with Dalton, the bosun's mate, and then fell in love with the doctor sometime after she married said doctor, and then fell back in love with Dalton when her husband died. Right. How stupid can she be?! Her husband may not have been a hundred percent respectful and sensitive all the time, but he was a much better man than Dalton.

Finally, there was the ending. The authoress left the reader with no clear idea of how it ended for Dalton and Patricia. It's assumed that they get married (although judging on how they carried on, it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't), but the fact that he's a sailor isn't really reconciled... I mean, Dalton makes a vague suggestion about the two of them going to America and settling down (because America, what with its Indians and stuff, is exciting enough to keep him from getting bored), but that's only a vague suggestion that isn't reiterated later in the book. Very annoying.

Whew. Thanks to anyone who hung with me for this entire post. I just had to get that off my chest. In conclusion, I'll just say that the book was one of the worst I've ever actually finished.

In Relation To East

In East, a book by Edith Pattou, Rose is a farm girl who has always been a wanderer. She thought nothing of climbing over a stone wall and falling down a waterfall when she was two. Now her family is in financial ruin, and her sister Sara is dying. Then a visit from a mysterious white bear changes everything. The bear offers to heal Sara and secure the family's fortunes - if Rose will go away with him. Rose agrees, and is carried off by him to his castle. After a few months, Rose begins to wonder about her host and the castle he lives in. Is the bear more animal than human or more human than animal? And who - or what - crawls into the far side of her bed every night when the lights go out?

Pros: I know I say this about everything, but I really like the hero and the heroine. The story is very unusual too, and takes place in Norway (at least, I think "Nordjen" is Norway). The first time I read this book, I was glued  to the pages for hours; it was a very unusual and pretty suspenseful Beauty and the Beast tale! Also, there are quite a few places where the authoress could have made the book sleazy, but it's perfectly clean.

Cons: Okay, the superstitions about birth direction and everything were a little annoying. Also, the parts of the story written by the white bear were exceedingly worthless. At least, the parts at the beginning of the book...

My Rating: OK (someone sleeping in Rose's bed at night)

On The Mummy

Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) was Pharoah's High Priest before he started messing around with Pharoah's sweetheart. After their discovery, Imhotep's lover commits suicide and Imhotep is buried alive with a terrible curse hanging over him. Three thousand years later, Evelyn Carnahan's (Rachel Weisz) ne'er-do-well brother Jonathon (John Hannah) brings her an artifact he lifted from someone's pocket. Fascinated with Egyptology, she naturally gets excited when she discovers the artifact contains a map to Hamunaptra, the mythical City of the Dead. Evie and her brother immediately go to see the man who had the artifact when Jonathon, um, borrowed it. The three, accompanied by a tag-along, set off to find the City of the Dead - and end up waking a monster.

Pros: I really like the heroine. It seems to me that action/adventure girls are usually either air-headed or practically ninjas. This one is a nice balance between toughness and femininity. I was also quite pleased to discover this movie is more action/adventure than horror. The special effects are well done for a 1999 movie, although the mummy himself was a little weak. Also, there are surprisingly few sexual references - and no sexual content or references between the hero and the heroine (that I can remember).

Cons: There were some gross-out parts. Just the mention of scarabs sends a shiver down my spine! Also, the opening scenes are dreadful - for more reasons than one. I didn't like how they brought the ten plagues of Egypt into the story. God, who is Goodness, sent those to free the Israelites - and now they're controlled by an evil monster? Plus, not all ten of the plagues are in the movie, which I thought was odd.

My Rating: MT (sexual content and references (including "partial" nudity that is closer to "complete" nudity), gross-out things)