SHERLOCK HOLMES

Christmas this year was driving 300 miles, four hours of sleep, watching the nieces/nephew open presents, and playing video games for 13 hours. Oh yeah, and seeing Sherlock Holmes. We went to a theater in Spanish Fork, UT and paid only $6 to see the movie. SIX DOLLARS. For six dollars I would watch practically anything, but paying that little for an opening night movie in a theater full of uptight Republicans, older folks with nothing better to do, and rabid perhaps-slightly-drunk-on-something fan boys just made the experience that much better. Particullarly when the hooting, cheering-at-the-screen fan boys got rowdy and random women in the audience would yell at them to shut up. Nothing quite like an opening night crowd.



All of that aside, the movie was fun, too. First of all, I am amazed at how good Jude Law looks in a mustache and top hat. Really. The guy should reconsider the mustache as a permanent facial element. Secondly, the Ex-Mr. Madonna (director Guy Richie) can really make a movie (so long as Madonna isn't in it) and it was very very well done. Thirdly, I like how Robert Downey Jr. can work for months to perfect his accent and character develpment and everything else but what the audience really wants to see is him acting like we think he acts when he's not Sherlock Holmes (or Tony Stark). We like to see him drinking substances intended for eye surgery, not sounding really British and stuffy. And, since he's a movie star, rather than a stage actor, that's just the way it is. Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Brando, Pachino, Johnny Depp -- we like who we think they are and the character is secondary. Nevermind the fact that who we think they are IS a character, we still like it and them. The in-theater hooting last nightwas most noticible when Sherlock Holmes was drunk, punching someone in the face, or falling out of windows -- very definately flavors of Robert Downey Jr's good-ol' bad old days.

Good times. Anyway, Sherlock Holmes is cool. Makes a costume movie not look costume. Lots of brawling and dirt and jokes and cool looking stuff. Go see it. You'll enjoy it even if you pay more than $6 and aren't serenaded by the neighborhood rowdies.