Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Review

For me this movie was about expectations.  I went into it expecting a fun adventure-mystery, that's generally what I got.  Robert Downey Jr (Holmes), Jude Law (Watson), and Rachel McAdams (Irene Adler) all reprised their roles for this one. Added to the  cast was Noomi Rapace as they mysterious Simza  Heron a fortuneteller, and Stephen Fry (Wyecroft Holmes). 



The story led Sherlock (or Sherly as Wyecroft insisted on calling him), and the gang across Europe in a quest to stop Holmes' archenemy Moriarty (Jared  Harris) from causing a World War.  Along the way Downey Jr. displays his surprisingly good comic timing as the audience is left wondering what crazy disguise Sherlock will think of next; he appears as everything from being dressed as a woman, to an old Chinese man.

There's no shortage of action; the characters are always running, jumping, shooting off  guns, being thrown from trains.  The action is offset with the intense scenes between Holmes and Moriarty, that show there is potentially a good story there; and that it isn't just an action movie.  Even though this is a plus, it's also a negative; those scenes are like gems  within the film itself; brief insights into Holmes, and Moriarty.  You're often left wanting more wondering what makes these characters tick;  what's driving the rivalry between these two men so ideally matched?  Why are they so ruthless in their pursuit of one another?  I guess all of that is fodder for a sequel.

The movie has an open-ending; the audience knows of Holmes' fate, but nothing of Moriarty's. I would have made it more subtle and left Holmes' fate unknown as well, and just left Watson with a mysterious clue.

If you're looking for an escape this  holiday season go see Sherlock Holmes: Game Of Shadows.  On a scale of 1-5 I'd give it a solid 3.5 out of 5.

Falling Out of Love with Grey's Anatomy

It's one of my many guilty pleasures in life; or at least it was.  At first it was almost Shakespearean- Meredith and Derek as star-crossed lovers, backed by a cast of memorable characters.  And then, they were gasp; happy for a little while until the end of last season- everyone else had the drama.

Now they're not.  And now, coincidentally I'm not.  I don't know exactly when it happened, but I fell out of love with Grey's Anatomy.  Scratch that- I do know when it happened; the musical episode last season, when everyone sang.  I know for a while it was the fashion- every show had to have the musical episode, but really I can't think of a less apropriate show than Grey's Anatomy for it.  If other shows jumped off a cliff would you?.  It was painful to watch, and at least in my opinion was a huge shark-jumping moment.

Last season's season finale was so-so.  The storylines moved forward; but the old drama, the intensity was gone.  I tuned in last week hoping it would be better, and sadly it wasn't.  The way the episode started; with the big sinkhole accident; the focus should be on how the characters dealt with it.  The way the husband had to cut the wife's leg off was intense; there was drama there as Owen had to go down into the sink hole to help them.  But it seemed to be missing some of the human interaction.  Grey's is at its best when those smaller characters like the couple stuck in the sinkhole, and the other accident victims interact with the show's regulars, and each other.  Everyone seemed too wrapped in their own problems to do any of that.

Meredith taking Zola?? That was out-of-character for her. She has stated several times she wants to be a good mother.  That went completely the other way.  And Christina wanting an abortion is consistent with her character; surgery is obviously her defining characteristic.  I just wanted Meredith to tell her off about how Christina should realize how lucky she was she could get pregnant.

Grey's Anatomy was once one of my favourite shows- it was appointment television for me.  Now I'm starting not to really care if I watch it or not.  I'll give it a few more episodes to see if it gets better.  

Summer Reading: My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon, and "Anna Strong" series

Generally I read anything that sounds good from the synopsis on the back of the book.  Lately I've been on a supernatural/ horror kick.  One of the books I'm reading now is "My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon," a collection of short stories by different authors edited by P.N. Elrod.  It's been a great way to sample different writers, while not being tied to following one storyline- it gives me the freedom to skip around if I want. 

I've also discovered the  "Anna Strong, " novels by Jeanne C. Stein.  I was looking at the library for a book to take with me on a trip and stumbled upon the third of her series "Blood Drive."  I ended up reading the whole thing in about five days.  The main character Anna is a newly-turned vampire trying to adjust to her new lifestyle as one of the undead.  The stories are told from Anna's point of view, and written with equal parts sarcasm and emotion as Anna struggles to stay in touch with the human world.

If you're a fan of the supernatural, and looking for something to read that's pure escapist, then check out both of these.

The Demise of Soaps

Daily Soap Operas are everyone's favourite guilty pleasure.  We tune into find out who the daddy is, who's shacking up with whom, or who's blackmail whom; or what long lost sibling son/ daughter have shown up now- it's a piece of escapism.  And bit, bit these shows are dying off.  First CBS cancelled As The World Turns, and Guiding Light, replacing them with lifestyle programming, and now ABC is at the cancellation game; about to do away with One Life To Live, and All My Children.  They'll replace them with two lifestyle food shows, one featuring Mario Batali.  And now the network has announced it's inked a deal with Katie Couric for her very own talk show; and this is rumoured to spell the end of its third network soap opera: General Hospital.

I think it's a trend.  The networks will start running the reality programming, and talk shows, and then the minute after the ratings start slipping they'll yank the shows and have nothing to replace them with.  Then soaps will be back, and according to fans at least, all will be right with the world.

  I admit, when I work at home, I don't watch television during the day, but I do tape General Hospital daily and watch it later. The presence new talk shows, and lifestyle type programming won't make me change my habits.  When faced with the option of that, or turning off the television, soap fans will probably do the most powerful thing they can think of; they'll probably turn off the television.


Soaps are expensive television

Today in History: D-Day.. fighting then, and now

June 6, 1944 was D-day.  The allies stormed the beaches at Normandy and began their campagin to liberate Europe after nearly five years at war.  Canadian troops fought at Juno Beach, and a group of them gained the most territory of any allied soldiers.  They fought in Italy, France and liberated Holland. 

One war began its ending 67 years ago, and a second begins its ending today.  It was announced on the news, Canadian troops fought their final battle in Afghanistan.  Canada will pull out of its combat role, reverting to humanitarian, and training role.  It was planned by their Afghan National Army allies, making it oddly poetic that it should happen today of all days.  But it is an appropriate reminder that we haven't always been the peacekeepers we'd like to think of Canadians as. We've been fighters; doing the impossible, and doing it well.

It's a saying we repeat every Remembrance Day: "We Will remember them."  We should remember them; the glories of the past, and what our soldiers continue doing now. 

Hockey Returns to Winnipeg

Hockey and Canada go together like coffee and doughnuts; bread and butter, summer and ice cream.  There's something about the game; the skill used to make a great stop, the player that can shoot the winning goal, or a well-laid body check that sings to us or the drama of a penalty shot.  Everyone has opinons on it; were the Refs wrong to have called that one penalty? Did that one shot go in, or was it kicked it in by a skate?

15 years ago Winnipegers lost their team to Phoenix.  And now the NHL has given it back approving a deal that moves the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg.  Hockey and Canada should be a winning combination, and I really hope this works out for Winnipeg this time.  Experts say it should work out for Toronto too; there's speculation that when they realign the conferences, they're going to put the Red Wings in the Eastern Conference; meaning the Leafs are going could be seeing a lot of the Red Wings triggering another rivalry as old as the Original Six.

In a City where the saying "Maybe next year" has become a part of the vocabulary a competitive team in Winnipeg could give the Leafs' management  a kick in the pants to make some changes.  It may be the only thing that can. 

Welcome!

Welcome to yet another blog from me. This one is more for the pop-culture, and entertainment side of things.  I want to make this one a bit lighter, but just as opinionated.  This will be a space for musings on television, movies, music, and just anything that catches my eye from the world outside politics and current events.