May 21, 2009

Trailer Review: Sherlock Holmes

"This Is Not A Pipe"

I'm down with Sherlock. I used to watch "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" on PBS. I've read the stories. I enjoy the guy. I mean how can you not like Sherlock Holmes? He's a genius with morals, he likes a good mystery, he's plays the violin, he's a brawler and part time drug addict. So when I heard that Guy Ritchie was making a Sherlock Holmes movie starting Robert Downey Jr. my first thought was "That's interesting." But not in a good way.

Well a trailer for the new Sherlock Holmes movie came out. Take a look:


What do you think? Here's what I think: Pretty disappointing. It's only a trailer so I don't want to critique the whole movie just based on these couple of minutes of footage. Even though I routinely critique a whole movie based on it's poster (By the way the poster looks straight-to-DVD good) . But as far as this trailer goes, it's pretty disappointing.

I'm not playing a whiny Trekkie here, complaining that it's not true to the original. I liked the idea of Sherlock getting a edgy, stylized makeover. I felt it would actually showcase a side of Holmes that was always there under the surface. Give it an Allan Moore vibe maybe, steam punk it up a bit with a Guy Ritchie swagger. But from what this trailer shows that's not what this movie does.

The movie seems...what's the word...it's on the tip of my tongue...cheesy, cliche, unoriginal, I could go on. Who cares if it's not the same-old-Sherlock-Holmes? I would rather watch "not the same old" than not much of anything at all. How do you set out trying to recreate one of the most recognizable characters in fiction and film and end up with a movie that seems pedestrian? And why is Jude Law Watson? What is with this casting? I really want to know. (I'm sounding like Seinfeld now).

Let's use our imagination for a second. Close your eyes. Let's say this movie didn't have Sherlock Holmes in it, it's Just Robert Downey playing a quirky detective. Ok what do you see? A really lame move? I see it too.

May 14, 2009

Movie Poster Review: The Hangover


Zach Galifinakis + a baby = Awesomeness.

This movie could be awful and unfunny... but I'm casting my vote for Best Poster of the Year (For a Comedy or Musical). That's my review and I'm sticking to it.

Here is the trailer:



Here is "Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifinakis" with Natalie Portman. You know, just for kicks...

May 10, 2009

Olafur Eliasson: Am I spelling that correctly?


Sorry. I've been gone again. I was across the pond and their Internet uses the metric system and I didn't know how to do the conversions. But once again I am back.

Who the hell is Olafur Eliasson? If you have to ask you'll never know. Unless you know me and then I will tell you. If you already know who Olafur is then skip this next paragraph.

Olafur Eliasson is a Danish artist know for his high profile works The Weather Project at the Tate and last years New York City Waterfalls. All of you that didn't read this paragraph are a bunch of know-it-all assholes.

Last fall a video was made while the New York City Waterfalls were still flowing. This is that video: Olafur Eliasson.



Damn that is catchy.
Another funny but even weirder video by the same guys can be found here.