Saturday, May 23, 2009

Sherlock Holmes movie en route



I'm not a Sherlock Holmes aficionado. Nor am I a member of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Society, etc... But like many people, I read my fair share of Holmes at one point in my life.

I'm not really sure Holmes translates very well to a late 20th or early 21st Century aesthetic when it comes to movie making. And as much as I like him in movies from Iron Man to Chaplin, I'm not sure Robert Downey Jr. would immediately pop into mind as my first choice for Holmes. Or Jude Law as Watson (that one just baffles me). Both are fine actors, certainly. But it also sort of screams "this ain't your father's Sherlock Holmes! This is EXTREME Holmes, kids!". Not surehow I feel about that.

I'm also noting that like many trailers these days, this trailer indicates absolutely nothing about story. There was a theory when I was in film school that the usefulness of story had come to an end. I'd sort of scoffed at the idea at the time, but... apparently you at least don't need a story to sell people on showing up for a movie.

On the plus side, it also means somebody is going to cash in by putting out nicely bound editions of the actual Holmes work. And while I will most certainly go see this movie (note: it features explosions), I will also probably be looking for a nice edition or two of a Holmes collection.

6 comments:

J.S. said...

I likes me some Sherlock Holmes. I remember being way into the Holmes stories in like 9th thru 10th grade. Very entertaining.

The League said...

I remember the period well. You took to playing the violin and making outrageous accusations at people based upon any hint of mud on the cuff on their pants or slant in their handwriting. You also made me follow you around, occasionally shouting "By Jove! However did you come to that conclusion?"

NTT said...

Who knew Sherlock Holmes worked for MI-6?

Next they'll have Sherlock Holmes and Edgar Allen Poe team up to take down the human trafficking trade run clandestinely by the Russian Czar. Wait, has that been done already in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen??

I'm too tired, need more BBQ. Laterz.

The League said...

I just read the new Sherlock Holmes issue from Dynamite!. Worth checking out. Written by Alan Moore's daughter, Leah Moore.

A bit pricey, so you may want to wait until its collected.

NTT said...

I love how Dynamite mines the public domain. Next up, a graphic novel of Keats Ode to a Grecian Urn, now with more alliteration!!

The League said...

Yeah, I also picked up their Dracula by Moore, and the next project is Alice in Wonderland.

Those are actually adaptations, a la Classics Illustrated, so its a bit easier to trust.

I'm picking up some of the Project: Superpwoers public domain stuff. Not as creative as how Alan Moore treated the stuff in Tom Strong, but interesting. Just very slowly paced.

But they also triggered something with all this resurgence of old properties. They'e grabbing Green Hornet (which... can we just make it what it really is: Kato and his little pal, Green Hornet?), and they're done very well by Lone Ranger and Zorro.

DC has The Spirit and now Doc Savage. I've heard they're trying for The Shadow again (so maybe a reprint of the Chaykin series?), and a few other of the original superheroes.