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Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Where is Miguelito Loveless
Yes Holmes in the movie is portrayed in the semblance of the original character - yes most know he was portrayed by ACD as misanthropic drug addict.
But this movie is more closer to the wild wild west TV series in its spirit- it's a matter of degree how much liberty Hollywood can take with the character and make him into a smarmy action hero. SH is more like Captain America at the end of the movie than anything.
Jude Law was good as Watson. And the interaction between him and Downey was good. But this still had the taint of "low-browing" it by Hollywood.
Notwithstanding some of the positives mentioned -- this movie is basically pablum.
Love Actually (2003)
Movie Actually?!
I thought this movie was pathetic.
All the contrived fatuous situations did not make any sense. Wasting the talents of Neeson and Thompson on this dreck was sad. There was absolutely no charm in any of the story lines with the possible exception of the Colin Firth subplot which actually made me think I did not waste 2+ hours of my life. The worst story lines were the Neeson and Thompson subplots - Was there any reason why Thompson's husband's secretary(?) was in love with him or did I miss something - she looked young enough to be his daughter. The storyline was so brain numbing that I thought at first Thompson's husband was gay.
The Neeson subplot was so condescending and predictable it was sickening. It was totally unbelievable to me.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Gorey Movie
Some viewers saw this as somewhat Addams' family-like. With Baldwin's bookish narration and erudite references and all the oddball and somewhat stultified characters it was close to an Edward Gorey story (even the chapter intro had line drawings!)
Gwyneth looks like something out of Awdrwy Gore's "Toastrack Enigma"
The Others (2001)
I recommend the others (other films in the same genre, that is)
Granted that Kidman's performance is good and it did have a lot of atmosphere and was pretty creepy at times, I thought overall this film was below par.
** Partial Spoiler **
The pace dragged, certain things were too unbelievable: the keys, the lessons, precocious child knowing too much after being sheltered for too long, the servants (seemingly) conspiratorial talking (I thought I was watching a crime drama or an episode of Miss Marple), the husbands mysterious appearance & behavior (at this point the surprise ending could be seen a mile away). I did like how all the pieces fit together amd when it wasn't dragging to a halt it kept my interest but I think Beetlejuice or Jacob's Ladder are better films but the Others is at least worth seeing once.
The Others (2001)
I recommend the others (other films in the same genre, that is)
Granted that Kidman's performance is good and it did have a lot of atmosphere and was pretty creepy at times, I thought overall this film was below par.
** Partial Spoiler **
The pace dragged, certain things were too unbelievable: the keys, the lessons, precocious child knowing too much after being sheltered for too long, the servants (seemingly) conspiratorial talking (I thought I was watching a crime drama or an episode of Miss Marple), the husbands mysterious appearance & behavior (at this point the surprise ending could be seen a mile away). I did like how all the pieces fit together amd when it wasn't dragging to a halt it kept my interest but I think Beetlejuice or Jacob's Ladder are better films but the Others is at least worth seeing once.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Novel ending
This new version was okay. The setup was interesting but it was very conventional after the first 20 minutes.
But I'm hearing a lot of complaints about the ending -- but isn't this the way Pierre Boule's novel ended?
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Great film
If you liked the 6th sense you should like this more eldritch and disturbing film. Some have sniped that this is derivative of the Twilight Zone episode/Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode Occurrence at Owl Creek bridge. But that Ambrose Bierce story carries the germ of Jacob's ladder but the film if considered derivative is a much more fleshed out modern interpretation of that tale.
I cannot comment on Carnival of Souls, I have not seen it, but I enjoyed this darker, thoughtful film than the much hailed 6th Sense. 6th Sense was good but its storyline depends more on the twist ending then Jacob's Ladder did.
The Turn of the Screw (1999)
Interesting Adaptation
This was an interesting adaptation of James' equivocal little masterpiece. This production leaned a bit towards the Freudian camp/interpretation.
I liked it. They took a bit of liberty on some of the Jamesian dialogue e.g. Flora's speech to the governess by the lake. Not as many liberties, though, as in "Wings of the Dove"
Note for the pedantic: One surprising bit was the first apparition of Quint; he appears in the afternoon in broad daylight. Devotees of the James' piece and the ghost story frisson will surely remember that this occurred in twilight.