Movies Pt 1: Sherlock Holmes

I had a chance to get to the movies several times in January. I don;'t do that much these days and it was a treat. Here are my thoughts about them, FWIW.

SHERLOCK HOLMES - I was ready to dislike this. I've been a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective since I read "A Scandal in Bohemia" in the sixth grade and had reservations about Holmes played as an action hero by an American actor.

As it turned out the screenplay was very clever and surprisingly true to the spirit of the original stories. There were some plot holes, but nothing glaring and the cast was excellent. Robert Downey Jr. is one of the best actors around. He picked up on both the brilliance and the troubled side of the character and made me believe. My only problem with him is that he doesn't look even remotely like Holmes is supposed to, but I can overlook that for a first rate performance. Jude Law was excellent as Dr. Watson, and the story worked, both as a self-contained story, and as the set up for a sequel.

I've heard that there is another Holmes film in the works with Sasha Baron Cohen as Holmes and Will Ferrell as Watson. I think I'd rather chew off my own foot than be trapped in a theater with that, but we'll see I suppose.