Sherlock Holmes 1 and 2

This entry is for both movies.

(Wikipedia) Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 British-American action mystery film based on the character of the same name created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The film was directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. The screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg was developed from a story by Lionel Wigram and Michael Robert Johnson. Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law portray Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson respectively. In the film, Holmes and his companion Watson, with aid from former adversary Irene Adler, investigate a series of murders connected to occult rituals. Mark Strong plays the villain Lord Blackwood, who has somehow returned after his execution with a plot to take over the world using an arsenal of dark arts and new technologies.

(Wikipedia) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (aka Sherlock Holmes 2) is a 2011 British-American action mystery film directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey, and Dan Lin. It is a sequel to the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, based on the character of the same name created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The screenplay is written by Kieran Mulroney and Michele Mulroney. Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law reprise their roles as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively, as the duo join forces to outwit and bring down their most cunning adversary, Professor Moriarty, played by Jared Harris. The film is specifically influenced by Conan Doyle's work The Final Problem, but it is an independent story rather than a strict adaptation.

Plot Excerpts (Wikipedia):
Sherlock Holmes One: In 1891, London detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and his partner and flatmate Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) race to prevent the ritual murder of a woman by Lord Henry Blackwood (Mark Strong), who has killed five other young women similarly. They stop the murder before Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) and the police arrive to arrest Blackwood.

Three months later, Holmes' eccentric behavior again annoys Watson. While he enjoys their adventures together, Watson looks forward to marrying Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly) and leaving 221B Baker Street. Meanwhile, Blackwood has been sentenced to death and requests to see Holmes in prison, where he warns of three more unstoppable deaths that will cause great changes to the world. Blackwood is subsequently hanged and pronounced dead by Watson. Three days later, Holmes is visited by Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), a professional thief and his former adversary, who asks him to find a missing man named Luke Reordan. After her departure, Holmes follows her as she meets with her secret employer, hidden in the shadows of a carriage. The concealed man states that Reordan is the key to Blackwood's plans. Holmes only learns that the man is a professor and that he intimidates Adler.....etc, etc.

Sherlock Holmes Two (A Game of Shadows): In 1891, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) delivers a package to Dr. Hoffmanstahl—payment for a letter he was to deliver. Hoffmanstahl opens the package, triggering a hidden bomb which is prevented from detonating by the intervention of Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.). Holmes takes the letter and disposes of the bomb while Adler and Hoffmanstahl escape. Holmes later finds Hoffmanstahl assassinated. Adler meets with Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) to explain the events, but Moriarty poisons her with fast-acting tuberculosis—deeming her position compromised by her love for Holmes.

Some time later, Dr. Watson (Jude Law) arrives at 221B Baker Street, where Holmes discloses that he is investigating a series of seemingly unrelated murders, terrorist attacks, and business acquisitions, that he has connected to Moriarty. Holmes meets with the gypsy Simza (Noomi Rapace), the intended recipient of the letter he had taken from Adler, sent by her brother Rene. Holmes defeats an assassin sent to kill Simza, but she flees before Holmes can interrogate her. After Mary (Kelly Reilly) and Watson's wedding, Holmes meets Moriarty for the first time. Moriarty informs Holmes that he murdered Adler and will kill Watson and Mary if Holmes' interference continues...etc, etc

I liked both of these movies, with different parts better in each. In number One the cool scientific stuff behind a lot of the How'd-he-survive-that moments was really nice, and in Two the intense fight action, explosions, and slow-motion (not something you usually see in a detective movie) were amazingly done.
One downside to number Two though is that Holmes seems even more eccentric (if that's possible) - and although there is more action there isn't as much cool geeky science stuff that I so much like in number one.
I really should read the original books, as they say A Game of Shadows is only loosely based on any original works and that the author had plans of actually killing off Holmes (O.o).
Holmes in general when I first watched these movies seemed out of character - as I had at first thought Watson was more of the thinker of the two - though Holmes is so amazingly aware, smart, and oddly psychic when it comes to fighting that you just ignore his eccentricity and still like him.

Though both movies have semi-nude scenes that I don't like, number Two also has some weird parts where Holmes is dressed as a lady - and doesn't fit the part well so it seems kind of gross.

The part from number One where Holmes is boxing is one of it's best parts in my opinion, though in number Two the action scenes are much more sad (as a few minor French characters die) - though I am a big fan of Holme's wedding present to Watson, lol (Holmes almost dies twice [actually three] throughout).

The "bad-guy" in the 2nd movie (Moriarty) is much more agreeable and less menacing than the occultic Blackwood of the first, and as a secondary character I actually like the gypsy Simza (shown left) better than Holmes' "lover" Irene Adler, even if she isn't that good a fighter.


All in all I probably enjoyed number Two better (the occult stuff in One is a real turn-off), but only slightly so I shall still rate them both a 4 out of 5 stars - even if number Two is more solid in that rating than One.

Now, the best quotes? I don't remember any specific one's from number One at the moment, but from number Two when the ex-British Army sniper says "That's not fair!" during the gun showdown between him and Watson is a good one, and I laughed out loud. XD

Happy Feet 2

(Wikipedia) Happy Feet Two is a 2011 American-Australian 3D computer-animated family film directed by George Miller, who co-directed the original film Happy Feet. The film is a sequel to Happy Feet and stars Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Pink, Sofía Vergara, Common, Hugo Weaving, Richard Carter, Magda Szubanski and Anthony LaPaglia. Dr. D Studios in Sydney, Australia produced the film, which premiered in North American theaters on November 18, 2011 in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D.

Plot (me)

Erik, son of the penguins Mumble and Gloria, is reluctant to try dancing as most of the penguins in Emperor-Land do. Erik's first attempt at dancing embarrasses and outcasts him from the rest of the penguins. The story unfolds as Eric and a few friends follow Ramon to his part of Antartica, his father trying to get them back, and a glacier impacting and trapping the populace of Emperor-Land.

I wasn't actually expecting to watch this movie (Sherlock 2 was after it in the drive-in theater, and we thought it was the starting film), and I wasn't impressed with the trailer for it what-so-ever - but it surprised me by being almost as good as number one.

Eric's character needed a little more work, though his singing voice is good. The first song he did was pretty funny since the lyrics were sooo not what should go with that singing style (notice I'm not going to tell you what the style is, lol, you'll just have to watch it).

The addition of the Krill characters I thought was nice, too. They added some color to it, as well as the human crew on the Antarctic sea vessel a bit (they were amazingly animated too, by the way. Almost looked real when they were searching for Lovelace in the water later in the story).

My sister and I (Samurai) both rated this a solid 3 out of 5, but for younger kids I'm sure it would make a good 4 out of 5.
Another thing that's funny though, since we were watching this movie at the drive-in on Christmas the temperature was around 38 to 40 degrees! The cold fit with the snowy theme, lol.

Tron: Legacy

(wikipedia)Tron: Legacy is a 2010 American science fiction film directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Steven Lisberger. It is a sequel to the 1982 film Tron with Jeff Bridges reprising his roles as Kevin Flynn and CLU, while Bruce Boxleitner reprises his roles as Alan Bradley and Tron. Garrett Hedlund portrays Flynn's adult son, Sam. The other cast members include Olivia Wilde, Beau Garrett, Michael Sheen, and James Frain.

Plot (wikipedia):
In 1989, Kevin Flynn, software engineer and the CEO of ENCOM International, disappears. Twenty years later, his son, Sam, now ENCOM's primary shareholder, takes little interest in the company beyond playing an annual practical joke on the board of directors. Sam is visited by his father's friend, ENCOM executive Alan Bradley, urging Sam to investigate a message originating from Flynn's abandoned arcade. Upon entering the arcade, Sam reactivates the long dormant power supply, as well as a vintage juke box. As Journey's hit song Separate Ways plays, Sam discovers a Tron arcade game, which draws his interest. Attempting to play the game with the quarter given to him by his father the evening he disappeared, the machine ejects the coin, causing Sam to discover gouges in the floor which reveal a secret passage. Following the passage and discovering his fathers secret office, Sam unintentionally teleports himself to the Grid, a virtual reality, in the "ENCOM 511" supercomputer, created by his father.

Before watching this movie I had doubts on how good it would be, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was quite good. I loved the part with the stand-off between the security guard and Sam, lol.
Also, the CGI was epic! I loved the bikes and flying vehicles! Makes me want one like it, especially the part where they pack so light.
The character development was really good for the main characters, but really bad on some other important ppl, like maybe TRON HIMSELF?? C'mon, we're in the dark on that 'program' for practically the whole time, he almost never speaks. The intense moments in this movie weren't intense enough in general, but I think they really needed to make Tron show some kind of internal struggle or something to give him more depth.
Goes to say Big Bucks don't fix plot holes, lol.

Family Friendliness: A son finds his dad again after 20 yrs, that's powerful, but there is also absolutely no kissing or what not! I mean, c'mon, even cartoon movies have that these days! That's ranks it along side iRobot in my opinion, because though both have quite a bit of smashing, neither have blood and gore. Only "questionable" scene in Tron was the part where 3 girls were changing his outfit into techy Tron-style, which I guess could compare to the fact the iRobot starts out the movie by showing Will Smith in his boxers. :-P

But seriously, for a live-action movie that DISNEY made, it's better than one would think.


Samurai's Overall Rating: A decently good but wobbly 4 out of 5

Metajets

I'm big on animated TV shows obviously, so here's what I watched most recently.

Metajets (a Canadian show, produced by Cookie Jar Entertainment premiered in Canada in 2008, South Korea in 2009, and the United States in 2010) is pretty awesome in my opinion - yeah, the plot is kinda predictable and there are a few plot holes, especially at the end (maybe there was supposed to be a season 2?), but all in all a good clean good-vs-evil animated TV show, though I have no idea why the world always needs saving and these kids are the only one's available.

One thing I found surprising about it when I first started watching it was the fact that the vehicles and some of the close-up scenery are made in 3D - when the characters themselves are only in 2D. The jets look pretty cool that way but the characters look kinda funny if they give you a cockpit shot, lol.
Another thing is that these semi-military kids seem to be always at the race track, which gives the show more suspense in a different way than the usual shows with just fighting and such.

Johnny (Ace) is my fav character, with Maggie coming up next.
I hear they even have a flight-sim-like game with it too, maybe I should try it, lol.


For family friendliness this show rates pretty high, there's a lot of character development and overcoming one's personal problems
As for a straight out rating I give this at LEAST 4 out of 5 stars, and I'd suggest watching as much if not more than I would Eon Kid.














I posted about this and possibly my new animated TV fix Robotech on my personal page HERE. Click to learn more.


~Samurai

The Dark Knight Rices

Decided to post a funny, lol. If we're going to post a Dark Knight reveiw, NuttyNinja would be the one who would.

~KnightlySamurai

(does that sound better than just Samurai? It has a nice ring to it, lol)

New Addition

New Addition to the About Me pages!

The addition is a "Recently Watched" section, where the admin puts in a recently watched movie/show. It may not be updated regularly but I hope mine will at least, lol.






This is what it looks like:

-Recently Watched-
Samurai:
☺How to Train your Dragon (again) - Oct 30th
☺Puss in Boots - Oct 29th
☻Metajets (Animated TV show) - ep. 24

Whether or not I will currently make the ☺ and ☻ mean watched and unwatched/currently watching I have no idea. I suppose I could.

Eon Kid

Eon Kid (USA)

(Wikipedia) Eon Kid is the English title of a South Korean-Spanish CGI animated television series Iron Kid (Korean: 아이언 키드) produced by Daewon Media and Design Storm in South Korea, and BRB Internacional in Spain. While the series is known as Iron Kid in South Korea, Spain and other non-English-speaking countries, it is known as Eon Kid in the English-speaking countries due to the legal concerns.
It premiered in Korea on KBS2 on April 6, 2006, and on TVE in fall 2006. In the United States, it is distributed by Manga Entertainment and premiered on The CW's Saturday morning Kids WB block September 22, 2007.

Iron Kid (South Korea)

In this show the main character (Marty) is unknowingly the last in the line of the House of Eon, or bearers of the Fist of Eon (I'm saying Eon because I like it better than the Korean Iron Fist and I will throughout) which puts him in a tough place when The General's forces are again threatening the world after being defeated 100 years prior by Eon, Marty's ancestor. In the show he not only makes many enemies, but also good friends, some in unlikely places, who help him along the way.

At first I wasn't expecting much from this show as in the first 5 to 10 episodes or so the plot was pretty slow, but it gives some good action afterward to make up for it, so it's still a good watch in my opinion.
I really like the good action scenes and characters, though on some of the characters you're left guessing as to their origin and their story, which is a bummer, but hey, I doubt it was big budget.

That being said the animation quality is awesome! They do a good job with the flame-like aspects of some of the attacks and special abilities, and I really like the concept of the robot characters that are almost so like humans you can barely tell them apart by actions alone - and apparently don't rust very fast, lol.

Gaff is totally my favorite character, though I still don't know why he doesn't show himself till past episode 13, I guess I'll just have to finish the series, lol. ;-D

EDIT: Ok, finished it. Once it picks up it's good to go. I don't like all the mythical stuff though, about the eastern Chi or inner-spirit what-not.


~Samurai
No idea why I didn't also write entries for X-Men: Evolution, Wolverine and the X-Men, The Avengers: World's Greatest Heroes, Astro Boy, or Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Maybe I will get to a few of those eventually.

Samurai Rating: 4/5 (The Eastern mythical "Chi" idea that this show gives and the plot holes, but the rest is good)
NuttyNinja Rating: N/A
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