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matelliott
Reviews
Sherlock (2010)
Great TV, but the best?
First of all Sherlock IS great TV, I have enjoyed it immensely and at it's best it is captivating as only the best shows are, however nothing is perfect, well maybe Firefly was on occasion and there are a few things that in my humble television watching opinion don't ring true.
The writing and filming - while good it is not in the great, there are a few too many clunky lines, plot motifs and contemporary visual gimmicks, they won't date well, also Gatiss is a little too campy in his writing for my taste, but it's hard to criticise his reverence and love for the material but it can feel very light and contrived.
The acting - This is going to sound like a rant, it's not meant to be, this is some wishful thinking on my part that would make Sherlock better than it already is. Cumberbatch is special, Freeman is NOT, I'm astounded by his woodenness, don't say it's underplaying, it's not. I had not been impressed by Jude Law's acting ability but the chemistry between Law and Downey as Watson and Holmes has been plain to see. Freeman is the major weak link in this TV production and at times he is unbearable to watch, it is testament to other cast members that it's not ruined by Freeman's performance, he just does not have the acting chops, what a lucky bugger that he is to be a likable every-man type, he must also have an amazing agent.
Una Stubbs - miscast, another likable actress, but far too light and nice for the role, there is very little of the depth and playfulness that could be there in the relationship between her and Holmes.
Rupert Graves - Again the conviction is not quite there, Graves was fantastic in Wallander, not here, why? Lestrade should be a key support role, but he feels very bland, maybe the police stereotypes are just too dull and numerous and the script does not allow for any more.
Supporting acting, there has been some great supporting acting notably from Loo Brealey, Zoe Telford and Lara Pulver, but there is also some acting that is not up to the same standard and therefore jars when mixed in with convincing performances. Mark Gatiss, Vinette Robinson are not strong and the wider supporting casting is sub par with perhaps a little too much latitude to young fresh talent rather than those who have trodden the boards for some time.
Andrew Scotts performance I feel sits somewhere in the middle with Graves, a good actor with some clunky dialogue opposite a very great actor, Cumberbatch.
Sherlock has almost unbreakable subject matter, only the worst Holmes productions are stinkers, how could they fail to have a hit, how much better it could be though!
Edge of Darkness (2010)
It's unfair to compare to the TV series
Yes, it's unfair to compare this film to the BBC TV series. Why? Because like me you remember the series to be the BEST TV drama of it's time and you have a bitter sweet emotion that you want to see the film because I want to see the series again... only a contemporary version... if only Bob Peck were still alive etc etc Well that's not fair to the director or actors in Edge of Darkness 2010. They have made a solid FILM version of the series, moving it to USA and swapping around a US protagonist (Gibson/Peck) and a UK antihero (Don Baker/Winston) - I like that! I will never be BBC Edge of Darkness, that is the point, but it is REALLY well acted, intelligent in the same way the 80's series was (and that had some over the top acting moments as well) and as many people have observed, it is something different from your usual multiplex teenager /chase/gun/car/girl/money movies that we are bombarded with every week. I sat down in the cinema I enjoyed the dialogue, the emotion, the interaction between actors at the top of their game and came out of thinking... well they did a good job, they didn't ruin it and I felt like I had seen a movie that was about craft, about telling a story, about entertainment and not just about making money.
Enjoy it for what it is
George and the Dragon (2004)
So bad...it's good!
This film looks as though it had major production problems with cast (disapearing) and hence a revised plot line?? After what I imagine is a bit of a bodge job on the script the cast has persevered with a lot of humour and gusto to present a story which although it has many flaws also has a charm that makes up for this to the credit of Purefoy, Perabo and Duncan who throw themselves into making the best of it I suspect. If you like a comedy along the lines of A Knights Tale combined with a bit of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves then this is pretty much what you are getting, a good old romp with some hammy over the top theatricals thrown in.