Lenny Likes Stuff: August 2014

Sunday, 31 August 2014

Sherlock

There have been many adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes. In recent years we have Robert Downey Jr portray the iconic figure in two movies. The movies were excellent and set in the 1890's. Again, I love these movies, and I thought Guy Richie did a fabulous job, as well as Downey and Jude Law. I couldn't to see Elementary when it premièred on CBS in 2012. Its Sherlock Holmes portrayed by Johnny Lee Miller brought Sherlock to our time, and he is solving cases in New York City. Watson, usually played by a male actor, was cast to Lucy Liu, and instead of John her name is Joan. The chemistry between Johnny Lee Miller and Liu is great. They play off of each other really well. It adds a great dynamic having the Watson character as a female. They didn't GOP with sexual tension right off the bat between Holmes and Watson, there is a love between the two but more as a brother and sister. The New York Holmes is a recovering Heroine addict, and Joan started out as a live in sponsor to look after him. Holmes quickly recruited Watson as his side kid and began training her to think along the same lines as him. Each case was a test for Watson. They mostly work for the NYPD and are brought in on tough cases. Each episode is fast paced and has twists and turns I am on the edge of my seat every week. Its great.

This brings me to the British show Sherlock. The best out of the most recent incarnations. The show started airing in 2010, I have been watching them on Netflix. The seasons are only 3 episodes long, but run around an hour and a half. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as John Watson. This too brings Holmes to modern day, and has him solving crimes in modern day London. With each episode layer out like a movie, they can squeeze more story into them. The cliff hanger at the end of the second series was excellent, and had me chomping at the bit to see Series 3. Which I just started watching tonight. I hope that North American television stations see how this series is being made and consider doing the same style here. 3 episodes in a season, basically mini movies, damn its good.

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Sunday, 24 August 2014

Tucker and Dale vs Evil

This movie is a couple of years old. Its a comedy/horror flick, kind of horror anyway. Its basically a Threes Company Episode. One miss understanding after another causes chaos and death. The movie starts out like most horror movies. Young College students are on their way to a fun filled weekends in the woods. Along the way they bump into creepy backwoods folks. Tucker and Dale are the "creepy" backwoods folks in this story.

Dale likes one of the young girls and when he tries to talk to her he comes of creepy and weird. Now Dale and Tucker are on their way to a cabin that Tucker has bought as a vacation home. It just so happens the college kids are camping in the same area as the cabin. The college kids get spooked during a late night skinny dip romp as Tucker and Dale are fishing. The cute College girl Dale likes falls into the lake off of some rocks and needs to be saved from drowning.

The other College kids run off thinking the worst has happened to their friend. It turns out Tucker and Dale are legitimately nice guys and want to help. As the other college kids rally to get their "kidnapped friend back, freak accidents end up killing them.

Not the best movie I have ever seen, and it is kind of lame. I do not recommend it. Its a spoof movie trying hard not to be a spoof film. So it doesn't really work. I can see Tucker and Dale making a come back as a Cheech and Chong or Harold and Kumar kind of comedy team. But not in a spoof horror movie.

Any questions, concerns, or comments, email at hilsonlen @gmail.com, friend me on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LennyHilson. I am also on Twitter @LenSceneAMovie.

Thursday, 14 August 2014

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I have been a fan of the ape movies since I was a kid. I didn't care too much for the failed Tim Burton reboot, it was decent but as usual Burton just ignored all last material. The sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes is pretty good. Iys a decade or so after thee first movie takes place. The Apes live in the wilderness in and around San Francisco. A small bach of humans have banded together and are trying to get back to being the dominant species.

What triggers the final war between humans and Apes? Two assholes. An ape asshole, Koba and a human asshole Carver.

The action sequences are intense and very realistic. CGI has come such a long way its truly amazing. There are a few touching moments in this installment just as there were in the last film. Ceasar is a family man. He has a wife and two sons. I can't wait for the 3rd one coming to theater 2016.