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Now I’m not especially familiar with the literary figure of Sherlock Holmes, but I really like the Downey figure of Sherlock Holmes. He’s brilliant (yet conflicted and absent-minded), he’s charming (and overbearing), he’s a man who can take care of himself in a scuffle (and yet, he’s just as likely to have his ass handed to him) – truly, Robert Downey, Jr.’s portrayal of Holmes is a masterful showcase of dichotomies.

As we first meet our hero and his faithful friend Watson (portrayed with equal mastery by Jude Law), they are racing to prevent the murder of a young girl by Lord Blackwood (played by the very creepy Mark Strong) in a dark religious ritual. The dynamic of Holmes and Watson together, whether in verbal exchanges or fisticuffs, is brilliant, and really, one of the most captivating and entertaining elelments of the film.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, there’s a story, too. Lord Blackwood is captured by the duo and eventually hanged for his crimes, though not before promising to return from the grave (which he does). Before being hanged, he promises Holmes that three more murders will occur, and he better get used to the idea because there’s nothing he can do to stop them.

The rest of the movie involves Holmes at his Holmes-iest putting together the mysetry piece by piece and providing logical and scientific explanations for all of the “supernatural” occurrences that have all of England gripped by fear.

I gotta say, as much as I like her Rachel McAdams seemed like an “eye-candy” addition – although her character technically had something to do with the storyline, I didn’t feel that she really contributed anything of substance to the movie at all.

It’s entertaining in the same way that a Michael Bay flick is, and considering Guy Ritchie directed this one, that’s a compliment. If you like a good action flick with plenty of sharp dialogue without any real mental work required, this is a great film for you.

3/5

This movie is not for everyone. In fact, I would imagine that only a handful of people will truly enjoy this movie, and just because you liked Chicago (also directed by Rob Marshall) doesn’t mean you’ll like NINE.

NINE is the story of Guido Contini (played brilliantly, of course, by Daniel Day-Lewis), an Italian film director in 1960′s Rome. Contini began his career quite successfully, with the crowds adoring everything he did. However, his last two films have been “flops” (his words). His new film starts shooting in ten days, and everything is in place – sets, costumes, hair & makeup, leading lady… but Contini has yet to write a single word of the script.

The life Contini leads can only be described as a circus, juggling the expectations of his producer, the overwhelming pressure from the press to leak a few juicy details about his film, his loving and loyal wife at home (Marion Cottilard), the needs of his mistress to know she is loved by him (Penelope Cruz), and always the pressure of the script – what will this film even BE  about?

The lone source of encouragement and stability in this circus is the support of his costumer, Lilli, played by Dame Judi Dench. Sure, she’s interested in the script, too, but having been his costumer for many years, she’s pretty good at coming up with what he needs even before he knows he needs, and not just with costumes. She encourages him to get everything ready to shoot, and do what he does best – let the camera tell the story.

“The Story” ultimately unravels. Contini can only juggle so many things for so long before it comes crashing down around him, and everyone involved feels the ripple of his pain.

Like I said, this isn’t a movie for everyone. Even for me, although the musical numbers were kinda snappy, the acting was spot-on, and the film as a whole was cinematically captivating, what really drew me in and got me to like this film was Contini, and maybe it’s because I can identify with the overwhelming feeling of confusion and being lost, with no one to tell him what to do or how to make things work.

In the end, Contini finds that nobody has the answers for his life but him, and in that regard, I was inspired by this film.

2.5/5

Avatar is, quite simply, one of the most stunningly immersive and beautiful films I’ve ever seen. Does it have it’s faults? Sure, almost all movies do, but they easily fade away into a fantastic and brilliantly stunning cinematic experience. Is writer/director James Cameron a genius? Well, “genius” may be going a little too far, but he certainly did an amazing job on this film.

The story is simple enough, and yes, it is fairly reminiscent of Dance with Wolves.  An indiginous culture is on the verge of being driven from their home. An emmissary of sorts is sent to the natives to learn their ways and work diplomatically, but becomes so entrenched in their culture that he switches sides and helps the natives prevail. The end.

But it’s so much more than just the story, and really, there IS more to the story than just that.

A profit-driven corporate interest has discovered rich deposits of unobtainium (first drawback of the film, stupid name for the mineral) on the planet Pandora, which is a visciously hostile environment. Humans can’t breathe the air for more than 30 seconds, and just about every animal on Pandora is bigger, faster and stronger than humans – including the 9-foot tall natives, the Na’vi. Add to this that the stupidly-named mineral they’re after is directly underneath where the Na’vi live, and the humans don’e stand much of a chance at getting the stuff without the use of massive firepower and carnage.

A group of scientists (obviously opposed to the kill-the-natives-and-take-what-we-want idea) has developed a more diplomatic solution. Led by Sigourney Weaver, they’ve managed to grow cloned alien bodies by mixing human DNA with that of the Na’vi. They call these alien clones “Avatars”, and through the wonders of future technology can transfer the consciousness from the human DNA donor into the Avatar body. This way, they’re able to interact with the Na’vi in a supposedly less-threatening way and work towards persuading them to move their village so the mining operation can continue.

Problem is, one of the Avatar drivers died, so they’ve got an unusable (very expensive) Na’vi body with no one to drive it. Fortunately, the original driver had an identical twin named Jake, played by Sam Worthington, who (of course) is an exact DNA match for the Avatar. Only he’s a marine and not a scientist like his brother. Oh, and he’s in a wheelchair, too, as a result of an injury sustained in battle.

Anyway, Jake falls in love with one of the Na’vi, is accepted into their tribe, proves himself to them, and ultimately leads them to victory. The end.

It’s a good story. Nothing spectacular or ground-breaking on that front, but Cameron does a reasonable job of telling a fairly compelling story.

But the real brilliance of this movie isn’t about the story in particular, but the telling of it, and this is where Cameron achieves near-genius. I said at the beginning that Avatar is an immersive experience. I saw it in 3D, and although I was a little distracted by the lens-glare from my 3D glasses (couldn’t they have put an anti-reflective coating on these?), I was enveloped in the experience immediately. Truth is, I can’t do the experience justice with my words alone, you’ve got to see it to understand. The melding of live action and CGI (40% live/60% CGI according to the studio) is so seamless that no matter how profoundly improbably any of the scenery, plants, or creatures are it comes off as not only believable, but perfectly natural.

Again, really all I can say is that it’s a visual masterpiece and a profound achievement in cinema.

4.5/5

Everyone’s got their own list of top movies – top grossing, top comedies, etc. This is my list, and it’s based on the movies I saw that were released this year. I like them all for different reasons, so there’s really no way to quantify which one is the “best” movie I saw this year. Anyway, here’s my list of the top 10 movies I saw in 2009.

Fanboys If you’re not a Star Wars fan, you probably won’t enjoy this move at all – it’s chock-full of references and homages, mostly having to do with the original trilogy (Episodes IV-VI). If you ARE a Star Wars fan, the only reason for you not to have seen this film is that you’ve been frozen in carbonite for the last 12 months. Go see it now. Really.

I love you, man “You slappa da base, mon?” A great film about best friends and how important it can be to know there’s someone there that’s always got your back and is genuinely interested in your well-being, even when it looks completely the opposite. Rush fans will enjoy this film more than most other folks, as the band features VERY prominently throughout.

The Soloist Sometimes we want to help people that we perceive to be less fortunate, or people that we think have problems. Sometimes these people we judge are perfectly ok and don’t need or want our help. And sometimes, the only thing these people who we judge to be less than ourselves need or want is the simple comfort of knowing they have a friend, someone that cares about them. This film showed me all of these things in brilliant form.

Up With the subtleness of script and deft storytelling that has become their hallmark, Disney and Pixar share a story that just about anyone can relate to from wherever they are and regardless of age, making this a film that any family can watch and enjoy together. It’s truly one of the best accomplishments of the Disney/Pixar partnership.

The Hangover No other film has been as relentlessly funny in so many different ways and compelled me to laugh hysterically from beginning to end. It’s inappropriate as hell, but that’s part of the humor. Make no mistake, The hangover doesn’t use school-boy humor as a crutch to support itself, although it’s prevalent throughout. This film is absolutely, unashamedly, disgustingly, offensively funny.

My Sister’s Keeper I never read the book, so I can’t comment on how accurate this film is to the source material. What I can tell you is that it’s a brilliantly told story of a sister’s love. Bring a box of tissues. Yes, the whole box.

The Hurt Locker I’ve never understood the military mindset and what really drives a soldier, in particular, the need/desire to go on tour after tour in a theater of war. I may never fully grasp what motivates someone to consciously and deliberately put themselves in harms way (sometimes a bit too recklessly), but after watching this film I have a new appreciation for the men and women in uniform and the prices they truly pay for our freedoms beyond simply serving and fighting.

District 9 As much a parable and social commentary on apartheid (and discrimination in general) as it is a sci-fi flick, there is an unflinching brutality and accessibility to this film that easily placed it within my top 10.

Inglorious Basterds Tarantino at his Tarantino-est, Inglorious Basterds bears all the marks of a classic work from this brilliant filmmaker – the dialogue, the sight gags, the extremely graphic (but not gratuitous) violence, the unpredictability and unforeseen demise of key characters, and most of all, the absolutely phenomenal story-telling. If you enjoy Tarantino, this film is a must-see (although you probably already have). If you’re not a fan, this one certainly won’t change your mind.

Where the Wild Things Are In both the real-world and wild-world (are they really any different?) sequences of this film I found myself revisiting my own childhood and the thoughts, emotions, and imagination that made it such a magical time of life. More than just a re-telling of the original story and a faithful recreation of the art and characters, this film is an indispensible companion to the book.

I don’t think it’s any secret that I’m not a Michael Jackson fan. Sure, he’s got a few snappy tunes and some feel-good messages, but overall I always looked at him as kind of an odd duck and a freak, and I couldn’t understand people’s obsession with him.

Was he a good dancer? Absolutely, and often imitated to boot.

Was he a talented singer? I suppose if you like that kind of thing, yeah.

Was he the greatest performer of our generation? Now hold on there! That’s a mighty bold statement, and until I saw “This Is It” I probably would have dismissed it with a laugh.

The truth is, I had no interest in seeing This Is It, but Megan did and I wanted to be with her and she decided to be in that theater, so… you can kinda see how things worked out.

Before I go any further, if you have any intention of seeing This Is It I strongly urge you to find a IMAX or XD theater to see it in. Believe me, it makes a difference. The sound in the XD theater I was in was brilliant and the massive screen made the show infinitely more visceral.

Now, you need to know that this is basically a documentary. This Is It is comprised of footage shot during rehearsals for the 50-show event in London that was cut short by Michael’s death last June. There’s no real story line, but that’s not a drawback at all. The film starts with short vignettes of dancers at the auditions, and as I listened to them tell their stories in 2 sentences or less I was immediately struck by the far-reaching ripple effect MJ has had on so many lives and indeed, our culture as a whole. Most of these dancers were born within the last 20 years or so, and likely have no recollection of Michael’s heyday in the mid to late 80’s, and yet, some of them were so inspired by the man and his music that they were willing to jump on the next flight and race halfway around the world when they heard about the casting call.

And then it goes right into the music. Footage of Michael performing and rehearsing many of his hit songs is interspersed with dialogue from cast and crew talking about how they have been influenced by Michael and his music, and how honored and thrilled they are to be a part of this show. There’s also quite a bit of footage showing details of the rehearsal and the effects that were planned for the show – pyrotechnics, video, stage effects, etc. It’s unbelievably impressive the amount of work and rehearsal that goes into a show of this scale.

But what impressed me the most, and indeed has made me a fan of Michael Jackson, was watching him orchestrate every nuance of the performance. I will never again look at him as an artist or a performer, although he is certainly both. The only way I can accurately describe what Michael Jackson did is that he is a master craftsman and artisan. In working with his band and crew to get everything just right and make the necessary adjustments (everything from timing a particular piece of music to his cues to perfecting a video montage) he was always courteous and gracious and very respectful of the artists and their talents. He never spoke down to them or was condescending in any way, and yet was forceful and direct enough to exact only the very best they had to offer. It was a tremendous and humbling thing to witness, if only through the silver screen.

He performs many of his hits, and even casual listeners of Michael’s will appreciate this film. It’s a fitting tribute to a life unfinished.