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Sherlock Holmes A Game Of Shadows

December 23, 2011 by · Comments Off on Sherlock Holmes A Game Of Shadows 

Sherlock Holmes A Game Of ShadowsSherlock Holmes A Game Of Shadows, Director Guy Ritchie joins forces once again with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law for another revisionist take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective Sherlock Holmes in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

As was true with 2009’s “Sherlock Holmes,” this is not Doyle’s Holmes, and purists who were turned off by Ritchie and Downey’s interpretation of Holmes the first time will continue to be unimpressed the second go around.

In many respects, this Holmes is a 19th-century James Bond. He is still an analytic genius with the ability to see the big picture, but he is no longer a man of quiet, introspective thought. Here he is a man of action. Not only is Holmes a thinker, he is a fighter. Scratch that, he’s a brawler.

The scale of events in the film are also on a Bond level with Holmes’ arch-nemesis, Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris), plotting to create world war for his own financial gain.

Harris, a character actor who some may recognize, but aren’t likely to remember from where, is ideally cast as Moriarty. There had been rumors that Brad Pitt was to be cast as Holmes’ intellectual match, but Harris was the right choice. Having someone as big as Pitt in the role would’ve been distracting.

The world of Ritchie’s Holmes is very over-the-top, but Harris isn’t, which creates an interesting push and pull with the material. Instead he is quiet and controlled in a way that is unsettling. There is an air of arrogant superiority and condescension about him that makes an audience love to hate him.

Holmes fans who have been repulsed by this version of the detective should at least take some solace in the fact that the dynamic between Holmes and Moriarty feels in tone with the source material. While Holmes has numerous brutal physical altercations throughout the film, his battles with Moriarty are of the wits. The climax of the film is a thrilling mental match up over a game of chess.

Much of the success of these new Holmes movies falls squarely on Downey. He brings a high energy to the character and a perfect balance of serious acting with winking humor. Once again, Law returns as the much put upon Dr. Holmes and, as was true in the first outing, Downey and Law have a fantastic dynamic.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows

December 17, 2011 by · Comments Off on Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows 

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, “Sherlock Holmes” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks” are not delivering the extremely strong opening weekends many box office-watchers had hoped for, but “Mission: Impossible” is drawing some impressive numbers in its limited release.

Early estimates have “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” taking in $14.5 million on Friday and on track to a weekend in the $37.5 million range. That is nothing like the $62.3 million the original “Holmes” opened to in 2009, and nowhere near the $60 million that some optimistic box-office watchers had predicted for the Warner Bros. movie.

“Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,” grossed an estimated $6.6 million Friday, setting it up for a weekend of about $23.3 million. Fox expected the third in its “Alvin and the Chipmunks” franchise to have a weekend in the mid-to-high $20 million range.

“Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol,” meanwhile, roared into 300 IMAX theaters and 125 other locations with impressive results. The movie took an estimated $4.7 million Friday night, and is looking at a $13.3 million weekend.

The fourth installment of Paramount and Skydance’s popular action franchise had a remarkable per-location average of $31,280, according to rival-studio estimates.

The movie is getting a boost from the “Dark Knight Rises” prologue, which is showing before “M:I4” in IMAX theaters.

Earlier:

After two wretched weekends at the box office, sequels to “Sherlock Holmes,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks” “Mission: Impossible” are riding in to rescue the domestic movie business.

The three films will kick off a tentpole onslaught that will see eight movies released wide over nine days. The studios hope that they’ll also kickstart the box office.

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