Monday, January 4, 2010

Sherlock Holmes (I eat crow!) and Gamers: Dorkness Rising REVIEWS

Sherlock Holmes:

I’m not fond of eating crow. When I first saw the trailer for this film, my hopes that this would be a faithful adaptation of a legendary character were immediately dashed by Robert Downey’s seemingly drunken portrayal of a serious, logical, and inquisitive Holmes in a much seedier London than the one I imagined in my youth. I thought the film would be just another “blockbuster” out in time for the Holidays, but with no more depth than to cash in on the star commodity of pairing Jude Law with Downey. And so I decided to ignore this release, despite the eager anticipation several friends had expressed. So one week after it’s release, after hearing so many rave reviews and glowing praise for the film from friends whom I trust, I decided that Sherlock Holmes would be the first film I would see in the New Year. And I was forced to eat crow.

Downey is brilliant, not at all the drunken wastrel seemingly teased in the trailer… he is drinking heavily, he is somewhat brooding and temperamental, but his demeanor is a reaction to the impending loss of his closest friend and roommate to the upcoming marriage of Dr. Watson. We find the seedy London is closer to the reality that a man like Holmes would face in his line of business and expertise, and Jude Laws’ “Watson” is a courageous and brilliant man whose devotion to his friend is also at odds with the expectations of his bride-to-be and the society around him. This adventure could be their last, and neither man is at his best in order to take on a very worthy adversary.

We get a lot of action, big stunts, incredible effects, but all of that is basically eye candy to what is one of the more intelligent storylines presented in the past several years. The villain is obvious, the crimes are brutal, but the question remains about “how” and “Why”… which Holmes manages to deduce through classic detective work and the logical assembly of clues. And the audience is never insulted with a shock twist, like so many mysteries in this day and age. We share the mystery, we can pick up the pieces if we wish, and we can see how Holmes is able to piece together the puzzle.

I want more from Downey and Law, more from this version of Sherlock Holmes, and the film ends with enough of an opening to build a small franchise over the next several years. I’m so happy with this film, and it probably could have been a top contender for my years’ best films had I seen it a week earlier.

5 out of 5.

Gamers: The Dorkness Rising

Fresh off my Roku player with my Netflix account, “The Dorkness Rising” is a sequel to the little Gaming Convention favorite that could be seen in several parts on youtube. This film, however, shows the improved progression of film narrative from “Dead Gentlemen” productions as they address deeper themes within the context of this “D&D” parody.

A struggling module writer tries to run his friends through a home-made dungeon that he hopes to polish before sending it in for publication, but the three players have already died twice. Their solution is to find some new players to join their quest and they are joined by the ex-girlfriend of one of the members. She is able to breathe new life into the campaign, and the players begin to adapt new strategies to face several of the confrontations in the module. The DM is also able to relinquish some of his own control, allowing the players more free reign with their decisions that enable the rest of the group to relax and enjoy the story as well as the game.

The trouble with films like this is that they tend to cater to a niche audience with “inside” jokes that could only be understood by the fan base. Dorkness Rising lets outsiders in by presenting a character that is entirely new to the world of D&D, introducing the audience to this hobby through her eyes. The more she learns, the more the audience is able to grasp the humor in the parody as we follow both the players of the game and their “in-game” characters through the Dungeon Module as prepared by the films main protagonist.

4.5 out of 5.

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