“Holmes & Watson” is a so-called comedic film satirizing the Sherlock Holmes series and stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in the lead roles.  Ralph Fiennes, Rebecca Hall, and Hugh Laurie are included in the cast as well.  Etan Cohen is the writer and director of this mess.

There were a few moments that got a bark of laughter out of me occasionally, however most of it was rather dreadful.  It does not have a long running time, yet I was sort of chomping at the bit to see the ending credits, which is a shame.

I am a long-time fan of Sherlock Holmes, and I don’t mind the occasional satire of the franchise, but this one lacked any real cleverness.  Satire of this sort should have some affection for the source material as well, however I had no real sense that fans of the original canon were doing this.  Cohen did reference some of the initial quotes and stories, so maybe he has read some of it or about it.

The moments such as Holmes vomiting at the thought of actually seeing a corpse went on too long.

Even Fiennes seemed a little bored with it as Moriarty.  I have often criticized pastiche works such as other films and books for the overuse of Professor Moriarty, who was really only significant in one story of the original Doyle works.

There were a lot of digs at the present-day political climate which could have been amusing and yet missed the mark.  Once again, we were reminded at the inequality of treatment aimed at women.  Watson finds love with a female doctor played by Rebecca Hall.  The pairing of Hall with a rather unique looking actress named Lauren Lapkus was a bit more interesting than the lead duo. Describing Lapkus as unique is not meant to be critical.  She just seems to have a rather unusual features and expressions that seem to be naturally suited to comedic roles and may be the only redeeming aspect to this dreck of a movie.

It’s a shame this films didn’t really have much enjoyment for me because Ferrell and Reilly are not devoid of talent.  I have seen them in movies I rather liked, however when the two of them get together, it feels overly familiar.  It’s probably because I am not a huge fan of slapstick because Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon had a similar association, but they were so much better together where it was easier to look forward to their next schtick together even though they were also a bit repetitive in their performances as well.

Basically, there isn’t much worth seeing here. There is quite a bit one could do to satirize the Holmes series, however it does require familiarity and real affection for it to be effective, and I didn’t sense any of that here.

 

 

“The Paradise of Death” was a five-part Doctor Who radio play written by Barry Letts that was first broadcast by BBC Radio 5 in 1993.  Jon Pertwee had returned to the role of the Third Doctor with Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen reprising their roles as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Sarah Jane Smith, respectively.  Richard Pearce joins the fray as Sarah Jane’s rather hapless colleague, Jeremy Fitzoliver.  Sarah wants to get in on a story of a startling death at a theme park known as Space World.  The Doctor is suspicious of an alien presence at the Parakon Corporation and ends up having to track down Sarah after she is kidnapped and whisked off across the galaxy.

I had some trouble with following this one.  It’s a bit of a mess as far as story goes, but it was great to hear the late Jon Pertwee in a performance I had yet to hear.  I read the novelization of this particular episode years ago, but this was my first time hearing it.

Pertwee did two radio plays playing the Third Doctor before his death in 1996. Hopefully I will one day be able to hear “The Ghosts of N-Space”.

This particular release is another that may just need another spin for me to follow it better, but I will probably still not count this as one of the better scripts.

“The Fourth Doctor Adventures Series 7 :Volume 1” is a Doctor Who audio boxset from Big Finish Productions reuniting Tom Baker and Louise Jameson. It was decided to release Fourth Doctor stories in boxsets, which is a little tough on the wallet but worth the price of admission.  There are four episodes to comment on, so I will get this party started.

“The Sons of Kaldor” by Andrew Smith has the Doctor and Leela encounter the Robots first seen in the television serial entitled “The Robots of Death”. Martha Cope, Oliver Dimsdale, and Toby Hadoke are the guest actors in this one with John Dorney giving voice to the Robots.  In my view, this is the strongest of the stories in this collection. Very few elements from “The Robots of Death” was touched on which I thought worked quite well.  I tend to be a little leery of too much revisiting of certain television stories, but this one worked quite well or me.

“The Crowmarsh Experiment” by David Llewellyn has the Doctor and Leela attacked by other robots on an alien world, however Leela regains consciousness to find that appears to be some scientist in 1978 London at the Crowmarsh Institute where she finds herself uncertain as to which life is reality.  This conundrum has been explored in the revived television series in recent years.  The talents of Dan Starkey, Cathy Tyson, and Julian Wadham are cast to add to the confusion.  The performances were fine, but I was not sure how this particular scenario and setting were chosen when the episode started off on another world.  I think it would have been stronger with a little better background explanation.  I may just have to pay closer attention to it when I listen to it again.

“The Mind Runners” by John Dorney is the beginning of a two-parter in which John Leeson joins the fun as K9.  Mind Running is the practice of entering the minds of strangers to experience their thoughts and actions, but there is a killer in the mix now. A legendary demon is about to emerge.  Robert Duncan and Josette Simon join the guest cast. There is a rather engaging new villain known as Mr. Shift played by Andy Secombe, who is a perfect foil or the often flippant Fourth Doctor.

Dorney concludes the story with “The Demon Rises”, which probably isn’t the most creative of titles.  There is a great contest of flippant threats between the Doctor and Mr. Shift which really was well performed by Tom Baker and Andy Secombe.  I am not sure how long it took them to record it since I can imagine the two actors cracking each other up.

Some moments are going to require closer attention when I listen to this particular collection again, but anyone who particularly enjoys the Tom Baker era should not be too put out with this release. I will be getting the second half of the seventh series of Fourth Doctor audio plays very soon.

“Second Act” is a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini, Milo Ventimiglia, and Treat Williams.  Peter Segal directed this film which was written by Justin Zackham and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas.

Jennifer Lopez plays a woman who ends up being a consultant at what appears to be some kind of ad firm after they come across a rather misleading profile is created.  She also finds that she does have a talent for the job if not the credentials.  A painful decision she made many years before comes to light as a more profound second chance presents itself.

The movie manages to avoid being outright terrible but there is not a whole lot that has not been seen before.  I find Lopez to be a competent comedic actress.  There are a few emotional moments that she performs well enough.  Lopez handles herself well in these kind of films, but it seems a little overly familiar.

There is a chock full of unlikely coincidence that drives the story forward.  The performances are just solid enough for me to still find some enjoyment in this film, but it still fell short of keeping me interested consistently.

All of the usual cliché characters are present in the form of the pushy yet well-meaning best friend, the obnoxious yuppies, and the jealous rivals.  I was a little impressed that Larry Miller was in the cast as well considering he has had some major health issues in recent years.  I remember Miller as a fairly consistent character actor in these kinds of comedies for several years.  I am not necessarily a huge fan of his, but I somehow stumbled across the stories of his medical issues.  Since I have nothing against him, I was kind of glad that he seems to be back at work in front of the camera.  He was fairly amusing several years ago as the typical over-protective dad in “10 Things I Hate About You”.

The movie was fine generally, but it did get close to being obnoxiously cliché several times.

“The Illustrated Man” is a 1969 science fiction film based on the works of one Ray Bradbury.  It stars Rod Steiger, Claire Bloom, and Robert Drivas and was directed by Jack Smight.  Howard B. Kreitsek came up with the screenplay as well as co-produced the film.

This is basically an anthology with three stories presented through the artwork from the body of Steiger’s character of Carl, who encounters a young, pleasant drifter named Willie, played by Robert Drivas.  Carl is obsessed with finding the woman who inked the skin illustrations all over him.  What makes this body art more unusual is that one looking too deeply into them get some disturbing glimpses in the future.

The film has a somewhat engaging beginning when the two principle characters first meet, however my interest was not sustained very easily. Steiger has some interesting characters and performances in his filmography, however I would not count this one as among is more profound.  I suspect that the problem is more in the direction of this particular work.

It’s a shame I did not like this one more considering the iconic esteem in which Bradbury is held in the science fiction genre.

“Aquaman” finally premiered with Jason Momoa in the title role.  James Wan is the director who brought life to the screenplay written David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall.  Momoa is joined with a plethora of talented castmates that includes Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, and Nicole Kidman.

Momoa’s version of Aquaman has already been seen in “Justice League”.  He looks quite different from the comic book iteration, however since I didn’t really get into the comic book, I didn’t take issue with it.  Momoa does not appear to have the most impressive of acting ranges, but he is a good fit for this part.  He does have a significant amount of charisma and timing.  DC may have learned that humor in these kinds of film does go a long way. and Momoa delivers the more comedic lines well enough.  He also looks great in the action sequences.  I don’t remember Aquaman being all that brutal, but this film version doesn’t mind getting rough at all.

Patrick Wilson portrays Aquaman’s misguided half-brother who wants to remain sole ruler of Atlantis and is not too pleased when Aquaman is compelled to claim the throne. Yahya Abdul-Manteen II is cast as the former modern-day pirate who becomes Black Manta.  Dolph Lundgren is even in this one as one of the Atlantean rulers.

The film has some lapses in coherences in the storyline, however it still manages to be quite entertaining in spite of the cracks.  I thought the depiction of Aquaman’s origin was a little rushed and clumsy.  Aquaman is joined in his reluctant bid to claim the Atlantean throne by a princess known as Mera, played by Amber Beard.

The visual effects are quite stunning.  The movie looks great for the most part.  Although sometimes the overwhelming effects makes it a little hard to follow some the specific moments in the climactic battle sequence.

No one stood out as putting in a bad performance.  As mentioned, Momoa isn’t likely to be known  as the finest of actors, but he does well enough carrying the film.

DCEU films have had some misfires lately, however this one doesn’t appear to be one of those.  Not everything in the film comes off great, however a lot more of it works than doesn’t.

It could be good enough to encourage and galvanize the studio execs to continue with making movies in this franchise.

It’s a film with some hiccups but one where I didn’t have to work that hard to enjoy.  If DCEU can actually make some overall improvements with their other films, I would not mind at all seeing Momoa again in this role.

“The Good Doctor” is a Doctor Who novel by Juno Dawson and is one of the first set of volumes to feature the Thirteenth Doctor and her three companions currently seen on the television series.

The beginning of the novel has the Doctor negotiate a treaty between the native inhabitants of the planet Lobos and the human colonists.  She and her companions leave thinking they have brokered a peaceful co-existence until Ryan realizes he left his cell phone behind.  Of course, the TARDIS has a hiccup which causes a detour of several centuries into the future.  The Loba have been enslaved by the humans, and the humans worship a deity known as the Good Doctor, who bears an uncanny resemblance to one Graham O’Brien.  Yasmin is taken prisoner and later rescued by the standard rebel outfit.

This is another cautionary tale about religion being abused, and a race being enslaved over a misinterpretation of holy texts. The Doctor is appropriately outraged by her previous well-intentioned intervention being unraveled.

I was hoping that this version of the Doctor would come off better in print, and you know what?  She does but not by much.  Dawson does provide her with some amusing witticisms and reactions along the way.  I did find it a nice touch for the Doctor to sometimes reflect on her past turbulent relationship with her people, the Time Lords. She even considered that her interventions could sometimes get out of hand.  Although it would be boring if the Doctor stopped meddling and intervening, I think it does add some appropriate gravitas her to consider the consequences if things go south such as depicted in this story.

Dawson is a competent enough author but nothing particularly unique about her style of prose stood out to me. I guess not causing me further exasperation with the current direction of the series will have to be accomplishment enough for this one.

The next selection for my reading indulgence is a book I found in a used bookstore in Denver, Colorado a few months ago.  Howard Lieberman is going to welcome this humble reader aboard “The Green Train”.

 

“Green Book” is a film which chronicles the friendship between touring piano great Don Shirley and his driver Tony Vallelonga.  The two main roles are played by Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, respectively.  Peter Farrelly directed this script which he also co-wrote with Nick Vallelonga and Brian Hayes Currie.

This is another movie about an unlikely friendship crossing racial boundaries during the early 1960’s.  Don Shirley as a black pianist who decides to include the Deep South on his tour with the Don Shirley Trio.  He hires a nightclub bouncer known as Tony Lip to be his driver on an eight week trek as he plays in various venues where segregation was still the norm and his gift only went so far when it came to impressing the wealthy white denizens of states such as Kentucky and Alabama.

Both Ali and Mortensen were on top of their game when it came to the performances. Mortensen played his part with just the right mix of charm and crassness.  Ali was also compelling as the intellectual outcast from both his own culture and the society elites.  I am not sure if the real life men depicted actually became the friends shown here in this film, but it was still pretty fascinating to watch the relationship unfold onscreen.

There were some moments that were easily predicted, but the overall films still comes together very nicely.  There is likely quite a bit of creative license taken here, but the overall result makes those instances somewhat easy to shrug off. It could be interesting to read a more detailed biography of Dr. Shirley to see how close he actually had gotten to Vallelonga, if that is mentioned at all.

There is plenty of some great location shots.  This is also a road trip film where the two main character face many obstacles in their endeavor to complete the tour.

It was fun to see Sebastian Maniscalco in a supporting role where he actually had more to do than I expected.  The supporting cast playing Vallelonga’s family were expectedly loud, obnoxious, and still reasonably charming.  It was pretty sweet how much Vallelonga would demonstrate his love for his wife in the letters he was trying to compose chronicling his trip with Shirley.

It’s a pretty moving film and reminds the audience of the injustice of “Jim Crow” laws quite effectively.  It also often defies expectations as to how the relationship is going to develop between Vallelonga and Dr. Shirley.  Vallelonga may lack some polish, but he does well in a crisis.

In case anyone is wondering, the title refers to a publication that was designed to help traveling black people find motels and restaurants that would welcome them.

I had heard this was a good movie, and it turns out the mysterious they were right.  This is definitely one of the better movies of this year.

“A Lonely Place To Die” is a thriller released in 2011 written by Will and Julien Gilbey about a group of hikers and mountaineers who find a young girl buried alive in some box in a remote region of the Scottish Highlands.  The young Croatian is being held for ransom and the two heavily armed culprits are none too pleased to not find her they left her.

The film stars nobody I have ever heard of.  Melissa George, Alex Newman, and Karel Roden are included in the cast.  Melissa George has been in some fairly well-known films such as “The Limey” and “Mulholland Drive” and apparently was once nominated for the Golden Globe.  She just isn’t someone who was immediately recognizable to me.

Julien Gilbey directed this piece which he apparently co-wrote with his brother, Will. It wasn’t a terrible effort.  It’s not a great one either, but I have seen much worse than this.

There is quite an impressive body count as the two ruthless kidnappers chase our intrepid nature lovers through the Highlands.  Lots of people die spectacularly.  There is a Serbian mobster accompanied by a couple of mercenaries coming in to negotiate the release of the little girl on behalf of her father, who happens to be some sort of war criminal.  I thought Karel Roden put in a pretty compelling performance as the enigmatic Darko.

There is some beautiful shots of the Highlands throughout the film.  The stunts were pretty convincing.  Lots of blood splatter to satisfy those with a taste for that sort of thing.  The performances managed to avoid being too off-putting for what still seemed to be a B movie.

There is quite a significant reliance on implausible consequences which induced an eyeroll or two, but there was much in this film that still worked fairly well.

I would recommend this movie for a very slow weekend when all of the other cinematic preferences have been viewed.  There is nothing truly great or unique about this film, but it was a little better than I expected.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is an animated film that has various iterations of the superhero crossing dimensions and facing the machinations of the Kingpin who is trying to alter reality and dimensions to bring back his lost wife and son.  Miles Morales serves as the central Spider-Man in this one, although there is plenty for Peter Parker to do as well.  Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman directed their script alongside Bob Persichetti with Shameik Moore providing the voice for young Miles.  There are two versions of Peter Parker voiced by Chris Pine and later Jake Johnson.  Gwen Stacy, or Spider-Woman, is voiced by Hailee Steinfeld.  Some kind of noir version of Spider-Man and the even more absurd, cartoonish Spider-Ham join in the fray being voiced by one Nicholas Cage and John Mulaney, respectively. Oh yes, there is also Kimiko Glenn rounding out the heroic cast as Peni Parker whose biomechanical suit is powered by the radioactive spider in some anime version of the series.

There is a lot to keep track of in this one, however it’s actually really enjoyable in spite of my unfamiliarity with Spider-Noir and Anime Spider-Whatever.  I had heard of the Ultimate Spider-Man range with Miles Morales but never read any of the comics.  Although I am a bit of a purist snob and ferociously loyal to the original Peter Parker, I did find Miles to be quite likable.  There was quite an effort to flesh out the characters in spite of the more absurd and slapstick moments.  The script was witty enough for me to enjoy the presence of Spider-Ham and Noir Spider-Man as well.  The Spider-Gwen doesn’t quite make a lot of sense to me either, but she was also utilized well.

Miles’ relationship with his family was played quite well.  The age-old tensions between father and son was not new ground, but it was written quite well.

The animation and visual effects were very well presented.  I liked the style of the drawings. The climactic battle scenes were busy and chaotic but still not hard to follow.

The Kingpin was voiced by Liev Schreiber and was drawn a bit strangely in that his head looked like it was coming out of some wall of a body.  It’s a little hard to describe, but he definitely looked massive and dangerous to just crush people with his hammer fist blows, which does happen in  this film.

The acclaim for this movie has been pretty enthusiastic, and I found little to no reason to disagree.  The Stan Lee appearance is quite brief yet profound in this one.

This is a film where you have to leave your disbelief at the door and just roll with it.  If there is a sequel in this particular Spider-Man universe, I hope the quality of the humor and action this film displayed can be captured just as effectively.