My tongue is going, soon I'll be of no use to you at all

I haven’t updated this blog for a few reasons. One, I’ve been so busy catching up with my DVR that I haven’t had time to sit down and create a blog entry about them. Secondly, I haven’t watched a movie since getting Direct TV. I knew this would happen, and it’s irksome. But expected. Lastly, I was so busy working two jobs I had no brain space left for real thought. Luckily for my blogging desires, I got laid off. Obviously the universe wants me to blog more.

Thanks, universe. You fucker.

I wanted to watch Sherlock Holmes in the theater. I saw a preview for it while watching some other movie (probably Harry Potter, knowing how rarely I go to the movie theater) and immediately informed TBF that we had to see it.

I’m a big Guy Ritchie fan. Unlike the majority of people I’m friends with, I enjoyed Snatch¹. I think he created sharp, funny movies with amazing visuals and fun fight scenes. So the fact that he was doing a modern Sherlock Holmes that starred Robert Downey, Jr? There is no bad here.

This movie works on so many different levels. First and foremost is the INCREDIBLE on screen chemistry between the three leads. They play off each other so beautifully, it’s unbelievable. One would think they’ve been making movies together for decades.

I’m a HUGE Robert Downey, Jr fan. He won me over with his roles in Soap and Natural Born Killers, and I’ve paid attention to all of his other movies. The man has serious talent, and he plays roles with such humor and a fun spirit. It makes sense, since he’s a recovering drug addict. All the people in that club have a certain twisted humor.

He is absolutely BRILLIANT as Sherlock Holmes. I cannot shout it loud enough how much I enjoyed his portrayal. I’m a fan of Sherlock Holmes, but I know him as the tightly held, stiff upper lippy character that I grew up knowing. This Holmes? Ohhhh, how I can get behind him. Watching him take in everything around him slowly and methodically, and use what he hears/senses. Oh, it’s just so good.

And who knew Downey was THAT ripped? WOW. And he was believably ripped. He didn’t buff himself up like Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia. I honestly believe he looks like that in real life. And I would like to do very naughty things to him looking like that in real life. Even bloody.

I have never been much of a Jude Law fan. It’s not that I don’t like him, it’s just I’ve seen so few movies of his that I can’t fawn all over him like others do. I also don’t think he’s all that attractive. My own fault, I don’t care for blondes.

But he surprised me here. The stoic nature and dry humor of Watson is portrayed beautifully. He’s mostly the straight man to Holmes, but as with most straight men roles, he gets his own great lines and scenes. He gets to slap Holmes around while simultaneously setting up his greatest jokes. He’s by far secondary to RDJ, but he most definitely holds his own against what I consider to be a superior actor.

Rachel McAdams rocked my world in Mean Girls. But I haven’t seen any other movies that she’s been in. She does a lot of chick flicks, and I’m not especially fond of those. I was willing to overlook those due to the Regina factor, and she didn’t let me down here. I’m pleased to see that the sharp wit and regal bearing she had in Mean Girls was not solely due to excellent writing. She and Holmes have so much sexual chemistry together, I would not have been surprised if reports surfaced that they were boinking like bunnies behind the scenes.

Besides the great acting team, this movie has some amazing visuals. The entire film is dark and dirty. No offense to Brits, who I love and adore, but this is always how I have visualized England. Not dirty as in unclean, just…a little gray. It’s the stereotype of the rainy, cloudy world. And as negative as that may sound, it’s part of England’s appeal for me. It’s one of the countries I’ve always wanted to go to, so it’s not a negative in my mind. And this movie kicks my desire to be there into overdrive.

There’s a lot of false visuals, but it really is appealing to the eye. The sets are incredible, and I wasn’t surprised to learn that the house used as Holmes residence was also Number 12, Grimmauld Place in Harry Potter. That added an entirely different level of fangirl love for me.

The hoyay vibe between Holmes and Watson is just absurd. I mean, really. This film may as well have been marketed as a gay love story. I adored their friendship, and giggled my way through the subtext. When Watson screams for Holmes to stay where he is because the docks are about to explode, my cold dead heartstrings sang. I’m hoping for a hot, down and dirty makeout scene in the sequel. Perhaps Watson can help him find that key.

I’m a big fan of House, which from conception was marketed as the medical version of Sherlock Holmes. I always saw the similarities in terms of the mystery aspect, but this movie had my brain spinning with the similarities between Holmes/Watson and House/Wilson. I can’t help but wonder if Guy Ritchie is a House fan.

Clever and funny, with amazing fight scenes and clever visuals. I loved this on every level. I’m looking forward to the sequel SO much.

1. Yeah, yeah, insert your own joke here, perverts. ^{^}