Sherlock - Abominably Wonderful

*SPOILER ALERT - I'll try to keep them to a minimum though!*

I've always liked Sherlock Holmes.  Though I admit to not having read much of the printed material (which surprises me), I've been a fan of the television series (what's the plural of series - serieses?) for many years.  From the days of Basil Rathbone, watching it with my dad, through to Jeremy Brett, I've been an avid watcher.

So, I was delighted when the show was brought back to life by the people who make Doctor Who (another show I have watched all my life), starring this guy I'd never heard of with a funny name.  Also, it starred Martin Freeman, so it couldn't be bad.

And I watched the first episode.  And the way the texts were done on screen and the way Benedict Cumberbatch played the part and  the way the it was set 'today'...  And I was hooked.  Immediately.

Of course, now, Benedict (may I call you that) is a hot property.  From Star Trek Into Darkness, to the amazing Imitation Game (historically correct or not), to the forthcoming Doctor Strange, he's hitting the big time.  He's also helped make Sherlock a worldwide sensation.

Regarding Doctor Strange, one of my favourite Marvel characters, I read yesterday that Marvel actually altered their movie timeline to fit it around Benedict's super-busy schedule.  That's how much they wanted him in the role.

So, onto the New Year's Day special, The Abominable Bride.

It's been soooo long since the last season, I was understandably excited by its appearance.  The fact it was going to be going back to its roots, as in being set during Victorian times, only made it more anticipated.  For some reason, my Sky box didn't record it.  I noticed about half way through and was gutted.  I remembered setting it to record on my smartphone app (so convenient), so couldn't understand why it hadn't.  I checked the planner and the next showing was the next night.  Could I wait that long?  Hell no!  I checked On Demand, through Sky.  Nope, no sign.  OK.  BBC iPlayer app on the Smart TV?

YES!

Phew!  Saved.

So, I sat down to watch it.  And I was hooked.  Both Cumberbatch and Freeman, along with the rest of the cast, donned their period costumes and personas wonderfully.  I thought the story was intriguing and pretty well thought out.  I noticed the odd comment like 'data viruses' which was out of place in such a time, but then...  BAM!  They suddenly fitted right in when we saw what was really happening!  If you haven't seen it, I'll try not to give it away, and I've seen reports that some people didn't 'get' it.  Personally, I thought it was a brilliant twist.  It's been likened to Inception meets Adaptation.  I can see why.  I don't necessarily agree but I have to say I'd love to take a walk in Sherlock's Mind Palace!

Seeing an 'old friend' was cool too.  A perfectly manic and demented version of the character.  I did wonder if the scene of Sherlock's suicide after his nemesis shot himself back in - was it Season 2? - was the modern take on the classic Reichenbach Falls.  I remember Jeremy Brett facing them so long ago.  I was delighted when I saw I was mistaken.

I can't believe it's only been three short (very short) seasons of this show and it's proved to be gripping, fun and compulsive.  Apparently, it's not going to be back until 2017, which I think is FAR too long, but with so many film commitments for the two main stars, I can understand why.  The time will drag too.

At least we have Moffat's other baby to kep us going - Doctor Who.  It seems Peter Capaldi has hinted the next season might be his last.  That's a shame.  I think he's brilliant.  Any criticisms need to be aimed at the writing, as sometimes it's not been as strong as others, but when it's good, it's VERY good.  Some of the episodes, particularly towards the end of this last series, were brilliant and Capaldi showed what a great actor he really is.  I hope he hangs around a little longer.  It seems the Doctor is only in the house for a short time and he moves on though, I suppose, three years isn't exactly a short time.

Anywho-be-do.  This is Sherlock (did you see the Sherlock meets Doctor Who mashup on YouTube).  Was it good?  No.  Was it abominably good?  Definitely!

Spoiling by the BBC

The BBC are spoiling me.  Really they are.

 

I had awaited, with breath bated, Christmas Day when I knew Matt Smith would regenerate into Peter Capaldi and we'd had a new era of Doctor Who.  The day was upon us and, due to it being Christmas Day and me having various Chrismassy/family things to do, I had to watch it on my tablet on catch-up later.

That was fine, I didn't mind.  I just needed to watch it.  I'm a little unsure about the episode.  When the wonderful David Tennant transformed into Matt, there was a lot more action and tension.  Probably because this hand-over was spread over 300 years or so, that tension somewhat evaporated.

 

Still.  I enjoyed it.  It was a very different episode to the normal 'Phoenix from the ashes' we're used to.  We saw The Doctor age, something that was, until now, unheard of.  I liked that touch.  It was, also, good to see the Crack back, and the Silence - though they could have been built upon.  I wonder if Clara's tears as she said goodbye to 'her' Doctor were real?  Capaldi's first line ("new kidneys") mirrored Tennant's "new teeth", which was a nice touch.  Let's hope he can shine as bright in the Whovian Universe as his predecessors have.

 

When Eccleston reinvented The Doctor, I didn't think anyone could fill his shoes, especially someone I'd only known from Casanova.  Of course, for me at least, David Tennant equalled Tom Baker. Matt Smith had a very hard act to follow and did so very well, becoming a much more physical and madcap Doctor.

 

With Capaldi, we've returned to William Hartnell's age, the previous Doctors growing steadily younger, and we have a whole new slew of regenerations available inside him.  I'm pleased he began with humour, and I'm sure he'll be able to bring a certain darkness we've not seen before.

 

So.  Doctor Who.  Cool.

 

THEN...!

 

I heard on the radio, after a multitude of 'Coming Soon' ads on the TV and the Many Happy Returns minisode on the Internet, that Sherlock is back on New Year's Day!

 

Whoop!

This is the third, and I assume final given that Cumberbatch is now known worldwide thanks to Star Trek and The Hobbit (along with Martin Freeman - his Watson), series of the updated Sherlock series.  I have loved the series so far.  Really loved it.  From the comedic elements of dogging in the Hound of the Baskervilles to Sherlock's sharpness and intellect.  And I thought the end of series 2 (no spoilers for those that haven't seen it) was EPIC!

 

So, New Year's Day, BBC1, 9pm, I know where I'll be!

 

Oh yes, and there's more.  I, myself, will be on BBC Radio Humberside from around 11:30am (UK) on Thursday January 2nd!  I'll be interviewed by Blair Jacobs on my involvement with the wonderful Christmas O'Clock charity anthology and my writing in general.  Drop by if you get chance.  Their website is http://www.bbc.co.uk/radiohumberside.

 

Oh, and if only they actually did the episode where the Doctor comes to visit Sherlock and Watson, as per the little teaser trailer someone (I don’t think it’s official) has spliced together and scattered about the internet.  It looks SO good!

 

Star Trek: Out of Darkness

1966 was a very good year.

 

A certain, extremely talented, writer was born.  England won the World Cup.

 

Star Trek aired.

 

I've grown up with Star Trek.  Along with my avid reading of Marvel and DC comics, the likes of Star Trek, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica and so many others helped me visit strange, new worlds and boldly go (or baldly in the case of Jean-Luc) where I had no chance of actually going in real life.

 

Gene Roddenberry was a genius to my young mind, and a visionary to my older one.  Creating a western in space, along the lines of Wagon Train - except with space ships and aliens rather than wagons, horses and Indians, of course.

 

Okay, so Star Trek, the actual original pilot, starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike instead of William Shatner as Captain James Tiberius Kirk, aired in 1965, but Star Trek as we know it - The Original Series, as it has become - exploded on our television sets a year later, the year of my birth (I'm that talented writer I mentioned, if you hadn't guessed).

 

As we were born in the same year, I didn't get to see the programme until I was older on one of its many re-runs.  It didn't matter to me.  At the time, I didn't know what a repeat was.  To this day, I'm sure I haven't seen every episode of the three series made.  I didn't get the chance, as a child, to watch it that regularly.  The main programmes I was able to see each week were The Muppets and Doctor Who - both still favourites to this day (season finale - John Hurt!?!?!?).  But I watched Star Trek whenever I could.  It was brilliant.  I wanted to be Spock.  I wanted to see what was in the scanner thing he always looked into.  I wanted POINTY EARS!

And then there were the spin offs.  The Next Generation.  Voyager.  Deep Space 9.  Enterprise.  All good (and occasionally bad) in their own way.  I loved TNG.  Ryker was a bit too much in places - he reminds me of the Captain Zapp Brannigan from Futurama a little, with his puffed out chest and stance and bravado.  Wesley grated.  But Jean Luc, Seven of Nine and most especially Data were brilliant.  I enjoyed Voyager, though I have yet to (and I have no idea why) watch the final episodes.  Deep Space 9 was ok.  Not bad, but it didn't grab me, and Enterprise, I wanted to like, and for the most part did, but it was let down by not enough drive from the producers.

 

Either way, there was plenty to fill my Trekking time.  Also, we had the films.

 

Star Trek: The Motion Picture was amazing.  I so loved that film.  I was elated when they made an actual movie of the series.  I enjoyed all the original movies, to be honest, with The Voyage Home being, probably, my favourite.  But then, horror upon horrors, they made a PREQUEL!

 

I don't know if I was ready.  I think I figured they were going to be sort of cashing in on the name.  It wouldn't be that good.  I could hope, but I think I expected to not really like it.

 

That shows what I know.

 

I'd been a fan of Zachary Quinto from his Heroes days, and love him in American Horror Story (both seasons).  I wondered how he'd fit into the role of my favourite Vulcan.  Extremely well, as it happens.  The first of the new Star Trek films was excellent, as far as I'm concerned.  Exciting, well plotted and full of life.  I wasn't sure of the hot-headed young Kirk at first, but I quickly warmed to him.  As for the also young Sulu and Chekov, they're very well written and cast.  Chekov is hilarious! 

 

So, it worked.  A big thumbs up.

 

Then, oh my gosh!  They were bringing out a sequel with none other than Benedict Cumberbatch!

 

I honestly couldn't wait.  I am desperate for the return of Sherlock, which was my first introduction to Mr. Cumberbatch.  His portrayal of the seminal detective grabbed me by the bits and didn't let go.  The way the show was done all together was sooo good.  If you haven't seen either of the two series, it's a definite must see.  Moriarty was brilliant and Martin Freeman as Watson was a delight.  I quite like Elementary, but Sherlock is something else!

So, Benedict Cumberbatch as the bad guy?  Bring it on!

 

And what a bad guy?  Khan, no less!

 

Star Trek: Into Darkness is great.  Really, a fab film.  It brings the Star Trek franchise quite firmly up to date.  Plenty of meat and a bit of gristle thrown in for good measure.  There's excitement, pathos, humour (you've got to love the ever fine Simon Pegg as Scotty) and lot's more.

 

I saw the 2D version of the film, but I'm told the 3D effects were excellent.  If you're going to make a movie in 3D, give us something to make us glad we sat there with silly glasses on.  I was so disappointed with Wrath of the Titans (for many reasons but...) when, at the climactic explosion at the end, it cut to the base camp.  Where were the bits of god thrown in our faces, hmmm?  One of the reasons the effects in Star Trek (3D, I'm talking about) worked so well is because of the dark, spacey background.  Nothing to detract from the object in the foreground.  I didn't see, so I don't know, but it appears the 3D was used to good effect.  That's what we want.  Make us duck out of the way.  Make us want to reach out.  Don't just give it a bit of depth, as wearing those glasses detracts from the colour and essence of the film - we need something to compensate.

 

I'm not entirely sure of the romance between Uhura and Spock.  I don't remember that from the original series, but hey-ho-daddy-oh.  I don't mind.  It gives for some interesting dilemmas for Spock.  Otherwise, Star Trek: Into Darkness is a definite hit.  If you’re not a Star Trek fan, don’t let that put you off.  There’s a great deal more to this film than the name.

 

I wonder if they'll bring the Borg to a third instalment.  That'd be good.  I still, occasionally, tell people that 'Resistance if futile'.  Some even know what I mean. 

 

Oh, one thing.  I so wanted Kirk - or better yet, Spock - to, when wondering where they'd go for the start of their 5 year journey, say: "First star on the right, and straight on till morning."

Live longer and prosper, people. 

 

Iron Man 3: A Sequel Too Far?

I love action films. Saying that, I love films. I'm a huge fan of a great many, in a variety of genres (even some I didn't think I'd like).

Some of my favourite movies include Highlander, Aliens, The Killing Fields, The Green Mile, pretty much all the Marvel movies, Wanted, Shawshank, The Notebook (although I seemed to get something irritating my eye towards the end for some reason). Then there's The Hangover films, Batman, some Adam Sandler, Bourne and so many more.

But action films, I love 'em. I die hard, harder and hardest with glee. Through in a dose of fantasy/science fiction, and I'm in my element.

I used to read the Marvel comics when I was young, following the X-Men and the Avengers through all their perilous adventures. I wanted to be an X-Man. Still do, to be honest. Probably a male version of Storm. As such, when the Marvel comics started coming to the big screen, I was a very happy bunny. From the effects to the one-liners to the colours, everything is so much larger than life, and something that has to be seen at the cinema to get the full effect. I even enjoy looking out for the Stan Lee cameos, much in the same way Stephen King did in his films (does he still do that?).

So. Iron Man 3 was a film I had to see, and I had to see it at the cinema. I didn't necessarily have to see it in 3D, as I find it dulls the colours, but hey, why not?

As my wife isn't really into these films, I usually find a cinema buddy. In this case it was a friend from work. Her husband works away and it'd be a while until she saw it, if she, in fact, did. And as it was Orange Wednesday, when cinemas across the country give 2-for-1 tickets for those who are on the Orange mobile phone network (or know someone who is), the place was packed. The queue was out of the doors at the Parkway Cinema in Cleethorpes, but my lemon and lime Slush kept me going until we were let in.

I think my friend and I were as excited as each other. I regress into my childhood at times like this, becoming a 12 year old once more ready to leave this world and enter one of pure imagination.

The Parkway Cinema is great, as far as I'm concerned. The town (or towns seeing as Grimsby and Cleethorpes are stitched together) needed a decent multiplex. Now, don't get me wrong - the old 'pictures' on Freeman Street was great. I remember going from being a child. I think I watched an early Jodie Foster film, Candleshoe, and something else on a Saturday morning, when children could watch a couple of films, or a film and a cartoon, for 10p. And there was the time I queued from 8:00 in the morning to be one of the first in to see Tim Burton's Batman, with Michael Keaton. And the enormous queues for the first Harry Potter film!

But...

It hadn't really changed in all those years. The main screen was big enough, but screen 2 had the knees of the person behind you in your back. We needed something more. Something bigger.

And lo, there was Parkway. I believe it's owned by the same people who own the Louth cinema, where they still stop the film half way through and bring out ice creams and drinks. At the Cleethorpes one, there's 7 screens, plus the Haywood Suite, though I have no idea what that is. There's a bar and the food and drinks don't necessarily require a second mortgage (though such things from such places are notoriously expensive). Oh, and the staff have a sense of humour and know how to smile.

Anywho. Films. Iron Man.

My friend and I found our seats. This was going to be a busy one. Once the curtains had opened and the usual advertisements had droned by, we were presented with a trio of trailers. Gone are the days when they'd just chuck a couple of trailers on, regardless of which film you're seeing. Now, they're tailored to the type of movie. Hence, with Iron Man, we had the new Star Trek film, The Wolverine and Man of Steel. After each one, we looked at each other with a smile and a simultaneous thought of 'O, yes!'

Personally, I'm looking forward to Benedict Cumberbatch as the bad guy in Star Trek: Into Darkness. As a massive fan of his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the amazing BBC drama, he's going to OWN the part, I believe.

 

Wolverine. What can I say? A self-confessed X-Men wannabe, I can't miss this.

And Man of Steel. If the trailer is anything to go by, it's potentially a new, deeper take on the Superman story.

ANYWHO! IRON MAN!

I'd seen some poor reviews of this film on IMDB. Quite a few, actually. A reviewer on the radio said that she'd enjoyed it, but it had lost the heart - oh and a twist three quarters of the way along was already something we'd know. With respect to that point, I don't try to figure things out as I go along. I like the reveals and the twists. So many people knew Bruce Willis was dead in the wonderful 6th Sense. I didn't. I didn't want to. The same with Nicole Kidman's The Others. I don't want to find out before the fact. I don't want to work out who did it. I want the surprise. So...

I like how the Avengers films are linked. The Hulk, Thor and Iron Man all had Nick Fury visitations tying them all together for the Assemble movie. They have a timeline too. Even though this falls in line - and refers to events in the Avengers Assemble - it's the first one where Samuel L. Jackson doesn't don his eye-patch. One wonders why this is, especially given other incidents in this film.

Well, to those reviewers on IMDB, poo to you. I loved it. It was exciting, hilarious in places, and a real blast (in so many ways). Robert Downey Jr., whether as Holmes or Stark, plays his characters with wit, sparkle and ego. In this third outing, he doesn't disappoint.

The effects were excellent (as they should be with so many people working on them - a massive list in the credits) and you could feel the sound in your boots. Or trainers in my case. Even Joss Whedon makes a cameo at one point and Stan Lee can be seen during the pageant... erm... scene.

The whole room laughed at all the right places, especially during Stark's interactions with the boy. I thought the inclusion of the Iron Patriot missed the mark a little, personally, though Don Cheadle is always great onscreen. Guy Pearce has come such a long way since his Neighbours day and was good as the fire breathing head of AIM and it was nice to see Gwyneth Paltrow kicking some butt.

My favourite, though was Ben Kingsley. He's a wonderful actor anyway, but this is one of my favourite roles. Brilliant.

The climax of the film, for me, was spot on. Plenty of action and excitement with a touching end.

I'm not a critic. I'm a film fan. I like to turn off my mind and enjoy the ride, whether that ride takes me into darkness, hilarity, outer space or a heartfelt story full of depth and emotion. As such, I loved this.

For me, Iron Man 3 rocked.

Enjoy.